does anyone have any advise for getting into stocks and shares. what are the main things to know and what is the easiest way to get involved. also what would be the minimum money in pounds sterling£ to invest.

@BM

You spoke a truth like no other...

Become a risk analyst or go about finding someone and befriend them that does this type of job...or working in a hedgehunters firm...they are privy to information on bloomberg index a long time before the layman...

Banks are hedgehunters clients...it is absolutely sickening the amount of money they make...using that one£100 about 100 times...imagine a thousand ppl invest £100 used 100 times in different investments...

They make billions of profit literally off the richter...then they tell u... who invest your hard-earned moneyu get 8-11% return...and u think u are getting a good deal...by investing in one of those ISAs and such...while they are making at least 80% profit on your money...not to mention what the hedgehunters make...

That is why they have that clause where u can't take money out for about two years so they can maximise profits in as many ventures as possible...some fail of course...but the hedgehunters money is not at risk...

@LadydDay..Hmmm. Been investing in the market for over ten years now as a private investor and member of an investment club.

First investment skills and serious heavyweight power skills. So simply having a good grasp of these things will and can set you up for life in simply having a powerful grasp of business if you did not have one and improve it massively if you did.

Secondly, there is tons of excellent introductory information on this subject. One of the best and a classic is called the Astute Private Investor. I think by H Fry. Was searching my shelves for my copies and can't find them. But I am sure it is fry. A small little and easily explained book and very cheap. Can pick it up in W H Smith etc.

Thirdly, I will tell you stocks and shares is a wicked investment and that is why the economic system is based on it and it works and is the life blood of westen governmentsystems. Wish it wasn't but the facts are the facts and don't see it changing none for now.

Let me illustrate my worse stock out performs easily my highest bank saving account and mine you that is not in this country and laughs at my highest account here.

The money is not to be made in seeking out best banks but owning the stocks of those banks. That is who makes the money notaccount holders. Of course it makes sense to do both if you can.

There is no maximum or minimum in investing. There is however common sense. You can buy shares for 30 pence. But common sense will tell you having more than 30 pence is a good idea. I suggest to start out with a pot of say £1,000 before you start purchasing. By the time you have fully researched etc your pot will be probably larger. This is why investment clubs and syndicates are good as they allow the group to purchase larger blocks or units of shares often at a cheaper price the profits of which are divided between the group.

A good convention in any type of investing is developing aportfollioconsisting of several types of savings and investment mechanims and allocate how much you are prepared to invest in each section. For example ten percent is the figure usually given for the amount of your portfolio that shouldbe invested in equities. Property of a ll sorts, investment in money marketsand othermechanisms eg bonds, etc can beused to disrtiubute the rest. Hence not all eggs in one basket even though you can make minior adjustments acccordingly. It goes with the terrriority that if you invest you will lose at some point, so it is about protecting your potential loses for that event.

What you can invest in absolutely anyting personal values and principles not withstanding. For example Iknow you would not want to invest your money in some massive entertainment company that has a major line in **** films etc. Blackmatta is correct the key to good investment is information and lots of it and constant analysis. Hence why having a group of people is very helpful. But you don't need a group of people ,especially if you have the technology. There are tons of stuff to aid investors and material.

But your eyes and your intelligence is the key tools in this area and why it is fun. For example. I noticed when doing up the house the amount of money we spent in places like B&Q and the place was jammed. Anyway we went in the country, people speding silly money because of the house market and changes in taste etc. Wicked investment. Tescos just before they got mega. Wicked investment. A company that speciales in organica animal foods, pets and a specialists in animal care. Wicked investment. I found out via reseach that white people the more money they had the more they spend on their pets and they spend silly money on animal related products.

There are certaincompaniesthat we will not invest our money in with any faith and that is shaped by our values eg Cable and Wireless who are our enemies in the Caribbean. However if Digicell floated in the Caribbean exchange I would definitely be interested.

However with experience you can invest politically as we do, especially in a private context. For example. I despise Cable and Wireless. However, I know because of the kicking they have taken in the Caribbean and Latin America and the massive reorganisation they have launched. They will be back if only for the short term and have to keep investors interested. In that period their stock value will rise and I am not disclined to buy them. Knowing full well I have absolutely no interest in that country and in fact want to wreck it and pull my money out at the appropriate time.

So with experience you can develop some of the machievelian tricks of the game so to speak.

But I would encourage plenty people to develop these skills and knowledge and even try it, because the insight and education alone of how the sytem work is valuable and you can take that any where in the world and profit from it as we have.

FB

Kevin Goldstein-Jackson, 'The Astute Private Investor' - a must read.

@Numair. Thanks. That is the author. Goldstein Jackson.



FB

very interesting reading

alot to take in. mmm i am definitly going to do my research.

I'm extremely cautious with money, primarily because i've never really had any and my Sociology degreeis hardly gonna have the £ coming in. i'm gonna look into investing. while i know next to nothing, i heard that a good tip is to invest in stock that you have a legitimate interest in. it makes it easier to research.

well i have subscribed to some share newsletters from msn just so i can get a feel for the jargon

@LadyDay. Good start. Keep us informed.



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can you guys give me some share basics

the newsletters i am getting seem baffling not used to the lingo

@Ladyday. Got some family stuff to do. Soon come.



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@Ladyday. Put the newsletter aside for now. They will be useful shortly. I did not find them very helpful myself early on.

1. You need to decide clearly what your values are where investing is concerned What I mean what is wrong and right according to your beliefs to make money or invest your money in. I know if somebody was to ask to borrow them £3,000 to buy crack-cocainewith a 2000% percent return you would telll them to piiss off.

Equally there arevarious types of companies or products or areas of operation that youmay or may not be happy about. So you have to decide what and who they are. Ithink I know most of your basic core values over the time we haveknown each other. I don't think for example you would be happy in investing in a company likeNike or other firms which make their money via slave labour and all kinds of nastiness.

2.Once you are clear on your basics. Then it is about thinking and observing and doing some reading egdaily paper financialpage. For example you have products and things in your home which you like, things which maybe of good qualityetc who you swear by. Things yourfriends rave about eg good offers. For example I simply had to walk into my first Tescos Superstore in Cookridge Leeds andsaid...I like this...

Frome there I just kept watching and every now again reading the papers, until I said let my try a thing here. Then I begun to do the serious work of obtaining company reports and going through the books so to speak and analysing stuff. Bough the shares and happy like Larry.

I made a good decision based on my exs judgement. She worked up West and use to lunch Tottenham Court Road etc and a group of us got in a convo about pizzas and the best places. My girl was adamant there was only one place to eat this was Pizza Express back in the day and she went into it.

She also noticed that there was an article in the financial section about a possible take over of bid going on and she said she would go for it, because it was an American company and she studied in the US and thinks the Yanks have theses things sussed. Furthermore the West End joints back in that time were always jammed almost 24/7. So did the research of the figures and it looked good. Held the shares for years and ate of them plenty before I let them go.

For example I noticed how our women lke to spend all their money in Argos and when you go down there it is like a meat market and money going through those tills like joke. I bought shares in the group who own Argos and all those other major white goods retailers.

Black women have the most extravagent tastes and always know whats in and what is not. So having a female instinct and peers is really a good place to start. But once you have an interest in a stock. You must research it disciplinely and witthout passion. Pure business head must rule.

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i wanna get into this too. i jsut turned 18 and got some money. is it a worth while investment.