Meet Patrick

What was your relationship with money like growing up?

I never had a lot of money growing up. My Schoolies was paid for with pocket money I earned cutting pizzas at Domino's, and I remember being pretty gutted about that at the time.

I got into Drama School the year after I finished high school and studied what felt like full-time hours for three years whilst working at a pub and mowing lawns across Brisbane. When I moved to Sydney at 20, I emptied my bank account finding and furnishing my first share house in Leichhardt.

Since then I have juggled many different jobs whilst working my dream job as an actor on stage and screen all over Australia. No matter what position I am in financially, I have always gone straight back to work as soon as I wrap a gig, it has certainly helped smooth out the journey.

In 2023 I started listening to Equity Mates, which completely changed my approach to money and set me on the path to building financial security for my future. That has led to going back to uni to pursue a Master of Finance. I also volunteer on the committee of the Actors Benevolent Fund of NSW, a crisis support fund for performing arts practitioners, and I hope to foster financial literacy within my community and broader industry. I will be an actor forever, but I also want finance to be a big part of my life outside of stints on stage and screen.

To describe my relationship with money now, it would be optimistic and diligent.

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

I landed a lead role in a Singaporean TV show at the age of 11. It was a six-month gig, filming every moment I was not at school, and I got paid peanuts. The kind of peanuts a peanut would eat for a light snack.

How did you first come across investing?

A random Facebook group in 2021 when lithium was sending everyone to the moon.

Was there a memorable early investment?

Core Lithium (ASX:CXO). I rode that rocket to the moon and back and had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I bought and sold somewhere amongst the chaos between 2021 and 2023.

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

This is how my portfolio is currently looking:

Where do you see investing taking you?

That is not so easily defined yet, but investing gives me the foundation to go wherever I want.

My Dad was born and raised in West Sumatra, Indonesia, and his entire family still lives there. Being the eldest of my generation on our Indonesian side of the family, and living the fortunate life I do in Australia, I feel a deep sense of responsibility toward them. Part of my very first money plan was to put aside 3% of my income specifically for them whenever I visit. They are a huge part of why I value a plan and considered thinking with my personal finances.

Through my studies, the goal is to connect that knowledge and passion with my diverse experience working in the arts.

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

A Cartier Tank watch. The day it is 1% of my portfolio, I am treating myself.

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

Go muck around with a compound interest calculator, it is the first thing I show my mates. You will see what is achievable with long-term consistent investing.

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We want to hear your ‘How I Got Started’ stories. Respond to this email if you would like to be featured and we’ll get in touch!

Tomorrow on Get Started Investing

After years of juggling acting gigs and odd jobs, Patrick discovered investing and became fascinated by the idea of building financial security.

Fast forward a few years and he's studying finance at university, helping improve financial literacy in the arts, and using investing to create opportunities not just for himself, but for his family in Indonesia as well. Patrick joined Jess for this week’s How I Got Started story.

Be sure to check out the chat when it drops tomorrow morning! (Spotify | Apple | YouTube)

4 Reasons to Sell a Company

Patrick rode Core Lithium (ASX:CXO) to the moon and back during the lithium boom and didn’t really know when to sell. It is one of the most common stories in investing. Bryce and Ren unpacked their 4 reasons to sell a stock in a previous episode of Equity Mates Investing (Spotify | Apple | YouTube)

1. You were wrong. Your original thesis never held up. The industry thematic failed to play out or the company wasn’t able to achieve what you once thought it might. Joel Greenblatt calls it the no broken thesis rule, if the reason you bought it is gone, you should sell.

2. Your thesis broke. You were right to begin with, but something changed. Ren has a good example of how he sold Novo Nordisk here, he believed in Ozempic's dominance, but Eli Lilly overtook them and the thesis was gone.

3. Opportunity cost. An import question to ask when considering whether to sell a company is if I had the cash today, would I buy this stock again? If the answer is no, you need to ask why you are still holding it over something you would actually buy.

4. Your thesis played out. You were right, the company performed the way you thought it would and now the upside is gone.

Knowing when to sell is one of the harder parts of investing. Your cognitive biases really kick in. But if you have a clear reason for why you bought something in the first place, you will always know when it is time to let it go.