Journal
A record of capital allocation and judgement over time.
The complete chronological record of Capital Ledger: company analysis, essays, portfolio reviews, market observations and notes from the continuing practice of long-term capital stewardship.
Index by
The Register
MMXXVI / Q3
DateEntry & ParticularsCategory
Concurrent Technologies: Becoming a Durable Compounder?
2026 – Half Year Review
Why Keep an Investment Ledger?
UK Housebuilders: When Patience Becomes Inertia
ISA Season Investing: What Safety Really Means in a Falling Market
Volatility: A Portfolio Manager’s Playbook
Ciao Nonno: On Love, Legacy, and the Things That Truly Compound
2025 Annual Review – A Portfolio Re-Architecture
It’s The Most Vacuous Time Of The Year: Why Most Annual Reviews Tell You Almost Nothing of Value
Fewer, Better, Bolder — Q3 2025 Portfolio Review
Investor Summit 2025 – A Triumph of Vision and Hard Work
2025 – Half Year Review
Investor Summit 2025: Why Long-Term Investors Should Be Paying Attention
Navigating Volatility: Lessons from the Classics
How to Find Quality Companies During a Market Downturn
Steady Hands and Seasoned Judgment: Meditations on the Spring Investment Landscape
Embracing Uncertainty: The Investor’s Path to Acceptance
Time to Let Go: Why I’ve Moved on from S4 Capital and NCC Group
Reflections on 2024: A Year of Fortitude, Lessons, and the Steadfast Pursuit of Excellence
How to Build an Investing Watchlist: A Timeless Guide for the Prudent Investor
An Investor’s Guide to the UK’s 2024 Budget
Thinking like a long-term Investor: Part 2 of 2
Thinking like a long-term investor – Part 1 of 2
Are you sufficiently diversified?
2024 – Half Year Review
Investing for Income: Tips & Tricks
Investing for Income: A checklist
Quality at a reasonable price
Investing in Quality Companies
Reader question: How to handle losing capital?
2023 – Annual Review
Reader Question: Debt vs. Dividends
The Chinese property market – is it Lehman Brothers part II?
Buying high and selling low
Being a patient investor in a persistent market downturn
Behavioural bias and fees when managing capital
2023 – Half Year Review
Quarterly Portfolio Review Process
Why I rarely invest in ‘Micro Cap’ equities
Silicon Valley Bank – my thoughts
Emotional control in investing
2022 – Annual Review
Inflationary investing
Bear market investing
Statement following the Death of my Grandmother
2022 – Half Year Review Part 2
2022 – Half Year Review
Facing up to Market Volatility
Guest Starring on the Twin Petes Investing Podcast!
The Value of Being a Long-Term Investor
The Twin Petes Investing Podcast: A Review
When is Conviction actually Delusion?
Crazy times make for crazy markets
The Investing Equation
2021 – Annual Review
Investment Idea Generation Part 2
Investment Idea Generation
Talking your Book
The Narrative Fallacy
The Capital Protection Process
Sovereign Debt Crisis: The economic consequences of COVID-19
Investment Portfolio Risk
Babcock: The Danger of Contracting Businesses
Reader Question: What is long-term investing?
Where will UK stock market growth come from in 2021?
Bonds in 2021
2020 – Annual Review
Contradictions in Investing
The Bi-Annual Portfolio Review
The Importance of Dividends
Beware the dangers of following other investors
Confidence in Portfolio Strategy
Portfolio Construction
Reader Question: What is a good return for an investor?
Controlling your Investments
Reader Question: Protecting against inflation
General Electric – A 2020 Update
Portfolio Design: An Introduction
Reviewing your Investments
I wish I still had it…
Avoiding Value Traps
Reader Question: Have markets lost their mind?
Family Offices
Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Letter 2018
How investors misjudge risk
Thoughts on the public sector
How long should an investor wait for capital growth?
NIRP…ZIRP…what is this Alphabet Soup?
Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Letter 2019
The benefits of an adaptable investment strategy
To buy, or not to buy, that is the question…
Avoiding Bias
Investing in Financial Companies
Running an Economy – Part 2
Running an Economy – Part 1
INTU – The downfall of debt
Managing a Diversified Portfolio
Information Sources for Investors
How to respond to panicking markets
Portfolio Management: When to Sell Part 3
Portfolio Management: When to Sell Part 2
Portfolio Management: When to Sell Part 1
Reader question: Is a falling share price a negative indicator?
The psychology of investing
Portfolio Management – The Basics
The Bank of England
FINALLY!
General Electric – A 2019 update
The US Federal Reserve reverses their rate hikes policy
Surprise, surprise, Centrica has just fallen off another cliff…
Is this the end of Kier?
Italy opens proposals for new alternative currency
The Neil Woodford saga continues
Investment strategy review
Crisis in China?
Diversification or Diworsification?
Investors should think like business owners
Centrica and the fear of selling
The house of cards that is the Tesla balance sheet
What is commercial paper?
Risk is back on the table.
Bonds might not be as safe as you think
Improving Corporate Stewardship
More competition won’t change the culture of auditing
Protecting your online reputation
Concerns are rising over global debt levels
What next for General Electric?
Reader Question: How often do you sell positions?
Why market volatility is your friend
Quantitative Easing and the Rising Storm.
Have tech valuations lost all semblance of reality?
Understanding Company Fundamentals – Balance Sheet
Understanding Company Fundamentals – Leverage
Understanding Company Fundamentals – Profitability
Understanding Company Fundamentals – Turnover
Building my portfolio – Basic Criteria
Reader Question; “Investing is nothing more than gambling. Why do you waste your time with it?”
What is going on with Emerging Markets?
Does your portfolio contain sufficient liquidity?
Three things that people won’t tell you about building your portfolio
The danger of not understanding your investments
Hedging your investments
Reader Question: What are convertible securities?
Are we heading for another property crash?
Reader Question: Should I consider investing in fine wine?
The importance of strong cash flow
My investment strategy
Are audits worth the paper they’re written on?
The Big Four are a disaster for modern business
Building a mental model
Reader Question: How much of my assets should I keep in cash?
Value vs cheapness
Why are women not engaging in the stock market?
Take control of your financial future
Reader Question: Do I use stop losses in trading?
The need to be present
Do private landlords need a rebrand?
Reader Question: Should I invest in Bitcoin
Goals in 2018 and beyond!
Investing – how I keep it simple
Building a low-cost portfolio
Effective Planning
The hidden cost of financial illiteracy
Why I invest in high yield bonds
Why I’m an active investor
Why I’m not afraid of small-cap stocks
Portfolio construction
The scandal of PFI
Why quality of income is as important as quantity
Reader Question: How much was your first passive income?
Reader Question: Are my dividends sufficiently diversified?
Why your team is your biggest asset
What I’ve learned from investing in Carillion
Six mistakes that Ultra High Net Worth investors know not to make
Reader Question: What’s the secret to making ‘great’ investments?
Assertiveness whilst being polite
Why I preach financial discipline
Using Seller Financing to Acquire Income Producing Assets
Build a Website Series: 4. Re-programming for success
Why I always pay myself first
The importance of creating a nest egg
Building a Website Series: 3. Wireframing
Where have I been?
4 Ways to overcome stress and uncertainty
Avoiding an investment scam
Infrastructure Investment, Post Brexit
Building a Website Series: 2. Defining outcomes
The decline of the Labour Party
The need for a ‘new’ politics
Essential skills for developing communications
The importance of developing a range of knowledge
Success at Easter
Let me buy you a coffee
Britain votes to leave the EU
A simple guide to reading a balance sheet
Three steps to keep on track in negotiations
Aaron Petrou jailed for fraud
Illiquid Investment – The Dangers
Investing Pre-IPO; a checklist
Building a Website Series: 1. Auditing Content
No entries are recorded under this classification.