My Investments Update – September 26

Nick Investing events, reviews 0 Comments

Here is my latest monthly update about my investments. You can read my August 2026 Investments Update here if you like.

I’ll begin as usual with my JP Morgan Personal Investing (previously Nutmeg) Stocks and Shares ISA. This is the largest investment I hold other than my Bestinvest SIPP (personal pension).

As regular readers will know, in June last year I transferred most of the money in my former Nutmeg Fully Managed portfolio (just under £25,000) to a new Nutmeg Income Portfolio. I discussed this in detail in this post, but basically money in this port is invested to generate an income from share dividends and other sources. This is then paid monthly. Capital appreciation is targeted as well, but these portfolios are aimed primarily at older people (and others) who want/need their investment to generate a regular cash income.

In August my JPM Investing income portfolio generated £157.02 of income, which was duly paid into my bank account on 24 August 2026. That means I have now received (tax-free) income of £894.41 in 2026 and a total of £1,365.87 since I opened the account in June last year. That’s a return on capital of around 5% to date. That is in line with JPM’s original projected annual return for income ports at my chosen risk level (five).

My income portfolio also increased in value in August. It’s now worth £29,010 compared with £28,447 at the start of August, a rise of £563. As the screen capture below shows, my income port is up by a respectable £3,406.67 (13.31%) after fees since I opened it in June 2025.

I still have a smaller, growth-oriented pot using JPM Investing’s Smart Alpha option. This is now worth £3,313 compared with £3,221 a month ago, a rise of £92. Here is a screen capture showing performance since I opened it in December 2020. As you may recall, I sold £2,000 worth of this portfolio in May this year to pay for some building work.

Finally, at the start of December 2023 I invested £500 in one of Nutmeg/JPM’s thematic portfolios (Resource Transformation). In March 2024 I also invested a further £200 from referral bonuses (something I no longer receive). As you can see from the YTD screen capture below, this portfolio is now worth £1,055 compared with £1,019 (rounded up) last month, a rise of £36.

Overall in August the value of my JPM investments rose by £691 or 2.12%. In addition, I did of course receive £157.02 in income from my income portfolio. In total, then, I am up by a respectable £848.02 for the month.

Excluding income generated (and allowing for the £2,000 I withdrew in May this year) the overall value of my JPM investments has risen by £3,716 since the start of September 2025. If you add to this the £1,365.87 of income generated by my Income portfolio since August 2025, that gives a total profit for the last 12 months of £5,081.87 – a pretty good return in these uncertain times. Another way of looking at this (which I like!) is that the £2,000 I withdrew in May this year has been comfortably covered by the growth in value of my JPM investments over the last year.

Obviously it’s important not to read too much into a single month’s performance. Ups and downs are very much to be expected with stock market investments. In the longer term they tend to even themselves out and typically outperform bank savings accounts (though that’s never guaranteed). In general the worst thing you can do is panic and sell up when downturns occur. You are then crystallizing your losses rather than giving the markets time to recover. That is something I had cause to discuss last year in this blog post.

You can read my full original Nutmeg/JPM review here. If you are looking for a home for your annual ISA allowance, based on my overall experience over the last nine years, they are certainly worth considering. They offer self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs), Lifetime ISAs and Junior ISAs as well.

• As mentioned, Nutmeg have rebranded as J.P. Morgan Personal Investing and their website is now at www.personalinvesting.jpmorgan.com.

Moving on, I also have investments with P2P property investment platform Housemartin. As discussed in this post, the company rebranded last year from Assetz Exchange.

My investments with Housemartin continue to generate steady returns. Housemartin focuses on lower-risk properties (e.g. sheltered housing). I put an initial £100 into this in mid-February 2021 and another £400 in April. In June 2021 I added another £500, bringing my total investment up to £1,000.

Since I opened my account, my HM portfolio has generated a respectable £339.75 in revenue from rental income. I have made a small net loss of £17.60 on property disposals. Capital growth generally has slowed, in line with UK property values generally.

At the time of writing, 25 of ‘my’ properties are showing gains, 4 are breaking even, and the remaining 18 are showing losses. My portfolio of 47 properties is currently showing a net decrease in value of £56.92. That means that overall (rental income minus capital value decrease and loss on disposal) I am up by £265.23. That’s still a respectable return on my £1,000 and does illustrate the value of P2P property investments for diversifying your portfolio. And it doesn’t hurt that with Housemartin most projects are socially beneficial as well.

• A further consideration is that property investments on Housemartin are less likely to be affected by stock market downturns, as happened in March this year due to events in the Middle East. This again demonstrates the potential value of such investments for diversifying your portfolio during challenging times.

The net fall in capital value of my Housemartin investments is obviously a little disappointing. But it’s important to remember that until/unless I choose to sell the investments in question, it is largely theoretical, based on the latest price at which shares in the property concerned have changed hands. The rental income, on the other hand, is real money (which in my case I’ve reinvested in other HM projects to further diversify my portfolio).

To control risk with all my property crowdfunding investments nowadays, I invest relatively modest amounts in individual projects. This is a particular attraction of Housemartin as far as i am concerned. You can actually invest from as little as £1 per property if you really want to proceed cautiously.

• As I noted in this blog post, Housemartin is particularly good if you want to compound your returns by reinvesting rental income. This effectively boosts the interest rate you are receiving. Personally, once I have accrued a minimum of £10 in rental payments, I usually reinvest this money in either a new HM project or one I have already invested in (thus increasing my holding). Over time, even if I don’t invest any more capital, this will ensure my investment with Housemartin grows at an accelerating rate and becomes more diversified as well.

My investment on Housemartin is in the form of an IFISA so there won’t be any tax to pay on profits, dividends or capital gains. I’ve been impressed by my experiences with Housemartin and the returns generated so far, and intend to continue investing with them. You can read my original review of Assetz Exchange/Housemartin here and my article about the rebranding to Housemartin here. You can also sign up for an account directly via this link [affiliate].

In 2022 I set up an account with investment and trading platform eToro, using their popular ‘copy trader’ facility. I chose to invest $500 (then about £412) copying an experienced eToro trader called Aukie2008 (real name Mike Moest).

In January 2023 I added to this with another $500 investment in one of their thematic portfolios, Oil Worldwide. I also invested a small amount I had left over in Tesla shares.

In January this year, as Oil Worldwide hadn’t exactly been setting the world alight, I decided to switch my entire investment in this to another smart portfolio, InTheGame. This port, focusing on the computer gaming industry, had been the top performer for some time in my eToro virtual portfolio.

Unfortunately just as I switched away from Oil Worldwide, President Trump decided to invade Venezuela. This gave the oil industry a significant boost, which I would otherwise have benefited from. Meanwhile InTheGame went south, partly due to the war in the Middle East. At one point I was down by over 10% on this investment. Fortunately in the last few months InTheGame has made a recovery and is now in profit by 5.15%.

As you can see from the screen captures below, my original eToro investment (total value £888.36 in pounds sterling) is today worth £1,222.16, an overall increase of £333.80 or 37.57%.

• Note: eToro now displays the value of investments in your native currency, although you can change this if you wish.

You can read my full review of eToro here. You may also like to check out my more in-depth look at eToro copy trading. I also discussed thematic investing with eToro using Smart Portfolios in this post.

As mentioned above, my new investment in InTheGame is currently up by 5.15%. And my copy trading investment with Aukie2008 is showing an impressive overall profit of 76.64%. Of course, I have held this investment for quite a bit longer.

My Tesla shares, which I purchased as an afterthought with some spare cash I had in my account, are also up this month. They are now showing an overall profit of over 213% since I bought them. If only I had put a bit more money into this!

You might also notice that I have small holdings in Prosus NV, a Dutch internet group, and South Bow, a Canadian energy infrastructure company. To be honest I don’t understand how I acquired these, but I assume they are some sort of bonus I was awarded. In any event, I am happy to have them in my portfolio.

• If you would like more information about setting up an eToro account, please click on this no-obligation website link [affiliate]. Don’t forget that you also get a free $100,000 virtual portfolio, which you can use to experiment with trading and investing strategies. I have certainly earned a lot from mine.

Moving on, I published several posts on Pounds and Sense in August. I have listed below those that are still relevant.

Caravan Fire Safety – How to Protect Your Holiday Home and Your Finances is a collaborative post with my friends at  Compass, a specialist provider of caravan and leisure insurance. It concerns an important subject all caravan owners need to be aware of. This post was especially relevant during the hot, dry spell we have just gone through. But even when the weather is cooler it’s still very relevant. In the article – which applies to static as well as mobile caravans – I set out a number of tips to keep your holiday home safe from fire, and also some important insurance advice for caravan owners.

In My Short Break in Portmeirion I talked about my recent short visit to this beautiful Welsh village and tourist resort (famously the location in which 1960s TV series The Prisoner was shot). It was the first time I had stayed in Portmeirion, though I had visited many times before. In my article I discuss the accommodation, the dining facilities, the costs, things to do in (and around) Portmeirion, and whom (in my view) the location is most likely to appeal to.

Finally in Pounds and Sense – A Personal Update I set out some information about my personal circumstances and (in particular) my plans for Pounds and Sense going forward. I won’t say any more about this here, but I do urge you to read it if you haven’t already.

• One other thing is that, if you’re looking to change your energy provider as autumn approaches, you can get a £50 bonus credited to your account if you sign up with EDF Energy via my referral link. I’ve been with EDF myself for some years now. In my experience they offer a reliable service along with prices that are generally very competitive. If you do choose to do this via my link I will receive a bonus as well, which is very much appreciated 🙂

I’ll close with my customary reminder that you can also follow Pounds and Sense on Facebook or Twitter (or X as it is now). Twitter/X is my number one social media platform and I post regularly there. I share the latest news and information on financial matters, and other things that interest, amuse or concern me. So if you aren’t following my PAS account on Twitter/X, you are definitely missing out!

• I am also on the BlueSky social media network under the username poundsandsense.bsky.social. Twitter/X remains my primary social media platform, but I also post details of my latest blog posts, third-party articles and other financial news and resources on BlueSky for those who prefer to follow me there.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave them below. I am always delighted to hear from PAS readers 

Disclaimer: I am not a qualified financial adviser and nothing in this blog post should be construed as personal financial advice. Everyone should do their own ‘due diligence’ before investing and seek professional advice if in any doubt how best to proceed. All investing carries a risk of loss. 

Note also that posts on PAS may include affiliate links. If you click through and perform a qualifying transaction, I may receive a commission for introducing you. This will not affect the product or service you receive or the terms you are offered, but it does help support me in publishing PAS and paying my bills. Thank you!

My Investments Update – August 2026

Nick Investing events, reviews 0 Comments

Here is my latest monthly update about my investments. You can read my July 2026 Investments Update here if you like.

I’ll begin as usual with my JP Morgan Personal Investing (previously Nutmeg) Stocks and Shares ISA. This is the largest investment I hold other than my Bestinvest SIPP (personal pension).

As regular readers will know, in June last year I transferred most of the money in my former Nutmeg Fully Managed portfolio (just under £25,000) to a new Nutmeg Income Portfolio. I discussed this in detail in this post, but basically money in this port is invested to generate an income from share dividends and other sources. This is then paid monthly. Capital appreciation is targeted as well, but these portfolios are aimed primarily at older people (and others) who want/need their investment to generate a regular cash income.

In July my JPM Investing income portfolio generated £89.56 of income, which was duly paid into my bank account on 24 July 2026. That means I have now received tax-free income of £737.39 in 2026 and a total of £1,208.85 since I opened the account in June last year (just over a year ago). That’s a return on capital of a little over 4.90% to date. That is close to JPM’s original projected annual return of just under 5% per year for income ports at my chosen risk level (five).

My income portfolio decreased slightly in value in July. It’s now worth £28,447 compared with £28,465 (rounded up) at the start of July, a fall of £18. As the screen capture below shows, however, my income port is still up by a respectable £2,843 (11.11%) after fees since I opened it last June.

I still have a smaller, growth-oriented pot using JPM Investing’s Smart Alpha option. This is now worth £3,221 compared with £3,262 a month ago, a fall of £41. Here is a screen capture showing performance over the last month.

Finally, at the start of December 2023 I invested £500 in one of Nutmeg/JPM’s thematic portfolios (Resource Transformation). In March 2024 I also invested a further £200 from referral bonuses (something I no longer receive). As you can see from the YTD screen capture below, this portfolio is now worth £1,019 (rounded up) compared with £1,043 (rounded up) last month, a fall of £24.

Overall in July the value of my JPM investments fell by £83 or 0.25%. On the other hand, I did of course receive £89.56 in income from my income portfolio. In total, then, I am up by the princely sum of £6.56 for the month!

Excluding income generated (and allowing for the £2,000 I withdrew at the end of May this year) the overall value of my JPM investments has risen by £3,556 or 11.42% since the start of August 2025. If you add to this the £1,208.05 of income generated by my Income portfolio to date, that gives a total profit for the last 12 months of £4,764.05 – a pretty good return in these uncertain times.

The small drop in the value of my JPM investments in July is down mainly to the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. Obviously it’s disappointing, but some volatility is always to be expected with stock market investments. In the longer term they tend to even themselves out and typically outperform bank savings accounts (although that is never guaranteed). In general the worst thing you can do is panic and sell up when downturns occur. You are then crystallizing your losses rather than giving the markets time to recover. That is something I had cause to discuss last year in this blog post.

You can read my full original Nutmeg/JPM review here. If you are looking for a home for your annual ISA allowance, based on my overall experience over the last nine years, they are certainly worth considering. They offer self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs), Lifetime ISAs and Junior ISAs as well.

• As mentioned, Nutmeg have rebranded as J.P. Morgan Personal Investing and their website is now at www.personalinvesting.jpmorgan.com.

Moving on, I also have investments with P2P property investment platform Housemartin. As discussed in this post, the company rebranded last year from Assetz Exchange.

My investments with Housemartin continue to generate steady returns. Housemartin focuses on lower-risk properties (e.g. sheltered housing). I put an initial £100 into this in mid-February 2021 and another £400 in April. In June 2021 I added another £500, bringing my total investment up to £1,000.

Since I opened my account, my HM portfolio has generated a respectable £334.80 in revenue from rental income. I have made a small net loss of £17.60 on property disposals. Capital growth generally has slowed, in line with UK property values generally.

At the time of writing, 23 of ‘my’ properties are showing gains, 6 are breaking even, and the remaining 18 are showing losses. My portfolio of 47 properties is currently showing a net decrease in value of £56.96. That means that overall (rental income minus capital value decrease and loss on disposal) I am up by £260.24. That’s still a respectable return on my £1,000 and does illustrate the value of P2P property investments for diversifying your portfolio. And it doesn’t hurt that with Housemartin most projects are socially beneficial as well.

• A further consideration is that property investments on Housemartin are less likely to be affected by stock market downturns, as happened in March this year due to events in the Middle East. This again demonstrates the potential value of such investments for diversifying your portfolio during challenging times.

The net fall in capital value of my Housemartin investments is obviously a little disappointing. But it’s important to remember that until/unless I choose to sell the investments in question, it is largely theoretical, based on the latest price at which shares in the property concerned have changed hands. The rental income, on the other hand, is real money (which in my case I’ve reinvested in other HM projects to further diversify my portfolio).

To control risk with all my property crowdfunding investments nowadays, I invest relatively modest amounts in individual projects. This is a particular attraction of Housemartin as far as i am concerned. You can actually invest from as little as £1 per property if you really want to proceed cautiously.

• As I noted in this blog post, Housemartin is particularly good if you want to compound your returns by reinvesting rental income. This effectively boosts the interest rate you are receiving. Personally, once I have accrued a minimum of £10 in rental payments, I usually reinvest this money in either a new HM project or one I have already invested in (thus increasing my holding). Over time, even if I don’t invest any more capital, this will ensure my investment with Housemartin grows at an accelerating rate and becomes more diversified as well.

My investment on Housemartin is in the form of an IFISA so there won’t be any tax to pay on profits, dividends or capital gains. I’ve been impressed by my experiences with Housemartin and the returns generated so far, and intend to continue investing with them. You can read my original review of Assetz Exchange/Housemartin here and my article about the rebranding to Housemartin here. You can also sign up for an account directly via this link [affiliate].

In 2022 I set up an account with investment and trading platform eToro, using their popular ‘copy trader’ facility. I chose to invest $500 (then about £412) copying an experienced eToro trader called Aukie2008 (real name Mike Moest).

In January 2023 I added to this with another $500 investment in one of their thematic portfolios, Oil Worldwide. I also invested a small amount I had left over in Tesla shares.

In January this year, as Oil Worldwide hadn’t exactly been setting the world alight, I decided to switch my entire investment in this to another smart portfolio, InTheGame. This port, focusing on the computer gaming industry, had been the top performer for some time in my eToro virtual portfolio.

Unfortunately just as I switched away from Oil Worldwide, President Trump decided to invade Venezuela. This gave the oil industry a significant boost, which I would otherwise have benefited from. Meanwhile InTheGame went south, partly due to the war in the Middle East. At one point I was down by over 10% on this investment. Fortunately in the last four months InTheGame has made a recovery and is now in profit by 3.84%.

As you can see from the screen captures below, my original eToro investment (total value £888.36 in pounds sterling) is today worth £1,192.96, an overall increase of £304.60 or 34.29%.

• Note: eToro now displays the value of investments in your native currency, although you can change this if you wish.

You can read my full review of eToro here. You may also like to check out my more in-depth look at eToro copy trading. I also discussed thematic investing with eToro using Smart Portfolios in this post.

As mentioned above, my new investment in InTheGame is currently up by 3.84%. And my copy trading investment with Aukie2008 is showing an impressive overall profit of 70.49%. Of course, I have held this investment for quite a bit longer.

My Tesla shares, which I purchased as an afterthought with some spare cash I had in my account, are down a bit this month, but still showing an overall profit of over 180% since I bought them. If only I had put a bit more money into this!

You might also notice that I have small holdings in Prosus NV, a Dutch internet group, and South Bow, a Canadian energy infrastructure company. To be honest I don’t understand how I acquired these, but I assume they are some sort of bonus I was awarded. In any event, I am happy to have them in my portfolio.

• If you would like more information about setting up an eToro account, please click on this no-obligation website link [affiliate]. Don’t forget that you also get a free $100,000 virtual portfolio, which you can use to experiment with trading and investing strategies. I have certainly earned a lot from mine.

Moving on, I published various posts on Pounds and Sense in July. I have listed below those that are still relevant.

In Small Changes That Could Save UK Households £1,000 a Year I set out some easy, everyday changes that could potentially have a big impact on your finances over the course of a year. As the article says, save a few pounds here and there, and before you know it you’ve kept an extra £1,000 in your pocket!

How to Know When Fruit and Veg Are Still Safe to Eat – And When They Should be Binned is a syndicated guest post by Primrose Freestone, whose work I have featured in Pounds and Sense before. Dr Freestone’s article concerns a subject that many older people (and others) on tight budgets may find of interest. It’s certainly something I have wondered about myself in the past.

And in Why Every Older Adult Should Consider the Shingles Vaccine (Shingrix) I look at an important subject every older adult should be aware of. Shingles is essentially a recurrence of a common childhood disease, chicken pox, but in older adults it can be a lot more serious. I recently had the new shingles vaccine (Shingrix) myself. In this article I explain why I felt it was important to do so, the side effects I experienced, and a potential beneficial side effect of the vaccine that has only quite recently come to light.

Finally, my cover image this month is a view of the lovely Welsh village/resort of Portmeirion (probably still best known as the venue for 1960s cult TV series The Prisoner starring Patrick McGoohan). I have visited Portmeirion many times before, but in July I fulfilled a long-standing ambition and actually stayed there for a few days. It wasn’t exactly a cheap break but well worth it. I may post an article/review in due course if there is sufficient interest.

I’ll close with my customary reminder that you can also follow Pounds and Sense on Facebook or Twitter (or X as it is now). Twitter/X is my number one social media platform and I post regularly there. I share the latest news and information on financial matters, and other things that interest, amuse or concern me. So if you aren’t following my PAS account on Twitter/X, you are definitely missing out!

• I am also on the BlueSky social media network under the username poundsandsense.bsky.social. Twitter/X remains my primary social media platform, but I also post details of my latest blog posts, third-party articles and other financial news and resources on BlueSky for those who prefer to follow me there.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave them below. I am always delighted to hear from PAS readers 

Disclaimer: I am not a qualified financial adviser and nothing in this blog post should be construed as personal financial advice. Everyone should do their own ‘due diligence’ before investing and seek professional advice if in any doubt how best to proceed. All investing carries a risk of loss. 

Note also that posts on PAS may include affiliate links. If you click through and perform a qualifying transaction, I may receive a commission for introducing you. This will not affect the product or service you receive or the terms you are offered, but it does help support me in publishing PAS and paying my bills. Thank you!

My Investments Update – June 2026

Nick Investing events, reviews 0 Comments

Here is my latest monthly update about my investments. You can read my May 2026 Investments Update here if you like.

I’ll begin as usual with my JP Morgan Personal Investing (previously Nutmeg) Stocks and Shares ISA. This is the largest investment I hold other than my Bestinvest SIPP (personal pension).

As regular readers will know, in June last year I transferred most of the money in my former Nutmeg Fully Managed portfolio (just under £25,000) to a new Nutmeg Income Portfolio. I discussed this in detail in this post, but basically money in this port is invested to generate an income from share dividends and other sources. This is then paid monthly. Capital appreciation is targeted as well, but these portfolios are aimed primarily at older people (and others) who want/need their investment to generate a regular cash income.

In May my JPM Investing income portfolio generated £85.59 of income, which was duly paid into my bank account on 24 May 2026. That means I have now received tax-free income of £425.38 in 2026 and a total of £896.84 since I opened the account in June last year. That’s a return on capital of a little over 3% to date. That is a bit less than I would have hoped based on JPM’s original projected annual return of just under 5% for income ports at my chosen risk level (five).

The better news is that my income portfolio increased in value again in May. It’s now worth £28,282 compared with £27,852 at the start of last month, a rise of £430. As the screen capture below shows, my income port is up by a respectable £2,679 (10.46%) after fees since I opened it last June (almost a year ago).

I still have a smaller, growth-oriented pot using JPM Investing’s Smart Alpha option. This is now nominally worth worth £5,239 (rounded up) compared with £5,017 a month ago, a rise of £222. I say nominally because I have just arranged to withdraw £2,000 from this pot to pay for some essential building work. The value shown in the screen capture reflects this, although the funds in question haven’t actually been sold yet. Here is a screen capture showing performance over the year to date.

Finally, at the start of December 2023 I invested £500 in one of Nutmeg/JPM’s thematic portfolios (Resource Transformation). In March 2024 I also invested a further £200 from referral bonuses (something I no longer receive). As you can see from the YTD screen capture below, this portfolio is now worth £1,038 compared with £998 last month, a rise of £40.

Overall in May the value of my JPM investments rose by £692 or 2.05%. In addition I did, of course, receive £85.59 in income from my income portfolio. In total, then, I am £777.59 up for the month.

Excluding income generated, the overall value of my JPM investments is up by £4,373 or 14.49% since the start of June 2025. If you add to this the £896.84 of income generated by my Income portfolio to date, that gives a total profit for the last 12 months of £5,269.84 – a pretty good return in these uncertain times.

Some volatility is always to be expected with stock market investments, but in the longer term they tend to even themselves out (and typically outperform bank savings accounts, although that is never guaranteed). In general the worst thing you can do is panic and sell up when downturns occur (as happened in March due to events in the Middle East). You are then crystallizing your losses rather than giving the markets time to recover. That is something I discussed last year in this blog post.

You can read my full original Nutmeg/JPM review here. If you are looking for a home for your annual ISA allowance, based on my overall experience over the last nine years, they are certainly worth considering. They offer self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs), Lifetime ISAs and Junior ISAs as well.

• As mentioned, Nutmeg have rebranded as J.P. Morgan Personal Investing and their website is now at www.personalinvesting.jpmorgan.com.

Moving on, I also have investments with P2P property investment platform Housemartin. As discussed in this post, the company rebranded last year from Assetz Exchange.

My investments with Housemartin continue to generate steady returns. Housemartin focuses on lower-risk properties (e.g. sheltered housing). I put an initial £100 into this in mid-February 2021 and another £400 in April. In June 2021 I added another £500, bringing my total investment up to £1,000.

Since I opened my account, my HM portfolio has generated a respectable £320.71 in revenue from rental income. I have made a small net loss of £17.60 on property disposals. Capital growth generally has slowed, in line with UK property values generally.

At the time of writing, 18 of ‘my’ properties are showing gains, 7 are breaking even, and the remaining 21 are showing losses. My portfolio of 46 properties is currently showing a net decrease in value of £72.64. That means that overall (rental income minus capital value decrease and loss on disposal) I am up by £230.47. That’s still a respectable return on my £1,000 and does illustrate the value of P2P property investments for diversifying your portfolio. And it doesn’t hurt that with Housemartin most projects are socially beneficial as well.

• A further consideration is that property investments on Housemartin are less likely to be affected by stock market downturns, as happened in March due to events in the Middle East. This again demonstrates the potential value of such investments for diversifying your portfolio during challenging times.

The net fall in capital value of my Housemartin investments is obviously a little disappointing. But it’s important to remember that until/unless I choose to sell the investments in question, it is largely theoretical, based on the latest price at which shares in the property concerned have changed hands. The rental income, on the other hand, is real money (which in my case I’ve reinvested in other HM projects to further diversify my portfolio).

To control risk with all my property crowdfunding investments nowadays, I invest relatively modest amounts in individual projects. This is a particular attraction of Housemartin as far as i am concerned. You can actually invest from as little as £1 per property if you really want to proceed cautiously.

• As I noted in this blog post, Housemartin is particularly good if you want to compound your returns by reinvesting rental income. This effectively boosts the interest rate you are receiving. Personally, once I have accrued a minimum of £10 in rental payments, I usually reinvest this money in either a new HM project or one I have already invested in (thus increasing my holding). Over time, even if I don’t invest any more capital, this will ensure my investment with Housemartin grows at an accelerating rate and becomes more diversified as well.

My investment on Housemartin is in the form of an IFISA so there won’t be any tax to pay on profits, dividends or capital gains. I’ve been impressed by my experiences with Housemartin and the returns generated so far, and intend to continue investing with them. You can read my original review of Assetz Exchange/Housemartin here and my article about the rebranding to Housemartin here. You can also sign up for an account directly via this link [affiliate].

In 2022 I set up an account with investment and trading platform eToro, using their popular ‘copy trader’ facility. I chose to invest $500 (then about £412) copying an experienced eToro trader called Aukie2008 (real name Mike Moest).

In January 2023 I added to this with another $500 investment in one of their thematic portfolios, Oil Worldwide. I also invested a small amount I had left over in Tesla shares.

In January this year, as Oil Worldwide hadn’t exactly been setting the world alight, I decided to switch my entire investment in this to another smart portfolio, InTheGame. This port, focusing on the computer gaming industry, had been the top performer for some time in my eToro virtual portfolio.

Unfortunately just as I switched away from Oil Worldwide, President Trump decided to invade Venezuela. This gave the oil industry a significant boost, which I would otherwise have benefited from. Meanwhile InTheGame went south, partly due to the war in the Middle East. At one point I was down by over 10% on this investment. Fortunately in the last two months InTheGame has made an impressive recovery and is now in profit by 11.87%.

As you can see from the screen captures below, my original eToro investment (total value £888.36 in pounds sterling) is today worth £1,264.50, an overall increase of £376.14 or 42.34%.

• Note: eToro now displays the value of investments in your native currency, although you can change this if you wish.

You can read my full review of eToro here. You may also like to check out my more in-depth look at eToro copy trading. I also discussed thematic investing with eToro using Smart Portfolios in this post.

As mentioned above, my new investment in InTheGame is currently up by 11.87%. My copy trading investment with Aukie2008 also rose in value in May and is showing an impressive overall profit of 75.87%. Of course, I have held this investment for quite a bit longer.

My Tesla shares, which I purchased as an afterthought with some spare cash I had in my account, are also up this month and showing an overall profit of over 292% since I bought them. If only I had put a bit more money into this!

You might also notice that I have small holdings in Prosus NV, a Dutch internet group, and South Bow, a Canadian energy infrastructure company. To be honest I don’t understand how I acquired these, but I assume they are some sort of bonus I was awarded. In any event, I am happy to have them in my portfolio.

• If you would like more information about setting up an eToro account, please click on this no-obligation website link [affiliate]. Don’t forget that you also get a free $100,000 virtual portfolio, which you can use to experiment with trading and investing strategies. I have certainly earned a lot from mine.

As an experiment, at the start of April 2025 I put £50 into an investment ISA with Trading 212. As mentioned in my blog post about dividend investing, I put it into the (Almost) Daily Dividends Portfolio, a ready-made portfolio or ‘pie’ on Trading 212. As you can see from the screen capture below, my portfolio is now worth £59.98. That’s a rise of £0.41 since last month and an increase of £10.39 or 20.7% since I opened it just over a year ago. It has even accrued a grand total of £1.20 in dividends, most of which has now been (automatically) reinvested.

I am quite impressed with how this investment has been faring, despite the small amount I put in (which means I may be missing out on some smaller dividends). If I increased my investment I would almost certainly become eligible for more dividends, and even more the longer I remain invested. Of course, I do now have an income-focused portfolio with JPM Investing as well (see above), so realistically it’s unlikely I shall be investing any more in this account for the foreseeable future. I have therefore decided to stop including it in my monthly updates from now on. 

Moving on, I published various posts on Pounds and Sense in May. I have listed below those that are still relevant.

In Moneysaving Perks and Discounts for Retired People I set out a variety of perks and discounts available specifically for retired and older people in the UK. Some are well known, while others fly under the radar. Either way, taking advantage of them can make a real difference to your finances over the course of a year. Find out more in the article.

And in Here’s Why Prolific Academic Could be the Ideal Side Hustle for Seniors I discussed this online platform that connects researchers – mainly from universities and other academic institutions – with members of the public willing to take part in research studies. I explained why I think this sideline-earning opportunity is ideally suited to older people. As the article says, it’s flexible, straightforward, low-pressure and genuinely interesting. You can do as much or as little as you like, earn a bit of extra money, help academic research and keep mentally active at the same time. Prolific Academic is my personal favourite side hustle these days!

Finally, in case you’re wondering, my cover image this month shows the lovely Italianate village of Portmeirion in North Wales. It’s probably still best known as the setting for 1960s cult TV show ‘The Prisoner’. I have just booked a short break in the village for later in the summer, fulfilling a long-standing ambition not just to visit Portmeirion but actually stay there. I wonder if I will be summoned to Number 2’s house during my visit!

I’ll close with my customary reminder that you can also follow Pounds and Sense on Facebook or Twitter (or X as it is now). Twitter/X is my number one social media platform and I post regularly there. I share the latest news and information on financial matters, and other things that interest, amuse or concern me. So if you aren’t following my PAS account on Twitter/X, you are definitely missing out!

• I am also on the BlueSky social media network under the username poundsandsense.bsky.social. Twitter/X remains my primary social media platform, but I also post details of my latest blog posts, third-party articles and other financial news and resources on BlueSky for those who prefer to follow me there.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave them below. I am always delighted to hear from PAS readers 

Disclaimer: I am not a qualified financial adviser and nothing in this blog post should be construed as personal financial advice. Everyone should do their own ‘due diligence’ before investing and seek professional advice if in any doubt how best to proceed. All investing carries a risk of loss. 

Note also that posts on PAS may include affiliate links. If you click through and perform a qualifying transaction, I may receive a commission for introducing you. This will not affect the product or service you receive or the terms you are offered, but it does help support me in publishing PAS and paying my bills. Thank you!

My Investments Update – May 2026

Nick Investing events, reviews 0 Comments

Here is my latest monthly update about my investments. You can read my April 2026 Investments Update here if you like.

I’ll begin as usual with my JP Morgan Personal Investing (previously Nutmeg) Stocks and Shares ISA. This is the largest investment I hold other than my Bestinvest SIPP (personal pension).

As regular readers will know, in June last year I transferred most of the money in my former Nutmeg Fully Managed portfolio (just under £25,000) to a new Nutmeg Income Portfolio. I discussed this in detail in this post, but basically money in this port is invested to generate an income from share dividends and other sources. This is then paid monthly. Capital appreciation is targeted as well, but these portfolios are aimed primarily at older people (and others) who want/need their investment to generate a regular cash income.

In April my JPM Investing income portfolio generated £66.11 of income, which was duly paid into my bank account on 24 April 2026. That means I have now received tax-free income of £339.79 in 2026 and a total of £811.25 since I opened the account in June last year. That’s a return on capital of just over 3% to date. That is – to be honest – a bit less than I would have hoped based on JPM’s original projected annual return of just under 5% for income ports at my chosen risk level (five).

The better news is that my income portfolio increased in value in April (after its bigger fall in March). It’s now worth £27,852 compared with £27,320 at the start of last month, a rise of £532. You don’t need to be an investment expert to know that the volatility recently is due mainly to events in the Middle East. As I always say, you do have to expect ups and downs when investing. As the screen capture below shows, my income port is still up by a respectable £2,248 (8.78%) after fees since I opened it last June.

I still have a smaller, growth-oriented pot using JPM Investing’s Smart Alpha option. This is now worth £5,017 (rounded up) compared with £4,646 a month ago, a rise of £371. Here is a screen capture showing performance over the year to date.

Finally, at the start of December 2023 I invested £500 in one of Nutmeg/JPM’s thematic portfolios (Resource Transformation). In March 2024 I also invested a further £200 from referral bonuses (something I no longer receive). As you can see from the YTD screen capture below, this portfolio is now worth £998 compared with £934 last month, a rise of £64.

Overall in April the value of my JPM investments rose by £967 or 3.02%. In addition I did, of course, receive £66.11 in income from my income portfolio. In total, then, I am £1,033.11 up for the month.

Excluding income generated, the overall value of my JPM investments is up by £4,630 or 15.72% since the start of May 2025. If you add to this the £811.25 of income generated by my Income portfolio to date, that gives a total profit for the last 12 months of £5,441.25 – a pretty good return in these uncertain times.

As I said above, some volatility is always to be expected with stock market investments, but in the longer term they tend to even themselves out (and typically outperform bank savings accounts, although that is never guaranteed). In general the worst thing you can do is panic and sell up when downturns occur (as happened in March). You are then crystallizing your losses rather than giving the markets time to recover. This is something I discussed last year in this blog post. Obviously nobody knows what will happen in the Middle East, but hopefully some sort of resolution will occur soon, if only because US President Trump desperately needs an exit strategy to pacify his critics back home. Once this happens, we will hopefully see world stock markets stabilize again. Though there is of course no guarantee about this.

You can read my full original Nutmeg/JPM review here. If you are looking for a home for your annual ISA allowance, based on my overall experience over the last nine years, they are certainly worth considering. They offer self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs), Lifetime ISAs and Junior ISAs as well.

• As mentioned, Nutmeg have rebranded as J.P. Morgan Personal Investing and their website is now at www.personalinvesting.jpmorgan.com.

Moving on, I also have investments with P2P property investment platform Housemartin. As discussed in this post, the company rebranded last year from Assetz Exchange.

My investments with Housemartin continue to generate steady returns. Housemartin focuses on lower-risk properties (e.g. sheltered housing). I put an initial £100 into this in mid-February 2021 and another £400 in April. In June 2021 I added another £500, bringing my total investment up to £1,000.

Since I opened my account, my HM portfolio has generated a respectable £315.21 in revenue from rental income. I have made a small net loss of £17.60 on property disposals. Capital growth generally has slowed, in line with UK property values generally.

At the time of writing, 17 of ‘my’ properties are showing gains, 7 are breaking even, and the remaining 20 are showing losses. My portfolio of 44 properties is currently showing a net decrease in value of £71.59. That means that overall (rental income minus capital value decrease and loss on disposal) I am up by £243.62. That’s still a respectable return on my £1,000 and does illustrate the value of P2P property investments for diversifying your portfolio. And it doesn’t hurt that with Housemartin most projects are socially beneficial as well.

• A further consideration is that property investments on Housemartin are less likely to be affected by stock market downturns, as happened in March due to the war in the Middle East. This again demonstrates the potential value of such investments for diversifying your portfolio during challenging times.

The net fall in capital value of my Housemartin investments is obviously a little disappointing. But it’s important to remember that until/unless I choose to sell the investments in question, it is largely theoretical, based on the latest price at which shares in the property concerned have changed hands. The rental income, on the other hand, is real money (which in my case I’ve reinvested in other HM projects to further diversify my portfolio).

To control risk with all my property crowdfunding investments nowadays, I invest relatively modest amounts in individual projects. This is a particular attraction of Housemartin as far as i am concerned. You can actually invest from as little as £1 per property if you really want to proceed cautiously.

• As I noted in this blog post, Housemartin is particularly good if you want to compound your returns by reinvesting rental income. This effectively boosts the interest rate you are receiving. Personally, once I have accrued a minimum of £10 in rental payments, I usually reinvest this money in either a new HM project or one I have already invested in (thus increasing my holding). Over time, even if I don’t invest any more capital, this will ensure my investment with Housemartin grows at an accelerating rate and becomes more diversified as well.

My investment on Housemartin is in the form of an IFISA so there won’t be any tax to pay on profits, dividends or capital gains. I’ve been impressed by my experiences with Housemartin and the returns generated so far, and intend to continue investing with them. You can read my original review of Assetz Exchange/Housemartin here and my article about the rebranding to Housemartin here. You can also sign up for an account directly via this link [affiliate].

In 2022 I set up an account with investment and trading platform eToro, using their popular ‘copy trader’ facility. I chose to invest $500 (then about £412) copying an experienced eToro trader called Aukie2008 (real name Mike Moest).

In January 2023 I added to this with another $500 investment in one of their thematic portfolios, Oil Worldwide. I also invested a small amount I had left over in Tesla shares.

In January this year, as Oil Worldwide hadn’t exactly been setting the world alight, I decided to switch my entire investment in this to another smart portfolio, InTheGame. This port, focusing on the computer gaming industry, has been the top performer for some time in my eToro virtual portfolio.

Unfortunately just as I switched away from Oil Worldwide, President Trump decided to invade Venezuela. This gave the oil industry a significant boost, which I would otherwise have benefited from. Meanwhile InTheGame went south, partly due to the war in the Middle East. At one point I was down by over 10% on this investment. Fortunately in the last few weeks InTheGame has made an impressive recovery and is now in profit by 7.91%.

As you can see from the screen captures below, my original eToro investment (total value £888.36 in pounds sterling) is today worth £1,177.13, an overall increase of £288.77 or 25.77%.

• Note: eToro now displays the value of investments in your native currency, although you can change this if you wish.

You can read my full review of eToro here. You may also like to check out my more in-depth look at eToro copy trading. I also discussed thematic investing with eToro using Smart Portfolios in this post.

As mentioned above, my new investment in InTheGame is currently up by 7.91%. My copy trading investment with Aukie2008 also rose in value in April and is showing an impressive overall profit of 69.10%. Of course, I have held this investment for quite a bit longer.

My Tesla shares, which I purchased as an afterthought with some spare cash I had in my account, are also up this month and showing an overall profit of over 251% since I bought them. If only I had put a bit more money into this!

You might also notice that I have small holdings in Prosus NV, a Dutch internet group, and South Bow, a Canadian energy infrastructure company. To be honest I don’t understand how I acquired these, but I assume they are some sort of bonus I was awarded. In any event, I am happy to have them in my portfolio.

• If you would like more information about setting up an eToro account, please click on this no-obligation website link [affiliate]. Don’t forget that you also get a free $100,000 virtual portfolio, which you can use to experiment with trading and investing strategies. I have certainly earned a lot from mine.

As an experiment, at the start of April 2025 I put £50 into an investment ISA with Trading 212. As mentioned in my blog post about dividend investing, I put it into the (Almost) Daily Dividends Portfolio, a ready-made portfolio or ‘pie’ on Trading 212. As you can see from the screen capture below, my portfolio is now worth £59.98. That’s a small rise of £0.12 since last month and an increase of £9.98 or 19.9% since I opened it just over a year ago. It has even accrued a grand total of £1.16 in dividends, most of which has now been (automatically) reinvested.

I am quite impressed with how this investment has been faring, despite the small amount I put in (which means I may be missing out on some smaller dividends). If I increased my investment I would almost certainly become eligible for more dividends, and even more the longer I remain invested. If I had any spare money at the moment, I would consider doing this. Of course, I do now have an income-focused portfolio with JPM Investing as well (see above).

Moving on, I published various posts on Pounds and Sense in April. I have listed below those that are still relevant.

In What is the Blue Light Card – And How Can It Help You Save Money? I discussed this discount scheme for people working in the emergency services and various other public services. For a modest fee (under £2.50 a year) you can access discounts on everything from restaurants to holidays, concerts and sporting events to insurance. You may also be eligible if you are retired from a qualifying occupation. Find out more in this article.

I also posted Pound-Cost Averaging – A Smart Strategy for Investing in Turbulent Times. In this article I explained how this simple investing strategy works and why it may be particularly relevant in these turbulent times.

Finally in April I published Why Now Could Be the Ideal time to Take Advantage of Your New Tax-Free ISA Allowance. From the start of the new tax year on 6 April 2026, everyone has a new £20,000 tax-free ISA allowance. In this article I revealed why you might want to take advantage of at least some of this allowance sooner rather than later.

I’ll close with my customary reminder that you can also follow Pounds and Sense on Facebook or Twitter (or X as it is now). Twitter/X is my number one social media platform and I post regularly there. I share the latest news and information on financial matters, and other things that interest, amuse or concern me. So if you aren’t following my PAS account on Twitter/X, you are definitely missing out!

• I am also on the BlueSky social media network under the username poundsandsense.bsky.social. Twitter/X remains my primary social media platform, but I also post details of my latest blog posts, third-party articles and other financial news and resources on BlueSky for those who prefer to follow me there.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave them below. I am always delighted to hear from PAS readers 

Disclaimer: I am not a qualified financial adviser and nothing in this blog post should be construed as personal financial advice. Everyone should do their own ‘due diligence’ before investing and seek professional advice if in any doubt how best to proceed. All investing carries a risk of loss. 

Note also that posts on PAS may include affiliate links. If you click through and perform a qualifying transaction, I may receive a commission for introducing you. This will not affect the product or service you receive or the terms you are offered, but it does help support me in publishing PAS and paying my bills. Thank you!

My Investments Update – April 2026

Nick Investing events, reviews 0 Comments

Here is my latest monthly update about my investments. You can read my March 2026 Investments Update here if you like.

I’ll begin as usual with my JP Morgan Personal Investing (previously Nutmeg) Stocks and Shares ISA. This is the largest investment I hold other than my Bestinvest SIPP (personal pension).

As regular readers will know, in June last year I transferred most of the money in my former Nutmeg Fully Managed portfolio (just under £25,000) to a new Nutmeg Income Portfolio. I discussed this in detail in this post, but basically money in this port is invested to generate an income from share dividends and other sources. This is then paid monthly. Capital appreciation is targeted as well, but these portfolios are aimed primarily at older people (and others) who want/need their investment to generate a regular cash income.

In January my JPM Investing income portfolio generated £75.54 of income, which was duly paid in to my bank account on 24 March 2026. That means I have now received tax-free income of £273.68 in 2026 and a total of £745.14 since I opened the account in June last year. That’s about what I would have expected based on JPM’s projected annual return of just under 5% for income ports at my chosen risk level (five).

The less good news is that my income portfolio declined in value in March. It’s now worth £27,320 compared with £28,866 at the start of last month, a fall of £1,546. You don’t need to be an investment expert to know that this is mainly due to events in the Middle East. Nearly all of my share-based investments have been affected by this. Clearly it is disappointing, but as I always say, you do have to expect ups and downs when investing. As the screen capture below shows, my income port is still up by a respectable £1,716.97 (6.71%) after fees since I opened it last June.

I still have a smaller, growth-oriented pot using JPM Investing’s Smart Alpha option. This is now worth £4,606 compared with £4,974 (rounded up) a month ago, a fall of £368. Here is a screen capture showing performance over the last year.

Finally, at the start of December 2023 I invested £500 in one of Nutmeg/JPM’s thematic portfolios (Resource Transformation). In March 2024 I also invested a further £200 from referral bonuses (something I no longer receive). As you can see from the one-year screen capture below, this portfolio is now worth £934 compared with £996 (rounded up) last month, a decrease of £62.

Overall in March the value of my JPM investments fell by £1,976 or 5.55%. Against that I did, of course, receive £75.54 in income from my income portfolio. In total, then, I am £1900.46 down for the month.

On a more positive note, excluding income generated, the overall value of my JPM investments is still up by £3,385 or 11.47% since the start of April 2025. If you add to this figure the £745.14 of income generated by my Income portfolio to date, that gives a total profit for the last 12 months of £4,130.14 – still not a bad return in these uncertain times.

As I said above, some volatility is always to be expected with stock market investments, but in the longer term they tend to even themselves out (and typically outperform bank savings accounts, although that is never guaranteed). In general the worst thing you can do is panic and sell up when downturns occur (as happened last month). You are then crystallizing your losses rather than giving the markets time to recover. This is something I discussed last year in this blog post. Obviously nobody knows what will happen in the Middle East, but hopefully some sort of resolution will occur soon, if only because President Trump desperately needs an exit strategy to pacify his critics back home. Once a bit more stability returns to the region, we will hopefully see world stock markets rise again. Though of course there is no guarantee about this.

You can read my full original Nutmeg/JPM review here. If you are looking for a home for your annual ISA allowance, based on my overall experience over the last nine years, they are certainly worth considering. They offer self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs), Lifetime ISAs and Junior ISAs as well.

• As mentioned, Nutmeg have rebranded as J.P. Morgan Personal Investing and their website is now at www.personalinvesting.jpmorgan.com.

Moving on, I also have investments with P2P property investment platform Housemartin. As discussed in this post, the company rebranded last year from Assetz Exchange.

My investments with Housemartin continue to generate steady returns. Housemartin focuses on lower-risk properties (e.g. sheltered housing). I put an initial £100 into this in mid-February 2021 and another £400 in April. In June 2021 I added another £500, bringing my total investment up to £1,000.

Since I opened my account, my HM portfolio has generated a respectable £309.64 in revenue from rental income. I have made a small net loss of £20.25 on property disposals. Capital growth generally has slowed, in line with UK property values generally.

At the time of writing, 17 of ‘my’ properties are showing gains, 3 are breaking even, and the remaining 24 are showing losses. My portfolio of 44 properties is currently showing a net decrease in value of £76.05. That means that overall (rental income minus capital value decrease and loss on disposal) I am up by £213.34. That’s still a respectable return on my £1,000 and does illustrate the value of P2P property investments for diversifying your portfolio. And it doesn’t hurt that with Housemartin most projects are socially beneficial as well.

• A further consideration is that property investments on Housemartin are less likely to be affected by stock market downturns, as happened in March due to the war in the Middle East. This again demonstrates the potential value of such investments for diversifying your portfolio during challenging times.

The net fall in capital value of my Housemartin investments is obviously a little disappointing. But it’s important to remember that until/unless I choose to sell the investments in question, it is largely theoretical, based on the latest price at which shares in the property concerned have changed hands. The rental income, on the other hand, is real money (which in my case I’ve reinvested in other HM projects to further diversify my portfolio).

To control risk with all my property crowdfunding investments nowadays, I invest relatively modest amounts in individual projects. This is a particular attraction of Housemartin as far as i am concerned. You can actually invest from as little as £1 per property if you really want to proceed cautiously.

• As I noted in this blog post, Housemartin is particularly good if you want to compound your returns by reinvesting rental income. This effectively boosts the interest rate you are receiving. Personally, once I have accrued a minimum of £10 in rental payments, I usually reinvest this money in either a new HM project or one I have already invested in (thus increasing my holding). Over time, even if I don’t invest any more capital, this will ensure my investment with Housemartin grows at an accelerating rate and becomes more diversified as well.

My investment on Housemartin is in the form of an IFISA so there won’t be any tax to pay on profits, dividends or capital gains. I’ve been impressed by my experiences with Housemartin and the returns generated so far, and intend to continue investing with them. You can read my original review of Assetz Exchange/Housemartin here and my article about the rebranding to Housemartin here. You can also sign up for an account directly via this link [affiliate].

In 2022 I set up an account with investment and trading platform eToro, using their popular ‘copy trader’ facility. I chose to invest $500 (then about £412) copying an experienced eToro trader called Aukie2008 (real name Mike Moest).

In January 2023 I added to this with another $500 investment in one of their thematic portfolios, Oil Worldwide. I also invested a small amount I had left over in Tesla shares.

In January this year, as Oil Worldwide hadn’t exactly been setting the world alight, I decided to switch my entire investment in this to another smart portfolio, InTheGame. This port, focusing on the computer gaming industry, has been the top performer for some time in my eToro virtual portfolio.

Unfortunately just as I switched away from Oil Worldwide, President Trump decided to invade Venezuela. This gave the oil industry a significant boost, which I would otherwise have benefited from. Meanwhile InTheGame has gone south, partly due to the recent fall in AI stocks along with the war in the Middle East. At the time of writing the value of my investment in this has fallen by nearly 17%. Hey ho! This does of course demonstrate that there are never any guarantees when investing and unexpected events can thwart the best-laid plans…

As you can see from the screen captures below, my original eToro investment (total value £888.36 in pounds sterling) is today worth £1,070.78, an overall increase of £182.42 or 20.53%.

• Note: eToro now displays the value of investments in your native currency, although you can change this if you wish.

You can read my full review of eToro here. You may also like to check out my more in-depth look at eToro copy trading. I also discussed thematic investing with eToro using Smart Portfolios in this post.

As mentioned above, my new investment in InTheGame is currently down by nearly 17%. My copy trading investment with Aukie2008 also fell in value in March, but it’s still showing an impressive overall profit of 56.36%. Of course, I have held this investment for quite a bit longer.

My Tesla shares, which I purchased as an afterthought with some spare cash I had in my account, are also down this month, but still showing an overall profit of over 234% since I bought them. If only I had put a bit more money into this!

You might also notice that I have small holdings in Prosus NV, a Dutch internet group, and South Bow, a Canadian energy infrastructure company. To be honest I don’t understand how I acquired these, but I assume they are some sort of bonus I was awarded. In any event, I am happy to have them in my portfolio.

• If you would like more information about setting up an eToro account, please click on this no-obligation website link [affiliate]. Don’t forget that you also get a free $100,000 virtual portfolio, which you can use to experiment with trading and investing strategies. I have certainly earned a lot from mine.

As an experiment, at the start of April last year I put £50 into an investment ISA with Trading 212. As mentioned in my blog post about dividend investing, I put it into the (Almost) Daily Dividends Portfolio, a ready-made portfolio or ‘pie’ on Trading 212. As you can see from the screen capture below, my portfolio is now worth £59.87. That’s a decrease of £1.97 since last month but an increase of £9.87 or 19.7% over the eleven-month period since I opened it. It has even accrued a grand total of £1.08 in dividends, most of which has now been (automatically) reinvested.

I am quite impressed with how this investment has been faring, despite the small amount I put in (which means I may be missing out on some smaller dividends). If I increased my investment I would almost certainly become eligible for more dividends, and even more the longer I remain invested. If I had any spare money at the moment, I would consider doing this. Of course, I do now have an income-focused portfolio with JPM Investing as well (see above).

Moving on, I published various posts on Pounds and Sense in March. I have listed below those that are still relevant.

In Beat the Postage Stamp Price Rise, I pointed out that the cost of stamps is rising (again) on Tuesday 7 April 2026. That will be the SEVENTH rise in the price of first class stamps in just four years! Standard and large-letter stamps don’t have values printed on them and will still be valid after the April price rise comes in, so my top tip is to stock up now while stamps are still at the old price.

I also posted an updated version of Get a Free Share Worth up to £100 with Trading 212. Anyone who hasn’t done this before can get a free share worth up to £100 just by signing up for a new Trading 212 investment account via my link. The current offer closes on Tuesday 28th April 2026.

Also in March I published Are River Cruises Suitable for Solo Travellers. This was a follow-up to my earlier posts about how to save money on cruise holidays and the pros and cons of river cruises (for older travellers in particular). In this post I addressed a question asked by several readers as to whether river cruises are a good choice for solo travellers. The article sets out the pros and cons as I see them. My view, as expressed in the article, is that they can be, but it does depend on your travel style and budget.

What Is An Annuity – And Who Should Consider Buying One? discusses a subject that confuses many people. In simple terms, an annuity is a financial product that converts a lump sum of money – typically from your pension pot – into a guaranteed regular income for life (or for a fixed period). You buy an annuity from an insurance company. In return for handing over some or all of your pension savings, they promise to pay you a regular income, usually monthly, for the rest of your life. In the article I look at the pros and cons of annuities, and whom they are (and aren’t) likely to be suitable for.

How to Save Money on Travel Insurance covers a subject on many people’s minds at this time of year. Travel insurance is one of those expenses that can feel like a grudge purchase – until you need it. For UK travellers, especially older holidaymakers, having adequate cover is essential. In this article I set out some ways you may be able to save on travel insurance without compromising your safety or security. I also discuss saving money on travel insurance as an older person, and the issues that can be caused by war and civil unrest (especially relevant for destinations in or near the Middle East at the moment).

Finally, in March I published Don’t Miss Out – Use Your £20,000 ISA Allowance Before It’s Too Late! As I say in the article, the end of the tax year on 5 April 2026 is fast approaching and so is the deadline to utilize the annual tax-free Individual Savings Account (ISA) allowance. Unless you take action in the next few days, this opportunity to maximize your tax-free savings for the 2025/26 financial year will be gone for ever.

• And speaking of deadlines, time is also running out to take advantage of EDF Energy‘s enhanced switching offer. Until 6 April 2026 you can get a FREE £75 (increased from £50) credited to your energy account when you switch to EDF via my link at https://edfenergy.com/quote/refer-a-friend/sunny-koala-9462. Terms and conditions apply.

I’ll close with my customary reminder that you can also follow Pounds and Sense on Facebook or Twitter (or X as it is now). Twitter/X is my number one social media platform and I post regularly there. I share the latest news and information on financial matters, and other things that interest, amuse or concern me. So if you aren’t following my PAS account on Twitter/X, you are definitely missing out!

• I am also on the BlueSky social media network under the username poundsandsense.bsky.social. Twitter/X remains my primary social media platform, but I also post details of my latest blog posts, third-party articles and other financial news and resources on BlueSky for those who prefer to follow me there.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave them below. I am always delighted to hear from PAS readers 

Disclaimer: I am not a qualified financial adviser and nothing in this blog post should be construed as personal financial advice. Everyone should do their own ‘due diligence’ before investing and seek professional advice if in any doubt how best to proceed. All investing carries a risk of loss. 

Note also that posts on PAS may include affiliate links. If you click through and perform a qualifying transaction, I may receive a commission for introducing you. This will not affect the product or service you receive or the terms you are offered, but it does help support me in publishing PAS and paying my bills. Thank you!