Alec Renehan - Get Started Investing: Its Easier Than You Think to Invest in Shares

Im a massive fan of these two blokes. They cut through the jargon to help anyone switch from being a saver to an investor. Saving to invest is how real wealth is built.

DAVID KOCH, TV PRESENTER

I wish Id read this book 15 years ago! A perfect start for any beginner who is thinking about investing. Its a must-read for anyone whos scared of the stock market, like I was.

USMAN KHAWAJA, AUSTRALIAN TEST CRICKETER

Get Started Investing demystifies investing and makes achieving financial freedom practicable without a huge pay packet. Whether youre 16 or 61, Ren and Bryce will empower you to stop living pay cheque to pay cheque and leave money anxiety behind.

ALISHA AITKEN-RADBURN, COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT AND FORMER BACHELOR STAR

Bryce and Alec have completed the must-read A to Z guide of how to not only start investing, but how to stay the course to make you money, using expert opinions, personal anecdotes and their own experiences to bring the topic to life.

DANIELLE ECUYER, FOUNDER OF SHAREPLICITY

Investing is an important life skill that is not taught in school. With Get Started Investing, Alec and Bryce take readers on a journey from actionable ways people can get started to helpful investing lessons from experts.

TED RICHARDS, FORMER AFL PLAYER WITH ESSENDON BOMBERS AND SYDNEY SWANS, NOW HEAD OF DISTRIBUTION AT SIX PARK ASSET MANAGEMENT

The information in this book is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. You should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs, and where appropriate, seek professional advice from a financial adviser.

First published in 2021

Copyright Alec Renehan and Bryce Leske 2021

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency (Australia) under the Act.

Allen & Unwin

83 Alexander Street

Crows Nest NSW 2065

Australia

Phone:(61 2) 8425 0100

Email:

Web:www.allenandunwin.com

ISBN 978 1 76087 992 1

eISBN 978 1 76106 267 4

Internal design by Simon Paterson and Samantha Collins, Bookhouse

Illustrations by Cohen Gum

Index by Puddingburn

Set by Bookhouse, Sydney

Cover design: Lisa White

Front cover photograph: Steve Brown Photography

To our parents and partners, for believing in us.

To our friends, for tolerating us.

To the Equity Mates community, for indulging us.

None of this would be possible without you.

Finally, to Warren Buffett.

Hopefully this dedication gets you to reply to our letters.

In the spirit of reconciliation, we would like to begin by acknowledging and paying respect to Australias Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the traditional custodians of Country throughout Australia, and acknowledging their connections to land, sea and community. We pay respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

The investing world can be big and confusing.

Thats why every new investor needs an equity mate.

Investing. Getting started is not as hard as you think.

Its a daunting idea, seen as a lot of work to understand the markets and a lot of risk for your hard-earned money. We never learn about it in school and it can be hard to learn yourself, with all the charts, data and jargon. For many people, it feels overwhelming, daunting and ends up in the too-hard basket.

Thats unfortunate, because the stock market is an amazing wealth-creating machine. Its our opportunity to invest in some of the smartest people, in some of the best companies and in the cutting edge of innovation.

Theres a lot of noise out there. Our perception of investing from movies and TV is fast-paced day trading, shouting across crowded trading floors or spending days sitting in front of multiple computer monitors.

The good news is you can forget all that.

Investing in shares makes you a part-owner of a company. That company is created to earn a profit for its owners (i.e. you!). You dont need to plant yourself in front of a computer for hours a day. You dont need to check your investments daily, weekly or every monthly. Some of the most successful investors have bought great companies and then done nothing for decades. They simply buy a good company and then let that companys management do all the work. Thats an opportunity we should all be taking advantage of!

So welcome to Get Started Investing, and the beginning of your journey. By the end of this book you will have the information, confidence and, most importantly, the inspiration to get started investing.

Get Started Investing is split into a number of sectionsstarting with why investing is a critical life skill, then getting into what the stock market is and then how you can access it. Throughout the book there will be lessons from expert investors and from everyday people like you to help you learn from their experience, mistakes and successes.

As you read this book youll come across a few different boxes, each identified by an icon. This is what they mean.

Pardon the jargon

As you start learning about investing, youll come across a lot of new terms. Dont be put off. Well be explaining them all in these Pardon the jargon boxes throughout Get Started Investing.

Listener questions

Every investor was a beginner at one stage. Many of us had the same questions that you have today. Weve pulled out some of the most common questions on the basics of investing from the Equity Mates community and answered them throughout Get Started Investing.

From the Equity Mates community

Learning from the experiences of others is a great way to get started. Throughout Get Started Investing were featuring some of the learnings, experiences and mistakes from the Equity Mates community so you can see how others started their investing journeys.

From the experts

Weve spoken to over 150 expert investors since we started Equity Mates. It has been one of the most valuable ways weve learned about the stock market. Throughout Get Started Investing weve featured some of the most important insights weve gained from these experts so you can learn from them as well.

We are Bryce and Alec, the co-founders of Equity Mates, the #1 finance and investing brand for young Australians. What started as a podcast tracking our journey of learning to invest has grown into a community of everyday investors looking to learn more about the market and get smarter with their money.