Beginning to Invest - All questions go here please

elhorse · 19-04-2012 9:28pm

Following today's events, would it be advisable to invest in Independent News & Media? I'm completely new to this, but would I be right in saying that the share price can't go much lower, and that the removal/resignation of G O'Reilly may restore a bit of confidence in the company?

Morleystreet · 02-07-2012 1:15pm

I had an account with davy stockbrokers a few years back and bought shares on 2 occasions. However I'm wondering does anyone have any info on how you go about buying oil (a commodity as opposed to a share in a company ??). I don't want to buy shares in an oil related company, just want to buy oil as a commodity, hold a few yrs and then sell. So anyone know

How do you go about buying it
As it appears to be quoted in dollars, would there be currency exchange costs in buying it and later selling it.
Also are you taking on currency exchange risk. So if oil goes up but the euro/dollar goes the wrong way could you lose.
Is there any smart way around currency exchange costs and risk.

Apologies if that sounds like silly questions but new to this.

richardbradley · 30-09-2012 3:51pm

Having moved to Ireland this seems harder than it was in uk with money supermarkets etc.

I have a few grand that I want to put into investment funds and I'm trying to find the cheapest/easiest way to do it. I've read through this forum and googled but all I can find is:

Rabodirect: 0.75 charge on buy and sell and limited funds available
Davy - want to charge me a quarterly fee for the privilege?

Has anybody any advice on the easiest way to buy into investment funds now I live in Ireland

Thanks

cmas · 04-10-2012 8:58pm

My 2.5year old has been left €10,000 by a relative so I want to invest it for his future education.
Is a national security bond the best way to go?
Also save €50 per month for each of our 2 children into a credit union account. Is there somewhere better (ie. more profitable) to put that?

TIA

dfs · 06-10-2012 7:19pm

I have a lump sum investment in Irish forestry ! Return over 12 years is 7%ish per annum tax free,

looking at a Dublin based company called simple.ie to invest a lump sum with they deal mainly with start up energy companies with huge potential and employment benefits in the Irish market, you get 42% tax relief on your investment and around 10% tax free per annum return after 3-5 years.

Has anyone dealings with this company as have not heard of it before, would be an investment not to be turned down at such returns?

Cute Hoor · 07-10-2012 11:02pm

dfs wrote: »

I have a lump sum investment in Irish forestry ! Return over 12 years is 7%ish per annum tax free,

looking at a Dublin based company called simple.ie to invest a lump sum with they deal mainly with start up energy companies with huge potential and employment benefits in the Irish market, you get 42% tax relief on your investment and around 10% tax free per annum return after 3-5 years.

Has anyone dealings with this company as have not heard of it before, would be an investment not to be turned down at such returns?

From what I can see this is an EIIS scheme (the successor to BES), the reason that Revenue are allowing full tax relief on these start-up businesses is because of the significantly high risks involved. I'd be cautious about any scheme that promises 10/17% per annum returns, if it looks too good to be true.....

I also notice that the website doesn't appear to be updated since last year - 'Reduce your taxes in 2011'.

samsamson · 21-11-2012 10:04pm

Hi guys,

I have 10k which I plan to invest "passively" with KeyTrade Bank Luxembourg. I'm investing this for the next 30 - 40 years, and will be adding to the investment as I go.

I'm going to invest the money in an index tracker - maybe the Stoxx Europe 600, so that I don't lose out on currency exchanges, even though the FTSE 100 would probably have been my first choice.

I'm unsure of what the tax situation is with investing via a bank in Luxembourg however. For example, will I still need to take the money out every 8 years (keeping in mind I would rather not touch it for 40 years) to pay tax on it and then reinvest it again?

I'm a bit confused regarding the whole tax situation, and any advice from somebody who has been there and done that would be very much appreciated.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Sam

somefeen · 02-05-2013 1:41am

Hi Guys
I am think of beginning to invest money in commodities.
I am slowly learning a bit more about investing and I think commodities would suit me as I seem to have an eye for when prices will change. (I reckon I predicted the gold crash:p )
I want tp start out with small money. Is there an online commodities broker which doesn't require a minimum capital investment?
Thanks

aidanki · 05-05-2013 4:44pm

somefeen wrote: »

Hi Guys
I am think of beginning to invest money in commodities.
I am slowly learning a bit more about investing and I think commodities would suit me as I seem to have an eye for when prices will change. (I reckon I predicted the gold crash:p )
I want tp start out with small money. Is there an online commodities broker which doesn't require a minimum capital investment?
Thanks

Very interested in commodities too, but not sure where to buy, anyone got any recommendations

Something like the jim rogers index is what I want to buy

BloodBath · 06-05-2013 9:11am

Plus500 is a easy way of trading.

You can trade with virtual currency as well to see how you get on before you try with real money.

They also give you €25 free, no deposit required directly to your account and additional bonus money for deposits. I think it's €150 bonus for a €500 deposit.

I'm new to this myself but I wanted to invest in amd shares. Up 35% since I did. I think this is just the beginning though.

I'm expecting at least $10 a share by this time next year. There's potential for even higher returns.

This is a long for sure.

Sonnenblumen · 26-05-2013 8:01pm

cmas wrote: »

My 2.5year old has been left €10,000 by a relative so I want to invest it for his future education.
Is a national security bond the best way to go?
Also save €50 per month for each of our 2 children into a credit union account. Is there somewhere better (ie. more profitable) to put that?

TIA

The CU is probably the worse place to save if you want guaranteed interest. Switch immediately to National Savings/Instalments at your localk Post Office. Most accounts (5+ years) are paying best rates and most not all are tax free, which means a hands down win everytime for safe and secure savers.

BTW not all CUs are viable, don't be fooled by the ads. IMO CUs are for borrowers not savers, ignore the hype.

Alderwould · 27-05-2013 7:53pm

OK folks

I intend to put €200 a month into a regular instalment, investment product.

Charges seem very similar among the providers with a 1.5% Mgt fee and a 5-ish% commission/policy fee.

all that is, except Rabodirect who don't charge the 5ish% policy/commission fee.

There is a 1.5% entry/exit fee plus the different Mgt fees for each fund (from .5% to 2%).

So roughly half the percentage fees over Zurich, Standardlife, canadalife etc.

Am I missing something about Rabo..?

beefstew · 30-06-2013 1:16am

Hi guys,

I have been abroad working for the last few years, saving money and sending it home. My savings have become fairly substantial by now and it annoys me that I have all this money sitting in the bank doing nothing whereas I feel there must be a way of making my money work for me.

I could potentially invest 50,000 but obviously I'm not going to be foolish and would perhaps invest small amounts, but I am open to all suggestions. Now I'm 27 and have no intention of settling down in the near future anyway, so I won't need the money right now, but would love to hear any suggestions on what to do.

Would I be a fool to buy a house and rent it out with all the prices so low right now, I grew up near a university and was thinking of renting to students but I know that could be more hassle than it's worth. I also see gold has dropped a good bit but I (in my ignorance) can't see it rising again like it did the last few years. I wouldn't mind investing in stocks but am completely clueless on them and wouldn't know where to start.

Perhaps if no one can help me here, someone could point me in the direction of a professional that could help me.

Thanks in advance, look forward to reading your replies.

mr_fruitbowl · 30-06-2013 11:55pm

Hi guys,

I'm currently looking to invest but I know absolutely nothing about this area.

I have a few K and I'm looking to set something up which would generate a return in 5 years.

I have a few TSB accounts and from browsing the site got pointed to Irish Life. Looking at the Irish Life website it seems they are more than willing to met with me to discuss options.

Should I just get in contact with someone from Irish Life or should I look elsewhere? Where should I start?

Just found out about managed funds from Rabo, is this worth while compared to most other investments?

cooperj · 03-07-2013 1:33pm

I am newbie in the market...

Pennystockwhiz · 23-08-2013 2:59am

Stay away from Plus 500 I've seen alot of negatives reviews from people not being able to withdraw their money. If you google Plus 500 reviews you will find fake positive reviews from websites trying to make affiliate commissions from you. I reckon their demo account is rigged so that you will make money and then you might open up a real account.

apples22 · 08-10-2013 1:46pm

I have a question I'd like to ask regarding starting investing.

I am currently registered as a sole trader, self-employed. I am not registered for VAT (under the threshold). I don't earn a huge amount, don't have an accountant and my yearly returns generally just consist of a few expenses and declaring my income. Sometime in the next few months I will likely move to a full time, PAYE position.

I am opening an account with key trade, and as a complete newbie I am looking to just make a small investment and see how it goes from there.

That's my general situation.

My question is, say I invest whatever amount into whatever stock. That involves transferring money from my Irish bank account, to key trade. I'd imagine at this point, I don't have to declare anything (that money is neither a loss, expense, gain). Then let's say one year later I sell that stock, and made 10% (for this example let's just say I invested €1000, and sold for €1100).

Is it only at this point, when I have sold that I have to declare that €100? Is it just declared as part of my income, or is their some sort of separate forms to declare money made through investments? Thanks for your time, probably a slightly awkward question. Everything I've done has always been declared, and it's the difficulty in finding information on how to do it is what's holding me back currently!

gordongekko · 08-10-2013 3:12pm

apples22 wrote: »

I have a question I'd like to ask regarding starting investing.

I am currently registered as a sole trader, self-employed. I am not registered for VAT (under the threshold). I don't earn a huge amount, don't have an accountant and my yearly returns generally just consist of a few expenses and declaring my income. Sometime in the next few months I will likely move to a full time, PAYE position.

I am opening an account with key trade, and as a complete newbie I am looking to just make a small investment and see how it goes from there.

That's my general situation.

My question is, say I invest whatever amount into whatever stock. That involves transferring money from my Irish bank account, to key trade. I'd imagine at this point, I don't have to declare anything (that money is neither a loss, expense, gain). Then let's say one year later I sell that stock, and made 10% (for this example let's just say I invested €1000, and sold for €1100).

Is it only at this point, when I have sold that I have to declare that €100? Is it just declared as part of my income, or is their some sort of separate forms to declare money made through investments? Thanks for your time, probably a slightly awkward question. Everything I've done has always been declared, and it's the difficulty in finding information on how to do it is what's holding me back currently!

you have a capital gains allowance of €1200 so your tax liability will be zero but still declare it anyways.

apples22 · 08-10-2013 5:15pm

gordongekko wrote: »

you have a capital gains allowance of €1200 so your tax liability will be zero but still declare it anyways.

Okay, So I can earn €1200 in investments per year without tax?

And after that €1200, when it's on my Form 12 assessment I would be invoked to pay tax?

gaiscioch · 27-04-2014 3:52pm

Could somebody explain the 'Share Performance' section from the RTÉ website?(news/business/markets/iseq/ section) [I can't post a link on this thread]

I'm specifically curious about the 'Volume' column: under 'Bank Of Ireland' it has the massive number of 133,320,360(AIB has 628,240). I surmise that this does not mean that number of Bank of Ireland shares were traded on Friday. What does it mean?

lucky john · 27-04-2014 5:38pm

gaiscioch wrote: »

Could somebody explain the 'Share Performance' section from the RTÉ website?(news/business/markets/iseq/ section) [I can't post a link on this thread]

I'm specifically curious about the 'Volume' column: under 'Bank Of Ireland' it has the massive number of 133,320,360(AIB has 628,240). I surmise that this does not mean that number of Bank of Ireland shares were traded on Friday. What does it mean?

Boi have 32 billion odd shares in issue so 133m is not such a big % to be traded. The agm was on Friday as well so more than average were traded that day. If you click on the bank of ireland name beside volume you can see the individual trades (red sell, green buy) and other info as well.

Aib have billions of shares as well but our government own 99+% of them so they are not available for daily trading. 500m is available so that's why only 628,000 changed hands. That's a good % of available shares and goes some way to explaining their ridicules price.

Q apprendo · 07-05-2014 11:15pm

Hey,

I'm looking to get started with investing and I was wondering if anyone would be able to give me some advice:
My goal is investing for the long term, I know I won't be able to hit it rich by trading regularly, so I figured buying and holding would be my best option to hopefully get better returns than a deposit bank account.

What I'm interested in most would be buying index funds or index/stock ETFs - so I most likely will be buying regularly (once a month, probably) and then holding and reinvesting.

My main question is whether or not I would be better off setting up an online broker account or going through someone else. Looking around, something like investandsave.ie or ferga.com would fall into the latter category. Or should I just set up an account with davy/td/saxo and just manage things myself? From what I can gather, td seems like my best option with frequent purchases, but I could be wrong

Any pointers?

Thanks

Evergreen · 09-05-2014 10:30am

Q apprendo wrote: »

Hey,

I'm looking to get started with investing and I was wondering if anyone would be able to give me some advice:
My goal is investing for the long term, I know I won't be able to hit it rich by trading regularly, so I figured buying and holding would be my best option to hopefully get better returns than a deposit bank account.

What I'm interested in most would be buying index funds or index/stock ETFs - so I most likely will be buying regularly (once a month, probably) and then holding and reinvesting.

My main question is whether or not I would be better off setting up an online broker account or going through someone else. Looking around, something like investandsave.ie or ferga.com would fall into the latter category. Or should I just set up an account with davy/td/saxo and just manage things myself? From what I can gather, td seems like my best option with frequent purchases, but I could be wrong

Any pointers?

Thanks

I've recently setup an account with Saxo and am very happy so far. Trades cost very little, providing you don't buy Irish stocks.

I checked out TD and there were quite a few complaints regarding website issues. In addition, TD white label some services from Saxo Bank

Davey are just too expensive compared to other web based platforms

igiveup2 · 10-05-2014 11:14am

What are the tax implications of buying shares abroad through Saxo Bank? Are dividends and capital gains double taxed?

Q apprendo · 12-05-2014 8:36pm

igiveup2 wrote: »

What are the tax implications of buying shares abroad through Saxo Bank? Are dividends and capital gains double taxed?

I'm also interested in hearing the answer to this.

It seems like it's a toss up between Saxo and TD right now, but I'm leaning more towards Saxo - if anyone could shed some more light on it?

Das Reich · 02-08-2014 9:41pm

How are dividends of shares payed? Every month?

py · 30-12-2017 12:16pm

Given the thread has not seen some action in a few years, I'm looking to find out where would be the best place to setup an account for trading shares and investing in indexes? Thanks in advance.

I can't see a sign up on Sharewatch's website, are they still taking on customers? Do I have to call them?

topper_harley2 · 31-12-2017 12:29am

Degiro.ie is current online broker of choice for lowest fees. Search this forum as they are discussed alot and most likely any setup questions you may encounter have already been answered.
No idea re: sharewatch

ZeroThreat · 31-12-2017 12:46am

displaced dub wrote: »

hi iMax

I currently have my kids money paid into Anglo at 3.75%, my 2.5year old is making nice money and the newborns is now being paid into this account also.

If you are thinking of buying shares with this, think long and hard about it.
You could buy some ETFs in various exchanges also.

wow, I see this is a resurrected thread, but I hope this poster took his money out before Seanie went postal....

kokiyou · 05-01-2018 12:14pm

Few random generic questions for you folks:

1. (I'm aware of the KID/PRIIP issue) When investing in US domiciled funds, how exactly does offsetting CG losses v gains work? Can you offset a loss on one US ETF fund with the gain on another ETF fund? If not, and it is restricted to a single US ETF fund is it best to then invest monthly and for that tax year, if you have some losses on your monthly investments you can sell them that tax year to avail of the losses?

2. From what I see CGT is not applicable on your own home (principle residence). When applying CGT to second / investment homes of 33%, does this take into account inflation? E.g. you sell your investment home after 20 years of 1% inflation each year. Your property didn't increase in value just matching inflation but you would have to pay 33% of the 20% increase?

3. Has anyone got information for the cost effectiveness of investing in a pension vs investing using DeGiro + free EFTs for example? I have yet to see any detailed calculations or guides comparing these..

AlphabetCards · 02-07-2018 12:07am

Lads,

I'm looking to buy and hold shares in a company, as a once of purchase. Is there any mechanism for my dividends to automatically be reinvested, or to achieve this will I need to set myself up on a platform (AJ Bell) and use received dividends to purchase more shares? It's only one company I'm interested in, and I forsee myself holding onto these shares for 12-15 years.

Bone question, I know!

pavb2 · 07-07-2018 1:22pm

I'm looking to invest about €30 k for about 10 years not interested in trading but just to get a better interest return than the banks at a low to medium risk

I'm thinking of setting up a Degiro account and investing in an ETF like the Vanguard. Is this a reasonable option or should I be looking at a government bond or something else.

Skelet0n · 07-07-2018 3:56pm

pavb2 wrote: »

I'm looking to invest about €30 k for about 10 years not interested in trading but just to get a better interest return than the banks at a low to medium risk

I'm thinking of setting up a Degiro account and investing in an ETF like the Vanguard. Is this a reasonable option or should I be looking at a government bond or something else.

You can't trade in US domiciled ETFs on Degiro, only EU ones.

pavb2 · 08-07-2018 7:08am

What are the next best alternatives?

Skelet0n · 08-07-2018 10:32am

pavb2 wrote: »

What are the next best alternatives?

You can trade in EU domiciled ones, however the taxes are much worse.

jive · 09-07-2018 10:36am

Skelet0n wrote: »

You can trade in EU domiciled ones, however the taxes are much worse.

Has anyone found a low-cost broker where you can trade US domiciled ones? I saw some mentioned but a follow-up post said they were not open to Irish residents. I also saw some US brokers mentioned (although >$100,000 for low fees). Anyone have any experiences / brokers worth mentioning?

Pussyhands · 18-07-2018 2:38pm

Can anyone explain simply what ETF, KID, US domiciled ETFs etc. are?

How is an ETF different to a single stock?

What and why are the taxes different?

rolion · 24-07-2018 11:48pm

Hello,

Thanks for sharing the experience...

As a matter of curiosity, laziness and not lastly being smart...may I ask you what software or trading platforms do you use daily to track shares fluctuation, yesterday/today/tomorrow prices, up & down and also inside intel and past records and future trends, PLEASE !?

Thanks.

Lenny1234 · 30-07-2018 8:02pm

What is a foreign tax ID number for a W-8BEN form?

LunAtlFringe · 31-07-2018 12:36pm

For Ireland that would be your PPS number, for UK it would be your NI number, for Norway your personnummer etc.

garbanzo · 01-11-2019 2:07pm

Good thread folks.

In my case I am dripping €100 a month into my DEGIRO account and I am buying (so far anyway) five specific Irish shares each month. I tend to try and buy on the dips in the share prices.

I’m 19 months into this and I am down €3 as of today ! Not exactly Warren Buffet territory.

BUT I’ve a small lump sum in there which I would have probably frittered away if I hadn’t done this. Plan is to do this for around 10 years so will hopefully have €12k plus investment growth by then but I appreciate there are no guarantees when it comes to owning shares. I have some bitter experience of having held Anglo Irish Bank shares &#55357;&#56897;&#55357;&#56897;

It’s actually a bit of fun too as a big cheer goes up in the house anytime the portfolio rises. One day we’ll hopefully have enough money to fuel the yachts.

Sabre Man · 01-11-2019 11:06pm

garbanzo wrote: »

Good thread folks.

In my case I am dripping €100 a month into my DEGIRO account and I am buying (so far anyway) five specific Irish shares each month. I tend to try and buy on the dips in the share prices.

I’m 19 months into this and I am down €3 as of today ! Not exactly Warren Buffet territory.

BUT I’ve a small lump sum in there which I would have probably frittered away if I hadn’t done this. Plan is to do this for around 10 years so will hopefully have €12k plus investment growth by then but I appreciate there are no guarantees when it comes to owning shares. I have some bitter experience of having held Anglo Irish Bank shares ��

It’s actually a bit of fun too as a big cheer goes up in the house anytime the portfolio rises. One day we’ll hopefully have enough money to fuel the yachts.

How much are you paying in transaction fees each month? You're better off buying more shares less often, eg. spending €300 each quarter instead of €100 each month.

Jim2007 · 02-11-2019 3:59pm

garbanzo wrote: »

Good thread folks.

In my case I am dripping €100 a month into my DEGIRO account and I am buying (so far anyway) five specific Irish shares each month. I tend to try and buy on the dips in the share prices.

I’m 19 months into this and I am down €3 as of today ! Not exactly Warren Buffet territory.

BUT I’ve a small lump sum in there which I would have probably frittered away if I hadn’t done this. Plan is to do this for around 10 years so will hopefully have €12k plus investment growth by then but I appreciate there are no guarantees when it comes to owning shares. I have some bitter experience of having held Anglo Irish Bank shares ��

It’s actually a bit of fun too as a big cheer goes up in the house anytime the portfolio rises. One day we’ll hopefully have enough money to fuel the yachts.

Have you read Warren Buffet's letters, or probably more importantly Charlie Mungers comments?

In the end you will be very lucky to come out with the money you put in at the rate you are going.

If you are investing a 100 Euro a month in five shares, then you are a great customer as far as the broker is concerned because you are paying too much in fees, even to the ones who are supposedly allowing to trade for free.

And if you are investing in 5 Irish stocks then you are failing to apply the most basic rules. With very few exceptions, Irish stocks are in terms of the investing literature small and micro caps and have no place in the small investors portfolio.

You are far more likely to come out with 12k in 10 years time, if you save up you cash for at least 6 months and then buy some kind of fund, such as say F&C Investment Trust PLC or Fundsmith or something like that.

LoganRice · 04-11-2019 11:53pm

-snip-

AlmightyCushion · 05-11-2019 4:18pm

There are some fee free ETFs on Degiro. You would be much better putting your money in these. Much cheaper and much better diversification.

indigobleat · 10-11-2019 5:51pm

I have gone to an independent financial advisor to set up a pension and an investment portfolio. He has organised that I go with the standard life myfolio investments. In our emails and our meetings, it has always been expressed that I would get an improved allocation rate of up to 105% because I was going through his service and would be leaving the money in the product for the medium term (I would sacrifice the improved allocation rate, if I take the money out earlier than agreed). On the back of this information, I decided I would go with his financial advice service and pay him 1400-1800 for work to be done

Now the whole thing has been set up but he just sent an email to confirm, but with the bombshell that there is no improved allocation rate available because I am investing less than 100k. So based on the €60k or so that I am investing, with no improved allocation rate, he is effectively telling me that I'm down €3000.

The ROS deadline is next week, so if I want to make a decision to stop this investment, I will lose out on the tax benefits for 2018. I also have a concern that this is the reason that he has chosen this week to drop this bombshell, leaving me with little time to arrange an alternative pension plan. I am also concerned that I am leaving my life savings with this man who has been providing incorrect information to me, and also paying him a hefty sum for the privilege.

He is accredited with the financial advisor board, but seems very junior.

Any advice? Should I go ahead with the investment? Should I ask for a discount? Is there time to go ahead with Cornmarket or someone else before the ROS deadline next week?

garbanzo · 10-11-2019 6:25pm

Thanks for the comments Sabre Man and Jim2007. A couple of points of clarification.

Firstly, I do understand that buying monthly as I am, the fees can add up. However, it isn’t an awful lot with a DEGIRO and I’m prepared to bear that. Let’s just say I wouldn’t be doing it this way if I was going to Davy’s or Goodbody’s !

I’m fairly well exposed to global equity markets via my pension fund so I’m happy I’m getting the benefit of that. The Irish stocks I’m holding are products I generally buy so it’s nice to take a flight or buy something and remind yourself you are (an admittedly modest) shareholder.

I’m about to contradict myself now as I have my eyes on ETFs and am considering taking a plunge on the Vanguard S&P 500 (domiciled in Amsterdam). It’s the tax treatment (8 year rule) that has me unsure though...

sk8board · 12-11-2019 3:04pm

I think if someone is concerned about the base €2 degiro fee, it speaks more to your actual risk profile than anything else.

I used a degiro €20 introduction which got me through those initial months of playing about, for free, but e.g. I averaged in €5,000 into SPDR recently and it cost me €2 + €1.90 = €3.90 (0.07%).

I have some free ETF's too, but they were free by coincidence rather than picking them for that reason.

The functionality alone on degiro is worth the tiny fees.

beggars_bush · 14-11-2019 10:10pm

I have recently inherited a 6 figure sum (after tax) and I'm trying to figure out an investment approach

I'll have a good state pension from work when I retire in about 25 years, so I'm wondering what direction would people be thinking to make that money work a bit

Jim2007 · 15-11-2019 11:51am

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

There are some fee free ETFs on Degiro. You would be much better putting your money in these. Much cheaper and much better diversification.

There is no such think as a fee free fund, except in the advertising. These guys are not there to make you rich, they're their to make their employers and themselves rich and they don't do it by giving stuff away free. The beauty of a fee free fund is that punters stop looking at the costs.....

Beginning to Invest - All questions go here please

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