World Investor Week: Investing Spotlight With PocketSmither Chloe

How did you first become interested in investing?

I think every elder millennial is subconsciously drawn to investing when given the chance to think about how our later years are probably going to look quite different financially than those of the generations before us. Apart from enjoying imagining myself as a stereotypical 80s Wall Street investor with massive shoulder pads and a phone the size of my head, I really resonated with the growth nature of investing. While I could stow away thousands in my bank account to be rewarded with a paltry amount of cents per month, investing gives me the ability to actually grow my wealth over time with compounding interest and reinvestments. 

Are you more of a long-term investor or a short-term trader?

I’m definitely a long-term gal. I envy and admire the people who are skilled at making short-term gains, but I just don’t have the patience (or brains) for it. I’m a long-term investor because that’s where my goals lie — investing is part of building my wealth for the future. I don’t intend to touch that money for a really long time.

What role does diversification play in your investment strategy?

Variety is the spice of life and all that. I have a mix of ETFs and individual company shares, both local and global. I’ve already been exposed to the importance of sharing the love around — I think my S&P500 ETF might be the only piece in my portfolio that’s keeping it from bottoming out at the moment! 

Are there any investing books, courses, or resources that you’ve found particularly valuable?

I’m super blessed that I work somewhere filled with money geeks. Being able to talk to them about the realities of investing, or even just passively observing their conversations and thoughts about what’s going on in the stock market, has been a huge boon to my investing literacy. 

I’m also lucky to have access to a great range of NZ-based investing platforms like Sharesies, Hatch, and Kernel. When I was starting to dip my toes into investing, I was able to get a really solid foundation by going through their extensive learning libraries.

Have you ever considered investing in something purely for the novelty factor?

I mean, wasn’t there a small part of all of us that wanted to be a part of the GameStop craze and get some sweet Reddit cred?

What does sustainable investing mean to you?

There’s always room for improvement, but I do try to take sustainability into account when choosing what to invest in. The definition of that may change depending on what my goals and risk tolerance are at the time, but I do feel like my portfolio is more well-rounded when I’ve evaluated if I want an investment opportunity to be value-driven or values-driven.

How do you handle the emotional aspects of investing, such as dealing with market volatility or making tough decisions during downturns?

I think a healthy amount of pragmatism and distance helps here. Employing strategies like dollar-cost averaging is a fairly easy way to remain objective. And while online investing platforms make it easier than ever to check up on your portfolio on the slightest whim, I really do make a point to only look at it like once a month. Seeing it bounce up and down on a daily basis only serves to stress you out, while averaging those fluctuations out over a month or two makes you realize how negligible they are. 

Which three emojis would you use to describe your current portfolio?

💰📉🥲

Disclaimer: The information provided on this blog about investing is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. PocketSmith are not accountable for any actions or decisions made based on the information presented.