Daniell Wright @Twistery: "𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀, I hope..."

South Africa

𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀, I hope you all had a great break and managed to recharge. I took an extended break myself, and I’m coming into the new year refreshed and focused. 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗽 Over the course of the year, I closed a few positions and deposited additional funds into my eToro account. Given the elevated stock prices, most of the new capital went into VGSH, which grew to around 25% of the portfolio by the end of 2025. Despite carrying such a large defensive position, the portfolio still delivered a strong 18.15% return for 2025, outperforming the S&P 500 by roughly 5%. As of the end of 2025, the portfolio has maintained an annualised return of 17.9% since 2018, compared to the S&P 500’s 12.6% annualised return over the same period. I’m very pleased with this long-term performance and aim to uphold this standard going into the new year. 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 Our sizeable VGSH allocation gives us the flexibility to redeploy into equities when the market offers a meaningful drawdown or enters a proper bear market. I’ve marked the S&P 500 on eToro so that I receive a notification if we fall 20% below the all-time high (the technical definition of a bear market). I plan to continue adding funds throughout the year and will keep looking for high quality investment opportunities. Until then, VGSH (yielding ~4%) remains a solid place to park capital while we wait for attractive valuations. My focus at this point, with current market valuations, is to not lose capital while also not falling behind the broader market movement. Our portfolio is currently much less volatile than the broader market, this is evident in our portfolio risk score of only 3, while still moving in line with the broader market. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 I’ve booked my CISI Level 3 exam for later this year and look forward to progressing to Level 4 afterward. 𝗔 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 This year marks my 8th year on eToro. It’s been a long, disciplined journey, and I truly appreciate everyone who has been part of it. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 I’ve started making use of a tax free investing account available to South Africans, contributing monthly into an ETF tracking the S&P 500. It’s a simple, long term compounding vehicle that complements my broader strategy. This will slightly reduce my eToro contributions, however, my eToro portfolio remains my primary vehicle on the path to financial freedom. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 I’ll begin sharing DCF valuations again toward the end of this month, highlighting companies I’m monitoring and the price levels where they become compelling opportunities for our portfolio. Thank you for your continued trust and support. I’m looking forward to another great year ahead. All the best, Daniell $SPX500 $NSDQ100 $VGSH (Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index Fund)

Not investment advice. The author may have financial interests in the mentioned instruments.

3 Mentioned

SPX500

SPX500 Index (Non Expiry)

NSDQ100

NASDAQ100 Index (Non Expiry)

VGSH

Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index Fund

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