Hi, I’m Laoise and I’m from Co. Clare, on the west coast of Ireland. I’m the Head of Brand and Customer Experience for MyWallSt.
Hi, I’m Laoise and I’m from Co. Clare, on the west coast of Ireland. I’m the Head of Brand and Customer Experience for MyWallSt.
My Investing Experience
I started investing when I was in my early 20’s through managed funds but I wanted a more hands-on approach. My interest in self-directed stock investing really took off when I joined MyWallSt. Prior to that, every effort was hindered by a lack of providers that catered to someone like me – a novice stock investor with limited funds. Providers at that time were either too expensive, littered communications with jargon, or made the process unnecessarily complex and discouraging. Thankfully the market has changed a lot in the past 10 years and there are a lot more opportunities for people like me to get started. I still consider myself a novice investor. What I look for now is guidance and simplicity and thankfully I’ve found that in MyWallSt and I’ve really enjoyed my investing experience so far.
My Investing Goal
My personal long-term investing goal is geared towards retirement. I’m four years into my investing journey with a 20/30 year horizon.
I’ve also set up a broker for my three younger sisters and my goal is to build a portfolio for them until they’re college-ready and they can then decide what they’d like to do with their investments. They have all taken an interest in investing, starting with the Learn app and now they are forming their own opinions on different companies, which is really great. Apple and Tesla are two of their favorites.
My husband and I have our first baby on the way and we’ve recently started a portfolio that we’ll build on until the baby is 18 years of age.
My Favorite Long-Term Stock
Shopify. Without doubt. I was a customer before I became an investor so I was bought in from the start. It’s the one stock I’ve reinvested in a few times since.
Shopify has enabled anyone to set up their own shop front with all of the back-end tech support provided, and achieved it in a simple and elegant way that is also accessible from a cost point of view. I’ve used other platforms that try to do the same thing and Shopify is leagues ahead.
My Selling Regret
The advice – buy what you believe in – was learned through practice and I now spend more time considering a stock before I purchase it, which has really helped to prevent the urge to sell. Also, my first investment was probably my worst – Fitbit (don’t laugh!). I’ve learned from that experience to fully understand the company you’re investing in and the importance of believing in it for the long-term. Despite Fitbit tanking, it’s still sitting in my portfolio. Thankfully it’s a very small investment and there is no pressure to sell and secure the loss right now. I’d rather leave it in place, in the hope that it might make a comeback… wishful thinking perhaps!