Buying shares in the company I work for seemed like a safe way to start as an investor because I knew what I was buying. It felt entirely different from buying shares in a company I knew nothing about.
I had not dared to start investing before this, because I felt that I didn’t know enough about it. I feared that I would invest badly and lose everything. Investment risks and their management were new to me, and I knew very little about investment products. I thought that investing was not my thing, because I’m not a particularly systematic person, or interested in the financial news in general.
The share savings scheme for Gofore employees makes it easy to start investing. You didn’t have to understand everything about investing before buying shares. Since buying Gofore shares, I have started following the development of their value with great interest. This has also taught me more about investing. I wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t own shares in the company.
I want to make Gofore a better workplace
Share ownership has increased my commitment. I want the shares to increase in value and can affect the profitability of my investment through my own work. I want to make my work even better so that I will enjoy working there more and other employees will stay on as long as possible. Receiving supplementary shares after a certain number of years of service is a good added incentive.
Share ownership also makes it easier to understand matters from the company’s viewpoint and to work harder to achieve common goals. Being able to contribute to value development both as an employee and owner has a major impact on motivation.
Learning to be an investor through experimenting
Owning shares in the company I work for has encouraged me to try my hand at investment elsewhere. I wanted to learn more: for example, I now know how to avoid the greatest risks and what kinds of returns I can reasonably expect. I follow my colleagues’ discussions on investing and ask more experienced colleagues for advice.
I started investing only small sums, to practice at my own pace without taking big risks. I also tried to diversify my investments into different asset categories, such as funds and shares. In addition, I diversify my investments geographically to hedge against regional risks. Investing in shares requires time and dedication. I still have plenty to learn about these, but in the meantime, I plan to buy other shares as well.
The threshold for starting out would surely have been higher if I had not bought shares in the company I work for. Now, I’m learning through experimentation.
