Investor Journeys—HannahInvestor Journeys—Hannah

Tell us about yourself!

I’m a mum of two daughters, living in Lower Hutt with my husband, and am currently on parental leave (usually working in HR). 

How did you start investing?

My first experience with investing was when I was younger and my older sister started using pocket money to buy shares. After a while of watching her do this, I wanted to jump on board too. 

Now that I’m a parent, I really wanted to set my girls up with something that could help them have a better future and learn about the benefits of a little going a long way. 

We received a Sharesies promocode in a Whānau Āwhina Plunket pamphlet; Sharesies’ Kids Accounts ticked all the boxes and allowed us to start this journey for them!

How do you manage your investments now? 

I like the thought of my money working more than once, so I tend to go for a more ethical approach to building my Portfolio. I don’t like the idea of only investing for my own personal gain. I want it to also be working toward climate action and social changes that will benefit the girls when they’re older, too. 

At the moment, I’m trying to focus more on investing and my long-term goals. For me, saving is more about security—like an emergency fund for rainy days. One thing I do is whenever I get a payrise, I re-do my budget and increase the amount I’m investing and saving.

What are you hoping to teach your kids about money and investing?

There’s more of a social media presence now of financial empowerment, especially for women. I’ll definitely be sharing that knowledge with my kids. I’m already talking to my three year old about our investments. I’ll ask her “what are we going to invest in today?”, which keeps her involved in the process. 

My main goal is to have money that the girls have been involved in growing and can use to buy a house, further their education, or travel. 

What would you say to someone who doesn’t think investing is for them or their family?

It’s common to think you need a lot of money to invest, but a tiny bit goes such a long way over time with compounding returns—it adds up quicker than you’d expect! 

We’ve partnered with Whānau Āwhina Plunket to give the little one in your life a leg up. Create a Sharesies Kids Account using the promo code PLUNKET, and you’ll get $5 in the Kids Account Wallet to invest and we’ll donate the same amount to Plunket. T&Cs apply.