About

Slack Investor is a site that will hopefully help you on the road to financial independence – by becoming a successful investor.

Investing is a complex world that can take up all of your time. Being in a financial comfort zone is one of the ingredients to a happy life – but it isn’t the most important. Slack Investor will hopefully get you to that zone with a necessary – but least amount of – effort.

Most of my investing is in ASX shares (stocks) but I also follow the US and UK markets through ETF index funds. I deliberately avoid the “noise” of daily trading and prefer the weekly and monthly time scales. Although Slack Investor is all about the least possible effort, any time that you spend exploring the world of investment through financial independence books and other  websites will usually bring rewards.

I am an Australian. I have taken an unusual path to financial independence. I initially trained as a Mathematics and Physics teacher and spent my twenties working in (mostly) international high schools – then spending all my savings on travel. I arrived back in Australia DEAD BROKE at the age of 30 ( I had cashed in my Super! … Groan! … You fortunately can’t do this now!) and the only sure thing in my head was that I didn’t want to be a teacher (this is a job for much more patient and dedicated souls than Slack Investor).

After applying for 20 jobs (and getting rejected!), my fortunes took a great turn for the better and I was lucky enough to get into a graduate diploma that has led to a rewarding and most interesting career in Meteorology. I am currently retired after a 30-year career as an operational meteorologist.

It has been a 30-year journey from being broke to now retired. It has included raising a family and saving throughout my working life. Investing in the stock market is something that started 25 years ago for me. I would admit to not being very proficient at it till I attended an investing class and someone showed me how to get organized with my share purchases.

My hobbies include bushwalking, camping, cycle touring, travel, fine (and not so fine) wines … and finance and economics. I have completed a PhD that relied greatly on statistical methods – although this has not helped specifically with my investing, my studies have increased my skills in data analysis.

There are a bucketload of financial sites that are a portal to separate you from a portion of your accumulated wealth. Hopefully, this site will interest and empower you to manage your own financial affairs at a minimum cost – Knowledge is power.

Naturally, this site is not advice, just my opinions and things I find interesting in the world of finance. This blog is a way of sharing the things I have learned along the way. Do your own research before acting.

Acknowledgements

On this site I make use of the great image library at Pixabay – Many thanks to the photographers that have donated to Pixabay to make Slack Investor (and other sites) look prettier.

Incredible Charts is a fantastic program for following the trends and monitoring your ASX and international shares. You can use their program for free (delayed data) or obtain a data subscription for not too much money.

Investment Gurus … good investors always stand on the shoulders of great investors. My personal journey in investment took a turn for the better when attending Investment Classes put on by Robbie Fuller – his patience and willingness to pass on his wealth of knowledge has been invaluable. The combining of fundamental and technical analysis was integral to Slack Investors approach. Colin Nicholson was an inspiration to me by putting his portfolio, some of his methods, and return calculations on a website to help others. When great investors such as Ben Graham, Warren Buffet, Charlie Munger, and Peter Lynch talk (or write) – I listen (read)!