Fund advice needed for newbie!

bowlhead99

Freecall wrote: »

I wasn't suggesting that they are mutually exclusive.

My point was that losing a few quid from early mistakes need not be considered as all negative. I certainly made mistakes in the early days and looking back now feel that they gave me a lesson well learned.

I suspect that very few people simply read and research and then never make a mistake.

No, I agree with all of that and have made plenty of mistakes myself (and still do). Like I say, it's obviously better/ cheaper to make those mistakes with a smaller pot, as long as the pot is large enough that you do take notice of the mistakes when you make them.

And to be honest there is a lot of rubbish written online and in print so reading can send you astray anyway.

As people accumulate more wealth when older it is obviously best to try and get the mistakes out of the way while younger so there is plenty of time and money to fix them later. But if you don't read up before you start or at least as you go, you won't really realise what your mistakes are, why they are considered mistakes, and how to do better next time. I imagine most of us are self-taught but a bit of theory alongside the practice is the standard way to go when learning anything imho.

Learning how to juggle, or finish a rubik's cube, or play an instrument are other things you totally don't need a teacher for, and can fine tune your results by perseverence until you like them - but you'll get there faster with some youtube videos and some instruction manuals.

skillboy

Good points all, and I agree that learning through experience and research (including on this forum) is the best, probably the only realistic way to go.

My aim is to not repeat major mistakes (or even minor ones if one can help it!) twice..... but as investing is an inexact science, the best we can do it put the odds in our favour through informed decisions...