Investor Journeys—Dora and Jordan Investor Journeys—Dora and Jordan

Tell us about yourself!

Dora: I feel like I have two homes because I grew up in Singapore and moved to Dunedin with my Kiwi husband and two sons in 2014. Work-wise, I’m the Head of Marketing for a personal finance company called PocketSmith.  

Jordan: I’m 13 and love writing, photography, and playing cricket, badminton, and video games with my friends and younger brother.

What’s your money story?

Dora: Growing up in South East Asia, it was common for children to manage their own money from a young age. My parents talked openly about it. By seven, I was budgeting my pocket money. By nine, I was buying my own lunch at school and paying for my own transport. I learnt to live within my means and the importance of saving. My first brush with investing didn’t come until my former employer (a biotech company) awarded me some shares.

Jordan: As a family, we’ve always had conversations about money. Instead of putting my pocket money and birthday money into a bank account, my mum set up a Kids Account for me when I turned 13. Every week, I auto-invest part of my allowance into my Kids Account. That leaves me some money for my savings and some for bubble tea! 

What do you like about investing?

Dora: I like learning, and it’s important to me that I pass on what I know to Jordan. We’re both learning as we go. Before I started investing, I assumed I didn’t know enough to be an active investor, but Sharesies has made it easy. It feels good to spread my risk across a range of investments and to know I’m doing something productive to support my future. I see money as a means to an end, so my Portfolio gives me peace of mind. 

Jordan: Investing with Sharesies is simple, exciting, and fun. It’s also nice to know that I’m starting early with my mum’s help. It means that my investments will have more time to grow.

How do you choose what to invest in?

Dora: I’ve come to know my own investor personality over time. My focus is on long-term growth, so I use auto-invest to benefit from dollar-cost averaging. 

Jordan: I look at an investment’s performance, market cap, and price-to-earnings ratio. I also look at industries that I’m interested in, like technology, and investments with an ESG (environmental, social, governance) strategy.

How do you learn about money and investing?

Dora: I learn a lot about investing from my younger colleagues at PocketSmith and people I work with in the financial technology industry. I also follow The Happy Saver, Planet Money, Frances Cook, and The Broke Generation. I’ve read The Barefoot Investor and books by Mary Holm. The website Investopedia is a handy resource for learning about investment terms.

Jordan: I learnt a bit about money at school using the platform Banqer, but I’ve learnt most of what I know from my mum. We talk about money after school or over dinner sometimes.

What are the most important things you’ve learnt as investors so far? 

• Start investing as early as you can, for as long as you can, so your money’s working for you!

• Expect some ups and downs in the share market. If things take a dip, be patient and think about the long term. Make sure you diversify your investments.

• There’s no ‘one size fits all’. Everyone’s situation is different, so don’t compare your investment journey with other people’s. 

• Knowledge is power. There are so many free resources to help you learn about investing: books you can read and blogs you can follow. And if you’re short on time, there are podcasts you can listen to while you’re walking your dog!

What are your money and investing goals?

Dora: I’d like to be mortgage-free by 2030. We’d also like to help our children through university so they don’t graduate with the burden of a huge debt.

Jordan: I don’t know what I’ll need or want to spend my money on when I’m older, but it feels good to invest some of my money now so I have more opportunities in the future.