Q: What made you decide to play the Sharemarket Game?
I found out about it when my kids started playing the Game at school. We had been investing in shares or managed funds, and I wanted to know more about them. When I saw the Sharemarket Game I thought it was good because of the tools it gives you, like charts, to research companies and I became interested.
Q: What research did you do into the shares that you bought?
I Googled the company to find out more about them – like what areas they are spending in or how relevant their business is at the moment. One thing I realised is if you want to win the Game, you need to follow the market closely and try to work out what companies are important during the months of the game.
Q: Did you use any of the tools on the ASX Sharemarket Game platform?
I really like the charting tools and using the watch list. I normally turn this information into a spreadsheet so that I can see that the trends and how these stock have been performing.
Q: What was your overall strategy for the game?
I tried to pay attention to the news, and invest in areas that appeared to be doing well. So obviously, shares in tourism are not doing so well right now. I focused on shares in medical companies – say those producing vaccines, because I thought they were probably doing well at the moment. I chose four companies to invest in and tried to stick with them.
Q: Did you persevere with your strategy or change it as the Game progressed?
I tried to stick to it, but then work got demanding for a few weeks and I didn't pay as much attention. And when I came back to the Game I had lost my position. I tried to regain it but it was really too late. That’s when I realised the importance of paying close attention in the Game, because it’s a very short term timeframe for investing.
Q: Did you decide to invest in ETFs?
Not yet, I’m studying them – I think it’s important to research them first. But maybe I’ll invest in them in a later Game.
Q: What lessons do you think you'll take from the game into real life investment?
In real life, again, instead of leaving my investments hoping they'll eventually go well, I will probably review them regularly – say every six months or a year. I also learned the importance of not panicking because that’s when you make the worst decisions. I was number one for a while and then I thought – “It’s not great to be number one because you can only go down!” I started to panic and you have to overcome that. Because to be honest, if I hadn’t touched my shares, I probably would have ended up doing better.
Q: Our research shows that men still outnumber women as investors. What would encourage more women to invest, in your opinion?
Helping women realise that our financial welfare is up to us. We need to be proactive. Even if we work with financial professionals, we need to know what they’re talking about, what fees they are charging, and what it will cost if we sell our shares within one year and have to pay capital gains tax – things like that.
