Share monitoring - Please be gentle

chris8842 · 3 November 2007 at 12:23AM

Very new to this, and hope this question hasn't been answered already elsewhere (I did look).

I have an amount of money to invest into three shares via a S&S ISA. I am prepared to accept that it is a punt and realise that it good go down as well as up etc etc

I went to see a local IFA and asked how I could keep an eye on the shares. He told me the usual list of websites and newspapers. I asked if he could monitor them on my behalf, even if this was for a fee. I should explain, that due to my job I am away from home out of the UK for long periods. I was a bit surprised to hear that he couldn't offer that service and more so that he said that unless you had a large amount to invest with a stockbroker (he said 6 figures(ish)) it was unlikely you would get any kind of personal monitoring service or phone call, certainly not in real time.

I have seen lots of software programs that will sit on my PC or websites that will email me alerts but these are only any good if I am either sat at my PC (which I rarely am) or have access to my email, which is sporadic at best.

Is there a solution??? I am new to this and just want to protect my investments and keep in touch with what is going on when I am unable to get on to the internet.

Thanks in advance,
Chris

EdInvestor · 3 November 2007 at 12:33AM

chris8842 wrote: »

I went to see a local IFA and asked how I could keep an eye on the shares. He told me the usual list of websites and newspapers. I asked if he could monitor them on my behalf, even if this was for a fee.

IFAs aren't authorised to give advice on shares, that's why he mentioned stockbrokers.

... unless you had a large amount to invest with a stockbroker (he said 6 figures(ish)) it was unlikely you would get any kind of personal monitoring service or phone call, certainly not in real time.

True. Your investment would rapidly dwindle because of the fees, if it was small.

Is there a solution??? I am new to this and just want to protect my investments and keep in touch with what is going on when I am unable to get on to the internet.

Not really possible: what you need is a "long term buy and forget" strategy: a trading strategy like what you suggest won't work in your circs.

Have a look at the High Yield Portfolio, which would work for you, in particular the "HYP Lite", which involves 5 shares.Holding only 3 would not deliver an adequate reduction in risk.

http://www.fool.co.uk/Investing/guides/The-High-Yield-Portfolio.aspx

munk · 3 November 2007 at 2:54AM

Have a look here:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=581073

it's a thread about 'best portfolio management tools'. You could enter your portfolio into one of those bad boys and then monitor it easily from wherever you are in the world. There's also the option to email you alerts as you noted on some of the sites.

If you need to make a trade then most online brokers nowadays have that option through your online account - most online brokers also have a portfolio tool of some kind as well so the portfolio tools mentioned above may or may not be of use, all depends what level of detail you want in your portfolio display.

Lazy_Runner · 3 November 2007 at 1:18PM

Or you could look here:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=580019

If you find the post by rainydave (no. 18), he mentions a portfolio tracking service that will send out SMS's. Seems you will have to pay for it though.

Not sure if this is mentioned in the thread posted by munk.

Oops x-post.

rainy_dave · 3 November 2007 at 1:21PM

Sorry lazy, I didn't hear you typing

Lazy_Runner · 3 November 2007 at 1:38PM

Rainy_dave

Likewise.;)

Slightly off topic but I note that you are offering guaranteed texts about prices moving outside of limits.

I am aware that networks drop texts when there is excess traffic. This may be at times when the stock market is moving incredibly rapidly (generally down). Would you still be able to get a text to that user then?

An example might be 9/11. Or the bombing at Canary wharf. I know it was difficult to get a call out on mobile and the markets may have been displaying extreme volatility.

rainy_dave · 3 November 2007 at 1:58PM

Good question, something that gave many headaches during the setup and testing phases with different text message providers. Capacity has been guaranteed to be able to cope with 355,000 messages per second. The SMS software has been designed to never send more than 300,000 per second ensuring that we can never reach capacity (it would simply send chunks of 300,000 messages at a time). Reserving network capacity is extremely expensive, but necessary to be able to provide the quality of service that we require.

You correctly identify that if there was to be a network wide problem i.e. the Vodafone distribution network crashed then SMS messages cannot be delivered. If this was to be the case, we would be informed immediately (not just in the case of Vodafone, but any of the network providers). The system knows whether or not messages have been bounced back, if they have it will continually retry until succesful delivery. Email alerts will continue to be sent. Also, the "human-element" comes in to play. One of our engineers will be made instantly aware of the situation and switch over to our telephone backup system which will take the queued SMS messages and convert them to voice phone calls, calling both the landline and mobile number of each member and playing an automated reading of the alert. Whilst having an automated voice call your home phone may not be ideal it is the final step in ensuring that our alerts will get through, regardless of individual network difficulty.

Of course if the entire UK mobile network goes down, in addition to the entire BT digital and analoue system going down then we may have to consider a fleet of highly trained carrier pigeons. I think we'll cross that bridge if and when. . . . . . . . . . . .

zzzLazyDaisy · 3 November 2007 at 2:44PM

I use Best Invest.

http://www.bestinvest.co.uk/

They give very good discounts if funds are bought through Fidelity, in fact many have all the up-front fees rebated.

http://www.fidelity.co.uk/direct/research/fundsupermarket/fund-supermarket.html

Best Invest send you regular updates on your holdings by post and also alert you about changes in managers etc. You can log onto the Fidelity website to monitor your holdings, and buy/sell/switch funds. There is no cost for these services, other than the normal fees, which as I say, are often heavily discounted.

These are just the tools that I use. I know others recommend Hargreaves Lansdown, and I presume they may have similar facilities.

chris8842 · 3 November 2007 at 3:00PM

zzzlazydaisy,

Do the services you mention offer the text message service that rainy_dave and laxy_runner were discussing. I think that's what I need, as I always have my mobile but def can't get post when I'm away and only very occasionally get internet access?

Cheers,
Chris

Debt_Free_Chick · 3 November 2007 at 3:08PM

chris8842 wrote: »

zzzlazydaisy,

Do the services you mention offer the text message service that rainy_dave and laxy_runner were discussing. I think that's what I need, as I always have my mobile but def can't get post when I'm away and only very occasionally get internet access?

Cheers,
Chris

Are you sure you want to monitor your shares that closely? Share values fluctuate by the minute ..... or at least daily, if you just want text alerts based on the closing price.

Even if you decide to sell, based on an alert, you almost certainly won't sell at the price quoted in the alert.

What is it you want to achieve?

chris8842 · 3 November 2007 at 3:39PM

Debt_free_chick - I just want the security of knowing that I will be aware of what is going on when I am out of the UK. I would probably set broad limits on any alerting service, something like a 20% drop and a 15% rise. I have been burned before by only having annual or bi-annual written statements, which are always delayed by the time I read them.

Share monitoring - Please be gentle

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