The month – and year – began with millions of people making resolutions. From giving up smoking to reading a book a week, for many January has been pregnant with good intentions! But have they happened? Have the people who decided to start investing in shares seized the opportunity?
Whether they have done so or not, the good news is that although January has marched onwards it is not over yet.
There is still time for someone who wants to start investing this month to do so.
Getting ready to invest this month
The practicalities need not be time-consuming.
If someone wants to start investing, they need a practical way to do so.
Those could include share-dealing accounts, Stocks and Shares ISAs, and trading apps. It is normally possible to set one up quickly.
A new investor also needs to understand some of the key basics about how to invest, such as valuing shares and spreading a portfolio across different companies.
Is there enough time to do that this week? I think so.
What’s the point of investing?
One mistake I believe some people make when they start investing is not setting a clear objective and planning how they might get there.
It can be easy to see the point of investing as making money. But that is an oversimplification.
There are different ways somebody may make money by owning shares. Price rises are one, but dividends can also help an investor build wealth.
Meanwhile, some things might eat into the money invested rather than help it grow, including share price falls. Small-seeming trading fees and commissions can add up over time too, which is why I mentioned taking time to choose the right platform for buying and owning shares.
So I think it is helpful when someone starts investing for them to be as clear as possible about what their goals are and how they think they need to invest to try and meet them.
Of course, that can change with time and experience. But at least having a clear starting point can help provide a direction of travel.
On the hunt for shares to buy
Another thing to think about, of course, is what shares to focus on.
One share I think investors should consider is Associated British Foods (LSE: ABF).
That may be a somewhat unpopular view right now! After an unexpected profits warning, the share price is already down 11% this month.
But I think a long-term view can be helpful, from the day one starts investing.
Associated British Foods has challenges, not only with demand in its Primark chain of cheap clothes shops, but also in the food business. Revenues in the sugar business have been falling, for example, and I see that as an ongoing challenge for the company.
Still, all is not lost. The company has a diversified range of assets that give it some protection from the economic cycle. It owns a welter of well-known and well-loved brands, from Twinings to Silver Spoon.
I see this as a somewhat dull but solidly run, profitable business that has long-term potential thanks to well-established operations and quality brands.
I do not think the current share price fully reflects that.
