(AU) 19 years old with 40k in savings, thinking about getting an investment property.

Fellow Aussie here, Firstly congratulations on having a decent chuck of savings at your age. Firstly remembering that this is general advice and you need to consider your goals, objectives and situation and I don't have a proper understanding of your personal situation.

The first thing you should do is establish an emergency fund, 3-6 months is generally the right number. Calculate what your expenses are right down to the lunch you might buy at work, for the month. Then put 3-6 months worth aside in a savings account and don't touch it. After that point pay off any debt you have. There is no point trying to invest if you have CC debt etc. If you have no debt well done again! Because you are an Aussie you will no doubt have superannuation, if you make less than 50k a year (I assume you do based on PT and study) consider putting a minimum $1000 into your super as a non-concessional contribution, this should be a regular yearly occurrence especially whilst you are young. You'll get a government contribution and low income contribution if you do this. (Free money!) I can't stress enough that young Australians through to older Australians do not contribute enough to their super and expect that the minimum employer contribution will be enough for their retirement. It wont. As your salary increases you should start increasing your personal contributions up to the max (30K a year for under 50's) if you can do so. (I understand that this is unlikely for most as 30k is a huge number unless you're really making it). Also consider salary sacrifice as that becomes available to you. (Additional tax benefits there, but not that relevant to you yet). The remaining money you have you could consider starting a decent share portfolio, Vanguard Index Funds is generally the way to go. Plenty of literature here about Vanguard, check the investing tab over there ---> Lastly a note on the current property market: Banks in Australia are beginning to reduce the amount of mortgages they sign as the property market is becoming expensive very quickly with pressure from foreign buyers, unfortunately with rates as low as they are, many Australians are taking on mortgages that they can CURRENTLY afford, interest rates will inevitably rise and many people will find themselves struggling and possibly defaulting because they didn't account for the rise in rates. Don't be so keen to jump into property as its a long term investment, will force you into a large debt that you will need to service for a minimum 7-10 years (with really good luck and job growth.) Good luck with your future studies :)

/r/personalfinance Thread