How much have you made/lost in Investments since you started (Roughly)

racing_blue

Moneycoach wrote: »

any advice.

If we are talking advice, mine is to beware of averaging down - buying more shares in a company after a price drop, to reduce the average price paid per share.

I have done this with the companies including Tesco, EDF and Bank of Ireland. Between 2006 and 2013 I piled around £30k into those companies while the price dropped further and further. Together, the holdings are now worth about £8k.

My mistake was not buying the share originally. It was buying more when the price fell. And then more when the price fell further. The rebound never came.

Edit: I think the popular wisdom is "don't try to make it back the way you lost it"

BLB53

I made loadsa money during the late 90s - 3 years were over 20%.

My worst year was not surprisingly 2008 and down 37% followed in 2009 by my best ever year up 41%.

My average over the past 20 years is ~7% p.a.

talexuser

I started in the early 90s with Peps and single company Peps, can only remember a couple of years where I didn't put the maximum in. Never bought a tracker, always went for discount houses, never paid an initial charge, before the internet read the newspaper money pages and adviser postal brochures to narrow down funds, then draw up shortlists and compare performances. Always went for "alpha" managers, biggest problem is always when to drop a fund, have to give a year or two for a bad run to turn around in case you miss the possible rally. Personally found dividend paying funds better than growth funds in that both have equal chance of not living up to expectations but at least dividend compounding gives you returns. Probably done everything wrong according to the experts here in terms of diversification by chasing outperformance.
Nevertheless results have been satisfying. Handled my partners and mothers funds with somewhat more conservative choices than some of mine during that time, both of which had significantly less capital than mine to invest in comparison. Now my mum is in a really good care home and her ISA provides an income of ~15k a year, which when adding in all her annuities and pension just about covers her fees.

My advice, you are in for the long term, the first couple of years often can be less than your investment, don't expect positive results every month, but keep an eye on performance and manager changes. When you are older you will appreciate the security.

Alice_Holt

I started in about 1982, investing small monthly amounts from my salary into investment funds to a build a capital sum.

Best return was from Fidelity Special Situations which I bought through a monthly savings plan from 1989 through to about early 2000's. In 1989/91 it was c.£3 a unit. Sold my holding in about 2008/9 when an equivalent unit price was c£33.

I now have a fairly cautious stance (investment trusts, index linked certs, cash ISA's, and high interest current accounts & regular savers) and aim to beat RPI by around 2% a year over a 5 yr period.
So far, so good. (Even after a 25% drop in 2008 (- it rebounded in 2009))

economic

taken opportunities in market dips to buy vanguard LS 100% in my isa over the last year and am up 5% currently (not bad given markets have come off a bit). still have some more to invest but will always buy trackers when market dips to invest. am aiming to be overweight US stocks as medium term should continue to outperform and dollar rally.


will always remain largely in cash (25% of total net worth) as feel conditions in global economy and markets warrant taking a bit of a defensive stance and so helps to keep the powder dry for opportune moments.

Moneycoach

BananaRepublic wrote: »

I started over 20 years ago, and my best and earliest invesment has increased by roughly 10% per annum, my worst were more like 6.5%, with one exception, namely a Japan fund which has made about 10% in 15 years. This excludes property. I should have bought a 3 bed house decades ago and rented out some rooms, but who foresaw the extraordinary property rises? Well, some did. Diversify and invest for the long term are my tips.

Thanks BR..

Thrugelmir

Alice_Holt wrote: »

and aim to beat RPI by around 2% a year

Likewise. I've lowered my objectives to focus on capital preservation. When one is younger. It's possible to rebuild capital from earnings. As time passes a large loss is just that. No ability to rebuild.

Moneycoach

Freecall wrote: »

Who advised you?

That level of return may be achievable but will involve exposing yourself to some serious risk.

I was advised by someone who has achieved an average return of 12% per annum on their funds over the past 25 years, net of fees.
The term "serious risk" is relative but the risk is reduced by looking at funds with a good long track record. Who says "past performance is not an indication of the future", not me. Past performance IS the only indication of future performance.
How do you decide where to buy a house, you look at the past performance of the house and its area.

Moneycoach

JohnRo wrote: »

Probably don't do it...

All things are relative. It's a combination of many different factors that have created this situation. The 'starting point' wasn't a vast fortune so that obviously helps matters. I know the next ten years in all likelihood will see much lower growth but that won't stop me trying.

A few lucky investments over the years have definitely boosted things but the vast majority of the increase has simply come from a few years of personal austerity max.

Ensuring I spend a whole lot less than I have coming in, whenever and wherever possible, at all times. A total 180 from the attitude I had in the decade before 2006 when I would regularly be weekending and generally spending money like it wasn't mine. I don't want to get into personal details but when my circumstances changed the fear of financial insecurity struck home like a lightning bolt.

For a few years the levels of self imposed austerity I was inflicting meant the sort of abstinence few would be prepared to accept, but I took the decision to do that, set out a plan of sorts and made it happen. So that's how I got to where I am now financially, which is still a relatively insecure by some standards but the plan continues and the austerity is subsiding.

Thanks JR..

Moneycoach

bigadaj wrote: »

£14,236.52.

Not a very sensible answer to a not very sensible question.

And I'm not saying whether that is an amount that's been made or lost either.

Thank you for such a valuable and insightful contribution, I'm sure we can all take a lot from that! NOT.


Why not just be sensible or don't bother, there are many other threads...