Startatrix, welcome, new holder. But you also sound like you're...

Startatrix, welcome, new holder. But you also sound like you're fairly new to shareholding as well. If you haven't worked it out already, it's a bit like swimming in crocodile-infested water - danger lurks everywhere. Best advice to anyone not greatly experienced is to learn the tricks of the trade (including those used by the market sharks) as fast as possible and always remain sceptical and vigilant. It also helps a lot to get to know as much as you can about the companies you invest in or trade. As such, if you keep a stable of stocks on a watchlist and pretty much restrict your activities to those you can often avoid getting caught out by nasty surprises, as against just diving into something without doing some research, especially what the company's cash balance and debt situation is. It took me many years to re-coup money I lost as a perpetual greenhorn years ago, so I speak from personal experience. Good luck with your investments. VML is a good choice for one anyway.