I looked back on the January post last year (here) and reflected if peace was achieved. That's such a straightforward answer if we simply assess the conflict situations still happening around the world. The only thing I missed out was Venezuela, at least Trump didn't disappoint my view of him being the disruptor. The so called freedom defender chose to begin a new year with a bang and with it, brought the message that the US can and will step in to "resolve" issues, either the soft or hard way. Mr Rubio made it abundantly clear in the aftermath. For investors, the path has been cleared. The US may be broke but it does not appear as one or rather, it will not be. Why so? Through innovation, manipulation, sheer will or perhaps by force. Whichever method works, it doesn't matter. So long Trump is at the seat and not majorly opposed, public expectation for higher returns will power on and that in turn, will drive the trend upwards.
For myself, I'm more than satisfied with the progress made in 2025. The final tally is very close to 8% improvement in overall portfolio. It may not have beaten the S&P but I run my own race, at a pace that I'm comfortable with. In a year of falling interest rates, my equities and SRS were the best performers due to banks and Reits. However, I was let down by the fall in crypto, trading mistakes and inability to add positions. The most surprising statistic was that cash holdings (compared at start and end year) dropped slightly despite big expenditures on renovation and an illness that required specialist treatment.
The dividend income stream is growing although I sense great obstacles ahead. There's not much good yields to be found as the struggle to utilize idle cash is expected to continue. Stocks are overpriced in my opinion. The one constant is I will DCA into Pimco bond fund so as to build up its weight as a portfolio balancer. Over the last two months, I purchased Tbills and SSBs as a last resort.
Dividends as of December 2025: $10092.74 (avg $841.00 per month)
Tip: Chateau Reysson 2023, purple flowers, young blueberries, to be drunk early
