I've always kept a significant portion of my net worth in a savings account. I have always felt that the money kept me 'safe' from going in to debt. It made me feel like no matter what happens, it will all be okay because I will be able to pay for the issue.
Whilst this is all true, it's also an ineffective way to building wealth. The best growth to your portfolio occurs through compound interest which will not be happening in a savings account earning less interest than the rate of inflation.
So, I have made the decision to invest more and keep less in savings.
Kiwi Saver:
As of today I have $6,625.00 in my Kiwi Saver account. This money is made up of voluntary contributions, employer contributions and employee contributions. My initial goal was to have $4,000 in this account by the end of 2022, but I have met and surpassed this. My new goal is to achieve $10,000 in my Kiwi Saver Account by the end of this year. I am hoping that now that I am 18 the government contributions will help me achieve this goal.
Kiwi Saver: $6,625.00
Term Deposits:
Currently, interest rates are shit. Due to Covid, for a 90 day term deposit I am only reaping 0.25% which is far less than inflation. But, because my money is not large enough to invest in something with a higher ROI, I will leave it in there for the time being. Currently I have $5,500 in my term deposits, and some returns from the term deposits are expected to be released within the next month.
Term Deposits: $5,500
Sharesies:
I have only recently started investing in sharesies with small amounts of money here and there. I currently have $3,037.00 in my account with a return of -1.94%. I'm investing for the long term and so the return rate doesn't phase me. The market has never had a crash that it did not recover from.
Dollar cost averaging is the best method that works for me.
Sharesies: $3,037.00
Sharesies: $3,037.00
Kiwi Saver: $6,625.00
Term Deposits: $5,500
Total: $15,162
My savings/ investments total $15,162.00 .This is a drastic increase from the start of this year, see my first financial update of this year. I hope to significantly increase this over the year so that I am closer to my goal of purchasing a house in my 20's.
Debt:
Due to studying full time, my income is low and debt is increasing. My Student Loan is currently at $12,286.00. This is a significant increase from my last financial update and the reason for this is the course fees of 2022. They were recently added to my loan hence the rapid increase. I am aiming to not increase this significantly and aim to keep my living costs low and not fall in to a habit of lifestyle inflation. My loan should not be increasing until next year.
Student loans are interest free. This is why I'm happy to invest my loan!! I can explain this a bit more in another post if anyone is interested.
So, my realized net worth is:
Savings / Investments: $15,162.00
Debt: 12,286.00
Realized: $2,876.00