FAQ

GillenMarkets was established in August 2005 and initially offered a one-day stock market training course. In October 2009, GillenMarkets was approved as an Authorised Advisor by The Central Bank of Ireland and simultaneously launched its subscription-based website and online weekly investment newsletter offering. Since 2014, the company has been providing advisory investment management services and investment solutions for those who don't have the time or inclination to manage their own monies and who wish to avoid the product sellers that prevade the financial services market place.

GillenMarkets training, online newsletter subscription offering and advisory investment management services cover the global markets and all asset classes including investing in equities (shares), property, government and corporate bonds, commodities and alternative assets such as hedge funds and private equity funds. We also advise on Irish-based unit-linked funds as well as other funds such as exchange-traded funds and investment companies.

To book on to our next 1-day training seminar, to subscribe to our web site today or enquire about our one-to-one investment review and advisory investment management services either click on the relevant link, go to the home page or contact us directly by emailing us at info@gillenmarkets.com or by calling us on 00 353 1 2871400.

GillenMarkets aims to be the best company that you as an investor can deal with to help manage your investments. Our unique proposition is that we offer:

• Training: A one-day stock market training course.
   
• We provide you with the tools to manage your own savings and pension monies: A subscription-based website and weekly newsletter offering.
   
• We can co-manage your investments with you: Using a stockbroking platform or by providing access to funds that replicate the investment approaches outlined on the GillenMarkets website.

GillenMarkets is independent of the banks, insurance companies, stockbrokers and all other sellers of investment products. Unlike the vast majority of investment intermediaries (IFAs or insurance brokers), we do not accept upfront commissions on the sale of investment products. This places us on the same side of the table as our clients, who can be 100% confident that they will be getting advice and investment solutions tailored to their specific needs.

Our investment training, advisory and advisory investment management services are relevant to everyone:

Our one-day training course is aimed at those who are interested in learning about investing and taking control of their own investment affairs. That might be the first time investor just looking to get started, the existing investor who is looking to improve, the person with a lump sum to invest and who is looking for options, those who would like to take control of their own pensions and those working in the financial services industry who are looking to improve their understanding, performance and possibly job prospects.

Our subscription-based website and weekly investment newsletter offering is aimed at the do-it-yourself investor. We make sense out of what is going on in world markets and provide coverage of suitable stocks and funds that offer value, contain minimal risks and that you can confidently invest in. We also provide a range of market timing tools that can assist you to better time your entry into or exit from particular markets or sectors.

For those who need more customised advice, we offer an investment review service that puts in place an investment plan tailored to your needs. As we are independent, this is a paid-for service.

Lastly, for those who do not wish to do the investing for themselves, we can co-mange a stockbroking account for you and/or provide access to funds that replicate the investment strategies outlined on our website.

You do not need to be an expert in stock market terminology to be a successful do-it-yourself investor in the stock markets. It helps to demystify the terminology and we do that at our 1-day investment training seminars and via our subscription-based online offering. In addition, we have a section of the web site where members have access to an easy-to-follow booklet on 'Stock Market Terminology', which explaines some key terms you may have to deal with.

The minimum amount required to invest for yourself is largely dictated by the costs of dealing. If you are going to deal through a traditional stockbroker, the minimum investment required to get started is probably in the order of €1,500. If, however, you are happy to deal through an low-cost, online stockbroker then the minimum is lower and probably in the order of €1,200.

We can assist you to protect you capital in two ways.

For the do-it-yourself investor, it is important to understand what stage of your financial journey you are at. If you are in the early stages, and accumulating capital, then regular investing through good and bad market conditions and diversifying are the time-honoured ways of dealing with the volatility and risks associated with stock market investing. If, however, you already have capital built then protecting your capital is most likely to be your overriding concern. Understanding the value in an asset, diversifying and giving your investment plans the time to overcome bear markets (down markets) are the most effective ways of protecting and growing your capital while still benefiting from the higher returns that stock markets have traditionally delivered over the medium-term.

These issues are dealt with comprehensively on our 1-day stock market training seminars and regularly in our weekly investment newsletter that goes to subscribers to our website.

For those who do not wish to do the investing for themselves, we offer an individual investment review service and we can also co-manage monies with you.

In a nutshell, an investor 'owns' assets where as a speculator 'trades' assets. Our core belief is that your have to own assets if you want the returns that naturally accrue from them over time. Speculating or trading in the stock markets is an attempt to obtain returns over a short-term horizon. Most people will fail at this because in many cases it is close to gambling. This philosophy guides what we teach and heavily influences what we advice through our online subscription-based advisory offering and how we manage monies for clients. See our Featured Article on 'The investor v The Speculator'.

If you wish to be a do-it-yourself investor and deal in shares or investment products such as exchange-traded funds and investment companies you will need to open an account with a stockbroker. If you are more likely to invest through unit-linked funds, UK Unit Trusts or Mutual Funds, then you will not need a stockbroking account.

Whether you opt to open an account with a traditional stockbroker or an online stockbroker is entirely up to you. Traditional brokers charge higher commissions but they offer many additional services. With an online stockbroker the cost of dealing is substantially lower but it is a no frills, no advice service.

Yes, GillenMarkets is an authorised investment adviser regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Our training seminars are accredited by the Institute of Bankers and qualify for CPD hours from this and many other professional bodies such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants, the Institute of Taxation and the Law Society among other relevant bodies.

We are also authorised to provide investment advice via our subscription-based online newsletter and website offering and on an individual basis where we can undertake an investment review and provide advisory investment management services. In short, we offer a one-stop-shop for investment training, the tools for you to do the investing yourself or we can assist you in the management of your monies.

Investing in the stock markets does not have to be time consuming and it really depends on what approach you adopt. For example, if you decide to manage your own savings or pension using funds listed on the stock exchanges - like exchange-traded funds or investment trusts - then a couple of hours a year will see you through. On the other hand, if you adopt a more active approach to investing more time may be required.

Many people enjoy the investment process and like to keep up to date with market-related news and events. Obviously this takes more time. The important point to understand is that more time does not mean better results. The investment tools provided in the members area simplify the work load for GillenMarkets subscribers.

Investing in equities (stock markets) can include property companies and many other assets classes like commodities, government bonds, precious metals and miners and hedge & absolute return strategies through the stock markets. There is a range of property companies (which themselves invest directly in property) and property funds (which either invest directly in property or in other quoted property companies) quoted on the stock markets and you can get exposure to property in many different geographic regions in this way. It is much less onerous from a tax and legal standpoint to invest in property through stock market-listed funds than the alternative of buying an apartment or a building directly in a region you are unfamiliar with. GillenMarkets provide analysis on listed property companies, listed property REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) and other property funds in the members area.