Investor Journeys—JacintaInvestor Journeys—Jacinta

Tell us about yourself!

I’m 29 and live in Melbourne. I’m currently working as an editor at an educational publisher. In my spare time, I love to write. I’ve just released a novella and I’m also working on a few short stories. 

I was late-diagnosed with autism and ADHD last year. I was expecting the autism diagnosis, but the ADHD took me by surprise. My friend and I are hoping to release a podcast called Differently Brained where we interview neurodivergent guests and people experiencing challenges with their mental health to discuss their journeys of getting diagnosed and what’s going on in their lives.

What’s your money story?

My mum was always responsible with money despite us not having a lot of it. One of my earliest memories revolves around circling items that we wanted in catalogues and working out how we would budget to save for them. But we never really talked about investing.

I first heard about investing in high school through a competition where we had to invest on a fake share market. It seemed so complicated that the ordeal stuck with me and put me off from learning about investing. It was only after I listened to She’s on the Money that investing finally clicked for me.

I never used to pay attention to money. I was a bit too fast and loose with it, if I’m honest. When I decided to finally take control of it, it became a hyper-fixation for me. I absorbed as much information as I possibly could about investing and really made it a priority to succeed. Everyone around me has been surprised and delighted by how into it and strict I am.

What challenges did you need to overcome to start investing?

At first, I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I figured that micro-investing was the way to do it. I’d learnt so much about investing through finance podcasts that I wanted to put my newfound knowledge into action.

I started off on a different investment platform, but it didn’t vibe with my ADHD brain. One of the main symptoms of ADHD is impulsivity, and because that platform didn’t break down how my money was invested and why my investments were performing the way they were, it gave me a lot of financial anxiety that I wouldn’t be able to pull out my money if I needed to.

In comparison, the Sharesies platform has really helped me feel more confident in my investments. I can see where my money has gone and how it’s working for me. I also love that I can really zoom into the minutia of the investments I’ve made to see what’s performing and what’s not.

How do you manage your investments now? 

I’ve found investments that align with my values. I auto-invest a regular amount when I get paid. I also top up with big lump sums every so often when I have extra money from my freelance jobs. 

As I’ve grown more confident with investing, I’ve increased the amount that I invest and researched investments that I hadn’t originally considered to diversify my portfolio.

Now that I’ve found the Sharesies platform and have got the hang of it more, I’d love for my investments to become a second income stream to support my creative endeavours.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever done with money?

I have a house and a mortgage, which is a pretty nice achievement. But outside of that, I think the best thing I’ve ever done with my money is learn where it all goes. It’s made me feel a lot more secure in my finances. I know that if an emergency comes up, I’m in a strong enough financial position to be able to help myself and my family.

Sharesies has helped me increase my financial literacy too. I can take news that I’ve absorbed throughout the week and contextually apply it to certain industries and investments to see why my portfolio might be going up or down.

What tips would you give everyday Australians who might not think investing is possible?

Start with whatever you have. On the Sharesies platform, you can buy part of a share, so you can ease your way into the world of investing. The fees are accessible for people who want to invest in bits and pieces too. 

I used to think that investing is only for old white dudes who are already rich to get richer, but it’s more accessible to people than I was originally led to believe. 

Nowadays, I’m all up in everyone’s grill about investing. My friends probably find me a bit intense and feel as if I’m trying to financially manage them, but I think it’s just important to have these conversations. Whether we like it or not, the whole world revolves around money, so we have to understand where it goes and how to make it work for us.