Investing in Australian Shares

Per capita, Australians are the biggest share investors in the world. Investing in shares provides great growth, but also high risk. As such, it is always safer to diversify your portfolio by investing in several stocks, spread throughout several market sectors. Also, while day traders will tell you that there is a great deal of money to be made in the short-term, shares are best when held over a long-term period.

This section will detail strategies adopted by successful share investors, and is aimed at those looking to maintain their own share portfolio. This requires more on-going research than most investment options, and is recommended only for those willing to keep track of general market trends. If you do not wish to make this sort of time investment, or if you have yet to build enough wealth to invest in at least a dozen stocks, then a safer bet for you would be placing youir money into managed funds.

Choosing a Broker

Finder offers objective, feature and price-based comparisons between all Australian-based online brokers, as well as most major offline brokers as well. If you have yet to choose the broker that is right for you, this is a great place to start.

If you'd prefer to compare the services yourself, feel free to follow the links below. They represent a selection of popular online brokers in Australia. (listed in no particular order)

• Commonwealth Securities Limited
• CMC Markets
• Westpac Share Trading

Articles

Sophisticated Investments
It's a new financial year and with the volatile 2009/2010 behind you it is time to start looking at ways and means of improving the performance of your investment portfolio into the future.

Insurer's Rush Puts Promina On Back Foot (Sydney Morning Herald, 2nd May, 2003)
The task of successfully floating general insurance and financial services group Promina was made even harder yesterday by AMP's decision to immediately raise $1 billion from institutional investors.

It's All Downhill From Here (Sydney Morning Herald, 8th February, 2003)
Australia weathered the last two global economic crises, but this time will be harder, writes John Garnaut.

Will Consumers Play Grinch? (CNN Money, 16th October, 2002)
Consumer spending has helped keep the U.S. economy afloat amid a heavy downturn in the value of its markets. But it may not be enough to save the holiday season.

Investors of the World, Unite! (Salon.com, 25th September, 2002)
Former chairman of the SEC Arthur Levitt declares the time is ripe for fighting back against Wall Street.

The Face of Web-Trading Begins to Change (ElectricNews.net, 18th September, 2002)
As the number of on-line investors grows in Europe, their profile will change dramatically, forcing banks and financial institutions to change with them.

FBI Opens Corporate Fraud Hotline, Website (SF Gate, 6th August, 2002)
Hoping to weed out more corporate fraud in Silicon Valley, federal authorities set up a telephone hot line and Web site Monday that will solicit tips about suspected financial crimes.

How to Fix a Broken U.S. Economy (Salon.com, 24th July, 2002)
Judging by his performance to date, President Bush can use all the help he can get. Here are some expert suggestions.

A Fool's Paradise for CEOs (Salon.com, 23rd July, 2002)
It's not just the numbers that don't add up for today's corporations. The products they sell are usually broken, too, thanks to a focus on 'making things happen' over the traditional 'making things work' ethos.

Deregulation's Big Lie (Salon.com, 16th July, 2002)
American FCC chairman Michael Powell says the WorldCom debacle may result in more telecom mergers. So who ends up losing? We all do, explains one industry expert.

Capitalists without a Clue (Salon.com, 13th July, 2002)
Once all-seeing captains of industry, America's CEOs are now playing the Sgt. Schultz dumbo card, braying "I know no-thing, no-thing!"