Ian's Story

You’ll probably be pleased to hear that I didn’t invest directly before using Stockopedia. I generally invested via funds in my ISA and pension savings. It was really only Stockopedia that gave me the confidence to invest in individual companies. The free trial was very helpful in deciding whether to take the plunge as I could “road test” my picks before committing to the subscription.

My approach to investing has evolved since I started and that has been informed by Stockopedia.

Decide what type of Investor you want to be and make sure it aligns with your personality. Decide on your strategy, but don’t worry if it takes a while to make those decisions.
Diversify!
Don’t worry about the failures – learn your lessons and move on.
Don’t fall in love with a stock!
You don’t have to be an expert in every company you invest in, but you do need to have an understanding of their business model and (if possible) access to experts in the field.
With a view to the above participate (or lurk) in forums. The best will have experts willing to share their knowledge. Be wary of people “ramping” and “de-ramping”, they can be brutal places sometimes. Don’t buy or sell just on the advice of people in a forum.
Get a basic understanding of Financial Accounts so you can see what’s going on when results are published.
Take heed of Stockopedia's StockRanks and styles.
Try and access research from analysts where possible.
Make sure you’ve got a way to track investments that works for you.
Have fun!