R.B.Brain - Consulting


Colonial Pioneer Publishing


(ABN: 52 791 744 975)
Robert Brain

About Robert Brain
(aka Brainy)

Robert Brain - Who am I?
Share market analyst and private share trader
(actually a nimble short term investor),
consultant and educator,
running a web-based small business.
And former company director (see details below).
A computer wiz with an eye for the stock market
(and a member of Mensa).
Colonial Pioneer Publishing and R.B.Brain - Consulting are the two business names that I use for my publishing activity, and my consulting work, respectively. I have been dabbling with these enterprises in my spare time over many years (since the mid 1980s), until my mid-life crisis in early 2008. I turned my spare time leisure activities (share market and technical analysis) into my full-time activities. Since then, they have been dominating my interests and activities, based at my home-office in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. And then in 2015 I moved to semi-retirement and continued these activities only on a part-time basis.

Brainy's Share Market ToolboxIn 2008 I started providing support, assistance and tuition to share market investors and traders. And I now manage Brainy's Share Market Toolbox website - an arsenal of weapons to help you tackle the share market. The Toolbox includes free stuff, plus a Member-only Premium section.

I have also needed to distinguish my own products and services from those of others in my field, so I use the old High School nickname "Brainy".

I now run this web-based business on a part-time basis providing support and tuition to share market investors and traders, and specialising in supporting BullCharts (charting) software users. My first share market seminars - Share Market Boot Camp and Technical Analysis Introduction - ran for the first time in 2008, and now only occasionally on demand - there has been less interest in these with the ongoing ramifications of the GFC. It seems that many long-term buy-and-hold investors are trying not to think about the losses, and many are too afraid to go back to the share market and risk more losses. And it is made more complicated with the lack of trust and faith in the financial advice industry.
 
With the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) that commenced in 2008, I started putting together a slightly different perspective of the share market, to try to help long-term investors come to grips with both their recent losses, and also how to manage these bear market situations going forward. This material is summarised on this web page:... www.sensibleinvesting.com.au. And this has been supplemented by the notion of Funda-Technical Analysis.

Over the years, some of the key high-profile activities have included:

Background

I have a tertiary qualification in Mechanical Engineering, and 30+ years experience in various industries using specialist skills and knowledge in the ICT field - Information and Communications Technology. This includes: automotive design and manufacture (GMH), cigarette manufacture (Philip Morris), food manufacture (Plumrose, Edgell, Simplot), retail (Coles Myer), consulting (WorldGroup Consulting), and in the printing industry (at Heidelberg Graphic Equipment). When it comes to computers I have an inherent ability to understand the software and how to use it very quickly - so I am what we call a "computer power user" (or perhaps a "computer nerd"). Hence, I am very proficient in a variety of desktop software products (including BullCharts charting software).

My first share market investment was in the 1980s when I didn't know much about what I was doing. Like many people, I learnt a lot very quickly, and didn't make much money at all.

In 1987 I learnt not to trust all financial advisors. I took advice from one in early 1987 who recommended that I divide up my small pot of limited wealth and invest in a handful of managed funds (including a Swiss Trust, and a couple of country-specific funds). He did not recommend a Japan fund, but I chose to invest in one anyway. Then the crash of 1987 happened, and all my investments fell - except for my own Japan fund investment. My conclusion was that with my own research I might be able to manage my own funds. I have since learnt more about financial advisors and the ways in which they are remunerated regardless of the performance of my investments. And I have learnt to stay away from managed funds.

I then became very seriously interested in the stock market at about the time of the tech crash (2000-2001), and started using the Australian BullCharts software for Technical Analysis and share price charting. I helped to set up the Melbourne BullCharts User Group in 2006, and I have been the Group's convenor since its inception. The group is now known as the Australian BullCharts User Group. I also joined the ATAA (Australian Technical Analysts Association), and now hold a Councilor position on the Melbourne ATAA Council, and I was a volunteer director on the national board from 2009 to 2020. From September 2014 for several months I was the ATAA's (part-time) Operations Manager, assisting with the day-to-day operations of the ATAA under the direction of the national board of the day.

With the computer background, I am very knowledgeable in both the BullCharts software and Technical Analysis. Today I am an active but nimble short term investor in both shares and CFDs.

My core (part-time) business activities include:

  • Share market analyst and share trader, including CFDs, on an inter-day basis holding a position for anything from a few days to many months. My aim is to maximise profits and minimise losses by selling losing stocks as soon as it is appropriate, and to let profits run.
  • Maintaining my Share Market Toolbox web site, including the following key features:
    • Accumulating a collection of presentations that I have delivered to various audiences over the years. Most of these have been prepared for specific-purpose presentations to groups such as the U3A, ATAA and others.
    • Preparing a Weekly Watch List of the stocks that are on my own watch list. I am happy to share this for education purposes with my subscriber base.
  • Working with the BullCharts company to:
  • Preparing and running various training sessions, workshops and seminars to do with the share market, Technical Analysis and BullCharts software.
  • Working with the Australian Technical Analysts Association (a not-for-profit association):
    • Volunteer state councilor helping to manage the Melbourne (Victorian) chapter of the ATAA.
    • Past director on the national board (for 11 years from 2009 to 2020).
  • Web master and past director of the community not-for-profit Rimstone Cooperative Limited.
My recent past professional activities included:
  • Assisting people with the use of technology, in particular contemporary PCs and PC software. This includes: installation and setup of software, on-site training in particular software packages, help with using Microsoft Windows and various Windows software, and general PC trouble-shooting. And more recently working with supporting non-Microsoft (Open Source) software such as the free LibreOffice open source office productivity suite which I can highly recommend.
  • Advising and assisting with internet setup, access and use, including: modems, ISPs, and searching the Internet.  Also advising on network installations, including LAN and WAN systems and helping with their installation and support.
  • Advising business on the safe and proper use of technology including: proper computer backups, proper power supply filtering and UPS equipment, and contingency planning (in case of disaster).
I also have access to a network of people who are specialists in their own right. If there is something that I cannot handle, then I refer one of my colleagues. The qualifications that have prepared me for this work are a tertiary qualification (in engineering), and more than three decades of experience working professionally in the I.T. industry, including various management roles.

WHY does Robert keep so busy doing all this, and not simply living off the proceeds of investments? See why here...

My contact details are included here.
Should you contact me, I will endeavour to respond as quickly as I reasonably can.

Robert B. Brain
B.Eng (Mech), MIML
(Member of the Institute of Managers and Leaders)
Share market analyst and Nimble Short Term Investor,
Consultant, former Company Director,
Author, Publisher, Educator and WebMaster.
BullCharts User Group convenor, and
BullCharts Forum moderator.		 View Robert's LinkedIn profile.
View Robert's (business) FaceBook profile.
View Robert's (business) Twitter profile.

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Last revised: 23 November 2020