Do you find there's "too much to choose from"?

You could start the same way i did and that is reading through all the posts free financial education.

 

Yes, but there's sooooooo much to read - so many conflicting ideas, opinions etc - and by the end I'm usually no clearer than when I started (that's half the problem). Maybe I need to wait until I'm next on holidays for my brain to tackle this one?..........

 

Websites (apart from this one)
jlcollinsnh Stock series
Mr. Money Mustache

American but good reads

 

The impetus for me to take action was that I had money and leaving in the bank was no good. Also imagine if you had to pay $5k fo a financial advisor to tell you what to do vs reading for a few days and filtering down to an actionable list, I chose free reading. The beauty of the very long posts is you get to hear different point of views and then you do more research and follow what you feel comfortable with.

You don't need to invest in 10 LICs or ETFs at the same time, look at one like ARG, buy some ARG shares and continue to read and build up the knowledge over time. By taking actions you sort of actualise the learning. I remember my first purchase was $600 of AFI to figure out how investing works and took me nearly 2 years to start buying reguarly and took opportunities. Still learning each day.

Keep reading and you will 'get it' one day.

Cheers.

 

@Anne11 nailed it. You need just one conservative share Investment to get started.

Something very diversified, been going for decades, extremely low fees (0.17%), reliable dividends (income), solid performance.

Here's an example:

OR

A Listed fund that invests in the top 300 shares in Australia by size:

https://api.vanguard.com/rs/gre/gls/stable/documents/7639/au

Something like the above gets you started. Then you can choose to learn more and add other holdings if desired or just leave it at that.

Not liscenced to give advice.

 

Looks like a solid portfolio to me. @Gockie Do you plan to only use cash/savings to buy or property equity as well?

 

Very similar to a Peter Thornhill portfolio! Very sensible approach too I might add!

 

Very similar to what I've done and/or about to do. I also like Bogle / Mr Money Moustache approach. I started with investing in IPs. Later on moved my super to ING and invested it in ETFs.

Once I read more on ETFs/LICs the puzzle really started to get together nicely.

 

This pretty much sums up what a passive long term investor needs to know about investing in shares. Thanks @austing!

 

For those accessing equity from their PPOR - have you (or would you recommend) an interest only loan for buying the shares? My equity loan is currently variable - but I am thinking of changing to that interest only for 3 years.

Also - is anyone setting up/using a trust for buying shares? I am leaning against a trust because it's so complex and I am not in a relationship so can't take advantage of spreading the earnings to the lowest income earner.

 

Plan is to:
1. Use super money first (Australian super or AMP).
2. See what equity I can pull.

Then sit back and relax....

 

We use the Skaffold software (Roger Montgomery) - let them do all the research and number crunching. Then we use are own criteria from that to purchase - have quite a few companies I have never heard of, but they have moved in the right direction.

 

Nice. Have a look at ING super as well.

 

Maybe it was ING I meant to say not AMP!

 

Variable IO LOC

We have a D Trust. But for a lot of people depending on their circumstances they're not worth it. You really need to seek unbiased advice from a professional.

 

I find the hardest thing about choosing an investment is that you are actively choosing not to invest elsewhere.

Once you create a strategy it is difficult to shut down the noise of everybody else. However if you follow the noise and the chorus of opinions you will end up doing nothing.

The same applies to business as well.

 

What do you think the threshold here is?

 

I'd suggest getting proper tax and asset protection advice before doing anything. Trusts aren't really complex, and you can create a holding company as another beneficiary to collect the dividends. You don't have to pay them out of the holding company until you're ready.
e.g. see Terry_w's tax tip 136