Category: Investments

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Investing for Individuals – Index Funds

Please note: The information below is not investment advice or not intended to be used as investment advice. The information below is being shared for education purposes only.

Following my blog posted on 19 May, 2024, I organised an online meetup to discuss basics of value investing. Below is a short post on index funds.

Investing in an index fund ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund) is a cost-effective strategy for individual investors with smaller amounts to invest. Index fund ETFs track a specific market index, such as the S&P 500 or FTSE 100, offering exposure to a broad range of stocks with a single investment. This diversification is believed to reduce the risk of significant losses, as your money is spread across various companies and sectors.

One of the main benefits of index fund ETFs is their low cost. Management fees, or expense ratios, are typically lower compared to actively managed funds, which means more of your money stays invested and is likely to grow over time.

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Value investing 101 for individuals

Please note: The information below is not investment advice or not intended to be used as investment advice. The information below is being shared for education purposes only.

On 19 May, 2024, in one of my blogs I mentioned that I was in the process of organising a meetup on “Value investing 101 for individuals”.

The meetup was successfully organised and held virtually.

One of the topics discussed was the long-term strategy of value investing. For example, value investing avoids frequent trading but instead focuses on the company’s long-term prospects.

Photo of some global currencies

If you are an individual investor then value investing is an interesting strategy to learn more about.

Happy learning and I wish you all good trades.

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Do it Yourself as an Individual Investor

Please note: The information below is not investment advice or not intended to be used as investment advice. The information below is being shared for education purposes only.

Investing in equity markets (stock markets) by individual investors experienced immense growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. I believe that as a result of this growth, many people have become interested or more engaged with the equity markets. This has been facilitated by the ease of opening brokerage accounts and being able to trade stocks online.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

My view is that individuals are more interested because of the following reasons:

  • they desire higher returns on their investments (e.g. higher than what most retail banks offer on savings accounts);
  • investing in equity markets have become easier (e.g. the development and improvement of trading platforms have made brokerage accounts more accessible); and
  • its rewarding to develop and execute an investment strategy, and be able to participate in the equity markets even with modest savings (e.g. some brokerage accounts can be opened without a deposit or requiring as little as £250/$300).

I am in the process of organising a meetup on “Value investing 101 for individuals”. This meetup will be a 30 minute online event. If you wish to receive an invite then send a request to kean@smithkas.com. The limited spaces will be shared on a first come basis and a second meetup will be organised if demand requires.

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IOSCO publishes guidelines for use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

The Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) published on 7 September, 2021 guidance to help its members regulate and supervise the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) by market intermediaries and asset managers.

The use of AI and ML … create or amplify risks, potentially undermining financial market efficiency and harming consumers and other market participants. – Source: IOSCO Media Release IOSCO/MR/23/2021 (https://www.iosco.org/news/pdf/IOSCONEWS616.pdf )