Episode 17: My Story with the NISA Savings Category
In Japan, long-term investors often use a tax-advantaged account called NISA. Every country has its own version of such a system—the name changes, but the idea is the same: "An account that helps your future grow."
A Place of Stability
After my confidence wavered a little in the High-Return Category, I opened the next screen.
What caught my attention next was the NISA Savings Category.
It was a place filled with NISA-eligible funds—funds that many people had been quietly accumulating for years.
As I scrolled through the list, two names immediately stood out.
- eMAXIS Slim U.S. Equity (S&P500)
- eMAXIS Slim All Country Equity (All Country)
Next to them were the Rakuten Plus Series versions of the S&P 500 and All Country as well.
“Well, it is Rakuten Securities, so that makes sense.”
That was my first thought as I looked over the screen.
A Place to Continue, Not to Compete
“Which is better, the S&P 500 or All Country?”
If someone asked me that question, I couldn't honestly say, “This is the right answer.”
The S&P 500 is a choice that focuses on the United States.
All Country is a choice that invests across the world.
Each reflects a different way of thinking.
In many ways, the United States remains at the center of the global economy—but that doesn't automatically make one choice better than the other.
Before I knew it, I wasn't thinking about winning or losing anymore.
I was looking for a place where I could keep going.
To be completely honest, I invest the same amount into both the S&P 500 and All Country every month.
It's not because I want one to beat the other.
It's because I believe both are reliable paths worth walking for the long haul.
The Comfort of Stability
Every ranking has a first place and a second place.
But looking at these two funds, I realized those numbers didn't seem as important as I had expected.
They stood side by side because countless people had continued investing in them over many years.
To me, that was what stability looked like.
If I borrowed a metaphor from the garden, they were like mature trees.
They don't grow dramatically overnight.
Yet season after season, they remain standing exactly where they are.
That was the kind of reassurance they gave me.
Where My Eyes Turned Next
Perhaps because everything felt so steady, my eyes naturally drifted toward the next category.
The New Fund Category.
There, new funds stood like fresh seeds waiting to sprout.
But instead of rushing toward them, I wanted to watch them from a little distance.
That was the feeling I carried with me.
In long-term investing, what matters isn't popularity or ranking. What matters is finding a place where you feel at peace continuing. Rather than chasing dramatic changes, it's about putting down roots and continuing to grow. I believe those quiet accumulations gradually shape the landscape of the future. Today, once again, I'll quietly water my garden.
- Related Link: Column 3 (Thinking with Yuto on "How to Approach Financial Products")