I’m expanding my popular How to invest in land guide with a series of short articles. Let’s explore some curious questions about investing in land which I couldn’t squeeze into …
Do landowners own the air above their land?
I’m expanding my popular How to invest in land guide with a series of short articles. Let’s explore some curious questions about investing in land which I couldn’t squeeze into the original article! Question …
Why are Shares a Good Investment?
In my ultimate guide to investing in shares & the stock market and our explainer ‘what are shares?’, I briefly address why shares are good investments: High expected returns Tax …
What is an Exchange Traded Fund?
Exchange-Traded Funds (or ‘ETFs’ for short), are a popular method for investing in a wide range of asset classes. In the US alone, $4 trillion of assets are now held …
10 Shocking Common Mistakes most New Investors Make
They say that experience is the best teacher. However, when money is at stake, it is wise to learn from the mistakes of others rather than your own! Don’t you …
When is the Right Time to Sell Stocks & Shares?
If we want to follow the advice of “Buy low and sell high”, we need to understand when is the right time to sell shares. But when is the right …
How NOT to Pick Stocks & Shares
I receive quite a high volume of emails about stock picking, i.e. choosing the right company shares to invest in. This article will point out some bad practises that I …
Commodities News and Data Sources
The efficient-market hypothesis may theorise otherwise, but all practitioners understand that performing thorough research will yield better results than picking out commodities investments at random. To support my ultimate guide …
The Ultimate Guide on How to Invest in Land
There are 149 million square kilometres of land on this planet. That’s 20,000 square metres per person. Do you personally own your fair share? I have created the ultimate guide …
Are Shares a Risky Investment?
The stock market is often compared to a casino. The newspapers often refer to investment banking as ‘casino banking’ which adds further weight to this idea. But are shares actually …
Definition of Stocks and Shares – is there a Difference?
The Stocks and Shares ISA is a tax-free investment account available to UK investors. The name implies that stocks and shares are similar but somehow different. This leads many people …
Are Commodities Suitable for Beginner Investors?
The list of globally traded commodities gets longer every year. With so many products, at least one commodity will be a ‘hot property’ at any given moment. Any commodity that …
Are Commodities a Safe Investment?
Investing in shares requires confidence. I mean, what are shares if not a test of your faith in the economy? In contrast, commodities are real, tangible objects. They’re solid assets …
A Comprehensive List of Commodities to Invest in
To support my ultimate guide on how to invest in commodities, I’ve pulled together the following comprehensive list of commodities. I’m not declaring these commodities are all safe investments. Rather, …
The Ultimate Guide on How to Invest in Commodities
Commodities are perhaps the most exclusive investments included in amateur portfolios. Opportunities can be notoriously difficult to find. But there are ways to do it without breaking the bank. This …
How do Structured Products Work? Revealing the Magic Behind ‘Structured Products’
Structured products are like mythical creatures. You might be wondering, ‘How do structured products work?’ Many investors have never seen or even heard of them. Yet many folks do have …
Investing in Peer to Peer Lending Platforms
Peer to Peer lending (P2P), is a new form of investment which appeared one decade ago. The return on investment falls somewhere in between bank interest account and the returns …
Compare Stockbrokers & Investment Platforms
Welcome to the Financial Expert guide on how to choose a stockbroker or investment platform in 2020. Don’t just follow the crowd – use our tools to compare UK stockbrokers …
The Ultimate Guide to Dividend Growth Investing
The Dividend Growth Investing strategy (DGI) has taken root as a favourite strategy across money blogs, particularly websites which are dedicated to saving for retirement. If you’re serious about putting …
Are Payday Loans a Scam?
Editor note: The article ‘Are Payday Loans a Scam?’ was originally published on Financial Expert in 2010, and received a positive media response. In the years that followed, pressure upon …
How to Avoid Tax when Investing
This guide on how to avoid tax when investing will arm you with a series of tweaks you should consider making to your portfolio to maximise your returns. The reduction …
Is Now a Good Time to Invest in the Stock Market?
“Is now a good time to invest in the stock market?” as well as “Should I save or invest?” are probably the most common question I am asked by readers, …
How to Research Share Prices and Company Information
Two hundred years ago, shares were traded between an elite group of wealthy individuals through social groups which often met in coffee houses. How to research share prices back then …
Passive Funds versus Active Funds
An argument which has long raged in the halls of asset managers is the debate between investing styles. In particular; passive versus active investing. Financial Expert encourages one of these …
A Critical Analysis of ‘The Financial Expert’ by R. K Narayan (1952)
This literary review explores the themes, artefacts and motifs of the 1952 Indian novel ‘The Financial Expert’, authored by the late Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami (1906 – 2001). This article also …
What is an IPO (Initial Public Offering) and how to invest in one
Initial public offerings (IPOs) are milestones in the stock market calendar. An IPO is where a company gives the public an opportunity to buy shares in the company for the …
Is Bitcoin the Investment of the Future?
This article is designed to answer the question – is Bitcoin a good investment? We’ll begin with an overview of the technology, then weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of …
How to Spot Investment Scams
Knowing how to spot investment scams is an essential skill for a modern investor. Collectively, investors represent a gold mine for organised crime. Is there an easier target than a …
How to Invest in Property
Welcome to our comprehensive guide on how invest in property. In this article we will delve into property as an asset class, and debunk several myths. We will also explore …
Investing in Emerging Markets
Are you curious about investing in emerging markets? In our article ‘How to build a basic investment portfolio‘ we suggested that investors with an ‘adventurous’ or ‘balanced’ risk profile should …
An Investors Guide to Spread Betting – Is Spread betting Profitable?
What is spread betting? Spread betting is a special type of wager entered into between a customer and a bookmaker. Is spread betting profitable? Read on to find out in …
How to Reduce or Eliminate the Cost of Investing
In this article, we will explore how to reduce the cost of investing can be reduced. Although this doesn’t sound exciting – reducing fees is actually the easiest way to …
How to Build an Investment Portfolio
I’m Simon, founder of Financial Expert. This beginners guide covers the essential things you need to know when building an investment portfolio. It’s the most popular guide on Financial Expert. …
The Science of Diversification
This article will explain how to diversify your investments using the science of diversification. To get there, we will walk through logical steps which build to the conclusion. Therefore you …
Investing Risk Appetite Questionnaire
Take our investing risk appetite questionnaire to discover how your attitude towards risk should influence your investing approach. Imagine for a moment: it is 2 am and you cannot get …
What are Shares and Why do People Invest in Shares?
If you’ve ever wondered ‘What are shares’ or ‘why are shares so popular?’ – this ultimate guide to shares is the right place to begin! What are Shares? You gain …
How to Buy Shares and Invest in the Stock Market
Buying shares is a proven way to grow your savings over the long term. Shares have produced an average return of between 5% – 8% annually. For this reason, many …
What is an Investment Time Horizon and how does it Impact a Portfolio?
When designing an investment portfolio, one of the factors you must consider is your investment time horizon. The consequence of overlooking your time horizon is discovering that your investments have …
Should I Save or Invest? Why you Deserve Better than a Savings Account
Welcome to Financial Expert. If you’re at the crossroads of choosing between a savings account or investments, you’re in the right place. In fact, this article might just change your …
What is a Stock Market Index and Why are Stock Market Indices Important?
This is a companion article to how to invest in shares which forms part of the free investing courses available on Financial Expert. If you’ve ever picked upon a copy …