Sharesies Review

Summary of Sharesies

• The Wellington-based platform offers investment into over 136 NZX-listed companies, 36 NZX ETFs, 8 Managed Funds (unlisted), 1852 ASX-listed companies, 228 ASX-ETFs, 2200+US-listed companies and 770+ US ETFs.
• There is no minimum investment size—you can invest from as little as 1c into any fund or NZX-listed company. Investors manage their portfolio via the Sharesies website and/or the app. As of April 2021, there is also no membership or annual user fee (previously this was up to $30/year).
• The funds available are offered by Pathfinder Asset Management (an ethical fund manager), AMP Capital, and Smartshares.
• The transaction fees for NZX-listed companies are low, and because Sharesies offers fractionalised shares, investors can invest as little as 1 cent in any share or fund. This means you can buy 1 cent of an A2 Milk share or Air New Zealand share. In practice, an investor could purchase a fraction of every share on the NZX for less than $2 (including transaction fees), signalling just how cost-effective the transaction costs are.
• US Shares: In late August 2020, Sharesies launched its US shares platform. Sharesies members now have access to an additional 3,000+ companies and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) across the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Nasdaq, and Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE). Transaction fees are simple: 0.5% for orders up to $3,000 USD, plus 0.1% for amounts above $3,000 USD. There is also an exchange fee of 0.4% between NZD and USD. Our Sharesies vs Hatch vs Stake Guide outlines the offering in detail, and how it compares to alternative platforms. 
• Australian Shares: In April 2021, Sharesies launched its ASX shares platform, giving Sharesies members access to 2,000+ Australian shares and ETFs. Like US shares, transaction fees are simple: 0.5% for orders up to $3,000 AUD, plus 0.1% for amounts above $3,000 AUD. There is also an exchange fee of 0.4% between NZD and AUD.
• Sharesies has an auto-invest feature that lets you set-and-forget investments into a Global, Responsible, or DIY order. There’s also an order suited to kids, only available via Kids Accounts.
• From the perspective of user experience, Sharesies goes beyond all expectations and delivers a friendly platform that is rich in design while making investments easy. 

​Sharesies' Background
Sharesies is New Zealand's first low-fee online share investing platform. Their mission is to "create the most financially empowered generation" with a vision "give someone with $5 the same money opportunities as someone with $5,000,000". To achieve this, it now offers anybody the opportunity to invest in the NZ, Australian and US sharemarket for as little as 1 cent, through the ability to buy fractions of shares. Its customers have formed Facebook groups, appeared on adverts and in three years around 1.3 billion dollars has been invested. While its origins were focused on New Zealand focused, it has expanded and now offers over 5,000 investments across NZ, AU and US markets.

Our Review
In this guide, we outline what Sharesies is, what funds and shares they offer to the Kiwi investor, the pros and cons of Sharesies, and the fees. We cover:

• The Specs of Sharesies
• What Funds Does Sharesies Offer, and What Do They Invest In?
• Who is Sharesies Suited to?
• The Competition – Sharesies vs InvestNow, SmartShares, Simplicity and More
• The Bottom Line, Limitations and Alternatives
• 8 Things to Know About Sharesies
• Our Conclusion

 
Disclaimer: MoneyHub is not a Financial Adviser, and this guide has been published to explain the investment fundamentals and outline the pros and cons of Sharesies as an investment platform.

Warning: "Investor" Facebook Groups, Instagram Influencers and Whatsapp Groups

• Media reports have cited the existence of Facebook groups which discuss companies to invest in. The "advice" given is, most likely, not sufficiently reasoned to constitute any form of financial advice. We ask potential investors to be careful of following "tips" and "exclusive insights" etc that suggest investing in a particular share.
• Our view is that you should never invest in something just because you read it on Sharesies-related (or unrelated) social media communities. As this article states - "trading data seen by Stuff shows that Sharesies investors make up a disproportionately high percentage of trades in small-cap stocks, and they've lost a lot of money in the process".
• We believe that while most Sharesies members invest in robust companies, MoneyHub is aware of the existence of speculative behaviour and has also been quoted in Stuff.co.nz regarding unproven, small-cap investments.
• Please be very careful - investing in unknown companies and losing money is emotional and gives the opposite experience that long-term investing offers. If you are unsure what to invest in, our guide to investments you can own forever has must-know information.

New: Want to compare Sharesies with Hatch and Stake for US Shares? Visit our Sharesies vs Hatch vs Stake Guide

For the purposes of this review, we primarily cover the New Zealand-orientated shares and funds - our guide to Sharesies vs Hatch vs Stake will help anyone wanting to invest in US shares

• ​Shares and ETFs on Offer: Any of the 170+ NZX-listed companies, for example Spark, Auckland Airport, The Warehouse, A2 Milk etc. In addition to this, there are thousands of US-listed shares and ETFs (our comparison of Sharesies with Hatch and Stake is outlined here), as well as Australian shares and ETFs.
• Managed Funds: Outside of the shares and ETFs, there are a number of New Zealand managed funds available.
• Portfolio Management: Sharesies offers a member-login via website and phone app for day-to-day investing and portfolio management. Investors, with either tool, can continuously track their investments. 

The fees are as follows: 

• ​New Zealand Share purchases brokerage fees - When you buy and sell shares in companies, you’ll be charged a transaction fee based on the dollar amount of each order—these are also known as ‘brokerage fees’. Currently, the brokerage fees are as follows - 0.5% for orders up to $3,000, and 0.1% for amounts over $3,000. This means if you purchase $500 in shares in one company, you'll pay $2.50 in brokerage fees. If you sell the shares later, you'll pay 0.50% of the transaction value as a brokerage fee.
• US Share purchases brokerage fees: In keeping with the New Zealand share brokerage fees, Sharesies charges 0.5% for orders up to $3,000 USD, plus 0.1% for amounts above $3,000 USD. All US brokerage fees are charged in USD. Our Sharesies vs Hatch vs Stake Guide compares the options in detail.
• Australian Share purchases brokerage fees: 0.5% for orders up to $3,000 AUD, plus 0.1% for amounts above $3,000 AUD. There is also an exchange fee of 0.4% between NZD and AUD.

Investment Products include:

• Cash (i.e. bank deposits in New Zealand banks)
• New Zealand Fixed Income (i.e. investments in government bonds or company debt)
• New Zealand Shares (i.e. shares in Spark, Fletcher Building and Air New Zealand) and ETFs
• Australian Shares and ETFs
• US Shares and ETFs
• International Fixed Income bonds and deposits (via index funds)
• International Shares (via index funds, or purchasing US shares directly)
• Note: Investors can gain exposure to a range of asset classes such as Cash, Commodities, Real estate, Fixed Income through investment in managed funds and/or ETFs.

 
If I buy into Sharesies, am I buying a share on the sharemarket?
The answer to this is yes. You can either buy a share (or a fraction of a share) directly, or a fund. The funds Sharesies offers invest in shares. Your investment in Sharesies is as diversified as the number of companies included in the fund. 
​
Risk

• The 35+ funds each offer a unique investment strategy. Some are low risk, some a medium risk and some are high risk. The returns/profit you make don’t necessarily depend on the risk you take. 
• All international Sharesies funds are 100% hedged to the New Zealand dollar. This means that if our dollar rises against any overseas currency your Sharesies has investments in, the value of the overseas investment does not reduce due to the hedging in place. This eliminates exchange rate movement as an investment risk, so your overseas portfolio won’t be affected by the day-to-day movements of the Kiwi dollar.

How does Sharesies compare with other options?

• Read our Comparing Sharesies vs Investnow vs Managed Funds and more guide to find out more about popular investment options. ​
• Want to compare Sharesies with Hatch and Stake for US Shares? Visit our Sharesies vs Hatch vs Stake Guide
• Worried about what happens to your investments if Sharesies collapsed or shut down? Our easy to read custodian guide explains what you need to know. 
• Want to know how to trade or invest in the NZX? Our NZX in a Nutshell guide explains what you need to know.
• Want to compare ETFs with shares? Our dedicated ETFs vs Shares guide has you covered.
• Want to know about ethical investing and the opportunities available? Our ethical investing guide has you covered.

There are 25+ funds in total, outlined below in the categories of:

1. Pie Funds
2. AMP Capital Funds
3. Socially responsible investments (Pathfinder)
4. Exchange-traded funds (Smartshares ETFs)

Some offer low risk, some are medium risk and some are high risk. The returns/profit you make don’t necessarily depend on the risk you take.

Pie Funds
PIE Funds is a boutique investment manager that has generated long-term wealth for clients since 2007. Outside of Sharesies and InvestNow, the minimum investment is $25,000 - Sharesies makes Pie far more accessible. The two funds on offer are:

1. The Australasian Dividend Fund (refer to the latest returns here)
2. The Global Climate Friendly Fund (refer to the latest returns here)

AMP Capital Funds
1. AMP Capital Global Shares (Higher Risk)
Fees: 0.38% per year, and 0.15% when buying or selling
Investment profile: This fund invests in over 2000 companies around the world, including developing and emerging markets. Investments include well-known companies like Facebook, Johnson & Johnson, Samsung, Coca-Cola, Visa and Apple, and excludes Tobacco companies and controversial weapons such as nuclear weapons, cluster bombs and landmines.

2. AMP Capital Responsible NZ Fund (Medium Risk)
Fees: 1% per year, and 0.30% when buying or selling
Investment profile: This fund invests in mostly New Zealand shares, with the aim to outperform the S&P/NZX 50 Index. The fund is managed by Harbour Asset Management Ltd.

Socially responsible investments (Pathfinder)
1. Pathfinder Global Responsibility Fund (Higher risk) 
Fees: 0.93% per year of your investment, and 0.05% when buying or selling
Investment profile: This fund invests in “socially responsible companies around the world”, so excludes companies involved in restricted industries such as gambling, tobacco, controversial weapons and thermal coal. Companies in this index have the highest Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) score.

2. Pathfinder Global Water Fund (Higher risk)
Fees: 1.30% per year of your investment, and 0.05% when buying or selling
Investment profile: This fund Invests in “socially responsible companies around the world” specifically involved in the water industry; water treatment, pipe and pump manufacturing and specialist engineering, but excludes bottled water companies in the water fund.

3. Pathfinder Global Property Fund (Medium Risk)
Fees: 1.00% per year of your investment, and 0.05% when buying or selling
Investment profile: This fund invests in global property companies including traditional office, retail, industrial and residential properties, as well as other property investments like data centres, cell towers and healthcare facilities. 

Want to know more about ethical investing? Read our dedicated guide. 

Exchange-traded funds (Smartshares ETFs)
Most of these are Index Funds (excluding the NZ Bond Fund) which invest in Smartshares. This means that your money is spread out over a number of companies within the fund. Some of the most popular Smartshares ETFs include:
 
1. NZ Top 50 Fund (Higher risk)
Investment profile: This fund invests in the 50 largest companies listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZX), including companies like, Spark, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare and Auckland Airport. The investments are not made equally – the biggest companies in market value get more of your money (i.e. Spark (large) vs Trademe (smaller).
 
2. Australian Top 20 Fund (Higher risk)
Investment profile: This fund invests in the top 20 companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), including shares like ANZ Bank, Qantas, Woolworths, and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
 
3. US 500 Fund (Higher risk)
Investment profile: This fund invests in the top 500 companies in the United States, including shares like Apple, Alphabet, amazon.com, and Facebook.
  
4. NZ Property Fund (Medium risk)
Investment profile: The NZ Property Fund invests in property companies listed on NZX. These are companies which own a lot of commercial, industrial and/or residential property. Examples include Kiwi Properties Group Limited and Argosy Property.
 
5. Australian Resources Fund (Higher risk)
Investment profile: Your investment will be spread across the top 200 companies in the resources sector that are listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). This includes companies in Energy, Metals and Mining sectors.
 
6. Europe Fund (Higher risk)
Investment profile: This fund invests in top sized companies based in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, with more than 1,200 shares held by the fund.
 
7. NZ Mid Cap (Medium risk)
Investment profile: This fund invests in some of New Zealand's top growth companies like Chorus, Air New Zealand, and Comvita. It includes companies in the NZ Top 50 but with the top 10 and dual-listed Australian banks removed.

8. Emerging Markets Fund (Higher risk)
Investment profile: This fund invests in companies based in “emerging” markets around the world, including China, Mexico, Brazil, Taiwan, and South Africa. This fund has high potential for growth, but also high risk - share prices may swing up and down more than that of share prices of companies in developed countries. This fund is really only appropriate for long-term investing goals.
​
9. Global Automation & Robotics Fund (Higher Risk)
Investment profile: This fund invests in over 100 companies worldwide working in the area of automation and robotics, operating in the USA, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, United Kingdom and more. It is managed by BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager.

10. Global Healthcare Innovation Fund (Higher Risk)
Investment profile: This fund invests in over 70 companies around the world that focus on innovating in healthcare services, operating in the USA, South Korea, Japan, Germany, India and more.

How does Sharesies compare with other options?

• Read our Comparing Sharesies vs Investnow vs Hatch and more guide to find out more about popular investment options. 
• Want to compare Sharesies with Hatch and Stake for US Shares? Visit our Sharesies vs Hatch vs Stake Guide
• Worried about what happens to your investments if Sharesies collapsed or shut down? Our easy to read custodian guide explains what you need to know. 
• Want to know how to trade or invest in the NZX? Our NZX in a Nutshell guide explains what you need to know.​

Who is Sharesies Suited to?

• Best For: Anyone looking to start building up an investment portfolio with low costs and easy access. With no minimum investment, members have access to 170+ NZX shares and 35+ managed funds, there is a lot of pick from. Beyond that, there are thousands of opportunities via the Australian and US exchanges.
• While both InvestNow and Smartshares offer a range of funds and/or ETFs, Sharesies is by far the most flexible in terms of investment opportunities. For example, a $1,000 investment can buy $400 of shares in a company you think has growth potential, $400 into a managed global fund and $200 into a sustainable investment fund.
• Most suitable investor: Because of the low transaction fees for NZX-listed share purchases and large number of managed funds available, Sharesies offers something for everyone. While the original target market was under 40 and small-scale investors, the average investment balance is now well over $1,000. Furthermore, the app and website is a step above other platforms like InvestNow and SmartShares, letting you keep close track of individual investment performance.

Standout Features:

1. Flexible investing with no minimum investment, perfect for newbie and experienced investors looking to get into the sharemarket while avoiding brokerage fees on individual trades. 
2. User-friendly website and app for monitoring investment performance.
3. 170+ NZX-listed companies, ETFs and managed funds, with management fees between 0.30-1.30% (charged by the fund manager, not Sharesies).
4. The diverse number of funds means you can focus on particular industry sectors in specific countries, such as Australian property, New Zealand property and global emerging markets.
5. The numerous socially responsible funds will likely appeal to investors looking for ethical investments.
6. Low transaction fees for NZX-listed companies: You pay 0.5% for orders up to $3,000 and then 0.1% for amounts over $3,000. For example, a $4,000 investment would cost $16 in transaction fees. A $200 investment would cost $1. This is significantly cheaper than the share trading options offered by ASB Securities and Direct Broking, and eliminates significant costs when buying shares.

But be aware:

1. Certain funds not marked as “sustainable” may make investments in companies trading in weapons, tobacco, nuclear and other “unethical” business. The US 500 fund is an example of that.
2. ​As is the case with any index fund or equities investments, markets go up and down. The Dotcom bubble in the early 2000s sank global indexes, as did the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. All indexes are now at record highs, but this is no guarantee of future earnings.

Want to compare Sharesies with InvestNow, Hatch and other platforms? Read our Comparing Sharesies vs Investnow vs Hatch and more guide. ​
Want to compare ETFs with shares? Our dedicated ETFs vs Shares guide has you covered.