July 2021 Portfolio Update
Monday 2nd August 2021
Early Investment Mistakes
I often look back on my early investing mistakes with regret. Yes, I have learned from so many mistakes and I am now in a far better investor mindset, but the cost of the lesson has been significant.
In 2018 I invested around €36,000. Of that, €6,000 went into my pension and €30,000 went into high risk investments. Had the full €36,000 been invested in my pension in a US Index Fund, I would be a long way ahead today than I currently am - highlighting the cost of my mistakes in the past.
I can’t go back in time and change what I did, but I do think it is worth pointing out that when considering the compounding effect on this mistake, it is a significant amount over time.
Work Update
I am currently exploring ways to improve my work / life balance. Things have improved since my last update and I do feel like I am starting to find a nice balance - while still earning an income that is higher than what I need to based on my goal to retire at 55.
For now, I will continue to work off a goal of retiring at age 55, but I now have a clear path to retire sooner if I do get ahead of my goal.
Building an Emergency Fund
I am looking to grow the amount of cash I have. Cash represents 3 important things for me:
1. It is our emergency fund and is available for us for any genuine emergencies.
2. It allows me to take advantage of market corrections. At the moment, we have asset prices at record prices - hedging against this by having some cash to take advantage of any market corrections is important.
3. Cash would allow me to potentially take a “mini retirement” or sabbatical at some point if I get well ahead of my target retirement age.
July 2021 Portfolio Report
| Portfolio Summary (as at 31st July 2021) | |
|---|---|
| Opening Balance | €179,270.32 |
| New Contributions | €4,330.88 |
| Portfolio Growth | €2,474.23 |
| Closing Balance | €186,075.43 |
Monthly Portfolio Growth Report
| Monthly Portfolio Growth Report | |
|---|---|
| Capital Gain + Dividend Income from Equities | €1,720.76 |
| Real Estate Income | €753.47 |
| Total Change | €2,474.23 |
Portfolio Breakdown
The table below shows the breakdown of my portfolio into the various asset classes:
| Portfolio Asset Breakdown (as at 31st July 2021) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Equities | €89,496.44 | 48.10% |
| Real Estate | €86,394.99 | 46.43% |
| Cash | €10,184.00 | 5.47% |
| Total | €186,075.43 | 100.00% |
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