The Association of Investment Companies (AIC) has added shareholder presentations and webinars to its online AGM calendar, so that investment company shareholders can easily see what meetings are coming up on a single webpage.
Now called ‘Upcoming meetings’, this resource allows users to filter by location or meeting type. An online availability icon makes it clear which meetings can be attended virtually, and users can check a box to display only those meetings with an online option. Currently, 31% of meetings listed can be joined online.
Investment professionals, including financial advisers and wealth managers, can also view upcoming analyst presentations and capital markets days. These additional meetings appear for users who are signed into theaic.co.uk as advisers.
Richard Stone, Chief Executive of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC), said: “Being a shareholder in an investment company gives you rights that are not shared by investors in other funds. Every investment company shareholder can attend meetings and make their views heard, as well as voting on important decisions.
“Our upcoming events calendar makes it simple for shareholders to engage by providing a handy list of AGMs, shareholder presentations and other meetings and calls. Since the pandemic, more of these meetings can be joined online, making it easier for shareholders to get involved with their investment companies whether they live in Perth or Penzance.”
For every meeting, users can access basic attendance details with a single click (example here). A further link takes you to the relevant stock exchange announcement for more details.
The AIC also publishes information on how to vote your shares or attend an AGM if you hold your shares on a number of major investment platforms, including AJ Bell, Bestinvest, Fidelity, Hargreaves Lansdown and interactive investor.
For the past two years, the AIC has presented a Shareholder Engagement Award to the platform that does most to facilitate shareholder engagement, including voting and AGM attendance. The award is judged by the lang cat.
