Meet Caitlin Lawrence
My name is Caitlin Lawrence. I am a 25-year-old female from Sydney with a dual degree in Mechatronics and Biomedical Engineering. I currently work at Deloitte Australia in Technology Strategy & Transformation Consulting.
I’m passionate about working collaboratively with clients to deliver impactful solutions to meet business needs through a detail-oriented, human-centred approach.
My fiancé Cameron and I have a beautiful ruby toy cavoodle called Echo.
Why Stockspot is perfect for my investment portfolio
I have been an investor in the sharemarket for about 2 years. Prior to this, I had traditionally always saved my money in a bank. I had been thinking that was the normal thing to do.
Starting full-time work (in March 2020) meant it was the first time I had a salary and a continuous income. This made me realise that I needed to be smarter in terms of management and investment. My issue was that I did not know enough about the sharemarket and share trading. I felt intimidated and out of my depth.
My partner, Cameron, told me about Stockspot, and I honestly thought it was the perfect introduction and stepping stone into investing. There was no pressure or effort that I needed to put in to get involved. That made me feel comfortable and confident that it was the right step for the start of my financial life journey.
The sign-up process was also incredibly seamless and smooth. I really liked that setting up your profile involved answering a series of questions to calculate your risk appetite.
“Stockspot customised the portfolio that recommended to me based on my risk profile and it has a range of investments, from government bonds to international shares.
What appealed to me about Stockspot
Stockspot’s passive, effortless investing strategy was appealing to me as I had just started full-time work. I didn’t think I had enough time to fully work out the ins and outs of the sharemarket and how to invest smartly.
I had been wanting to get involved but was scared of taking the plunge. Initially I had thought it was too difficult and time consuming. Stockspot customised the portfolio that recommended to me based on my risk profile. They had a range of investments, from government bonds to international shares.
I felt like the diversification with low fees was something I was liking and wanting to be part of.
My goal is financial freedom for my family!
My Stockspot portfolio allocation is diversified. It is based on my risk profile and comfort. Based on my Stockspot investments, I have exposure to equities, fixed income, and cash equivalents.
My goal is financial freedom for my family! I want to be able to ideally not have to work for a salary income. Ultimately, I want to be able to retire comfortably. I do not want to worry about money, say from rental returns and share dividends.
Cameron and I are focusing on building and growing our financial future together. Given we are young, we are more comfortable with risk.
Not all risk is the same
An important thing I have learnt is that other people you talk to about investing will always have a different risk profile. So, it’s always best to listen and take on their advice and guidance. However, make sure you look at the information from your own lens. See how applicable and relevant it is to you. Take into account your current stage of life, career and investing journey!
My advice to people considering investing
Having financial literacy and independence is unbelievably important regardless of your age or gender.
I have learnt and become more comfortable with my risk appetite and knowing how much I am willing to lose if an investment goes south.
Having open and clear conversations with Cameron has allowed me to find out about the latest technology trend from his own research or for something I found that day to help his investing strategy.
My view is that the long-term gains will outweigh any short-term losses that I may encounter. I’m investing for the long run, so I don’t look at the daily share price changes and fluctuations.
There is no right time to start investing
If you haven’t started your investing journey, then do it now – there is no right time to start, and you cannot time the market.
Starting sooner with small amounts and building up will always work out better in the long run (take advantage of compound growth!)
It’s important to always do your due diligence and research. Carefully assess your risk appetite before making any investment decisions. Once you have made those decisions, have confidence that in the long run, you will see a return!
