Alpesh Patel is an Investment Expert and the man behind CampaignForAMillion.Com – his mission to teach a million people how to invest with a simple message: “Learn to invest effectively for a better future”.
‘iGlobal’ recently caught up with the UK-based award-winning hedge fund manager, Founder of Praefinium Partners, and bestselling author awarded an OBE recently for services to the economy and trade for the brand-new iMoney Show for iGlobal Radio.
Here are some highlights from the discussion:
A: I borrowed a £100 from my aunt when I was 12 years old because I felt very guilty that my family was working so hard and I was not able to contribute. I invested that in my first stock investment back then. I was lucky, because in the 1980s there was privatisation and basically a blank cheque to make money.
Not having grown up with a silver spoon, I was very aware of wanting to share that knowledge. I launched a campaign this year called CampaignForAMillion.Com, to teach a million people how to invest – and I say invest, not trade. Trading is riskier.
With investing, I am teaching people to hold things for 12 months. I educate them on what I am doing, how its done, using all my expertise from the 18 books I have written. I have converted those into video courses for free for people to be able to learn from.
I think I can teach anyone how to invest.
A: The first thing is, you have to work out your timeline. I have three numbers I tell people to remember – 12, 15 and 25. The number 12 is for 12-month holding period – which is a good holding period; 15 stocks – research shows after you have got about 15, you are fairly well diversified; and if any stock you pick drops 25 per cent from the highest its been within the 12 months, you sell, if it doesn’t, you hold it. Keeping it simple is key.
The final thing, don’t gamble on the news or the fad. This is where education comes in. You want to make sure they are well valued, revenue/sales growth, strong cash flow and dividend paying – all of these boxes should be ticked plus a few others.
*Listen to the complete Talking Stocks podcast for the iMoney Show, here