ShareSoc
INVESTOR ACADEMY

Investment Dos and Don’ts

Understand the nature of stock market investing before you start to invest: read
Know how to understand and analyse corporate financial statements
Valuing shares: difference between “intrinsic value” and “market value”. Simple valuation metrics: P/E, EV/EBITDA, PSR, P/B, concept of comparative valuations. (Link to advanced topic on valuing companies)
You may wish to “paper trade” for a period, before starting
Start small
Be patient
Don’t panic, learn from your mistakes
Diversify: don’t invest more in any one security than you can afford to lose
Have an investment strategy
Keep good records, so you can monitor performance of investments vs your expectations, and learn from your mistakes.
Monitor Your Investment and Attend General Meetings
One of the things that you should do as a shareholder in a company is to monitor what it is doing and ensure you read the information that it issues, particularly the Annual Report and Accounts. Go to this page for information on receiving Annual Reports from a company, and other news: Annual_Reports. In addition it is wise to attend the Annual General Meeting of companies in which you are invested so you can meet the directors, hear what they have to say and ask them questions. See General_Meetings for information on that.
Beware “tips” – research them thoroughly
Beware psychological biases
Keep a cash buffer
Read widely
Network with other investors

Group description:	Group focused on active investing, primarily in small / medium cap UK equities.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Zoom.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Monthly on Saturdays at 10am.

Group description:	We hold monthly in-person meetings with possible exceptions in August and December. Discussions are generally on the topic of investment strategy and potential companies of interest. Each member is expected to make an investment-related presentation approximately once a year.
Meeting Type/Venue:	We meet in a private room at a pub around 7 miles SW of Oxford. We usually each order a dish from the pub menu that is served during the meeting.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are in-person, monthly on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 7pm. Typical meetings last 2 to 2.5 hours.

Group description:	Our group is a broad church that contains investors of varying age and experience. We discuss stocks and investment trusts that we have bought, sold or are interested in and the reasons behind our decisions, and try to make sense of the ever changing investment environment. Our members backgrounds are diverse and include corporate banking, engineering, teaching and the leisure industry. Discussions are robust and challenging but tend to be to be informal, and do not generally involve agendas, presentations or detailed preparation.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Our meetings are held on Zoom, although we are all based around London so try to meet centrally for lunch from time to time.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	We meet every 2 months, generally midweek at 10.30am.

Group description:	Meeting once a month, our group covers a variety of investment styles. We also have an active WhatsApp group and we welcome new members.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Physical meetings at a venue in Preston, Hitchin, SG4.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Monthly on a Saturday at 10am (usually the last Saturday of the month).

Group description:	Experienced investors who have been members many years and newer members wanting to learn about investing. Members discuss portfolio content and reasons why they have certain assets and investments. Buys and sells discussed along with interesting shares being considered along with current issues in the market of local or international influence.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Physical face to face meetings held in a central pub in Easton in Gordano.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Usually monthly to 6 weekly, mid week 12 noon to 2pm with lunch.

Group description:	We are a relatively small group, but have a wide range of interests so always start every meeting with a discussion about world issues and the “investing environment” generally. We always discuss individual members market activity and any interesting opportunities on their watchlists. There is currently a lot of expertise in the small cap value area of the market within the group.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Our preference is for a physical meeting and a hotel in Meriden (Coventry) is the usual location, but we do have on-line meetings when weather and/or health issues make that the most suitable option. We rotate the chair and this is agreed at the previous meeting.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Our preference is to meet every 4 weeks on a Thursday evening, but the exact details are agreed at the previous meeting.

Group description:	The Options group has been meeting monthly for some 20+ years and new members who are either trading or interested in trading options are always welcome. Our members trade options predominately on both UK and USA shares, indices, currencies and commodities.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Prior to Covid all monthly meetings were at a west London golf club, close to an underground station, where we had a one course lunch prior to our meetings in a private room. Since Covid all meetings have been via video and some new members have joined who are too far from west London to meet face to face. However, it is intended that future meetings will be both in person and via video link.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are monthly, on the 4th Wednesday of each month, normally from 12:30 to 2:30 and sometimes run over.

Group description:	A small group whose primary interests are equity and Investment Trusts.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Currently meeting online using Skype. It is envisaged to have occasional meetings at member’s private houses in the future.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are held fortnightly on Tuesday mornings using Skype.

Group description:	Most members are experienced investors. The main focus is on equity investments (single stocks or investment trusts). Other asset classes are discussed. Meetings involve presentations from members who are expected to lead discussions from time to time.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meeting quarterly, physically in Central London. Other months (8 months per year) on Zoom.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are generally held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. The Quarterly physical meetings are from 11am-4pm (with approximately 1 hour break for lunch), the Zoom meetings (during the other 8 months) tend to last up to 2 hours (11am – 12:45pm).