My 2021


My previous yearly summaries

  1. 2018
  2. 2019
  3. 2020
πŸ“Œ Disclaimer:

It's not about self-promotion, boasting, teaching or advising. First of all, this summary to the future self and secondly, I learn English this way. That's all. Nothing more πŸ˜‰


1. 30 πŸ™ˆ


At the age of 20 I posted on vk.com:

20 Π»Π΅Ρ‚, Π° Ρ‚ΠΎΠ»ΠΊΡƒ Π½Π΅Ρ‚

The translation must be "20 years old, but no sense". I didn't have a job. I wasn't a bright student. I was doing nothing. Time flies and now I'm 30. Many things've changed... I'd like to think so πŸ™‚


2. Investments πŸ’°


I am gonna start with a small list which describes the last year in my view:

  • Inflation is here.

    Maybe the most discussed topic in the latest financial news. One advice I remember clearly from Warren Buffett. He said that the first best thing you can do to protect against inflation is to invest in yourself and your skills. And the second best protection is a wonderful business, which means a company in which the products are in demand even if the company has to raise prices.

  • 35% of the S&P 500's YTD return has come from 5 stocks, says Goldman Sachs:


    Feel FOMO comparing S&P 500 and FAANG returns for the latest few years:


  • Renewable energy is a trend now, but world depends on oil and gas.

    A great example of that is Europe and China are facing the highest prices for gas and electricity in history.

  • Is gold a good investment in 2021?

    Definitely not in 2021. Maybe because one the reason is crypto.

    Gold Spot price

  • Growing acceptance and usage of crypto.


    I always read advantages about crypto, for example, blockchain technology, protection from debased currencies and inflation, alternative hedging instrument to gold, potential for high returns. Reality is that crypto is still a highly speculative and volatile asset. Can crypto be an inflation hedge? Not sure. Well, the return was really nice in 2021:

    coin360.com

    Probably crypto was the first step to web3.0, now - dAppsDeFiNFT. What's next?

  • Coronavirus pandemic will be with us for a long time.

    No comments 😢 And let's return back to my results.

Many investors use S&P 500 as a benchmark for their individual portfolios. I'm not an investor yet. I'm rather making my first steps to be an investor. Anyway here is S&P chart for 2021:



And here is my result in 2021:



The curves are almost identical on two above charts. It's because the majority of my portfolio is VOO. The pie chart of my portfolio (without cash) is:


Total 102% πŸ˜„ It's because of round to integer.

One of the Peter Lynch's rules says "You have to know what you own, and why you own it". So let me describe briefly why I've bought and why I'm holding these stocks:

  • AAPL - It's definitely the leader. There is Apple and others. The latest iPhones and MacBooks with ARM-based M1 chips truly step forward. It's not a secret that I'm a huge fan of Apple products who still uses iPhone 7 Plus. Also, first-generation AR headset is coming in the next year. Last but not least, I'm fascinated about the future Apple car.
  • ABNB - COVID smashed travel categories, from airlines to hotels to online services. And Airbnb is no exception. Interesting fact, Airbnb went public in the middle of a pandemic. I've used it in Ukraine and abroad. The process of booking an apartment is easy and straightforward. Excellent service in my honest opinion. The end of pandemic is coming? I hope so, because I suppose many investors will be bullish on Airbnb stocks.
  • ATVI - Bought few stocks last month. Financial ratios are pretty tempting now. I'm gonna buy more, but need to do it wisely because sexual harassment scandal is not ended.
  • BABA - Abnormal growth, huge potential, Alibaba Cloud, better than Amazon, ... And many other positive facts I'd heard from different sources before I bought Alibaba. Probably my mistake, because I didn't do my own research. After all, who knew that Chinese government would put so much pressure on tech companies?
  • COIN - I'm positive that crypto continues to grow. Coinbase should win, because it's really the place to start for newbies. They have a strong brand and successful business. Unfortunately it's not available in Ukraine yet. Although, Ukraine is always in the top in the use of crypto. Also, I see potential risks - depends on crypto market which is too volatile, and debt is increased drastically.
  • SONY - "The largest video game console company and the largest video game publisher. Through Sony Entertainment Inc, it is one of the largest music companies and the third largest film studio. It is the largest technology and media conglomerate in Japan. At the same period, it is also recognized as the most cash-rich Japanese company." [source]. I have nothing else to add.
  • Vanguard ETFs - If I don't have enough time or energy for researching, then I buy ETFs. Buying ETFs gives me few advantages. The first one, it's a simple approach to become an investor. To be specific, the "lazy" investor. The second - diversification by default. Personally, I prefer Vanguard because of small commissions (also advantage). Thanks John Bogle for his unbelievable work.

At the end of the last year I rebalanced my portfolio. Sold some stocks which were my mistake of inexperience: AC.TMX, CSCO.NASDAQ, SPCE.NYSE, OGN.NYSE, T.NYSE, INTC.NASDAQ. In total about -10$. Small negative number on purpose because I don't want to pay taxes now.

Perfect year! I will continue to stick to Dollar-Cost Averaging strategy. If market goes up, I'll be happy. Else - I'll buy more.


3. Pro πŸ‘¨‍πŸ’»


First of all, finally I finished with my home/work setup.


I love minimalism! I don't like wires! I decided to start with small things - clean up my working space. Next step - clean code. And life goal - clean my mind and thoughts. That sounds ambitious. At least I started!

In general my work in 2021 was


Classic! 

Besides work, I have a pet project where test some tools and new features that make code better, e.g. SonarCloud, CodeFactor, Codacy, LGTM, CodecovGitHub Actions, the latest CMake and Conan updates as well.


I wish I had more time for such R&D πŸ˜Œ

One awesome book I have to mention here - Software Architecture with C++: Design Modern Systems Using Effective Architecture Concepts, Design Patterns, and Techniques with C++20. Lots of useful material covered if you are going to grow.

Last but not least, started this blog. The goal is to learn something new, for instance C++20 standard, and make notes. Previously I was doing it in GitHub, for example C++20 Overview. Also, it might be a good addition to the resume.


4. Final Word


That's all. Goodbye 2021 and welcome 2222! Stay safe and healthy!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Overview of C++20: Modules

My 2020 overview