How your investments affect your spending habits!

Personal finances
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Have your investments changed your consumption behavior? For example, after buying Olvi shares, have you switched your beer brand to Olvi beer products? I myself have somewhat jokingly changed, thinking that this purchase will raise the stock price. My example is Kraft Heinz, which has numerous well-known brands. When I come across them, I’ve bought the stock with a gleam in my eyes, envisioning it rocketing.

For example, has your sauna heater been replaced due to your investment?

Or, have you recommended your local grocer to include your “favorite product” in their selection? For example, due to your uranium investment, have you sent a message to Prisma asking them to include uranium rods in their selection?

Have you also started “preaching” to your inner circle about how excellent a product a company makes and recommended trying it? Or, have you been suggested to buy certain products because someone has invested in a particular company?

Share examples or comment on the matter otherwise.

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My household’s purchases are such a small part of the revenue generation of the companies I own that I don’t feel they have any significance. If you want to gain a financial “owner’s” benefit from your shopping behavior, you are better off joining cooperatives. I personally aim to maximize the value relative to the amount of money spent, so share ownership does not influence my purchasing behavior.

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At the pharmacy, I always end up choosing Orion products from the various options.

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I certainly used to do this.

Laundry detergents (Omo, Comfort) and dishwasher detergents (Sun): Unilever
Mobile subscription: Telia
Insurance (If): Sampo
Banking services: Nordea
Gas: Neste
Etc.

Additionally, it always felt good to see a Securitas guard, a Volvo truck, an H&M clothing store, etc.

In direct stock investments, I aim to buy companies that are an inseparable part of everyday life.

Nowadays, my investments are mostly ETFs, so there’s no longer any pressure to favor “my own” companies :slight_smile:

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I actually visit Kesko more often. The reason, of course, even more than just share ownership, is that personal purchases definitely stay above the 3,000 euro lower limit for the Owner K-Plussa (Omistajan K-Plussa) on an annual basis.

In my case, it has probably been more a matter of my consumer behavior influencing my investments. I sold my Tokmanni shares back in the day because I thought the company’s operations were so amateurish, especially when making online orders: the online store worked however it worked, and picking up packages was quite a pain as the clerk searched for them in the middle of a messy pile. In those regards, nothing has become more professional over the years. Additionally, I don’t really like how low-quality junk from budget brands is sold to consumers price-first, which isn’t very smart for the world’s ecological balance either. I should also mention that I sold those Tokmannis pretty much right before a massive price surge began, and their weight in my portfolio was significant. But that’s just how it goes.

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Sometimes I let my bills go to collection just to show some support! intrum

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Rationally speaking, that is of course the case. Nevertheless, following the activities of a company you partially own increases interest in investing. It also helps one understand that you aren’t just buying stocks from the stock exchange, but slices of companies, even if your own stakes are modest.

Most of the dozen or so companies Juurikki owns a stake in operate in sectors that don’t affect the average consumer, at least not in terms of everyday choices.

I have holdings in several banks and asset managers, but I’m only a customer of the cooperative ones.

Marimekko items are bought as gifts, but only from clearance sales.

Neste has been the only “real” gas station for Juurikki since sometime in the 80s or 90s, when reports in the media stated that Shell’s gasoline caused (within legal limits) 50 times more sulfur emissions than Neste’s gasoline. The fact that it’s domestic was probably part of the reason, too. Now that Juurikki has owned a small piece of Neste’s refineries etc. for a few months, there has been no change in consumer behavior.

In Tampere, Jyväskylä, Turku, and Helsinki, as well as on trips around Europe, I occasionally spot Voi electric scooters and bikes (officially written as ‘voi.’, note the lowercase letter and the period at the end). Sometimes I think, “Voi-ei” (Oh no), I might not want to partially own these nuisances even indirectly. I have to go out of my way to remind myself that they are still an important part of shifting transportation to be less fuel-intensive for climate change. Juurikki personally values muscle power over electric power, but understands well that one cannot expect or especially demand that from others.

VNV Global owns 20.9% of Voi, and Voi’s share of the investment portfolio is just over 10%. Sometime during a leisure trip to Europe, rather than for work, I might also test Bla-Bla-Car, which they advertise as the world’s largest sharing economy company.

Bla-Bla-Car has 120 million members/customers/ride providers or seekers in 22 countries, offering rides in private cars between cities that are cheaper than trains or buses. Many people want someone to share fuel costs with, and it’s certainly nicer on long trips when you have someone to talk to. VNV owns 14% of Bla-Bla-Car, but that represents a 38.8% share of their investment portfolio.

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I’ve changed, and Olvi was a good example. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:
But as a more significant change, I notice that because of investing, I much more often choose a domestic product over, say, a Swedish peer (even if I haven’t invested in it). Or I’ll go to Hese instead of McDonald’s, knowing that those profits also stay in Finland to support the national economy.

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Personally, I see brand experience, identity, and image—whether they relate to the company or its products—as influencing investment decisions. In that case, the relationship between purchasing products and making an investment decision is the reverse of what was asked.

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Yes, it matters, quite a lot. Years ago, I switched from Prisma to “Cittari” (K-Citymarket) for my weekend shopping. Today, however, I visited the local Prisma for the first time in a while to compare prices and selection. I pick up special offers from nearby K-markets. I still don’t feel the need to avoid the S-Group or Lidl. After all, I have the “green poison” in my wallet and a current account at S-Bank (which I don’t consider to be a real bank, though). I pick up lunch from the S-market deli counter a couple of times a week, and from Lidl, I get cheap drinks and nuts. In our 2+1 person household (me/partner/dog), it’s still worth sticking to the K-Group’s “best customer” benefits.

Refueling is handled with the Neste app, and for the company car, with a Neste credit card.

My salary account is with OP, and I’ve centralized my insurance with Finland’s best insurance company, Pohjola. I’ve previously canceled policies with LähiTapiola and If.

Charging would surely be done with Kempower chargers if I owned a battery electric vehicle. I’m still waiting for a suitable model to hit the market.

I also own Lindex shares. I don’t shop at “Stocka” (Stockmann) or Lindex myself, but my partner works at Stockmann and often orders things like clothes and dishes from the Stockmann online store.

There aren’t many Orthex products in our home; I should actually check out their selection. I have a couple of products in mind that we could use.

We have a Harvia sauna heater. No other brand would even be considered.

Of course, I have other stock holdings as well.

I do my best to support the economic growth of our home country, Finland, through my own choices. This applies to both investments and consumption. Environmental impact/sustainability also matter.

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I’ve held Elisa in my portfolio and stayed on Elisa’s network since the Radiolinja days, ever since 1998, with my phone number even remaining the same 050-prefix to this day. I’ll stick with them in the future, too; I want to support the only Finnish operator.

Orion is in my portfolio as well, and I primarily choose Orion products at the pharmacy.

If I didn’t live in an apartment building, Fiskars and Harvia products would be a sure choice; naturally, I hold both in my portfolio. If I owned a car, Nokian Tyres would be the definite choice for winter tires.

For the most part, my Finnish stock picks follow the style of “I know the company and what it does, which is why I want to own it”—not much else matters in long-term, owner-oriented investing.

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I swapped Saarioinen’s “mudflap” pizzas for Atria’s versions as a backup snack.
I buy these shamefully often; you’d think a Business Director position would be opening up for me by now :sweat_smile:

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It hasn’t had any impact so far, though there might be a small change if I eventually get around to buying some Kesko and getting a loyalty card there.

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It affects me in a way that I only buy the essentials, and even then, very sparingly. This leaves more money for trades. Although I don’t need the money for those anymore, the habits stick.

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Noho is the kind of company where I slightly favor their venues, but on the other hand, I usually prefer visiting somewhere new.

I’ve bought just a few “fan shares” of Apple and Pepsi as a Black Friday campaign; fortunately, I didn’t do the same for Tesla. But in those cases, the reason has of course been the quality of the companies and the fact that I like their products.

I’m also a Nordea customer, but when it’s time to shop around for a better deal, they certainly don’t get any premium :nerd_face: