About UK Value Investor

Hello. My name is John Kingham and I’m the author of The Defensive Value Investor and editor of UK Value Investor, both of which are for defensive and dividend-focused value investors.

Here are a few details about why this website exists:

I originally started the website as a personal blog back in 2008 in order to connect with other UK-based value investors. I also found it helpful to write publicly about my strategy and research efforts as it forced me to explain my thinking clearly. It also generated lots of useful feedback from readers which helped improve my strategy enormously.

In 2011 I started publishing a monthly e-newsletter where I would publish my stock screen and latest buy and sell decisions exclusively for subscribers.

By the end of 2011 I decided to leave my previous career as a software analyst in order to work on the newsletter full-time.

As well as publishing the newsletter and writing a book, I’ve also written for a variety of magazines, most notably the regular Dividend Hunter column for Master Investor Magazine.

In terms of relevant qualifications, I hold the Investment Management Certificate from CFA UK.

About the UK Value Investor newsletter

My investment newsletter exists to provide investors with tools and information to help them build high yield, low risk portfolios.

One of the main features of each issue is the model portfolio. This portfolio is managed according to the defensive value investing strategy and subscribers get to see every detail of the portfolio and how it’s managed.

Over 90% of my family’s investments are in the same stocks as the model portfolio.

Subscribers also have access to a unique stock screen which makes up the first stage of each buy or sell decision, as well as the worksheets and spreadsheets which are used to analyse companies. In short, every part of the investment process is completely transparent.

From its inception in 2011, the model portfolio has achieved each of its core goals, which are to have a higher yield, higher total return and lower risk than the FTSE All-Share.

Why investors subscribe to UK Value Investor

• It’s factual. My research is based on facts as much as possible and speculation is kept to a minimum.
• It’s educational. I keep jargon to a minimum and explain what I’m doing as fully and as clearly as I can.
• It follows a sensible, hype-free approach. My approach is calm, free of hyperbole and focused on quality companies and long-term results.
• It has a good track record. The newsletter’s model portfolio has beaten the FTSE All-Share since inception in 2011, with a higher yield, higher growth and less risk (although of course future results are not guaranteed).

Values, beliefs, standards

My one overriding goal is to show investors how they can build high yield, high growth, low risk portfolios by applying defensive value investing principles. This takes priority over everything else and the newsletter’s core principles are encapsulated in the following list:

• Be professional. Put subscribers’ long-term interests first.
• Eat your own cooking. Virtually all of my family’s investments are held in exactly the same companies as model portfolio.
• Be transparent. Make public the model portfolio’s performance results as well as the final results of every individual investment.
• Focus on improvement. Work hard to learn from every investment, whether good or bad. Learning should never stop because nobody is perfect, not even Warren Buffett.

UK Value Investor subscribers should:

• Be committed to achieving good results
• Have a long-term outlook
• Be able to cope with market declines without panicking at the first sign of trouble
• Accept that the future is an uncertain place and be willing to invest despite that uncertainty
• Ask questions if they’re unsure of anything, even if it seems like a daft question
• Give honest and detailed feedback on what they do or don’t find valuable in their subscription