TIME SPENT ACTIVELY INVESTING

[whiteheron]

I would be interested in hearing from others about the time they spend "at the computer" when actively investing online , including time doing research at various websites( but not including time spent reading newspapers , magazines , watching TV etc)

In my case i estimate that i average about 1.5 hours per work day , in 2 or 3 logins , and about 2 hours total on the weekend (weekly total of about 10 hours )

I used to spend somewhat more time but that was while i was learning the trade and i have learned much in the 2 years i have been investing (i hope!!!!!!!!)

Many stocks have been considered , however , my present thinking is to seriously consider a smaller number ,say 10 to 15 (mostly Australian) and to keep a bit of an eye on maybe another 10 or so

My feeling is that time spent over and above what i have outlined produces progressively diminishing returns , not to mention the difficulties of running out of liquid funds with which to take on extra investments

Thoughts / comments / comparisons from others will be most appreciated

[Steve]

I would also estimate around 10 hours in the average M-F week. Usually 4 logins a day to keep up with what is happening. Usually, do nothing much in the weekends as that is 'MY' time.

When I was playing around in the futures market 5 or so years ago, it would have been more like 20-25 hours a week.

[Halebop]

Hi Whiteheron,

As a full-timer most week days I spend 2-3 hours per day either surfing for financial news, market prices etc or punching numbers into spreadsheets (I'm slowly creating a database of "good" companies - not to be confused with good value). I'm not particularly productive in terms of quantity though, tending towards a slow and steady plod.

However I spend many more hours than this at the PC as many of my hobbies also require a computer and a new business I've helped set up only exists in pixels and data - I write specifications for the programmers, create and execute User Acceptance Tests and do a little artwork/design for the website - all for free dammit!

[craic]

About the same ten hours a week for me except in the past couple of days when I have been embroiled in a battle with a scanner that would not scan and spent many hours going around in circles following instructions and wizards that had little magic.Finally installed the latest makers software and hope that that works.

[kittydashwood]

20 hours researching at night. 1 hour every morning watching depth.

[Othello]

about 5-10hrs per week checking out shares etc,
and about 4 hrs per week spent on R&D and education which may or may not involve the computer.
My time also has decreased as i understand more.

[bongo66]

5 ish hours a week on average and that is spent researching all info i can on the 3 companies i own.

I rarely consult websites for shareprices .

B

[Risk]

about an hour a day actively investing/researching, with no interruptions.

but like Halebop, I also use the PC as a hobby/education/relaxation/etc, so I spend many more hours (depending on the weather) doing some programming, web development, emailing, browsing forums, and generally just surfing....usually with plenty of breaks to spend quality time with the wife and kids.

I hardly watch TV or read newspapers, but I also spend a bit of time reading books and magazines, (I wouldnt classify that as actively investing...but I guess everything learnt ends up influencing trading decisions in the end.)

[Onthemoney]

A good thread would be for everybody to put what websites they use for the purpose....

[Ricardo]

Pleased to see I'm relatively normal. Do about the 10 hours weekly. Evenings an hour or so downloading prices, running explorations, reading things like this forum. Saturday update performance spreadsheet. Try and update exchange rates etc monthly so tax calcs at year end are not too much of a mammoth task.

[patsy]

quote:Originally posted by whiteheron

I would be interested in hearing from others about the time they spend "at the computer" when actively investing online , including time doing research at various websites( but not including time spent reading newspapers , magazines , watching TV etc)


I guess it would be interesting to know the relationship between time spent researching and actual portfolio performance and see if there is any correlation.

[Nimble]

Currently spend 30-40 hours a week. Been trading fulltime for 18 months now. The aim is to reduce time spent as my;
- knowledge grows,
- plan gets more specific and
- as I purchase more longer term holdings.
Most of this time is spent researching new opportunities & readying related information. Don't work on the weekends.

I think generally there is probably a stronger relationship between knowledge & performance than amount of research & performance. With limited knowledge its very easy to spend alot of time researching & owning the wrong companies.

[Steve]

In terms of performance, who else finds that no matter how much they "believe" in their research, there are sometimes 'emotions' that take over and make you miss a calculated entry/exit point?!

[miner]

Your emotions will always cost you money,other people's emotions can make you money.

[NG]

I ususally spend about 1 hour per day crusing the internet and reading the paper