History of Financial Advice Collection. Though the London Stock Exchange remained the hub of the British securities market, stock exchanges in other cities in the United Kingdom were becoming increasingly important in the later nineteenth century. And while London continued to dominate the market for financial advice, guides began to be published outside the capital, such as this one from Edinburgh brokers J. D. Walker and Watson, who had been trading since at least the mid-1870s. The aim of the manual is to help train the self-reliant investor, providing “such general information as may be of service in enabling the investor to exercise his own judgment.” It is divided into two parts, the first covering trustee investments and the second general investments. Pointers are given on the type of companies to look for, and those to avoid, investment trusts ranking among the latter. Perhaps the most interesting chapter is the final one, on “The Selection of Investments,” which, among other topics, gives basic advice on portfolio diversification, and warns readers against following interested advice in the press.