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- Name: Hao
- Age: 26
- Location: Mildura
- Occupation: Pharmacist
- Followers & Copiers: 6000 & 450
- Advice: Invest for the long-term and in sectors you understand
It was a love of technology that first drew Hao into investing. The 26-year-old began dabbling in the stock market three years ago when he was still enrolled in university, training to be a pharmacist.
The young man decided to turn his passion and understanding of the technology sector into a successful hobby through investing.
“Back then, with a very limited amount of free cash on-hand and knowledge about how the stock market works in general, I started investing pretty conservatively,” he said.
“I tried to limit the amount of risk I took by only investing in stocks I was familiar with. From a very young age I’ve been very passionate about technology and that’s why I was a lot more comfortable investing in tech stocks to start with,” he explained.
The Mildura local said he started off slow, only making small trades via a broker. But, put off by the company’s high brokerage fees, and looking for access to the NASDAQ and NYSE, Hao went looking for another platform and came across eToro.
The online investment platform gives its users access to 17 different stock exchanges, as well as crypto-assets, ETFs and commodities. It also offers free training for new users who can also follow and interact with other investors on the platform.
Through eToro Hao now has around 6000 investors watching his trades and more than 400 people who have the option of emulating every investment he makes
At one point he was also Australia’s most popular investor, a remarkable feat given his young age. When asked about who he likes to get his own investment advice from, the Mildura local singled out legendary investor Warren Buffet as his inspiration.
“My biggest strategy in stock investing has mainly come from my admiration to the man Warren Buffet. I’ve read quite a bit of his books and watched some of his interviews,” he said.
Hao said he’s also adopted Buffet’s long-term view in investing, arguing that it’s important not to rush in and to truly take the time to understand the stock. This philosophy has served him well — he was one of the early investors in Afterpay (APT).
“When I first started investing, one of the stocks that I bought that time was actually Afterpay when it was just around $7 to $8 per share,” he said.
“As a big technology fan myself, I was quite confident that this fintech company is going to take off in the near-future and that was one of the reasons why I actually started to buy the company stock from the very beginning about 3 years ago,” he explained.
That initial investment by Hao has more than paid off, with Afterpay shares currently commanding more than $100 per share.
Going forward, the full-time pharmacist said he wants to continue investing for the long-term in tech stocks and other sectors he finds interesting. Hao believes that’s been the key to his success to date.
“Over the years, having been through the ups and downs of the stock market, I’ve learned that in order to succeed long-term, one really has to be able to tell whether an investment is being made based on solid reasoning or is it just purely a speculation at the end of the day,” he argued.
“Try to be patient. Try not to jump on the bandwagon because there’s always going to be the next big thing that gets everyone excited about,” Hao said.
“Rather than trying to rush it and trying to look for a quick way to get rich, I would say really try to be patient and be vigilant in order to make rational decisions,” he added.
