Investment & Investing

Read this book:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Intelligent_Investor

Let's lock the thread in the meantime, and open it again once everyone has finished.

Gold + silver + safe + gun + night-vision goggles.

last july put £70,000 into an Index Bond at Natwest. This is held for 5 years. If the Stock Market is just one point above the july index in 2010 in 2015. I would get £70,000 + £23,000 guaranteed. £23K is a tidy sum in five years, no?

An Index Bond is measured against the performance of the FTSE 100 and stock market.

If it is below the july 2010 index. I get just £70,000 back. This is the lowest risk investment you can put your money into. I'm also max'd out on Cash ISAs.

Plus pay every month into a Unit Trust probably get £15,000 in 6 years time and pay into an Endowment policy (luckily not linked to our mortgage) since 1996 not a big yield probably get approx £32,000 in 9 years time. Both with Sun Alliance (previously Lincoln Assurance). These aren't huge investments total about £250 per with a life assurance claim each £80,000. but it was all we could afford at the time.

we have no short term savings or pension plan though :) but gratefully no serious debt either which is a huge relief.

Pork bellies. Buy low, sell high.

alternatively put money into premium bonds. alan sugar swears by them..

My pension plan consists of being pretty sure I will die before it becomes an issue. So maybe not the best person to offer advice.

Can I have your body when you're gone?

My retirement plan is a taxidermified fixie skidder museum near Dunwich.

Bury my heart in primary position.

Will do.

I have cornered the market in vintage De Rosa frames and now set the price. I am earning a fortune, and I don't even like Italians. Or bicycles.

I wonder which way apple share prices will go when Steve Jobs goes...

When Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole left Gucci the share prices in LVMH fell dramatically something like 3 billion dollars. Trying to quantify the value of a tacit asset like Steve jobs, or Tom Ford is incredibly different, and means the company strategy can weigh heavily around that fact. If and when Steve Jobs goes, the picture for Apple will look decidedly different one would suspect.

Well thats what the people teaching my degree would say. I just wantz me a new iPad!

Apple are on the constant rise because of the cult following they've gathered. It's like a new trend that never goes out of fashion. They've hit a point where they seem to be a bit of a religious cult. It demonstrates how far people are willing to go to be like everybody else.

but there are more Android phones in use than iphones and more pc's in use than apple computers. surely to be like everyone else you wouldn't want to buy an apple product?

their stock is rising because they have invented a closed system where they control the hardware, software and some of the media content and profit from all these areas, their sales are increasing faster than their competitors because some people like this integration whereas those that are appalled by it have other products available to them.
it's not about a cult following, it's about a business model that attracts more customers as well as keeping existing ones while maintaining profit margins, this is essentially how all business grow.

You can't deny that they've got a good business model, and yes I agree that more people choose PCs for their familiarity (workplace etc), and yes, buyers keep coming back because everything is proprietary, made by apple, and incompatible with non-apple hardware and software addons/upgrades largely. However, I don't think it is purely their business model that has brought them success. They are a highly fashionable brand. People will buy their products because they are "cooler". It's a trendiness thing.

Microsoft made the Zune media player a few years back. It flopped. Apple at this moment in time could launch a hell of a lot of stupid items, which would still sell millions on the first day simply because of their brand.

I'd buy one

I'd blend one

I would sit in a WiFi hotspot with one.

I'd merge one

.

When Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole left Gucci the share prices in LVMH fell dramatically something like 3 billion dollars. Trying to quantify the value of a tacit asset like Steve jobs, or Tom Ford is incredibly different, and means the company strategy can weigh heavily around that fact. If and when Steve Jobs goes, the picture for Apple will look decidedly different one would suspect.

Well thats what the people teaching my degree would say. I just wantz me a new iPad!

Mssrs Ford and De Sole were nothing to do with LVMH. PPR bought Gucci Group from Investcorp. Granted, LVMH had a shareholding in Gucci, but it wasn't a controlling amount.

I've been given some (not a lot) money to invest in a beverage company so I can drink to increase my portfolio

Ideally I'd choose a small brewer of ale, but these seem to be independently owned and not floated.
I saw Doom Bar was sold to Molson Coors but I fear that'll now be wrecked and the rest of their products are shite so I'm avoiding that at present

It's more about the drinks they produce rather than profit etc

I've found these 3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LVMH

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diageo (own pretty much everything)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AB_InBev

But none really stand out... anyone have any suggestions?
The successful suggestion will receive a drink from my new holding companies products

cheers

lol, if I had all this money I would blow it straight away on something very powerful and very fast

loads of micro breweries starting up.. what you need is 51% share of the company.. get them to brew it, run it like a pub, bingo you have beer for life.. win-win..

make sure there is a fixie beer in there somewhere, something really pretentious and super expensive in bottles :)

wiganwill can help with artwork for the labels.. :))

loads of micro breweries starting up.. what you need is 51% share of the company.. get them to brew it, run it like a pub, bingo you have beer for life.. win-win..

make sure there is a fixie beer in there somewhere, something really pretentious and super expensive in bottles :)

wiganwill can help with artwork for the labels.. :))

I refer you to (not a lot - £300ish)It's more of a gesture than anything to earn cash from

Although free beer for life sounds awesome

so is naming your own beer..
i am four years away from such an adventure, it will be my retirement fund..
here is a clue.. http://www.zerodegrees.co.uk/beer.html

I've been given some (not a lot) money to invest in a beverage company so I can drink to increase my portfolio

I think investing in companies who products/services you use makes good sense.
Like investing in a house and living it.

Essentially means you get the product at cost, because any profit the company makes comes back to you. Obviously this benefit depends on your level of orignal investment.

It also means you know the company is making a product that someone actually wants to buy - always a good sign.

but if the company already sells the products at cost or loss then the reverse of all this is true.

and just because your buying something doesn't mean anyone else is, it might blind you to the true qualities of the business model.

deep