When I first started writing the "Pension Builder" blog, I was buying and selling a great deal of shareholdings in individual companies. The period showed a fantastic opening performance due mainly to some good stock-picking. Buying and selling also incurs a fair amount of trading costs and, in an attempt to reduce those costs, I reduced trades by buying better quality and more researched companies.
The last 12 months has suggested that - perhaps - that policy wasn't right for me. It may well work for others, but it wasn't working for me. I think that's because I am not in a position to be able to put in the research required to make it work. I think I'm better using a "scatter-gun" approach whereby (hopefully) most of the share purchases grow, and some grown spectacularly.
As such, those who read this blog will be aware that I've been increasing the number of individual companies in which I have a shareholding with my SIPP.
1) Fidelity Asian Values IT (FAS) : 1337 shares
2) GVC Holdings (GVC) : 250 shares
3) GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) : 620 shares
4) Hill & Smith Holdings (HILS) : 180 shares
5) International Personal Finance (IPF) : 2000 shares
6) JPMorgan Emerging Markets IT (JMG) : 600 shares
7) Jupiter US Smaller Companies IT (JUS) : 500 shares
8) Lancashire Holdings (LRE) : 200 shares
9) Lavendon (LVD) : 1400 shares
10) Meggitt (MGGT) : 450 shares
11) Optimal Payments (OPAY) : 4000 shares
12) Premier Foods (PFD) : 2500 shares
13) Scapa Group (SCPA) : 2080 shares
14) Segro (SGRO) : 900 shares
15) Standard Chartered Bank (STAN) : 280 shares
16) Telit Communications (TCM) : 1250 shares
17) XChanging (XCH) : 3000 shares
Cash £7,514.92
The larger shareholdings - OPAY and IPF - I am intending to reduce significantly when the opportunity arises.
With OPAY, my intention is to sell-off 25% of my holding (1000 shares) at about 405-410. For IPF, the sell-off will happen when the share price is around 540-550 when I will dispose of about 50% of the shareholding.
You will notice I have increased my shareholdings in companies like TCM, XCH, STAN, LVD, and MGGT.
Overall, I'm looking for opportunities to expand into growing and undervalued companies as I want to hit my 20% target for annual growth in 2015 as soon as possible.
Total SIPP Value (as at 3rd Feb 2015) £77,245 including cash.
