His tips have brought a 20% profit in less than four months and now one of Bucks’ best investors is encouraging everyone to get in on the act.
Former merchant seaman and self-made flat pack millionaire Douglas Chadwick started a newsletter in 2011 listing the best places to invest short term and it now has more than 600 subscribers.
Unafraid to put his money where his mouth is, Mr Chadwick and his partners have backed their own tips, with their most adventurous portfolio delivering a 20% return since the end of 2012.
The newsletter, Saltydog Investor, lists how funds are doing over four, 12 and 26 weeks and subscribers get weekly updates online. It means they can get in and out at just the right time and has created a healthy competition among those involved.
Mr Chadwick, of Long Crendon, said: “We publish how our portfolios are doing and our subscribers are trying to see if they can do better than us. We have given people a hobby. We say what we are doing with our money and we give subscribers an indication of how risky they should be with their investments.”
The price of gold has recently dropped significantly, but Mr Chadwick and anyone following Saltydog’s tips would have seen it coming and sold before the major decline.
The 70 year old says too many people are willing to lose money in the hope their stocks will pick up a few years down the line.
Mr Chadwick said: “I don’t understand the argument of passive investing.
“Why would you want to be in a sector that was going down or in funds that are not performing?
“It has become a boast for some people to say how much money they have lost.”
Mr Chadwick says people should do more with their money, rather than sitting back and hoping for the best.
He said: “The Government should be telling people to make their money work harder for them. Do you really want to be working until you’re 70?”