When my SMSF (Self Managed Superannuation Fund) was established my advisor at the time, Heath Hill, advised me to have my funds allocated between Australian Shares that paid a dividend and cash. As I already owned property it was decided I did not need any more in my retirement super fund. After a few years of attending seminars and joining Investor groups I decided to have a go at DIY Investing and manage my retirement savings super fund. It is one way to keep focused on acheiving financial independence.

I would like to say it is easy but I can’t, you need to be disciplined and you need to have a financial plan for your Superfund. Buying and selling shares is not the hard part. You can save money by setting up your own online broking account and do the trading yourself. The hard part is knowing what to buy, what allocation to have between the various asset classes and when to sell.

Your age plays a part in all of this as well. If you are under the age of 45 years then you have the luxury of more time to invest in property as it is considered a more long term investment. If on the other hand you are over 55 years then other things become important to you such as having income generating assets once work stops.

Will I always do it myself? I imagine that once I get into my mid 70’s I will probably just invest in funds that own a spread of the best companies. In the meantime, I am still learning. I have attended a Successful Investor Group and now follow Peter Castle from EasyShareTradingsystems.com.au.

To reduce my risk I have diversified investments across various financial instruments, industries, and other categories. This technique allows my investments to maximize returns by investing in different areas.

I have diversified my investing pool in:-

• First Mortgage Lending
• Australian Shares
• US Stocks
• UK Start-Ups
• CryptoCurrency

If you want to give DIY (Do it Yourself) investing a go then you need to learn to invest in yourself, and you need to practice. Our retirement savings will probably be the largest amount of money we have ever had to look after so the earlier you start your financial education the better investor you will become.

Find an organization to join that represents the interests of the investor. In Australia, the Australian Investors Association (AIA) holds an annual conference at the Gold Coast, Queensland every year and is an excellent place to start your investor knowledge.

DIY Investing is doable. It takes time, practice, planning, and patience.