In September 2014 I warned investors against Highveld Steel, I told them I expected the company to go bust.
Back then Highveld Steel shares traded at 555c, down from an all-time high of R188.75 a share!
Then on 14 April 2015 the company announced it would go into business rescue proceedings.
At the same time I told investors to watch out for Firestone Energy.
And since then Firestone's... ››› more
I often get questions about portfolio diversification.
What percentage of financial shares do you put in your portfolio? What percentage tech shares? How many resource stocks?
Whilst there are many ways to determine this, and many forecasts we can make there's one easy way to look at the basic composition of your portfolio…
Look at the ten most profitable companies in the world.
T... ››› more
The markets have certainly been on a volatile ride over the past week or so. It's not surprising many investors are worried about their portfolios.
Financial headlines don't help, fuelling panic.
So what should you do? Should you sell? Or should you hold on?
Read on to find out…
Have to handle stock market volatility
When the stock market is up and down so ferociously, it’s h... ››› more
If you want to start investing or already have started buying different stocks and bonds, you want to ensure the best chance of success so you can grow your wealth over the long-term.
Picking winning stocks isn't as important as you may think it is.
One factor that's vitally important is asset allocation. In other words, how you spread your money across different asset classes.
So how do... ››› more
Investing is the stock market is one of the best ways to grow your wealth over the long-term.
The secret is picking shares that stand the best chance of future success.
So how can you find the best shares to buy on the stock market?
Read on to uncover three tips to help you do it…
Tip #1: Always take fundamentals into account when buying shares
Technical analysis does have its... ››› more
Buying shares is an easy thing for most investors to do. The really hard part is selling.
Not selling out of stocks means you can potentially turn a profitable investment into a losing one.
So when should you sell your stocks?
You need to follow an exit strategy.
Read on to find out more…
How to know when it’s time to sell your stocks
When you invest, you do so with the go... ››› more
Stop losses are an essential part of risk management and should form part of your investment strategy.
The key to using stop losses is adhering to them. There's no point using stop losses then never selling if the share price hits them.
So why is it so important to stick to your stop losses?
Read on to find out…
The point of using stop losses
Whether you use fixed stop losses o... ››› more
In Chapter 20 of Benjamin Graham's book, The Intelligent Investor, there's an important investing concept that can be useful to every investor.
Benjamin Graham, encourages investing with a margin of safety.
Now if you don't know what that is, a margin of safety is simply the margin for error investors need, as it's impossible to pinpoint business value.
It's the difference between the rea... ››› more
If you understand the risks, investing in more speculative shares like penny stocks can be very rewarding.
But before you do anything, you can't pick speculative stocks at random, you need to do your homework.
Read on to discover how you can make money in speculative stocks by following these four steps…
Investing in speculative stocks step #1: Ensure the stocks are suitable for you
... ››› more
As an investor you'll probably read the financial news regularly, especially when it's about shares you own.
But you shouldn't let this news stand in the way of your investments, nor should you let it made your investment decisions for you.
Instead you need to have an investment strategy to follow…
Don’t make decisions based on guesses, use an investment strategy
You can try to ... ››› more
When you invest in shares, you want to buy at the lowest price possible and sell at the highest price you can. This maximises your profit potential from investing.
The way you instruct your stock broker to buy shares has a big bearing on this. It all comes down to the type of order you use.
So what type of order should you use when buying shares to maximise your profit potential?
Read on ... ››› more
If you're an investor, chances are you'll read the financial news regularly. You'll probably pay close attention to stories about stocks you hold shares in.
But by letting what you read in the news influence your investment decisions, you could be hurting your returns.
Read on to uncover three reasons why you should ignore the financial news…
Reason #1: Financial news can lead you to... ››› more
Fear and greed have a massive impact on your investing. Reacting to these emotions has a detrimental effect on your returns.
So how can you overcome them and make money on the stock market?
Read on to find out…
Investors can’t help making mistakes with their money
Money does strange things to our heads. There’s nothing worse than losing money. Yet even making money doesn’t f... ››› more
By reinvesting any return you receive from an investment, you can benefit from the power of compounding.
Compounding provides you with a way to let your money snowball over the years.
So which asset does compounding work best with?
Read on to find out…
How best to make use of compounding
Compounding works at its best with shares.
You can see this with a study Professor Jerem... ››› more
Focusing too much on the short-term performance of your investments can have a detrimental effect on your long-term returns.
By chasing returns, you just end up jumping from investment to another investment.
So how can you boost your long-term wealth building potential on the stock market?
Read on to find out…
Invest in shares with certain strategic advantages
You can learn a l... ››› more