Bought yet more VUAG and VWRP in the Trading 212 SIPP today. Again. At this point it's becoming genuinely addictive — every time I have spare capital sitting in the SIPP, my hand reaches for the buy button on these two funds almost automatically. But here's the thing: if you're going to be addicted to something, making it low-cost global index trackers is probably the healthiest addiction you can have.
I've written about both of these ETFs extensively before — VUAG is my core holding, the accumulation version of the Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF, and VWRP is the accumulation version of the Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF. Between them they cover the S&P 500 (VUAG) and the entire global equity market including emerging markets (VWRP). There's overlap — the US makes up about 60-65% of VWRP — but I'm completely comfortable with that. The US is the engine, and having both funds means I get broad US exposure through VUAG plus the rest of the world through VWRP.
── Why Does This Feel Addictive? ──
I've been thinking about why buying these ETFs feels so satisfying — why I genuinely look forward to it each time. And I think it comes down to a few things.
First: clarity. When I buy VUAG, I know exactly what I'm getting — 500 of the largest US companies, market-cap weighted, at a cost of 0.07% per year. There's no second-guessing the stock pick, no worrying about whether I've analysed the balance sheet correctly, no anxiety about earnings reports. It just is what it is: broad, cheap, effective. The mental bandwidth saved is enormous.
Second: momentum you can feel. Every time I buy more shares of VUAG and VWRP, I can see the position growing. It's tangible. The numbers go up — not the price (that's out of my control), but the number of shares I own, the dividends those shares will generate over decades, the compounding machine I'm building one brick at a time. That feeling of visible progress is addictive in the best possible way.
Third: the absence of regret. When I buy individual shares — even good ones like Meta or Take-Two — there's always a little voice in the back of my head asking 'what if I'm wrong?' That voice is healthy; it's what keeps position sizes sensible. But when I buy VUAG, that voice shuts up. Because even if the S&P 500 has a bad year — and it will, eventually — I know that over a 10, 15, or 20-year horizon, owning 500 of America's largest businesses at minimal cost is about as close to a sure thing as investing gets.
── The Simple Truth ──
Here's what I've learned after years of doing this: the more I invest, the simpler my approach becomes. When I started out I wanted to be clever — find the undervalued stock, time the market, build the perfect portfolio allocation. Now? I buy VUAG and VWRP. Most of the intellectual energy I used to spend on stock research goes into simply earning more, spending less, and investing the difference. The strategy isn't complicated because it doesn't need to be.
VUAG gives me the S&P 500 — the engine of global capitalism, 500 of the largest, most profitable companies on earth, compounding away at 0.07% a year. VWRP gives me the rest of the world — developed markets, emerging markets, large caps, mid caps, all in one fund at 0.22% a year. Together they cover essentially every publicly traded company worth owning. Add time — measured in decades — and the outcome is, historically speaking, overwhelmingly likely to be positive.
── Does This Get Boring? ──
Honestly? A bit. Writing about another VUAG and VWRP buy doesn't make for the most exciting blog post. There's no dramatic thesis, no contrarian take, no 'here's why the market is wrong about this stock.' It's just: I had money, I bought the same two ETFs I always buy, I'll do it again next time I have money.
But that's the point. Successful investing IS boring. It's doing the same simple thing over and over again, for years, while everyone else is chasing excitement. The excitement seekers — the ones trading in and out, trying to time tops and bottoms, rotating between sectors — they're the ones who tend to underperform. The boring ones, the ones buying the same index funds month after month and forgetting about them, tend to do better. Not because they're smarter, but because they've removed the opportunity to make mistakes.
── The Addiction I'm Happy To Keep ──
So yes, buying VUAG and VWRP has become a habit. It's the first thing I think about when cash lands in the SIPP. I don't fight it — I lean into it. Because every purchase is another brick in a wall I've been building for years, and every brick makes the wall a little stronger. The compounding is invisible day to day, but over months and years, it's real.
If you're reading this and you're new to investing, take this as a sign: you don't need to be clever. You don't need to pick stocks. You don't need to read earnings reports or follow market news. You need a low-cost global index fund, a regular investment habit, and the patience to let compounding do the work. VUAG, VWRP, VWRL — pick one, set up a direct debit, and forget about it for 20 years. The addiction to buying will take care of itself.
As always: this is what I did with my own money. Not a recommendation. All investing carries risk — you can lose money, and past performance doesn't predict future returns. The value of investments can go down as well as up. ETFs carry their own risks including market risk, currency risk (both VUAG and VWRP are denominated in USD for UK investors), and concentration risk in the case of VUAG (US-only). Do your own research, understand what you're buying, and only invest money you can afford to leave invested for the long term.