We are Craigs Women’s Wealth: Tara McHardy

Craigs Women’s Wealth is run by our women advisers around New Zealand, with a vision to empower women of all ages with more confidence and knowledge to start investing or become better investors.

We recently spoke with Tara McHardy one of our investment advisers in Christchurch, and asked her about how she helps her clients, her view of success and some key learnings.

How do you help your clients? I help them protect and grow their wealth and stay on track to meet their goals.

What is your why? I value building relationships with my clients of all ages and learning their stories. I want to be by their side for the long-term and help them to protect what they already have and grow it further. I love my job. I’m passionate about the work we do and more recently our focus on sustainable investing in terms of considering the planet, people and profits together.

The most rewarding part of your job: Taking away the burden from my clients. I enjoy showing them that there are other options out there beyond term deposits for example, and as qualified experts with an outstanding research team behind us we can help them to make better decisions now and in the future

Who are some women who inspire you, and why? Jess Quinn – she’s so positive, graceful, capable and grateful. As she puts it “Our differences are our superpower”. I also think gratitude in particular is something we should all strive to cultivate more.

What does success mean to you? Excited to get out of bed in the morning and having choices.

What change do you want to see in the next 12 months? I would like teenagers to learn more about investing in school. Many people grow up not knowing what their options are.

What is the most valuable financial advice you have ever received? 1) You can repay a mortgage and invest at the same time 2) You need to take some risks to make money 3) If you want to buy something save the money to do so, don’t get into credit card debt. 4) Buy quality. This applies to both investing and other important purchases in life.

What has been your own journey with investing? What age were you when you started? I learnt valuable lessons from my parents about savings and compounding interest, as well as investing in quality. I was born in 1985 so my parents were very weary of the sharemarket and invested like many other New Zealanders in business and property instead. I purchased my first shares when I was about 25 after attending an investment seminar when I was working in Melbourne. I now have a diversified portfolio of shares beyond my KiwiSaver and I am a Shareholder in Craigs Investment Partners which is 100% staff owned.

What would you say to someone considering investing, but is a bit anxious? The sort of companies that we recommend have to meet strict quality criteria and we manage the risk by investing in a variety of sectors and countries. Many people don’t realise that we also invest in term deposits and bonds rather than shares alone. Start slowly until you get more comfortable.

FAST FACTS

Home town: Alexandra, Central Otago.

How you made your first dollar: As a child it was probably from putting on a concert or something. My first real job was making platters at a winery when I was 17.

Favourite read? The Secret – given to me by a good friend.

Favourite podcast? Ted Talk by Kelly McGonigal – ‘How to make stress your friend’.

Motto you live by: “See the glass half full – then fill it the rest of the way” and “You can’t control what happens but you can control how you react”

Most difficult life challenge? 1) Living through the Christchurch earthquakes 2) Fracturing my ankle with a 6 month old at home.

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LinkedIn: linkedin.com/craigs-womens-wealth

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