Just a quick note this morning, inviting blog readers to my latest investment event – it’s on dividend-based investing. It’s on May 15th, at Schroders and features a star-studded list of speakers all debating just how robust any investment strategy based on dividends will be in the next decade. Anyway, here are the details of the event – its free for blog readers, with a link to tickets at the bottom.

The Dividends Debate: ideas for diversification in equity income

With global and UK dividends at an all-time high, using equities as a primary driver for income has never been more popular. But just how robust are these equity income strategies and how might investors look to diversify income yields from holding risky equity assets?

The Dividend Debate, hosted by David Stevenson (FT, IW and MW) and Lawrence Gosling (IW and now WhatInvestment) looks to analyse and critically examine all the key debates surrounding dividends. Media partners event will include What Investment, ETF Stream and MoneyWeek. Both David and Lawrence will also be building on their decade’s long connections to both the City and the advisory community to build a diverse audience.

The session – from 9am until 1pm – will explore a number of key questions including:

  • How to work up and down the size spectrum to maximise diversification i.e focus on large vs small cap
  • Using options-based strategies to overlay onto equity income portfolios
  • Smart beta and quantitative ideas to systematically capture dividends growth
  • Using best of breed ‘smart’ structured products to fuse the best attributes of passive and smart beta together
  • Using alternatives such as real estate to boost income from equities
  • Geographical dispersion to improve resilience

Panels and keynotes will include:

  • Alternative assets and property as a primary driver for income
  • Emerging markets and the rise of the dividend – focus on India
  • Small and mid-cap dividend investing
  • Large cap blue chip dividend investing and the concentration risk
  • How sustainable are current equity income yields?

Who is this event aimed at? The event is free for investors with a focus on research desks at wealth advisers, IFAs/financial planners and high net worth individuals.  Sessions will include:

  • Andrew Lapthorne, global strategists at SocGen, Dividend capture as a strategy – an overview
  • Link Dividend Monitor: From the coalface – the hard data on dividends
  • Global and UK Large Cap – too concentrated? With Matthew Page from Guinness Asset Management
  • Gervais Williams (Miton) and David Horner of Chelverton AM: UK Mid and Small cap – too risky or the future for Dividend Strategies
  • Enhancing dividend income. BMO and Chris Taylor from Tempo Structured Products – enhancing dividend income and redefining / rethinking structured products for equity income and total return investors
  • Somerset Capital, on Emerging markets – Beyond China and the growth of EM dividends
  • Smart Beta Dividend capture – new ideas for systematic capture with BlackRock, Lyxor, State Street and S&P Dow Jones Indices
  • Gravis Capital and Schroders on Alternatives – Are REITs the best alternative or is alternative credit the next big thing?

Speakers will include managers and strategists from Schroders, SocGen, Lyxor, Miton, S&P Dow Jones, Chelverton, BMO, BlackRock, Tempo Structured Products, Somerset Capital, Gravis Partners, State Street, BMO and First Trust. The Big Call also partners on events with technology provider Sharescope.

The details

Where? Schroders

When? 15th May 2018

The address? 31 Gresham Street, London, EC2V 7QA

Kick off time? 9am through to 1pm

How to book (free) tickets) – click this link