Well, when I started this blog back in 2013, I never imagined it would be still trundling along 5
years later. I suspect this may be partly due to having quite a bit of spare
time since taking early retirement and partly due to the fact that I am
probably too lazy to 'get a life'.
It is a record of the
later years of my personal investing journey and, looking back, it is clear the
focus has changed quite a bit since February 2013. Back then, I held most of my
equities in a mix of investment trusts and individual shares. Over the past
couple of years the shares have been reduced and now are all gone as well as
some of the trusts. I have increasingly embraced the lower cost index alternatives such as
Vanguard LifeStrategy.
First of all a big thanks to everyone who visits on a regular basis. Page views seem to have increased quite a bit since the early days.
Here are a few stats...
Total page views to date - 801,450, average per month is now around the 16,000 mark.
A total of 394 posts (200 in 2013/14) and most viewed article - Asset Allocation Revisited with 35,500 so far, followed by Vanguard Lifestrategy - A One-Stop Solution. In 2016 I was fortunate to be invited to write a guest post for Monevator following the publication of my latest book 'DIY Simple Investing' and a link in the article has boosted the views. Other popular articles are Work Out Your Retirement Figure and Vanguard Lifestrategy - 5 Year Performance.
The main sources of referring sites have been Monevator, Retirement Investing Today, Simple Living in Suffolk (now in Somerset!) and Money Saving Expert - many thanks!
Obviously, the majority of people visiting the blog are from UK (70%), however I am continually surprised to see how far diy investor has reached globally - USA (20%), and the remaining 10% between Germany , France, Russia, Ukraine, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Australia, India, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Serbia and New Zealand.
Development
As I say in my book “DIY Simple Investing”, family and friends soon change the subject when personal finance is discussed so, on a personal level, its really good to have an outlet for my ‘hobby’ of personal finance and investing and to be able to share it with what seems like an ever expanding community of like-minded people.
It is, of course, always interesting to look back at earlier posts and sometimes I am surprised at just how far my thinking has changed and developed since starting the blog.
In the early days, I was firmly committed to a strategy of generating a natural income from a mixture of individual shares, investment trusts and fixed interest securities. Over the past few years, I have read many interesting articles on various blogs and, as the time has passed, I have begun to embrace the low cost index philosophy. I have reviewed my former strategy and believe my process has become stronger and more balanced - as well as simpler!
After 5 years I find I am still enjoying my blogging and so long as I remain positive and others keep visiting, I hope to keep things going for a while longer - although if my portfolio is reduced to a couple of Vanguard trackers, there may not be too much to write about!
Thanks again for sharing the journey and for the comments…Here's to the next 5 years, assuming we all get through Brexit!
First of all a big thanks to everyone who visits on a regular basis. Page views seem to have increased quite a bit since the early days.
Here are a few stats...
Total page views to date - 801,450, average per month is now around the 16,000 mark.
A total of 394 posts (200 in 2013/14) and most viewed article - Asset Allocation Revisited with 35,500 so far, followed by Vanguard Lifestrategy - A One-Stop Solution. In 2016 I was fortunate to be invited to write a guest post for Monevator following the publication of my latest book 'DIY Simple Investing' and a link in the article has boosted the views. Other popular articles are Work Out Your Retirement Figure and Vanguard Lifestrategy - 5 Year Performance.
The main sources of referring sites have been Monevator, Retirement Investing Today, Simple Living in Suffolk (now in Somerset!) and Money Saving Expert - many thanks!
Obviously, the majority of people visiting the blog are from UK (70%), however I am continually surprised to see how far diy investor has reached globally - USA (20%), and the remaining 10% between Germany , France, Russia, Ukraine, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Australia, India, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Serbia and New Zealand.
Development
As I say in my book “DIY Simple Investing”, family and friends soon change the subject when personal finance is discussed so, on a personal level, its really good to have an outlet for my ‘hobby’ of personal finance and investing and to be able to share it with what seems like an ever expanding community of like-minded people.
It is, of course, always interesting to look back at earlier posts and sometimes I am surprised at just how far my thinking has changed and developed since starting the blog.
In the early days, I was firmly committed to a strategy of generating a natural income from a mixture of individual shares, investment trusts and fixed interest securities. Over the past few years, I have read many interesting articles on various blogs and, as the time has passed, I have begun to embrace the low cost index philosophy. I have reviewed my former strategy and believe my process has become stronger and more balanced - as well as simpler!
After 5 years I find I am still enjoying my blogging and so long as I remain positive and others keep visiting, I hope to keep things going for a while longer - although if my portfolio is reduced to a couple of Vanguard trackers, there may not be too much to write about!
Thanks again for sharing the journey and for the comments…Here's to the next 5 years, assuming we all get through Brexit!
Wow that's quite a landmark there!! Best compliments and keep up the good work, I am curious to read more post-brexit stories, we hear so little about it here in Italy but I guess it's impacting you guys substantially. All the best and ciao!
ReplyDeleteStal
Thanks Stal.
DeleteI am sure you will be hearing much more on Brexit as the deadlines for agreement (or not) draw closer later this year.
In the meantime you have your elections in Italy coming soon...I hear Berlesconi is on the comeback trail! I also hear there is much discontent over the influx of migrants and this will boost support for the right wing parties. I will follow the result with interest.
Yes, Berlusconi is "out and about" AGAIN, I really can't believe it but I am starting to lose faith in my fellow countrymen... Anyhow, right now it looks like nobody will win, which means that there will be another "big coalition" to rule the country, trying to block the 5Star Movement to take power (they are the biggest party but previous government changed the law and now a "coalition" wins over a single entity). we'll see what happens, but surely there will be some impact on common citizens, especially if the "old establishment" gets to rule...
Deleteciao ciao! Stal
Hi DIY
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your 5 year anniversary!
I've been reading your blog for nearly 4 years now and continue to find it interesting and educational. There aren't many UK blogs which talk of investing and document flexi-drawdown, which is likely to be the route I will take with at least one of my SIPPs.
It has been most interesting to see your change in strategy over the years. I'm still at the phase of building up my investment trusts (and individual shares) but I already know that at some point, I'm likely to consolidate these so they're easier to manage. When and why I do this will probably depend on my appetite to tinker about with spreadsheets plus my appetite for risk, which is on the high side now but likely to get lower as I approach my planned retirement age.
As for Brexit, I don't wear rose-tinted glasses so I don't think all is going to go well initially but neither do I believe that GB is doomed. I'll just try to adapt and get on with life, which is all I can do really.
Here's to the next 5 years!
Thanks weenie.
DeleteI think the impetus for the strategy change came partly from following/reading an assortment of blogs, including yours, which provided many different aspects of investing against which to compare my progress. I also took the opportunity to read a few more books which has nudged the direction towards a more passive approach.
As for Brexit...a bit like the soaps, just seems to go on and on but I guess it will need to be agreed before the end of this year. I am still hoping for a good compromise agreement with the EU but without much confidence. The best thing to come out of it so far has been the sketches on R4 'Dead Ringers' which I hope will return soon!
Thank you for your blog! It was among a couple of blogs that inspired me to try passive income and so even bigger thank you from the future self living in a happy compounded future :) Happy blog birthday!
ReplyDeleteLola,
DeleteThanks for your kind words and good to know you felt inspired to try the passive option and I hope your future self will be rewarded down the line...cheers,
Congratulations on the milestone, and you're welcome re: the links! Here's to another five years for us both in the trenches!
ReplyDeleteThanks TI, Monevator has been a constant source of education and support along the journey and it's position as #1 UK personal finance blog is well deserved. On a personal note, I hope you are settling in to your new home and yes, here's to the next 5 yrs! Cheers.
ReplyDelete