‘I should never have sold that property’
In our continuing series on money insights, financial adviser Martin Hawes reflects on the satisfaction of helping others, and learning from mistakes.
What’s your biggest money mistake?
I think my biggest money mistake has been selling things. I look back over my lifetime and a couple of properties in particular that I’ve owned and I made a good profit on quite quickly and sold – I look at them now and one would have given more than 14 per cent return a year on investment over the past 35 years. I should never have sold it. But it’s easy to see that in hindsight.
What are you most proud of?
What I’m most proud of is that I’ve helped people, through books, seminars and one-on-one financial advice. I’ve given a lot of help to people with their finances. I could have earned a lot more with a different business model. But I’m happy to have had a slightly reduced income because it’s meant I’ve helped a lot of people with all aspects of money.
What do you wish you’d known when you were 18?
Patience. I wish I’d realised that compound interest would do its work. I think a lot of people get into their 40s and they’re not really getting ahead but they have got the gravy years coming when their children have left home and they’re at the top of their careers earning a lot of money.
What’s your most cherished possession?
My health. I would say my most prized possession is that I’ve still got my mind. Of material things, I have a 1798 grandfather clock that was bought about 50 years ago.
Are you a spender or a saver?
Both. I think there needs to be a balance between the two – having a good life now and making sure you can have a good life at some point in the future.
Are you in KiwiSaver?
I’m with Summer, on what we call MyPlan which allows me to do my own asset allocation. Quite a significant number of users take that option. [Hawes is chair of the Summer KiwiSaver investment committee.]
What do you teach your kids about money?
The number one thing they need to learn about finance is living within your means. That’s very simple but it’s not easy.
What did your parents teach you?
My father had a very tough time in the Depression, his own father died just before the Depression came along and there was very little social security in those days. He had a Depression mentality but I’m a natural optimist. He had been taught bad stuff happens.
I have that always in the back of my mind – we’ve had a wonderful decade economically but it won’t always be like that.
Times will come along which are really bad. Those who really want to succeed have to treat them like an opportunity.