Investing 101: Myth busting with Sharesies
Let's clear a few things up.
There's a lot of noise out there about investing, some of it true, most of it not. Together with Sharesies, we're busting the most common myths farmers tell themselves about getting started with investing.
Myth #1
“I need thousands of dollars to start investing”
You don’t need a big lump sum sitting in the bank. There’s no minimum, you can start with any amount you’re comfortable with, even a few dollars.
Fractional shares mean you don't need to buy a whole share at full price, you’re buying a piece that suits your budget. You build your portfolio over time.
Consistency is what counts.
Myth #2
“Investing is only for people with a lot of financial know-how”
You don't need a finance degree to build wealth.
Auto-invest tools, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), and simple diversification options do the heavy lifting for you.
Prefer to have some help? Advised portfolios do the thinking for you, they’re expert-built portfolios matched to your goals, timeframe, and comfort with risk, and they rebalance automatically to stay on track.
Myth #3
“I should wait for the ‘perfect’ time when the market is right”
Time in the market beats timing the market.
Trying to pick the exact right moment is a losing game, even for the professionals. Markets move up and down all the time, and waiting for the “right” moment usually just means waiting.
Regular, small investments over time, known as ‘Dollar-Cost Averaging’, smooth out those bumps. You end up buying at a mix of prices, some higher, some lower, so a single dip or spike won’t matter as much. The people who do well tend to be the ones who started early and kept going, not the ones who timed it perfectly.
Myth #4
“If I invest, I could lose everything”
Investing does carry risk, and it's fair to be cautious about that.
But losing "everything" usually happens when people put all their money into one thing. Spreading your money across a range of companies and funds, rather than betting on a single one, means one bad result doesn't take everything else down with it.
Investing involves risk and returns aren't guaranteed, but a diversified, long-term approach is a very different thing to putting all your eggs in one basket.
Myth #5
I need a separate account for NZ vs international shares
You're not limited to the NZX, and you don't need separate accounts to invest overseas.
You have access to over 10,000 companies and ETFs across New Zealand, Australia, and the US, from household names to smaller growth companies, all from the same account.
That means you can hold NZX shares alongside global names, and spread your money across different markets and economies rather than relying on any single one. If it's listed on one of those exchanges, chances are you can buy a piece of it, no matter how small.
The legal bit
Investing involves risk. You aren’t guaranteed to make money, and you might lose the money you start with. This information is general only and is not financial advice.
For more information and more investing tips head to sharesies.nz