2025 Mid Year Portfolio In Review

Let's take a look under the hood and see how my portfolio has performed in the first half of 2025

Please note that a common benchmark used in investing is the performance of the Standard and Poor ( S&P) 500 index.

The S&P 500 in 2025 increased 6.76% year to date (YTD).

The NASDAQ Composite Index increased 8.83% YTD.

Why am I sharing my own portfolio's performance with you?

In our society, I believe we don't talk about the concepts of money or investing enough.

It's often considered a taboo topic.

I frankly think that's a reason why many of us struggle with it.

I'm an amateur investor, who makes PLENTY of mistakes, and who mismanages my own time, and am learning alongside you.

I hope it will provide you with a layer of utterly lacking transparency in this area.

Investing is not always sunshine and rainbows, there are plenty of dark days, months, and even years. I believe it is what you do or do not do that has more of an impact in the long term.

If you want to take a glimpse of how the portfolio faired in 2022, check it out here, and for my 2023 Mid Year In Review, you’ll see it at the end of this piece.

You’ll see I underperformed in some areas and ‘beat the market’ in others. What you will not see in the breakdown is my position sizing. Said different, how large is each investment in each account. Position sizing is extremely important in calculating returns. You can have $1 invested in bitcoin and it doubles in size to $2, you’ve technically received a 100% return but in reality, only made $1. It is crucial to understand both position sizing and asset allocation and how they relate to crafting your financial portfolio.

✅  RRSP: 13.63%

✅  TFSA: 12.13%

✅ Non-Registered Funds: 4.74%

❌ Stock Options -1.23%

✅ Bitcoin: 14.88%

✅ Fine Art: 7.84%

❌ Fine Wine: -0.11%

✅  Fine Whiskey 18.66%

👉 Real Estate: 0%

Here's a breakdown of my portfolio since 2021 (3 years) if you’ve been following along:

2021

Non Registered: 21.58%

TFSA 16.03%

RRSP: 19.38%

S&P 500: 26.89%

At first glance, you may notice that my portfolio lagged and underperformed the benchmark (S & P 500), and yes it did.

2022

Non Registered: -4.39%

TFSA -12.76%

RRSP: -0.71%

S&P 500: -19.48%

Rough year across the board in 2022 as all my traditional investments lost money (unrealized). However, they lost less than the benchmark. Which meant that I outperformed the market.

2023

Non Registered: 8.89%

TFSA 9.75%

RRSP: 10.63%

S&P 500: 24.46%

2024

Non Registered: 17.5%

TFSA 20.45%

RRSP: 19.48%

S&P 500: 25.18%

Personal Reflections: Reflecting on the past year, I’ve realized the importance of staying adaptable. Navigating volatile markets wasn’t always easy, but every challenge reinforced my belief in long-term investing. For me, 2024 was a year of disciplined decision-making. While I celebrated wins like strong ETF performance, I also faced the humbling task of reassessing my approach when certain sectors underperformed. These moments weren’t setbacks—they were opportunities to refine my strategy.

Actionable Insights: To close out the year, I’ve put together a checklist for you:

• Review your portfolio performance and ensure your investments align with your financial goals.

• Check for opportunities to rebalance your portfolio based on 2025 outcomes.

• Consider setting SMART goals for the rest of 2025 (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).

Remember: small changes now can compound into significant results over time.