I’m always looking at different investment opportunities and platforms. Here are a couple that I’ve been using recently, and quite like. Sharesies (www.sharesies.nz) 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 … Read More
Good and bad comparisons (giving some guidance to kids)
One day, in about 10 years, one of my kids is going to come and ask me why we don’t drive a BMW like their friend’s parents do. What am I going to say to that? How am I going to show them the danger of making comparisons like that one? Maybe I’ll tell them of a friend of mine who asked a similar question about 30 years ago. I’ll tell them how hard he worked and how much he sacrificed to get that first flash car. His relationships, a little bit of his integrity, his time. How it satisfied him for about a month until he set his eyes on an even nicer car. Within another month he has traded his in for another, losing a bit on the trade. I’ll tell them how this cycle repeated. And it … Read More
How to evaluate options and make decisions (a different method)
We’re pretty spoiled these days with the amount of options available to us, we’re called to make decisions every day. Sometimes though, there are so many options we can choose from, we end up choosing none of them. It’s called the paradox of choice. Sometimes we need a kick in the pants just to make a decision. Think back on your last few major decisions. How much easier or harder was it when that decision was made for you, and you had to go along with it? Suddenly, when that happens, you know with certainty whether you wanted to make that decision or not. As humans we don’t like being forced to do something we don’t want to do. My wife will often present me with two options that she can’t decide between. The blue dress or the black dress … Read More
(Book) What matters now – things to think about (and do) this year
I’ve just finished this great little booklet about what matters, from various thought leaders such as Seth Godin, Kevin Kelly, Arianna Huffington, Guy Kawasaki, Steve Pressfield, Derek Sivers and more. You can find it here: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/files/what-matters-now-1.pdf It’s only 82 pages so you should read the whole thing, but the highlights for me were: Generosity – Seth Godin When the economy tanks, it’s natural to think of yourself first. You have a family to feed a mortgage to pay. Getting more appears to be the order of business. It turns out that the connected economy doesn’t respect this natural instinct. Instead, we’re rewarded for being generous. Generous with our time and money but most important generous with our art. If you make a difference, people will gravitate to you. They want to engage, to interact and to get you more involved. … Read More