Into the unknown - my very first blog!

Well here goes, my very first blog. Sounds a little like I am talking to myself but... what the heck. I think of myself as an average type of person but have always had a fascination in the stock market and, as a result, have always independently managed my own personal finances and investments. Over the years I have also been a regular sounding board for friends and colleagues so thought that I could "blog" some of my thoughts in a way that might help one or two people along the way as well as give me a sounding board.

I first dipped my toe into the stock market a couple of weeks before 1987's Black Monday purchasing a small number of units in what was then termed the "biggest" unit trust launch ever with, I think, Royal Insurance. Wow, I was just completing an engineering apprenticeship at the time with a first home/mortgage and a new born baby.....welcome to the real world! 
In the following years I have also been invested through:

• 1997 Black Wednesday - EMU crisis
• 1998 Russian default / LTCM collapse
• 2000 Dot com bubble bursting
• 2001 September 11th attacks
• 2005 July 7th attacks
• 2007  Banking/credit crisis

These are just the big events, the market crashers that make you question your very sanity, not the temporary losses of confidence and heightened emotions that occur with more frequency. 

Makes you wonder why I am still interested!
Perhaps I should be having my head examined but what the timeline does show you is that there will be lots of testing events along the way and don't let anyone tell you that "things are different now", "there is a new paradigm" and "no more boom and bust" as these people have their own objectives but typically will have a very short shelf life.

More than ever, I believe that managing risk and cash flow in my personal finances and investments are essential for me in a time when no-one else is going to look after my interests with the same care and attention as myself.
I would have to say that my main mission is for some kind of financial security and self sufficiency for myself and my family.

So wish me luck and I will wish the same for you.