When it comes to investing, there’s no time like the present to take the plunge and control of your finances. Every expert once started out as a beginner, and Onya Magazine has spoken to two members of the Sharesies AU team, as well as a Sharesies AU investor, to find out a little more about their first ever investment, where they are today, and any advice they have for others looking to take the plunge into investing.
- Brooke Roberts (LR), Director and Co-Founder of Sharesies AU
- Brendan Doggett (BD), Country Manager of Sharesies AU
- Kate Eager (KE), Sharesies Investor
What was your first investment?
BR: I always consider it to be when I decided to fund and support my younger brother and sister while they were at high school. It was so important to me to be able to invest in their education and ultimately their future. But if we are talking about shares as a first investment, it was Xero shares which I received as part of an employee share plan when I was working there.
BD: My first real investment was setting up a regular investment into an AMP unit trust when I was maybe 12. A friend of my parents worked for AMP and I remember it was a big deal, he came around to our house and it would have felt like 3 hours of talking and then a mountain of paperwork to sign. Looking back now I made him work for my $50 a month investment! After this I didn’t really make any other investments until I started working at the ASX and got into exchange traded options and warrants…. which taught me that I should invest in things I understand!
KE: My education… but I still have HECS debt so that probably doesn’t count! In terms of shares it was stock options I received working at a tech start-up (Cascade) and the first I bought were with Asana, another tech start-up which helps teams work better together. As work is a major part of our lives, the space Cascade and Asana are in has the potential to impact so many people’s day-to-day lives. Having software that can support in this way can improve how we feel about our work, and in turn our mental health.
Why did you make the decision to invest?
BR: Investing in my siblings was because I wanted them to have opportunities in life. With investing, I always think about how it can create opportunities now (for people, and for business to thrive) and in the future (for myself, my family, and the wider community).
BD: Initially I started investing in my little AMP unit trust as I grew up in quite a reasonably affluent suburb in state-subsidised housing, and I realised that a lot of other people seemed to have a lot more money so I was interested in ways to set myself up a bit better. When I started working in the finance industry, I was around a lot of people for whom investing was something they did all the time—I definitely got caught up in a bit of FOMO listening to people’s stories about their successful investments. But my next investing phase was all about the longer term, which really kicked off when I started getting employee shares in the places I worked. Watching those shares increase in value taught me some great lessons about patience and how the market moves.
KE: Chatting about it more and more with friends made it seem less scary. The more we chatted about it the more I felt I understood how to do it, and knowing many of them had started gave me confidence to try it myself. It was also because I have reached a point in my career where I am earning a lot more than I did even a couple of years ago, and that money provides the privilege of being able to take more risks that I just couldn’t afford when my salary was significantly less and I was living pay-check to pay-check. Disposable income makes it an easier decision, but I still wish I started a bit earlier, even if it was smaller amounts.
Does your current portfolio reflect this first investment at all?
BR: What stays true for my portfolio is that it does reflect, to a large extent, my values and investing in the future I’d like to see.
BD: I’d say it does now, as my portfolio is more longer term—like my first AMP unit trust. I mainly invest into index exchange traded funds giving me exposure to Australia, New Zealand, the US and then the rest of the world. I’m all about set and repeat with an auto-invest that does its magic weekly for the long term. But I still like to find companies with a cool story, product or technology. I treat those as investments with a shorter time horizon and they are a bit of fun.
KE: Yeah I’m so new to investing the first investments are my current investments!
What was the outcome of the first investment (was it a total flop or a first taste of success)?
BR: Both investing in my family and my Xero shares were great and had a significant impact on my life. For instance, I was able to sell down some of my Xero shares to support the costs of starting our family (such as things we needed for welcoming our first child). At that stage I wasn’t earning any income (this was the very early days of creating Sharesies).
BD: I wish I had kept paying my $50 a month from age 12, but it was a lot of money to invest based on my paper run, pamphlet delivery, washing dishes at a cafe, dog walking and babysitting. I think I cashed it in around age 16. I do remember that, for me, it seemed like a lot of money at the time. Back then there wasn’t easy access to investing tips and tricks and there was no way that anyone I knew would have been able to teach me about the magic of compound returns. I’ve learnt from my mistakes and my nephews and nieces are investing – LEGO and socks for Christmas have been replaced with Sharesies gift cards from me!
KE: Slight flop, haven’t seen any return on it but it’s only been a year and the market is not in the best state so I’ll hold on there and see what happens in another couple years!
What’s something you would tell your past or future self about investing?
BR: Keep investing in the future you’d like to see created. Opportunities multiply.
BD: Don’t listen to everyone else’s success stories and give up. As soon as you can invest a little bit regularly into the same things, do it. Don’t worry about the prices and don’t touch it — compounding returns really are magic and time in the market is your absolute best friend when you’re investing.
KE: Past me – A little bit can go a long way. Get started early even if you feel you don’t have enough for it to be worth it.
Future me – Invest in what you believe in. Don’t be afraid to make the most of dipping into profits when life calls for it. Don’t feel like it’s money that can never be touched, ultimately you are investing so that you can use the money to enjoy your life as much as possible and to be reinvested in causes you care about.
Bios
Brooke Roberts
Brooke Roberts is a director and co-founder of Sharesies AU. She is an entrepreneur, and a woman on a mission to even the playing field when it comes to wealth development by breaking down the barriers preventing people from investing. Brooke is also passionate about creating equal opportunities and business being a force for good—she puts a lot of focus on making sure Sharesies has a positive impact on people, customers, communities, and the environment
Brendan Doggett
Brendan Doggett is the Country Manager of Sharesies AU. As the first Country Manager appointed to Sharesies AU, his role is to champion and grow the Sharesies brand in the Australian market. The Sharesies platform has more than half a million investors across New Zealand and Australia who’ve collectively invested nearly $2 billion AUD.
Kate Eager
Kate Eager is a 28-year-old, not-for-profit worker whose investment journey started in 2021. She has a passion for mental health, education and caring for our environment and those around us, and a goal to invest more in companies that align with her personal values.