James' Story

I am a 66 year old retired Secondary School Headteacher. I started investing about 18 months ago for the first time. When I began, I felt like Socrates, who said he was the wisest man in Athens, because he knew how little he knew!

I began by reading Robbie Burn's book, The Naked Trader, an invaluable and very clear, comprehensive introduction to the whole business. I also subscribed to some investing magazines, which I found very informative. I then trawled through every FTSE 100 and 250 company and chose a few companies with low debt using some of Robbie's other criteria.

It has enhanced my ability to research stocks by easily shortlisting stocks of interest which I can then investigate further. Your StockRank system is invaluable in quickly identifying stocks in which I might be interested. This feature alone has saved me countless hours of laborious, fruitless searching. I also use the portfolio tracker to track all my investments and another watchlist for stocks of interest for further research and consideration- I find this feature very useful. I also find your stock reports and your daily analysis/recommendations very helpful because they allow me to tap into a depth of research that I don't have the time, inclination or expertise to pursue.

It has definitively led to an increase in profits for me. Since I started investing I've made (on paper) about £30,000. I have not taken any profits and so my only slight existential dilemma is knowing when to sell.

It is essential to understand:

(i) How investing and the stock exchange work (I highly recommend Robbie Burns' excellent book).
(ii) Appreciate that you are somewhat gambling, but that you can improve your potential success (and reduce your risk) through in-depth, quality research. Stockopedia is an invaluable tool in aiding this.
(iii) Understand that the rise and fall of a stock's price does not necessarily have anything to do with the quality of a stock or its ability to generate future profit for you.
(iv) Understand your own psychological make-up with regard to your tolerance of and reactions to risk.
(iv) Take responsibility for your own investment decisions (and their attendant risks). Don't blame poor old Stockopedia (or anyone else) if you lose some or even all of your money- it is not ultimately their responsibility, or anyone's responsibility but your own.