We may not think about it often, but most of the products we consume in a typical day are produced and sold by companies that we own in our investment funds.
A Regular Day
For example, we might start the day using Palmolive shower gel and Head & Shoulders shampoo, shave with a Gillette razor and clean our teeth with Colgate toothpaste. We might follow that with a quick breakfast of Nespresso coffee, Kelloggs cereal and a banana from Fyffes – all bought from a Tesco supermarket. Before leaving the house we might put a Finish tablet in the dishwasher and Ariel detergent in the washing machine.
Work and Leisure
Our drive to work might be in a Volkswagen or Toyota filled up at a Circle K (or charged overnight using power from SSE Airtricity). At the office we will probably use Microsoft software and Zoom with internet and phone services from Eir or Vodafone on a Dell computer with Intel chips. Mid-morning we might get a Cadbury snack and a Starbucks coffee while checking Facebook, and at lunchtime eat a Cuisine de France roll and drink a Coke or a Ballygowan water. If we don’t feel like cooking that evening we might order a Dominos pizza on our iPhone and enjoy a cold Heineken while watching a Disney or Netflix show on our Samgsung TV (pausing for a few minutes to put fresh Duracell batteries in the remote). Before turning in for the night we might read a book bought from Amazon and delivered that morning by UPS.
Supermarket
The List Goes On…
Other companies that we own little pieces of might be AIB or Bank of Ireland with whom we bank, Ryanair who might fly us on a Boeing airplane with GE engines to stay at a Marriott brand hotel, or an apartment rented on Airbnb – hopefully we didn’t forget to pack out Garnier suntan lotion, our Rayban sunglasses, our Kindle, and our beachwear (whether bought from Pennys, M&S, or Vilebrequin). We probably used Google to book the holiday on Expedia, maybe Uber to get to the airport, then Avis or Hertz for the hirecar and Zurich for the travel insurance.
All the Great Companies in the World
I could go on and on, and on. The message here is that the fifty products or companies mentioned above are among the thirteen thousand odd companies held in our typical equity investment fund for our long-term investment and retirement accounts.
Owning an equity fund can seem quite abstract and difficult to identify with. However when we think about what we consume every day, and relate that to how we invest, we quickly realise that we are invested in all the great companies in the world – companies that continue to innovate and thrive, building value and wealth, and paying dividends to us as small shareholders.
John McWey
Ardbrack Financial Limited
Office: 021-4773833 / Mobile: 083-4115277
www.ardbrack.com
Disclaimer: The content of this article is for general information purposes only. It does not constitute tax or investment advice as it does not take into account the investment objectives, knowledge and experience or financial situation of any particular person or persons. You are advised to obtain professional tax and investment advice suitable to your own individual circumstances. Ardbrack Financial Limited makes no representations as to the accuracy; validity or completeness of the information contained herein and will not be held liable for any errors or omissions.
