Ian's Story

I’d done stock picking many years previously and then had become too busy to continue until I retired from my work in 2019. In those early days (late 90’s / early 00’s) I used a tip-sheet called “Fleet Street Newsletter” (written by a so-called Stock Market Renegade, as I recall). Later I subscribed to a more detailed regular report called “The Analyst” which took an approach you might call Buffett-esque. This lead me to shares like Halma and Ashtead which performed well. But I also bought a number of real losers using these methods – Marconi and Fortune Oil being notable examples.

More recently, as I returned to investing, I realised I needed to rely on my own research and a more systematic approach. I was an accountant before I retired and therefore I have a good understanding of the numbers so I felt quite comfortable in developing my own system based upon the writings of other investors. However, based upon the approach I was taking, I realised this was going to be a very slow and long-winded process. So, even at this early stage I was looking for sources of information and data that could help me speed up the process.

I was particularly able to relate to the writings of Robbie Burns (The Naked Trader). It was on one particular occasion that I emailed him and quizzed him on his sources of data - he recommended I take a look at Stockopedia.

Yes - without question, it has changed my approach considerably. One of the key advantages of Stockopedia is the convenience of having virtually all the information I need to properly assess a company in one place. This in itself is a great time saver. Additionally, the facility to create my own screens has given me the power to incorporate my own checklist of critical issues. I love this particular feature because it means I can do a very quick assessment to determine whether or not it’s worthwhile taking a much closer look at a particular company. A huge time saver!

Finding stocks worth looking at has also been made much easier both by the filtering facility within the “Screens” and also the daily contributions from people like Paul Scott and Jack Brumby. Ed Croft’s educational videos have not only helped me get much more out of Stockopedia, they have also taught me much about investing generally.

Yes, I am very pleased with the returns I have achieved over the last 12 months, having selected companies that are highly rated by the Stockopedia StockRanks - particularly at a time when the markets have been so volatile. With the support of Stockopedia now I feel much more confident in my investing and more optimistic regarding prospects for future investment performance. I feel that Stockopedia has made a significant difference to my investing ability and I'm very grateful to Robbie Burns for recommending it to me.

Expertise in investment is best acquired through experience: both your own first-hand experience and from those people who have trodden the path you are about to take. Stockopedia gives you ready access to a huge amount of information and knowledge based upon that experience.