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Investing in Caribbean Stock Markets

A licensed broker and depository account on a Caribbean exchange, clear rules, dividend and currency records, and the know-how to buy, hold and sell regional shares from home or abroad.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Then open the Marketplace in the app, search for Investing in Caribbean Stock Markets, and click Install. It goes into your own files, and works offline from then on.

Before you start: this plan is general information to help you organise your own money decisions. It is not financial, investment, tax or legal advice. Check decisions that matter with a qualified, licensed adviser in your country, and remember that investing and trading can lose money.

What it installs.

1

Pillar

1

Area

50

Projects

200

Starter tasks

🌴 Caribbean Life & Diaspora

Investing in Caribbean Stock Markets

Investing in Caribbean stock exchanges such as the TTSE and JSE: opening a brokerage account, regional companies, dividends, currency risk and records.

  1. Goals and emergency fund check before buying shares
  2. Map of the region's stock exchanges
  3. Choosing a licensed broker in one market
  4. Account-opening document pack
  5. Opening your brokerage and depository accounts
  6. Funding route into your brokerage account
  7. Written investing rules on one page
  8. Filing system for contract notes and statements
  9. Inventory of shares and unit trusts you already own
  10. Your first share purchase with a limit order
  11. Monthly investing contribution routine
  12. Month-end portfolio value log
  13. Dividend calendar and payment check
  14. Quarterly results reading routine
  15. Weekly exchange notices scan
  16. Exchange rate log for your investing currencies
  17. Yearly depository statement reconciliation
  18. Annual tax paperwork pack for your investments
  19. Annual portfolio review and rebalancing
  20. Reading a Caribbean company annual report
  21. Dividend dates and withholding tax explained
  22. Trading in a thin market, spreads and volume
  23. Valuation ratios for regional banks and conglomerates
  24. Pegged and floating currencies in the region
  25. Unit trusts and mutual funds compared with shares
  26. Bonds and preference shares on regional markets
  27. Rights issues, bonus issues and stock splits
  28. Local-currency or US-dollar listings
  29. Concentration check across companies, sectors and islands
  30. Reinvesting dividends or taking the cash
  31. Switching brokers without selling your shares
  32. Bringing paper share certificates into the depository
  33. Securing your online trading account
  34. Yearly audit of what investing costs you
  35. Applying for shares in an initial public offering
  36. Attending and voting at a company AGM
  37. Weighing up a takeover offer for your shares
  38. Selling shares and bringing the money abroad
  39. Attending a regional capital markets conference
  40. Declaring Caribbean holdings where you live abroad
  41. A share account for a child or grandchild
  42. Dividend income plan for retirement
  43. Starting small as a student or first-jobber
  44. Family or friends investment club
  45. Updating your accounts when you move home
  46. Making your holdings findable for your family
  47. Cross-listed shares price comparison across exchanges
  48. Written investment case for every holding
  49. Junior Market tax concession expiry tracker
  50. Total return in your home currency, dividends included

Where it starts.

Each project arrives with its purpose, milestones and first tasks written out. Here is how the first three read.

Goals and emergency fund check before buying shares

Shares on a small regional exchange can take weeks to sell at a fair price, so money you might need next year does not belong there. Writing down what the investment is for, how long it can stay put and whether your emergency fund and expensive debts are already dealt with decides how much you can sensibly put in before you open any account.

First tasks

  • Write one sentence on what this money is for and when you might need it
  • Check how many months of expenses your emergency fund covers
  • List any debts charging more than a few percent interest
  • Set a starting amount and a monthly amount you can leave alone

Map of the region's stock exchanges

The Caribbean has several separate exchanges, each with its own currency, broker list, depository and rules: the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange (TTSE), the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) with its Main and Junior Markets, the Barbados Stock Exchange, the Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange in St Kitts, BISX in the Bahamas, the Guyana exchange and the Dutch Caribbean exchange in Curacao.

First tasks

  • Visit the official website of each regional exchange and note its currency
  • Find the regulator and the central depository for each exchange
  • Convert each exchange's trading hours into your time zone
  • Choose your starting market and write down why

Choosing a licensed broker in one market

Only licensed broker-dealers can buy shares for you on a Caribbean exchange, and they differ widely in commissions, minimum deposits, online platforms and how well they handle clients living abroad. Checking each one against the regulator's register and comparing three on the same criteria protects your money and saves months of slow emails later.

First tasks

  • Download the list of licensed broker-dealers from the market's securities regulator
  • Shortlist three brokers and request their fee schedules
  • Email each broker asking how they serve clients living abroad
  • Score the three on the same criteria and record your choice

Make it yours.

Install Investing in Caribbean Stock Markets, then tell Aurum the date you're aiming for. It checks whether the plan fits the weeks you actually have.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Blueprints are general information to help you organise your own work. They are not medical, financial, legal or other professional advice. See the Terms.