There is, among novice investors, a persistent tendency toward feverish impatience. When markets tremble, headlines blare, and portfolios lurch, the inexperienced are seized by a dangerous impulse: to act immediately, and often unwisely. Yet it is precisely in such moments that the wiser course is often one of stillness. When global markets collapse, even the […]
Navigating Volatility: Lessons from the Classics Read More »
In times of market tumult, when the daily headlines scream fear and the broader public scurries for the exits, the seasoned investor remains calm. For those of us with a long-term horizon and a preference for businesses of enduring substance, such periods offer something truly rare: the opportunity to acquire quality at a discount. In
How to Find Quality Companies During a Market Downturn Read More »
Before we begin, I must extend a word of apology to regular readers for my absence for the past three months. Life, as it sometimes does, has gathered pace – not least due to the demands of a recent promotion in my professional role, as well as the growing commitments of the podcast. Though I
Steady Hands and Seasoned Judgment: Meditations on the Spring Investment Landscape Read More »
The world of investing is, by its very nature, a realm of uncertainty. No matter how sophisticated our tools, how robust our strategies, or how informed our decisions, the future remains fundamentally unknowable. Yet, paradoxically, it is within this uncertainty that great opportunities lie. The art and science of investing hinge not on eliminating uncertainty
Embracing Uncertainty: The Investor’s Path to Acceptance Read More »
As an investor, I am constantly assessing whether the companies I own align with my financial objectives and investment principles. Although I consider myself a long-term investor, I will consider letting go of an investment if the business begins to face significant headwinds or persistent operational issues. Today, I’d like to share a little about
Time to Let Go: Why I’ve Moved on from S4 Capital and NCC Group Read More »
As the sun sets on 2024, my approach to investing has again been characterised by resilience and stewardship. My efforts to diversify my portfolio geographically have continued, leading to a year-end weighting of 68.9% towards UK equities, 9.3% US equities, 7.3% Asian equities, 2.8% Swiss equities, 1.1% European equities, and 10.6% cash, including bonds. While
In last month’s article, I published a brief overview of the UK’s investment budget and explored how some of the changes may impact the investing landscape. Since then, reactions to the budget have turned decidedly sour, with most investors now resigning themselves to the view that the new Labour government are saying one thing and
How to Build an Investing Watchlist: A Timeless Guide for the Prudent Investor Read More »
In the ever-evolving world of finance, it is the discerning investor who recognises that fiscal policy changes are not merely legislative adjustments but harbingers of new opportunities. The latest UK budget reforms, published last Wednesday by our first ever female Chancellor of the Exchequer, offer much for the astute investor to consider. Initial reactions to
Before making on start on this next article, I would advise going back and making sure you’ve digested part one of this series if you haven’t already. Part one lays the essential foundations of the series and can be accessed via the following link: Thinking like a long-term investor: Part 1 of 2 Human nature
In today’s article, I want to expand on what I mean when I say that I’m a long-term investor and give some tips and tricks I find helpful for both cultivating and sticking to, this mindset. In my experience, less “trading” activity and longer holding periods have generally led to superior results, with my largest
Thinking like a long-term investor – Part 1 of 2 Read More »
Most investors recognise that holding a diversified portfolio of high-quality assets is a key risk management technique. In today’s article, I want to explore the idea of portfolio diversification as a risk management technique in more detaill – in particular, looking at the pros and cons of diversified portfolio vs. a concentrated portfolio, and how
When I first started writing this blog back in 2015, I was only a few years into my investing journey, and was just starting to get to grips with the world of investing. Since then, I’ve met dozens of private investors in all sorts of circumstances – from social events in Windsor (ever been to
In my previous article about investing for income, I explored a brief checklist of ideas for selecting income stocks and building an income-focussed portfolio. In today’s article, I’ve assumed that you’ve gone ahead and selected a few shares that fit these criteria and are now wondering how to manage them. I’ve written multiple articles before
What is investing for income? A few weeks ago, I was talking to an investor about my approach and described myself as “primarily a value investor with a dash of income investor on the side”. Over the course of the following conversation, I went on to talk through my approach to investing for income, which
Having explored the idea of a quality company in my previous article, I wanted to follow up with an important caveat: price matters and my own approach is now more focussed on investing quality at a reasonable price than simply buying cheap companies. Without working to determine a fair valuation for an asset, an investor
