What do you do for a job and does that relate to your interest in investing?

Left school in 1978 after completing my HSC.
Through a relative I was given the opportunity to work on a Tuna boat (poling) out of Bermagui. So, spent 1979 on the ocean catching tuna. Slept and ate on the boat, only having layovers on land when the sea conditions were to rough. When I left the boat in early December 79 I had a cheque for $27k. This was a considerable amount of money back then as I was only 19 at the time.
On returning back to Sydney I realised that city living was not for me, neither was the cold! So I set about finding a way to head north and make a new life for myself.
My Dad being an accountant steered me into the Investment environment simply by saying that if you work hard for your money why not have your money work hard for you. The penny dropped and I have maintained this principle all my life.
I went into a business partnership in my early twenties (carpet & upholstery cleaning) and worked long hours to get the business chugging along. Added a secondary business in just over a decade ago (mould remediation).
From the business I have been able to buy 3 IP's, invest in LIC's and Super.
I am currently in Karumba. Have been fishing every morning and thoroughly enjoying my well earned retirement. Will be staying here through to December.

This is a great thread!
Thanks Isla for putting it up.

 

Trying to reinforce positivity. The word “never” should be excluded from one’s vocabulary.[/QUOTE]

 

Congratulations on your retirement @TAJ.

 

Work full time in construction management, member/lobbyist of local government, on a strata committee and a member of a building/engineering body.

Look at it as you will, but building relationship for the future interests.

Love my job though, been here for 11years, its very challenging but rewarding and wouldn't leave it regardless of my financial position.

 

I'm a Coal Senior Sampler.

So Absolutely Zero, it's a means to an end.

 

I really didn't think I'd be the odd one out! But here I am!

Was always good academically, more natural than hard work. Didn't want to memorise a formula unless I knew WHY it worked, how it was derived and what it really means. Bach Commerce then became a CA, worked my way up at an a ccounting firm. BUT didn't give a crap about my career or the work. I wanted to achieve well of course but was really there for the drinking, friendships, overseas secondment fun etc. I spent ALL my earnings! I could save $5k for an overseas holiday, but came back with zip.

Then I met the lady who would become my wife. My world completely changed. I gained the ability to self reflect and got to know myself. We then had goals and she knew how to save (or more accurately, how not to waste things).

Career wise I followed my motivation into business as head of finance for a few very small companies. Moved to a larger one as 2IC to CFO, it became listed, then acquired by an ASX200 company. Not long after i was fed up with greed, short termism and people with no perspective/strategy running these businesses.

Now I am quite jaded about corps, and can't trust any financial reports and investor presentations from asx companies (except AUI).

Through it all I loved the work I did with my teams on data, analysis, reporting and commercial insights. That mix of a hypothesis, test it with the data and visually explain it to the business to take action. Fun!

Now senior role at a large not for profit, looking at 5 and 10 year planning timelines! Brilliant!

 

LOL . Love it.

 

I have seen a fair bit of the same in my life..Our Father walked out on us when i was just 7 years old still remember that day ..just before Christmas and he said there will be no presents this year then left a few days after that..The step father never liked me from the start ,and my first job was carrying rich people's golf club around a inner south--side golf course on the weekend during the day,then go back in the late afternoon to pick-up the golf balls and resell back to the pro..People who played Golf back in the late 1960's had money and mostly were business owners that's where i learnt about life ..

Most would tip after you washed their clubs and put them in the back of the merc's they drove,the quite ones who treated you like their equal ...AND would always tip buy you lunch and a drink but theY were the quite one's .
.
The loudest ones most times would not tip,nor buy you lunch or a drink just as all they were there for was trying to win favour with the real money to get into the inner circle and very unlikely to challenge or contradict in any way..That simple item has stayed with me my all my life..The loudest person in the room is most times the weakest ,one only has to look at all the gurus that are out there and have always been there ..

Dunno,myself i think it's up to the person,as attitudes learnt the hard way are more important then facts..

 

I mean honestly. They have a grand total of $3k of fixed assets. Hilarious.

 

Well Done @TAJ on the retirement, Karumba great part of the world spent my early working years in the late 70’s early 80’s in the Gulf on Groote in the fishing industry with plenty of regular visits to Karumba.

It was full of some very interesting characters in them days.

 

I am hoping at some stage to get over onto Groote.
Believe me there is no shortage of characters here in Karumba, me being one of them!

 

I saw that and thought...someone got themselves a new computer!!

 

do IT security testing e.g web, infrastructure and some red teaming. no influence on my approach to investing.

 

I have mining engineering and finance degrees, went into a finance graduate role originally and took advantage of an opportunity to move into eCommerce. None of these influenced my investing as I've traded shares since high school and always had a passion for business and financial markets. Now focused on real estate where I'm finding opportunities to leverage knowledge, relationships and capital with far greater clarity.

 

Interesting thread indeed. Great stories and got me to self reflect for a change.

I moved to OZ in 2006 as an International student, to study Computing at the age of 23. The whole trip was a stroke of luck as males my age of certain backgrounds weren't allowed to leave my original country back then.

I land in OZ with 1250USD on me (Thanks to mom and dad) and was lucky enough to live with relatives for free. I already had a Bachelor of Science in Computer science but had to enroll in a Diploma of Network Engineering to get started here and afterwards, enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology.

I started working in Construction during my free time to pay for my tuition fees and after just a few months, i got a job as a Part time Programmer. So quit the Construction gig and been a Programmer since then. I was very lucky since that's when the OZ Web boom started and pay was really good.

Fast forward to 2011, i bought a property in the Hills area in Sydney. Bought based on family recommendations and was the most uneducated financial decision I've ever made. Although i did have a 20% deposit and didn't overstretch the budget, I knew nothing about Negative Gearing or CGT or the 6-year rule and so on.
This purchase prompted me to start learning about investing and the laws of the country and I was lucky enough to find the PC community(somersoft back then).

Fast forward again to 2014, I bought a PPOR around the Northern Suburbs in Melbourne. This time i was buying as an OZ and this purchase was planned and i did use some work related skills to plot data/numbers and make some informed decisions on were to buy and how much to pay and to plan what to do after 5 years of ownership and so on ...

I was lucky as buying in 2011 in Sydney and in 2014 in Melbourne coincided with both markets being at a dip at the relevant times of purchase.

Having been brought up in a modest and loving family in a country that has seen a fair bit of dark days, I live modestly and simply don't buy things that i don't need and instead i save and support my family/friends as much as i can. A bit of luck ,a bit of hard work and a bit of a positive outlook on life and things are looking pretty good.

Plan ahead is to lean more about the stock market, LICs/ETFs in particular and i think that my work related skills can be more beneficial with these kind of assets.
PS: Many thanks for the great value members of PC that keep on educating the likes of me on the LICs/ETF's thread, much appreciated.

 

Awesome post!

 

I've been in the engineering industry for many years now. The only benifit I can think of is that I would never ever buy any properties in Wentworth Point, Rhodes, some inner west suburbs and botany area - I know the soil conditions/contaminations/gound waters. too risky.... and how much the developers pushed to get cheaper foundation designs.

 

Year 10 drop out
Moved out of home at 15
Spent 15 years on the tools as a cabinet maker, carpenter, ceiling fixer.
At age 30 did a double diploma in building which took two years and became a registered builder.
Bought my first property at 30 yrs old which was a 2 bedroom apartment.
Bought my first investment property in 2008
Spent the last 15 years as an estimator in commercial construction

 

I am a professional stuntman. The regular hard knocks i take prepares me well for investing