Bumper special dividend on wayHigh gross margins and recurring revenuesHuge growth potential in USCar seller-turned-software-as-a-service firm Pinewood Technologies (PINE) has confirmed its plan to reward shareholders with a bumper capital return following the recent sale of its lower margin UK motor and leasing business to North American dealerships group Lithia (LAD:NYSE).As pledged last year, P

I am 59, earn £90,000 a year and have a small defined benefit pension that matures in five months. It will pay me £22,000 a year (or £114,000 in cash and £17,000 a year).I'm still working so don't need the income now. If I defer, they will add 4% to the value of my pension income for each year. However, I'm considering taking the pension and using that as an alternative to salary. I could then

I'm 63 and looking to start drawing down from my pension soon. I have read about rising gilt yields and uncertainty in the stock market in the news and I am wondering if this will likely have any impact on my pension, and whether it should mean any change to my investments? Should I be concerned?Malik, StockportTom Selby, AJ Bell Head of Retirement Policy, says:Let's tackle the main bit of jargon

Making money from the financial markets is never easy - if it were,then none of us would be working and there would be no productive assets or companies in which to invest - but clear patterns are developing as 2023 works its way toward its conclusion.In simple terms, 2023 is looking like a 'risk on' year, with technology stocks, Latin American equities, Indian equities and high-yield (or junk) bo

£1.5 billion share buyback confirmedJefferies estimates sales of $2.2 billion for Ball in 2023Deal is worth $4.7 billion, net of $750 million tax benefitsShares in BAE Systems (BA.) fell over 3% in morning trading to 967p after the defence firm said it was buying US spacecraft company Ball Aerospace.The share price decline could be due to investors' concerns over how defence giant BAE Systems is

Shares in pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly (LLY:NYSE) have put in an outstanding performance over the last 12 months rising 71.4% to the $539 mark to become the world's largest drugmaker by market value.Much of the excitement around the stock has been driven by new treatments for two of the globe's biggest public health issues in obesity and Alzheimer's. The company announced results in July from a

The FTSE 100 kicked off the day in a muted fashion, though European peers surged on Thursday morning with markets optimistic ahead of a US inflation reading.It was a selection of stocks that went ex-dividend, which means new buyers would not qualify for the latest payout, that weighed on London's large-cap index.Shares in Spirax-Sarco Engineering and gambling firm Entain also fell.The FTSE 100 ind

I have a self-invested personal pension (SIPP) which is entirely invested in cash and which will transfer to my wife on my passing. My wife also has a SIPP invested 100% in cash.If a future government reintroduces the lifetime allowance, will any pension my wife inherits from me count towards her lifetime allowance? And assuming my wife passes away after me, can her SIPP be passed to our daughter

Revenue rises by 13% to £11 billionEBIT guidance raised by 200 bps to 6% to 8%New £1.5 billion share buyback programmeShares in BAE Systems (BA.), one of the world's leading defence firms, gained over 5% to 985p in early morning trading as the company reported a positive set of first half results lifted by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and a 'strong order intake.'Underlying earnings before inter

With official interest rates spiralling higher as the Bank of England grapples with inflation, yields across fixed income markets have also exploded higher. This provides investors with a chance to earn a decent rate of return.This article explains what gilts are, how they work, the potential returns on offer and different ways to buy them.WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND CORPORATE BO

I have a couple of old defined benefit pensions from previous employers. These are deferred as I'm not yet at retirement age. I have noticed on my recent statements the cash equivalent transfer value has dropped significantly (although the payments in retirement remain). Can you please explain how the relationship between interest rates and gilt yields influences pension transfer values? On the ba

I am aged 66 and have a pension pot of £120,000 which I don't anticipate needing for at least the next five years. Would it make sense to draw it down in a tax efficient manner (avoiding the higher rate tax band) over the next three years and reinvesting it in both mine and my wife's Stocks and Shares ISAs? Thereby reducing my tax liability further down the line (subject to me living that long of

It has been a mixed start to 2023 for the mining industry, one of the few remaining sectors where the London stock market still has many of the world's biggest names.A reopening of the Chinese economy helped drive a rally in miners of industrial metals in the first weeks of the new year before concerns about recession began to weigh more heavily. On the flipside the precious metals space has come

- Shares hit new all-time high ahead of Q4 earnings- EPS and revenues expected to fall around 1% - Continued sales momentum and fewer headwinds Fast food giant McDonald's (MCD:NYSE) is due to report fourth-quarter results before the US market opens tomorrow (25 April) with earnings per share expected to increase 1% year-on-year to $2.34 on revenues down 1.4% to $5.59 billion according to Refinitiv

- Challenging economic backdrop- Stronger second half- CFO Tim Croston retiresShares in LADBible publisher LBG Media (LBG: AIM) reversed earlier losses to advance 3.9% to 80p despite the multi-channel digital publisher announcing a 10% fall in 2022 pre-tax profit to £7.3 million.LBG blamed 'a challenging economic backdrop' for the fall, however said the group's performance was stronger in the sec

Chelsea is in her mid-20s and started investing during the pandemic. She is currently studying a PhD in quantum physics at the University of Exeter and previously spent two years working as a quantitative analyst.Her investment journey began in February 2021 when she wanted to invest a lump sum. She opened a stocks and shares ISA and has never looked back.'At that time interest rates were poor on

The events of the past week have underlined the importance of only investing in things you really understand.We look more deeply at the fallout from the Credit Suisse (CSGN:SWX) rescue job in a separate feature but a key reason it has not fully ended the concern over the banking system is the way holders of AT1 bonds or 'CoCos' have been wiped out.If they'd read the small print on these instrument

Part of my SIPP is in capped drawdown. I have accessed the pension by withdrawing my 25% tax-free allowance and have also taken some taxable income over the years. I am now considering adding some further cash to my SIPP so what do I need to consider before I do this? Would a new contribution allow me to withdraw 25% tax-free?PaulTom Selby, AJ Bell Head of Retirement Policy, says:First, let's tack

The summer holiday season is upon us, and those who are brave enough to be risking travel disruption in search of more exotic climes will no doubt be thinking about what reading material to pack for whiling away the hours on the beach, or in the airport departure lounge.An engrossing bestseller will often be the order of the day, but if you don't want to switch your brain off entirely, and would l

JP Morgan Global Core Real Assets (JARA) 104.5p Gain to date: 28.6%We recommended buying JP Morgan Global Core Real Assets (JARA) in July 2021, noting that the shares were trading on a 12 month low and a 8% discount to net asset value.This looked interesting given the shares had traded at a premium to net asset value of 15% at the beginning of 2021 and the fund also offered investors a degree of i