Welcome to my November 2023 Portfolio Report.
My stock portfolio gained value by £3,632.11 (+13.7%) across the month of November 2023. This figure excludes the benefit of any additional deposits made and focuses solely on return achieved on existing capital.
£400.00 additional deposits were pumped into the fund this month, £0.00 worth of stocks were sold, with £0.00 of total capital being invested into additional holdings. £146.10 in additional deposits were made due to income from dividends being transferred into the capital account. The additional deposits and dividend income minus the capital difference invested and account fees has therefore led to an increase in the capital held on deposit which has risen from £139.38 to £682.38
Capital held on deposit now sits at 2.2% of the value of the fund.
The total value of the fund, along with the cash held on deposit sits at £30,524.95
2023 Performance
On 1st January 2023 the account sat at a value of £22,630.27. Since then I’ve pumped in a further £2,965 into the fund. Today’s value of £30,524.95 minus the £2,965 additional deposits, means that I’ve made an investment return of £4,929.68 so far this year which represents +21.8% gain in value for the year.
My Thoughts
Well, it’s all becoming a bit of a farse now isn’t it?
In September’s report I suggested we might see the markets taking back some of the profits i’d made during the year. And that’s exactly what we saw. Then last month I suggested there might be some sort of a drive before the year is out, and along came November with it’s raised share prices.
Unfortunately, all this really means to me is that the sales are potentially ending. The open door for cheap stocks has narrowed.
Thankfully, there’s still plenty of options out there in the bargain bin for us all. But the bin is running drier and drier.
I could go into detail around “why” prices rose in November. But, honestly, I don’t see the value in doing so. What good does knowing the ‘why’ really offer us in this situation? It simply did, and next month it could be back down again and suddenly the sales are back on. That’s the nature of the markets, and it’s also the reason why trying to time them is mostly pointless. I prefer to view the markets in much the same way as Forrest Gump viewed a box of chocolates. “You never know what you’re gonna get”.
It’s a milestone this month, however, because the value of the portfolio has not only reached it’s highest ever point, but it also surpassed the big £30k mark. Just another little marker on the way up to £1,024,867. Of course, the higher up we go, the faster these milestones will get hit, such is the nature of compounding interest.
I’m happy I’ve managed to continue to pump some funds into the portfolio again in November, as it’s brought me to £2,965 in deposits this year, meaning I only need to add £35 in December to meet honour my commitment to the project. I fell short last year however, so I will likely add a bit extra in Dec to make up for that shortfall in 2022.
Frankly, I’m amazed that the portfolio is up +21.8% in 2023, whilst the watchlist hasn’t seen anything close to that level of return. This is of course down to to the fact my portfolio has a unique mix of watchlist stocks.
My large position in Stock 4 played a huge part in the leap in portfolio value this month. The stock rose over 10% in November and I just so happen to have almost 30% of my entire portfolio tied up in the stock. My second largest position is in Stock 33, which itself saw a 10% rise in November. My 3rd largest is Stock 25 which again cleared +10% in share price growth in the month. So one might consider that I’ve been very lucky that my three largest positions which collectively make up almost 50% of my £30k portfolio, all had great months. Had my portfolio had a different mix of stocks within, the results may have been less impressive and exciting.
Overall, I remain very pleased with how things are going. I am finding that my attitude towards long term investing becomes more relaxed as time goes by. I find myself very chilled with the idea of another crash, just as much as I do with the idea that we may see a bull market for the next 5 years. I am content with the prospect I do not know what’s coming, and with the knowledge that whatever does come, I will adapt accordingly. I will carry on buying great businesses at cheap prices, and I will ultimately do very well over the long run. Regardless of what happens.
Whilst I may see the value of the portfolio drop back down below £30,000 at some point as the markets fluctuate, I am now well and truly focused on hitting the next milestone which for me is £35,000 in addition to hopefully seeing my first £1,000 dividend income year in 2024, hopefully.
Portfolio
| SHARES | STOCK | COST (£) | MARKET (£) | GAIN (£) | GAIN (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 | STOCK 1 | 877.62 | 1,357.20 | 479.58 | 54.65 |
| 1152 | STOCK 4 | 7,092.64 | 8,432.64 | 1,340.00 | 18.89 |
| 30 | STOCK 23 | 493.50 | 1,005.00 | 511.50 | 103.65 |
| 51 | STOCK 2 | 1,028.30 | 1,086.81 | 58.51 | 5.69 |
| 1902 | STOCK 25 | 2,584.60 | 2,472.60 | 112.00 | 4.33 |
| 1312 | STOCK 29 | 2,650.31 | 2,007.36 | -642.95 | -24.25 |
| 35 | STOCK 16 | 501.53 | 616.00 | 114.47 | 22.82 |
| 1505 | STOCK 32 | 1,269.04 | 1,354.50 | 85.46 | 6.73 |
| 110 | STOCK 34 | 1,557.70 | 1,547.70 | -10.00 | -0.64 |
| 13 | STOCK 17 | 248.05 | 613.21 | 365.16 | 147.21 |
| 2619 | STOCK 43 | 599.64 | 942.84 | 343.20 | 57.23 |
| 138 | STOCK 39 | 249.26 | 368.46 | 119.20 | 47.82 |
| 109 | STOCK 49 | 409.80 | 283.40 | -126.40 | -30.84 |
| 304 | STOCK 55 | 1,048.02 | 221.92 | -826.10 | -78.82 |
| 154 | STOCK 33 | 3,900.22 | 4,159.54 | 259.32 | 6.65 |
| 50 | STOCK 24 | 800.20 | 385.50 | -414.70 | -51.82 |
| 26 | STOCK 45 | 491.34 | 638.56 | 147.22 | 29.96 |
| 398 | STOCK 56 | 521.08 | 585.06 | 63.98 | 12.27 |
| 15 | STOCK 57 | 1,029.91 | 1,189.50 | 159.59 | 15.50 |
| 147 | STOCK 38 | 762.59 | 574.77 | -187.82 | -24.62 |
| TOTAL | 28,115.35 | 29,842.57 | 1,727.22 | 6.14 | |
| CASH | 682.38 | ||||
| TOTAL PORTFOLIO VALUE | 30,524.95 |
Dividend History
£146.10 was received this month in dividends and re-invested into the fund.
I have received a total of £921.57 in dividends so far for 2023 which is an average passive income of approximately £84 a month.
At the start of the year I explained I was hoping for a 2.5% yield from my account each year which would have amounted to £625 in 2023. So I have therefore already achieved this target which is very pleasing. By this time last year I had received £836.58 in dividends. So we’re ahead of last years year to date total.
I will add, however, that having done some forecasting, it’s looking likely I may have to wait another year to reach that £1000/yr dividend milestone. The lack of special dividends being paid in 2023, in addition to no longer receiving Medica Group plc’s dividends after being sold due to the takeover, plus the fact we have never received a dividend in December before, all leads to the suggestion we are likely to only make it to £921 this year. Still somewhat leaps and bounds above the anticipated £625, and an improvement on 2022’s total of £836 if attained. So I certainly won’t be complaining.
2022 Dividend Income = £836.58
2021 Dividend Income = £681.58
2020 Dividend Income = £107.75
Historical Performance Tracker
My goal is to reach £1,024,864 in account value within 23 years from the start of this project. I plan to get there by achieving an average annual return of 15% from my stock picks and an additional average 2.5% annual dividend yield which will be re-invested into the fund for compounded growth. This also assumes a £250/month cash input to aid growth. This progress is represented as the blue ‘trajectory’ line.
My financial forecasts suggest that to stay on track and reach my goal I needed to finish 2022 on £19,169. By the end of 2023 I need to be on £26,132.
The value of my fund has already reached almost £30,000 at this stage. As a result I am ahead of schedule of reaching my target of £1,024,864 by 2042. This is despite the poor market returns of 2020-2023. However, my projections are already based on conversative returns, obtained from historical performance. I am therefore left in no doubt that I will make my target far sooner than planned. Initial projections suggested I would reach my end target aged 61. However, current projections now suggest the milestone will be reached by the age of 59. I hope to get there before I hit 55.
Join Me On My Journey
I hope you continue to join me for this rollercoaster ride across 2023 and our forthcoming years of financial growth. I sincerely hope to one day be able to meet some members in person and bask in each others stories of success. Nothing will please me more than for my hours and hours of analysis to have had significant positive impacts on peoples financial lives and wellbeing. This is an incredible journey, growing a starter portfolio of £4k to £1 million. It will take best part of 20-25 years to achieve.
However, I hope these monthly reports then become a roadmap of sorts that future generations can take. I certainly intend for my children to take on the baton and continue running with it long after I’m gone. For me, this is a the start of the Chillingworth legacy. Whilst I started in my 30’s with less than £10k, my children will start in their 20’s with perhaps £100k each. Their children may start with a million each. Their children could eventually be billionaires. Whilst I won’t be around to witness it, I’d be happy knowing I came into and then left this world having made a positive impact to my family in this way.
The Podcast
If you haven’t yet checked out the Diary of a UK Stock Investor Podcast, you can do so by going to the Podcast page which provides all the links you’ll need to tune in. The Diary of a UK Stock Investor Podcast is a show for everyday retail investors. With a new episode every Thursday, we focus on successful investing in UK stocks discussing education, strategy, mindset, ideas and even stock picks and analysis. The show is curated by Chris Chillingworth, a UK investor for some 9 years whose stock picks have achieved a 16.8% annual average return between Jan 2014 – Jan 2023.