What I'm Trading - Chris

Occupation: Coffee Roaster

Industry: Coffee

Age: 27

Location: Brisbane, Australia

Hobbies/Interesting Fact About You: I’m a bit of an introvert. A huge coffee lover who hits the gym most days. I love heavy metal concerts but there is nothing more satisfying than waking up and checking the market!

Stake portfolio size: USD$220,000

What was your first investment on Stake?

My first investment on Stake was Apple (AAPL) back in May of 2018. My initial investment was $300. I didn’t really have much of an idea on what I was doing at the time but I took advice from a friend who had been heavily investing at that stage.

In one sentence, define your investing style.

I’m definitely a dividend investor at large but I do have some popular growth companies such as Tesla (TSLA).

Why are you in the market?

When I got my first job I started heavily saving my money in a standard bank account that gave me absolutely no interest on my savings. I started looking into high-interest savings accounts and long term deposits and so on. I quickly realised this wasn’t getting me anywhere. In 2018 I met a good friend who showed me Stake and taught me the basics of investing and why it is so important for long term success.

I began to see how much more money I would be getting if I was to just place my money into a dividend-paying company that would yield 3-4%. Later on, I learnt about inflation and I didn’t want any of my cash sitting on the sidelines, I definitely wanted all of my money to be working for me and so far I haven’t looked back.

What’s in your Stake portfolio right now?

Banks: Bank of America (BOA), JP Morgan (JPM), Bank of Montreal (BMO), Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS)

REITs: Realty Income Corp (O), LTC Properties (LTC)

Tech: Microsoft (MSFT), Apple (AAPL) 

Consumer: Coca-Cola (KO), McDonald’s (MCD), Pepsi (PEP)

Other – SPHD, AGNC, BHP, BA, TESLA, VNQ, T, PFE, V, VICI, MGP, CAT, COIN, CVNA, D

How are your returns so far?

From May 2018 to today, I am sitting at US$80,000 through equity and dividends. For me, that is pretty insane for a 2 year period and it is only growing faster.

Any other investments that are not on Stake?

I hold a small Crypto portfolio of roughly $9,000. This is just for curiosity and to see where things go with it. I intend to buy and hold.

What are you watching? Why?

Google and Amazon are always going to be in the back of my mind. I am kicking myself I didn’t invest sooner when I first started. If there is a market crash in the coming years I will definitely look to establish a position with both companies.

Do you have a trading or investing role model?

A few role models that have served me well are Warren Buffett and Robert Kiyosaki. The biggest help I have ever received from anyone is an American Youtube Channel, The Joseph Carlson Show. He displays his methods of dividend investing, He shows you his portfolio in a transparent way even through bull runs to market corrections.

What’s a piece of advice you’d give a newbie?

I would suggest the buy and hold method, I see a lot of young investors resort to day trading for a quick adrenaline rush when they see a nice return. Most new investors don’t understand the capital gains benefits if they are to hold their position for 12 months +.

What’s one mistake you’ve made and what did you learn from it?

The biggest mistake by far is selling out of Apple in 2019 for a lousy $7000 profit. I can only imagine what those returns would look like today if I had just held my position and didn’t get greedy.

If you were to buy a US stock or ETF right now, what would you buy? Why?

Most likely Alibaba was given the stock has fallen a ridiculous amount all based around the news. The political situation is the only risk to this company I believe.

ICYMI: make your own decisions

This is not investment advice, just my opinion. It doesn’t reflect any opinions of Stake. I’m as fresh to this as the next person off the street. Do your own research and make your own decisions.