‘Investing is a fantastic way to earn a living’

Fiona Whiston, 54, from Wiltshire, is a full-time mum and investor.

If you hear the ‘clack clack’ of knitting needles coming from Fiona Whiston’s study, she’s probably weighing up whether to buy or sell shares on the stock market. She started investing 14 years ago, following the birth of her third child, as she found she could fit it around the demands of being a mum and her job at a professional services firm.

After reading bestselling investment book The Naked Trader, Fiona was inspired to give it a go. She used an online investment platform to open a stocks and shares ISA, deposited a few thousand pounds’ worth of savings, and started researching which shares to buy. It was then that she discovered knitting helped her keep a cool head as she looked into potential investments. As a result, her combined passions have generated a six-figure investment portfolio.

Targeting shares in smaller UK companies, Fiona started off with five; then increased it to 10, and now has around 30-40 companies in her portfolio at any one time. Her golden rule is to cut her losses and sell a share quickly if the price starts to unravel. This route isn’t for everyone – buying and selling individual shares requires careful research – but Fiona says: ‘It’s a fantastic way to earn a living and now it’s my main source of income. I only work three hours a day in the week.’

Fiona’s day begins at 7am, when she looks at the stock market announcements and business news on her laptop. At 8am, when the UK market opens, she sees what effect this has on the shares she holds. ‘I also have a watchlist of shares I’m interested in, so I’ll do a final check later in the day,’ she says.

So why does she think so few women share her passion? ‘I think the word “investment” sounds intimidating,’ she says. ‘I like to call it “future planning”. I’m keeping the money inside my ISA to use tax-free in retirement.’