The Beginners Guide To Investing.
The 10 Commandments.

The Beginners Guide To Investing got a whole lot harder after the Global Financial Crisis struck in 2007-2008.

Many investors switched from worrying about the return on their money to the return of their money.

Rule Number 1.

...Don't Lose Your Money.

Rule Number 2.

...If Unsure About Any Investment At Any Time Refer Back To Rule Number 1.

Rule Number 3.

If You Don't Understand It, Don't Invest In It.

Don't sink your hard earned money into something because of a "hot tip", or because "everyone else is", and don't "buy the rumour". That's not investing... that's speculating, or gambling.

Rule Number 4.

Nothing Goes Up Forever.

Most asset classes can fluctuate up and down (often around an average or "mean" rate of return). They can ebb and flow like the tide, or move in waves or cycles. The trick is to be able to identify where an asset class lies within a cycle.

Investing into a falling or "bear" market will quickly see your money disappear.

Rule Number 5.

"Buy And Hold" Doesn't Always Work.

Some financial advisors push the "buy and hold" theory. They say "in the long run" your investment will always "recover any losses and bounce back".

This makes their job much easier...they don't have to worry too much about being blamed for a "bum call" or bad advice.

That approach didn't work for the investor who put money into the stock market in 1929.

Following the Great Stock Market Crash of 1929 the Dow didn't return to pre-1929 levels until November 1954.

Investors had to wait 25 years to get their money back.

Rule Number 6.

Don't Try To Get Rich Quick.

High Rate of Return or Yield more often equates to High Risk.

The beginners guide to investing says be smart... not greedy when it comes to investing.

Rule Number 7.

Diversify Your Investments.

The three main asset classes are real estate, shares and cash followed by collectibles (like gold coins, art, antique furniture, vintage cars and wine, etc).

Diversifying across various asset classes can provide the investor some protection. Assets don't all fluctuate in synch. When property prices are falling stock prices may be rising, or vice versa.

Rule Number 8.

Educate Yourself About Investing.

Learn as much as you can about:

• why markets rise or fall,
• how the stock market works,
• boom and bust cycles,
• inflation, deflation, stagflation,
• how interest rate changes impact markets,
• how crowd psychology and the "herd mentality" can move markets,
• what it means to be a "contrarian",
• how much debt is too much debt (for both nations and individuals),
• recessions and depressions and how they might affect you,
• if you're really keen try to get a handle on fundamental and technical analysis, GDP, fiscal policy, etc

We hope this Beginners Guide To Investing helps you get started.

Rule Number 9.

Recognize Your Own Risk Profile.

If all the above sounds too hard and "not your bag" then perhaps you'll be happier and sleep better at night with a Fund Manager looking after your investments.

That's totally O.K... Not everyone gets a buzz out of investing or managing their money. Conservative Investors may not want the stress or worry, whereas others seem to thrive on taking risks in pursuit of higher returns.

Rule Number 10.

Go Back To Rule Number 1.

Confession: ...Have any of the "Crazy" team ever broken Rule 1 of the Beginner's Guide To Investing?

You bet we have!

We've all lost money or squandered golden opportunites. We never said we were perfect or that we know everything!

Cheers.