Investor Journeys—Petrina
Petrina talks about her proactive approach to growing wealth, converting friends to investing, and coming to KiwiSaver later than most.
Tell us about yourself
I live in Lower Hutt with my husband, my 6-year-old son, and a dog. We're a very happy little family unit! I'm a product manager for a digital consultancy. I like to make time for friends, get outdoors, and when possible, travel. This year, our goal is to try and get away once every month and go wherever we want, even just little local trips.
What’s your money story?
I grew up in Palmerston North. It was just me and my mum, and money was quite tight. As a teenager, I was always looking at the sale racks. That’s probably one of the biggest things that I’ve maintained throughout my life—I love a good bargain.
Over time, I've gotten into a position where I'm really fortunate; I have a good income, I own my own home now, and I certainly don't take those things for granted. I'm still a bit of a cheap person at heart, but I do like the nicer things in life as well.
I first heard about investing in high school when my friends were doing economics. But I didn't think about investing more seriously until I was in my twenties. Everything was just about saving for maybe travel, eventually a house. There was no concept around growing money.
How did you start investing?
I signed up to Sharesies after they came and spoke at my job. At first, I had no idea what I was doing. In the last few years, my investing journey has skyrocketed. I’ve learnt about doing your research and reinvesting the money you make. Now, I look at Sharesies every morning! I invest a lot in US shares, so when I wake up, I'm looking at how the market went while we've been asleep.
I'm always referring my friends to Sharesies. I'm that friend. I just referred my husband finally. I've been talking to my son about investing, so I thought it would be nice if he set up our son's investing account and they could learn about it together.
Money is still one of those things that people are a bit strange about. I think it's improving, but people still keep tight-lipped on their salaries or how they're doing financially. So I bring it up all the time. Especially for women, traditionally we haven't been viewed as financial powerhouses. I'm lucky to have a lot of female friends, and I encourage them all the time to start investing.
What made you switch to the Sharesies KiwiSaver Scheme?
I actually didn't switch—I hadn’t been in KiwiSaver. So, I actually joined KiwiSaver with Sharesies!
I definitely had friends saying, “you need to be in KiwiSaver”. In all honesty, I wanted to throw as much money as I could at our mortgage first. We’re now in a really good position, and I have a milestone birthday approaching. So last year I was like, okay, time to get into KiwiSaver. Sharesies had just released their KiwiSaver scheme, and I'd already opened up a Sharesies Save account.
I think some people, like my husband, are pretty passive with their KiwiSaver account. They're with a big bank and get an update maybe once a year. Obviously, I'm near-obsessed looking at shares every day. So I just wanted to have everything in a central place: my investments, my KiwiSaver account, and my savings. It's all in the Sharesies app. It's nice to check in and feel like I’m in control of my KiwiSaver account.
What are your plans for retirement?
I'm not one of those people who has super long-term plans—nothing's guaranteed in life. Some people seem to like to work even after retirement age. I don't think I'm one of those people. I think I'll be ready!
I would love to retire early. I'm a gardener and you see older people with these beautiful gardens. I honestly can't wait for that, to just be in my gardening era really. I also like to travel. As long as I'm happy and healthy, that's all I'm worried about.
Ok, now for the legal bit
The people shown in our Investor Journeys are Sharesies investors, and their stories are actual experiences they’ve had with us - their stories are not advice, or a recommendation or opinion by them to invest or to use Sharesies in the manner they have. They’re paid for their time to record their story.
Investing involves risk. You aren’t guaranteed to make money, and you might lose the money you start with. We don’t provide personalised advice or recommendations. Any information we provide is general only and current at the time written. You should consider seeking independent legal, financial, taxation or other advice when considering whether an investment is appropriate for your objectives, financial situation or needs.
Sharesies Investment Management Limited is the issuer of the Sharesies KiwiSaver Scheme. The product disclosure statement (PDS) for the Sharesies KiwiSaver Scheme has been lodged, and may be viewed on the Disclose Register or on our documents page.
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