Share investing for fun:
– 2 reasons to invest in shares: long-term growth and entertainment
– New Zealanders’ interest growing fast — especially 25–44s and males
– Like 1980s?
– Unlikely to beat the market
– Watch for pumping and dumping
– Don’t be an insider trader
– Margin trading and options
– 2 helpful websites
– Conclusion: only money you can afford to lose
What is investment risk and what can you do about it?
New free booklet I wrote: Hit and Myths — an introductory guide to investing — at fma.govt.nz
Today we look at one of the booklet’s 8 Myths About Investing: “Investing is too risky”. Types of risk:
– You won’t get the return you want because of inflation
– You won’t get the return you want because of volatility
– You’ll lose some or all of your money
Importance of diversification
You can also watch a webinar I did with FMA on investing, at fma.govt.nz
Handling debt — from mortgages to buy now pay later.
– Worries — job losses, rising interest rates
– 2 types of borrowing — for things that grow in value and things that don’t
– Deferring payments — what that means
– Pay off highest interest first
– Set up automatic payments
– Add to mortgage?
– Buy now pay later. No interest but fees if late.
– In trouble with a loan? Talk to lender.
What to do about low interest rates at banks (and the demise of Bonus Bonds)
– Not as bad as people think
– But still many unhappy
– Suitable alternatives — safe, low volatility — offset mortgages, cash funds, low-risk KiwiSaver funds
– Be braver? — if long-term money — middle-risk KiwiSaver funds. Probably not higher-risk funds or shares or rentals
The next downturn — in shares, KiwiSaver and other managed funds — might be longer.
But first — comments on what to do about the demise of Bonus Bonds.
– FMA survey on investor confidence.
– Race between NZ and world share markets to recover from Covid downturn.
– Recovery not just shares rebounding, but also bonds.
– Next time we could easily have shares down for longer, and bonds also falling.
How much do you need to save for retirement?
– KiwiSaver statements give estimated total — but many not reading it
– Industry sometimes says you need $1 million-plus. Ridiculous!
– How to set a reasonable goal
– What to do if you’re unlikely to reach your goal
Economic wellness. Also National’s KiwiSaver idea.
– What ‘economic wellness’ means
– How can we achieve it
– Will our health improve if we achieve economic stability?
– Is it easier to be well if you have money?
Plus: Is National’s plan to let people withdraw $20,000 from KiwiSaver to start a business a good idea?
Why drip feeding (or dollar cost averaging) is often best
Example: Non-employees depositing $87 a month into KiwiSaver
– You don’t forget it!
– Easier to budget
– Probable better return in KiwiSaver than in bank
– Most importantly — spread your contributions out.
– Dollar cost averaging in other situations: employees in KiwiSaver, other savings, moving from one risk level to another, moving money between countries
– What about when you have a lump sum to deposit?
Invest in NZ assets rather than overseas ones? Is that wise?
– Which is better for you — NZ or international investing?
– Which is better for New Zealand as a whole?
– How to invest internationally
– How to tell if your KiwiSaver fund is mostly NZ assets — not easy
Mixed messages to New Zealanders these days
– Some examples: work from home vs support CBD businesses, Buy NZ goods vs imports
– In more depth: Encouraging you to spend vs setting up your emergency fund
– 2 recent surveys: How big are people’s emergency funds? What are people doing about that?
– The big question: Is it selfish to look after your own finances, rather than helping the economy to recover?