What's in your portfolio - and why?

[Bobthebuilder]

8 minutes ago, jiltedjen said:

I’m mid 30’s mortgage free.

Started investing aggressively since December 2023 when I paid the mortgage off. 

initial plan is to buy UK Dividend paying shares. basically copying the top holdings of a UK dividend income fund, so I can enjoy the diversification without having to pay the fees.

the rough plan is to have dividends offset the arrival of children next year, and the loss of my other halves income. 

the plan is to use the dividends to further diversify, mostly higher dividend payers to start with, to get that initial impact, then over time get the lower dividend payers. 

it’s handy as the UK is cheap right now, where the US S&P is due an imminent pop.

historically the US outperforms for around a decade, then the rest of the world then outperforms for the next, so basically we are due America to poop itself and rest of the world (including the FTSE100) to do OK.

so far have roughly £10k invested, spread about in:

- British American Tobacco

- Imperial Brands

- HSBC

- NatWest

- National Grid

- Legal and general 

- Tesco

- AVIVA

- BT group

next month adding 

- M&G group

- ITV

 roughly it equates to £50 a month average income, should be over £100 a month average income by the end of year 1.

should work out as about half the contribution to living costs that my partner pays into current account by the time baby comes.

Meaning that in my mid 30’s I should be able to continue investing for the next 20ish years and be retired at 55, possibly before that.

initially I’m aiming for a good base-line of dividends, then eventually move onto more exotic stuff.

I DO NOT like the bubble US tech/AI stocks in the US. don’t fancy catching that falling knife. 

should pass £100k combined SIPP and S&S ISA  this year, and from that point onwards things should speed up a bit. 

I’m lucky that I have time, that’s probably the most valuable thing right now. Compounding can do its thing. 

The nice thing with dividends is that generally the companies paying it actually make profits, it’s not the sketchy start-ups which hope to make money in the future. 

plus income is my main goal to help the transition into family life. 

it’s nice that finally I’m no longer paying interest to others, but I have crossed to rubicon, and finally some money is flowing towards me. 

currently it costs me and my partner £1050 to live each month, so £50 a month income is a fair dint into not having to work, obviously the outgoings will go up with kids, but should only take a few short years to reach FIRE. 

You are going to fit in well here.

Nice work.

[desertorchid]

6 hours ago, jiltedjen said:

I’m mid 30’s mortgage free.

Started investing aggressively since December 2023 when I paid the mortgage off. 

initial plan is to buy UK Dividend paying shares. basically copying the top holdings of a UK dividend income fund, so I can enjoy the diversification without having to pay the fees.

the rough plan is to have dividends offset the arrival of children next year, and the loss of my other halves income. 

the plan is to use the dividends to further diversify, mostly higher dividend payers to start with, to get that initial impact, then over time get the lower dividend payers. 

it’s handy as the UK is cheap right now, where the US S&P is due an imminent pop.

historically the US outperforms for around a decade, then the rest of the world then outperforms for the next, so basically we are due America to poop itself and rest of the world (including the FTSE100) to do OK.

so far have roughly £10k invested, spread about in:

- British American Tobacco

- Imperial Brands

- HSBC

- NatWest

- National Grid

- Legal and general 

- Tesco

- AVIVA

- BT group

next month adding 

- M&G group

- ITV

 roughly it equates to £50 a month average income, should be over £100 a month average income by the end of year 1.

should work out as about half the contribution to living costs that my partner pays into current account by the time baby comes.

Meaning that in my mid 30’s I should be able to continue investing for the next 20ish years and be retired at 55, possibly before that.

initially I’m aiming for a good base-line of dividends, then eventually move onto more exotic stuff.

I DO NOT like the bubble US tech/AI stocks in the US. don’t fancy catching that falling knife. 

should pass £100k combined SIPP and S&S ISA  this year, and from that point onwards things should speed up a bit. 

I’m lucky that I have time, that’s probably the most valuable thing right now. Compounding can do its thing. 

The nice thing with dividends is that generally the companies paying it actually make profits, it’s not the sketchy start-ups which hope to make money in the future. 

plus income is my main goal to help the transition into family life. 

it’s nice that finally I’m no longer paying interest to others, but I have crossed to rubicon, and finally some money is flowing towards me. 

currently it costs me and my partner £1050 to live each month, so £50 a month income is a fair dint into not having to work, obviously the outgoings will go up with kids, but should only take a few short years to reach FIRE. 

Congratulations. Stick to the plan. I had exactly the same philosophy at your age. It is amazing how things start to snowball in a positive way after you reach a certain point. Needs patience though.

[sleepwello'nights]

On 09/04/2024 at 15:48, Mandalorian said:

Can't say I'm arsed about continuing the genetic lineage tbh.

In my teens I went through a period when I was seeking the answer to a question that has puzzled philosophers for time eternity; what is the  purpose of life. I read everything that came my way searching for an answer, text books, novels, magazines. 

I stumbled on a book, The Sonnets of Sakespeare. I recall a phrase, 'Tis the duty of a man to have a son. Over the years I recall the phrase and thought it was a line from a sonnet and try as I might I could not find it. I now realise it was part of an analysis by the academic author of the book explaining the thrust of the sonnets. 

https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/shakespeares-sonnets/read/

Without trying to be vulgar all I can say is that I found it most enjoyable making the effort to procreate. I continued the effort for many years even after fulfilling my duty to have a son. An enduring regret was not having the financial resources that enabled me to share my efforts with a greater number of nubile women. I was fortunate that the woman who choose to marry me satisfied me. Carnal thoughts still persisted. 

* in a roundabout way I've answered the question posed by the thread, except about my financial investments which is the narrow scope of the  question. I've more significant material possessions acquired over my lifetime and the non financial value of a long marriage with two children who we enjoy good relationships with. 

Edited May 5 by sleepwello'nights

[Errol]

12 hours ago, jiltedjen said:

I’m mid 30’s mortgage free.

Started investing aggressively since December 2023 when I paid the mortgage off. 

initial plan is to buy UK Dividend paying shares. basically copying the top holdings of a UK dividend income fund, so I can enjoy the diversification without having to pay the fees.

the rough plan is to have dividends offset the arrival of children next year, and the loss of my other halves income. 

the plan is to use the dividends to further diversify, mostly higher dividend payers to start with, to get that initial impact, then over time get the lower dividend payers. 

it’s handy as the UK is cheap right now, where the US S&P is due an imminent pop.

historically the US outperforms for around a decade, then the rest of the world then outperforms for the next, so basically we are due America to poop itself and rest of the world (including the FTSE100) to do OK.

so far have roughly £10k invested, spread about in:

- British American Tobacco

- Imperial Brands

- HSBC

- NatWest

- National Grid

- Legal and general 

- Tesco

- AVIVA

- BT group

next month adding 

- M&G group

- ITV

 roughly it equates to £50 a month average income, should be over £100 a month average income by the end of year 1.

should work out as about half the contribution to living costs that my partner pays into current account by the time baby comes.

Meaning that in my mid 30’s I should be able to continue investing for the next 20ish years and be retired at 55, possibly before that.

initially I’m aiming for a good base-line of dividends, then eventually move onto more exotic stuff.

I DO NOT like the bubble US tech/AI stocks in the US. don’t fancy catching that falling knife. 

should pass £100k combined SIPP and S&S ISA  this year, and from that point onwards things should speed up a bit. 

I’m lucky that I have time, that’s probably the most valuable thing right now. Compounding can do its thing. 

The nice thing with dividends is that generally the companies paying it actually make profits, it’s not the sketchy start-ups which hope to make money in the future. 

plus income is my main goal to help the transition into family life. 

it’s nice that finally I’m no longer paying interest to others, but I have crossed to rubicon, and finally some money is flowing towards me. 

currently it costs me and my partner £1050 to live each month, so £50 a month income is a fair dint into not having to work, obviously the outgoings will go up with kids, but should only take a few short years to reach FIRE. 

Why not just buy CTY? It would be a bit easier to manage.

[jiltedjen]

In my job I have created a few innovations, and although small do make things slightly more efficient. 

in life every single one of us stands upon the shoulders of giant's. 

my tiny contribution will slightly increase competitiveness of the company I work for, and competitors will have to up their game a fraction. 

in some small way I have a tiny body of work will had added to human progress. which will make the products a fraction cheaper and lead times a little shorter, which then goes onto making food a fraction cheaper, and humans in general a little leaner. 

I don’t think pooping out children itself is all that special, it’s as natural as taking a dump, if you can raise children who go onto contributing to society, either through their own innovations, or supporting society to give others the ‘space’ to innovate, then it is a good thing. 

think life’s purpose is to contribute to the human struggle. to play your part. for your life to have some meaning, some kind of result.

and this is not from the point of view as some kind of swarm or ‘human infestation’, technology is a wonderful thing. We can become less impactful through technology. 

it’s also why certain ‘jobs’ are morally horrific, like BTL, where nothing is created, they act as drags and damage progress, to leech of others. Same goes for certain banking jobs. 

our lives are finite, we are but ants, I guess what I’m saying is ‘make it count’. 

 

[jiltedjen]

1 minute ago, Errol said:

Why not just buy CTY? It would be a bit easier to manage.

I’m current sat around 7.5% yield which beats CTY at 4.92% yield. I don’t need to pay fund fees. ANY fee compounds over a long enough time as a drag. 

plus with such a long investing horizon (state retirement age will be 75+ and private 65+ for my cohort) I have plenty of time to own a bit of everything. 

There are plenty of dividend paying companies which are not worth owning.

and yes it’s not all just about yield. it’s PE ratios, payment history, debt burden etc. 

world-wide there are also great companies which generate decent income also, for now starting with the FTSE but will eventually move on to others. 

I think the plan is to never sell the portfolio, and live off the dividends, and pass onto to future children, as the house crisis cannot be fixed over just 40 years, so without help my children will be born as indentured servants for their whole lives. 

[Mandalorian]

17 hours ago, sleepwello'nights said:

 

Without trying to be vulgar all I can say is that I found it most enjoyable making the effort to procreate. I continued the effort for many years even after fulfilling my duty to have a son. An enduring regret was not having the financial resources that enabled me to share my efforts with a greater number of nubile women. I was fortunate that the woman who choose to marry me satisfied me. Carnal thoughts still persisted. 

 

Am homo.  The joy of that is I get plenty of practice at procreation without the risk of the worst sexually transmitted disease of all: children.

[Bobthebuilder]

9 minutes ago, Mandalorian said:

Am homo.  The joy of that is I get plenty of practice at procreation without the risk of the worst sexually transmitted disease of all: children.

Idiot.

[Mandalorian]

On 04/05/2024 at 18:03, jiltedjen said:

I’m mid 30’s mortgage free.

Started investing aggressively since December 2023 when I paid the mortgage off. 

initial plan is to buy UK Dividend paying shares. basically copying the top holdings of a UK dividend income fund, so I can enjoy the diversification without having to pay the fees.

the rough plan is to have dividends offset the arrival of children next year, and the loss of my other halves income. 

the plan is to use the dividends to further diversify, mostly higher dividend payers to start with, to get that initial impact, then over time get the lower dividend payers. 

it’s handy as the UK is cheap right now, where the US S&P is due an imminent pop.

historically the US outperforms for around a decade, then the rest of the world then outperforms for the next, so basically we are due America to poop itself and rest of the world (including the FTSE100) to do OK.

so far have roughly £10k invested, spread about in:

- British American Tobacco

- Imperial Brands

- HSBC

- NatWest

- National Grid

- Legal and general 

- Tesco

- AVIVA

- BT group

next month adding 

- M&G group

- ITV

 roughly it equates to £50 a month average income, should be over £100 a month average income by the end of year 1.

should work out as about half the contribution to living costs that my partner pays into current account by the time baby comes.

Meaning that in my mid 30’s I should be able to continue investing for the next 20ish years and be retired at 55, possibly before that.

initially I’m aiming for a good base-line of dividends, then eventually move onto more exotic stuff.

I DO NOT like the bubble US tech/AI stocks in the US. don’t fancy catching that falling knife. 

should pass £100k combined SIPP and S&S ISA  this year, and from that point onwards things should speed up a bit. 

I’m lucky that I have time, that’s probably the most valuable thing right now. Compounding can do its thing. 

The nice thing with dividends is that generally the companies paying it actually make profits, it’s not the sketchy start-ups which hope to make money in the future. 

plus income is my main goal to help the transition into family life. 

it’s nice that finally I’m no longer paying interest to others, but I have crossed to rubicon, and finally some money is flowing towards me. 

currently it costs me and my partner £1050 to live each month, so £50 a month income is a fair dint into not having to work, obviously the outgoings will go up with kids, but should only take a few short years to reach FIRE. 

*bites tongue*

[Bobthebuilder]

Can someone tell me how to use the ignore function please? Cannot be aresed with this shite any longer.

[Bobthebuilder]

5 minutes ago, Bobthebuilder said:

Can someone tell me how to use the ignore function please? Cannot be aresed with this shite any longer.

Found it.

[Mandalorian]

5 minutes ago, Bobthebuilder said:

Can someone tell me how to use the ignore function please? Cannot be aresed with this shite any longer.

Hover over the name and click IGNORE.  Not difficult....

[goldbug9999]

 

[Alifelessbinary]

On 04/05/2024 at 18:03, jiltedjen said:

I’m mid 30’s mortgage free.

Started investing aggressively since December 2023 when I paid the mortgage off. 

initial plan is to buy UK Dividend paying shares. basically copying the top holdings of a UK dividend income fund, so I can enjoy the diversification without having to pay the fees.

the rough plan is to have dividends offset the arrival of children next year, and the loss of my other halves income. 

the plan is to use the dividends to further diversify, mostly higher dividend payers to start with, to get that initial impact, then over time get the lower dividend payers. 

it’s handy as the UK is cheap right now, where the US S&P is due an imminent pop.

historically the US outperforms for around a decade, then the rest of the world then outperforms for the next, so basically we are due America to poop itself and rest of the world (including the FTSE100) to do OK.

so far have roughly £10k invested, spread about in:

- British American Tobacco

- Imperial Brands

- HSBC

- NatWest

- National Grid

- Legal and general 

- Tesco

- AVIVA

- BT group

next month adding 

- M&G group

- ITV

 roughly it equates to £50 a month average income, should be over £100 a month average income by the end of year 1.

should work out as about half the contribution to living costs that my partner pays into current account by the time baby comes.

Meaning that in my mid 30’s I should be able to continue investing for the next 20ish years and be retired at 55, possibly before that.

initially I’m aiming for a good base-line of dividends, then eventually move onto more exotic stuff.

I DO NOT like the bubble US tech/AI stocks in the US. don’t fancy catching that falling knife. 

should pass £100k combined SIPP and S&S ISA  this year, and from that point onwards things should speed up a bit. 

I’m lucky that I have time, that’s probably the most valuable thing right now. Compounding can do its thing. 

The nice thing with dividends is that generally the companies paying it actually make profits, it’s not the sketchy start-ups which hope to make money in the future. 

plus income is my main goal to help the transition into family life. 

it’s nice that finally I’m no longer paying interest to others, but I have crossed to rubicon, and finally some money is flowing towards me. 

currently it costs me and my partner £1050 to live each month, so £50 a month income is a fair dint into not having to work, obviously the outgoings will go up with kids, but should only take a few short years to reach FIRE. 

Sounds like you’ve got a solid plan and strategy. Just be warned kids are great but expensive! 

If you are investing over a 30 year timeframe then potentially do some research into global trackers. While I agree that the US seems over priced, I heard the same thing 10 years ago! 

Im a big fan of passive investing with a bit of active asset allocation. While I do actively manage about 10% my portfolio I’m not sure whether it’s worth all the effort, but I do find it fun.

It’s certainly worth setting a world tracker as your base line. If you manage to beat it over a 10 year period that you’re better than 90% of active managers after their costs are removed.

 

[Castlevania]

I’m largely allocated across PM miners; telecoms; consumer goods; financials; energy plus some random stuff that I think is good value.

I need to rebalance in the next few days, and I probably have too many individual stocks, but this is what I currently hold.

SIPP:

House buying account (only shows the top 20 holdings, I have a few more).

ISA:

Edited May 12 by Castlevania

[Mandalorian]

1 hour ago, Castlevania said:

I’m largely allocated across PM miners; telecoms; consumer goods; financials; energy plus some random stuff that I think is good value.

I need to rebalance in the next few days, and I probably have too many individual stocks, but this is what I currently hold.

SIPP:

House buying account (only shows the top 20 holdings, I have a few more).

ISA:

All looks a bit concentrated to me, but good luck to you that it all pays off.