Does anyone dabble in the stock market?

You can buy and sell online through a broker - it's fairly straightforward from a process point of view.

You need to have a bit of a savvy business mind I think, know what is happening in the markets and each individual business... too much for me! I've only ever done it with Sharesave schemes through work, I'm currently willing the share price to go up by £1 by next March!!!

You can set an account up with Halifax and the like. Definitely can be done from your armchair.

I do think you need to know abit about shares in terms of who is going up/coming down but I think it's just a case of checking it regularly and keeping in touch with it so to speak.

With 'safe' investing, what kind of annual return is reasonable?

I know people will claim it's different (I don't see it) but I've wondered about 'safe' gambling. You know, the footy games where Liverpool play Fulham at home and are dead certs to win. OK, the odds will be short, if not 'on', so while you might have to bet £50 to win a fiver, is that a better return than shares?

I believe you have to pay capital gains tax on profits made from selling shares (over the allowance which is about £10k).

Also need to take into account brokerage fees. I would say you'd need to invest a lot to see a significant return, but also be prepared to lose it.

I have always been very interested in investing in the stock market but it is very difficult knowing where to start. Any time I see a book by a supposed expert, I think to myself "If they know so much, why are they writing books when they could be making money on the stock market instead?!"

Does anyone know of any good websites they would recommend as a good place to start?

Might not be for me then. I only think it's a goer when I'm drunk. Sigh, back to the drawing board

Does your work have and share save or sip schemes? They are really easy to do and once they are ready to be sold you can do it all online. Our share price was really high the other day so loads of employees sold thier shares, my boss is off on holiday with the money which is our plan next year when my first one pays out.

Mine does (it's my job to manage the schemes), they are great as the savings are risk free until the day you purchase the shares. My latest one is due to mature next March but the share price has plummeted £3 since this time last year, still set to double savings but hoping it goes up more. Annoyingly my company still issues paper shares which cost more to sell

Sounds great! I work for the NHS though so no. Maybe when it's all privatised though eh? Ha

I do, I used to be an equity trader and have dabbled on and off over the years. One of the best bits of advice I received was to invest in what you know. Examples might be retail, leisure sectors etc. are restaurants quiet when you go out, are shops busy. You might work in transport and know that contracts are coming up etc. remember you'll have a charge even if you're only dealing in small amounts.

It might not be what you're looking for but I've invested in Premium Bonds (with ns&i) The minimum investment is £100 up to £30,000 max. You're put in to a monthly draw to win prizes ranging from £25 up to £1,000,000, plus you're money is 100% safe - whatever you put in you will get out.

We haven't won any big prizes, but we often win £25 and have earned more on our bonds then we would have in a savings account. It's a good way to earn money without the risk of losing anything.