Tempted to cash out

I know investing long-term in a ISA takes time, but I am getting more and more tempted to cash out.

I am really disappointed that InvestEngine doesn’t seem to update my portfolio in real time and the performance of the managed portfolio seems to be really poor. I’m convinced I could probably achieve better results by choosing my own EFTs.

I’d love to see some updates to the app to give us realtime information and to be able to execute sales immediately.

Markets are volatile, some years are up and some are down, but over time the average is up. So at some point your loss will turn into a gain, but only if you don’t cash out.

I believe statistically those that trade MORE often, perform less well than those that trade LESS often, and given that realtime trading may encourage more frequent and knee-jerk trades this might not be a good idea.

If you think you might have more success with a DIY portfolio then why not try picking some ETFs using pretend money and compare over a period of time OR split your Portfolio between a Managed Portfolio and a DIY.

4 Likes

Sounds like you’re learning something about yourself as an investor; something which on my reading would lead me to caution against worrying too much about realtime information and the ability to execute sales immediately. As the post above says, regular trading is not a likely route to success.

But if you want to try something else out, why not just have your 23/24 ISA with another provider. Or, if you’re young enough ana have enough money available over the next tax year, open a Lifetime ISA with a different provider to test the water with one account while maintaining some level of investment into your IE account.

Worth keeping in mind that it’s pretty likely that any account started in the last 18 months or so would likely to be in the red, since it’s that type of period.

2 Likes

I understand what you are saying. I’ve been invested for a year now, consistently adding each month to help the average, it’s just I didn’t expect my account to be 8% down on a managed account as I figured by it being managed the results would be better than if I did it myself.

8% seems quite a considerable loss and could take a few more years to break even. My money would have been better off in a bank.

I know the world is a mess atm, so it does seem like it could take a while to get better.

Don’t overthink things. Practically everyone is down right now. All this is mostly ripple effect from that Silicon Valley Bank collapse. Just ride it out. Big mistake to wind yourself up in a panic and get emotional because then you don’t look at events rationally. Blaming InvestEngine in this case is not the right thing as all other providers are experiencing the same with their portfolios so jumping ship will not gain you anything.

Don’t cash out; rather pump more money in. In fact I am skint right now until the end of the month as I blew all my spare cash on a shopping spree while the sales are still on.

If you really want to look at information as to what the general feel of the market is on any given moment, then look at the so called “Fear Index.” <insert_cool_sound_effect>

Unlike other fancy graphs you read this one the opposite way, meaning up is bad and down is good. The higher it goes the more people are bricking themselves, and the more it drops the more you hear champagne bottles pop and everybody partying and happy as can be.

1 Like

Yes it sure doesn’t make for pleasant reading atm. Things are quite volatile and most of us are nursing our investments right now. The latest bank issues have clearly not helped and there’s a lot of emotion around.

I can’t comment re managed portfolio’s. I don’t know anything about them.

I’ve taken advantage of ‘the dip’ and reinvested in three ETFs I currently hold. I’ve also topped up my holding in a few dividend generating stocks, but not by much.

Why not follow ‘Pensioncraft’ on YouTube for some useful insight. There are others to follow too, obviously.

Thanks I will do that. I am getting more patient when it comes to stock investing, but EFTs is relatively new since I have only had my managed portfolio a year. I presume the people at InvestEngine know what they are doing, but I’m still learning about the best ways to invest.

I’ve been trying my best to take advantage of the dips, but it just keeps dipping.

1 Like

When you get some from free time, watch Investing Demystified - (How to Invest if you can’t beat the markets - Part 1 of 5) - YouTube watch all of them. This is what got me on kickstarted on my early retirement plan using Index Funds

Thank you

1 Like

It’s all a massive con. They tell you inflation is 10% when in reality it is closer to double. (My weekly food shopping bill is up over 40%!) They say put you money to work in the stock market to beat inflation. Well I did that and I am down and down after over a year. The financial system is a massive scam and cash is not backed by Gold like it used to be. This is why central banks and governments are able to print money out of thin air. I’ve realised the best thing for me personally is to just spend my cash as I earn it and enjoy myself.
Tell me this what’s the point in saving for your retirement, passing away early and not being able to enjoy the fruits of your labour.

In my view spending and saving needs to be balanced, and the balance will vary depending on personal circumstances and life outlook. There is no right or wrong answer. For me and my personal circumstances I have always tried to spend and save in such a way that I was reasonably comfortable pre and post retirement. This sometimes meant saying no to spending on some discretionary items and sometimes meant going periods without saving.

2 Likes

Obviously there’s no point saving for retirement if you KNOW you’re going to die before reaching 55. But if you don’t know when you’re going to die then saving for retirement is the difference between maybe retiring early and having some quality leisure time or having to work until you literally drop dead.

1 Like

If you want to be able to trade in real time then Investengine is not the platform for you. In exchange for very low fees (no fees in some diy accounts) you give up knowing the exact execution price in advance - I use IE and another platform - the other platform has live prices - cost nearly £12 per ETF trade.

1 Like

I’m giving up saving and investing and have been on a massive spending spree. If you don’t spend it you lose its value to Inflation and there is currently no where to hide. BoE base rate is 4% and the majority of banks have easy access savings rates below 3%! Like I said it’s all a massive con.