Journal
Guides for patient investors
Sixteen notes on the decisions that actually move a long-term account: what to buy, what it costs, and how not to fiddle with it. Educational writing, not personal advice.
- Using a brokerWhat Trading 212 Pies are useful forHow Pies group investments and automate a monthly split, and when a single ETF is the simpler choice.26 August 2026 · 4 min4 min
- Using a brokerFractional shares explainedWhat a fractional share is, why it matters when you invest small amounts, and what to confirm about ownership, dividends, and selling.5 August 2026 · 4 min4 min
- Portfolio designLong-term investing habits that beat tinkeringThe small routines that matter more than a new fund: automation, a written rule, and fewer logins.15 July 2026 · 4 min4 min
- Portfolio designHow to rebalance a portfolio once a yearA once-a-year method for putting your mix back in line, without turning rebalancing into a second hobby.1 July 2026 · 4 min4 min
- Portfolio designDollar-cost averaging for regular investorsHow investing the same amount on a schedule works, what it does to your average price, and why it is mostly a behaviour tool.17 June 2026 · 4 min4 min
- Portfolio designA simple global ETF portfolioHow a one-fund or two-fund global portfolio is built, what an all-world ETF already holds, and what you can safely ignore.3 June 2026 · 4 min4 min
- Costs and cashCompound growth, without the slogansHow reinvested returns can build on themselves, a worked monthly example, and why the illustration is not a promise.20 May 2026 · 4 min4 min
- Costs and cashWhy cash loses ground to inflationHow inflation reduces what cash can buy, why savings still matter, and how investing is a response to that slow leak rather than a cure-all.6 May 2026 · 4 min4 min
- Costs and cashExpense ratios explainedWhat a fund’s ongoing charge actually deducts, why small percentage gaps compound, and which fees sit outside the expense ratio.16 April 2026 · 4 min4 min
- ETFs and fundsAccumulating versus distributing ETFsWhat happens to dividends inside an accumulating ETF, how distributing funds differ, and why the choice is mostly about cash flow and tax.2 April 2026 · 4 min4 min
- ETFs and fundsIndex funds versus individual stocksWhy a broad index fund is the default for most people, and when owning individual shares changes the risk you actually take.18 March 2026 · 4 min4 min
- ETFs and fundsWhat is an ETF? A plain-language guideHow exchange-traded funds work, how they differ from shares and traditional funds, and what to check before you buy one.4 March 2026 · 4 min4 min
- Getting startedRisk, time horizon, and staying investedHow time horizon changes what you can hold, why volatility is not the same as permanent loss, and how to choose a mix you can keep.24 February 2026 · 4 min4 min
- Getting startedBeginner investing mistakes that quietly cost moneySeven common early mistakes, from stock-picking theatre to ignoring fees, and the quieter habits that avoid them.9 February 2026 · 4 min4 min
- Getting startedBuild an emergency fund before you investWhy a cash buffer comes before a portfolio, how to size it, and where that money should sit so it is there when you need it.28 January 2026 · 4 min4 min
- Getting startedHow to start investing with a small amountA clear sequence for investing a small monthly sum: a cash buffer, one broad fund, and a broker that lets you buy fractions of a share.12 January 2026 · 4 min4 min