A lot of people move to the south coast to retire. Many are looking for a way to finance their retirement, or perhaps supplement their pension - particularly those who received a golden handshake as part of their retirement package.
With interest rates at historic lows, and the housing market losing ground in the last couple of years, finding a good reliable form of income to fund (or supplement) your retirement is becoming a tricky business.
One of the more reliable and profitable methods is investing in the stock market.
Most people know a little bit about the stock market but not enough to try dipping their toe in the water. The Australian stock market has typically returned over 11% return per year for the last 30 years. For the self-funded retiree investing in the stock market can look particularly attractive.
Where do you start? There are many organisations offering advice, but even if you invest through a financial advisor or stockbroker, the novice investor still needs to know how the stock market works and how to tell the difference between a good investment idea and a bad one.
Now Batemans Bay U3A is offering a course to help members learn the basics of investing in the Australia stock market. The course, Sharemarket Investing 101, is a 5 week part-time course commencing on Monday 27 May at 2 pm in the Baylink Community Room.
This course will be run by U3A member and local investor Bill Radley who is the coordinator of the South Coast Australian Shareholders Association discussion group, a group of small investors who meet regularly to learn about the stock market, share ideas and become better investors. Bill is a self-funded retiree and has been a stockmarket investor for over 25 years. Over the years he has attended many training sessions with some of the best known investment teachers in Australia and believes that most people can learn to become very effective investors.
Bill Radley
The Sharemarket Investing 101 course is designed for anyone wanting to know the basics of investing in the stock market, and learn the steps required to become a competent and effective investor. The course will be run for 90 minutes once a week, for 5 weeks, and will start with the very basics. The course will include understanding the terminology of the stock-market, different methods for investing in the stockmarket, how to set up an investment plan, deciding your investment goals, dispelling many of the myths around stock-market investing, how to manage the risks of investing, and a strategy for becoming an effective and knowledgeable investor.
This course is based on Bill’s belief that investing in the stock market is a skill that can be learned by anyone with an interest in being in control of their finances, by running their own investment portfolio. Investing in the stock market needs to be run like a business. It needs to start with a clear and realistic goal, an effective investment plan, some well researched and reliable investment strategies, and a clear understanding of the potential pitfalls and how to manage them. Bill also cautions that while the stock-market can be a very reliable source of regular income, it also has risks that need to be managed, so managing risk will be an important part of the course.
To attend this course you must be a member of U3A Batemans Bay which costs $40 a year. Payment of the membership fee entitles members to participate in as many activities as they wish. There are currently more than 50 activities on offer, including Book Groups and Wine appreciation groups.
Information on joining can be found on our website bbay.u3anet.org.au or by leaving a message on 82505262
U3A is run by members for members and relies on the voluntary contribution of skills, knowledge and ideas. Our activities are determined by the interests of the members themselves, and by the willingness of members to lead and coordinate activities.
Enquiries about this course can be directed to the tutor Bill Radley on billandlyn99@gmail.com or by phoning 0419 612 401
