Get Started Snapshot
Name & Nickname: Lucy ‘is it EFTs or ETFs?’ Stewart
Age: 25
Hometown & current home: Melbourne & Melbourne
Profession: Business Manager at Howatson+Company
Favourite book: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Favourite money-saving hack: I am still yet to figure out how to actually sell my ETFs and withdraw the money! There have been times on the weekend or on holiday when I have needed a few extra bucks and haven’t been able to access it so that’s probably saved me a bit of money.
Most extravagant purchase: I bought a Red Kitchen-Aid (called Scarlett) when I was 12 to fuel my cooking obsession. And I’m happy to report she’s still going strong.

What was your relationship with money like growing up?

I didn't grow up being super conscious of the real value of money. I knew it was something needed to buy things, but that was probably the extent of my interest.

I was pretty obsessed with arts and crafts growing up and for a few birthdays I even asked for packets of band-aids for my latest creation, so I knew money was important for me to get some new band-aids every year!

I was so into my arts and crafts that one day when I was about 4 years old I ended up swiping a $50 note from my Dad's wallet. It wasn't because I wanted the money to buy anything in particular, it was purely because I loved the colour of the yellow $50 note and thought it would look great cut up into little pieces for my next project.

Unfortunately Dad didn't have the same vision as me and marched me down to the Chapel Street Commonwealth Bank branch to explain to the cashier what I had done. And believe it or not, they actually replaced the note, which was very kind of them!

What was your first job? (And how much did you get paid?)

My first job was in Year 9, working at Seed, the retail store, on Friday nights during the late-night shopping period. I think I got paid around $12 an hour, which was okay at the time, but on Sundays when I picked up a shift I would get $24, and on public holidays even more. That certainly afforded me all the band-aids I could ever need!

How did you first come across investing?

Growing up, my grandma used to put aside a certain amount of money per week for each of her grandchildren. Mum and Dad wisely bought some Macquarie and Westpac shares with the money on my behalf, which I'm now very grateful for. So that was sort of my first introduction to the world of investing without even knowing it.

I also have a brother who recently started working at Equity Mates and sort of acts as my pseudo financial advisor from time to time. So whenever he's back in Melbourne, he checks in on my ETFs to make sure I'm still regularly putting money in the market.

Was there a memorable early investment?

The Westpac shares, even though I didn't make the initial investment myself, have been pretty impactful in helping me understand the power of compound interest and time in the market. For a long time it was just money that I wasn't able to touch and it was supposed to be for a rainy day.

That rainy day came in 2024, when I spent a semester on exchange in Dublin. I wasn't sure how much money I had in the Westpac shares, but ended up discovering that due to the power of compound interest and reinvested dividends, it was more than enough for me to continue exploring the rest of Europe and shouting a few more rounds of Guinness for my friends. Which has certainly sparked my interest to continue investing!

How are you currently investing and can you provide a breakdown of your portfolio?

Every month I try to invest in the market. I like to have $2,000 in my bank account as a buffer at all times. When I get paid, I top back up to that $2k buffer and put the rest into the four ETFs I'm invested in.

I currently put an equal amount each month into each ETF, and I'm just leaving the Macquarie and Westpac shares to hopefully grow on their own over time!

Where do you see investing taking you?

Quite a long way hopefully. I've always dreamt of buying my own house one day, which has always felt so far in the future. It's now quite funny as I spend a lot of time going back and forth with ChatGPT about whether it's better for me financially to continue investing in ETFs or to think about buying a small property somewhere. In every scenario, ETFs seem to be the right option for me and my current lifestyle.

It's low effort, there’s no stress about paying a mortgage, strata fees, or finding tenants. Hopefully I will one day be able to live the Australian dream and own my own home, but for now building wealth through ETFs is the best option for me.

What is one super extravagant and outlandish purchase that you hope investing will be able to buy you in the future?

I've always wanted to live in New York, so I think a modest three-bedroom Manhattan penthouse on the Upper West Side would be lovely.

Just something lowkey where friends and family can stay every once in a while. That's not too much to ask from my ETFs, surely!

If you only had 25 words or less to convince someone to invest, what would you say?

I've been calling ETFs "EFTs" for 12 months and I've still managed to get invested. So I'm sure you can too.

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Today on Get Started Investing Jess sit’s down with Head of Product at Betashares Direct, Matt Fish. Together they walk though her checklist one by one to see how Betashares Directs stacks up when choosing a broker. Plus Jess asks all the questions probably also running through your head when using a brokerage app for the first time.

If you’ve been delaying investing or have someone in your life who wants to, this is the sign to start and go on the journey with Jess. (Spotify | Apple)

Investing jargon shouldn’t stop you getting started

Lucy's nickname in this story says it all, she spent 12 months calling ETFs "EFTs" and still managed to build a portfolio. And she's not alone. (Spotify | Apple | YouTube)

Jargon is one of the biggest barriers stopping everyday people from investing. Bryce and Ren have had an official anti-jargon stance on this since the early days of the show.

Ren: The concepts we're talking about, investing in good companies that make money and holding them for a long period of time, they aren't complicated. But the industry has an incentive to make it complicated because it creates reliance on the experts.

The good news? You don't need to understand everything before you start.

Bryce: Don't feel like you need to understand a balance sheet and income statement from the get go. It takes a long time to get a grip of these sorts of things. Don't let it stop you.

If you do come across a term you don't recognise, the process is simple. Google it first. Investopedia breaks most terms down in plain English. And if you're still stuck, the Equity Mates Discussion Group on Facebook is full of people in the same boat who are happy to help.

The principle is simple: not knowing every term is not a reason to delay. Lucy called them EFTs for a year. Her portfolio didn't care.