When you think of an investor, what image springs to mind?
For many of us it’s a driven day trader, running on adrenalin, hunched over multiple screens, and buying and selling shares frenetically for marginal gains.
There certainly are some full-time professional investors out there, sweating every trade. But the reality is, investors come in all shapes and sizes.
Shares…property…ETFs
Marco is planning to invest in shares with some funds from a redundancy, along with regular payments from his salary. He’s looking to earn a great rate on his lump sum while he gets his finances in order before taking the plunge.
Barbara has received an inheritance and she’s keen to invest in a new range of exchange traded funds due for release later this year. She’d love to earn daily interest on her savings until the ETFs come out.
Vikas and Anika have saved up enough money to start investing in property but don’t know where to park their cash until the right apartment comes along. They need immediate access to their money so they can move quickly…and a decent rate wouldn’t hurt.
A nation of investors
From Marco to Barbara, Vikas and Anika, we’re a nation of investors. In 2023, 10.2 million Australians held investments outside their home and super – that’s more than half the adult population1.
We’re putting our money into a whole variety of different types of investment.
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58% of investors hold Aussie shares
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35% residential investment property
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28% term deposits
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20% ETFs, and
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16% international shares2.
And we’re investing increasingly large sums. The median portfolio size of stock exchange investors increased from $130,000 to $170,000 over the three years to 20233.
But like Marco, Barbara, Vikas and Anika, there are times when you might be in between investments while you’re waiting for the next opportunity – whether it’s the latest ETF release, the next sharemarket listing or the new apartment block down the road.
You need quick access to your money so when the next investment opportunity arrives, you can move quickly to secure it.
So, if you have a reasonable sum put aside, where’s somewhere to keep your money until you’re ready to invest?
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Term deposits can offer a decent rate but you’re generally locked in for a specific period.
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Everyday transaction accounts give you quick access but tend to offer lower rates.
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Savings accounts offer better rates but you usually need to keep topping up the account.
The investment when you’re in between investments
A Cash Management account is pretty much the same as an everyday transaction account – no ongoing fees and quick access to your money – but with a crucial difference. It’s built for investors so if you have over $10,000 to invest, you can access a great rate with interest calculated daily.
We’re here to help
If you’d like to find out more about how a cash management account could help you earn interest while you’re in between investments, check out AMPs AMP Cash Manager hub.
1 ASX Australian Investor Study 2023 – Key findings, p6.
2 ASX Australian Investor Study 2023 – Investing in 2023, p12.
3 ASX Australian Investor Study 2023 – Portfolio size, p14.
Source: AMP April 2024
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