What I’ve been investing in is a monthly series covering what investments I’ve made during the month, and any investing related news that I’ve found interesting. This month has been another busy one, with a few big investments made.
The below is not financial advice, nor a recommendation to invest in the following. Please do your own research before making any investment decisions.
What I’ve been investing in
Arvida Group
Arvida is another retirement village operator I own shares in. Like Infratil did last month, Arvida raised capital to acquire three new retirement villages in Tauranga and Queenstown. To help facilitate this, Arvida offered existing shareholders the opportunity to buy 1 new share for every 5.7 shares held, at a discounted price of $1.15 (with the current price being around $1.37). As you may already know, I’m a fan of investing in the retirement sector due to our ageing population, so I took up all of the shares offered to me.
National Storage
National Storage is an Australian Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), that owns and rents out self storage units in Australia and New Zealand. You may recognise them as the sponsors of one of the best rugby teams in the world, The Hurricanes. National Storage is another company I own shares in, that raised capital this month to fund the acquisition of new storage facilities. To do this, they offered existing shareholders the chance to buy between AUD$2,500 and $15,000 of new shares in the company.
I invested $2,500 because self storage is quite a unique type of real estate to invest in – people are always buying stuff, and people are always moving houses, so I think there will always be a demand for storage, even if an economic downturn were to hit. In addition, National Storage pays a reliable dividend in an environment of declining interest rates.
Squirrel Money
Like last month, I’m continuing to add to my Peer to Peer Lending portfolio with Squirrel.
Behemoth Brewing
Behemoth Brewing have just completed an Equity Crowdfunding campaign, raising just over $2 million to go towards new brewing facilities and a brewpub. I dedicate 5% of my investment portfolio to more speculative investments like this, so decided to put the minimum investment of $1,000 into this company. Behemoth makes tasty beer, and the funds will hopefully allow them to scale up the business. To learn more about Equity Crowdfunding, check out my article 4 things to know about Equity Crowdfunding.
KiwiSaver
In addition to the normal monthly contributions from my salary and employer, I received the annual $521.43 Government Contribution into my KiwiSaver account this month. If you’re a KiwiSaver member, I hope you did too! Check out my 3 KiwiSaver tips if you want to learn more.
Smaller investments
- Topped up my InvestNow portfolio with an investment in my core holding, the AMP All Country Global Shares Index Fund
- Bought NZ$250 worth of Bitcoin after the price fell to around US$9,500
Investing news
Sharesies and the NZX
Two weeks ago Sharesies released a public beta allowing users to buy and sell shares in individual companies listed on the NZ sharemarket (NZX). The slick user experience, and cheap brokerage (0.5% at most) is sure to make investing in individual companies explode in popularity here. Check out my review Sharesies vs ASB Securities and Direct Broking.
CommSec Pocket launches
It’s been a little quiet in New Zealand this month, so here’s an interesting service that’s come out across the ditch. CommSec Pocket, launched by Commonwealth Bank, allows users to buy and sell seven different Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) for only $2 for each trade up to $1,000 in value. The ETFs are:
- Aussie Top 200 (IOZ)
- Aussie Dividends (SYI)
- Global 100 (IOO)
- Emerging Markets (IEM)
- Health Wise (IXJ)
- Tech Savvy (NDQ)
- Sustainability Leaders (ETHI)
Similar services in Australia are expensive, starting at $9.95 per trade – there’s no Fund Platforms there like InvestNow or Sharesies, so CommSec Pocket is sure to be a hit over there.
Money King NZ news
The Money King NZ site got some new features this month including:
- An updated and expanded Resources section
- A form to contact Money King NZ
- Subscribe to get new articles in your inbox every week
Most popular article this month: What’s the difference between InvestNow, Sharesies, Simplicity, Hatch, and more?
Previous month’s article:
– What I’ve been investing in – June 2019
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Disclaimer
The content of this article is based on Money King NZ’s opinion and should not be considered financial advice. The information should never be used without first assessing your own personal and financial situation, and conducting your own research. You may wish to consult with an authorised financial adviser before making any investment decisions.
