Market Analysis

The Trading Post: DIY investing is not all rosy, and horror stories abound

But by putting the work in, and educating yourself about portfolio diversification, market pitfalls can be avoided, writes analyst Ian Murphy

It sounds simple, but do you possess the discipline to buy an ETF and sit back for a decade while every news event and financial hiccup rattles the market?

When seeking exposure to the financial markets, Irish-domiciled investors are spoiled for choice. Depending on where we source our income, we can contribute to a pension fund and let money managers agonise over investment decisions, or we can administer a pension account ourselves via a company’s Small Self-Administered Pension Scheme (SSAP) or an individual self-directed pension.

There is also the possibility of directly investing in the markets using an online account if the tax benefits ...