Barry Dumas is a 36 year old consultant and a proud ‘Pretorian’ who enjoys trading, investing, gaming and watching Formula 1. Barry’s no stranger to the investment world, which he believes has previously excluded a large amount of South Africans with high fees and cost structures. Cost is a big consideration for Barry who is now maximising on affordability by buying shares and ETF’s on EasyEquities. As a child I had dreams of becoming a stockbroker, but I was unfortunately only introduced to investing and the investment industry when I was around 28 and I had just joined a Financial Services Provider who trained me in all types of investment products and vehicles. I was hooked from day one and have been involved in the investment industry ever since. For me the feeling of starting with something small (an investment) and watching, as it grows into something bigger and better is indescribable; it gives me a great sense of satisfaction.
I tend to select products where my capital or investments are liquid and cost effective, because for me this is key for growing capital in the long run. I usually buy Unit Trusts through Asset Managers and have started buying shares and Exchange Traded Funds through EasyEquities where the costs are seriously low. When it comes to buying shares I typically keep my ear to the ground… sometimes a company will stare you straight in the face, which was the case for my recent investment in Attacq Limited (ATT). I had been driving past Mall of Africa and there was a huge billboard with their name on it. I did some research (Google was my friend), bought the shares, and for the last three months I’ve experienced a return of 7.81%. I also just sold my Satrix top 40 ETF for a nice little profit! Exchange Traded Funds are a really affordable way to diversify your portfolio. Some of them offer global exposure as well, which helps balance things out when the rand takes a knock.
My perceptions have changed a lot since I started my journey in the investment world 9 years ago. Over the years I’ve gotten to know the ins and outs of all kinds of investment products, the majority of which carry massive costs. That’s a big consideration for retail investors, and a big barrier to entry for a lot of South Africans. EasyEquities carries no monthly fees, or minimums and allows you to invest with whatever money you have available. For as little as R10 you can be a shareholder in companies like Naspers or British American Tobacco. There’s a lot of money we all waste on nonsense, but if everyone knew they could swap their monthly cappuccino spend out for shares in the company that actually makes the coffee, I think we’d see a lot more shareholders contributing to their financial futures and the local economy.