Investor Journeys—Renae WilliamsInvestor Journeys—Renae Williams

Big spender

Apart from learning how to play poker with Mackintosh's Toffees and ten cent pieces, my first hands-on experience with money was when my Nana set me up with a bank account at the age of eight. I saved up as many coins as I could from doing odd jobs, and every now and again, went down to the bank to deposit my cold hard cash. I wrote down every deposit and withdrawal in my little bank book—and eventually realised that I was spending more than I deposited!

For the next ten years, I continued the habit of wanting to save, but having no self-control when it came to spending. Every time I tried to save for an overseas trip, the boundaries between my savings account and my debit card became non-existent. I was constantly affirming that I was bad with money via my actions, and I wondered how I’d ever get ahead—especially in the long-term, if I was going to be able to live the life I wanted to live!

The investing bug

Until recently, I barely knew how to manage my money, let alone how investing actually worked. My grandparents had invested in property, but the closest thing I knew about investing in shares was Wolf of Wall Street. 🤦‍♀️ I was always a bit scared of money because I knew from a young age how much it sucks when you don't have enough. The thought of asking someone for help with money was really daunting too! #ItsaKiwiThing

When I started working at Sharesies, I became immersed in the world of investing. I created a Sharesies account and started learning more about shares, money habits and attitudes. I became surrounded by people who were great financial role models, and open to talking about money. It took me a while to actually integrate any of the knowledge into my own life, but once I figured out what I was doing and gave it a go, I was up and away!

Over the last two years of investing with Sharesies, my circumstances haven’t always been the same. I’ve been a student, worked part time and full time, had random unforeseen costs; I've been human. Because of this, I don’t get too hung up about the amount that I invest, just as long as I make that regular bank transfer into my Sharesies Wallet. I’ve learned to focus less on what I invest, and more on how I invest. Doing this over time, investing has become a payday habit—and now I invest the same as I pay for Netflix and Spotify!

A solo getaway

After a year or so of investing, I realised I’d accumulated enough in my Sharesies Portfolio to buy return flights to South East Asia. Once this sunk in, I became like a bear gathering food for its winter hibernation, transferring as much and as often as I could into my Sharesies Wallet!

Instead of having my savings solely in my bank account (which was a quick online bank transfer away from being spent on Uber Eats and goodness knows what else), I had it invested in my Sharesies Portfolio. Because I knew I wanted this money soon, I stopped investing in the high risk funds, and invested more in the low and medium risk funds. Because my main pot of gold was stored in Sharesies, I couldn't withdraw on the spot like I could on my internet banking. Having to wait for a sell to settle and then withdraw gave me enough time to think, "Is it worth it now, or could this be meals for a week or two in Thailand?".

I even bought investments into the NZ Cash Fund on a beach in Koh Tao, Thailand!

In March this year, I went travelling around Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam for a month. I saved most of the money for my trip through Sharesies—which was way more fun than saving through a regular bank account!

Since coming back to New Zealand, I’ve continued to add to my Sharesies Portfolio. Now that I'm in it for the long-run, I'm investing in the higher risk funds again. I'm not on the home stretch to buying my own house, nor am I the wisest with my spending decisions; but I’ve learned valuable lessons about managing my money and have reaped some amazing benefits along the way.