One of Canada's most recognized business valuation experts, Ian Campbell, like to manage his own stock portfolio. I would start to get the shakes if I thought I had to do this myself; but now he seems to enjoy it
Campbell told me that it wasn't that easy in the past. He got tired of wading through financial web sites, newsletters, and other data for what seemed like endless hours each week. He has been in the financial industry for more than three decades, so he knew from experience the best way was to solve this problem was to tackle it himself.
Speaking of unending hours, how many did you spend last month? Were you like me, wading through the data quagmire -- that unending labyrinth of data related to the stocks you're following? Personally, it irritates me to no end.
Perhaps you're one of those who like to manage your own portfolio. Maybe you're interested in the Canadian Small Cap Mining and Oil & Gas Industries; or you're a financial adviser with clients interested in these sectors. If so, you've likely experienced 'the problem' - the huge waste of your valuable time -- pouring over charts, tables, financial documents and websites, when accessing economic, industry and company data on the web.
He conducted proprietary market research in both the U.S. and Canada. It asked many things, but one of the key questions dealt with how much time they actually spend researching equities online. Ian's consumer research indicated that 80 percent of those retail stock investors surveyed in the U.S.A. and Canada spent up to 10 hours per month, researching stocks, bonds and other financial affairs on the Internet. I think you'll agree it's reasonable to assume that 80% of all retail investors don't manage their own portfolios. These people assist, or perhaps they collaborate; but mostly they rely on the expertise of an investment adviser for assistance. This begs the quesion as to why these folks are on the Internet doing their own research,investigating stocks? The answer perhaps lies in the fact that the research also asked these same respondents a few questions about how they felt regarding their own investment advisers.
It is obvious that the answers were illuminating! Let's just say these 80% are not taking any chances. They want to know exactly what is happening with their portfolio and how to ensure that their own Investment Advisor focuses on their financial affairs. Campbell was sure he was on to something. He was confident that thousands of other investors must feel like him: frustrated with the way online investment research was done; and what he had to work with. He decided to conduct even more research to see if the market needed and would be willing to pay for a unique membership web site that would take the data - the material that drives most of us bananas - and properly organize it in a way that he and those other investors had never seen before.
Campbell continued and made other relevant data more easily available. Now those who wanted to manage their own portfolio, or just keep an eye on it; of those investors who have hired a IA to work directly with them, could be more organized; work faster. The IA's would also put this new 'tool' to good use. The results were more reliable too.
Campbell had been an influencial valuation expert for more than three decades. He knew that if he could solve these problems,putting all this in one website, he just might have the answer. The result was a very special web site, which launched recently.
This is how most great ideas come about. In this case, one individual investor, constantly frustrated by the onerous task of wading through the deluge of stock market and individual stock data, decided to do something about it. Now everyone can access this faster, better way of researching stocks.
?Copyright, Roy MacNaughton, 2007
