Why we need to talk more about investing: Angela's story

In this article, we talk to Angela Thompson, who is a seasoned marketer, a Canadian expat and a self-directed investor with a keen focus on ETFs and tech stocks. We discuss what made her take the plunge into investing, some of the things she’s learned along the way, and why she believes it’s important for us to talk more about investing with the people in our lives.

Despite working in the investing space, Angela was initially hesitant to start investing herself.

“I think investing can be a bit intimidating,” says Angela.

“It wasn’t until someone like me — a colleague, a woman — was investing, [that] I thought, ‘If she can do it, then I can do it too’. So just as my colleague inspired me, I try to share my experience, good and bad, to anyone who will listen. I try to be that same inspiration she was for me.

“If you’re unsure where to start, I would say talk to someone in your life that’s already investing. They’re probably very passionate about it and would be more than happy to guide you and give you some pointers along the way.”

Aside from talking to other people about investing, Angela also learned a lot by just getting started, rather than sitting on the sidelines and researching it.

“You can learn just as much from your losses as you do from your wins,” she says.

“In fact, having some little losses or lessons in the early days can be helpful in the long-run. I’ve also learned that I’m not a ‘stock picker’ and prefer ETFs, and I’ve learned how important it is to be diversified and have a balanced portfolio.

According to Angela, there are two kinds of people — those who learn about investing at home, and those who don’t.

“It can’t be really tough if you don’t learn at home. Tools like Sharesight are helping bridge this gap, doing the job that our parents and schools haven’t done.”

She considers Sharesight an invaluable tool for investors.

“Sharesight tells you how you’re actually performing. It’s not just the difference of the stock price, but it’s the dividends and the currency fluctuation as well, so you’re really getting that full picture. I’m actually not sure how people invest without Sharesight.”

Learn more about Angela’s investing journey here:

Track your investment performance with Sharesight

If you’re not already using Sharesight, what are you waiting for? Join hundreds of thousands of investors using Sharesight to meet their financial goals by tracking the performance of all their investments. With Sharesight you can:

• Track all your investments in one place, including stocks in over 60 major global markets, mutual/managed funds, property, and even cryptocurrency
• Automatically track your dividend and distribution income from stocks, ETFs and mutual/managed funds
• Run powerful reports built for investors, including performance, portfolio diversity, contribution analysis, multi-period, multi-currency valuation, exposure and future income (upcoming dividends)
• Easily share access to your portfolio with family members, your accountant or other financial professionals so they can see the same picture of your investments as you do

Sign up for a FREE Sharesight account and get started tracking your investment performance (and tax) today.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a specific product recommendation, or taxation or financial advice and should not be relied upon as such. While we use reasonable endeavours to keep the information up-to-date, we make no representation that any information is accurate or up-to-date. If you choose to make use of the content in this article, you do so at your own risk. To the extent permitted by law, we do not assume any responsibility or liability arising from or connected with your use or reliance on the content on our site. Please check with your adviser or accountant to obtain the correct advice for your situation

FURTHER READING

• The importance of investing for financial stability: Shani’s story
• Investing for financial freedom: Hannah's story
• How Mathilde takes control of her investments using Sharesight