Introduction

This simple introduction has been written to help novice investors get a basic understanding of how investment works.

It is not our intention to pick stocks for you, nor to advise on which shares to buy - we believe you should make your own informed investment decisions. This guide is designed to introduce basic concepts and processes that you need to know as an investor.

There has never been a greater need to invest. The government will find it ever more difficult to maintain the current level of provision for pensions and healthcare due to the way in which the nation's population is ageing. Private investment is becoming a necessary factor in securing personal wealth later in life.