Surveying Aussie Sharesies investorsSurveying Aussie Sharesies investors

In summary, we found: 

• there are more women investing on Sharesies than men 

• Sharesies investors are largely looking to invest for the long term, with plans to hold their investments for 10 years or longer

• many of them made their first investment during the pandemic

• having no minimum investment was the top reason why those surveyed joined Sharesies.

Portrait of a Sharesies investor 

There are more women investing on Sharesies than men, with 57% of those surveyed identifying as women! That’s a notable difference from the national average; the results of our national survey commissioned by Colmar Brunton in February 2021 saw that the majority of investors (60%) identify as men. As investing becomes more accessible to everyone, we hope that more women will feel empowered to start investing and we’ll see the investing gender gap close. 

When it comes to investing confidence, 39% of those surveyed agree or strongly agree that they’re confident in making investment decisions. In addition:

• 54% said they check company financials and performance before investing

• 43% read commentaries and articles centred around investment topics

• 35% listen to podcasts.

Long-term investing, long-term goals

While investors on Sharesies are primarily new to investing, 57% of those surveyed said they plan to invest for 10 years or more. 

Investing for the long term (also known as ‘buy and hold’) is a strategy based on the expectation that an investment will grow over many years—even if its value goes up and down in the short term. While past performance isn’t a guarantee of future returns, the S&P 500 index (tracking the performance of 500 large US-listed companies) only recorded losses in 10 of the 45 years from 1975 to 2019. Investing for the long term means you have more time to ride out the ups and downs of the share market, invest amounts you can afford, and benefit from compound returns.

66% of Aussie Sharesies investors surveyed said they stick to their investment strategies despite what’s happening in the share market. In addition:

• 57% said they invest small amounts regularly (once or twice a month)

• 42% said they’re still figuring out their strategy

• 35% invest to build wealth.

Why invest?

With long-term investments, come long-term goals. When we asked Aussie Sharesies investors why they started investing, the top two reasons were: 

• 37% said they wanted to feel more financially secure

• 33% wanted a higher rate of return than their savings.

COVID did not curb investment appetite

Despite the COVID curveball, 39% of Aussie Sharesies investors started investing during the pandemic, and 16% said they increased the amount they were investing.

When asked if they were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic: 

• 55% said they weren’t impacted

• 30% experienced a partial loss of income

• 8% experienced an increase in income

• 7% experienced a complete loss of income.

Their spending and saving habits also changed over the last 18 months: 

• 37% said they’re saving more

• 35% are spending less.

Wrapping up

When it comes to investing, Aussie Sharesies investors are in it for the long run. They invest regularly and hold their investments, despite volatility in the share market. Women make up more than half of the investors using Sharesies. Many of the Aussie Sharesies investors are new to investing.

We’d love to hear what you think of the results—get in touch via Facebook or Instagram. We’ll be surveying Aussie Sharesies investors every quarter to track how these results change over time.