What are you going to invest in this week?

Zero Dividend Preference Shares are a little known sub-class of investment trust share (the safest variety of "Split-Capital" investment trust) which provide almost guaranteed capital gain with a defined end-date. Usually very safe, even in these tur...

In the UK Individual Savings Accounts or ISAs are little more than an official tax-wrapper into which other investments may be hidden from the tax-man, but they are a useful way to reduce tax. This article is about the advantages and disadvantages o...

If you are an active stock market trader an investor or just have an interest in economics and the markets there are several books that you should read to help understand the markets or just for a enlightening read. Here are a few of my favourite i...

Exchange Traded Funds or ETFs are an alternative to other kinds of collective investment funds, such as Mutual Funds, Unit Trusts or Investment Trusts ETFs are a relatively new invention, especially in the UK, but in the USA there are many hundreds t...

What are Investment Trusts and why should you invest in them? This article is all about the advantages (and disadvantages) of these relatively unpopular equity investments. They are generally only purchased by experienced investors because they are...

Technical analysis is the art/science of using charts to predict the direction of financial markets (i.e. using the past to predict the future). Various different types of chart may be created and patterns within those charts, intersections of lines...

How to trade shares on line and which broker to use. Many online and high-street banks provide stock-broking services either online or by phone. This article is about what you need to get started and also some recommendations about brokers and inves...

Financial Derivatives: e.g. Options, Warrants and Futures are an interesting way to diversify or gear-up (add leverage) to an investment portfolio. They can also be used to reduce risk or hedge against market risk and other investment losses. Here a...

I am a semi-professional travel photographer (i.e. I once sold a few photos) and semi-retired consultant physicist (i.e. unemployed boffin) but with a keen interest in finance (i.e. how to get rich quick) I live in Richmond-upon-Thames in West Lond...

Pensions are extremely important, but very boring and tend to be neglected until it is too late. Personal Pensions, SIPPs (Self Invested Personal Pensions) and Stakeholder Pensions are not the only way to financially prepare for life after work, but...

Financial Engineering is a complex process used by large companies to ensure that they can fulfill their financial obligations at certain times in the future. It is however just as relevant for individuals and small companies. We cannot accurately...

Exchange Traded Funds or ETFs are an alternative to other kinds of collective investment funds, such as Mutual Funds, Unit Trusts or Investment Trusts ETFs are a relatively new invention, especially in the UK, but in the USA there are many hundreds t...

How to trade shares on line and which broker to use. Many online and high-street banks provide stock-broking services either online or by phone. This article is about what you need to get started and also some recommendations about brokers and inves...

How to invest in bonds: Corporate bonds; Government Bonds (or "Gilts" in the U.K. "Treasuries" in the US) and what are bonds? While stock markets have suffered during recent economic turmoil, bond markets have been more secure. They have not been im...

What is a "balanced" portfolio? Why should mixing different asset classes make your investment portfolio much less risky? Here is an explanation (and some of the maths) behind this useful risk reduction method. Most portfolios are highly...