The first half of 2026 was less about discovering new investment opportunities and more about developing my approach to the stewardship of capital. I exited several long-term positions as my conviction deteriorated, reallocated capital towards higher-quality compounders and introduced a more deliberate framework for portfolio construction. Some of these decisions were prompted by changes in […]
Earlier this month, I sadly lost my last remaining Grandparent – Donato Viola. The moment was a profound loss for our family but a reminder to me personally that love is to be shared, and our time on this planet is uncertain and finite. My Grandfather’s funeral was held in Retford, the town he had
Ciao Nonno: On Love, Legacy, and the Things That Truly Compound Read More »
Scores on the doors…drumroll please…the portfolio this year has return to form with a very pleasing 25.6% return and a 3.9% dividend yield. This has been the best year on record although as a friend pointed out, it was definitely a year to be overweight UK equities with the FTSE strongly outperforming the S&P 500.
2025 Annual Review – A Portfolio Re-Architecture Read More »
Every January, investors conduct the same familiar exercise – an exercise which is rapidly approach again. Twelve months of market activity are compressed into a neat sequence of charts and percentages, then we draw conclusions with an air of finality that the underlying evidence does not support. The problem is not that annual reviews exist.
A new learning from an old lesson. A 0.5% position can treble in value and your bottom line will barely move. If the same thing happens to a 5% position, you’ll be dining out for weeks. Your job as a portfolio manager is to react to reality, not cling onto faint hopes. In the third
Fewer, Better, Bolder — Q3 2025 Portfolio Review Read More »
The Investor Summit 2025, held on the 13th August, will remain in my memory as a remarkable day. Not because of anything I did, but because of the extraordinary effort and commitment of Peter Higgins and the Copia Digital team, who made it all possible. More than 300 attendees gathered under a single roof, creating
Investor Summit 2025 – A Triumph of Vision and Hard Work Read More »
What a six months it’s been! I can hardly believe we’re already in July after what seems like a non-stop whirlwind of events – both personal and geopolitical. We’ll start with the good news, being that in June of this year I officially became the Senior Bid Manager in my team, taking over from a
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 »
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
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
Having started investing over ten years ago, I can now say with reasonable confidence that success takes hard work. Grande Sorpresa. After losing 11% in 2022, I have just managed to squeak out a fantastic 0% return. Yes, that’s right, after a whole year of hard work, I’ve managed to go precisely nowhere (compliments can
Let’s start with the nasty bit – year to date, my portfolio is down 7%. Yes, that’s right, after losing 11% in 2022, my portfolio is already down another 7% in the first six months of 2023. So, take a deep breath, top up the coffee, and let’s see how I’ve managed to lose another
During the course of publishing this blog, I have previously written two articles about my portfolio review process, the first providing a general insight into my review process and the second providing a more detailed description of my half-year reviews. In today’s article, I’m going to provide more detailed about my quarterly portfolio review process,
Another year draws to a close and 2023 begins. After an incredibly successful 2021, I ended this year with my portfolio down 11% – my first ever loss in a year of rampant inflation, an energy crisis, the start of the Ukrainian war, routing stock markets and the collapse of tech, crypto and growth shares.
