Vic

Occupation: Portfolio Manager

Industry: Finance

Age: 33

Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Hobbies/Interesting Fact About You: Socialising (is that a hobby?), reading, and I guess The Curve is my ‘hobby’. Interesting fact: I used to have an eyebrow piercing…

What was your first investment on Stake?

Microsoft. I consider it a pretty defensive company but with plenty of growth opportunities. It’s grown in earnings consistently over many years, has a strong competitive ‘moat’ (its software is vital to a lot of people and businesses), it has plenty of cash on its balance sheet and it is attractive in terms of valuation. Win win.

In one sentence, define your investing style.

I like to invest for the long-term in companies I use and therefore, know well.

What’s in your Stake portfolio right now?

Only Microsoft (MSFT).

How are your returns so far?

Negative 10% but I’m taking a long-term view!

Any other investments that are not on Stake?

I have investments in funds, KiwiSaver and property.

What are you watching? Why?

Some of the tech names, e.g Netflix, Amazon, Meta, they are looking pretty cheap right now! These businesses are leaders in their fields and have a superior technological advantage e.g Amazon with its logistics network and cloud computing business AWS. Their share prices are now at very low levels giving investors a once-in-a-generation opportunity to buy them at these low prices. I don’t believe they will stay down there for long.

Do you have a trading or investing role model?

Good ol’ Warren Buffett. He has had a great investment style and always delivers some great inspirational quotes!

What’s a piece of advice you’d give a newbie?

Invest in companies you use or like. You’ll understand what you are investing in much better and be researching without even realizing it! Also, invest consistently and regularly – no matter what the movement of the market is!

What’s one mistake you’ve made and what did you learn from it?

Don’t follow a hot tip! I did this once and didn’t know what I was investing in and paid a big price for it! Crypto ring a bell anyone?

If you were to buy a US stock or ETF right now, what would you buy? Why?

A clean energy ETF as climate change is one of the biggest and most impactful trends that will provide growth in clean energy companies for decades to come.

Why are you in the market?

I want to support high-quality companies as well as grow my money.

ICYMI: make your own decisions

This is not investment advice, just my opinion. It doesn’t reflect any opinions of Stake. I’m as fresh to this as the next person off the street. Do your own research and make your own decisions.