All tagged ETFs

The Temptation to Sign Up to Endless New Investment Products

The Temptation to Sign Up to Endless New Investment Products

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, Investment

I’m not sure what’s going on at the moment, but I’m getting a higher-than-usual amount of emails from subscribers asking me my thoughts on newly released funds. Often, people will say they are looking at funds that buy a particular sector. There are endless iterations of how you can invest your hard-earned pūtea. They will often explain what they already invest in, so it’s usually not too hard for me to see that the new funds they are asking me about are about to have them veer off in quite a different investment direction or switch to something more or less the same. Once again, the options are endless. But the point I am about to attempt to make is not WHAT they are looking at; it is that they are looking to jump on any new opportunities offered.

How is my US 500 ETF performing?

How is my US 500 ETF performing?

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, Sharesight, SmartShares

This week, I’m aiming for this blog post to loosely follow my last one, where I talked about Index Funds and ETFs. Today, I will share my own experience, and to simplify things, I'm sharing information on one of our investments only, our Smartshares US 500 ETF. As an alternative to property, readers are trying to find the ‘perfect’ share market investment and will suggest an investment provider or fund as ‘the ONE’. My thoughts are that there is no perfect investment, housing or otherwise. It simply doesn’t exist, but I have concluded after investing myself for many years that there are several investments that are perfectly ‘good enough’.

How to invest in a Total World Fund from New Zealand

How to invest in a Total World Fund from New Zealand

Ruth
ETFs, Hatch, Index Funds, Kernel, Money Education, Sharesies, SmartShares

Every Tuesday morning, a group of Kiwis takes part in Rebel Finance School. When I meet people and talk about money, a common regret is that no financial education was taught in school or at home. I think this course is your best shot at bringing yourself up to speed. The only sticking point is that while most of what they teach is internationally applicable, some elements are specific to their home country, England. As soon as we reached the investing component, the companies and products they discussed were incompatible with Aotearoa. Today, I want to explain the New Zealand equivalent of the two Vanguard Index Fund options they suggest as concisely as I can.

We Sold Some Investments: Putting Our Version of the 4% Rule to the Test!

We Sold Some Investments: Putting Our Version of the 4% Rule to the Test!

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, SmartShares, Sharesies, Kernel

In early May, Jonny and I made a call; we decided to sell off a portion of our investments to supplement our lifestyle. There is no drama, and we are not doing this due to inflation or the current cost of living; the simple fact is that our journey with money continues. For those who have followed along from the beginning, you’ve seen us slowly growing our net worth in readiness for it supporting us in early retirement. We are not there yet, we still need to work for an income, but we are well underway with our early retirement plans. What has changed is that there are things we want to do now that we need money for now.

2022 Review & Net Worth Update

2022 Review & Net Worth Update

Ruth
ETFs, PocketSmith, Sharesight, Simplicity, SmartShares

I’m about to share my 2022 numbers with you. The primary reason is so that you have someone to benchmark against. Because of my blog, I’m lucky that I’m regularly conversing with people interested in discussing personal finances. Those conversations also helped me learn what Jonny and I could improve. Chances are that very few of you have friends and family willing to share their experiences with money to help you learn. Therefore, I’m happy to share ours. Please don’t judge me and my financial position; it’s just information. Use it how you will.

Which is better: TWF or USF?

Which is better: TWF or USF?

Ruth
ETFs, Index Funds, Shares, SmartShares

This week I’m answering a question that Paul has sent to me, and it is a question that I’ve been dwelling on myself. I’m going to do my best not to get too deep in the weeds with my answer. It might sound like a niche question (Which is better: TWF - Total World Fund or USF - US 500?), but the answer I give is, in my opinion, widely applicable to investors.

Weekly vs Monthly Investing?

Weekly vs Monthly Investing?

Ruth
ETFs, Investment, SmartShares, Shares

Today I’m sharing a practical example of why it might be worth investing weekly instead of monthly and moving from Smartshares to InvestNow to enable that. I’ve met many lovely people via my blog, few more lovely than Dale and Dean. We have been emailing back and forth for three years, and they recently let me know of a significant change they have made to how they invest. With their permission, they have let me share it.

Pan(dem)ic Investing!

Pan(dem)ic Investing!

Ruth
ETFs, PocketSmith, Sharesight, SmartShares

Do you like my dramatic title? Does it make you nervous? Don’t be. This week I was given the ultimate compliment. Someone said, “I like hearing what you have to say, Ruth. You have common sense”. It seems to me that every investment provider is telling me not to panic at the moment. Common sense tells me there is no need to; volatile times come and go, but hearing it so often repeated gives my common-sense approach a run for its money and makes me wonder if I should be concerned?

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