42: 42nd CONKERS' CORNER : 3rd April 2017 : Conkers' Corner speaking with Rodney Hobson

Welcome to the 42nd CONKERS’ CORNER recorded on 8th December 2016. In this interview I have the pleasure of speaking with Rodney Hobson @RodneyHobson, journalist, author investor, fiction crime writer, presenter and much more.

Rodney was born in the village of Disley near Stockport in a humble background far removed from the world of finance and investing. He states “If I can get into finance and investment so can anyone else”. As a youngster Rodney always enjoyed writing and wanted to be a journalist.

After completing his degree in politics and economics he joined his local newspaper group, the Ashton-under-Lyne Reporter. After two years he joined the Sheffield Morning Telegraph as a sub-editor and four years later joined The Times in London, also as a sub-editor. He then became deputy business editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review, which was a highly respected Asian weekly magazine and this was Rodney’s first foray into Financial journalism.

Rodney also served as Business Editor of the Singapore Monitor before he returned to London and rejoined The Times as News Editor on Business News. He rejoined just before the Big Bang and the transformation of the London Stock Exchange, with modern technology suddenly opening up investing to everyone.

Rodney has since been a freelancer, mainly working for The Times and the Daily Mail City desk, as well as Editor of Shares Magazine and two financial websites. At The Times and the Daily Mail he used to get phone calls from perplexed ordinary investors who bought shares in privatisations or received them as building societies converted to banks. Many of these “new investors” did not have a clue what shares were, let alone the basics of investing, so he wrote his first investing book “Shares Made Simple, a beginner’s guide to the stock market” followed by other investment books.

Rodney enjoys helping people with regards to their investment queries. He does so via his weekly column for Morningstar, shows on Share Radio, Investment events, his investments columns and of course his numerous investing books. Please pay a visit to Rodney’s website where you will find his numerous insightful investing books and also his fiction crime books http://rodneyhobson.co.uk/

Rodney did not make his first significant investments in stocks and shares until 2009 as he had focused firstly on buying and owning his own home in London. Rodney describes his strategy as low risk, cautious and long-term. He only invests in UK listed stocks with 90% of his holdings being FTSE blue chip stocks.

This discussion provides a useful insight into the journey that Rodney has taken, which so far has encompassed Journalism, Fleet Street, Financial journalism, Newspaper Columnist, Fiction Crime Writer, Presenter on Share Radio and Private Investor. The topics we discussed include: Financial crashes; Don’t panic; Lessons learnt; Icelandic banking collapse; Dividends are vitals; Dividend cover; Risks; Investing strategy; You can beat the computers and the safest investments.

Having experienced several financial crashes, it is Rodney’s opinion that there will be more crashes in the future. He stresses, “Time is circular….it will happen again….” Listen now to gain insights into how Rodney Hobson selects, researches and filters blue chip and large cap stocks in order to find the best potential opportunities for his long-term investment portfolio. Learn from the lessons in his successful, insightful investing journey and condensed knowledge from his many investing books.

Learn from the lessons in his successful, insightful investing journey.