I’m always looking at different investment opportunities and platforms. Here are a couple that I’ve been using recently, and quite like.
Sharesies
I had followed this company for a while, and then promptly forgot about it. It wasn’t until recently that I rediscovered it.
It’s an online platform that allows you to invest anything from $5 into 11 different index (EFT) funds. You can’t invest in individually listed companies, but the index funds range from NZ to Australian, US and global funds, with more on the way.
I already invest in individual shares, and the sharemarket is a long term investment strategy for me.
With Sharesies, I’ve invested a small amount in most of the different funds available. The platform is the easiest I’ve ever used. No surprise there, since it’s designed for people who are starting out, and probably haven’t invested in shares before.
Simplicity is its strength.
It certainly lacks the complexity and corporate-ness of other platforms. And the $5 minimum investment is way lower than most others (around $250-$500 per fund).
Plus, it categorises investments into various risk categories, and makes it easy to see past performance and dividends.
There may be more advanced (or cheaper) options available. But if you’re new to the sharemarket, this is a great starting point.
For more a more detailed independent review, visit:
https://www.moneyhub.co.nz/sharesies-review.html
Harmoney
You’ve probably seen some of its advertising around. Harmoney is a peer to peer lending platform that allows you to choose which loans you want to lend to.
The idea is diversification. Borrowers apply for a certain amount, and depending on their risk profile, they pay a certain interest rate.
Lenders then choose which loans they want to put their money in to, with a suggested maximum of $100 per loan. So a loan of $10,000 may have 100 different lenders.
So as a lender, you only invest a small amount into each loan, spreading your risk across a number of borrowers, rather than just one. And each has a different interest rate and risk profile.
And you can set it to auto-lend, as loans get paid back into your account. You can be completely hands off.
As a lender, I’ve averaged 10.8% return per annum, since I started using the platform in early 2015. The platform average is 9.8%
I liked the idea of it, not only from an investment point of view.
I know plenty of stories of borrowers not understanding what they’re getting into, and paying exorbitant interest rates in the process.
Harmoney makes it very clear how much you’ll be paying back, what interest rate you’re on, and what is expected of you. Plus, since you have to apply online yourself, you’re not being pushed into anything by a loan shark. Better for borrowers.
You may not have thought of peer to peer lending as an investment strategy. But Harmoney makes it easy, and it seems to provide pretty good returns so far. Especially with the current term investment rates so low.