10 things I hate about you, investing

Do you understand how investing works?

While not all of us understand it, more of us are jumping on the investing bandwagon. And young people are leading the charge, choosing to invest despite the COVID pandemic.

32% more people invested in 2020 than in 2018.

This increase is down to poor interest rates on savings and a rise in trading apps that mean you can start investing with one swipe. Investing is however far from perfect and there are several things I absolutely loathe about investing. 10 things I hate about it in fact.

Here’s 10 things I hate about you, investing:

1. I hate that you don’t guarantee returns

People assume that investing means guaranteed growth. It doesn’t and you could end up losing your investment. If you can’t afford to lose that money, consider whether you should invest right now. You could also consider lower-risk investments such as bonds, depending on your risk tolerance.

2. I hate that you encourage action without education

Investment trading apps encourage you to jump in. However, you should avoid investing in things without fully understanding them. You could also consider minimising your risk by investing in a diversified portfolio or an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF), recognising these aren’t all made equal.

3. I hate that you are used as an excuse to spend

Buying shoes that you’ll wear more than once does not make them an investment. Ditto, buying something you might use long-term like a holiday house. On the subject, a timeshare is a terrible investment but people pitch it as an investment to sucker you in. Look beyond the investment tagline and consider whether something is worth spending money on.

4. I hate that you make people really emotional

Investments should be made based on logic and research. However, the stock market makes us emotional. It rises and falls without warning and we all fear the crash when prices plummet and affect our portfolio. Try to stop yourself from reacting emotionally when this happens.

5. I hate that it takes time to fully understand you

With any investment, you should research what you’re buying. Not doing the research is rolling the dice with your money. If you are putting money into a company, please research it first and learn how to read financial statements or annual reports. It takes time to fully understand but it’s time well spent.

6. I hate that you create investment FOMO  

Right now, we’re really feeling investment FOMO, when it comes to the stock market and buying a house. Both choices are investments and both commit money you could be spending on something else. Make sure investing is the right choice for you right now and one you can afford to make.

7. I hate that you can scare people into sticking with cash

When the stock market crashes, we feel panic because we risk losing money. That panic can scare people into sticking with cash and putting their money into savings accounts where there’s lower risk. The downside is that when investment rates are low, you might be losing money because inflation is growing faster than your cash is. In other words, your cash is losing its value.

8. I hate that you enable greenwashing

Many of us are waking up to the fact that we need to look after our communities and the environment. This rising demand from consumers has also seen a rise in investment products labelled as green or sustainable. However, there is no universal definition of sustainable investments and that can mean the actual sustainability of investments can widely differ.

9. I hate that you make it seem like current returns will last

Investment returns are often touted by firms as a reason to invest with them. However, current investment returns are not a guarantee of future returns. Superannuation is an investment that has similar assumptions built into it around returns, which is why it’s important to sort out your super with a long-term strategy in mind.

10. I hate that you make it seem like there’s a perfect time to invest

Hindsight is a beautiful thing and that’s certainly true of investing. Despite many professional investors trying, few of us can accurately time the market. Instead, work out your risk tolerance and get more comfortable with investing throughout your life in different ways.

But mostly I hate the fact that investing is a non-negotiable to grow our money due to high inflation rates.

We would love to have more information on investments to help people understand that time in the market is more beneficial than timing the market. Despite these 10 things I hate about you investing, it can help grow your wealth long-term. Even if you hate it, future you will thank you for investing your money wisely.