Przyznaję się bez bicia - przez całe życie byłem słaby z edukacji finansowej, trochę posiłkując się radami typu "chowaj w skarpecie" i nie mając dostępu do porządnych oraz prostych materiałów edukacyjnych, a gdy już je miałem - nie ufałem im pamiętając, ile słyszałem historii o nieudanych inwestycjach, prowadzących do bankructwa.

Ale parę lat temu coś drgnęło - kilka osób wpłynęło na to, że w końcu zacząłem szukać tej edukacji, a sam też się odważyłem na pewne ruchy. Wiem, że dla niektórych to dziwne, bo od małego inwestują w obligacje, akcje itd. i to dla nich normalne, ale z drugiej strony wiem też, że są takie osoby, jak ja, które trochę się boją, a trochę nie wiedzą, jak zacząć i nie wiedzą, gdzie zapytać.

I właśnie dla takich jest ten monstrualny artykuł, który dzisiaj Wam przedstawiam. Od podstaw wyjaśniam, dlaczego trzymanie na koncie czy w "skarpecie" nie jest dobre, jak można to robić w miarę bezpiecznie, a także czasem mniej bezpiecznie, ale nadal w normie. To nie doradztwo, nie będziecie milionerami (ja też nie jestem) - to edukacja dla początkujących pisana też niezbyt eksperckim okiem. Także z wyjaśnieniem kilku mitów i plotek o tym.

Serdecznie zapraszam do czytania, komentowania i niesienia dalej, jeśli uważacie, to że to wartościowy materiał. Zwłaszcza, że temat jest chyba coraz bardziej popularny. A koleżankom i kolegom z @WildaSoftware dziękuję za możliwość publikacji.

#giełda #inwestowanie #oszczedzanie

https://wildasoftware.pl/post/inwestowanie-oszczedzanie-naprawde-poczatkujacych?ref=mastodon

@SceNtriC @WildaSoftware @maciek33 I don't like #ETFs like MSCI All Country World Index. It consists of 60% #USA, 30% #bigTech and 21% only 4 companies: #amazon, #apple, #meta, #microsoft

This means, if you buy MSCI ACWI, you make #JeffBezos richer. He doesn't work like normal person from a salary but instead makes money by selling his #Amazon shares. Every single investment of 1€ increases the value of Amazon by 4€.

One of the big problems of most ETFs is the distribution by market capitalization. This favours big stocks and monopoles. Additionally, due to the passive nature of ETFs this increases volatility and makes bubbles bigger and more likely to happen #AIbubble
Another thing to mention is the ETF provider is using the voting right at the stockholders' meeting. This gives companies like #blackrock huge power.
See also https://homemadefinance.de/etf-nachteile/

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#ETFsAreNotSustainable #GAFAM #taxTheRich #stocks #money

11 ETF-Nachteile die du kennen musst (Wichtig!)

<p>ETF-Nachteile? Quatsch, die Dinger sind das perfekte finanzielle Allheilmittel für jeden Anleger! Punkt. Wenn man durch die gängigen Finanzblogs im Internet streift, dann drängt sich sehr schnell der Eindruck auf, ETF wären so etwas wie eine Wunderwaffe an der Börse. Auch ich muss mich dahingehend als schuldig bekennen, denn auch ich feiere die börsengehandelten Indexfonds hier auf Homemade Finance sehr. Und das aus gutem Grund: ETF haben die Börse revolutioniert und fairer gemacht. Denn jetzt können auch kleine Anleger exzellent diversifizierte Portfolios für wenig Geld halten und damit besser abschneiden als traditionelle Fonds. Dies war aufgrund von Transaktionskosten und Gebühren </p>

Homemade Finance

@SceNtriC @WildaSoftware @maciek33 I like #stock picking, active managed funds, (corporate/government/junk) #bonds, micro credit funds, fixed-term deposits, overnight / #money market funds, #cooperatives and alternative investments (arbitrary order)

Regarding stock picking, having 30 stocks gives a decent diversification since most stocks have anyway cross correlations.

Example #bonds: https://digitalcourage.social/@aligyie/110767861827976164

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#ETFsAreNotSustainable #stocks #coops #greenBonds #climateBonds #money

nieebel (@[email protected])

@[email protected] It would be great to somehow be able to filter for #green bonds Like those: - A14JZS till 2031 - A14JZV till 2032 - A14JZX till 2033 https://fm.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/finanzen/haushalt/green-bond-bw#c132864 #ETFsAreNotGreen #ETF #ETFs #money #Geld #Finance #Invest #Investment

digitalcourage.social

@aligyie

Thank you for a comment. I didn't mention about MSCI ACWI's ETF as advice but as an example that stock market isn't a casino and it can be predictable in a long term. Because that's true :)

It's true that buying Amazon shares makes Bezos richer. And I also don't really like Jeff. But I have some other points to present:

1. By buying Big Tech shares you can at least receive some "crumbs" from their success. Not exactly Amazon (AFAIK it doesn't give dividends) but it concerns other huge enterprises.
2. I don't know exact history of Bezos but I suppose he also had to work normally at the beginning of Amazon.

The problem is not with all CEOs of all companies because I'm sure at least some of them are good people and by hard work deserve to success. I also want to have dozens of billions in the future :) But, of course, the amount of richness of the top CEOs in compare to standard employees is insane and worrying - I agree with that.

Back to ETFs - there are all-world ETFs which excludes USA. I mean ACWX from iShares. Of course, there are also big companies in it but not Big Tech as far as I see: https://atlasetf.pl/etf-details/US4642882405/allocation

And just to clarify - this article is for pure beginners. I don't recommend picking and analyzing exact companies to beginners because it is not easy for someone who just started investing. It is a straight path to potential losses and leaving investing with reluctance. I think ETFs are proper ways to start and there are a lot of options, even on local stocks. They have disadvantages but still are better option to start than shares from individual companies.

To be fair - I also didn't write this article concerning political and ideological views. I only wanted to encourage to investing.

@WildaSoftware @maciek33

atlasETF | Kochamy ❤️ ETF-y PL

@aligyie One addition – you mentioned actively managed funds. They can also be a good starting point for beginners, although they tend to be quite expensive (at least in Poland). However, equity investment funds can seem similar to ETFs, as their managers aim to maximize returns by investing in the largest and most profitable companies - albo Big Tech.

@WildaSoftware @maciek33

@SceNtriC Thanks for your comprehensive and respectful reply! I fully agree — encouraging financial education and lowering the fear barrier for #investing is crucial. And I appreciate that your article targets beginners in a non-ideological way.

However, I’d like to add another layer to the discussion — maybe for “next-level beginners” 😉 — that investment is never completely neutral or purely technical. How and where we put our #money is also a #political and #ethical act that influences the world around us. Investments don't just shape our personal future—they also shape which companies, sectors, and ideas flourish in #society as a whole.

A few points I see as essential:

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@WildaSoftware @maciek33

@SceNtriC

1. Investing = taking sides in shaping society.

Every choice — whether it's buying ETFs, picking stocks, or holding cash — has societal effects. For example, favoring index funds weighted by market cap means feeding disproportionate power and wealth into Big Tech or fossil fuel giants, simply because they're large and "successful" by financial metrics, which may not align with #sustainability or #socialJustice.

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@SceNtriC

2. The sustainability/ethical angle.

A lot of the global economy (and therefore, the indices and ETFs) is currently not sustainable. When we invest in such instruments, we often indirectly support practices that harm the planet or enable questionable labor practices. Even seemingly “neutral” choices (like a world ETF) can have real-world consequences, e.g., by funneling money into companies expanding fossil fuel extraction, deforestation, or problematic supply chains.
I absolutely don’t advocate avoiding investment entirely! But I do wish people would at least think critically — e.g., check what’s inside an ETF, look into available SRI (socially responsible investment) or ESG (environmental, social, governance) funds—even with their flaws, they're a step towards aligning investments with values.

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@SceNtriC

3. Power concentration and democracy.

ETFs and passive funds concentrate voting rights and influence in the hands of very few massive asset managers (like BlackRock or Vanguard). This potentially undermines #democratic control over the future direction of huge corporations that affect everyone’s lives.
While for most small investors this may feel remote or abstract, these trends are shaping who gets to “make the rules” in capitalism.

4. Complexity and critical thinking.

As your guide thoroughly shows: investing is complicated! My main wish isn’t to scare people, but to encourage conscious investing. Look under the hood, don't buy shiny wrappers. And watch out for “#greenwashing”: just because a fund claims to be ESG or sustainable doesn’t mean it really is.

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@SceNtriC

5. No easy answers, but better awareness.

I agree that active stock picking isn't a magical solution either, and for most people isn't realistic, but investing should never be “set-and-forget” while pretending it’s value-neutral.
Even a simple move—like choosing a bank or broker that does not heavily finance fossil fuels—can be an ethical act.

Bottom line:
I want more people empowered to invest, but I also want more people to care about where their money goes. We can’t just shrug and say, “That’s how markets work”—because markets are human-made, and we all take part in shaping them, even through small amounts of savings.

Thanks again for opening up that conversation — and I hope your readers will use your guide not just to start investing, but also to think about the world they want to help create.

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@SceNtriC some side note:

Thanks for mentioning the iShares ACWX as a first step away from US/Big Tech dominance. It’s definitely a case where even small differences in screening or selection can really alter the “impact” of your investment. For a genuinely balanced, resilient, and ethical portfolio, you could even go further and choosing funds that include more small- and mid-cap companies. Diversifying across sectors more equally. Considering regional or thematic ETFs.

If you’re curious about more sustainable or ethical fund options beyond the mainstream ETFs, here are a few that I personally like or find interesting. Most are available in Europe and have a strong focus on environmental or social responsibility:

...

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@SceNtriC

Umweltbank ETF — very broad, with ~2000 stocks across the world, but a bit too much China real estate IMHO
Ökoworld Growing Markets 2.0 — more expensive, but much higher sustainability and diversification, with a strong exclusion of controversial sectors and a focus on emerging markets, super admixture and super low correlation with MSCI World
GLS Klimafonds & Ökobasis One World Protect — include also #greenBonds which I like
Ark/Rize Environmental Impact 100 — small thematic ETF
Ark/Rize Sustainable Future of Food — small thematic ETF
Ethius Global Impact — rather big cap, high correlation with MSCI World
Triodos Pioneer Impact Fund — rather small cap
B.A.U.M. Fair Future Fonds — rather small cap europe

Of course, fees are typically a bit higher than for mass-market ETFs. But these funds show it's possible to invest globally while supporting a more ethical future

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@SceNtriC As a small aside on Jeff Bezos: I see him more as a “founder” or owner than a classic “CEO” in the traditional sense. His vast wealth is a function of equity ownership from founding days, which gives him long-term, outsized exposure to Amazon’s value (and not just a CEO salary/bonus like many corporate managers). That’s not to say other CEOs don’t get incredibly wealthy, but it’s worth distinguishing between someone who built and still owns a large part of a company, vs. a “hired gun” CEO running someone else’s company. The system heavily rewards founders—regardless of ongoing direct contribution—which is a big topic for another time!

Regarding CEOs, there is also this interesting topic of "golden parachute" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElYaMvTDIKc

[8/8]

Golden Parachutes Explained

YouTube

@aligyie Thank you for this thread - I'm glad that there is a space for Fediverse comments under the article (I integrated the blog with Mastodon API), because more people can read this discussion and gain a broader perspective :)

I agree that I should mentioned about ESG in the article - I didn't want to introduce so many abbreviations, terms and ideas to not distract the reader from the merits, but in fact, ESG could be important for at least some of viewers. Thank you for this point.

Fortunately, there is some (I don't know how many) smaller companies which provide ETFs, especially for local market. For example, in Poland there is BETA ETF which specializes in ETFs for Polish WIGs but it expands its offer by next funds.

Thank you for your list of ETFs, it's very refreshing to see some names which I didn't see previously. I must ask - they are quite profitable or it's risky to invest them from pure-economical point of view?

Well, founders could be incredibly wealth also because they take a risk of investing a lot of money (sometimes the most savings of their life) at the beginning with no warranty to not only take profit but also gain a return. But yes, this is another topic and, to be honest, I am not sure if I am proper person to discuss about it :) Best regards!

@SceNtriC I wouldn’t call these funds "risky" in the sense of high probability of total loss, but there are a few practical points worth mentioning for anyone considering less mainstream funds. A good rule of thumb is to pay attention to fund size (volume): if an ETF or actively managed fund has less than around €100 million in assets, it’s worth looking more closely. Smaller funds do occasionally close down — usually you don’t lose your money (the assets are simply sold and returned), but it can be inconvenient. Sometimes, as the fund shrinks, costs per investor rise as well. Still, I personally like exploring smaller or lesser known fund providers—sometimes that’s where the most creative investment ideas pop up! For example, "target date funds" (which adjust the risk level automatically as you get closer to a certain year), or the sophisticated factor-based strategies from Dimensional (I like the concept although I am not fully convinced yet), or even the long-term, ethical approach of Norway’s state fund.

@SceNtriC some notes about the funds mentioned earlier:
- Ökoworld (Germany): One of the pioneers in sustainable investing. They’ve built long-term relationships with companies, even flying out for in-depth discussions about long term goals. They’re not interested in "quick flips" like some aggressive investors—this is real, patient, principled capital, which is rare.
- Triodos: The biggest "fair/ethical" bank in Europe, based in the Netherlands (part of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values https://www.gabv.org/). Their funds are as focused on transparency and social benefit as on returns.
- Rize: a modern ETF provider with interesting thematic funds, though they were recently acquired by ARK (Cathie Wood's company — personally I’m wary, a lot of hype stuff, so be carefully).

The others (GLS, Ethius, B.A.U.M., Umweltbank) are based in Germany, Austria or Switzerland and are generally respected for their transparency — e.g. publishing manager pay, reasons for stock sales, voting decisions at AGMs

GABV - Global Alliance for Banking on Values

GABV is a network of independent banks using finance to deliver sustainable economic,social and environmental development.

GABV - Global Alliance for Banking on Values

@SceNtriC When considering all these factors — ethics, transparency, diversification — I genuinely believe these "soft factors" will matter financially too in the long term.

Two points I'd stress (and which often get overlooked in discussions):
1. Low Fees are not the only factor: Many advocate for "take the ETF with the lowest fee" (say 0.5% instead of 1.7% per year). Fees matter but it’s not the only metric. If a slightly more expensive fund is much better diversified and helps reduce the risk of large, prolonged drawdowns, that extra 1% annual cost may actually buy you peace of mind
2. Historical Returns ≠ Future Returns: We often talk about the ~10% historical returns of global stock markets, but I’d urge caution about expecting anything similar going forward, especially across all asset classes. There’s no guarantee the next decades will repeat previous performance. (Some reasons: high valuations, demographic trends, lower growth, climate transition costs, etc...)

PS I like having such nice discussion

@aligyie Thank you for description of these ETFs which are less popular and new for me. I definitely have to find spare time and read something more about them.

I agree with all points you made about ETFs in general - it is safer to buy these with large capitalization (like more than 100 million) and the cost is not everything. Fortunately, I haven't heard about any closed funds recently. Or I didn't keep eye on the proper ones :)

I heard about Cathie Wood's and their aggressive moves. Well, it's not my cup of tea :)

It's a Fediverse's power to have such nice discussions - I suppose, it would be much more difficult on Twitter to repeat this, not only because of shorter character limits :)