When ...

[Chelseablue]

Are We not better cashing in on October this year than in a few yrs time when who knows what destruction lays ahead and the share price plummets to fk ?

[A2B]

Are We not better cashing in on October this year than in a few yrs time when who knows what destruction lays ahead and the share price plummets to fk ?

Ironically the worse it gets working for Royal Mail the better the profits will be

[Chelseablue]

Industrial action etc I mean

[wandle]

Are We not better cashing in on October this year than in a few yrs time when who knows what destruction lays ahead and the share price plummets to fk ?

You would be extremely foolish to sell in October 2016, for the following reasons

1. The maximum number of shares you can sell at that point is 613 (not the full 832 we've had, plus a further allocation in March 2016)

2. You would, based on Friday's closing price of 441.3p, receive £1841.57 (£2705.17 less £838.60 tax/NI and I'm guessing, £25 selling fee)

3. Between now and October 2018, when you can sell with no tax or NI deducted, even if RM only maintains it's dividend at current levels (unlikely; they will want to increase it to keep all shareholders sweet), you will miss out on dividends of approximately:
7p in January 2017
14p in July 2017
7p in January 2018
14p in July 2017

If you hold on, and sell in October 2018, assuming the share price remained exactly the same, you would have gained at least 42p/share in dividends, and thus in total have received £2937.63 i.e. £257.46 + £2680.17 (again, assuming a £25 selling fee)

By selling in 2016, you're effectively tossing away £1096.06 and receiving the equivalent of only 304.5p/share for your 613 shares. The fools in government were slated for selling RM on the cheap, when they offloaded the shares to their mates in the City at 330p/share. You would sell yours for less than that ? Seriously ??

Taking into account the dividends payable, and the freedom from tax and NI, even if your pessimism about RM's future were correct, if the share price stood as low as 263p in October 2018, you would STILL have gained more overall, by waiting until 2018 to sell your shares

[wandle]

The first allocation yes, but you will pay Tax and NI, keep them another two years then there will be no deductions.

another two years they be worth zilch

If you're 100% confident of that, I'll buy yours off you now, for 10p/share... £61.30 is better than nowt, isn't it ?