03 October 2022

World Investor Week 2022

Good investing is long-term investing

Having a plan in place (and sticking to it) means you’re more likely to have good investing outcomes.

It’s easy to get discouraged during periods of market volatility but there are advantages to keep going. Share markets go up and down (which is a normal part of investing) but history shows that they trend upwards over the long term.

If you are well diversified, take a long-term approach to share investing and understand your own risk appetite, you’ll likely come out on top.

There’s another reason why staying in the game can be a good idea. By maintaining your regular contributions (also known as drip-feeding or dollar-cost averaging), you are buying cheaper when the market has dipped and will have more units to benefit from when the market recovers. Many financial experts see market dips as an opportunity to “buy shares on sale.”

More about investing during periods of volatility

Having an investing plan is a good idea – but easier said than done, right? Here’s some tips to help you develop a personalised investing plan to help you reach your goals. You may also like to talk to your investment provider or a licensed financial advice provider to help you.

Getting investment advice

Before you start planning, consider if you have the financial basics covered:

Do you have a budget, and is there extra money you can set aside each pay period for investing? Sorted.org have many helpful budgeting resources.
Do you have a cash emergency fund on hand in case of any unexpected expenses?
Is your insurance sorted?
Have you learned about the basics of investing such as the power of compound interest, the importance of staying in the game, your investing horizon and why regular contributions are so important?
Is your KiwiSaver sorted? Remember, KiwiSaver is a form of investing.

Remember the 5-D's of DIY investing

Do your due diligence
Drip feed your investments
Diversify your portfolio
Don't freak out if markets go down
If in doubt, talk to a financial adviser

Creating your plan

Once you’ve thought through the financial basics, it’s time to start planning. What are you investing for? Is it to buy something big, like a house, (building up your deposit), an overseas trip, a boat, or something else?

Or it could be that you’re investing to create a passive income and to give yourself more financial freedom. Or to have more lifestyle options once you’re retired (or to retire early)? Once you’ve identified your goal, you can then think about your time horizon. If you’re investing in shares, the usual recommended timeframe is 10 years or more.

Consider your risk profile – higher growth funds or shares can give the best returns, but your balance will move around a bit more – so you could have gains or losses, depending on what the market is doing that day. Low-risk investments can provide more certainty, but generally offer lower returns. For more detail on creating an investing plan, see our investing plan checklist.

Download our investing plan checklist

Get involved

Want to support World Investor Week 2022? You can get involved by sharing the FMA’s content or creating your own during the week of 3-9 October. Let us know what you’re planning by emailing us at [email protected].

Download your free resources

You can also share our videos

Video 1: World Investor Week 2022
Video 2: Investing? Results are better when you stick with the plan
Video 3: Good investing is long-term investing

Use our hashtags: #WorldInvestorWeek #WorldInvestorWeek2022 #WIW2022

About World Investor Week

World Investor Week is a global campaign to raise awareness of investor education and protection, promoted by the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and hosted in New Zealand by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA).

The New Zealand theme for World Investor Week 2022 is “Good investing is long-term investing” which aims to support investor resilience and encourage people to keep going even during a market downturn.

Useful links:

IOSCO World Investor Week
Learn more about investing basics
Download the 'Introductory guide to investing' by Mary Holm.

Back to the World Investor Week landing page