tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50505222865388597142024-03-18T11:02:39.602+08:00My Investment BlogBlogging my financial journey though life.bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.comBlogger165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-74709972822812109872017-12-30T18:59:00.000+08:002017-12-30T18:59:10.375+08:00December 2017 ReviewDecember saw my net worth flat, as investment gains and savings were offset by updating the fx rates used on my assets. In particular GBP has strengthened around 5% against USD & HKD since i last updated the rate, so the value of all my HKD & USD assets dropped when translated back to my base currency GBP.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio was flat. Whilst equities performed strongly, the fx adjustment offset these gains.<br />
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Pension unit values were also flat, with valuation increases offset by fx adjustments.<br />
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Property income was good. One property remains unoccupied, whilst there have been viewing the market tends to be flat over the holiday period. There's a potentially large maintenance expense currently under discussion which may happen in early 2018. I'm also looking into additional potential property investments given my growing cash position.<br />
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Cash balances were higher with strong income and reasonable expenses considering a lot of travel and the holiday season. A full 2017 report will follow.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 20.3%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 67%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-68292050009219693342017-11-27T23:25:00.002+08:002017-11-27T23:25:25.284+08:00November 2017 ReviewNovember saw my net worth increase by 1% driven by good income, lower expenses and investment gains<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio was fairly flat. Equities seemed a bit more choppy and some fx swings made it difficult to read underlying performance. I am considering stepping back into the market in a targeted manner if i see any pockets of value, but it is unlikely to be significant in scale.<br />
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Pension unit values were also around 2% higher although there has been some volatility in valuations<br />
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Property income was lower than usual but most of that was timing as i've had to close the month-end early. After quite a lot of maintenance work my one empty property is back on the market with viewings arranged. I'm considering another property investment in the new year, yields are holding up well and prices seem steady in my target locations.<br />
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Cash balances were higher on good income and more typical expenses. Cash is back above 30% of total assets which is usually an indicator to invest, with property looking more likely than equities at this stage.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 20.4%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 68%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-60038096865393150752017-10-29T14:09:00.002+08:002017-10-29T14:09:21.120+08:00October 2017 ReviewOctober saw my net worth increase by 1% driven by very strong income and investment gains<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio was up over 1% with continues strength in equities markets. There were noticeably more down days in the month, possibly a sign sentiment is turning? I guess we'll see but markets have been remarkably strong this year so a correction seems long overdue.<br />
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Pension unit values were also around 1% higher in line with equities performance<br />
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Property income was high. One tenant paid another 6 months rent upfront, 2 others paid on time and my problem tenants in the remaining property have now left. Once some maintenance issues are addressed this property should be back on the market within a couple of weeks.<br />
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Cash balances were higher on strong income although expenses were high. Despite this including some travel expense and another two years of gym membership, underlying expenses were also higher than usual. Something to keep an eye on.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 19.1%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 68%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-66538337821327242622017-10-01T20:31:00.002+08:002017-10-01T20:31:22.978+08:00September 2017 ReviewSeptember saw my net worth increase by 0.8% driven by good income, moderate expenses and a flatter month in the markets.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio was marginally lower, i think this was more to do with fx (strengthening GBP against HKD assets) than the underlying performance of equities<br />
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Pension unit values were slightly higher, but not a significant movement<br />
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Property income was in line with expectations. Two tenants paid on time and the eviction of a problem tenant is still rumbling on longer than hoped. One tenant has just extended for another year, which helps to keep costs down.<br />
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Cash balances were higher on strong income and moderate expenses. Cash is creeping above 30% of gross assets again which is usually a sign its time to look at new investment opportunities!<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 17.9%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 70%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-12924298033343105782017-08-30T21:28:00.000+08:002017-08-30T21:28:57.469+08:00August 2017 ReviewAugust saw my net worth increase by 0.7% driven by good income, moderate expenses and a flatter month in the markets.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio increased close to 2% as equities markets performed well despite some volatility from political and economic events<br />
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On the other hand, Pension unit prices were fairly flat. I suspect the divergence with equities and pension performance in the month is a function of valuation timing and fx fluctuations. I'm trying not to read too much into pension valuations from month to month given access to the funds is probably a long way off in the future!<br />
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Property income was in line with expectations. Two tenants paid on time and the eviction of a problem tenant is still rumbling on longer than hoped.<br />
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Cash balances were higher on strong income and moderate expenses. There were some higher than planned travel costs but nothing to be too concerned about.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 16.9%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 71%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-33446046807943416112017-07-30T18:09:00.003+08:002017-07-30T18:09:47.514+08:00July 2017 ReviewJuly saw my net worth increase by 1.2% driven by high income, lower expenses and investment gains.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio increased by over 2% as equities markets performed well and a few large dividends were received.<br />
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Pension unit prices were also up over 2% driven by equities market increases. Every month so far this year has seen an increase, i'm finding it hard to see how much longer this can go on!<br />
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Property income was lower than expected. Two tenants paid on time and i'm hoping to evict a problem tenant as soon as possible.<br />
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Cash balances were higher on strong income and relatively lower expenses.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 16.2%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 74%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-34667095586083675002017-06-29T23:54:00.003+08:002017-06-29T23:55:00.121+08:00June 2017 ReviewJune saw my net worth increase by 0.9% driven by high income, investment and pension gains.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio increased by around 2% as equities markets performed well. Despite materially downsizing the portfolio, given continued strength in the markets it is continuing to have a positive impact on net worth<br />
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Pension unit prices were also up just under 2% driven by equities market increases.<br />
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Property income was lower than expected. Two tenants paid on time, although a lot of the rent was wiped out by some unexpected maintenance costs. One tenant continued to miss payments and we're working on an exit plan.<br />
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Cash balances were higher on strong income partly offset by higher than average expenses. This included some travel costs.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 14.8%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 75%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-87383917009673131982017-05-30T22:50:00.003+08:002017-05-30T22:50:41.396+08:00May 2017 ReviewMay saw my net worth increase by 1.2% driven by high income and pension gains.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio increased by around 2% as equities markets performed well.<br />
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Pension unit prices were also up around 2% driven by equities market increases.<br />
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Property income was very high. One property paid on time, one became occupied and paid the full contractual rent in advance. One continued to miss rental payments but the tenant should be leaving soon and i expect to recover some if not all of the missed rent. A tenant was also found for the recently completed property purchase which should be occupied very soon.<br />
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Cash balances were a lot higher on strong income and property income in particular, offset by moderate expenses.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 13.7%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 78%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-76498796938344379902017-04-30T15:21:00.000+08:002017-04-30T15:21:02.876+08:00April 2017 ReviewApril saw my net worth increase by 0.7% with a good savings rate and pension gains more than offsetting property costs.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio was fairly flat and is now having minimal impact on net worth following a number of disposals. I need to give some thought to investment strategy going forward as i am likely to have some residual cash spare to invest again following a property purchase.<br />
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Pension unit prices were up around 1.5% driven by equities market increases.<br />
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Property income was lower than plan. One property paid on time, one continued to miss rent as they serve notice (i have a claim on an insurance policy to cover the missed rent) and one remained vacant. Another property investment was completed and should be on the rental market shortly. There were a number of one off costs associated with the investment.<br />
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Cash balances were significantly lower following the property purchase and is now broadly in line with my longer term target.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 12%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 80%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-1142905378920271852017-04-02T22:31:00.005+08:002017-04-02T22:31:58.508+08:00March 2017 ReviewMarch saw my net worth increase by 7.4% with very high income along with pension gains.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio was fairly flat and is now having minimal impact on net worth following a number of disposals. I need to give some thought to investment strategy going forward as i am likely to have some residual cash spare to invest again following a planned property purchase.<br />
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Pension unit prices were up around 2% driven by equities market increases.<br />
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Property income was lower than plan. One property paid on time, one missed their rent payment (i now expect them to leave soon) and one remained vacant. A tenant for the vacant property had been found but appears to have pulled out, so it will go back on the market. A fourth property investment is planned to complete in the next month or so.<br />
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Cash balances were significantly higher following a lump sum of income. Whilst this will come down with a planned property purchase it is still likely to remain on the high side for now.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 12%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 82%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-18637141718987631122017-02-28T22:34:00.002+08:002017-04-02T22:25:08.685+08:00February 2017 ReviewFebruary saw my net worth increase by 2.3% with high income along with investment and property valuation gains.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio was fairly flat but there were a lot of disposals in the month. I've decided to cash in on large capital gains in emerging markets, asia and europe ETFs, just holding on to a handful of core holdings. The proceeds from these disposals may be diverted towards further property investments as equity valuations seem on the high side.<br />
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Pension unit prices were up around 1% as markets seemed a little calmer than recent months.<br />
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Property income was back on track although my most recent acquisition is still vacant. There have been few viewings in the last couple of weeks so i'm hoping for a tenant to be in place soon. I've also updated the values of my properties for the first time in over a year. One had increased (with lots of observable market references to go by) but i also lowered another which was more subjective. Overall this resulted in an upwards revaluation of around 3%.<br />
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Cash balances were significantly higher following strong income and investment disposals. Whilst i'm less inclined to get straight back into equities with this surplus cash, another property investment is a possibility in the coming months.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 4%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 67%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-23667602140315698342017-01-30T19:27:00.000+08:002017-01-30T19:27:07.398+08:00January 2017 ReviewJanuary saw my net worth increase by 1.6% with high income, lower than average expenses and a strong month in the markets.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio increased around 3% as equities continued to rally. I've sold all my remaining fixed income ETFs given the increased expectations of USD rate rises through 2017, and continued devaluation of RMB (the RMB bond ETF was closed down as it seemed everyone was heading for the door!).<br />
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Pension unit prices were also up over 3% in line with strong equities performance.<br />
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Property income was a mixed picture. One paid on time, but some large maintenance costs are expected over the month. One was late, but are making an effort to catch up - we're staying on a short term rolling contract for now at the mutual agreement of the tenant and landlord. The recent purchase remains vacant but had a few viewings. If the market looks quiet i may consider lowering the rent to get it occupied as soon as possible.<br />
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Cash balances were lower with a lumpy tax bill more than offsetting high income, lower expenses and an investment disposal. The tax had been fully accrued for so no impact to net worth.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 1.6%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 62%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-71028386866329227702017-01-30T19:15:00.004+08:002017-01-30T19:15:55.951+08:002017 financial planAfter a very successful 2016 for my finances i'll be hoping for more of the same in 2017. In preparing a simple financial plan for 2017 my working assumption for most items will be to expect income and expenses to be broadly consistent with last year.<br />
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Regarding income, overall this is expected to be quite flat. Employment income will likely be a little lower, but hopefully property income will hopefully be higher if i can rent out my recent property investment. The big unknown will be if there are further foreign exchange movements, which were a big factor last year, but my working assumption is flat fx rates against current levels.<br />
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In expenses, tax and rent are expected to be similar, although my own rental agreement is up for renewal in the summer. Investment property expenses will likely be higher but should hopefully be covered by income. I've put some buffer in general day to day expenses as i've had my eye on a few luxuries for a while now. Travel costs are also a bit of an unknown for now, probably not as high as last year but i've budgeted for a similar number of trips.<br />
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Overall, if this goes to plan it should be another year with a savings ratio in the mid 60%s range and net worth growth of 18%. All investment, pension and property values are assumed to be flat, and will no doubt bring some volatility given all the political and market issues unfolding around the world...<br />
<br />bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-61557304718356070382017-01-04T20:42:00.003+08:002017-01-04T20:42:40.905+08:002016 Annual Review2016 was an excellent year for my finances and exceeded expectations. These are a few of the key points:<br />
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Net worth<br />
Net worth increased by 24%, compared to 16% plan and 18% in the prior year. This was driven by a combination of (a) higher than expected income, (b) strong equities performance supporting the investment portfolio and pension valuations, and (c) the impact of a large movement in foreign exchange rates post brexit increasing the value of my hkd assets in gbp terms.<br />
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Savings rate<br />
Savings rate (net income after all expenses divided by gross income) was a very high 65%. This was in line with plan, but within this number both income and expenses were higher than expected, but in this constant proportion. My savings rate has been in the 60-70% range for five years in a row (since detailed records commenced), and although expenses have been increasing during this period, it has always been proportionate to increases in income. Whilst this is clearly a high savings percentage, it does not feel like i've been particularly frugal and expenses reached a record high this year.<br />
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Income<br />
Income reached a record high, driven largely by higher than expected employment income, of which a growing portion is variable and may not all recur. Aside from employment income, the passive income from my assets (property, cash savings and dividends on investments) continued to rise as my net worth and assets increased. Throughout the year i also crystallised some foreign exchange gains and realised some gains on the disposal of non core parts of my investment portfolio, taking the opportunity to simplify my range of ETFs as many markets hit long term highs.<br />
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Expenses<br />
Expenses also reached a record high. Roughly half of the increase was unavoidable - home rental and taxation related, the other half was more discretionary. In particular travel costs were a lot higher than previous years with around 7 separate trips enjoyed during the year. Property investment costs and bills were also higher than expected, including some costs associated with acquiring a new rental property towards the end of the year. General living expenses were also slightly over plan but with nothing significant driving the increase.<br />
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Overall there are far more positives than negatives here, along with a few one off factors i don't expect to recur consistently in the years to come. I will dig into expenses a little further to see if there are opportunities to reduce, or at least stabilise some of the increases, but overall i don't see much cause for concern. Income is less predictable so i can only hope for the best and keep maximising the parts i can control.<br />
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A 2017 plan will follow shortly.<br />
<br />bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-64542450264329714212016-12-30T21:10:00.002+08:002016-12-30T21:10:39.353+08:00December 2016 ReviewDecember saw my net worth increase by 1% with good income, reasonable savings and increases in investment values.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio increased around 1.7% with a mix of dividends on ETFs and increases in most equity values. There were no purchases or sales and the markets seem to end the year with a mild rally.<br />
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Pension unit prices were also up around 1% in line with improved equities performance.<br />
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Rental income was back on track with the tenant in areas catching up and paying some of January in advance as a good will gesture. I wasn't expecting this so its a nice surprise, but will see how it progresses over the next few months before deciding whether to extend the tenancy. The other tenant also paid in full, as usual. No tenant yet for the recent purchase, probably a lack of interest over the holiday season. I'm hoping to find someone in January. There were a few expenses in the month but nothing significant.<br />
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Cash balances were a lot higher with strong income, average expenses (apart from travel / gifts) and no new investments/disposals. Overall this has been another excellent year for my finances. I will post a full year review for 2016 along with expectations for 2017 shortly.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 24.3%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 65%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-22211056395254164142016-11-29T21:01:00.003+08:002016-11-29T21:01:49.932+08:00November 2016 ReviewNovember saw my net worth increase by 1.8% with a good savings rate and a favourable update to the fx rates used to manage my assets. This was to reflect the continued weakness in GBP v HKD/USD post Brexit and that my base currency is GBP.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio increased around 2.5% and although underlying investments were slightly lower, the update of the fx rate used to convert my hk based investments back to GBP had an overall positive impact on the portfolio value. Unusually there were no dividends in the month but quite a lot are due next month.<br />
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Pension unit prices were fairly flat, but in GBP terms rose 6% as a large part are denominated in HKD.<br />
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My third property purchase finally completed during November, but it will take a few weeks before i can market the property for rental. I'm hoping there will be minimal further costs involved. Of the other properties, one paid rent on time as usual, but the other was unable to make their rental payment and the tenant appears to be in some financial difficulty. They are looking to pay double next month, and given they are coming to the end of their rental contract i'm hoping any potential losses will be minimal.<br />
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Cash balances were materially lower following the completion of a property investment. Expenses were average, including some travel expenses. Travel expense is well above plan but i'm not too concerned about that given the health of my overall savings rate.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 23.1%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 65%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-37201743174010282822016-10-31T13:37:00.002+08:002016-10-31T13:37:29.105+08:00October 2016 ReviewOctober saw my net worth increase by 1.3% with a good savings rate and improved investment performance.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio increased around 3% although a lot of this seems to be foreign exchange related, and a consequence of having GBP denominated ETFs holding non GBP equities with a weaker pound. Dividends were higher than average.<br />
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Pension unit prices were fairly flat, with the hkd portfolio lower, and gap portfolio higher (probably also fx related).<br />
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All rent was received broadly on time. My new property investment will now complete in mid November and i'll look to get it on to the rental market as soon as possible after then. There should be minimal costs before marketing it.<br />
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Cash balances were a lot higher, with a net inflow from investments, higher interest and dividend income, and a good savings rate. Expenses were average, including some travel expenses.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 20.9%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 66%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-76017822502997320752016-09-27T21:45:00.001+08:002016-09-27T21:45:52.083+08:00September 2016 ReviewSeptember saw my net worth increase by 0.8% with a slightly calmer and steadier month in the markets, and better savings.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio increased around 1% as markets calmed a little after a lot of volatility over the summer. I sold one small ETF position as part of the recent tidy up and downsizing of the portfolio. It is now 12% of total assets, down from a high of 15% a few months ago.<br />
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Pension unit prices were around 1% higher, in line with broader market performance.<br />
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All rent was received broadly on time., with one small expense related to a rental agreement being renewed. My new property investment is moving slower than expected but is expected to complete in October.<br />
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Cash balances increased with one small investment disposal and higher than average savings. Expenses were lower than most months this year with no one offs or travel.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 19.3%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 67%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-80921074107857260662016-08-30T21:28:00.000+08:002016-08-30T21:28:12.114+08:00August 2016 ReviewAugust saw my net worth increase by 1.3% with continued strength in financial markets and decent savings in the month.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio increased around 3% following a continued rally in most markets. I took the opportunity of market highs to dispose some non core investments (mainly smaller holdings of higher cost legacy ETFs), simplifying the composition of the portfolio.<br />
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Pension unit prices were around 2% higher, on the back of the rally in global equities markets.<br />
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All rent was received broadly on time with a minor expense. One tenant has just renewed tenancy for another year with the same rent, and only one small maintenance request. The property in question has been constantly let for 6 years so is probably due some refurbishment, but as the tenant is currently happy these can wait a bit longer! I have also now committed to the next property investment. It may take another month or so to fully complete but i would hope to have everything done and tenants in place by the end of the year.<br />
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Cash balances were materially higher following investment disposals and reasonable savings. Ignoring travel, BAU expenses were actually well under plan for the first time in a few months. Cash balances should drop a lot in the next month or so as the property investment progresses.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 18.3%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 68%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-14775485193040034092016-07-29T13:44:00.001+08:002016-07-29T13:44:18.059+08:00July 2016 ReviewJuly saw my net worth increase by 1.8% with a strong rally in financial markets increasing my pension & investment portfolios.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio increased around 5% following a strong rally across global equities throughout the month. Some large dividends came in at the beginning of the month and most sectors performed well.<br />
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Pension unit prices were around 4% higher, on the back of the rally in global equities markets.<br />
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All rent was received on time. I am now in the process of starting another rental property investment which should be complete hopefully in around a month's time. It is in a similar location and of a similar value to my investment last year.<br />
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Cash balances were lower following an initial payment towards the property investment. Expenses were high again but better than last month and included some travel costs for later in the year. Excluding travel expenses were in line with target.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 16.8%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 69%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-50085582792294495572016-07-01T11:10:00.002+08:002016-07-01T11:10:48.050+08:00June 2016 ReviewJune saw my net worth increase by 1.6% with significant fx gains and investment performance following the Brexit vote offsetting very high expenses.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio increased around 6% following a wild ride in the markets. This was mainly driven by exchange rate movements, in addition to a strong rally in a number of investments in the last few days of the month, after an initial drop following the vote. Some large dividends came in at the end of the month and a few more are expected in July.<br />
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Pension unit prices were fairly flat, but the value increased around 2% with fx movements.<br />
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All rent was received on time, including a catch up for some overdue rent from the prior month. I am actively considering another property investment in the uk and should have more news in the next few weeks.<br />
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Cash balances were higher with no investments, but expenses were very high. Whilst a lot of this was some one off fitness / health related costs, underlying expenses and in particular food and drink remain high. There were also some travel, gift and property costs in the month.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 14.7%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 71%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-70724829900509916092016-07-01T10:58:00.000+08:002016-07-01T10:58:30.244+08:00BrexitJune was one of the most interesting months for British politics and its implications on the financial markets. Being a Brit and having a lot of GBP based assets i've been following very closely.<br />
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With the markets having priced in a remain vote, the initial shock to the financial markets on 24 June was significant, and beyond anything i've seen in one day. These were the main immediate impacts to my finances:<br />
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With the value of GBP falling around 10% compared to USD (and HKD) the value of many of my assets fell but my HK based assets and income increased in value in GBP terms. I translate my portfolio to GBP as a base currency so this has generally appeared as a positive, although obviously the opposite is true if i were to consider my net worth in USD terms.<br />
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My equity investments initially fell sharply in value but have rallied strongly over the past week. In addition, a number of my uk listed and GBP denominated ETFs have underlying investments in non GBP currencies and have appreciated sharply.<br />
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My pension funds initially fell in value following the referendum result, but have rallied back to similar levels. The non GBP portion has gained in value due to the fx movements.<br />
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Overall, when viewing my portfolio in GBP, Brexit has had a positive initial impact, with most of this driven by fx movements. It remains to be seen what the longer term implications will be.<br />
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Specific considerations for myself going forward include whether i intend to be based in the UK in the future, whether GBP should continue to be the base currency of my portfolio, and if any changes are needed to the broad diversification of my assets in terms of asset class, geography and currency.bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-29060166916453000422016-05-30T23:13:00.000+08:002016-05-30T23:13:30.887+08:00May 2016 ReviewMay saw my net worth increase by 0.4% with a weaker month and higher expenses than usual.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio fell by around 1.5% although it had been down a lot more in the middle of the month. HK seems to be lagging behind most global markets which is suppressing the overall portfolio value. There were also not many dividends this month, although a number of ETFs are due to pay in June. I made some small additions to my HK and Asia ETF positions during the fall in markets in early to mid May.<br />
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Pension unit prices were fairly flat, but had been down a lot mid-month, before a rally in the last week. My pension is quite heavily weighted towards HK which doesn't help.<br />
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There has been a slight delay on part of one of my property rental payments, although i think this is an admin issue with the tenant having previously paid in advance and forgetting to restart. Fingers crossed it is rectified shortly.<br />
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Cash balances were slightly higher despite a couple of small investments and higher than average expenses. I need to take a closer look at what is driving the more general increase in expenses as it is starting to move well ahead of plan. However, part of this is extra gym costs which will be a recurring theme as i make more effort with fitness, and part was a one off treat this month. <br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 12.9%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 75%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-41698130377682851042016-04-28T21:07:00.000+08:002016-04-28T21:07:08.872+08:00April 2016 ReviewApril saw my net worth increase by 1.5% with a strong but volatile month in the markets, along with a healthy savings rate.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio increased by over 3% with a very strong increase mid month and a slight pull back in the last week. There were no new investments but quite a lot of dividends.<br />
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Pension unit prices were also up around 3%. My monthly contributions have also increased, in line with a recent salary increase.<br />
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Rental income on both properties was paid in full. I will have a minor repair bill next month. I am also considering further property investments but i think any action will be several months away.<br />
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Cash balances were fairly flat, with a good savings rate and higher than average income offset by the second income tax payment. Expenses were lower than average, for the first month in a while.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 12.4%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 78%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5050522286538859714.post-7043810418716512042016-03-26T17:02:00.000+08:002016-03-26T17:02:10.852+08:00March 2016 ReviewMarch saw my net worth increase by 9% mainly as a result of a large lump sum income, along with improved market performance.<br />
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The value of my investment portfolio increased by over 2% with a slow but steady rally in equities for most of the month. There were no new investments and handful of dividends.<br />
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Pension unit prices were up around 3% following a pick up in most equities markets.<br />
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Rental income on both properties was paid in full, with one paying a couple of months in advance following a late payment last month.<br />
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Cash balances were significantly higher with a large lump sum income in the month. This will probably stay deployed in savings accounts for now as i don't have any significant investments planned, although i may be helping with a family property purchase in the near future. Expenses were slightly higher than average following a laptop repair and some travel, but not excessive.<br />
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As a result of high income my std savings rate is very high, but this should drift down to around 60% through the year.<br />
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Year to date net worth growth: 10.7%<br />
Year to date savings rate: 81%bean counterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14148292729387309555noreply@blogger.com0