Sharesies review

Who is Sharesies for?

• New investors. Sharesies offers a user-friendly app and aims to simplify the share trading process for beginners.
• Small-scale investors. With no minimum investment amount, you can invest as little as 1 cent.
• Investors who want a simple platform. If you're looking for an easy way to trade in the Australian, NZ or US markets for less, Sharesies can help. While it doesn't have all the bells and whistles, Sharesies could suit your needs if you know what shares or ETFs you want to buy and simply need an easy trading platform.

How easy is it to use?

It’s quick and easy to sign up for a Sharesies account and start trading. To sign up for the platform you'll need to:

• Be 18 years or older
• Have an Australian bank account
• Provide proof of ID (driver's licence or passport) and proof of your residential address
• Provide your tax file number

Once your application has been approved, the platform has been designed to be simple and straightforward to use. The fee structure is transparent and placing an order is easy. Sharesies offers an online help centre where you can find answers to frequently asked questions and guides on how to use the platform.

Pricing and fees

There are 3 fees you need to be aware of when you trade on Sharesies: transaction fees, currency exchange fees and card processing fees.

When you buy and sell shares and ETFs, a transaction (aka brokerage) fee applies. Sharesies offers 2 fee structures to choose from here - ‘pay as you go’ and ‘monthly’ plans.

Pay as you go:

1.9% transaction fee on investments, capped at -

• Aussie Shares: $6 per transaction
• US Shares: US$5 per transaction
• NZ shares: NS$25

Monthly Plans:

• $5/month: Covers up to $500 orders with fees included
• $10/month: Covers up to $1,000 orders with fees included
• $20/month: Covers up to $3,000 orders with fees included

Finally, when you top up your account with a credit or debit card, a card processing fee of 2.65% + $0.18 applies. A further 2.65% fee is also applied to the card processing fee.

What are the main features?

Sharesies offers the following key features to Aussie investors:

• No minimum investment. Sharesies has no minimum investment limit, so you can start building your portfolio with as little as 1 cent.
• Invest in over 8,400 companies and ETFs. Sharesies provides access to over 8,400 companies and ETFs in Australia, the US and New Zealand. This means you can gain exposure to local companies as well as major global brands such as Tesla and Disney.
• User-friendly platform. The Sharesies platform is designed to be easy for new investors to understand and use.
• Transparent fee structure. There are only 3 types of fees that apply to Sharesies users. All are clearly outlined before you sign up for an account.
• Multiple payment options. You can top up your Sharesies wallet via bank account deposit, credit card or debit card.

Is Sharesies trustworthy?

Since launching in New Zealand in 2017, Sharesies has signed up over 500,000 investors who have invested over $1.9 billion with the platform. There are 2 key companies behind Sharesies: Sharesies Limited and Sharesies Nominee Limited.

Sharesies Limited is a Registered Financial Services Provider in New Zealand and runs the company, while Sharesies Nominee Limited is in charge of custodial services for customer money.

In Australia, Sharesies AU Pty Ltd acts as a representative of Sanlam Private Wealth Pty Ltd, which has an Australian Financial Services Licence and is regulated by ASIC.

Sharesies also contracts other brokers to place buy and sell orders on its behalf in Australian and US markets. ASIC-regulated CMC Invest Ltd is its partner in Australia while US-registered broker DriveWealth takes care of orders on US exchanges.

How does Sharesies work?

The Sharesies platform has a few unique features that might raise a few eyebrows. Primarily, the share trading app lets you invest as little as a few cents at a time into Australian stocks. This is unique because you'd normally need to invest $500 minimum into Australian-listed companies. So how does Sharesies do it?

When you buy CHESS-sponsored Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) shares, you're normally provided with a unique holder identification number (HIN) registered by the ASX as proof of your ownership. Part of having your own HIN means that you must abide by a few rules – 1 rule is that you must invest at least $500 into each ASX-listed company.

Like Australian share trading platform Superhero, Sharesies gets around this by registering all users on the 1 HIN. This means your ownership is not recorded by the ASX, but by Sharesies.

Is sharesies good for beginners?

Given the no minimum deposits and being able to trade from just 1 cent, Sharesies is a strong choice for beginner investors who want to start out small.

Sharesies also offers strong educational resources which can help retail investors learn the market.

It also has the added benefit of being fairly easy to use, which should appeal to those who are just starting out there investing journey.

How do I sign up?

You can sign up for a Sharesies account by navigating to the Sharesies website and clicking the "Sign up" link. You’ll need to provide your name, email address and phone number, plus create a password for your account. You'll also need to provide proof of ID and of a valid Australian residential address as well as some tax information and a bank statement.

You can then top up your account with a bank deposit or by using a credit or debit card.

How do I contact Sharesies support?

If you need help with your account or a specific transaction, you can contact Sharesies via email or live chat. The support team is available from Monday to Saturday.

Sharesies also provides an online help centre where you can find guides on how to manage your account, top up your wallet and place buy and sell orders.

Bottom line

Sharesies has a lot of attractive features that could interest Aussie investors. It's simple to use, has no minimum investment amount and provides access to markets both here and overseas. If you're new to shares and ETFs or just want to start small, Sharesies is definitely worth a look.

That said, it's far from the only micro-investing platform out there. Be sure to compare Sharesies with other platforms such as Raiz, Superhero and Spaceship Voyager to find out whether it's right for your needs.