Want to start investing in the share market. Where to start?

Where do you get that figure from? According to their website, the net return since inception has been 14.4% p.a. (I believe ALF first traded in early 2004).

 

That's my personal return. Bought a small holding when first listed at $1, and lucky to add some larger parcels at 88c in 2005.

YMMV but 14.4% pa ain't bad

I also hold individual shares outside my core LICs. Some have good returns, some not, but given the effort involved in research, trading costs, tax reporting etc in hindsight I may have been better off staying 100% in index funds or LICs. But that's not as much fun is it? ;-P

 

I'm following this strategy -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fail-Safe_Investing based on me acknowledging to myself that I really don't know what the future will bring. I thought Gold and Silver to the Moon. I thought interest rates to the Moon (or at least enough to reign in consumer credit binge) I thought Residential Real Estate Apocalypse was about to break (I thought this for years). I had great reasons for these beliefs that I believe were very rational. Turtle, I nearly played the futures market I was so sure (disaster averted, I'd have been bankrupted).

Harry Browne is deceased but you can find his podcasts where he explains his rationale. There is a forum which is pretty quiet (it's a basic strategy that doesn't really need any discussion about the finer points) and an up to date book if you so desire ( I have it, I bought it more to support the author as all the info is freely available, still it was worth it for me). The book does have suggestions for investors outside of the US including for Australian investors.


If you want to read a heart breaking story TEOTWAWKI occurs for these poor investors here -> http://forum.thecontrarianinvestor....gt-advanced-technologies-inc-gtat.69/page-499 I read every single page of the thread as an educational piece. Even though I knew the end result I felt myself getting caught up in the hype as I progressed through the thread. Then at page 499 it all goes south.... quickly.

 

NO investing can happen unless education has happened first.
If you are not educated - nothing you do will be 'investing' you will just be gambling.

I suggest Buffetology (Mary Buffet book)
I also suggest The Intelligent Investor (Ben Graham Book)
and if you can get it Mass Psychology (James Dines Book)
as a minimum

If you want to get into tech analysis for entry points (once you have solid companies with good fundamentals)
Wiley publishing do a lot of good books for this

Then you have youtube - but as a last point of call or as supplementary
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvHanrTJ6JQ[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx_jSM8AxWQ[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM6KnD75QrE[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyhCWC2ONbc[/youtube]

 

Background material from the Australian Investors Association here: http://www.investors.asn.au/education/shares

 

Take you money, put it into a bin, add lighter fluid and ignite, better that then giving it to HFTs