Newbie guidance

[Willingtolearn]

Good morning all

I have been lurking in the background of the forum for a few weeks now, trying to read as many "newbie" posts as possible to try and absorb as much information as I can. I read back about 5-6 pages of posts to get as much information as possible before posting. Everyone seems incredibly friendly on posts so thought I would take the plunge!

My current situation - 30yr F professional, my partner and I have a fairly decent household income with no dependents and fairly frugal. Recently sold my first home (that I had been renting out) and now have $100k+ sitting in a savings account however know that there are better places this could go. Growing up, my family were always OK with money but never ventured into shares etc. so my knowledge is starting from scratch. I am doing a bit of reading, working my way through:

Take charge of your money now - Stephen Parr (reading)
Martin Hawes' Investment Guide - Martin Hawes (waiting on from the library)
Global Investing: a guide for New Zealanders - John Ryder (waiting on from library)
Intelligent Investor - Benjamin Graham (waiting on from library)

As you can imagine, the big wide world of investing involves a lot of researching which is why we want to feel a bit more prepared before jumping straight in. We don't want to invest the full amount straight off the bat, but are wanting to invest a portion of it to get us started and build our confidence in this type of investing. We would also then be investing regularly from our pays.

We were going to sign up with ASB Securities however they are being difficult with their registration process (even though I have been a customer with them for 29yrs). Are they worth the time and effort or is there someone else out there? I have seen the name SuperLife floating around a bit.

Should we make time to see a Financial Adviser or just persist with our own research? Secondly, how do you even begin to research?

Any guidance or lessons learned would be greatly appreciated!


Thanks!

[GTM 3442]

Make time to see at least one financial adviser. One independent and one from one of the major (non-bank) chains. That will give you a benchmark.

[Hectorplains]

We were going to sign up with ASB Securities however they are being difficult with their registration process (even though I have been a customer with them for 29yrs). Are they worth the time and effort or is there someone else out there? I have seen the name SuperLife floating around a bit.



I use ASB Sec for almost all my NZ and Aust trading - I have a couple of dormant broker accounts too - largely retained to give access to IPOs and because they cost nothing. I've found ASB Sec a great trading platform and keenly priced. If you're having issues maybe ask to change banker, especially with such a long banking relationship. Mine was set up in minutes and no drama.

[Jantar]

I went with ANZ Securities. They were easy to deal with as long as you can prove who you are, where you live, that your grandparents were married and that the local mayor has known you for at least 90 years. Well not quite that bad, but there is a hell of a lot of documentation that has to be filed with your account application. I think the big broking firms now require similar so they won't make it any easier.

[justakiwi]

I'm a newbie too (with a lot less to invest though!). Not sure why you are having problems with ASB Securities. I signed up online and it was a very quick and painless process. I have made one trade since then - the process was very user friendly and simple. So I'm really puzzled as to why you are having such a hard time registering.

[Harvey Specter]

Anti Money Laundering rules (AML) can cause delays if they don't have the right info on you. If you are a longstanding customer, they may need to update their info. All institutions will be the same though some are more strict than others. If you trade through an entity, it can be even worse.

[unhuman]

It took me about three trips to a branch and a phone call in order to get registered with ASB, was such a nuisance.

I had a hard time proving my address from a utility bill - who doesn't have them emailed nowadays? And they wouldn't accept a printed copy of the emailed bill.

Happy with the platform though.

[Willingtolearn]

It took me about three trips to a branch and a phone call in order to get registered with ASB, was such a nuisance.

I had a hard time proving my address from a utility bill - who doesn't have them emailed nowadays? And they wouldn't accept a printed copy of the emailed bill.

Happy with the platform though.

This has been exactly that. They said that they wouldn't accept a proof of address that has been emailed. I pointed out that these days having bills posted can end up costing and is bad for the environment. I don't really want to change it once just to get this type of proof. I'm waiting to hear back from their account team to see what they say about it.

How easy is it to purchase international shares through ASB? I see SuperLife can purchase these online through their platform...

[Willingtolearn]

I'm a newbie too (with a lot less to invest though!).

Part of me wishes I didn't have so much to invest! Everyone seems to have an opinion..:confused:

[h2so4]

Part of me wishes I didn't have so much to invest! Everyone seems to have an opinion..:confused:

Things could be worse Lol!

[levin123]

This has been exactly that. They said that they wouldn't accept a proof of address that has been emailed. I pointed out that these days having bills posted can end up costing and is bad for the environment. I don't really want to change it once just to get this type of proof. I'm waiting to hear back from their account team to see what they say about it.

How easy is it to purchase international shares through ASB? I see SuperLife can purchase these online through their platform...

ASB Securities allows you to purchase US and UK shares, however:

- They only provide market information and research on NZ and Aus equities
- Their fees for the US and UK markets are an absolute rout (90 USD and 90 pound respectively per transaction).

My advice would be, if you have decided you want to invest your money yourself, then you can't go wrong with Interactive Brokers. They have a 10kUSD capital requirement you cover easily, the fees are much lower.

You ask above if you should seek advice from a financial advisor. Completely up to you, in my experience and opinion not worth the fees, but perhaps worth an initial consult and see how you feel about them thereafter.

[Hoop]

.....You ask above if you should seek advice from a financial advisor. Completely up to you, in my experience and opinion not worth the fees, but perhaps worth an initial consult and see how you feel about them thereafter.

Ditto..never been a great fan of financial advisors..
Everyone tells you to read books...I'm not sure that that helps overall these days either..Buying into a stock because a book told you too may not be a good practice.
I'm with ANZ Securities and yes it is a hassle to sign up..It's a fact of life due to the new laws surrounding security and control of that security.

I suggest learning back to front and learn from your mistakes method...Start a dummy portfolio and see how you go..each person has different mindsets, tolerances stress levels and one has to develop their successful system...Remember when starting investing....write down you strengths and weaknesses...important not to cheat..and then begin developing your personalised investment system using your strengths and minimising your weaknesses..Developing your individualised successful system usually takes a long time a lot tinkering is needed to reduce the failures / minimising unforeseen personal weaknesses (eg a lower level of temptation)..Ongoing dummy portfolio failures will help you to find the right investment system that suits you personal mental profile and it will cost you nothing..


Back in the Real World:......What is important is ..communication....communication....communication. .Up to date knowledge... Up to date knowledge...Up to date knowledge... You have to know what is going on around and within your investment environment.
You sometimes see posters on ST mentioning they go to the places they have shares in and observe , chat with the staff, ask questions...There use to be a saying in the old days.."If you want to know what's really going on within a company you ask the Tea Lady".

The successful investors have "good noses" they can sniff out bargain stocks..These people are usually "hidden" as they don't show their wealth but they are very approachable chatty, friendly, and can mix with all social classes of people...they listen understand and enquire..They will share some knowledge when asked...They will debate in groups..They are good at figuring out the type of person you are...An example which happened to me a few weeks ago..I was watching a guy on this digger next door..He came over and starting chatting.. He was in old clothes and gumboots..I was friendly, polite, in return, unaware that he was no contractor but one of Hamilton's richest people..When he did introduce himself my behaviour did not change as I had already given him "token" respect..he saw this and we chatted for another 1/2 hour...we traded some knowledge, both of us benefited..

All the books in the world can not tell you want is going to happen to a company moving forward but gaining info through personal contact with the people associated within the companies environment can give you an insight to possible future events..especially if they tell "tales out of school"

AGM's...gaining info??...yes its info but is it the info that really matters..probably not..I haven't the time to go to AGM's and no desire to go for the sausage rolls..However it's likely you may gain valuable info from other shareholders..group debate and swap information...

So Willingtolearn....The information you have has to be valuable..You only gain valuable information from these groups if they see your information as fresh and valuable...Reciting information from a textbook or the common media maybe a discussion point but won't get you any important stuff..Basically it is who you know not what you know..because it's who you know that gives you the opportunities of what to know..

So for a newbie it bloody hard to break into the world of investing...You need to build up a network of knowledge together with contacts.. It will take time and work...My computer is crammed full of websites and people that have delivered information that has over time turned out to be correct.

My alert signs and caution behaviour tells me, a Financial advisor is not your best buddy (but you may need one for the IPO's)..and beware of a person dressed in a suit and tie..

As for the internet... a great communication tool for interacting with people in the know, people who seem to get it right every time, and private group forums.....Also Research..do it right!!! Research with an "open mind"..don't be bias, research using all viewpoints, DONT research only the stuff that reinforces your opinion...This is a common weakness when analysing ones Strengths and Weaknesses.

Remember Sharetrader forum is a public forum complete with a range of information, misinformation, spin, spam and unfortunately you won't have access to any really valuable sensitive info due to Liable Laws and confidentiality ..

It is amazing in this day and age that the internet still doesn't give you the info that really matters..for example There's a major road being built in 2017 400metres from my place..there is no mention of the start date on the internet (google) just a mention of it back in 2008..I've recently had outside interest in my property and I questioned why this sudden demand to the real estate people, they said heavy demand for property, not one mentioned the new road which would increase the value of my property..I only found out through that digger guy in old clothes and gumboots..

[JBmurc]

Much wise words from Hoop .. very simply it comes down to how serious and how interested you are in the sharemarket

for me it's been near on 20yr addiction for myself ...the first several it spiked my interest enough with some good gains ,,,then I got greedy broke far too many basic rules...now over recent years I think I'm finally fine tuning my mindset to lesson the bad mistakes ...always learning
if I added up the time spent in study in would run passed 10,000hrs+ ...how much money I've made to date for my time involved certainly less than I do at my day job ...but that's changing slowly ...

Really comes down to how much time you have to invest .

#1..If you plan to just invest in the tiny NZX and as a investor not trader then it's not going take you too long to come across some good longer term lower risk investments(low P/E,high NTA,Forward growth,low Debt levels etc) ....spread the risk across sectors... set stop losses ..
daily keep an eye on movements ...

#2...Trader-- now if you're going to go down this road IMHO you first want to do the above for awhile ...or at least use money you can afford to lose .. Of course you're be heading over to decent size market like the ASX (no reason you can't trade the NZX)

Have got a ASB Securities(for NZX) but no longer use it ....I use E*Trade or new name ANZ Share Investing .....they were even more pain in the ass to set-up ....

[Jonboyz]

Hi

Can anyone pass on their experience or knowledge about the differences between:
- ANZ Share and Bond Trading
- ASB Securities
- E*Trade (or other overseas based platforms)

I have some US shares held by ANZ Share and Bond Trading, but they charge a monthly custody fee. I was wondering whether other platforms do that as well?

[justakiwi]

Can't comment on the others but ASB Securities do not charge a monthly (or any other) fee. Once you have opened an account with them you pay nothing until you make a trade (you then pay the usual brokerage fee).

[Blatchy]

Thanks 'Willingtolearn', these are pretty much the same questions I was about to ask on the forum.

If anyone could help me out with the below it would be much appreciated, and hopefully someone else out there may be looking for the same answers.

I am about to sign up with ANZ securities for NZ trading, and ANZ share trading (formerly etrade i think) for Aus trading as I still have an Aus bank account. Would you recommend these as the easiest way to start out on the share market? Or is there another avenue I should be pursuing. I'm only just starting out but figured that these platforms would give me a good idea how things work, and an easy way to learn the ropes without dealing with brokers etc.

Is the market information provided by these services adequate or is it worth looking elsewhere for this?

Also, could anyone recommend their favourite websites/apps etc for market research? There seems to be a staggering amount of different options, and am not sure whether it is worth subscribing to a share market research service, or whether I can do this on my own with info that I can gather myself.

Thanks for your help

[Brovendell]

Blatchy. I suggest that you go onto the ANZ Securities website and study the information available. In particular "Our Services" and "Online Multi Currency Accounts"
The whole site is actually a mine of information that will go a long way to answering some of your concerns. It just takes time to study it.
I learn a lot by reading through all the threads on this forum. After a while you can sort the wheat from the chaff!!

[BullishBear]

My advice would be on the emotional intelligence front, you will need to cope with regret all the while you are researching and reading your picks and you know you have some in mind are going up, the share market is on the up trend (http://www.tradingeconomics.com/new-zealand/stock-market). So picking your time to get in is important. "Just do it" as Nike espouses is my advice and be smart about it. Good investing!

[Jonboyz]

Can't comment on the others but ASB Securities do not charge a monthly (or any other) fee. Once you have opened an account with them you pay nothing until you make a trade (you then pay the usual brokerage fee).

Thanks for your reply. I've been speaking with ANZ and ASB about there platforms today. It seems that a significant advantage of ASB for US share trading is that they do not charge any custodial fees (whereas ANZ charges 0.3% on total US holdings!). I don't make many trades so I think I can tolerate a slightly higher brokerage fee with ASB to get rid of a monthly fee.

ANZ
positives: lower brokerage fees; direct online trading of US shares
negatives: 0.3% custody fee for US share portfolio

ASB
positives: no custody fees
negatives: slightly higher brokerage fees; US share trades only by telephone

[nocomment]

.. Of course you're be heading over to decent size market like the ASX (no reason you can't trade the NZX)....

as a nz investor im a bit wary of the asx because i feel like im not as familiar with the companies listed. whats the best approach to change that, just start with browsing stocks on the http://www.marketindex.com.au/asx200?

[suse]

I'm quite new to share investing (well I started investing about 18 months ago). Basically I had an inheritance of a similar amount to you that I wanted to earn a bit of money off rather than stick it in the bank. And it makes my life a bit more interesting :) I got some advice from a savvy share investor and put the bulk of my funds in HBL (80%) and I certainly havent regretted it - it's a steady as she goes share and the dividend is better than the bank. Also a couple of other small amounts in good dividend bearing stocks. I tried to read Benjamin Graham's book (yawn - I might still have the book in a box somewhere if you want it) and I try really hard to make sense of annual reports and read the fine print but frankly I'm not that good at it. So 15% of my portfolio I guess you could call punt stocks. I've lost some money along the way but learnt to ditch quickly before it goes too far south (IQE eek). I've regretted not getting into some stocks as I didnt know enough (ATM... if only I'd bought at $1.80) I really should do a course but likely I'll pull out everything later this year when I build a new house.

I use ANZ. Took about 3 to 4 weeks to get set up after providing my life story to them even though I have banked with them for 30 odd years.

[blackcap]

I really should do a course but likely I'll pull out everything later this year when I build a new house.

.

You are literally playing with fire especially with 80% of your money in HBL. It is not common but not improbable either that HBL could be 80 cents in a few months time. It could also be $2.50. Personally I think its a good stock. However if the money needs to be taken out of the market in (less than 10 years) it should not be in the market in the first place.

[suse]

You are literally playing with fire especially with 80% of your money in HBL. It is not common but not improbable either that HBL could be 80 cents in a few months time. It could also be $2.50. Personally I think its a good stock. However if the money needs to be taken out of the market in (less than 10 years) it should not be in the market in the first place.

I've always been a bit crazy and I got that from my mum! :) To be honest I hear what you are saying and respect it but I'm happy to ride with it for now. At the end of the day I always bought into HBL for dividends and have had a long term view of the market ups and downs. Needing the money out later this year or next,does change that view though. At the first sign of trouble I'll be out as I'm watching every day.

[percy]

I've always been a bit crazy and I got that from my mum! :) To be honest I hear what you are saying and respect it but I'm happy to ride with it for now. At the end of the day I always bought into HBL for dividends and have had a long term view of the market ups and downs. Needing the money out later this year or next,does change that view though. At the first sign of trouble I'll be out as I'm watching every day.

Pity you did not go 100% with HBL...................lol.

[suse]

Pity you did not go 100% with HBL...................lol.

I remain "well positioned" Percy..... :)

[percy]

I remain "well positioned" Percy..... :)

You have made my day.!!!..lol.