Portfolio Update
It’s been a little under a month since I posted my December portfolio update found here; https://discussion.fool.com/retirementdough-portfolio-34091136.a…
I have found doing these updates is helping me keep better records of my investing thought processes over the past few months. Much like keeping a journal in life when you re-read in the future it helps you remember what your thoughts were at the time of writing. Hopefully others find this helpful as well.
Current Portfolio as of 1/16/19.
Change since 12/22 (last update) +21.8%.
2019 YTD +12.3%.
Stock Current % of Port % Change % Change Inst Owner- Mark
% of Port on 12/22 in port Price 12/22 ship % Cap
AYX 18.0 16.8 +2.2 +34.9 —- 4.2B
CLNE 0.1 0.1 0 +19.8 27.8 360M
NTNX 19.7 18.7 +1.0 +36.3 63.7 8.7B
SQ 2.3 2.3 0 +30.4 73.3 27.2B
TWLO 18.2 17.8 +0.4 +30.7 75.6 9.9B
WIX 13.6 14.0 -0.4 +21.9 97.6 4.9B
ZS 10.4 10.6 -0.2 +22.7 24.8 5.4B
TTD 5.5 5.7 -0.2 +25.4 86.7 5.8B
ESTC 1.7 1.8 -0.1 +16.0 24.7 5.1B
MDB 0 12.0 -12.0 +6.1 82.7 4.0B
CASH 10.6 0.1
I use this link for market cap and institutional ownership; https://finviz.com/screener.ashx?v=131&ft=2&ta=0&…
I had to use new site to figure out return by last update here: https://customstockalerts.com/stockReturnCalculator
New positions since last portfolio update: None
Exited positions since last update: MDB
Trades between 12/22-1/17
Sold MDB on 1/10 Prices ranged from $80 to 82.90
Bought None
One reason I decided to write an update on my portfolio returns early was all the discussion on MDB and I did not want to get to far out from the new year. I saw the first post about the AMZN DocumentDB news on the boards the night of the announcement. My first reaction was this is good, this shows that MDB is the database of choice and imitation is the best form of flattery. The next early morning I woke up and started doing some research on the news. To be honest I did not truly understand what exactly was happening with the Amazon announcement and how much of a threat or non-threat it will be in the future (I do have a better idea now thanks to many of you on the boards). My thinking was that it could lead to a lawsuit with AMZN (what I believe will be soon the largest company in the world). This is not a good thing for a small company in my opinion and I sold.
Now historically I have been a much more patient seller. When many on this board react to news by quickly selling, I usually give things time to settle. I use this time to learn more about the issue and ponder it before possibly selling. However with my smaller number of holdings on my quest to become a ruthless allocator of capital, I realize one companies problems can cause my portfolio big problems. It is all about risk versus reward. I felt the risk was exceeding the reward factor. As it sits MDB is up to $75.22 (current real time). Slightly below were I sold on 1/10. If the price now was slightly above where I sold, I would still be fine with my decision.
After reading so many great posts on the subject on these boards, do I feel comfortable investing in MDB? Answer is yes. However I am going to wait a bit and watch for the stock to show some strength and see how the DocumentDB thing plays out. One thing about being an individual investor with a small number of companies in your portfolio is that you can get in and out more quickly when news develops. Also you can keep up with your stock in real time. I believe I got out before many owners of MDB even heard the news. It was the right move at the time for me.
On a different note it is just a little over 3 weeks since last portfolio update and my portfolio is up 21.8%. Many on the boards were discussing whether or not to hold money and wait for a better opportunity. I expressed that I wish I could put some 2019 contribution monies to work in late December when the market had sold off or early Jan. if given the opportunity. In early Jan. my family went on ski trip and when I returned, it was to an overly busy work schedule leaving very little time for stocks. Couple that with the rise in stock prices, I missed taking my own advice and putting that money to work during that low point.
Previous years annual reviews found here: https://discussion.fool.com/every-year-i-try-to-review-my-portfo….
2018 portfolio ended at +31.5%
Dow -6.6%
Russell 2000 -12.5%
Nasdaq -3.9%
Previous year returns are in annual review link above.
Total annual average return of my portfolio since 2006 (last 13 years) is +16.86%
Annual average return of Nasdaq last 13 years +14.43%
Annual average return of S&P 500 last 13 years +7.37
At varying times of my investing career I have been more conservative and more aggressive in my approach. It is all covered in previous post and if you are interested you can read up on them at the link above.
My (our) portfolio consists of my wife’s Roth, my Roth, our HSA, kids Coverdell ESA. It is all growing tax free in tax free accounts.
I always try to give back some insight or wisdom to the group, usually the younger crowd or newbie investors. I will be turning 44 next week. I started saving money for retirement, etc. at ~22 yrs old; half my life ago. There were times where I wanted to give up managing my own money and there were times when I wanted to cash out. There were times when my retirementdough allowed me to take business risks, that I would not have otherwise been able to take.
If God allows my wife and I to stay in good health into the future, I see our portfolio allowing us to achieve our wildest dreams. I do not say this to brag, but to encourage others. To let others know that may just beginning their financial journey that you can beat the market, you can gain prosperity.
I want to thank everyone on the board for bringing ideas, teaching me and others, and for sharing thoughts and concerns on investments. There is no doubt that you all are making me and each other better investors. May we all achieve our wildest of dreams!!