04 October 2021

FMA investor profile - Sonya Gupthan

To celebrate World Investor Week we have a very special Investor Profile. Meet Sonya Gupthan, one of the stars and co-host of the hit Girls that Invest podcast. What are her investing secrets?

Girls that Invest – just how does a global podcast star invest her own money? ust how does a global podcast star invest her own money?

Sonya Gupthan, Girls that Invest - just how does a global podcast star invest her own money?

Sonya Gupthan, 24 is one of the co-hosts of the hugely popular Girls That Invest podcast, along with her best friend Simran Kaur.  Described as the world’s largest investing education podcast for women, it was founded in 2020 as a “one-stop-shop for millennials and Gen Z girls who want to invest but don’t know where to begin or don’t feel like it’s for them.”

They’ve quickly amassed 50,000 followers with their smart and sassy investing content.

“Our mission is simple, we’re two women of colour in our mid-20s who want to make investing seem less daunting to women around the world. We don’t tell women what to invest in, we just simplify what the stock market even is, how to tell the difference between an ETF and an Index Fund and overall show that investing should be and can be for women and marginalised groups.”

Sonya says the best investing advice she ever got came from the great investing guru Warren Buffet, who famously once said “Never invest in a business you cannot understand”.  

“I do take research seriously … it's gotten to a point where I'm excited to do the research and make somewhat calculated risks,” the customer services team leader says.

Sonya currently has her money in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), some individual company shares and KiwiSaver, which she tops up with monthly auto-investments.  It’s been pretty much a one-way street with Sonya’s investing so far, as she’s not planning on spending her gains until she’s well into her 30’s.

“I have my emergency fund I can pull from if I am strapped for cash and need it. I will use my KiwiSaver when I buy my first home though!”

When it comes to deciding what to invest in, Sonya’s a big fan of Yahoo Finance. “Not only does it have stock performances broken down the past quarter/yearly, research into the companies you're interested in is that much easier because the info is right there! “

“Other than that, it's talking to other investing friends and a bit of social media talk that has gotten me to look into stocks I wouldn't have thought about. *ahem, GameStop.* Didn't go there though ;)”

 “I'm in it for the long run. I am truly a ‘buy & hold gal’, and I don't enjoy the idea of checking my investments at 4am every morning to see if they're doing well - and then making strong emotionally charged decisions.

Instead, I set time apart every quarter to review my finances, including my auto-investments to decide if anything needs to be changed.”

“I think I set myself up quite well before I jumped into investing by ensuring I had an emergency fund set up and ready to go if something comes up.  And there's always a risk when you take a step into the investing world. One way I protect myself is simply by accepting that fact, which makes me feel more in control. “

Her investing philosophy is captured well by a fellow financial influencer Kendall from @babeonabudgetblog

"I invest because I'm lazy and don't want to work forever. That's it."

“It's so wonderfully simple and playful and aligned with my truth of the why behind my financial freedom journey that it's stuck for me.”

*The views and opinions expressed above are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views or official position of the FMA.

Useful links

Podcast:

Girls that Invest Podcast on Apple

Girls that Invest Podcast on Spotify

Girls that Invest Instagram

Other investor profiles:

Carla Fasher

Sev Ozan

Jane Wrightson

Riki Manarangi

Zac W

Cathy Elloso

Lachlan Wallace

Bradie Claydon

David Chadwick

Sarah Kelsey

Jeanette Miller

Carren Stuart

Rory Lynch

Eseta Leau

Dillon Balasingham

Mikayla Pakinga-Lawson

Reverend Scott Malcolm

Imogen O’Neill

Te Kahukura Boynton