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How to Invest in Shares: A Step-by-Step for Beginners

Wanting to invest in shares but unsure how to start and what to invest in? Our guides explains everything you need to know to make investing profitable
Updated 30 October 2024 

Investing in the share market is an excellent way to grow wealth. But how do you start, and what does it cost? In this guide, we explain how you can go about investing in the share market, investment options and must-know tips. Our focus is to help you make the right decisions to achieve your investing goals.

Important:  MoneyHub is not a financial advisor and this guide to investing in shares does not constitute financial advice.

Our guide covers:
Know this first:
  • If you’re looking to invest for less than five years, shares are not suitable given the risk of losing money in a relatively short space of time.
  • A better alternative would be investing in term deposits or bank call accounts. This way, the money you invest will be protected, earn interest and be there when you need it.
  • Want to compare Sharesies with Hatch and Stake for US Shares? Visit our Sharesies vs Hatch vs Stake Guide
  • Looking for an investing platform that offers funds rather than shares? Our reviews of InvestNow and Kernel Wealth have you covered.
​Your free guide on How to Invest in Shares, thanks to Hatch.

Seven Steps for Investing in Shares

The hardest part of growing your wealth is making the first investment. Our guide walks you through the process, step-by-step, to give you the confidence to make regular investments.

Step One: Decide how you want to invest in shares

There are two ways you can buy shares; following a DIY approach or by investing in a managed fund (or ETF). You can do both, and many people do. The difference is how involved you want to be and how much you want to learn. 

Ask yourself - are you: 
  1. Wanting someone to invest on your behalf, and manage the shares for you? (we call this the ‘passive’ option) or
  2. Interested in choosing specific companies to invest in, and monitoring their financial results and share price movements? (we call this the ‘DIY’ option)

It's likely that for a first time investor in shares, option 1 will appeal. For most people, making that first investment in the share market will make them interested in how it works. After a few months of regular investing it's not unreasonable for your depth of knowledge to have grown considerably.

Once you decide what will work for you, i.e. passive or DIY share picking, you’re ready to look at investing options.

Step Two: Know the difference between shares, ETFs, and funds

Share market investing does not need to be complicated. Understanding the terminology for popular investment options is essential to know what you're investing in. In the share market, there are three main share investment options:

1. Exchange-traded funds – these represent investments that let you purchase small pieces of many different shares in a single transaction. ETFs are index funds which always track an index, best explained in the examples below.
  • For example, Smartshares offers 35+ ETFs, which are shares that can be bought and sold on the NZX. Two of the ETFs that Smartshares offers are NZ TOP 50 and NZ TOP 10. They both invest in a combination of companies, specifically:
  1. The NZ TOP 50 invests in the fifty largest listed New Zealand companies (for example, Vector, Z Energy, Heartland Bank, as well as relatively larger companies such as A2 Milk, Auckland Airport and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare). 
  2. The NZ TOP 10 invests in the ten largest listed New Zealand companies (for example, A2 Milk, Auckland Airport and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare).
  • When you invest in a fund, you also own small pieces of each of those companies. As their share price rises and falls, so does the value of the ETF or index fund. If the NZX 50 goes up 20% in one year, an NZX 50-tracking ETF or index fund will go up by the same amount.
  • If you want to diversify your investments, you can choose index funds or ETFs that follow different share markets here in New Zealand or overseas.
  • For example, Smartshares offers ETFs such as AUS TOP 20 and US 500. These funds respectively invest in the 20 largest listed Australian companies (such as Westpac, Commonwealth Bank and Telstra) and the largest 500 listed companies (such as Apple, Alphabet and Coca-Cola).​
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2. Index funds - like ETFs, Index Funds are investments which can only be purchased through a fund manager or investing platform. You can buy an ETF on the share market, but not an index fund. In reality they operate fairly similarly, and platforms such as InvestNow and Sharesies offer index funds. Be aware that some index funds have 'minimum investments', which means you'll need to invest a certain amount to buy the fund. This can be anything from $100 all the way up to $20,000. The InvestNow and Sharesies platforms have done great work in reducing minimum investments down to $100 (or even 1 cent). Our guide to Index Funds vs ETFs explains differences between the two.

3. Shares - a share is a unit of ownership in a company, purchased directly on the share market. Shares in any company go up and down all the time based on the demand for the company. For example:
  • A2 Milk is selling more and more milk so its share price increased significantly.
  • Sky TV faces huge challenges with internet streaming and losing customers, so its share price has dropped significantly.
  • Be aware: Unlike ETFs and index funds, shares don't charge a fee for 'management' and 'administration'. They may also pay dividends from their profits, to which you'll receive this in your bank account. With an ETF or index fund, dividend payments are re-invested and buy more shares in the companies they invest in.
  • Picking a share to invest in can involve a lot of research - will it be profitable, will it grow, and will the share price rise? ETFs and index funds are, by comparison, much more straightforward.

Step Three: Sign up to an investing platform

To be able to invest in shares you'll need to sign up to an appropriate investment platform. The best option for you is the one which gives you the shares, funds and ETFs you want to invest in. We're big fans of the following:
There are also alternatives:
  • Kernel (index funds with a New Zealand and global-focus)
  • ASB Securities (offering ETFs and shares, New Zealand and overseas markets, as well as margin lending)
  • Jarden Direct (offering ETFs and shares, New Zealand and overseas markets)

Step Four: Set an investing budget

  • Anyone new to investing in the share market usually has two questions – how much money do I need, and how much should I invest?
  • Most shares on the New Zealand share market are priced at less than $25, and platforms like Sharesies allow you to purchase a fraction of one share. For example, 10% of an Air New Zealand share would cost around 30 cents.
  • When considering how much money to invest in shares, how much money you can invest depends on what you can afford. Generally, if you can save a set amount of your income every month and direct it to investing, you'll have regular money to invest.
  • Popular journalists like the Barefoot Investor suggest having around 75% or 80% in index share funds, and 20% or 25% in assets like bank deposits and term investments. This assumes you're young and looking to make long-term returns.
  • If you are looking to buy individual shares, it is sensible to limit your investments because this is risky. The general belief by financial experts is to allocate no greater than 10% of your total investments in individual shares.

Step Five: Understand what's involved when buying individual shares (and why index funds and ETFs are easier)

  • If you want to invest in a specific company, you can buy a set amount of shares to dip your toe in the share market. You’ll need to decide the amount you want to invest - $50, $2,000, more? And then purchase shares at the price you want to pay.
  • If you're going to expand your portfolio and invest in other companies, you simply repeat the same process. Keep in mind that for every time you buy and sell shares, you’ll be charged a ‘brokerage’ fee – usually a percentage of the order value. For example, if your brokerage is 1% and you buy $2,000 worth of shares, you’ll pay $20. 
  • While index funds and ETFs offer diversified investing (and therefore lowering risk), they are unlikely to rise as high as high-performing shares which can double in price over a few months.
  • But, know this: The chances of picking an individual share that will make you wealthy are quite limited, and hence index funds or ETFs are usually a more sensible investment. This is largely how the funds management industry works – no investment manager puts his or her client’s money into the shares of one company. Instead, they diversify it over one country, one sector (i.e. property or technology) and even further beyond that. The aim is to achieve consistent returns while minimising exposure to one company.

Step Six: Start investing

  • Many of the most successful investors have done little more than follow the basics outlined above. In America, the famous investor Warren Buffett has repeatedly said that investing in a low-cost S&P 500 index fund is the best investment most Americans can make. His view on individual share purchases is only to do it if you believe in the company’s potential for long-term growth.
  • Investing should never be speculative, and building a portfolio of low-fee, diverse funds that follow New Zealand and overseas markets is a popular way to invest.
  • If you want to invest in specific companies, then start researching to make sure you know what the company’s prospects are.
  • There are plenty of companies in New Zealand that have listed on the share market and gone bankrupt a few years later. Index funds, championed by the likes of the Barefoot Investor reduce the risk by investing in companies with a proven track record. 

Step Seven: Stay informed - don't bury your head in the sand

The best investor keeps up to date with general movements in the share market. While there's a lot to digest, some really good ways to keep informed include:
​Your free guide on How to Invest in Shares, thanks to Hatch.

How to Invest in Shares - Frequently Asked Questions

Investing doesn't need to be complicated. To help you out we've listed the most commonly asked questions for someone looking to start investing. 

Can I invest if I don’t have much money?

Yes! Investing with a small amount of money can usually mean you can’t diversify and therefore your risk is higher. Thankfully, New Zealand offers some fantastic platforms which have very low minimum investments. Popular and well-regarded options include InvestNow ($250 minimum), Sharesies (no minimum), Hatch (no minimum) and Kernel ($10 per fund minimum). 

The funds offered by these platforms solve the diversification issue, and therefore offer lower risk, because they hold many different shares within a single fund.

Are shares a good investment for beginners?

Yes, but you’ll need to understand upfront that shares are a long-term investment. This means that you’ll need to be comfortable leaving your money for at least five years. Share markets go up and down all the time, but five years is a significant time for any negative returns to be balanced out by positive share market performance.

What are the best share market investments?

We take the view that investing in a low-cost fund, like an index fund or ETF, gives you a huge chunk of the share market in one transaction. For example, if you buy an NZX 50 ETF, it buys shares in the top fifty companies (by valuation) in New Zealand. This means you’re diversified, so should Fisher & Paykel Healthcare and A2 Milk rise, but Z Energy falls, overall your investment returns will be positive in the long term. 

Index funds and ETFs track a benchmark, so if the NZX 50 is up 10% in 2023 and you held an NZX 50-tracking investment, your investment value will also be up 10%. What this means is you won’t beat the market, but you also won’t beat you. 

History has proven that share traders who pick individual shares (instead of buying index funds) rarely grow their wealth as much as index fund investors over the long term. This comes from the belief is that no share trader, no matter their skill and size, can outperform the gains of a share market.

Is it possible to build a ‘diversified’ portfolio from buying individual shares?

​Yes – but doing so is time-consuming and often expensive by way of brokerage fees. You’ll need to research countless companies and make a decision about whether or not to invest. You’ll need to follow the market overall, looking for undervalued opportunities. And you’ll need to make a lot of decisions – when to buy, when to sell etc.
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For the reasons stated, an index fund or ETF follow the market, and if a company underperforms, its share price will drop, and the index fund or ETF will sell down its holding. This means the investment will hold more ‘performing’ shares and minimise the ‘underperforming’ shares, without you having to decide to buy or sell.

How do I choose where to invest money?

There are two critical questions - how long do you want to invest for, and how much do you want to risk? If you’re looking to invest for less than five years, shares are not suitable given the risk of losing money in a relatively short space of time. A better alternative would be investing in term deposits or bank call accounts. This way, the money you invest will be protected, earn interest and be there when you need it.

If you’re investing for your retirement, most KiwiSaver schemes and investment managers will suggest you invest the majority of your money in the share market. This is because the share market is historically proven to provide the best long-term returns. Anyone investing on their own is likely to follow this approach.

​In terms of risk, the share market goes up and down. Between 2014 and 2019 the NZX 50 index doubled from around 5,500 to 11,000, meaning anyone investing over that period would have doubled their money. However, past performance is no indication of future returns, and share markets can quickly drop 10%, 20% or even more if there is a market event.

What shares should I invest in?

​While we don’t offer financial advice, and we can’t publish recommendations of any particular companies, diversification is arguably the best way to invest. This includes buying shares through an index fund or ETF – for example, an NZX50 fund that holds all the shares in the NZX 50. You can buy into one fund or a number of funds to give greater diversity.

If you’re determined to pick shares one by one, you’ll unlikely see consistent profits unless you’re an experienced investor. If you want to test your share trading skills, many financial journalists suggest allocating 10% (or less) of your investment portfolio to individual shares will protect you from shares which don’t deliver.
  • To find out which shares have performed well recently, visit Trading View’s NZX Best Performers (click on ‘Performance’) to see which shares have risen the most in the last six months.
  • Remember – past performance (i.e. increases in a share price) is no guarantee of future returns.

Is share trading for beginners?

​We believe shares are an excellent investment for beginners, but ‘trading’ is usually not appropriate for anyone who isn’t experienced. Buying and holding shares in well-respected companies, exchange-traded funds like Smartshares and/or investment funds like Simplicity Investments is likely to deliver the best returns in the long run.

Share trading, on the other hand, is something that requires complete dedication and ongoing research. Share traders regularly buy shares they see as undervalued and hold them to sell them at a profit later. They actively research the market looking for opportunities.

Know this first
  • The goal of share market investing is, for most people, to buy low and sell high.
  • Picking one share to do this is high risk, while investment diversification is a proven way to achieve positive returns.
  • History has proven that a portfolio of shares in several companies held for the long term is one of the best ways to invest.
​Your free guide on How to Invest in Shares, thanks to Hatch.
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