Shows
Small Investor ToolboxReminiscences of a stock operatorEpisode notes
This week, as a special Christmas treat, Allan reviews a classic investing novel, then looks at the real life investor on whom it is based.
Allan's thought for the week
It's a new investing year, not a new investing you.
Book of the week
Christmas is a time for fiction, so this week Allan shares his thoughts on the classic american novel
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator: The Classic Novel Based on the Life of Legendary Stock Market Speculator Jesse Livermore , By Lefevre Edwin
Podcast...
2025-12-1915 minSmall Investor ToolboxIs answering 3 questions really all it takes?Episode notes
In this week's podcast Allan reviews an interesting book by Ken Fisher, shares an article on weight-loss drugs, and a podcast interview with a big pharma CEO.
Allan's thought for the week
Amazing: I'm now an ice cream vendor.
Book of the week
Ken Fisher is the son of the great Phillip Fisher, and an amazingly successful investor in his own right. In this week's book he shares the process that gives him his edge. It is:
The Only Three Questions That Still Count (3rd...
2025-12-1222 minSmall Investor ToolboxEconomics and accounting, robots, and Mountain WarehouseEpisode notes
This week's podcast is an eclectic mix of stuff that might be of interest to the small investor. We have a book on accounting, an article on robotics, and a great business case study podcast.
Allan's thought for the week
This week Allan Considers whether or not he is an above average investor.
Book of the week
This week's book is
The economics of accounting:
By Richard Frankel, S.P. Kothari and Luo Zuo
Article of the week
This week's article is a...
2025-12-0524 minSmall Investor ToolboxThe world's oldest assetEpisode notes
This week Allan shares a couple of thoughts on the budget, but mainly focusses on the subject of land and property.
Allan's thought for the week
Don't be swayed by a good story.
Book of the week
This week's book is
The Land Trap: The new history of the world's oldest asset
by Mike Bird
It's a fascinating account of the role land has played, and continues to play in our economies and our financial systems.
Article of the week
For...
2025-11-2818 minSmall Investor ToolboxPaying homage to Warren BuffettEpisode notes
At the age of 93 Warren Buffett is finally coming to the end of his long investing career. May we all find something that inspires us so much that we want to keep doing it until we are in our nineties.
Allan's thought for the week
Your analysis doesn't have to be perfect: good enough will do.
Book of the week
This week's book recommendation is 'The Essays of Warren Buffett' by Lawrence A. Cunningham and Warren E. Buffett.
It is available from all good book...
2025-11-2119 minSmall Investor ToolboxBuy and hold investing and portfolio managementEpisode notes
This week Allan discusses another classic book, an article on portfolio management, and a podcast on scotch whisky.
Allan's thought for the week
Allan considers the difference between buy and hold investing and hands off investing.
Book of the week
This week's book of the week is 'Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits and Other Writings' by Philip A. Fisher. It is a classic manual for the buy and hold investor.
Article of the week
This week's article is a discussion of an Economist...
2025-11-1420 minSmall Investor ToolboxBubbles past and presentEpisode notes
This week Allan reviews a book, an article, and a podcast episode that each have something interesting to say about bubbles.
Allan's thought for the week
Stock tips and ideas can be really useful, but it is important not to get overloaded by them.
Book of the week
This week Allan reviews a book by John Kenneth Galbraith called 'A Short History of Financial Euphoria'. It was written over 30 years ago, but is definitely a classic that is worth revisiting.
Article of the week
2025-11-0719 minSmall Investor ToolboxSuperforecasting, and the LSE past and presentEpisode notes
In this week's episode Allan shares a book on Superforecasting, an article on the Big Bang, and a podcast interview with a small business founder.
Allan's thought for the week
Allan considers his failure to be a momentum investor and the problems with fomo that result.
Book of the week
This week's book is 'Superforecasting, The Art and Science of Prediction' By: Philip Tetlock and Dan Gardner.
Allan reviews the audio edition, but the print edition is great too. You can find it in all...
2025-10-3119 minSmall Investor ToolboxAllan's inspirationEpisode notes
In this week's episode Allan shares what first got him interested in investing. It is a shorter offering since Allan has been on holiday. Usual service will resume next week.
Support the show
If you want to support the podcast you can:
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or your platform of choice
Buy me a coffee
Help us both by trying out one of my discount codes:
Host your podcast with PineCast using my referral code r-b2ac67
Keep in touch
Email the show
Visit the website...
2025-10-2409 minSmall Investor ToolboxThe Intelligent Investor, market theory, and Nestle's woesEpisode notes
This week Allan looks at a classic text, as well as sharing some of the other interesting stuff that has caught his fancy.
Allan's thought for the week
This week Allan considers how a little knowledge really can be a dangerous thing.
Book of the week
This week's book takes us back in time to look at the classic text of value investing. Fortunately the 75th anniversary edition was published last year and it offers the original text plus a bunch of helpful content that applies the...
2025-10-1724 minSmall Investor ToolboxEconomics, AI, and goldEpisode notes
In this week's show Allan Shares a book on economics, an article on investing with AI, and a podcast on gold.
Allan's thought for the week
Allan considers whether, and how, to hedge his portfolio using gold.
Book of the week
In the spirit of developing your all round knowledge and building mental models to serve you well in your investment process, this week's book recommendation is
Economics: The User's Guide, by Ha-Joon Chang.
It was written back in 2014 so some of the figures and...
2025-10-1020 minSmall Investor ToolboxPersonal finance, money, and investing woesEpisode notes
In this week's podcast Allan reviews a book on personal finance, recommends an article on how to manage your cash, and shares some thoughts and a podcast on business analysis.
Allan's thought for the week
Learning from failure is vital, but it's not easy when it makes you so depressed.
Book of the week
If you think investing is fun but personal finance is boring, then join the club. Unfortunately, it is one of those things that we should all look at from time to time. So...
2025-10-0319 minSmall Investor ToolboxUnderstanding entrepreneursEpisode notes
This week Allan takes a bit of a dive into understanding businesses and investment opportunities from the point of view of an entrepreneur.
Allan's thought for the week
Dividends are nice to have. Having a dividend mindset is more problematic.
Book of the week
This week's book recommendation is
How to Make a Billion in Nine Steps , By Richard Harpin.
It's great if you are looking to start your own business. But, at least for our purposes, it is packed with tips on the sorts...
2025-09-2619 minSmall Investor ToolboxHow to be a trader, and 25 not out!Episode notes
This week Allan recommends a little book, a little article, and a fairly short podcast. He also celebrates the fact that this is his 25th episode.
Allan's thought for the week
Allan considers the pros and cons of notifications and emails when it comes to keeping informed about what is going on in the world.
Book of the week
This week's book recommendation is The Little Book of Trading Wizards, By Jack D. Schwager. It is a nice insight into the trading world, contains some useful snippets...
2025-09-1918 minSmall Investor ToolboxRisk, decision making, and a great guide to investingEpisode notes
This week Allan considers the nature of risk, how to make better decisions, and reviews an excellent practical guide to investing in the UK.
Allan's thought for the week
Risk is one of those terms that we think we understand, but that is much more illusive than it seems. This week Allan shares his thoughts on the subject.
Book of the week
The Naked Trader, by Robbie Burns, is an investment guide with a difference. For one thing it is jargon free and easy to read. For...
2025-09-1224 minSmall Investor ToolboxKeeping up to date with smaller companies newsEpisode notes
Despite feeling a deep sense of investment gloom Allan has dragged himself to the microphone to share his favourite investment related finds for this week.
Allan's thought for the week
Being a philosopher at heart, Allan loves a good thought experiment. This week he gets his teeth into one that is investment related.
If you want to read the Motley Fool article that sparked it all off then you can find it here.
Resource of the week
This week's resource is a Substack newsletter and...
2025-09-0519 minSmall Investor ToolboxAn introduction to big picture investingEpisode notes
The focus of this episode is a different style of investing to the long term buy and hold strategies that have dominated in recent weeks.
Allan's thought for the week
Allan considers the implications of shocks, such as the WH Smiths accounting irregularities, to a focussed investing strategy.
Resource of the week
This week's resource is an audio lecture series on the topic of big picture investing. It was originally recorded as part of the Modern Scholar series and is available from sites like Audible. You can...
2025-08-2923 minSmall Investor ToolboxThe world's greatest investorEpisode notes
In this week's episode Allan considers what he can learn from the world's greatest investor.
Allan's thought for the week
As a fun little experiment, and to make himself feel better about his prospects, Allan examines a few numbers in order to highlight the power of compounding.
Book of the week
This week Allan reviews The Warren Buffett Way, by Robert G. Hagstrom. This is a mainstay of the Warren Buffett literature. It's available in multiple formats, multiple editions, and can almost certainly be found wherever you...
2025-08-2226 minSmall Investor ToolboxPoor Charlie's Almanack and long term investingEpisode notes
This week's show takes a look at one of the titans of the investing world, and recommends an interesting article and podcast episode too.
Allan's thought for the week
Following a re-energising holiday, Allan discusses the pitfalls of tinkering with your portfolio.
Resource of the week
This week's resource is the book Poor Charlie's Almanack. It is a collection of talks from Charles T. Munger and very definitely comes with the Allan Tweddle seal of approval.
You can find the free online version of the...
2025-08-1517 minSmall Investor ToolboxRobots, AI, and traditional book storesEpisode notes
In this week's show Allan shares a report, an article and a podcast that each have a technology flavour. As a bonus, you also get a bit of ethics chat thrown in.
Allan's thought for the week
This week Allan shares his thoughts on ethical investing and his shocked realisation that maybe he isn't quite as moral as he thought he was.
Resource of the week
A recent report from the Edison Group discusses the prospects for humanoid, multi-functional robots, and explains how and why they could...
2025-08-0417 minSmall Investor ToolboxInvestment research and picking growth companiesEpisode notes
The theme of this week's podcast is company research. Getting hold of good research isn't always easy, but maybe this week's resource recommendation will help. Then again, finding research is only half the battle. Understanding it, and knowing its limitations, is even more important.
Allan's thought for the week
This week Allan considers the limits of doing your own research. There are limits to what we can know and what we can understand. Sometimes all you can do is go with your gut or take a punt on advice from other...
2025-07-2820 minSmall Investor ToolboxDiversification, insurance, and beginner investingEpisode notes
In this week's podcast Allan shares a resource to help with future diversification, an article discussing the insurance industry, and an investing intro podcast worth bookmarking to share with future newbies.
Allan's update
In a week where the FTSE 100 hits fresh highs of over 9000 Allan discusses how to cope when your own, painstakingly planned, portfolio actually goes down.
Resource of the week
"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!"
Allan hopes you are all following IG Groups save our stock market campaign, and doing everything...
2025-07-2116 minSmall Investor ToolboxBetter decision making and good news for professional servicesEpisode notes
Despite suffering through yet another London heatwave Allan forces himself to his desk to share with you the things he's found that interested him this week.
Allan's update
Allan considers his recent supermarket shopping experiences and what they tell him about the practicalities behind brand loyalty and economic motes.
Resource of the week
To be a good investor, you have to know how to make good decisions, even if the decision is to do nothing. This week's resource is a book that aims to help develop your...
2025-07-1420 minSmall Investor ToolboxUnderstanding the financial markets, quarterly reviews, and business strategyEpisode notes
In this week's episode Allan reviews a fun little book, shares an interesting interview, and recommends a podcast that discusses the fall of a once mighty national D.I.Y. chain.
Allan's update
Allan shared his practise of conducting quarterly reviews, and how he implements a big picture review of his portfolio every 3 months.
His approach is based on the work of the personal development guru, Michael Heppell. If you want to know more about Michael then checkout his website, michaelheppell.com
If you want to know...
2025-07-0719 minSmall Investor ToolboxMarket disruptions and the future of the London Stock ExchangeEpisode notes
In this week's podcast Allan considers the pros and cons of market volatility and market disruptors.
Allan's update
Constant news, and the resulting volatility in share prices, is great if you are a trader, or even a short term, in/out kind of investor. But if you are a buy and hold investor then it is incredibly stressful, particularly just after you've made a purchase.
Resource of the week
The Squeeze newsletter
This recommendation was inspired by this week's issue,
A new boost for cash-rich...
2025-06-3016 minSmall Investor ToolboxPortfolio structure and dark times aheadEpisode notes
This week's episode is slightly shorter than usual because Allan has been on holiday. Fortunately, it still contains a resource, article, and podcast recommendation that are well worth your time.
Allan's update
Holidays are a time for switching off and leaving the daily grind behind. But can you ever really switch off from your portfolio? And would you want to?
Resource of the week
This podcast is mainly focussed on the trials and tribulations of the stock picker. However, there are many financial advisors and investment gurus...
2025-06-2315 minSmall Investor ToolboxTakeover talk, stock screening, and the usefulness of aphorismsEpisode notes
In this week's episode Allan reviews a book on stock screening, an article on a well-known stock market aphorism, and a podcast interview with the UK manager of Pret A Manger.
Allan's update
This week Allan has been trimming some fat in his portfolio while pondering what to do about his H&T shares.
Resource of the week
Despite all the concerning headlines regarding the hollowing out of the London stock market there are still around 1500 companies for investors to choose from. If you start looking overseas...
2025-06-1619 minSmall Investor ToolboxThe value of good dataEpisode notes
In this week's episode Allan shares a resource to turbo-charge your company research, an article that provides a bit of perspective on investing in the first quarter of the 21st century, and a fascinating podcast on the mining industry.
Allan's update
This week Allan has been considering the more practical approach to investing that involves getting to know the product, being a customer, and essentially investing in what you know. As part of his own research he has been looking at IG Group [lse: IGG] and CMC Markets [lse: CMCX], 2 incredibly...
2025-06-0920 minSmall Investor ToolboxJargon busting and business failuresEpisode notes
In this week's episode Allan shares a useful little directory, an article on cyber security, and a podcast charting the rise and fall of a former high street stalwart.
Allan's update
Since it has been a quiet week for Allan's portfolio he wonders why it remains impossible to keep up with all the research. There's always too much to read, watch, or listen to.
Resource of the week
This weeks resource recommendation is the A-Z of business and financial abbreviations.
It is produced by the...
2025-06-0219 minSmall Investor ToolboxFoolish investingEpisode notes
In this week's podcast Allan shares a resource that should be on every investor's radar. He also recommends a great article about company analysis and a podcast that taught him all about Spacs.
Allan's update
In his search for a potential replacement for his H&T investment Allan took a fresh look at his watchlist. He was shocked by how large it had got, and pruning turns out to be harder than it seems.
Resource of the week
The Motley Fool
You can find the...
2025-05-2619 minSmall Investor ToolboxA podcast refreshEpisode notes
This week Allan introduces a new format for the podcast.
Allan's update
A takeover offer has left Allan's portfolio looking pretty good, but he still manages to find the downside.
Resource of the week
This week Allan recommends you take a look at VOX MARKETS. They have a podcast, a youtube channel, and a very comprehensive website.
For more information visit the site
Article of the week
This week's article of the week comes from startups.co.uk. It looks at...
2025-05-1915 minSmall Investor ToolboxCompany presentations, webinars, and Zoom callsEpisode notes
Thanks to modern technology it is easier than ever for companies to interact with their shareholders. Some managers are super keen and it sometimes feels like they are never off the airwaves. Others or a touch more shy, but even they hold regular webinars, online meetings, and Zoom calls following important announcements, such as the release of annual results. In this week's podcast Allan considers the value of these communications, the pros and cons of allocating time to them, and recommends some of the places where they can be found.
Episode links
2025-05-1212 minSmall Investor ToolboxUnderstanding annual reports and where to find themEpisode notes
Following last week's discussion of RNS announcements, this week Allan takes a brief look at annual reports.
Every company has to produce them, and they are often large, fairly daunting offerings. Allan asks what they are, where they can be found, and whether they are worth small investors' valuable time.
The IC guide to company annual reports, by Phil Oakley, can be found here.
Music
Bossa Antigua Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Support
2025-05-0513 minSmall Investor ToolboxRNS announcements - what they are and where to get themEpisode notes
Most sources of news offer something for every kind of investor. Reading The Investors Chronicle is worthwhile for fund investors, ETF investors, day traders, and simply the market curious. But if you are primarily focussed on buying and selling individual company shares over the long term, then it is really useful to follow company announcements directly.
In this episode Allan looks at company announcements. He explains what they are, and reviews a couple of the best ways to find them.
To read about the history of the LSE Group's RNS service...
2025-04-2815 minSmall Investor ToolboxHow to read the financial pagesEpisode notes
While it is important to find the most appropriate sources of news and current affairs, you will still be wasting your time if you barely understand what you read, watch, or listen to. In this week's podcast Allan reviews a book that holds the promise of helping you not fall into this trap.
To find out more about the book, How To Read The Financial Pages, click here
To find out more about the podcast head on over to smallinvestortoolbox.com, though please don't expect too much as yet because I...
2025-04-2116 minSmall Investor ToolboxWhy I love MONEYWEEK magazineEpisode notes
Allan continues his discussion of sources of news and current affairs of use to the small investor. This week's topic is the magazine MONEYWEEK. Spoiler alert: he is a big fan.
To find out more about the magazine click here
To find out more about the podcast head on over to smallinvestortoolbox.com, though please don't expect too much as yet because I am still working on it.
Music
Bossa Antigua Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
2025-04-1421 minSmall Investor ToolboxMy favourite investing magazineEpisode notes
Following a quick market update, Allan discusses The Investors Chronicle and explains why it is his go to investing magazine. Along with the print magazine comes a dedicated cross-platform app and a substantial website packed with useful resources.
To find out more visit The Investors Chronicle website at investorschronicle.co.uk
Music
Bossa Antigua Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Support Small Investor Toolbox by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/small-investor-toolbox
2025-04-0715 minSmall Investor ToolboxSources of news and current affairs for the small investorEpisode Notes
Small investors need to stay informed about news and current affairs affecting the business landscape. But with limited time, it is important to find the best sources of business news, then consume only what you need so that you leave yourself enough time to research actual investments.
In today's show I examine 3 sources of news that I use, their pros and cons, and why they have a place in my toolbox.
Music
Bossa Antigua Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses...
2025-03-3116 minSmall Investor ToolboxSmall investor toolbox trailerEpisode Notes
Welcome to the Small Investor Toolbox podcast.
Music
Bossa Antigua Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
2025-03-2503 min