Share and Crypto trading

Buying shares has got much easier than it used to be.

It works like this. First you pick a suitable trading site and set up an account. The setup is very easy but you have to spend some time with the infamous KYC procedures. It actually means that you have to have a utility bill handy as well as your passport. The Site will also insist on a selfie. I find that usually it is very quick and that you are ready to trade quickly. There are a number of online trading sites and I am not here to do your research for you. The choice depends on which countries you want to trade in as well as your nationality and country of residence. I have accounts with several but tend to use degiro.

So far so good. You have setup the trading account and now have to add money to it. This is the moment of truth as share trading ties up your money and is not guaranteed. First you have to start with an amount of money that you are willing to risk in the aim of increasing your overall wealth. The first time that you transfer money to a trading account feels (and is) dangerous. I tend to console myself with the idea that there is no easy way to get good returns without increased risk. So you choose a small amount and transfer it, either through your bank or a bank card.

Next you have to choose what to invest it. This is the hard part, something that people devote years of their lives to trying to master. No one knows what will happen next.

However, you can find ways to try out the investing game. I call it a game deliberately because you have to always be aware that you might not win. Right now you need to go and learn about investing, I would start with one simple idea, like share ownership, just to test the waters.

You have to build a strategy, shares go up and down in value, and if you buy and sell based on your emotions from watching the changing prices, you will be very likely to lose money.

I have bought and sold various different shares, always starting with small sums. I usually choose an industry, read about different companies and then buy some shares. At the time of buying I decide at what price I want to sell them and sell when they reach the price. It is a boring technique that brings small but steady returns. If I like the share, I will sell enough to cover the initial investment and keep the rest, hoping for bigger profits if they continue to rise.

These were just my initial thoughts, there is a lot more to come and Crypto trading is for another day.

Slowly gaining wisdom

Somethings in life need time. In fact, all things need time, so I will rephrase it.

Gaining wisdom needs time. Time by itself does not add wisdom, it is added through the alchemy of time, experience and openness to learning.

Let’s look at my progress through life.

As a baby spent my life learning how to use my hands, my eyes, etc. This is useful to life, it is the acquisition of tools to be able to operate. These tools just gave me a way to express myself and to learn about life.

However, tools are only the means to an end

No cut and paste

The statistics for the increase in information on the internet are amazing. I know that statistics are supposed to be used as proof of whatever you want to prove. Looking at the increase in information flow around the world is good way to visualise the meaning of a geometric progression.

Given the  way in which news spreads, there is a great deal of difficulty in judging the veracity of the written word. Something can be said  by one person and because it is then copied by many thousands of others it can have the appearance of being correct. This is the basis of fake news, and getting back to the actual source can be difficult.

This post is actually about providing original content. I wrote it entirely out of my own head, without having to go and look things up, and certainly without having recourse to copying anything written by somebody else.