Stock Portfolio

This is a rundown of what’s in my stock portfolio right now, plus some thoughts on how and why I built it the way I did. If you’re curious about how an average European investor thinks about their picks, fees, brokers, and why “strategy” sometimes just means trying to keep things simple — well, here it is.

Stock Portfolio I’ll update this post once a month, so visit this page frequently to keep up with recent changes. Last Update: September 2026. This is a rundown of what’s in my stock portfolio right now, plus some thoughts on how and why I built it the way I did. If you’re curious about how an average investor thinks about their picks, fees, brokers, and why “strategy” sometimes just means trying to keep things simple — well, here it is. My Investment Strategy When I first got into investing, I laid down two ground rules: resist the urge to trade frequently and make dollar cost averaging (DCA) my go-to approach. Most of my investments are set with a long time horizon — think decades. The aim is long-term growth, not quick wins or day trading. I try to follow what Warren Buffet once said: “time in the market beats timing the market” As a buying strategy, I stick to dollar cost averaging (DCA): putting in the same amount at regular intervals, no matter what the market’s doing. Trying to time the market or “catch a falling knife” isn’t just stressful, even the pros often get it wrong. Plus, studies show that steady investing typically beats market timing over the long run. But there’s a catch: brokerage fees can really cut into purchases, especially in Europe. For example, buying American stocks through my broker costs $1 per trade, which is pretty manageable. But when it comes to buying ETFs listed on European exchanges, the fees can shoot up to €4 per transaction. If you’re investing just a small sum, that fee quickly becomes way too significant. That’s why I set one key rule for myself: Every time I make a trade, the fee must be less than 1% of the total invested amount. If the fee is higher, I hold off and let my cash accumulate until the math works out. In practice, that means I never buy less than about $100 of an American stock, and for European ETFs, I aim for transaction sizes of at least €500–€600. This way, DCA remains a smart, low-stress path to building my portfolio without letting fees eat away at my returns. Usually, if a stock surges more than 10% above my purchase price, I set a stop-loss order — not to panic sell, but to lock in profits in case the spike doesn’t last. This helps ensure that I capture gains from sudden rallies and protects against quick reversals or false breakouts. What Brokers I Use I use Interactive Brokers (IBKR) for all my stocks and ETFs. Risks I’m Watching Concentration Risk: The biggest US tech firms are overweight in both my ETFs and my single-stock picks. This means my results will be tightly linked to their performance. Great in bull runs, nerve-wracking in downturns. Market Cycles: Global diversification helps, but there’s no escaping broad market declines, geopolitical events, or sector-specific challenges. Company-Specific Risk: Every single stock has the potential for regulatory disruption, management missteps, or increased competition. That’s the price of going beyond pure indexing. Resources Dollar Cost Averaging, Investopedia Benefits of Holding Stocks for the Long Term, Investopedia ETFs: what it is and how to invest, Investopedia The information provided in this blog post is for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Nothing in this post should be taken as a recommendation of any investment strategy, product, or security. Please do your own research or consult a qualified financial professional before making any investment decisions.