Tuesday 31 October 2017

April 5 2015 - UK Tax year end


It has been an interesting year, although technically 13 months in long.  I was able to find £4,900 during the entire period to invest and start my stock portfolio with the aim of getting dividend income.

Just before the end of the tax year the Persimmon dividend of £53.20 was received.   This brought my monthly return for the year to £13.33.


The Facts:

Total new money invested: £4,900
Total dividends received: £159.90
If I sold the shares on the 5th April 2015, I would have had £4,649.49 in cash in the account.  Overall a loss of 9% so in the short term not looking so great.

But that is the thing about shares. They can go up in value, and they can go down in value. I just have to wait and see, if long term things improve or not.

Friday 27 October 2017

The No Follow Attribute and Link Building

This is something about websites which really annoys me.  If you understand it, it will annoy you too.

Some time ago I agreed to promote a business by doing articles with backlinks to the business websites. I had to pay a fee for this, but it was supposed to be good promotion and extra traffic to my website. But what I did not realise was, the website has a "No Follow" for links set up on the website.

In plain English, this means exactly that - when a Search engine sees the link they are told NOT TO FOLLOW the link so of course it does not get listed either.......   It may as well not even exist. So I now refuse to provide any articles, especially ones I pay to have published on this particular website.

But they are not alone.  Many blogs have the same thing set up in the comments section.  When I find this, I will never go back to the blog.  The internet is about helping everyone.  The "No Follow" attribute is about not helping anyone.  The whole point of adding links is to link build.

If you have a No Follow attribute on your website I would suggest getting it removed.  If you have a WordPress blog, you will need to change this manually or use a "do follow" plugin.

It could be a contributory factor in why you are not getting much traffic or getting listed high on Google!

The attribute originated to reduce SPAM, but if you are being careful with your website content and links, you will not need it.




Tuesday 24 October 2017

March 2015 - Investment No.5

Another 3 months had passed since my last purchase and I needed to put another £1000 into my trading account with Selftrade for the quarter.  

I had received a dividend of £13.41 for my Royal Dutch Shell shares, £17.29 for my SSE shares. 

I needed another FTSE100 share and was struggling to choose.  I read that Persimmon shares were going ex-dividend the following week, with the payment before the end of the tax year. 
 
The stock market epic was PSN and it was in the Household Goods & Home Construction sector


 So I purchased 56 shares.

https://www.persimmonhomes.com/corporate

Tuesday 17 October 2017

December 2014 - Investment No.4

3 months passed since my last share purchase, and I was able to put another £1000 into my trading account with Selftrade. 

I had received another dividend of £8.30 for my Antofagasta shares.  This brought my return on my original £1000 investment to 8% and I had only held them for 7 months, so I was happy.   I also received another £3.23 for my Pace shares.

I needed another FTSE100 share so I decided on Royal Dutch Shell. There are 2 types of share on offer, "A" shares and "B" shares. I knew from past experience that I wanted B shares. "A" shares had a 15% withholding tax deduction, and B shares did not.

The stock market epic was RDSB and it was in the Oil and Gas Sector.

As with most companies in the Oil and Gas Sector they paid 4 dividends each year.   So I purchased 65 shares.

http://www.shell.com

Actual amount paid in to date: £3,900
Actual dividends received to date: £76.00

Tuesday 10 October 2017

September 2014 - Investment No.3

Money had been tight, so I had transferred the £1,000 to my share account in several small amounts over the previous months, but I now had enough to purchase my third share, and it was coming up to the final month of the 3rd quarter

Since the last purchase I had received £59.13  for the Antofagasta shares, and £5.34 for the Pace shares.  Total dividend income to date £64.47.  3% approx, not great, but better than the 0.1% most savings accounts were offering, and I had only had the money invested for a short time so far.

I needed something really safe, but also paying a good dividend.  I had taken a risk with the previous purchase, and I was now thinking I had not thought it through properly.
 
For these reasons, I decided on SSE plc. 

The stock market epic was SSE and it was in the Electricity Sector, again another FTSE100 company

Originally called Scottish and Southern Energy, I knew it had always paid a good dividend. Its core purpose was to provide the energy people in Great Britain and Ireland would need in a reliable and sustainable way.

So I purchased 65 shares.

http://www.scottish-southern.co.uk

Friday 6 October 2017

The Forgotten Space

When renovating the home we often concentrate on decorating each room to our personal taste whilst neglecting transitional spaces such as the entryway and hallways. Entryways are often dumping grounds for keys, coats and shoes, whilst hallways gather toys and laundry. These spaces can be difficult to decorate and style because of their size and shape.

The entryway is the first thing people see when they enter, so this space should really set the tone for the rest of your home. It might be small and an unusual shape but there are plenty of ways to make this space beautiful and functional. The upstairs hallway may seldom be seen but a little design can transform this space from transitional to a place where people will want to linger.

I have put together a few styling ideas for making the most of these forgotten spaces, if you have any ideas of your own please share them in the comments below.

Make a Statement

Since first impressions do count, it is important to make sure your entryway has the wow factor. Start with the flooring and work your way up. Many entryways are long and narrow, leading the way into the rest of the home. Lay down a magnificent carpet or rug and don’t be afraid of colour and warmth.
The benefit of a transitional space is that you can break away from the rest of the home’s design and be bold. The same goes for your walls. Try accent wallpaper or a bright colour you love. Just be sure you really do love it, because you have to live with it.

Grando Rug by The Woven Edge


The upstairs hallway begins where the stairs end and there are a few fantastic techniques to utilise the wall at the top of your stairs. Something that is becoming more popular is an art technique called trompe l’oeil. This trick of the eye uses very realistic images to make the objects appear 3D and you can buy wallpaper that utilises this affect. Just imagine the appearance of a bookshelf at the top of your stairs or an archway leading to a field of flowers. If that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea you can create a wall of clocks or even a wall of framed photographs or artwork, turning the space into a gallery.

Functionality Doesn’t Have to be Frumpy

The benefit of transitional spaces is that they can provide excellent storage solutions, particularly for those items you need when you leave the house. Keeping things tidy and organised, particularly with a large family, can be a chore and can mean design gets left behind but that needn’t be the case. Wall mounted hooks at adult and child levels are a great way to stylishly and tidily hang coats and bags. While shelving and ledges can provide ample space for those smaller items like keys and lipstick. Use pretty bowls or jars to store smaller items and prevent the area from becoming untidy.

If you have the space, a storage unit can provide you with a cubby hole for each family member to store their belongings. You can even use the top of it for plants and fun trinkets.

Finally, make the space feel welcoming. Walking through the door should put a smile on your face and your guests should feel welcome too. Soft lighting is a great way to create a cosy and warm feel and you can achieve this with a stand-up lamp by the door instead of harsh overhead lighting. Mirrors create the illusion of openness and space while art work and family photographs are a great way to show your personality and warmth.

Rustic White Coat Racks and Mirrors from hampshirefurnituresolutions.co.uk

With my styling tips - and your creativity - hallways and entryways need never be neglected again!

Tuesday 3 October 2017

April 2014 - Investment No.2

I now realised that I would need to make a share transaction at least once in each quarter, or I would have to pay an additional fee to Selftrade.

So I made the decision that it was worth making sure I was able to do a transaction without any pressure as early as possible in every quarter.  One month later I transferred just under £1,000 to my dealing account.  So I choose an old favourite Pace Micro.



 The Stock market EPIC was PIC

I knew it was going to go ex-dividend in June, with the payment a month later.  Pace Micro had a turbulent history.  A company founded in 1982, and it was the biggest developer of set-top boxes for all broadcast platforms.  In its early days it had been a penny share.  Now it was paying dividends so I purchased 244 shares at about £4.00 a share.  



There is a reason there is no link - Pace later is taken over. When I post the details, I will add a link then. 

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