Shares - Should I, Shouldn't I?

By:Philip Turner

Buying Shares

You should consider buying shares only if:

* You have at least one year's income saved and available on demand

You need to have instantly accessible savings to pay for the unexpected. The unexpected can include funerals, washing machines or repairs to the car after an accident. The unexpected is just that, and you do not want to have to sell your shares at a time when their value may be temporarily low just because you have no other savings to cover that essential expense.

* You accept that share prices can fall and you might lose money

Intellectually you know that prices can fall, but you need to accept this as something that can happen to you. You must be comfortable with the idea of losing a good part of your capital, should the market fall, or the fortunes of your chosen company go down.

* You understand the stockmarket

Only a fool invests money in something that he or she does not fully understand. It is only by understanding the stockmarket that the investor can work out when to sell and when to buy.

* You have the time and ability to research which stocks to buy

Research into a company's financial condition requires time and the ability to understand the company's accounts. It is no good relying on the stock picks from the Sunday newspapers, as so many do. You need to understand terms such as yield, Price/Earnings ratio, historical debt, and many more. If your understanding of theese terms is less than complete then you should consider investing in unit trusts instead and use the managers' expertise. Without this expertise you would be almost as well off putting your $5,000, or whatever, on a horse with a name you liked.

* The time is right

Consider timing your share acquisition to coincide with a general fall in share prices. Go against the herd. If there are few buyers then the price will be low and you will be able to acquire more shares for your money.

Similarly, when the stockmarket is high and everybody and their dog is talking about share prices then consider selling, because these are signs that the market has peaked and is only rising because of its momentum, rather than because of any intrinsic increase in value of companies.

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: shares, share trading, stockmarket, investing, investment

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Wanda Cortez is a financial expert who has her own Internet business. Find more articles here. Find more investment info at Shares or Day Trading.

Top Finance Articles
1). Locate And Find Debtors With A Credit Collection Agency By : Stu Pearson It can be a frustrating experience trying to collect a debt from a customer who just seems unwilling to pay. Letters sent to their address go ignored, and phone calls are answered with empty promises of payment. While this is certainly a bad scenario, what if a customer who owes you money just disappears? It is possible to locate and find debtors with a credit collection agency, and in this article we’ll explain to you the methods behind their tracking.
2). Top Ten Tips for Getting Out of Debt By : Russ Dalbey Top Ten Tips for Getting Out of Debt
3). Benefits of Getting a High School Scholarship By : Sandra Stammberger Education is the best thing you could ever have in this world. Learning different things in this world will give you a big pleasure.
4). Who Is Responsible For Closing Costs By : Raynor Buying or selling a home is a euphoric experience for both of the parties involved. This euphoria can cool when you learn which party is responsible for the closing costs. Who Is Responsible For Closing Costs When looking to buy or sell a home, every person eventually arrives at the question of funding closing costs on the transaction. To put it simply, both buyers and sellers typically are responsible for some of the closing costs.
5). Family Finance By : Joseph Kenny One of the hardest things that young couples report during their first year of marriage is getting to grips with joint finances. While most are willing to share what they have with their partner, they are not sure on the best way to bring this sharing into effect so that they can share with their new partner, but at the same time maintain financial security and a degree of independence.
6). Preparing Your Finances For A Bird Flu Pandemic By : Pandemic Zone If you have been paying attention to the news lately you may of heard of the threat of bird flu and a world pandemic. What would this mean and how would it affect your financial holdings. The World Bank, which has estimated that a bird flu pandemic lasting a year could, cost the global economy up to $800 billion dollars. The economic toll on the world economy will be catastrophic.
7). Loans for Self Employed : Supporting the idea of being independent By : Christian Phelps Loans for Self Employed : Supporting the idea of being independent
8). High Gas Prices and Ways to Save By : essmeier With Memorial Day around the corner, the great American travel season is here. During the summer, most Americans take at least one extended vacation, and four fifths take that trip by automobile. Unfortunately, this year, the price of gas is at record highs, and no one likes to spend their vacation money on gasoline. While there is little to be done about the price of gas itself, there are some things the average vacationer can do to help ease the costs of auto travel.
9). Five Rules to Consider Before Filing Banckruptcy By : Nathan Dawson Five different rules to consider when trying to decide if filing bankruptcy is the right move. If bankruptcy is the right move, which chapter should you file?
10). Trading Psychology – Adopt the Right Mindset for BIG Profits! By : Stephen Todd The fact is the majority of traders lose because they cannot control their emotions. Trading psychology is one of the keys to investment success.

New Finance Articles
1). How To Earn Money Online In Five Easy Steps By : John Morris Living in Los Angeles, Greg realized that there are a lot of people who work from home rather than the office. One reason is that many of these executives are writers and producers of films and television shows...
2). You Can Stick to Your Budget By : Jonathon Hardcastle Recent studies have shown that Americans are spending less money on necessities than ever before. Yet, more Americans are also in debt. The unspoken fact that makes both those statements true is that Americans are spending more and more money on luxury items.
3). Technical Analysis Of Stock Data By : John Morris To perform a technical analysis is simply examining stock chart data in order to make predictions about the future of that stock. Investors who use this style of analysis are often unconcerned about the nature or value of the companies they trade stocks in...
4). Getting The Most Money Out Of Selling Your House By : John Morris It is easier said than done to make a profit in the real estate market nowadays. Those that manage to consistently turn a profit on real estate investments have been working in that field for years and are using proven strategies in order to minimize risk...
5). How To Solve Banking Disputes By : Peter Kenny Solving a dispute with your bank is easier than you think
6). Why Would You Want To Use Tax Deduction Software? By : Michael Williams With all the options in tax deduction software it is hard to distinguish which ones are offering the best deals. A lot software is web-based, but there are still a few that can be loaded onto your personal computer. Find out more...
7). Biggest Budget Blunders By : Nathan Dawson Does your budget never seem to balance the way it should? Are you constantly digging into the savings to make ends meet?
8). Tips For Safe And Secure Banking By : Peter Kenny The key to safe and secure banking is to reduce the risk of your account details being exposed
9). Hope for Students with Poor Credit By : Jeremy Thompson Even if you have poor credit there is still hope when it comes time to get a student loan. Read this article for more information.
10). How Can I Be Approved For A Low Rate Credit Card? By : Mike Singh When applying for a credit card you may come upon what is called a low rate credit card, what is this exactly and how can it help you? First of all you should know that a low rate credit card is usually an excellent way to go when applying for a credit card. Find out more...