Ask Kristen Lunman when you should start investing, and she’ll tell you, today. Thanks to Hatch, the digital investing platform she co-founded, the world’s share markets are now more accessible to Kiwis than ever.

What does wealth mean to Kiwis? Lunman says that for her customers, it means having a full life that balances travel, work, family, friends, and health. Lunman saw limited options for ambitious Kiwis to grow their wealth and, as a woman balancing career, children and life, she felt the pain. It motivated her to start Hatch, which delivers a straightforward way for people like her to get their money working as hard as they do to earn it in the first place.

“We launched Hatch on a mission to help Kiwis supercharge their wealth and build good money habits,” says Lunman. “Term deposits and savings are no longer attractive options to grow wealth thanks to low interest rates and inflation.” With Hatch, Kiwis can now own  shares in over 3500 US-listed companies and funds on the intuitive and straightforward platform.

“Property’s great, but you need a large amount of capital to get involved, and then you’re locked in. Building a business is another way to grow wealth but making a success of it is hard work and high risk, and again, once you’re in, you’re in.”

Owning shares in world-class companies and funds has always been an opportunity reserved for the financial elite, something that never sat right with Lunman. She saw a way to offer a fresh new approach to self-directed investing that’s designed for newbies to experts.

“We’ve built a simple, straightforward experience to help you take control, wherever you’re at. With Hatch, it’s not hard to back the pioneers that are shaping our future and benefiting from their success. From Netflix to Zoom, Tesla and Vanguard, when you approach investing like you’re backing a business or industry, it breaks down the mental barriers to getting started.”

It takes about three minutes to open a Hatch account. After transferring money into your account, the next morning, you’re ready to buy shares in companies and funds in the world’s largest and most liquid share market. It’s that simple.

“We want people to be shareholders in businesses because it’s a tried and tested way to meet financial goals over the long term. We’re not about trading stocks on a whim and trying to predict fluctuations in the markets. We want to help Kiwis build sustainable wealth over time, through great financial habits.”

For Lunman, the best investors are mindful investors. This means considering why you’re investing in the first place. This level of self-awareness helps you stay calm and make smarter choices. “Being mindful means you don’t panic when your shares fall in value. There are always going to be ups and downs in share prices, but over time, the highs in the markets should outweigh the lows.”

As part of Kiwi Group Holdings alongside Kiwibank and Kiwi Wealth, Hatch has grown and benefited from the backing and wisdom of one of New Zealand’s most trusted financial names whilst staying completely autonomous. And the Kiwi family has benefitted from a fresh, innovative new brand. Win-win.

Buying a slice of a company or a pioneering industry like fake meat or cannabis and watching it grow and shape our future is exciting. Shareholders in the likes of Apple, Tesla, Beyond Meat and clean energy companies are looking ahead and hoping to benefit from megatrends that are changing the way we live. Why not join 65,000 other Kiwis and to do the same?

www.hatchinvest.nz