# Small investor advice



## baldyman27 (11 Nov 2008)

Hey all,

New on here and I appreciate that if I trawled for long enough the answer to my question is probably here somewhere already.

I have been tracking 2 companies for the last few months and want to buy shares in each, probably spending E1500 on each. I'm viewing these as long term, most likely 10 years. I don't want to set up online trading accounts as I have no wish to play the market on a regular basis. So, assuming I just want to make these two buys and sit on my share certs for 10 years and quite literally do nothing with them until I think the time is right, what's the cheapest and simplest way to buy? One is a large company on the ISEQ, the other is on the FTSE AIM.

Thanks in advance.


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## lemur (11 Nov 2008)

baldyman27 said:


> Hey all,
> 
> New on here and I appreciate that if I trawled for long enough the answer to my question is probably here somewhere already.
> 
> ...



Why would you lock up your funds for 10 yrs if he stocks don't perform. Making far too many assumptions about what the stocks will do. All share investments must be timed. 

Anyway, you can buy them through a broker like Davy. Ask them for their internet rate. If you don't want to pay fees, you can take delivery of the share certs and close the account.


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## Raskolnikov (11 Nov 2008)

baldyman27 said:


> Hey all,
> 
> New on here and I appreciate that if I trawled for long enough the answer to my question is probably here somewhere already.
> 
> ...


Personally, I think €1,500 is too low to be considering an investment in shares. Why? Because you will be hit with 2 flat rate entry and exit charges. Combined with stamp duty, capital gains, you would need to be looking at a 8% gain before you'd even break event on your ivestment. If you still wish to go ahead with your investment, you could do this using Sharewatch small trades service. I have used them and can personally recommend the service. 

*disclaimer, I have no connection with the company*


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## Dave Vanian (11 Nov 2008)

lemur said:


> Why would you lock up your funds for 10 yrs if he stocks don't perform. Making far too many assumptions about what the stocks will do. All share investments must be timed.
> 
> Anyway, you can buy them through a broker like Davy. Ask them for their internet rate. If you don't want to pay fees, you can take delivery of the share certs and close the account.


 
lemur - You have said in other threads that you are a professional trader. So maybe (and I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here), *you* can time your investments to your advantage. 

I don't think it's good advice to someone with little or no experience to suggest that they too can and should attempt to time their share investments. 

Relevant quote from Warren Buffett, who has made a fortune of >$60 billion in over 60 years of professional investing: - 



> That’s what most people should do, buy a cheap index fund and slowly dollar cost average into it. If you try to be just a little bit smart, spending an hour a week investing, you’re liable to be really dumb.


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## lemur (11 Nov 2008)

Dave Vanian said:


> lemur - You have said in other threads that you are a professional trader. So maybe (and I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here), *you* can time your investments to your advantage.
> 
> I don't think it's good advice to someone with little or no experience to suggest that they too can and should attempt to time their share investments.
> 
> Relevant quote from Warren Buffett, who has made a fortune of >$60 billion in over 60 years of professional investing: -



As I said in another thread, its best to stay away from the mkt if you are an amateur and dont know how to trade.  Getting in & out at the right time is essential.


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## cole (11 Nov 2008)

lemur said:


> As I said in another thread, its best to stay away from the mkt if you are an amateur and dont know how to trade. Getting in & out at the right time is essential.


 
Stick with Buffets advice (seeing as he's one of the most successful investors of all time). Timing the market is a mugs game.


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## Chris (12 Nov 2008)

lemur said:


> Why would you lock up your funds for 10 yrs if he stocks don't perform. Making far too many assumptions about what the stocks will do. All share investments must be timed.
> 
> Anyway, you can buy them through a broker like Davy. Ask them for their internet rate. If you don't want to pay fees, you can take delivery of the share certs and close the account.



Timing is only of relevance if you're into short trading. From the OPs comment it seems like he is taking the long term investing approach, so timing is pretty much irelevant.

I have used Campbell O'Connor in the past for having share certs issued on Irish companies, and found them very good.


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## lemur (13 Nov 2008)

cole said:


> Stick with Buffets advice (seeing as he's one of the most successful investors of all time). Timing the market is a mugs game.




Clueless comment. Take a look at any index chart over the last ten years.


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## cole (13 Nov 2008)

lemur said:


> Clueless comment. Take a look at any index chart over the last ten years.


 
Take a look at Warren Buffet.


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## lemur (13 Nov 2008)

cole said:


> Take a look at Warren Buffet.



Entertainment stuff. Thats all. 

Like saying to a aspiring musician - look at Elvis. Do what he did. You can be that successful.


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## cole (13 Nov 2008)

lemur said:


> Entertainment stuff. Thats all.
> 
> Like saying to a aspiring musician - look at Elvis. Do what he did. You can be that successful.


 
Not quite. I'm saying take the advice of the second richest man in the US. His advice is *not* to do what he did but to track an index unless you really get stuck into reading annual reports and financial statements.


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## lemur (13 Nov 2008)

cole said:


> Not quite. I'm saying take the advice of the second richest man in the US. His advice is *not* to do what he did but to track an index unless you really get stuck into reading annual reports and financial statements.



The indexes in the last ten years have gone nowhere. Some like Nasdaq & ISEQ have negative performance.


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## Dave Vanian (13 Nov 2008)

lemur said:


> Entertainment stuff. Thats all.
> 
> Like saying to a aspiring musician - look at Elvis. Do what he did. You can be that successful.


 
IOf Elvis was around to offer advice to an aspiring musician on a simpler way of achieving success, I suspect he'd be listened to.


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## Askar (13 Nov 2008)

Dave Vanian said:


> IOf Elvis was around to offer advice to an aspiring musician on a simpler way of achieving success, I suspect he'd be listened to.


 
Dave,

did you not advocate investing in hedge funds at one stage? Did you not give a link into a cyber game to 'understand' the concept of hedge funds? Apologies if I have mistaken you for someone else, but it was not very buffett like (indeed, I was the one referring to Buffetts great scepticism of such funds).

Askar


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## Dave Vanian (13 Nov 2008)

Askar said:


> Dave,
> 
> did you not advocate investing in hedge funds at one stage? Did you not give a link into a cyber game to 'understand' the concept of hedge funds? Apologies if I have mistaken you for someone else, but it was not very buffett like (indeed, I was the one referring to Buffetts great scepticism of such funds).
> 
> Askar


 
You must be mistaking me for someone else.  I've never suggested that anyone invest in a hedge fund.


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## baldyman27 (13 Nov 2008)

Thanks for all the advice guys, even though it started going over my head there after a while. Have re-evaluated and am thinking about putting all the money into the FTSE company which is a recently floated green energy company, that's why I was taking the long-term view. The other was an Irish bank, don't laugh please, the temptation I think is obvious but will wait and see as I've seen that its better to invest in a rising stock.


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