Happy Sunday!

I wanted to take the time and talk about my portfolio. I’ve had a lot of questions about why I have certain stocks and the percentage of each. So I want to answer those questions.

For starters, the S&P 500 is up 13.5% YTD so if you’re beating the index, you’re doing pretty good.

My total portfolio is made up of three accounts. I have my 401K/IRA accounts that allow me to buy and sell without any tax events (66% of my holdings). The 2nd is my Reserve Stock Units (RSUs) that I received while working at Amazon (19% of total), and the last account is my taxable investment account (15% of total). Before working at Amazon, I knew the average tenure was 10 months (people can’t handle it), so I had negotiated my stock incentive for a full 4 years. I’m a stubborn Gen-Xer, so I knew I could handle it. The Amazon fire phone was released a few weeks before I was negotiating with Amazon, and the phone was a flop. It hurt the stock, and gave me leverage. So I had negotiated over a 1,000 shares (this is before the 20:1 split). I’ve made billions for the companies I work for, and I definitely use every tool I have in negotiating for myself.

Next, I have my cash (and MMF) within all of those accounts, but broken out as a line item. My combined accounts (all 3) are up 23.4% YTD, but my 401K accounts that I actively manage are up 45.2% YTD! For background, I had moved all my 401Ks to a self-directed IRA about 8 years ago, and it allows me to buy and sell with a ton of flexibility. This one move took my net worth to the next level.

Because I have a small percentage in my cash investment accounts, these are areas I do not trade because I don’t want tax events. This is where I hold my Bitcoin and Ether, along with a handful of my ETFs and a couple of individual stocks (very few). Because I don’t adjust these holding, I have a few stocks and ETFs that make up a small % of my total holdings, but they are still large dollar amounts. This account won’t change much. Unless it’s a stock that is about to crash to zero, I’ll let it ride. This explains some of my smaller % holdings.

My evolution of investing was that I began playing around with investing in a non-tax advantaged account to understand how it worked. I then began to invest in Mega Caps and mostly ETFs. I quickly realized that these accounts were growing much faster than my traditional 401K. And that’s why I made the shift to a self-directed IRA because I was ready to manage it on my own. My thought was that If I can manage and hold the best companies, without having the expense ratio of an ETF or Mutual fund, then it could save me hundreds of thousands of dollars.

As I’ve spoken about in several of my videos, I have more of a barbell approach (or asymmetrical risk), where I have my core in big tech, some satellites in innovation, and my cushion in cash. My investment style, my appetite for risk, and my time horizon for taking out social security is very different from you. Everyone will have a different approach. For me, I have had incredible success with my portfolio because I am fanatical about my research and getting ahead of the masses. I put a lot into AI, Quantum, Robotics, and Nuclear innovation years before they became mainstream. And it shows in my earlier videos not getting many views, because the hype hadn’t caught up. And to be critical of myself, because I lean heavy in tech, my portfolio in the bad years (2022) performs worse than the S&P 500. But I’m a long-term investor where I make it up quickly.

Another question I get is about my net worth. I never share this for two reasons. The first being hackers, and putting a target on my back. I’ve been hacked once, and I don’t want that to ever happen again. No need to put a larger target on my back. My second reason is Grace. All I’ve been given, can easily be taken away. So, I do not want to ever come across as gloating or bragging. I am thankful that I was able to retire from the corporate world 5 years ago. And now I have the privilege of having a hobby of a YouTube channel where I can try to share what I have learned. My entire goal of my channel is to help share information where I’m not giving advice, but I am trying to give all of you more tools to think critically about your investments. This is why I am transparent with my portfolio and try to provide as accurate information as I can in my videos.

One of my goals for next year is to create a coaching community. Where like-minded investors can share questions, goals, and requests for guidance. In addition to investing, I’m also working to build out resources for those of you in business. Like offering classes on how to take your AI skills to the next level. Offering negotiation classes, and also offering mock interview training. My intent is to build up a great set of resources to give the community the most value I can. I truly want to look at this group as an extension of my friends. And I will always go out of my way to help my friends be their best, and excel in the investments and career. 

Please, drop me a note (respond to his newsletter), and let me know what you need, and what you want from a community like this. I don’t want to create it in a vacuum. I need your help to make it something useful.

Thanks,

Brian

Top Reads of the Day

🎁 Small Caps Hit First New High in Four Years: Stock Market Today — Kiplinger: Russell 2000 reaches high; Intel jumps after Nvidia investment; general tech strength.

🎁 Intel’s best day since the 1980s helps drive Wall Street to more records — AP News: Intel + Nvidia deal drives tech rally, stock highs; Fed rate cut helping sentiment

🎁 Companies are choosing AI investment over hiring, big raises — Axios: Companies leaning into AI/digital infrastructure vs. expanding payroll. Strong GDP contribution from AI investments even as consumer sentiment is weak.

👍 This Week’s Video: Top Stock I’m Buying in September. Here’s a quick reminder of the video I did showcasing stocks I was buying before the fed dropped rates. And I have to say, some of these have blown up the past few weeks, and I couldn’t be happier. But I’m investing for the long-term. Short term gains are great, but not expected.

👍 Here’s the link to my portfolio. Keep in mind I share this for educational purposes. I am not giving any financial advice.

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