Not financial advice. This site shares one person's personal experience with spending and investing — it is not a recommendation for you. All investing carries risk. Full disclaimer
Real trades. Honest reasoning. Every week I share exactly what I bought, which platform I used, and why I made each decision. Not advice — just one person sharing what I bought.
What I do — not what you should do. These are my personal investments. Nothing here is financial advice or a recommendation. All investing carries risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up.
Every week I post real trades with real amounts. Here's the archive so far.
S&P 500 (VUAG)
Trading 212 (ISA)
S&P 500 UCITS ETF Acc (VUAG)
Vanguard
FTSE All-World (VWRP)
InvestEngine
Nasdaq 100 (EQQQ)
Trading 212 (ISA)
SpaceX (SPCX)
Trading 212 (ISA)
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Trading 212 (ISA)
Meta Platforms (META)
Trading 212 (ISA)
Alphabet (GOOGL)
Trading 212 (SIPP)
FTSE 100 (ISF)
Trading 212 (SIPP)
Emerging Markets (EMIM)
Trading 212 (ISA)
FTSE Developed World
Vanguard
Dividend ETF (FGQI)
Trading 212 (ISA)
European ETF (IMEU)
InvestEngine
For educational purposes only. These are my personal investments. Nothing here is financial advice or a recommendation. All investing carries risk — values can fall as well as rise.
The serious, long-term part of my portfolio — low-cost index funds held on Vanguard. I log in maybe once a quarter.
VUAG
This is my main holding within Vanguard — the Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF, accumulation version. Dividends are automatically reinvested. Broad exposure to 500 of the largest US companies in a single fund. Boring, cheap, effective — exactly what I want from a core holding.
VEVE / VHVG
My monthly direct debit lands here — £400 straight into the Vanguard FTSE Developed World ETF. Covers large and mid-cap stocks across developed markets (US, UK, Europe, Japan, Australia, Canada and more). About 65% US-weighted. This is the "set it and forget it" part of my portfolio. I don't tinker with it.
Platform
Vanguard UK
vanguardinvestor.co.uk
Platform Fee
0.15% / year
Capped at £375/year
My Approach
Buy & Hold
Direct debit, forget about it
This is what I do — not what you should do. Vanguard is one of several platforms I use. Nothing here is a recommendation of any platform or investment. All investing carries risk.
ETFs, index funds, and the occasional individual share. I name names and show amounts.
My honest reasoning behind each trade — what I'm thinking, not what you should do.
Which platform I used — Trading 212, InvestEngine, or Vanguard — and why I chose it for that trade.
Three new additions to my SIPP this week: Constellation Energy (CEG) for nuclear-powered AI demand, Nebius Group (NBIS) for AI cloud infrastructure with Nvidia backing, and Cipher Digital (CIFR) for Bitcoin mining meets AI data centres. All small positions, all speculative, all with long time horizons. Here's exactly what I bought and why.
Took a small position in the SPCX ETF for SpaceX exposure — why not? Also topped up Johnson & Johnson after the recent dip. Here's my reasoning for both moves and why I'm keeping the positions tiny.
Topped up my S&P 500 position and added a new dividend-focused ETF to the pie. Here's what I bought, how much, and why I made each decision.
Regular monthly contribution went into the global all-cap ETF. Also dipped a toe into a European index fund — here's my reasoning.
Quiet week this time. The auto-invest fired as usual into my core ETFs. Sometimes doing nothing is the best strategy — here's why I didn't add anything extra.
Tech took a breather so I added to my Nasdaq 100 position. Also rebalanced the pie allocations — the S&P 500 was creeping up towards 45% and I wanted to keep things in check.
Monthly direct debit hit Vanguard as usual. VT FTSE Developed World ETF got the full contribution. Slow and steady — exactly how I like it.
Started a small FTSE 100 tracker position on Trading 212. A bit of home bias perhaps, but the dividend yields are decent and I wanted some UK exposure beyond the global all-cap.
I've been meaning to add emerging markets for ages. This week I finally did it — a small position in an EM ETF on Trading 212. Here's which one and why now.
Took a small position in Meta Platforms (META) on Trading 212. AI, advertising, and a mountain of cash — here's why I finally bought a slice of one of the Magnificent Seven.
Added Alphabet (GOOGL) to my portfolio on Trading 212. Search, Cloud, YouTube, and a growing AI business — here's why I bought Google and why the position is small.
For educational purposes only. This content provides general information about spending habits, saving and personal finance. It is not financial advice or a recommendation to take any financial action. Always consider your own circumstances before making financial decisions. I am not regulated by the FCA and nothing here constitutes regulated financial advice. I will receive a small commission referral fee from some platforms I mention. This does not affect the price you pay.
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