Stockbrokers come in many shapes and sizes. There are the expensive boutique firms that offer a chat and tips over the phone before you trade (£££), and there are the …
Investing Mistakes: Is it Possible to Invest Too Much?
At school, work and during retirement, we are encouraged to save money. It begins with the ‘piggy bank’ we are given as children and is reinforced with encouragement from our …
The Different Types of Stockbroker
Thanks to the evolution of the British stockbroker market, alongside improvements in technology and changes in investor appetite, the current selection of stockbrokers to choose from in the UK is …
The Route to a Career in Economics
What is the Role of An Economist? The role of an economist is to apply economic knowledge and economic theory in order to give advice and generate reports. Economists research …
Are Commodity Prices Affected by a Recession?
Commodity prices are volatile and difficult to predict, however we have built up an understanding of how commodity prices react to changes in the economic environment. This knowledge still doesn’t …
Commodities Trading
This article about commodities trading is applicable worldwide unless stated otherwise. Investing in commodities is a risky and speculative activity, which may cause you to lose more capital than you originally invested …
Why You Should Not Use a Financial Adviser
This article is part of my Q&A series on financial advice. Today’s question is ‘Why you should not use a financial adviser?’ One of the biggest questions that investors grapple …
Do Banks have Financial Advisers?
This article is part of my Q&A series on financial advice. Today’s question is ‘Do banks have financial advisers?’ With each year that passes, we seem to visit the bank …
Do Financial Advisers Invest Your Money?
This article is part of my Q&A series on financial advice. Today’s question is ‘Do financial advisers invest your money?’ The question of what a financial adviser does beyond giving …
Is Having a Financial Adviser Worth it?
This article is part of my Q&A series on financial advice. Today’s question is ‘Is having a financial adviser worth it?’ As I explained in How much does a financial …
Where Can I Get Free Financial Advice?
This article is part of my Q&A series on financial advice. Today’s question is ‘Where can I get free financial advice?’ Finding a financial adviser to build and monitor your …
How Much Does Financial Advice Cost?
This article is part of my Q&A series on financial advice. Today’s question is ‘How much does financial advice cost?’ Cost is perhaps the number one consideration when people are …
Becoming the Bank for Mum and Dad
The natural order of things suggests that your parents look after you, financially as well as physically, before they set you on the road to independence. Parents teach you the …
Bolstering your Finances after the Unexpected
If you ask a financial advisor about which element personal finances the public neglects most, the answer you would hear is “protection”. “Protection” is CFA speak for ‘insurance’, and boy …
What is the FTSE 100?
FTSE 100 is a registered trademark, owned by FTSE Russell, which is in turn owned by the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The name refers to an index of the share …
Who is the Best Financial Guru?
This article will help you discover who is the best financial guru. I’ll begin by explaining what a financial guru is. Next, I’ll highlight five excellent sources of financial wisdom …
What is a Financial Expert -Definition
This article answers the question: What is a Financial Expert? As this site is actually named Financial Expert, it makes sense to publish this definition here. Definition of a Financial …
How to Open a Bank/Savings Account (UK)
To support our free investing courses for young people, here is a quick article outlining how to open a bank account. Let’s get you saving as soon as possible! Step …
What’s the Difference Between Level 1 and Level 2 Market Data?
This is a definition of Level 1 and Level 2 market data for our guide on how to research company share prices and company information, which is part of our …
How to Become a Good Saver
My personal views on saving are made very clear on Financial Expert. In my article ‘How to Retire at 50‘, I explain that our ability to save will dramatically affect …
A Guide to Investing Using Fixed Rate Bonds
A fixed-rate bond is ideal for people who want to invest and save money in the long term to try and gain as much interest as possible. An introduction Fixed-rate bonds pay …
Save for Your Future
Due to the current economic climate, many people are struggling to save a portion of their salary, which may lead them into problems later in life. Prudential recently carried out …
Investing – ISAs explained
ISA stands for “individual savings account”. These are special accounts that have a limit on how much money you can deposit into them each year but also come with tax …
Investing 101: Begin Investing with Confidence
Welcome to Investing 101, a brief introduction to investing in the stock market. This is a 5 minute guide which will highlight the key things you need to know before …
Where to Invest in Property
The question of where to invest is perhaps most relevant to property investors. As the famous saying goes: choosing a great property is about three factors: Location, Location, Location! But where should one …
The Different Forms of Financial Protection
Financial protection is achieved through careful planning, a sensible balance between a basic investment portfolio, and insurance. There is nothing more despairing than the story of a retired individual who believed …
Investing for Dummies: How to Become an Investor from Scratch
One of the central themes of my articles on Financial Expert is that investing is for everyone. This includes people of any age and folks who don’t yet feel confident …
What Type of Saver Are You?
When it comes to putting money away everyone is different, from the amount saved each year or month to the reasons behind saving at all. So, which type of saver …
A Quick Guide to Absolute Return Funds
If you’ve been researching actively managed funds recently, you may have come across a relatively new breed called absolute return funds. What is an absolute return fund, and could they …
The 3 Levels of Protection of Structured Products
As we explain in our guide to structured products, there are three different categories of investment, as defined by how much protection they claim to offer the investor. 100% protection …
How to Become a Financial Adviser (UK)
Becoming a financial adviser is a very rewarding experience. A financial planning career can provide you with a rich and varied experience that you would expect from a highly professionalised …
How to Retire at 50 (Or Sooner)
Is it possible to retire at 50 without bringing in a lucrative salary, or pinning hopes on the lottery? Retiring early is possible, and it’s backed by the simple personal …
Structured Products Checklist: What you Need to Know
As we explain in our guide to investing in structured products, these interesting investments can be complex beasts. This article serves as a checklist of all the information you need …
Why Choose an Online Investing Course?
Online investing courses are now widely available on the web. You can take your pick between a 24-hour lecture series, an interactive video series, or bitesize articles (like in our …
A Comprehensive Beginners Guide to Investing
Forget the advanced tips and complex investment products. Do you want to ground yourself in the simple principles that underpin all successful investments? Read on!
What is a Rentier? And why you’ll love being one
You wake in the morning and take the time to cook yourself a proper breakfast. You turn on your laptop and have a glance at the financial markets. Stocks and …
The 5 Best Free Investing Courses
The web is packed with interesting investing content. This ranges from topic blogs, online definitions and full-blown course. This article will explore some of best free online investing courses available …
Guide to Investing in Gold Bullion Coins
For the people out there who want to hold a small sum of gold, but don’t want to break the bank, investing in gold bullion coins could be a solution. …
What is a Hedge Fund?
Hedge funds are pooled investments, where a number of investors entrust their money to a fund manager, who invests in various traded securities. Hedge fund managers will use active fund …
What is a Sophisticated Investor?
If you have recently chosen a stockbroker or signed up for a peer to peer lending platform, you may have been asked to certify whether you are a ‘Sophisticated Investor.’ …
Easter Giveaway Competition!
It goes without saying that March 2020 has certainly thrown us a curveball. The pandemic is causing many of us to alter our lifestyle in a way we hadn’t even …
Investment Definitions & Glossary
The free investing courses available on Financial Expert are aimed at beginner and amateur investors. What makes our investment training programs unique is our approach to the learning process. We …
Definition of a Real Estate Investment Trust
In my ultimate guide on how to invest in property, I list REITs as one of the popular methods. But what does REIT mean? What does REIT stand for, and …
Definition of a Unit Trust
Unit trust is a term you may see on the fact sheets of funds or collective investment vehicles. But what does unit trust mean? And what are the characteristics of …
Definition of Investment Trusts
Investment Trust or ‘Investment Trust Company’ is a term you may see when researching investment opportunities or collective investment vehicles. But what does Investment Trust mean? And what are the …
Definition of OEIC (Open Ended Investment Company)
OEIC is a term you may see on the fact sheets of funds or collective investment vehicles. But what does OEIC mean? And what are the characteristics of an OEIC? …
Definition of Junk Bond (Investor Perspective)
At first glance, the label ‘junk bond’ appears to look like a warning. “Stay away! This bond is a load of junk!” You might be surprised to hear that junk …
Definition of Corporate Bond (Investor Perspective)
Corporate bonds are a classic element of most simple investment portfolios. They tend to provide a superior return to savings accounts and government bonds, whilst containing less risk than investing …
What is a Bond Coupon Rate?
When researching bonds, you will notice that each bond will state its coupon rate. Beware the coupon rate Below, I’ll explain exactly what a coupon rate is. But I’ll also …
Definition of Bond (Investor Perspective)
The definition of a bond as an investment is as follows: What is a bond? A bond is an agreement between a borrower and a lender. From an investing perspective, …