01 January 2018
By Maynard Paton
Happy 2018! I trust you have enjoyed a successful year’s investing and that you continue to find my Blog useful.
I’m currently celebrating my third anniversary as a full-time investor — and I am reasonably satisfied with how things have turned out so far.
Indeed, with no income other than my capital gains and dividends, I am pleased my portfolio has recorded a positive performance during each of the last three years.
However, the three years have not been all plain sailing. In particular, I did wonder whether foregoing an annual salary was such a bright idea during the mid-2016 Brexit lows. Still, a recovery eventually emerged that has continued throughout 2017.
All that said, I’m disappointed to have under-performed the market for the second consecutive year. Unfortunately for me, a decent collection of 2017 portfolio winners was counterbalanced by one big loser.
Let me explain what happened.