Monthly Portfolio Update – February 2020

Posted on March 1, 2020July 14, 2020 by The FI Explorer

No one would have crossed the ocean if he could have gotten off the ship in the storm.

Charles Kettering

This is my thirty-ninth portfolio update. I complete this update monthly to check my progress against my goal.

Portfolio goal

My objective is to reach a portfolio of $2 180 000 by 1 July 2021. This would produce a real annual income of about $87 000 (in 2020 dollars).

This portfolio objective is based on an expected average real return of 3.99 per cent, or a nominal return of 6.49 per cent.

Portfolio summary

Vanguard Lifestrategy High Growth Fund – $772 191
Vanguard Lifestrategy Growth Fund – $44 099
Vanguard Lifestrategy Balanced Fund – $81 139
Vanguard Diversified Bonds Fund – $111 360
Vanguard Australian Shares ETF (VAS) – $174 810
Vanguard International Shares ETF (VGS) – $32 294
Betashares Australia 200 ETF (A200) – $250 949
Telstra shares (TLS) – $1 844
Insurance Australia Group shares (IAG) – $8 083
NIB Holdings shares (NHF) – $5 580
Gold ETF (GOLD.ASX) – $114 375
Secured physical gold – $18 455
Ratesetter (P2P lending) – $13 971
Bitcoin – $149 920
Raiz app (Aggressive portfolio) – $17 424
Spaceship Voyager app (Index portfolio) – $2 446
BrickX (P2P rental real estate) – $4 485

Total portfolio value: $1 803 425 (-$69 900 or -3.7%)

Asset allocation

Australian shares – 42.1% (2.9% under)
Global shares – 22.3%
Emerging markets shares – 2.3%
International small companies – 3.1%
Total international shares – 27.7% (2.3% under)
Total shares – 69.8% (5.2% under)
Total property securities – 0.2% (0.2% over)
Australian bonds – 4.6%
International bonds – 9.7%
Total bonds – 14.3% (0.7% under)
Gold – 7.4%
Bitcoin – 9.7%
Gold and alternatives – 15.7% (5.7% over)

Presented visually, below is a high-level view of the current asset allocation of the portfolio.

Pie Feb 20

Comments

Equity markets fell significantly this month, resulting in a portfolio loss of around $70 000. This is the largest monthly fall across the three years of this record in dollar terms, and the third largest as a proportion of assets.

MPV Feb 20 The falls follow a large increase in the portfolio value last month, and have occurred amidst increasing global impacts and fears from the spread of the Corona virus. The losses are mainly in Australian and global equities and have been concentrated in the last two weeks. Continue reading “Monthly Portfolio Update – February 2020”

Monthly Portfolio Update – January 2020

Posted on February 1, 2020July 14, 2020 by The FI Explorer

The day advanced as if to light some work of mine

Thoreau, Walden

This is my thirty-eighth portfolio update. I complete this update monthly to check my progress against my goal.

Portfolio goal

My objective is to reach a portfolio of $2 180 000 by 1 July 2021. This would produce a real annual income of about $87 000 (in 2020 dollars).

This portfolio objective is based on an expected average real return of 3.99 per cent, or a nominal return of 6.49 per cent.

Portfolio summary

Vanguard Lifestrategy High Growth Fund – $813 282
Vanguard Lifestrategy Growth Fund – $45 802
Vanguard Lifestrategy Balanced Fund – $83 162
Vanguard Diversified Bonds Fund – $110 472
Vanguard Australian Shares ETF (VAS) – $178 121
Vanguard International Shares ETF (VGS) – $34 965
Betashares Australia 200 ETF (A200) – $272 399
Telstra shares (TLS) – $2 046
Insurance Australia Group shares (IAG) – $8 970
NIB Holdings shares (NHF) – $6 492
Gold ETF (GOLD.ASX) – $106 701
Secured physical gold – $17 252
Ratesetter (P2P lending) – $14 755
Bitcoin – $153 530
Raiz app (Aggressive portfolio) – $18 365
Spaceship Voyager app (Index portfolio) – $2 534
BrickX (P2P rental real estate) – $4 477

Total portfolio value: $1 873 325 (+$94 067)

Asset allocation

Australian shares – 42.8% (2.2% under)
Global shares – 22.6%
Emerging markets shares – 2.4%
International small companies – 3.1%
Total international shares – 28.1% (1.9% under)
Total shares – 70.9% (4.1% under)
Total property securities – 0.2% (0.2% over)
Australian bonds – 4.5%
International bonds – 9.5%
Total bonds – 14.0% (1.0% under)
Gold – 6.6%
Bitcoin – 8.2%
Gold and alternatives – 14.8% (4.8% over)

Presented visually, below is a high-level view of the current asset allocation of the portfolio.

Pie alloc Jan 20

Comments

This month saw exceptional growth in the portfolio, with a net increase of $94 000 after a small fall last month. Monthly prog Jan 20 This is the fastest growth in the past half year. It is also the second largest absolute increase in over three years of measurement.

As the histogram below – which counts the frequency of occurrences in a specified range of monthly value changes (with red denoting losses) – makes clear, this is one of the most positive outcomes in the three year record.

Continue reading “Monthly Portfolio Update – January 2020”

Portfolio Income Update – Half Year to December 31, 2019

Posted on January 8, 2020January 6, 2021 by The FI Explorer

Screenshot_20200104-113404_Photos

Whoever wishes to read the future has to leaf through the past.

André Malraux

Twice a year I prepare a summary of total income from my portfolio. This is my seventh passive income update since starting this record. As part of the transparency and accountability of this journey, I regularly report this income.

As discussed in my recent post Between Wind and Water, my goal is to build up a portfolio capable of providing a passive income of around $87 000 by July 2021 (Portfolio Objective).

Passive income summary

Vanguard Lifestrategy High Growth – $9 024
Vanguard Lifestrategy Growth – $517
Vanguard Lifestrategy Balanced – $490
Vanguard Diversified Bonds – $86
Vanguard ETF Australian Shares ETF (VAS) – $2 904
Vanguard ETF International Shares ETF (VGS) – $299
Betashares Australia 200 ETF (A200) – $5 845
Telstra shares – $43
Insurance Australia Group shares – $349
NIB shares – $156
Ratesetter (P2P lending) – $862
Raiz app (Aggressive portfolio) – $130
Spaceship Voyager app (Index portfolio) – $0
BrickX (P2P rental real estate) – $45

Total passive income in half year to December 31, 2019: $20 750

The chart below sets out the passive income received on a half-yearly basis from the portfolio over the past three and a half years. PIU HY Bar progress Dec 19

The following chart is a breakdown of the percentage contribution of each investment type to the total half-year income.

PIU HY Dist Pie - Dec19

Comments

The total half year passive income from the portfolio was $20 750, or the equivalent of around $3 460 per month. This was around the bottom of the range of my expectations, and it continues the pattern of lower December half distributions.

This result, however, is still around a third higher than the previous comparable December half, and almost double that of three years ago.

Continue reading “Portfolio Income Update – Half Year to December 31, 2019”

There Lies the Port – Year in Review and Monthly Portfolio Update – December 2019

Posted on January 1, 2020February 15, 2021 by The FI Explorer

There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail:

There gloom the dark, broad seas.

Tennyson, Ulysses

Year in Review

This year began with a review of my portfolio goals, designed to update the financial independence targets to reflect the median and mean average of annual full-time earnings.

The review also introduced a number of personal financial independence benchmarks, such as meeting credit card expenses or an estimate of actual expenditure through assumed average portfolio earnings. In addition, this year introduced reporting progress on an ‘All Assets’ basis (taking into account superannuation holdings), as well as an immediately accessible portfolio basis.

Destinations closing – The long day wanes

These changes left no less than eight metrics to track and report on. At the beginning of 2019, I had met only two of these eight financial independence measures (Objective #1 and ‘Credit card purchases’ on an all assets basis).

As 2019 closes, six of the eight measures have been met or exceeded, and by contrast only two remaining outstanding.

These two measures remaining to be met are reaching Objective #2 and a portfolio total that would allow the funding of current expenses from the FI portfolio alone. For both, I close out the year within fairly clear sight of these unmet goals. Progress through the year is summarised below.

Continue reading “There Lies the Port – Year in Review and Monthly Portfolio Update – December 2019”