The share market seems volatile at present and isn’t seeing the high gains of the past few years. But savvy investors who do their homework can profit from investing in shares if they do their homework, and take the long view. Shares have done vastly better than bank rates in the past decade rising on average as much as nine percent per year.

The advice from Rachel Waterhouse from the Australian Shareholders Association is to start small, learn along the way and take a long term view.

You will need a broker, either a personal broker who will charge a fee and provide advice, or a discount broker with one of the big financial institutions, for a smaller fee. Rachel Waterhouse suggests looking for an easy to use online platform, rather than focusing on using the cheapest service. She advises that you research the companies you want to invest in, looking at their history of consistent earnings and improving growth, and making sure they have a skilled and experienced board and management team. You can find out a lot of information by checking the company’s website.

Share investing is a risk, but the more you know, the less likely you are to lose money. There a many courses and information sources on share investing if you want to dip your toe in the water.

Useful links – 

Australian Shareholders Association: how do I start investing?

Australian Stock Exchange: start investing

Australian Stock Exchange Investment Tools and Resources

Find a broker

Moneysmart on share investing