[Closed] Where do you put yours (money and investments, that is)?

Approx

40% home equity
10% other property
20% pension funds (uk 100 and property mainly)
2.5% x 4 in euro small cap, us mid cap, East Asia and euro mid cap tracker funds
10% ftse 250 accumulator
10% cash

Am 40. Not really planning on retiring as such. At least no less work than I do now anyway.

Stoner - age apart, you're the opposite to me: well organized, work for yourself (now and again) think about these things..!

I have concluded that too much time spent working for other people means I spend less time focussing on more important matters..!

Now, give us yer bank account mister!

Approx

50% Property (UK and France)
30% Pensions (Invested roughly 30% UK, 10% Europe, 10% US, 40% Asia)
20% Cash (pessimistic so wondering whether to move more pension into cash)

well organized, work for yourself (now and again) think about these things..!

Under the mattress. 😉

Allow me to point you in the direction of my Uncle in Nigeria. He's a government minister which allows him access to may very fruitful investment opportunities, my friend..>

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I don't consider our home equity to be an investment.

I have a SIPP (40%), which is invested in some oil-based punts (65ish%) and some a sensible funds around the world.

My current work pension (40%) is invested in whatever they are invested in - I picked the "growth" (most aggressive) level of risk.

I have a stocks & shares ISA (10%) which is invested in funds only, but worldwide exposure to differing levels.

10% cash (mostly ISAs).

I'm disorganised and not normally interested in financial matters, but I've just had a redundancy pay-off and trying to do something sensible with it- decided to use most of it to slash the mortgage. I'm 47 and have a rubbish pension. My ISA is earning 0.25% interest and I've got a financial adviser telling me I should be pumping my money into my pension rather than paying off my mortgage. 🙄

100% bikes and bike related stuff. No really.

I have a reasonable amount of home equity, and bought relatively early in life so should be mortgage-free relatively young. I also have (less good than it used to be but still) good occupational pension. But zero savings, and no other investments.

But, I also don't have an expensive lifestyle, so I don't need a lot of income to maintain it. At least, that's what I'm hoping.

I'm also not 40 until next year, so "haha" to Stoner and OMITN 😉

I'm also not 40 until next year, so "haha" to Stoner and OMITN

Youth of today - no bloody respect!

I've only started taking this more seriously in the last year or so. At the moment I've got a decent but not exceptional (for my age) sum in my workplace pension and a similar amount of equity in my house. That's probably 80% of my total net worth.

Of what's left about 10% is in cash ISAs, 5% in high interest current accounts and 5% in a stocks and shares ISA (invested in Vanguard Lifestrategy). I'm trying to put most of the "new" savings into S&S as my cash savings are sufficient to act as a decent emergency fund.

Hmm. Am def feeling over-exposed to my employer.

Time to focus effort on investing elsewhere* - some food for thought!

*Not my house - I (er, we) own c70% of the house, but we've no intention of moving, so it's an academic investment....

@vickyp - bad advice from the advisor (who makes a fee from your pension contributions) I think. Pensions are valuable for the tax relief and for the fact that they are hard to access so not easily "frittered away". Paying your mortgage down is a good idea although under the scenarios where a year fro now you are still unemployed you may want some of the cash to live on

@jim, I always find it curious that people don't consider their home an investment. It's both a home and an investment. For many many years people have bought homes to raise their family and then downsized when they retire, often to a different location.

If you plan to die in your current house then, yes, it probably isn't an investment.

However for many it's a long term capital investment. It's also sensible to evaluate regularly how much secured debt to keep on it compared to making alternative diversified investments with the capital instead.

@jim, I always find it curious that people don't consider their home an investment...

I suppose it's because the equity is not money I'm prepared to gamble with.

If you were counting "net worth" then I'd include it, but half of it would belong to Mrs Dubleyou.

Some equity as likelihood we will downsize.
Several pensions with 10 yrs in a final salary.
Another SIPP with 6 years of good contributions
Quite a chunk in stocks and shares ISA's to provide tax free income when I retire.
51

Whiskey

If the bubble bursts at least I will have fun drinking them 😉

Stoner - good call on the FTSE250 acc, I've had very good returns from trackers.

tobacco.
stocks that is, not the filthy habit.
reasonably recession-proof.

ftse250 tracker did better for me than any other tracker and better than any managed unit trust / oeic etc.

my house is where I live, not an investment. and is only an investment in the sense that my money spent on my place of abode is for it to be mine rather my money being spent on someone else's asset.

99% property, but I'm a scum of the earth landlord.

Normally 3 years living costs in cash, premium bonds, "high" interest accounts etc, and of the rest, 20% in bonds, 80% ish in S&S ISAs and funds. I like to keep things liquid so no BTL or pensions.
Nothing fancy, but it's worked so far

money in more or less = money out!

I'm one of those types that, you know, keeps the economy running! 😆 Doubt I'll get much thanks for that come retirement time!

Some in house equity
Similar amount in pension
Some in cash (isa-premium bonds etc)
Less in funds
Similar in individual shares
a small amount in peer to peer lending
And a very small amount of currency under the bed for emergencies

Tobacco stocks for me too - bats and imb. Smokers just cant give up.

London flats for my pension as like tobacco stocks the capital prices and rents have only gone 1 way.

Still voluntarily paying my state pension but doubt I will ever see it it will be means tested by thd time I qualify.

so self invested stocks (I cant isa them up as non uk resident) uk property and a few other bits and bobs

People have money left at the end of the month?

Oh how the other half....

Equity in your home does count as those that retire with a house and mortgage free are in a better off position that those with a mortgage and those renting when it comes to living costs. Plus there's always the option to move to a cheaper property/area if needed/wanted.

Home - 60%
Unit Trusts - 25%
Pension - 10%
Cash - 5%

(I'm 45)

I give mine to m missus and she spends it, looking forward to the return on this baby

tobacco.
stocks that is, not the filthy habit.
reasonably recession-proof.

&

Smokers just cant give up.

Bonkers.

E-cigs point to the fact that even addicts can change their addiction.

I like to have a bit more diversification in an investment. They are selling only one thing.

Previous performance is no indication of future returns etc.

Mostly ISAs (with dire rates 🙁 ) and a little now going into Zopa Classic to test the water. Good so far.

@russ good for you. For a variety of reasons we did btl for a bit then got out. Big mistake, easily the best performing asset class of the last 30 years and imho the next. Growing popultion, small island.

I suppose it's because the equity is not money I'm prepared to gamble with.

Big variable with tobacco stocks was the potnetial liability from court cases/damages. Potentially no amount of future sales could cover damages awards. Not up to daye as to where that stands today as asdie from small work related investments in the 90's have not touched the sector

FTSE 250/100 - depends on the time frame amd specific index. I made some pension investments back in the late 90's whuch have hardly grown - admitedly that was ftse 100 which has underperformed massively

@retro at least returns aren't negative, thats the worry now and for next 5 years in other asset classes

Max out tax shelters eg ISAs and pension

Balance risk

Buy low, sell high and remember the power of compounding

BUT v difficult at the moment as the great and good have deliberately distorted the pricing of assets. So very difficult to value many asset classes at the moment. Madness!

I don't gamble with my investments/pension either.

So your capital is not at risk in any of your investments?

Mine is. A lot.

I've a few quid in the ashtray of my car..........

Yes its at risk including the equity in my property. I suppose that was my point as much as anything. Big chunk of my pension is in Asia, clearly more volatile than other options. I also would not use the word gamble in the same way as "at risk"

Interesting, just worked out mine
Pension pot: 42%
Property: 36%
Cash: 15%
Shares: 6%
Cash ISA: 1%

Including property as the long term plan is to downsize from current, so viewing as an investment.

Luckily both Me and the Mrs have been in a DB Pension for 20 years which is still open, but not for much longer I fear as the company are paying 35% contribution this year to keep it from deficit...

Overpay the penalty free 5% mortgage anniversary balance each year.
Buy added pension from company each month.
Invest most surplus income into various indexes e.g. FTSE100, Emerging Markets, Global Trackers and into a mutual assurance fund.
Got a bit of gold lying around for end of the world emergency.

My financial advisor recently said: a regular savings ISA after a pension, are the most tax efficient investment and most flexible.

65% property (mortgage free)
33% shares (mostly AIM market)
2% cash
final salary pension after 36 yrs
I can't see the point of paying an IFA who then takes a perennial slice of your payments into funds that you could have researched yourself. Then you're paying fund managers on top of that, all for relatively limited capital growth.
The AIM market is a bit cranky and volatile but it does produce some real winners.

Spot on re historic property returns but I wouldn't put new money in at today's prices. The markets been meddled with and the game has changed.

I think the tobacco cos have bought the e cig companies. Imperial rebranded to imp brands and I know bat bought an e cig outfit.

I heard on an investors chronicle podcast 2 weeks ago that these high yielding mega caps - rdsb for eg - at 7% yield they can devalue to zero in say 50 years as you have had way more than yr money back via dividends.

Diversification is the key for me.

I'm 61 so no good for me to looking long term 🙁
No mortgage, local government pension and a nice tax free lump sum.
So apart from a couple of Stocks and shares ISA's and using the main bank accounts that give a better than normal interest like Santander 123 account, club Lloyds etc.
I am taking a gamble with Peer to Peer lending. Getting between 10/13% mainly on 6 monthly loans.
20K is going to bring in 2.6K interest but there will be tax to pay on that.

So point me at a stocks & shares ISA or 2 to consider - have a fair bit tied up in Cash ISA that should be working harder

Interest on saving is going down at me bank ...

Try something ethical. Might not offer returns in line with tobacco companies, but seriously - are you all happy propping that industry up? 🙄

So point me at a stocks & shares ISA or 2 to consider - have a fair bit tied up in Cash ISA that should be working harder

Property 50% (1.5 houses, owned outright)
Pensions 45% (One SIPP, One Final Salary, One Defined Contribution)
ISA 5%

The ISA & SIPP are an experiment, happy to take risks e.g. bought a Gold ETF at the start of year, rode the 20% rise and then sold it all last month and bought something else...

Try something ethical. Might not offer returns in line with tobacco companies, but seriously - are you all happy propping that industry up?

There are ethical fund trackers etc. too.

As for diversification, 100% agree. Hence monthly few quid in a tracker. It evens out the peaks and troughs, so if the market goes down, your 20 quid buys a little more, and when it goes up, it buys a little less. And the costs of a computer that picks stocks once every quarter when the make-up of the FTSE 250/100 is adjusted, are minimal.

Utilities is the other single stock or single sector I'd look at. Water, Leccy, Gas etc. also tend to be recession-proof and pay big dividends (probably find a lot of pension funds investing there). Some will call that unethical too. Investing in what others believe should be state owned.

Whatever, make sure it's wrapped up via ISA.

Try something ethical. Might not offer returns in line with tobacco companies, but seriously - are you all happy propping that industry up?

No-ones propping up the fags trade apart from the smokers...

In my belly 🙂

Under the floor boards...mind you just found some woodworm....

At the moment some overpayment of the mortgage to get some buffer and to chip away at the capital, and employer pension schemes for me and mrsEd which are both good schemes. I did do AVCs and I'm going to start a sipp now these have stopped. But until the nursery fees are all done this is taking up what we could invest in trackers/portfolio. I'd give myself 6/10 because it's organised but could be a bit more adventurous

£2900 to last until august. Best find the next gig...eek!

[quoteLondon flats for my pension as like tobacco stocks the capital prices and rents have only gone 1 way.

Lol troll

Interesting! Will look at tobacco companies.

Allthepies,have you considered the effects of litigation on the tobacco companies.Bernie Saunders for president anybody!And emerging market debt collapse could also cut demand for deathsticks.

Me,80% equities and bonds(shortly to be 90%),Rest in cash,Zopa and gold ETFs.Nought in housing and minimal pension.A bit desperate I know.

Tobacco etc. historically have reasonably good returns, and even when UK/EU/US might be swaying towards e-fags, the rest of the world can't get enough baccy.

And within a week, the World starts to turn...

[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36355497 ]Axa[/url]

historicaly they have been good though.

How ever this just highlights exactly why doing your own research into where you invest your money is critical.

following "tips" is a good way to set your self up for a fall - by the time they are common knowledge they are nearing the top of the market more often than not.

How would one go about investing in the Solar industry, rather than just one company?

I'm no lentil-knitting hippy but tobacco companies have been so dishonest and destructive for such a long time that I won't touch their shares. I do have a mix of other shares (including some investment trusts which increase diversity and reduce risks a bit). Plus the house, of course.

Doing research and "picking winners" is a waste of time though. Just invest in a diverse range of companies and hold tight. In the long run, this is always the best (achievable) strategy. You'll always get the odd lucky gambler who claims to have known what was going to do up/down, but for every one of them, there are just as many who were convinced of the opposite.

Jimmy, there are investments in solar power parks (foresight, bluefield) but not the technological side that I'm aware of.

historicaly they have been good though.

Maybe so, but dumping $1.7bn of shares onto the market isn't going to prop the price up. Others will follow, you may depend upon it.

This is the tipping point.

To really make good returns you need to have some hot info ahead of the market. You won't find that onthe internet.

I've got money in Tobacco via Neil Woodford's fund. He has three tobacco companies in his top 10 funds (about 17% overall). https://woodfordfunds.com/our-funds/weif/fullportfolio/ (you need to register to see the portfolio).

Nice partial quote.

This is the tipping point.

If you're investing for dividends (which is why most hold tobacco) then the share price isn't that relevant. It's still a very profitable industry.

Doing research and "picking winners" is a waste of time though. Just invest in a diverse range of companies and hold tight.

That looks like pretty dangerous advice to me. I'd say do maximum research and weigh your bets accordingly.

Bill, how do you think you are going to out-research the people who do this professionally full time?

Bill, how do you think you are going to out-research the people who do this professionally full time?

Plenty of very successful private investors, it is a skill to be learnt. Professional investors are often hampstrung by the size of their funds - they also charge very high fees - the universe into which they can commit significant amounts is much smaller.

"Bill, how do you think you are going to out-research the people who do this professionally full time?"

what makes you think you have to?

contrary to whats being suggested above which is the equivalent of throwing a dart at the racing post you need to at least do due dilligence on your investment to minimise the risk of losing significant sums.

Plenty of very successful private investors, it is a skill to be learnt.

That's rather like saying there are plenty of very successful poker players, although at least my statement is demonstrably true. But true or not, it's hardly helpful to anyone looking to invest a bit of spare money.

Bill, how do you think you are going to out-research the people who do this professionally full time?

You won't, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do any research. Blindly investing in a fund without being aware of what you're buying is just daft.

That's rather like saying there are plenty of very successful poker players, although at least my statement is demonstrably true. But true or not, it's hardly helpful to anyone looking to invest a bit of spare money.

Why not, they might decide to use the money to help acquire a new skill, they are very few fund managers whose fees are justified by their value added on a consistent basis. Hence why there is a good argument for low cost trackers.

Agree re fund managers, that was basically my point about just buying a diverse portfolio and sitting on it (yes, a tracker would also be reasonable for many people). But where are these private investors making a killing? Do you mean me? 😆

Mello

As said earlier, it's not just about tips and individual shares. Anyone with a range of shares will have one/some that go nicely but the key measure is what has happened to your portfolio. Mine grew by 30% last year but a bit off that since then, having moved into different territory. I don't dismiss professional researchers at all, I look at what they're investing in. It's not difficult although often they have different priorities. There's enough information on the net to keep you engaged in your research for ages. I've found out all sorts of interesting things about the hassle and cost of moving oil between Colombia and Ecuador, the percentage chances of hitting good quality black gold in Paraguay, the future of cannabis-based pharmaceuticals alongside sourcing the best quinine for tonic water, and so on. All this stuff has potential £ signs on it.

30% Property
20% Pension
40% home equity
10% cash

I just checked my directly invested portfolio and the real stars are....tobacco. I heard axa last week sold their tobacco holdings but they do sell medical insurance.

Anyway, the capital values are academic for income seekers. The net yield on the portfolio of c 10 mega caps is 5%. The capital value is intact but there's big winners and big losers.

I havent been following my inv performance too closely lately, so though Id have a quick shuftie:

2yr holdings:
European Mid Cap: +5%
European Oppty: -15%
US Mid Cap: +30%
Asia Pac: +20%
US Small: +16%

overall, +11%, so a v modest 5%pa. But that's the value of diversification too.

FTSE 250 ISA has done about 8% over the same period. (c.3.75%pa)

Land Securities direct shareholding has done better at c.35% over 4yrs. (8%pa)

My pension inv last year though, only went up by the value of my contributions. 🙄

I'm reasonably happy with all of those - nothing to set the world on fire, but more importantly Im not paying someone tons of money to make similar decisions (or worse). The HSBC FTSE tracker has a great low fee of just 0.18%. My Pension is 1% pa with Aviva - not too expensive, but hardly value for money given how crap Aviva can be as inv managers. And all my direct dealing I do through Share.com for £7.50 per quarter - no other dealing fees.

I just checked my directly invested portfolio and the real stars are....tobacco. I heard axa last week sold their tobacco holdings but they do sell medical insurance.

Will oil, mining and banks all in the doldrums there aren't many big dividend payers left. Tobacco is one of the few left!