Small Investor Toolbox

Episode notes In this week's show Allan Shares a book on economics, an article on investing with AI, and a podcast on gold. Allan's thought for the week Allan considers whether, and how, to hedge his portfolio using gold. Book of the week In the spirit of developing your all round knowledge and building mental models to serve you well in your investment process, this week's book recommendation is...

Episode notes In this week's podcast Allan reviews a book on personal finance, recommends an article on how to manage your cash, and shares some thoughts and a podcast on business analysis. Allan's thought for the week Learning from failure is vital, but it's not easy when it makes you so depressed. Book of the week If you think investing is fun but personal finance is boring, then join the club....

Episode notes This week Allan takes a bit of a dive into understanding businesses and investment opportunities from the point of view of an entrepreneur. Allan's thought for the week Dividends are nice to have. Having a dividend mindset is more problematic. Book of the week This week's book recommendation is How to Make a Billion in Nine Steps , By Richard Harpin. It's great if you are looking to...

Episode notes This week Allan recommends a little book, a little article, and a fairly short podcast. He also celebrates the fact that this is his 25th episode. Allan's thought for the week Allan considers the pros and cons of notifications and emails when it comes to keeping informed about what is going on in the world. Book of the week This week's book recommendation is The Little Book of Tradin...

Episode notes This week Allan considers the nature of risk, how to make better decisions, and reviews an excellent practical guide to investing in the UK. Allan's thought for the week Risk is one of those terms that we think we understand, but that is much more illusive than it seems. This week Allan shares his thoughts on the subject. Book of the week The Naked Trader, by Robbie Burns, is an inve...

Episode notes Despite feeling a deep sense of investment gloom Allan has dragged himself to the microphone to share his favourite investment related finds for this week. Allan's thought for the week Being a philosopher at heart, Allan loves a good thought experiment. This week he gets his teeth into one that is investment related. If you want to read the Motley Fool article that sparked it all off...

Episode notes The focus of this episode is a different style of investing to the long term buy and hold strategies that have dominated in recent weeks. Allan's thought for the week Allan considers the implications of shocks, such as the WH Smiths accounting irregularities, to a focussed investing strategy. Resource of the week This week's resource is an audio lecture series on the topic of big pic...

Episode notes In this week's episode Allan considers what he can learn from the world's greatest investor. Allan's thought for the week As a fun little experiment, and to make himself feel better about his prospects, Allan examines a few numbers in order to highlight the power of compounding. Book of the week This week Allan reviews The Warren Buffett Way, by Robert G. Hagstrom. This is a mainstay...

Episode notes This week's show takes a look at one of the titans of the investing world, and recommends an interesting article and podcast episode too. Allan's thought for the week Following a re-energising holiday, Allan discusses the pitfalls of tinkering with your portfolio. Resource of the week This week's resource is the book Poor Charlie's Almanack. It is a collection of talks from Charles T...

Episode notes In this week's show Allan shares a report, an article and a podcast that each have a technology flavour. As a bonus, you also get a bit of ethics chat thrown in. Allan's thought for the week This week Allan shares his thoughts on ethical investing and his shocked realisation that maybe he isn't quite as moral as he thought he was. Resource of the week A recent report from the Edison...

Episode notes The theme of this week's podcast is company research. Getting hold of good research isn't always easy, but maybe this week's resource recommendation will help. Then again, finding research is only half the battle. Understanding it, and knowing its limitations, is even more important. Allan's thought for the week This week Allan considers the limits of doing your own research. There a...

Episode notes In this week's podcast Allan shares a resource to help with future diversification, an article discussing the insurance industry, and an investing intro podcast worth bookmarking to share with future newbies. Allan's update In a week where the FTSE 100 hits fresh highs of over 9000 Allan discusses how to cope when your own, painstakingly planned, portfolio actually goes down. Resourc...

Episode notes Despite suffering through yet another London heatwave Allan forces himself to his desk to share with you the things he's found that interested him this week. Allan's update Allan considers his recent supermarket shopping experiences and what they tell him about the practicalities behind brand loyalty and economic motes. Resource of the week To be a good investor, you have to know how...

Episode notes In this week's episode Allan reviews a fun little book, shares an interesting interview, and recommends a podcast that discusses the fall of a once mighty national D.I.Y. chain. Allan's update Allan shared his practise of conducting quarterly reviews, and how he implements a big picture review of his portfolio every 3 months. His approach is based on the work of the personal developm...

Episode notes In this week's podcast Allan considers the pros and cons of market volatility and market disruptors. Allan's update Constant news, and the resulting volatility in share prices, is great if you are a trader, or even a short term, in/out kind of investor. But if you are a buy and hold investor then it is incredibly stressful, particularly just after you've made a purchase. Resource of...

Episode notes This week's episode is slightly shorter than usual because Allan has been on holiday. Fortunately, it still contains a resource, article, and podcast recommendation that are well worth your time. Allan's update Holidays are a time for switching off and leaving the daily grind behind. But can you ever really switch off from your portfolio? And would you want to? Resource of the week T...

Episode notes In this week's episode Allan reviews a book on stock screening, an article on a well-known stock market aphorism, and a podcast interview with the UK manager of Pret A Manger. Allan's update This week Allan has been trimming some fat in his portfolio while pondering what to do about his H&T shares. Resource of the week Despite all the concerning headlines regarding the hollowing...

Episode notes In this week's episode Allan shares a resource to turbo-charge your company research, an article that provides a bit of perspective on investing in the first quarter of the 21st century, and a fascinating podcast on the mining industry. Allan's update This week Allan has been considering the more practical approach to investing that involves getting to know the product, being a custo...

Episode notes In this week's episode Allan shares a useful little directory, an article on cyber security, and a podcast charting the rise and fall of a former high street stalwart. Allan's update Since it has been a quiet week for Allan's portfolio he wonders why it remains impossible to keep up with all the research. There's always too much to read, watch, or listen to. Resource of the week This...

Episode notes In this week's podcast Allan shares a resource that should be on every investor's radar. He also recommends a great article about company analysis and a podcast that taught him all about Spacs. Allan's update In his search for a potential replacement for his H&T investment Allan took a fresh look at his watchlist. He was shocked by how large it had got, and pruning turns out to b...

Episode notes This week Allan introduces a new format for the podcast. Allan's update A takeover offer has left Allan's portfolio looking pretty good, but he still manages to find the downside. Resource of the week This week Allan recommends you take a look at VOX MARKETS. They have a podcast, a youtube channel, and a very comprehensive website. For more information visit the site Article of the w...

Episode notes Thanks to modern technology it is easier than ever for companies to interact with their shareholders. Some managers are super keen and it sometimes feels like they are never off the airwaves. Others or a touch more shy, but even they hold regular webinars, online meetings, and Zoom calls following important announcements, such as the release of annual results. In this week's podcast...

Episode notes Following last week's discussion of RNS announcements, this week Allan takes a brief look at annual reports. Every company has to produce them, and they are often large, fairly daunting offerings. Allan asks what they are, where they can be found, and whether they are worth small investors' valuable time. The IC guide to company annual reports, by Phil Oakley, can be found here . Mus...

Episode notes Most sources of news offer something for every kind of investor. Reading The Investors Chronicle is worthwhile for fund investors, ETF investors, day traders, and simply the market curious. But if you are primarily focussed on buying and selling individual company shares over the long term, then it is really useful to follow company announcements directly. In this episode Allan looks...

Episode notes While it is important to find the most appropriate sources of news and current affairs, you will still be wasting your time if you barely understand what you read, watch, or listen to. In this week's podcast Allan reviews a book that holds the promise of helping you not fall into this trap. To find out more about the book, How To Read The Financial Pages, click here To find out more...