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  • Name: Davide
  • Age: 30
  • Lives: Sydney
  • Occupation: People Manager and Investor
  • Followers & Copiers: 5000 & 400
  • Advice: New investors need to be humble and do as much research as they can

Humble is not necessarily the word you’d associate with stock investing, but for 30-year-old Davide, it’s been the key to his success.

The Sydney-based Investor and People Manager has been investing in stocks since he was 18, picking up a habit he first noticed in his father.

“I’ve been investing for the past 12 years. When I was 18 years old I started investing because I saw my dad just playing around with stocks and bonds,” he explained.

“I’m very interested in this space so I started doing my own research and due diligence and then with time I just evolved my strategy which is long term investing,” he added.

Davide has found his best success to date by using eToro, a global multi-asset investment platform that combines social elements with a more traditional online brokerage business. The 30-year-old has over 5000 followers and more the 400 copiers — which are essentially people who can see and copy his trades.

He’s also managed to accrue a portfolio worth around US$250,000 (about A$321,000) with more than $1 million under administration. The 30-year-old invests primarily in U.S. equities and cryptoassets, leveraging his experience of financial services clients to better understand some of the global companies he’s investing in.

The Sydneysider said the key to his success so far has been staying humble and doing plenty of research on each investment.

“I invest in U.S. markets, in particular the NASDAQ, because that’s the market that I understand the most. If you want to be successful in trading and investing – put your money in what you understand and do a lot of research. Do a lot of due diligence and be humble, be humble that there are better investors out there, so listen to what they have to say,” Davide explained.

” I initially saw investing and trading as a get rich quick scheme but in reality, with time and with years, I’ve realised that it’s quite the opposite — it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

Davide reflects on his financial journey

In particular, Davide said it’s important for future investors to look into the company’s management team to try and get a better understanding of what the business is.

“The most important matrix that I look for in a company are definitely the cash flow, so how much money they’re actually making and the balance sheet, followed by the income statement, possible expansions, possible acquisitions and then the management team,” he said.

“I think the management team is actually the most important thing to look for in a company. Is the management successful? Has it been recently replaced? Is the founder still with the company?” he added.

Going forward, the Sydneysider said he’s aiming to become one of eToro’s most popular investors and help level the playing field for other newcomers. He argues everyone has the ability to become an investor if they want to — they just need to stay humble, be patient and do their research.

“My best piece of advice to new investors is honestly just to be humble, you’re not going to beat the hedge funds by day trading, so I would say give a break to your reading chart, reading indicators and just invest in some companies that you believe are going to dominate and shape the future as we know it in the next 10 years,” Davide said.

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