Michael Johnston says successful investors have a core foundation of honesty, integrity, transparency, education, confidence and proactivity.
The Director of National Direct Finance and a top asset finance broker, Michael joined KnowHow’s Bushy Martin on Property Hub’s Get Invested podcast where he talked about the core values and beliefs which will guide investors on their wealth creation journey and in all aspects of life.
Investor core values: Honesty and Integrity
Michael said honesty and integrity most important in building successful relationships and therefore achieving results.
“There’s honesty in you as a human, there’s honesty in how you operate your business, there’s honesty in the way that you treat your family. And with honesty comes integrity. So you have to believe in yourself and what you do, and I think if that’s your core and you stick to it and you believe it, then it’s not something you work towards, it’s just there,” Michael said.
Bushy added: “The reality of that and living that is being happy to have hard conversations and say no and be brutally honest in times when it’s important. When we talk about our business, we have a brutal honesty policy. So we have a regular session with our team where we say, I want you to keep doing this, I want you to stop doing that and I want you to start doing this. And we often say that, if you find yourself at home talking to your partner about something or someone at work and you haven’t had that conversation, then there’s an issue. So you’re creating an environment where that form of direct honesty is both respected and appreciated. It’s really a foundation stone in our self-belief, because if we believe in that ourselves, then that tends to emanate in every interaction we have with everyone else”.
Investor core values: Transparency and Education
While the success stories are great, Michael said the failures can provide just as many valuable lessons for new investors.
“No one ever tells you about their losses. So you know, they’ll say I’ve made lots of money on this, but they never go oh hang on, I actually lost all my money on that. So it’s the education process. You’ve got to talk to the experts, and lots of them, not just one, and truly try to understand what you’re doing, so you can control it a little bit better,” he said.
This transparency should be coupled with a drive for further education, especially in areas such as superannuation.
“And I think within our super, that’s another thing. We just kept putting money into it, not knowing what it’s doing or how it works. And given super is such an important part of our future and our kids future, it’s another thing they should be teaching properly at school and something you need to get educated on,” Michael said.
Investor core values: Confidence and Proactivity
Fear will too often hold investors back. But with greater understanding, education and initiative comes control, which will provide the confidence investors need to take the next step and be proactive in their journey.
“It’s the mindset around investment. So just understand it, educate yourself around it, and don’t be afraid to do it. When’s the right time to do it? It’s now. Whenever you can. It’s never too late to stop and it’s always too late to wait,” Michael said.
“Be confident to get involved and ask the questions that you need to ask to get it right. So slow things down and spend the time to understand what you’re going to do and why you’re doing it. So it doesn’t necessarily mean don’t get some investments, it doesn’t mean spend your money. It really is just being present, being in the moment, and understanding why are you going to do something and what you want to do. AndI think if you don’t have that clarity of being present, then you can’t do those other things.
“Ultimately the right thinking will put you in the right position. If you can get the right people around you and you know it will make a secure financial future for yourself, then you have to learn it, understand what it takes, and be present with it so that you can make the right decisions on it.”
Listen to the full interview here.
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