10 years of investing | my exact portfolio & how much i've made 📈

Starting My Investing Journey 00:00

"I started investing 10 years ago with just $5 and absolutely zero investing knowledge."

• The speaker began her investment journey a decade ago, starting with a mere $5 and no prior understanding of investing. This marks the initiation of a significant personal financial transformation.

• Over the years, she successfully grew this initial investment into a six-figure portfolio, illustrating the potential for growth that even small contributions can achieve when combined with time and consistency.

Learning from Mistakes 01:24

"My hope in sharing my own journey is to help you avoid some of the mistakes that I made."

• The speaker shares her journey in hopes of guiding others to avoid similar pitfalls. She admits that she made several mistakes early in her investing career, highlighting the importance of starting as early as possible and investing consistently.

• She emphasizes the incorrect belief she held for many years that investing was only for wealthy individuals, a mindset that can hinder financial progress.

Lack of Early Investing Knowledge 03:16

"I didn't know what I was doing. I wasn't putting my money in the smartest investments."

• Initially, the speaker lacked the knowledge to make informed investment decisions, resulting in missed opportunities for compounding growth.

• She recounts a time when she spent all her paychecks rather than saving or investing, a common experience for many young adults without guidance from parents or mentors.

Discovering New Investment Apps 06:31

"I came across the app Acorns, and it was the first time that I had knowledge of the fact that you didn't need thousands of dollars to invest."

• The speaker explains how discovering the Acorns app changed her perspective on investing. This app rounds up purchases to the nearest dollar and invests the spare change, making it accessible for those with modest amounts to contribute.

• Her first investment with Acorns was a small deposit of $5.7, highlighting that anyone can start investing, regardless of their financial situation.

Transitioning to Crypto Investments 08:16

"In January of 2018, I made my very first investment into crypto."

• The speaker reflects on her first crypto investment of $500 in Bitcoin in January 2018. Despite the excitement surrounding cryptocurrencies, she acknowledges that it was not the ideal time for her to invest in such volatile assets, given her limited knowledge.

• Throughout this period, she continued to invest her spare change into Acorns, growing her portfolio to approximately $9,256 by 2020, while detailing her experiences with both traditional investments and cryptocurrency.

Starting My Investment Journey 10:27

"In 2020, just before I turned 30, I opened my Roth IRA with Betterment."

• In 2020, the speaker opened a Roth IRA account with Betterment under the belief that financial advisors would manage it effectively, expecting a positive return on investment.

• They maximized their contribution for the previous year, 2019, amounting to $6,000, even though, due to insufficient extra income in 2020, they couldn't maximize the current year's contribution.

• From 2021 onward, they successfully maxed out their Roth IRA contributions annually and later transferred their account to Vanguard to manage investments independently and avoid advisor fees.

Diversifying Investment Accounts 11:21

"In 2021, I opened a brokerage account with Public because they were offering some free promotion at the time."

• In 2021, the speaker opened a brokerage account with Public, motivated by a promotional offer that included a free stock upon signing up. They received a $3 Apple stock and began investing in several individual stocks.

• The speaker highlights that this brokerage account was the only one where they had unrealized losses—despite the current value being lower than the original deposits, they had not sold any shares.

• In the following years, they continued to maximize Roth IRA contributions while doing micro-investments through Acorns and investing in cryptocurrency.

Learning About Retirement Accounts 12:43

"In 2023, I opened my SE IRA, which is basically like a 401k for self-employed people."

• By 2023, at age 33, the speaker became more engaged in personal finance and recognized the significance of saving and living within means.

• That year, they opened a Self-Employed IRA (SE IRA) and contributed $9,000 to it. They also opened a Health Savings Account (HSA) and maximized that contribution as well.

• By the year's end, they had invested a total of $23,191, marking their highest annual investment to date. They then set a substantial goal to invest $50,000 in 2024 by opening a Solo 401k to take advantage of higher contribution limits.

Investment Growth and Future Goals 14:44

"Now it is 2025, I am currently 35 years old and I have a goal this year of investing."

• In 2025, the speaker plans to invest approximately $40,000, through maxing out their Solo 401k, Roth IRA, and contributing to brokerage accounts.

• They provide detailed breakdowns of their investment accounts, starting with their Acorns account, which, as of August 24, held a total value of $29,175.23.

• They explain the growth of their investments, showing how dividends can significantly enhance overall returns and emphasizing the importance of understanding how gains accumulate from personal deposits vs. market performance.

Performance of Specific Investments 19:15

"In this account, I deposited $445 and made $5.57 from dividends."

• When breaking down the Public brokerage account, the speaker notes a total deposit of $445, with an overall loss of 17%.

• They highlight individual stocks and their respective performance, revealing profitable investments in Google, Tesla, and Apple, while also disclosing stock losses in Coinbase and Virgin.

• This segment demonstrates the importance of evaluating individual stock performance and highlights the Speaker's journey through both gains and losses in their investment experience.

Initial Experience with Investing in Individual Stocks 21:59

"I bought $125 worth of shares which are now worth $111. So, I'm down almost 100% there."

• The speaker reflects on their experience of investing in individual stocks, indicating that they didn't conduct proper research before making these investments.

• This lack of informed decision-making resulted in significant losses, highlighting the risks associated with investing in individual stocks without adequate knowledge.

• They recognize that investing can be detrimental if one is unprepared to potentially lose their money, emphasizing the importance of education in investing.

Transition to a Boglehead Investment Strategy 22:34

"I just want to build wealth surely and slowly."

• After their initial experience, the speaker decided to adopt a more strategic approach by investing in broad index funds, which track the entire world stock market.

• They mention following the Boglehead investment approach, characterized by low-cost diversified index funds and a long-term buy-and-hold mindset.

• The simplicity of this method involves typically investing in just a few funds that correlate with global stock market growth, reinforcing the importance of a diversified portfolio.

Overview of Roth IRA Investments 23:05

"You can see that I just hold two funds."

• The speaker discusses their investments in their Roth IRA, revealing that they primarily hold two funds: VTI (which tracks the US stock market) and VXUS (which covers international stocks).

• They highlight the total deposits made into the Roth IRA, the dividends earned, and the overall market gains, culminating in a total growth of 47%.

• This section underscores the effectiveness of the Boglehead strategy, as their investment performance illustrates steady, compound growth over time.

Details on the HSA and SE IRA Accounts 26:33

"In my HSA, I am invested in VTI and VXUS as per usual."

• The speaker continues to utilize the same investment strategy in their Health Savings Account (HSA) and Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRA, maintaining their allocations within VTI and VXUS.

• They provide specific financial figures, including total deposits, dividends, market gains, and overall growth percentages for both accounts, which exemplify consistent performance.

• This consistency further emphasizes the speaker's commitment to a long-term investment strategy, reinforcing the benefits of a diversified approach among various account types.

Insights on Cryptocurrency Investments 31:04

"I currently hold all of my crypto in Gemini."

• The speaker shares their involvement in cryptocurrency, specifically highlighting their significant holdings in Bitcoin and Ethereum, among other altcoins.

• They provide an overview of their total deposits into crypto and the substantial gains realized, noting a growth of 140%.

• This section illustrates a diversified investment strategy that extends beyond traditional stock market investments, showcasing the potential of alternative assets in building wealth.

Reflection on Overall Investment Journey 32:32

"In the last 10 years, I have invested a total of $142,166.95."

• The speaker summarizes their decade-long investment journey, detailing the total amount invested and the impressive growth achieved, including significant dividends and market gains.

• They stress the importance of starting small and being consistent, reassuring viewers that they do not need large sums to begin investing.

• The key takeaway is that every investment contributes to future wealth, emphasizing the value of beginning one’s investment journey regardless of the starting point.

Viewer Appreciation and Call to Action 34:35

"Thank you so much if you stuck around to the end of this video. I really appreciate it."

• The creator expresses heartfelt gratitude towards viewers who watched the entire video. This acknowledgment fosters a sense of community and appreciation.

• The creator encourages engagement by asking viewers to "like" the video and subscribe to the channel if they enjoyed the content. This is a common strategy used to boost visibility and interaction on the platform.

• Inviting viewers to like and subscribe suggests a desire for ongoing connection, indicating the creator's commitment to producing similar content in the future.