The Lemon Fool

If the publishers of the Investors Chronicle had been hoping that punters might not notice that they now have to fork out an extra 51 pence for their magazine then they must be somewhat disappointed that the bar code on the front does not appear to have been updated to reflect the new price of £5.50. In my local WH Smiths, all the copies on the shelf have a printed number sellotaped over the bar code which caused the staff behind the till no end of confusion, including calls to the distribution center. In the end, they tried the simple experiment of typing the number into their system and low and behold it worked. The new price of £5.50 is printed on the front, but is not so easy to distinguish against a dark background.

My new copy has 4.99 on the front. I wonder if they are doing regional trials for the new price. The Radio Times does that apparently.

the annual subscription - on page 4 - remains at £155 .

it seems to me the mag content has deteriorated in recent years - too many "articles" by third rate journalists and freelance scribblers .

i dont read the bearbull column now.

the company results are still the mainstay , but most of that is probably available free on line .

the john baron and john rosier columns i like , and i do read simon thompsons stuff - with a very sceptical eye .

but i think i would miss this mag plopping through the door..

I've subscribed since 2007, apart from a few years when the children were babies, having only bought copies ad hoc previously. I find it an absorbing read and particularly enjoy Phil Oakley's writing. The monthly 'no free lunch' column is excellent too.

I tend to skim Simon Thompson's articles - only pausing to read when he has changed his stance on a share from buy to sell, and to understand the reasons why. I've noticed he sometimes has a selective memory on his entry prices.

jackdaww wrote:the annual subscription - on page 4 - remains at £155 .

it seems to me the mag content has deteriorated in recent years - too many "articles" by third rate journalists and freelance scribblers .

i dont read the bearbull column now.

the company results are still the mainstay , but most of that is probably available free on line .

the john baron and john rosier columns i like , and i do read simon thompsons stuff - with a very sceptical eye .

but i think i would miss this mag plopping through the door..

I agree with all of that. I also think the Saturday FT money section (from the same stable) has deteriorated as well and at £4 seems rather a lot.

Dod

Can anyone direct me to the Land of Off Topic Posts?

Bink!

PinkDalek wrote:Can anyone direct me to the Land of Off Topic Posts?

Bink!

Certainly - meet at the loch on the 12th for the 1st work party of the year. I can confidently predict that a discussion of the price of the Investors Chronicle will qualify as an Off-Topic Post, but I fear it may meet with similar derisive comments as the work proposals made by our committee members on a wet, windy and freezing day as we all huddle in the oar shed.
PS - And yes - we have loch-side binks which will need a fresh coat of paint.

Isn't the Free Lunch a case of copying an article title into the address bar in one's browser's "incognito mode" ( well, that's what it is called in Chrome) including the alpha articles?

Rituximan wrote:If the publishers of the Investors Chronicle had been hoping that punters might not notice that they now have to fork out an extra 51 pence for their magazine then they must be somewhat disappointed that the bar code on the front does not appear to have been updated to reflect the new price of £5.50. In my local WH Smiths, all the copies on the shelf have a printed number sellotaped over the bar code which caused the staff behind the till no end of confusion, including calls to the distribution center. In the end, they tried the simple experiment of typing the number into their system and low and behold it worked. The new price of £5.50 is printed on the front, but is not so easy to distinguish against a dark background.

Still paying £2.41/issue for print edition (took out a 5 year subscription in Mar 2016, and another year to run yet. The pdf version that's available is very useful, and very promptly uploaded, and very handy if I'm away from home etc.

scotia wrote:

PinkDalek wrote:Can anyone direct me to the Land of Off Topic Posts?

Bink!

Certainly - meet at the loch on the 12th for the 1st work party of the year. I can confidently predict that a discussion of the price of the Investors Chronicle will qualify as an Off-Topic Post, but I fear it may meet with similar derisive comments as the work proposals made by our committee members on a wet, windy and freezing day as we all huddle in the oar shed.
PS - And yes - we have loch-side binks which will need a fresh coat of paint.

Right, that's me fresh coat painted as instructed on the loch-side.

What's next Guv? That rusty old dalek over there looks like he could do with a lick of paint himself. I'm thinking British Racing Green?

I am surprised at you investor types forking out anything on that mucky old rag written by a bunch 3rd rate degenerates that wouldn't know a good investment from a Woodford porfolio. If you saved all the money you could have spent in Smiths, and instead invested in this here Welsh Chocolate Raison D'etre company, we'll all be millionaires by Christmas.

Please sent cheques to Shotaa - care of JimSusan's Shed, payable to "Shotaa's Ponzi Chocolate Raisins Investment Scheme", in order to get your free bag of the aforementioned together with some sort of paperwork at the IPO. Don't eat the raisins.

I'm not sure why the folk at Investor's Chronicle have not already done a piece on this, or maybe they did and that's the issue that Smith's couldn't sell because of the odd Baa code?

Happy New Decade and all that.

Bink

The copies of IC in my local W H Smith are marked at £4.99.

I'll carry on with my subscription though I very much agree with the sceptical comments here. I gave up reading Simon Thompson's articles when he tipped Naibu when it was self evident to many, and well dissected on MF, that the whole thing was a scam, as it subsequently proved to be.

It is very difficult though for a weekly mag like this to have anything new and useful to say. Chris Dillow is very sensible but it is inevitably almost the same comments on every portfolio her reviews.

The company results reviews are useful, but frequently I don't share their conclusions - still it is good for any investor to hear other conflicting views to test their own.

£5.50 seems a lot for a rag like this, but I suppose an old codger like me is out of date on what things should cost. I remember when 15 shillings seemed a lot to pay for a bottle of sherry! (75p for those who aren't as old!)

Bink333 wrote:[Please sent cheques to Shotaa - care of JimSusan's Shed, payable to "Shotaa's Ponzi Chocolate Raisins Investment Scheme", in order to get your free bag of the aforementioned together with some sort of paperwork at the IPO. Don't eat the raisins. ...

That's more like it, LoOTP as it should be.

Has anyone ever been to Minsk or is it Minks? One has to be careful you know. Sharp teeth an' all.

I bought a copy last Wednesday for £4.99 on the M5 services near Bristol.

Dod101 wrote:

jackdaww wrote:the annual subscription - on page 4 - remains at £155 .

it seems to me the mag content has deteriorated in recent years - too many "articles" by third rate journalists and freelance scribblers .

i dont read the bearbull column now.

the company results are still the mainstay , but most of that is probably available free on line .

the john baron and john rosier columns i like , and i do read simon thompsons stuff - with a very sceptical eye .

but i think i would miss this mag plopping through the door..

I agree with all of that. I also think the Saturday FT money section (from the same stable) has deteriorated as well and at £4 seems rather a lot.

Dod

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something else i have noticed in recent months - the staples holding the pages together are not working - pages are loose on arrival , the mag soon starts falling apart .

cost cuts??

jackdaww wrote:
==========================================

something else i have noticed in recent months - the staples holding the pages together are not working - pages are loose on arrival , the mag soon starts falling apart .

cost cuts??

I know the feeling, and sometimes it isn't just my pages that work loose on arrival. Maybe it's just a sign of getting old?

I like your use of the smiley eyerolling face thingy, back in the day people used to click smiley faces at the top of posts. If you click this one....... ........ it won't have quite the same effect, but there's much to be said for a spot of smiley face clicking when you (or your badly stapled 'top shelf mag') starts falling apart... Do people still buy those at motorway services then?

jackdaww wrote:the annual subscription - on page 4 - remains at £155 .

it seems to me the mag content has deteriorated in recent years - too many "articles" by third rate journalists and freelance scribblers .

i dont read the bearbull column now.

the company results are still the mainstay , but most of that is probably available free on line .

the john baron and john rosier columns i like , and i do read simon thompsons stuff - with a very sceptical eye .

but i think i would miss this mag plopping through the door..

I wouldn’t agree about the deterioration of content I personally find it very informative on a number of subjects that I don’t know about in general, if your looking for tips then only use them as a starting point which is what I have always done.

Price rises? Yes it is getting disproportionately expensive for a mag but they all seem to be relatively expensive these days, I have it on standing order so don’t notice the actual price rise so much.

I’m sorry to see both John Hughman and Phil Oakley leave the IC. I think the magazine has greatly improved while John has been at the helm. I’ve learned so much from Phil Oakley and will miss his articles. I wonder if Algy Hall is in the running for editor or if Rosie Carr will be promoted to the top job? I see Algy won ‘journalist of the year’ at the CFA awards today…

Hypster wrote:I’m sorry to see both John Hughman and Phil Oakley leave the IC. I think the magazine has greatly improved while John has been at the helm. I’ve learned so much from Phil Oakley and will miss his articles. I wonder if Algy Hall is in the running for editor or if Rosie Carr will be promoted to the top job? I see Algy won ‘journalist of the year’ at the CFA awards today…

I am not so concerned about the loss of individuals but i have to say that the recent changes to the layout has done nothing for me in terms of the attraction of the Mag. Whilst I would miss it I am not sure that if I stopped subscribing it would make a lot of difference to me.

Dod

Hypster wrote: I’ve learned so much from Phil Oakley and will miss his articles.

Second that, I've been a big fan of Oakley's journalism and have a copy of his book. I wonder where he will pop up next.