Any Fellow Investors?

[Lucy_1873]

When I still had a job, in January 2024, I was in part sick of working for 100% of my money and wanted some - even if it started as a % of a % - to work for me. So, I decided to invest in some publically owned stocks and some privately owned ones via seedrs. In addition to this I decided to put my Pension in a SIPP!

Any Fellow Investors here?

[Farmduck]

When Covid first hit, the Australian Stock Market took a dive and I figured that it would be mainly temporary so I whacked $A10K into a range of companies that I thought were being over-devalued. I made a fairly quick 100% probably in less than a year. This wasn't any great act of sharemarket brilliance on my part. It was mainly because, at 70, I have lived through a few previous "apocalypses" and they always end up a bit underwhelming. 

Of course a lot of them hit the wall once the initial Covid panic settled but 5 of my original 12 picks are still up over 90% and I only had one real disaster but it had a huge spurt at first so I cashed in enough to cover my outlay then watched the remainder turn to ######. My worst current holdings are anomalies - where companies have hived off half their operations into separate corporate entities and you end up with shares in both but at widely different prices. These are often misleading because it looks like you've lost 20% on some company but then you remember the other half of the original company is up 80%

Some of my subsequent sales came from lucky timing. I sold my lithium miner but I wasn't expecting a 40% crash in global lithium prices. That just happened later. I sold mine because research showed the location of the mines was among the worst in the lithium industry, in terms of supporting infrastructure, etc. Luckily for me I was too lazy at the time to decide which other lithium miner to put the money into so I didn't pick any then the price crashed. 

I have used a type of "cut your wins" approach. If you buy 10 shares at $10 and they go up to $20 then I might sell half of them so I break even and the remaining shares can hit any price (any price north of $0.00) and I'm still in front. For example, I bought about 7,000 Channel 7 shares at 8 cents then dumped half of it when it hit 70 cents. I kept the rest until it dropped to about 30 cents and dumped it.

I haven't traded any shares for about a year. 

 

[Sports Prophet]

 

You won’t find me go anywhere near crypto. I am a little bit of a sceptic at the best of times and to a degree, I think economics is in many ways one big Ponzi scheme, but crypto as far as I am concerned is an absolute bonkers proposal. Nothing tangible to it, a complete gamble.

Edited February 26, 2025 by Sports Prophet

[RayCee]

My philosophy is risk what you can afford to lose. Put the rest in some sort of safe Bank investment scheme.

[Dunbar]

On 10/02/2025 at 22:49, Lucy_1873 said:

When I still had a job, in January 2024, I was in part sick of working for 100% of my money and wanted some - even if it started as a % of a % - to work for me. So, I decided to invest in some publically owned stocks and some privately owned ones via seedrs. In addition to this I decided to put my Pension in a SIPP!

Any Fellow Investors here?

I didn't see this thread as I was in my self-imposed exile at the time.

Yes, I am a very keen investor and have been managing a portfolio of assets for myself and my family for about 10 or 12 years now - since I came into a bit of capital and then I have been lucky enough to be able to max out our ISA and SIPP investments since then.

I still work full time (you wouldn't know it from my TotalRL posts) and so I tend not to invest in individual stocks, my preference has been to use investment trusts and very recently ETF's (more on that in a second).

I am always banging on to my younger colleagues to start their investment journey as soon as they can as the most significant part of any investment strategy is time. The sooner you start, the better the rewards.

On the ETF. One of the things that I think about is ethical investments and whether it is appropriate to invest in a market or sector that you don't think is ethical - tobacco companies for example.

The sector that knew was going to grow over the last few years was defence and so I was struggling with the idea of whether to invest in an industry that potentially causes harm (it could be argued that defence of a democracy is a good thing – but the arms industry in general, maybe not so much).

In the end, I decided to put part of my daughter’s junior ISA into a defence ETF (I though sod it, if she is going to live in an uncertain world then she can at least benefit from it ) and the other half into an AI focussed fund. It has done well and today her ISA is over £100k (she is 12).

I can’t work out if I have done a good thing or a bad thing!

[sam4731]

On 28/02/2025 at 01:01, RayCee said:

My philosophy is risk what you can afford to lose. Put the rest in some sort of safe Bank investment scheme.

Same as casinos. Walk in with £50 with the expectation that you will lose £50.

[Dunbar]

5 hours ago, sam4731 said:

Same as casinos. Walk in with £50 with the expectation that you will lose £50.

Maybe if you were trading (stock picking or currency markets).

But that is not the same as investing. If you were to just pick a global tracker and be patient, you would see returns. In the 20 years from September 2003 to June 2024, an All-World index fund would of had a compound annual growth rate of 9.10%

[graveyard johnny]

what happened to the OP?  all very strange 

[Kayakman]

Sell now..poor evaluations everywhere.

Buy an annuity.

[The Masked Poster]

On 03/10/2025 at 09:39, Dunbar said:

I didn't see this thread as I was in my self-imposed exile at the time.

Yes, I am a very keen investor and have been managing a portfolio of assets for myself and my family for about 10 or 12 years now - since I came into a bit of capital and then I have been lucky enough to be able to max out our ISA and SIPP investments since then.

I still work full time (you wouldn't know it from my TotalRL posts) and so I tend not to invest in individual stocks, my preference has been to use investment trusts and very recently ETF's (more on that in a second).

I am always banging on to my younger colleagues to start their investment journey as soon as they can as the most significant part of any investment strategy is time. The sooner you start, the better the rewards.

On the ETF. One of the things that I think about is ethical investments and whether it is appropriate to invest in a market or sector that you don't think is ethical - tobacco companies for example.

The sector that knew was going to grow over the last few years was defence and so I was struggling with the idea of whether to invest in an industry that potentially causes harm (it could be argued that defence of a democracy is a good thing – but the arms industry in general, maybe not so much).

In the end, I decided to put part of my daughter’s junior ISA into a defence ETF (I though sod it, if she is going to live in an uncertain world then she can at least benefit from it ) and the other half into an AI focussed fund. It has done well and today her ISA is over £100k (she is 12).

I can’t work out if I have done a good thing or a bad thing!

I started reading that and after a few lines it turned into the voice of the teacher from Charlie Brown.

Not because what you were writing was boring or anything, it's just that when it comes to financial matters, my 'brain' (I do have one as I'm having scans currently) just won't compute it and I start reading or hearing just a load of blurb. 

I know that's not a good thing btw. 

[Dunbar]

6 hours ago, Kayakman said:

Sell now..poor evaluations everywhere.

Buy an annuity.

Entirely dependent on where you are in your investment journey.  If you decide the time is right for guaranteed income, yes. If you are in the growth stage and try and time the market, no. If you missed the market’s 10 best days over the past 30 years, your returns would have been cut in half. And missing the best 30 days would have reduced your returns by 83%.

Even more important to say in the market if you have a dividend reinvestment strategy.

The markets fell yesterday and will on Monday due to a few Trump tweets. But just like in April, they will go up again – the length of time it takes for them to go up only matters if you are in need of the income now.

[Dunbar]

22 hours ago, The Masked Poster said:

I started reading that and after a few lines it turned into the voice of the teacher from Charlie Brown.

Not because what you were writing was boring or anything, it's just that when it comes to financial matters, my 'brain' (I do have one as I'm having scans currently) just won't compute it and I start reading or hearing just a load of blurb. 

I know that's not a good thing btw. 

No worries. I was out to dinner last night with my wife and I was about 5 seconds into sharing what our current picture was and she was completely tuned out. It is one of my obsessions but others, not so much.

[Kayakman]

On 11/10/2025 at 05:57, Dunbar said:

Entirely dependent on where you are in your investment journey.  If you decide the time is right for guaranteed income, yes. If you are in the growth stage and try and time the market, no. If you missed the market’s 10 best days over the past 30 years, your returns would have been cut in half. And missing the best 30 days would have reduced your returns by 83%.

Even more important to say in the market if you have a dividend reinvestment strategy.

The markets fell yesterday and will on Monday due to a few Trump tweets. But just like in April, they will go up again – the length of time it takes for them to go up only matters if you are in need of the income now.

Your quote about the markets: "But just like in April, they will go up again."

Reminds one of a popular quote (in Canada) over here in 1929: "The markets will continue to rise. The boom will last!"

We all know where that ended up.  I would stick with annuities at this point in time....but Hey what do I know of these matters.

[Dunbar]

2 minutes ago, Kayakman said:

Your quote about the markets: "But just like in April, they will go up again."

Reminds one of a popular quote (in Canada) over here in 1929: "The markets will continue to rise. The boom will last!"

We all know where that ended up.  I would stick with annuities at this point in time....but Hey what do I know of these matters.

I am not saying the boom will last, they don't. Only a fool would say that. Recessions (or worse) come and if you stay in the market then you have to be prepared to see your portfolio fall by 15% or 20% without panicking.

But they will go up again, so stay in the market (as I say, particularly if you are reinvesting dividends).

But, if you are in the time of your life where you cannot wait for the potential 5 or more years to recover that fall then yes, you should not be in equities - maybe defense assets (bonds etc), or yes, buy a guaranteed income with an annuity if that is your preference. 

[Dunbar]

On 04/10/2025 at 20:51, graveyard johnny said:

what happened to the OP?  all very strange 

Did you notice that Lucy left just as I came back.

Coincidence?

Yes.

[Fly-By-TheWire]

Well, the cracks are appearing all over the place.   And it’s not just doom talk/scrolling.   The hard part about playing chicken is knowing when to flinch… and with me being a bit of a chicken I’ve diversified a bit and stashed some cash.   Warren Buffett has been building up a third of a trillion in reserves over the last couple of years, along with other wise old men, so I’ve followed their lead and will sit tight.   

I think this may well be a historic “GFC - The Sequel”  so I just hope I keep my job through what may be a tough period for the next 5-10 years.   Anyway, I’m going to sit on a bit of a reserve in my ISAs and savings, and when the market bottoms out I’ll stick it on a global index fund that I don’t have to look at for 19 years until retirement.

Buckle up folks

[The Duke]

My pension seems to have boomed recently, but the AI bubble is due to burst at some point 

At 38 it’s nothing to worry about as I’m working for another 30 years yet !

I was toying with moving my pension to bonds for a period and getting back in when the crash does come, but without a crystal ball I think it’s too risky 

[Fly-By-TheWire]

3 hours ago, The Duke said:

I was toying with moving my pension to bonds for a period and getting back in when the crash does come, but without a crystal ball I think it’s too risky

If you're in a stable industry with 30 years left patience is all you need.   Even the great depression in the US only lasted 10 years or so.   I'm in a position where the smallest medical issue can take me out of my line of work permanently, and whilst I'm hoping for another 19 years of good income, I'm putting the maximum I'm allowed into the pot and decreasing my risk a little.   Of course, the budget will likely come down hard on those saving for the future, but that's outside my control!   Tough times ahead.

Edited November 20, 2025 by Fly-By-TheWire

[The Duke]

7 hours ago, Fly-By-TheWire said:

If you're in a stable industry with 30 years left patience is all you need.   Even the great depression in the US only lasted 10 years or so.   I'm in a position where the smallest medical issue can take me out of my line of work permanently, and whilst I'm hoping for another 19 years of good income, I'm putting the maximum I'm allowed into the pot and decreasing my risk a little.   Of course, the budget will likely come down hard on those saving for the future, but that's outside my control!   Tough times ahead.

A crystal ball is what’s needed I think 

I have upsized house to potentially look at downsizing at retirement age as part of my overall portfolio 

In general I like going to work though but at 68 I might not ! 

[The Duke]

Emerging markets funds look to have a great return at the moment - they will have a higher AMC on the fund 

I might put a little bit into one to trial it 

[Dunbar]

On 19/11/2025 at 17:37, Fly-By-TheWire said:

Well, the cracks are appearing all over the place.   And it’s not just doom talk/scrolling.   The hard part about playing chicken is knowing when to flinch… and with me being a bit of a chicken I’ve diversified a bit and stashed some cash.   Warren Buffett has been building up a third of a trillion in reserves over the last couple of years, along with other wise old men, so I’ve followed their lead and will sit tight.   

I think this may well be a historic “GFC - The Sequel”  so I just hope I keep my job through what may be a tough period for the next 5-10 years.   Anyway, I’m going to sit on a bit of a reserve in my ISAs and savings, and when the market bottoms out I’ll stick it on a global index fund that I don’t have to look at for 19 years until retirement.

Buckle up folks

I would not give financial advice... only my personal observations.

But over 2025, the FTSE 100 has made a 23.5% total return, beating the MSCI AC World by around 10 percentage points. It is also ahead of the sterling returns of the benchmark US, Japanese and emerging markets indices.

With interest rates trending down and likely to trend down through 2026, I don't think it is the right time to exit the market.

[Fly-By-TheWire]

12 hours ago, Dunbar said:

I would not give financial advice... only my personal observations.

But over 2025, the FTSE 100 has made a 23.5% total return, beating the MSCI AC World by around 10 percentage points. It is also ahead of the sterling returns of the benchmark US, Japanese and emerging markets indices.

With interest rates trending down and likely to trend down through 2026, I don't think it is the right time to exit the market.

That's the gamble isn't it?   It's crashing sometime soon, but no-one can predict exactly when, whatever they tell you.   I've made a bit, and also sold some good SAYE options from the airline I'm employed by (never a good idea to have money in the company you work for!), so I'll accept losing out on some gains for the peace of mind that I won't lose what I've made.   I'm also on the higher side of my forties now, and while I'm currently in good health, the smallest medical problem could stop me doing the only job I'm qualified for, so I have got to factor that one in.

Just like the dot com bubble, after the eventual crash, there will be an opportunity to buy the more resilient tech stock at cheap-ish prices, so I'm hoping that will make up for any gains I miss out on with an early exit.

[Dunbar]

21 minutes ago, Fly-By-TheWire said:

That's the gamble isn't it?   It's crashing sometime soon, but no-one can predict exactly when, whatever they tell you.   I've made a bit, and also sold some good SAYE options from the airline I'm employed by (never a good idea to have money in the company you work for!), so I'll accept losing out on some gains for the peace of mind that I won't lose what I've made.   I'm also on the higher side of my forties now, and while I'm currently in good health, the smallest medical problem could stop me doing the only job I'm qualified for, so I have got to factor that one in.

Just like the dot com bubble, after the eventual crash, there will be an opportunity to buy the more resilient tech stock at cheap-ish prices, so I'm hoping that will make up for any gains I miss out on with an early exit.

You say no-one can predict the market and then say you are doing exactly that by getting out before the crash and then taking gains?

I don't try and time the market, I stay invested and reinvest dividends over the long term. 

I accept it will go up and down and that the pound cost averaging of any investments and dividend reinvestment will deliver gains in the long run.

[Thedave]

I’ve dabbled in silver in the past and made a profit, currently holding a few penny stocks For the long term, just needs one to boom

[Dunbar]

This is just for people who are interested, same as any chat - if you are not then happily ignore.

So, I have set up my retirement portfolio, a little bit earlier than I expected but I wanted to be in more defensive stocks as I get closer to retirement.... still about 5 years away but a downturn would take about 5 years to recover and so I want to stay in the market but less exposure to volatility.

Across my (drawdown) SIPP and ISA, I have 11 investment trusts paying an average of 6.8% in dividends. For the next 5 years I will continue to re-invest those dividends for growth but when I stop work, I tick a box and they start to pay out as income - taxed in the case of the SIPP and tax free in the ISA. Hopefully the capital value stays similar so I am not taking from the actual pot.

I expect the trusts I invest in will change over the years, before and after retirement, as I follow a website with investment trust portfolio recommendations, but the dividend paying strategy will be maintained.