So Iāve reached the point in my life where I thought right Iād like to invest for the future but Iām being so indecisive about the stocks I pick and how my portfolio looks itās making my head spin. I literally build my portfolio then go over and over the choices Iāve made thinking hmm not sure now about that one and ooh not sure thatās going to work out.
Also I need to try and live with the anxiety when the market dips because I check the app about a thousand times a day to see how itās doing. The market dipped a bit this afternoon so I sold everything I had againā¦
I have bought, sold, deposited and withdrew my money daily itās getting silly I need to settle down somehow.
You need to think longer term, try not to check it every hour, youāre not a day trader. Put some into companies you like the look of, then try to wait a while to see what overall direction theyāre going in. When I first started I put Ā£10/Ā£20 into lots of things to kind of see what industries I felt comfortable in. Not what serious traders would recommend maybe but it helped me. I still have a few of them, like my ford stocks fell by 60% so I donāt even look at cars now, GGP went up 160% (to Ā£26š) so I now look at other mining stocks a bit more seriously. Youāre going to have down days, donāt feel like you have to sell, if you like the company, theyāll come back up again. Diamond hands I think they call it
Invest monthly into a fund and forget about it and use this platform to play around with to get an understanding - only risk money you canāt afford to loose.
Like you say itās for the future.
To be honest your approaching the market at the worst time ! Itās incredibly turbulent which brings reward if your appetite for risk is there.
Personally Iām holding all my cash And only trading a small amount at the moment on the dips - ultimately this market is going down.
Simon in this game you need time to some of the work for you, and your not giving time a fair chance.
One way forward in my humble opinion would be to to commit to one ETF world type fund and keep making small regular payments in. Keep watching, reading and learning and take it from there, but donāt sell. You will be ready in the end.
I started out just before the markets crashed at the start of quarantine - so initially I made massive losses - something that really helped me through it was that the losses arenāt real until you sell. As long as you have purchased companies you believe in, hold fast and wait - prices rise eventually. Try to check market trends for 1 year and 5 years for the stock before you buy as well to help ensure you arenāt buying at max price - thatās a very simplistic approach but good enough for a start while you learn more.
Maybe look into index funds if individual stocks are proving a headache. They would give you instant diversification across multiple businesses and industries, and automatically rebalance over time.
As noted above markets are a little crazy right now - but if you invest some money on a regular basis, on each payday for example, you donāt have to worry about getting the timing correct.
I would also make sure I had a bit of cash to cover expenses for a period of time so that you are able to leave your stock market investments to do their thing, and not have to worry about selling them at an awkward time (e.g. March 2020).
You are trying to build your portfolio all at once when really it takes 5-10 years. Buy slow.
You are also trying to decide on one strategy all at once and then never deviate by the sounds of things. That effectively means you are trying to pick the ONE thing youāll do for twenty years, all at once. If thatās the case, start with one etf & one trust for a year or so. Or three stocks. Simplify your starting point. You can always add a new stock in 2022/24 and so on.
Also, anxiety is crippling especially on financial decisions. Keep it SIMPLE and let it get more in depth later down the line should you wish. You do not need to make every decision and choice right now.
Lastly, if you have a pension, you are already diversified there. If you have a savings account, you are already diversified there. If you have a property, you are diversified thereā¦ there is no rush to be so diversified straight away in shares, there are always better times to buy certain businesses, you do not need to instantly be diversified in one year of investing in the market.
Iād say itās all down to experience. When I started 6 months ago I held 27 stocks, I now hold 6 (I now know that was way too many and too difficult to keep up with). I held some big companies, Vodafone, Aviva, but they werenāt giving me any return and I decided to sell and concentrate on the ones that were (all AIM). Iām a huge fan of AIM stocks and theyāve given me the best returns so I stuck with them, in particular GGP which is by far my best performer (of course DYOR). Iām still learning but Iām very happy with my progress so far. Iām not interested in the US market in the slightest, exchange rate fluctuations and all that. Iām happy with my returns and having multi bagged on GGP. My portfolio is now 99.6% in metals and mining. I donāt need to diversify, Iām extremely happy as is
OK non metals is Ocado which Iāve got a free run on now as it gained so fast I sold my original investment and happy with that. I also hold Bushveld Minerals, Pan African Resources, BRWM (World Mining), PHSP (Physical Silver). Got some on my watch list too. I am familiar with the metals industry, which helps immensely, as itās been a family business for 40+ years so itās like a second nature for me
You need to learn to take your emotion out of your investing. If this is something you canāt do it might be best to stick your money in an all world index or something and just dont look at it, we dont all have to be the next best stock picker.
I think you need to think seriously about your risk appetite. You do not have to invest in individual companies to make returns. You do not have to take huge risks. You do not have to beat the market.
Figure out how much risk you can handle, and invest accordingly. That may well be just investing monthly in a world tracker ETF and some bonds.
This forum is not always helpful, do your own research and donāt get fixated on specific companies that may just be āmemeā stocks.
Personally it does not sound to me like you are ready to invest in the stock market, as it appears that your risk appetite is too low and that youād be better served by a cash ISA.
Personally I see losses as a good thing, as I can buy more stocks cheaper
Not looking to sell my positions anytime in the next 5-10 yrs so quite happy to see a market crash as it would present a good opportunity when you are starting out.
Try to think of negatives as a chance to buy cheaper and dollar cost average. 5-6 ETFs should be a good mix
Please whatever you do donāt buy all AIM stocks !
That is dreadful advise and clearly someone who is on a winning streak.
Aim is wonderful when itās going up and there is hype but most of the market is riddled with fraud, they are illiquid and the spread is mostly huge.
What goes up quickly goes down even quicker.
(Unfortunately Freetrade hasnāt got the majority of aim shares on the platform)
Be mindful of those that believe they have the Midas touch after very little time in the markets and equally those that have had many years in the market.
You must ascertain your own risk appetite and buy with conviction.
Diversity is key NEVER put all eggs in one basket be that in a single investment or single sector and try to enjoy it and learn.
Sometimes itās good to take a great big loss - that way you then truly understand your mistakes (we only really learn from our mistakes you have to experience that for yourself no amount of reading about others mistakes can prepare you for when it happens to you - this is true of all life experiences)
In my opinion anyone who hasnāt suffered a major loss is one trade close to doing so, in short everybody has losers - itās how you pick apart what went wrong that makes you a level headed investor.
Best advice for new investors - if someone recommends a small oil and gas stock or a mining stock (like the user above) ignore them IMO. For every person thats multiplied there money - you will have 10 that lost it all.
Buy trackers or something like Berkshire Hathaway. Donāt sell when they drop - just keep averaging down. Over the long term you should do well.
My advice would be very simple. Know what you own. Research is absolutely key, if youāve done it then you donāt need to check the share price every 5 minutes. So stick to companies that you understand first, and spread your money around. The longer you hold a share the more youāll get to understand it, as financial results are released & new products etc appear.
