STOCKS & SHARES: IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: We DO NOT supply share tips of any kind, nor have we tried and tested any systems or software that may be advertised here. We cannot under any circumstances be held liable for any losses you may incur through trading in Stocks and Shares. Please do your own thorough research before committing any monies. If in doubt take professional advice before proceeding.      SHARE TRADING FROM HOME: The growth in share trading from home in recent years has been massive. The reasons for this are easy to see. Middle aged executives being made redudant often with a useful pay-off have found it difficult to find fresh employment and after examining all their available avenues have decided to set up their own share trading business from home.A kind of of mini online stock broker trading room if you like. The rapid and consistent reduction in the cost of trading, and the ease at which anyone can open an account and begin trading ftrom home on the internet from as little at five hundred pounds has made this seem like an ideal way to make a second or even a first income. Of course it's just as easy to lose money as make it, and that needs to be borne in mind at all times. The technology boom and the dot com bubble fuelled a great deal of ill considered investment and saw the mushrooming of share trading clubs. A share trading club is where a group of like minded people join together and form a club where they each pay the same amount into a central bank account, say forty pounds a month. The clubs meets at regular intervals, say once a month when trading ideas and decisions are debated, and the funds duly invested in their stock picks. Of course the results have been very mixed, some have done incredibly well, whilst others who may have invested heavily in the technology boom were all but wiped out. You'll find a great deal more on the topic of investment clubs at  www.moneynet.co.uk The first investment club began in the States started more than 100 years ago and there are now some 60,000 clubs with more than a million members in the US. Clubs are fast becoming just as popular here as the idea captures the imagination of people in the UK. The reason? Investment clubs are a great way to increase your knowledge and ability as an investor, in a friendly and fun environment. Whether you are an experienced investor or a complete novice, there are many reasons to get involved in an investment club. If you are a new investor, there is no better way to start investing as the stock market can be a daunting place for a lone investor. In a club situation, risks are shared as you are pooling your subscription as part of a group of up to twenty people. Better, more sensible decisions tend to be made collectively as you share your knowledge with others. You may have no knowledge about the stock market itself, but you will certainly have knowledge from your work, your hobbies or just life in general which will mean that you have expertise of a particular industry, company or service to contribute to club meetings - and your confidence will soon grow. Many clubs have an educational programme for new members and you will be surprised how much you pick up from reading newspapers, listening to relevant programmes on the TV and radio, the internet and ProShare's Dividend magazine. If you are an experienced investor, you will enjoy sharing your interest with friends or colleagues and while you might give some less experienced members the benefit of your stock market knowledge, you will certainly learn something from other members because they will have knowledge of different sectors and companies through their work or leisure pursuits. The research involved in investigating companies can be shared between members, as can the cost of information. The secret of investment club success is that every member becomes involved in finding out about the companies that may be chosen for the club portfolio. It's no use leaving it to the others, the job of finding out these facts must be shared. That way you are contributing effort as well as opinion. It is this pooling of knowledge, as well as resources and money that is the beauty of an investment club and makes it a relatively risk free way to get involved in the stock market. Who are Proshare? ProShare is an independent, not-for-profit organisation limited by guarantee and founded in 1992. ProShare was founded by HM Treasury, the London Stock Exchange and a consortium of major companies to "Promote responsible share based investment, including employee share ownership, primarily through education and research." ProShare (UK) Ltd is currently funded through charitable donations from over 180 companies and by grants from the London Stock Exchange, The Gatsby Charitable Trust and The John Templeton Foundation. Investment Clubs The face of ProShare Investment Clubs has changed beyond recognition in the last few years. ProShare took on the National Association in 1993 and since 1997 the number of UK investment clubs has increased from just 350 to approaching 7,000 clubs - an increase of some 2000%. 60% of people joining an investment club have never invested before and within 2 years a high proportion have begun a portfolio of their own. I trade almost every day on the markets, though I don't consifder myself a day-trader in the strict sense of the word, someone who opens a position in the morning and closes it before close of busines that day. Like every trader I have had my great successes, Regus, Laura Ashley, Merant, Abbey National, Peacocks among many others, and of course my failures, Henley's being far and way the worst! Like most share traders I flit around the bulletin and information boards though I have long since learnt to be very wary of most of the information slapped up there. There are many unscupulous operators out there who will ramp a share for all it worth on the message boards, having bought a quantity a day or two earlier, only to dump them on beginner an unsuspecting investors as soon as a profit has appeared in the price. My advice for any share trader would be to do your own thorough research and make your own decisions about buying and selling. I have certainly had far more success following my own thinking than I ever did garnering tips from the bulletin boards. A few years ago a stock broker gave me a bit of advice. This was long before anyone could trade on the internet and the simple act of trading was much more expensive than it is today and thus it was more difficult to come out with a profit. He said "always remember that shares always come down much faster than they ever go up". And that's usually absolutely true. At the first hint that all is not well with a particular company the share price often plummets. Yes, it usually over-reacts but it's not unusual for a price to come crashing down. Whereas rises are usually much more measured and gradual. This means you always have to be on the look out for prices that might suddenly retreat by a sizeable percentage. The way I try and avoid that is when I have shares that have made good advances and show decent profits is to sell a goodly portion, say half , which locks in some profit. That way even if the price does suddenly duck down by a large margin I have some protection from the damage. Develop your own strategies. Don't be afraid to do something different from the herd. Just because everyone else is saying something's hot, it doesn't mean it is. Adopting a contrarian stance can sometimes pay big dividends. Make up your own mind, dyor, develop your own systems and never take unnecesary risks, or risk capital that you can't afford to lose.  One of my favourite gossip sites is www.sharecrazy.com, there is usually something on there of interest. Another vast and comprehensive site is www.advfn.com , a site I have to confess I don't personally use that much, but a site that everyone seems to recommend. Have a look yourself and make up your own mind. You can Click here for details of an American Stocks and Share Trading magazine. Try Webs ONLY Professional Stock Trading Journal! If you want to become involved in the world of stocks and shares but don't yet have the necessary capital or expertise, but have a web site of your own,  you might consider becoming an affiliate selling stock trading software. You can get all the information on that by clicking here.  Make money as a TraderBrain Affiliate In the months to come we will be looking at different share trading software packages that are available and we'd welcome your own comments on how you have found the various programs that you might use. Don't forget to bookmark our site so you can come back another day. Good luck in your trading activities in the year ahead!