This question was sent in by Declan a while back, but it is one that crops up in my inbox relatively consistently as well, so I thought back to what I did and what I would do if faced with the situation he is proposing again.
All in ETF
This question was sent in by Declan a while back, but it is one that crops up in my inbox relatively consistently as well, so I thought back to what I did and what I would do if faced with the situation he is proposing again.
I have reached a point where I’ve learned a bit more about myself. When I heard that the stock market had “plummeted” it actually didn’t unnerve me at all. Warren Buffet would say that I have not lost anything, because I didn’t sell, the value of my investments has simply changed and by my calculations, I’m down 4%. If I freaked out and sold then I would have locked in my losses. But I didn’t and I won’t.
I don’t subscribe to the view of “leaving my daughter to it”; that when she is old enough she can earn her own money and save for herself and she will miraculously become wealthy. In my view starting young, learning how money works and investing over a long period of time is the way to get ahead.
Today I thought I would tackle one of YOUR questions head on. It’s housing related, a topic that is constantly being talked about in New Zealand and one that I generally try to avoid. So here goes…
Sharesies have just celebrated their first birthday and up until this point I have resisted having a play around with their product. But I figure that they are still here after a year, the social media fan party has faded away and yet they still keep coming up in conversation.
People tell me that they are investing quite large sums of money in order to get a return but at the same time they have a mortgage. My short and sweet response is typically that “in my humble opinion, you can’t make money while you owe money”. Once I’ve uttered my opinion the fireworks often start.
Tracking every cent makes me calculate each and every time whether we made a good decision with our money. Money is hard to earn and easy to spend so I want to know that I use it as wisely as possible and not look at my bank account and wonder where the hell it all went.
I am constantly debating the question of “should we sell our perfectly suitable house that we really enjoy living in?” The reason for doing this would be to free up cash that I could invest that would then generate an income. I keep referring back to the numbers and talking it through with Jonny. I thought you might be interested in the numbers too.
Being better with your dosh is all about education. You can sit down with your bank and they will educate you, that’s a surety, but is it the type of education you should be seeking out? So, this week I wanted to share with you a book I’ve been reading from a writer I have followed for a while.