Investor Journeys—Rob and LachInvestor Journeys—Rob and Lach

Tell us a bit about yourself! 

Rob: I moved to Torquay (Victoria, Australia) with my wife and daughter just before the pandemic. But before that, Lach and I were housemates living in the Western suburbs of Melbourne with our respective partners—it was like being in a bad sitcom! Together, Lach and I run the Wellbeing Network, a podcast network that includes our show, Funny Business, as well as a few others. Outside of work I like to surf, go paddle-boarding, walk the dog, hang out with my family, and just spend time outside when I can. 

Lach: I actually live around the corner from Rob in Torquay (Victoria, Australia) now. I moved from Melbourne just before the big second lockdown. Before Funny Business, I was in the hospitality industry but I just couldn’t work night shifts anymore, so quit without a plan of what I was going to do next. I ended up getting a job in the tech world, which really got me up to speed with tech lingo and prepared me for what was to come with the podcast. When I’m not working, I like to watch sports, see live music, and spend time with friends, family, and my partner, Tahlia.

When did you first hear about investing? 

Rob: I’ve always been interested in investing. I went down a very traditional schooling pathway. Mum was a teacher and dad was a sparkie and they worked really hard to send me to a private school. After that, I was drafted to play for the Richmond Footy Club for a couple years, but recognised that a career in sports was short-lived, so on the side, I studied to get my Bachelor in Business and Masters in International Business. I was always interested in business, so the idea of investing was always there.

Lach: My knowledge about investing was pretty basic before the podcast came along. At the start of uni, I learnt about things like salary sacrificing and investing in your super. But it’s really been in the last two years that I’ve come to understand what investing is about. And that’s only after working in tech and talking to a range of people like venture capitalists. I still consider myself the freshest person—I’m not ashamed of that. I take pride in it. 

What challenges did you need to overcome to start investing? 

Lach: I’m motivated by instant gratification. I like things to happen quickly. So holding that off as I began my investment journey was a real challenge for me. Investing has really taught me a lesson in patience. 

Rob: It’s been a baptism of fire. I stuffed some things up early on in my investing journey, but I saw it as an opportunity to learn from it—particularly how to differentiate between head and heart-type decision making. Nowadays, I don’t have the same level of fear and insecurity in making decisions about investing. 

Tell us a bit about your first time investing.

Rob: When I first started, I split my money across a range of different companies and industries. I was very much about high risk and high rewards. Looking back, I realise I didn’t have a very balanced portfolio. Nowadays, I’m more about sustainable, long-term growth. For me, investing is all about achieving a happier, safer, more secure environment for my family. 

Lach: I started investing halfway through recording the podcast after hearing from some of our guests and researching things for myself, like figuring out what investment strategy I wanted to use (which you can hear me talk about on the pod!). I took some ideas from our guests, did my own research, and if the companies aligned with my values…then bam! To me, investing is just part of being an adult now.

What have you learnt about investing so far?

Rob: One of the biggest learnings we had while recording Unlikely Investors was that you have to start somewhere. The road is never going to be nice and straight. There’s going to be bumps along the way. You really have two choices: hide away now and have a real average life later on, or put a little bit of time and effort into learning about this stuff so you can set yourself up for a better future. 

Lach: What he said.

How have you found your experience with the Sharesies platform so far?

Lach: The Sharesies platform has been great for me. I love that I can save companies to my Watchlist and suss them out before laying any cash down. I’m also a big fan of the auto-invest feature—it suits my circumstances and investing goals. 

Rob: My experience, in line with the guests we’ve featured on the show, has been really positive. Yes, the app has a ton of excellent features, but the biggest standout about the Sharesies platform is how they talk to people who are new to investing. The barrier to entry that exists for a lot of people trying to get started with investing is removed with them. They seem to communicate to new investors like normal people and they haven’t made me feel like a dumb-dumb trying to navigate the app. 

What’s the best advice you’ve been given about investing? 

Rob: In Episode 3 of our podcast, Unlikely Investors, we got to talk to Flex Mami about her investment journey, and she said: “build your nest egg so that you can live a life of fun”. I like that. What’s the point of doing stuff if you’re just going to work until you’re dead? Setting myself up with investments so I can live a fun life instead of working all the time sounds like good motivation for me. 

Lach: That was mine, too. The feedback from our audience about that episode was so positive because she was so real. At the end of the day, it really reminded me that we have one life; learn to manage your money so you can have fun with it!

People often think you need loads of money to invest. What tips would you give to everyday Australians who might not think investing is possible?

Lach: You can’t make money if you don’t put anything in. Just start with something—anything. 

Rob: That’s why it’s cool that the Sharesies platform has no minimum investment. You don’t have to be loaded to start playing in the investment space. There’s no time like today to start investing. The Sharesies platform lowers the barrier of entry for people to start investing and get those learning opportunities. People pay for so many different subscriptions already; how many times have you opened your account to see that you’ve paid for Netflix, Stan, or Disney Plus? What if you just got rid of one of those subscriptions and put the money toward your investments instead? From there, you can build your confidence toward larger investments.

Lach:  You can afford to learn!