Where do you put yours (money and investments, that is)?

Reading the gold bullion thread got me thinking about savings/investments diversification.

My savings/investments aren’t particularly diverse, mainly because Mrs North and I stuck loads of cash into our house when younger. Great (if we want to move one day, but not exactly liquid).

Beyond that, I’ve got the usual scattering of worthless occupational pensions, cash in ISAs and shares in my employer (SAYE, sharematch and a completely under water LTIP).

Heading straight into my impending midlife crisis (40 this year), before I blow it on the proverbial coke and hookers I’m intrigued to know where else people are putting their investments.

I don’t mean “give me your account numbers” (I’d take an ad in Private Eye for that). Just interested in your own investment diversity….

Approx

40% home equity
10% other property
20% pension funds (uk 100 and property mainly)
2.5% x 4 in euro small cap, us mid cap, East Asia and euro mid cap tracker funds
10% ftse 250 accumulator
10% cash

Am 40. Not really planning on retiring as such. At least no less work than I do now anyway.

Stoner – age apart, you’re the opposite to me: well organized, work for yourself (now and again) think about these things..!

I have concluded that too much time spent working for other people means I spend less time focussing on more important matters..!

Now, give us yer bank account mister!

Approx

50% Property (UK and France)
30% Pensions (Invested roughly 30% UK, 10% Europe, 10% US, 40% Asia)
20% Cash (pessimistic so wondering whether to move more pension into cash)

well organized, work for yourself (now and again) think about these things..!

That’s spot on. My finances were a mess when I worked for the man. Earn it, spend it. Since going self employed I’ve put a lot more effort into getting sorted. Mine is a mix if home equity, other property, stock isa, and a few quid in cash isa and a tiny, old company pension.

Under the mattress. 😉

Allow me to point you in the direction of my Uncle in Nigeria. He’s a government minister which allows him access to may very fruitful investment opportunities, my friend..>

I don’t consider our home equity to be an investment.

I have a SIPP (40%), which is invested in some oil-based punts (65ish%) and some a sensible funds around the world.

My current work pension (40%) is invested in whatever they are invested in – I picked the “growth” (most aggressive) level of risk.

I have a stocks & shares ISA (10%) which is invested in funds only, but worldwide exposure to differing levels.

10% cash (mostly ISAs).

I’m disorganised and not normally interested in financial matters, but I’ve just had a redundancy pay-off and trying to do something sensible with it- decided to use most of it to slash the mortgage. I’m 47 and have a rubbish pension. My ISA is earning 0.25% interest and I’ve got a financial adviser telling me I should be pumping my money into my pension rather than paying off my mortgage. 🙄

100% bikes and bike related stuff. No really.

I have a reasonable amount of home equity, and bought relatively early in life so should be mortgage-free relatively young. I also have (less good than it used to be but still) good occupational pension. But zero savings, and no other investments.

But, I also don’t have an expensive lifestyle, so I don’t need a lot of income to maintain it. At least, that’s what I’m hoping.

I’m also not 40 until next year, so “haha” to Stoner and OMITN 😉

I’m also not 40 until next year, so “haha” to Stoner and OMITN

Youth of today – no bloody respect!

I’ve only started taking this more seriously in the last year or so. At the moment I’ve got a decent but not exceptional (for my age) sum in my workplace pension and a similar amount of equity in my house. That’s probably 80% of my total net worth.

Of what’s left about 10% is in cash ISAs, 5% in high interest current accounts and 5% in a stocks and shares ISA (invested in Vanguard Lifestrategy). I’m trying to put most of the “new” savings into S&S as my cash savings are sufficient to act as a decent emergency fund.

Hmm. Am def feeling over-exposed to my employer.

Time to focus effort on investing elsewhere* – some food for thought!

*Not my house – I (er, we) own c70% of the house, but we’ve no intention of moving, so it’s an academic investment….

@vickyp – bad advice from the advisor (who makes a fee from your pension contributions) I think. Pensions are valuable for the tax relief and for the fact that they are hard to access so not easily “frittered away”. Paying your mortgage down is a good idea although under the scenarios where a year fro now you are still unemployed you may want some of the cash to live on

@jim, I always find it curious that people don’t consider their home an investment. It’s both a home and an investment. For many many years people have bought homes to raise their family and then downsized when they retire, often to a different location.

If you plan to die in your current house then, yes, it probably isn’t an investment.

However for many it’s a long term capital investment. It’s also sensible to evaluate regularly how much secured debt to keep on it compared to making alternative diversified investments with the capital instead.

@jim, I always find it curious that people don’t consider their home an investment…

I suppose it’s because the equity is not money I’m prepared to gamble with.

If you were counting “net worth” then I’d include it, but half of it would belong to Mrs Dubleyou.

Some equity as likelihood we will downsize.
Several pensions with 10 yrs in a final salary.
Another SIPP with 6 years of good contributions
Quite a chunk in stocks and shares ISA’s to provide tax free income when I retire.
51

Whiskey

If the bubble bursts at least I will have fun drinking them 😉

Stoner – good call on the FTSE250 acc, I’ve had very good returns from trackers.

tobacco.
stocks that is, not the filthy habit.
reasonably recession-proof.

ftse250 tracker did better for me than any other tracker and better than any managed unit trust / oeic etc.

my house is where I live, not an investment. and is only an investment in the sense that my money spent on my place of abode is for it to be mine rather my money being spent on someone else’s asset.

99% property, but I’m a scum of the earth landlord.

Normally 3 years living costs in cash, premium bonds, “high” interest accounts etc, and of the rest, 20% in bonds, 80% ish in S&S ISAs and funds. I like to keep things liquid so no BTL or pensions.
Nothing fancy, but it’s worked so far

money in more or less = money out!

I’m one of those types that, you know, keeps the economy running! 😆 Doubt I’ll get much thanks for that come retirement time!

Some in house equity
Similar amount in pension
Some in cash (isa-premium bonds etc)
Less in funds
Similar in individual shares
a small amount in peer to peer lending
And a very small amount of currency under the bed for emergencies

Tobacco stocks for me too – bats and imb. Smokers just cant give up.

London flats for my pension as like tobacco stocks the capital prices and rents have only gone 1 way.

Still voluntarily paying my state pension but doubt I will ever see it it will be means tested by thd time I qualify.

so self invested stocks (I cant isa them up as non uk resident) uk property and a few other bits and bobs

People have money left at the end of the month?

Oh how the other half….

Equity in your home does count as those that retire with a house and mortgage free are in a better off position that those with a mortgage and those renting when it comes to living costs. Plus there’s always the option to move to a cheaper property/area if needed/wanted.

Home – 60%
Unit Trusts – 25%
Pension – 10%
Cash – 5%

(I’m 45)

I give mine to m missus and she spends it, looking forward to the return on this baby

tobacco.
stocks that is, not the filthy habit.
reasonably recession-proof.

&

Smokers just cant give up.

Bonkers.

E-cigs point to the fact that even addicts can change their addiction.

I like to have a bit more diversification in an investment. They are selling only one thing.

Previous performance is no indication of future returns etc.

Mostly ISAs (with dire rates 🙁 ) and a little now going into Zopa Classic to test the water. Good so far.

@russ good for you. For a variety of reasons we did btl for a bit then got out. Big mistake, easily the best performing asset class of the last 30 years and imho the next. Growing popultion, small island.

I suppose it’s because the equity is not money I’m prepared to gamble with.

I don’t gamble with my investments/pension either.

Big variable with tobacco stocks was the potnetial liability from court cases/damages. Potentially no amount of future sales could cover damages awards. Not up to daye as to where that stands today as asdie from small work related investments in the 90’s have not touched the sector

FTSE 250/100 – depends on the time frame amd specific index. I made some pension investments back in the late 90’s whuch have hardly grown – admitedly that was ftse 100 which has underperformed massively

@retro at least returns aren’t negative, thats the worry now and for next 5 years in other asset classes

Max out tax shelters eg ISAs and pension

Balance risk

Buy low, sell high and remember the power of compounding

BUT v difficult at the moment as the great and good have deliberately distorted the pricing of assets. So very difficult to value many asset classes at the moment. Madness!

I don’t gamble with my investments/pension either.

So your capital is not at risk in any of your investments?

Mine is. A lot.

I’ve a few quid in the ashtray of my car……….

Yes its at risk including the equity in my property. I suppose that was my point as much as anything. Big chunk of my pension is in Asia, clearly more volatile than other options. I also would not use the word gamble in the same way as “at risk”

Interesting, just worked out mine
Pension pot: 42%
Property: 36%
Cash: 15%
Shares: 6%
Cash ISA: 1%

Including property as the long term plan is to downsize from current, so viewing as an investment.

Luckily both Me and the Mrs have been in a DB Pension for 20 years which is still open, but not for much longer I fear as the company are paying 35% contribution this year to keep it from deficit…

Overpay the penalty free 5% mortgage anniversary balance each year.
Buy added pension from company each month.
Invest most surplus income into various indexes e.g. FTSE100, Emerging Markets, Global Trackers and into a mutual assurance fund.
Got a bit of gold lying around for end of the world emergency.

My financial advisor recently said: a regular savings ISA after a pension, are the most tax efficient investment and most flexible.

65% property (mortgage free)
33% shares (mostly AIM market)
2% cash
final salary pension after 36 yrs
I can’t see the point of paying an IFA who then takes a perennial slice of your payments into funds that you could have researched yourself. Then you’re paying fund managers on top of that, all for relatively limited capital growth.
The AIM market is a bit cranky and volatile but it does produce some real winners.