Mark Lister Photo/File
Mark Lister doesn't mind shattering a few myths around investment and the first of them is that you don't have to be wealthy to do it.
Secondly - and equally as important - we need to be far more financially savvy and get into the investment habit.
Mr Lister is head of research for Craigs Investment Partners and was in Wanganui as part of a countrywide roadshow the company does every second year. Wanganui was stop six of 30 he will make in about two months.
"It's about giving investors, businesses and others an update of how we see the world, what's troubling us or exciting us, and give them a chance to ask us questions about what we're doing with their money and why," he said.
He said interest in the roadshow was much higher this year and he puts that down to stronger activity on the NZ sharemarket.
"The market was up 17 per cent last year, and the year before it was up 24 per cent, so people are seeing some positivity out there and the Kiwi economy is going very well."
He said there was also impetus coming from KiwiSaver.
"Whether people like it or not, the money they are putting into that savings scheme is being invested on the sharemarket, so everyone owns shares whether they know it or not.
"But more importantly, this shows that investing isn't the domain of the wealthy any more. If you are in a KiwiSaver scheme you're an investor, so you should be taking an interest."
Mr Lister said this was also being reflected in the growing numbers of younger people turning up to his forums.
"Five to 10 years ago, our meetings would have been dominated by retirees who have got their life savings with us, but now you get more working age people in their 20s and 30s coming along," he said.
Key messages delivered this year were that the economy was getting better and was past the worse of the recession that followed the global financial crisis.
"It will be a long path to drag ourselves clear of all those world problems but we're certainly on the improve."
Housing was strong in some parts of the country, unemployment was generally falling and the country was doing well in the export sector on the back of farming. But he acknowledged that the recovery was "a little patchy".
"Go to Auckland and it's full steam ahead, with strong employment and wage growth. The same in Christchurch. Then go to Gisborne or Whangarei and things are a little more sombre. The recovery hasn't reached those places yet, but it will," Mr Lister said.
Other topics talked about at the roadshow were interest rates, the upcoming election and the likely impact of that result.
He said any message about investment needed to emphasise that people need to be in it for the "long haul".
"We [Craigs] are generally a conservative investment house and consider ourselves to be sensible long-term investors. We're not traders and certainly not big risk-takers. That probably reflects the majority of our investment base, people who are retired and live off their investments," he said.
He said they looked for good quality companies that provided consistent returns for investors.
"It might appear somewhat boring but it works for us and it's the way we've worked over the decades.
More importantly, it was a policy that let the company ride out the cyclical nature of the sharemarket.
"If you're not comfortable living with those ups and downs, then you probably should look to putting your money in the bank. But the price of having it in the bank is a low rate of return.
"Investing in businesses or property, then over the long term you absolutely generate much better returns. But you must be prepared to sit through the ups and downs along the way.
"The ones who come unstuck are the ones who get frightened by short-term movements of share values."
Mr Lister said the perception may be that people would need a decent wad of cash before going to his company but that was not the case any more.
Kiwis generally could do with a decent boost of "financial literacy".
"We don't teach it in schools and previous generations have not been very sharp with money and haven't passed on good savings habits."