Becoming an ISA $millionaire

This time last year I wrote that my annual ISA update was many months late. I had delayed it until using my full annual ISA allowance(s), which took me much longer than usual last year.

This year I actually completed my ISA topups in April, within a few weeks of the start of the UK tax year. Somehow I have neglected to post an update. And despite the clamour from my blog readership (not!), I have let this year’s post slip until December.

Given this post is 8 months ‘late’, I am going to keep it snappy.

The 2022/23 tax year was pretty unpleasant for my ISA holdings. They lost over 16% of their value. One of my biggest ISA holding in April 2022 was AEWU, a high income property REIT, which lost over 25% of its value in the year. Another large holding was BHP, which sat at over £30/share (briefly!) at the start of the tax yer, and dropped 20% to £24 a year later. Another key holding, Scottish Mortgage, was already well on its way down from its £15/share peak; it started the tax year at £10/share and finished it at under £7/share. And while Facebook started and finished the tax year at $220/share, in the meantime it dropped below $100 and I ended up selling it at well below $200/share. 

Continue reading “Becoming an ISA $millionaire”

Nov ’23 revalues the future

In the news

It has been quite a busy month out there.

The Israel/Gaza crisis continues. Public opinion is shifting against the Israel government here, even in North London – which would normally be one of the most sympathetic neighbourhoods outside Tel Aviv.

The Ukrainians are left feeling somewhat zero-sum in the battle with Israel for foreign support and attention. Some informed opinion now says the war is over, bar the fighting, and the only thing left is a land-for-peace deal. And the USA election, which is still almost a year away. Sigh.

How military control of Ukraine has changed since the full-scale invasion
Continue reading “Nov ’23 revalues the future”

Feeling broke

My psychology around money has changed significantly over the last two years. While some of that is captured in my monthly portfolio updates, I thought it was worth recording some of my emotions while they are still fresh.

Two years ago

Turning the clock back, my financial situation was, in word, ‘flush’. The stock market boom had just crested – S&P500 was at 4400, FTSE-100 was at 7000.

I generally had a surfeit of cash every month, just from earnings – never mind investment income. I saw several exits over a 2 year period in my angel investing activities. I reinvested both sheltered income and unsheltered income for compound investment growth. I was unmortgaged. Base rates were almost zero – which I exploited with a margin loan – leveraging my portfolio by a target 12% loan-to-value.

Continue reading “Feeling broke”