Theresa's New Attitude

Theresa Chandler

“Female. Early thirties. No tertiary education. No children but one dependent. Middle bracket income earner. Moderate to aggressive risk-taker.

This is my investment profile.

It will only seem atypical if you’re still bogged down by stereotypes, if you’re still thinking you need lots of money and lots of education to be an investor – let alone a slightly aggressive one.

First myth to smash: you need lots of money. I can smash that myth based on personal experience. I started investing in my early twenties when I made less than TTD 3000 a month. I didn’t invest much and it was in one popular mutual fund, but I did invest regularly.

Second myth to smash: you need lots of education. I won’t smash this one – I’ll finesse it. You don’t need lots of institutionalised education to be an investor but you do need to educate yourself. And the information is out there, at your disposal and free. It’s in the newspapers, on t.v. and most definitely, in massive quantities, online. The help you need is also out there in financial literacy training courses, seminars and through financial advisors like Firstline.

I am proof that investing is for everyone. It’s not a secret shared only by the MBAs and the CFAs of this world. There’s no exclusive club with a million dollar minimum net worth entrance requirement.
Here’s some tough love: stop using your monthly income or your lack of knowledge as reasons to not invest. If you’re in the lower income bracket, all the more reason for you to twist and turn and shake up that money that you do have, to work harder for you. If you’re ignorant about the financial world – pick up something and start reading. Easy as 1-2-3.”