How the sharemarket can be used to create financial freedom

BusinessDesk Investments Editor·NZ Herald·

7 Apr, 2024 05:00 PM2 mins to read

The sharemarket can be a more accessible way to grow your money. Photo / Getty Images

Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald’s Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it’s a live event where three women share their experiences of investing in the sharemarket. Hosted by Frances Cook.

Money itself isn’t important, but it can impact everything that is.

It’s a saying that’s been rattling around my head since we did a series of live events around the country, as part of the Cooking the Books podcast.

I already knew why money was important to me. To me it’s freedom, the freedom to leave any situation that isn’t working for me anymore, whether that’s work, relationship, or living situation.

It’s also the ability to take care of those I care about. To have good quality food in the house, to encourage new interests from my son even if there’s a cost, to treat my friends on their birthday.

A fat bank account isn’t that interesting. But freedom is, and freedom often takes money.

While the high cost of living and a soaring housing market has left many feeling squeezed, I still see the sharemarket as an area that’s more open to people creating this type of freedom for themselves.

There’s the ability to start with whatever money you have at the moment, whether that’s $1, or $100.

Then money goes to work, creating more stability than just relying on a job, and earning more than a bank account does.

For the latest episode of the podcast, three women who’ve been there, done that, shared their stories of creating their own financial freedom through the sharemarket.

For the episode, listen to the podcast here.

• If you have a question about this podcast or a question you’d like answered in the next one, come and talk to me about it. I’m on Facebook here, Instagram here, and Twitter here.

• Listen to the full interview on the Cooking the Books podcast. You can subscribe on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.