Author Topic: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland  (Read 2383 times)

theleanist

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Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« on: December 07, 2021, 04:56:09 PM »
Hi everyone,

This seemed like the correct place to post this!

I've been following Mr. Money Mustache and applying his advice for many years now! I also regularly check in on this forum which I always find really helpful and inspiring. I've finally got around to posting something!

Moving from saving to investing

Up until 2017 I used to put my money into regular savers. As I'm sure is the case from where you're reading, where I'm from - Ireland - the rates are extremely poor on regular savers. The best curent available rate is 0.96% AER on a 10 Year Fixed Government Bond.

So, in July 2017 I started investing for the first time using Degiro. I decided to only invest in the S&P500 (VUSA) and have been purchasing units fairly regularly since - Ive put in about €36k into S&P over the last four years.

So far ...the results have been really good, as outlined below.

The purpose of this thread is to give regular updates on (1) the performance of my first trade and (2) the value of my overall S&P500 investments.

I know the results are quiet small in comparison to a lot of other amazing figures posted elsewhere on the forum. But, hopefully people find it an interesting thread to follow, particularly forum members from Ireland where investing isn't as common place as it is in the US. For those interested I have a fuller breakdown of my workings with graphs etc on my website - www.theleanist.org


My first trade (Nov 21 update)


    Purchased 26 units of the S&P for €40.685 in July 17
    Current buy rate (as of 29.11.21) is €76.278
    Works out as a 11.69% AER after tax
    Best available regular saving rate available to me in July 17 was 1.5% AER after tax from the 10 Year National Solidarity Bond.

Overall value of S&P investments (Nov 21 update)

    Amount invested since July 17: €36,864
    Value before tax as of 29.11.21: €55,454
    Value after tax: €47,832
    Profit after tax: €10,968

Radagast

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #1 on: December 08, 2021, 11:07:07 PM »
I don’t think it’s a good idea to put that much into just the S&P500, especially for someone using a different currency. I’d recommend instead perhaps an equal split between VUSA, a Euro stock index fund, a stock index fund for the rest of the world, and also a low risk bond or savers fund or whatever you have.

Although, you are doing a good job of getting started and I don’t want to discourage you at all. In fact so far what you are doing is great, but going forward I would not take such a concentrated risk in a narrow slice of foreign assets.

theleanist

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #2 on: December 09, 2021, 01:42:09 AM »
Hi Radagast,

Thanks very much for your reply and feedback!

I'll absolutely look into that, thanks for the steer. Would you have any specific picks for each of the three funds you mention?

Just to add a bit more context to my plan...

Savings vs investment culture in Ireland

In Ireland there really isn't a culture of investing. Up until 2017 I would never have even considered putting money into stocks and bonds. I would have looked at it as gambling. If I had mentioned it to my wife, parents, brothers etc they would have told me I was crazy! The only option in my mind was regular savers, on which the rates have been terrible for the last five or six years.

State savings - one of the largest holdings of Irish savings
The Irish population holds savings of around 24 billion in State Savings - https://www.statesavings.ie/ - These are government savings bonds offered through the Irish Post Office. Safe, dependable but very low interest rates. The highest AER currently is 0.96% after tax on a 10 year bond. This is the highest savings rate on a savings account anywhere in Ireland.

Up until 2017 I would have kept most of my savings in these government state savings bonds. As would my parents and many of the people I would have spoken to day to day. Even on popular finance boards in Ireland, the recommendation would have been to put your money into the best state savings account for lack of a better alternative.

Index vs managed funds

Anyone who I spoke to who had some experience of investing told me to look at managed funds, such as those offered by Irish Life. An example here of their current main investment offer FlexInvest a "straight forward investment solutions' https://assets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com/ffd8d21b-ebd4-0151-55d5-297335c8f50f/135cb68b-2a49-486b-bbf0-a05216fe4a53/FlexInvest_Product_Booklet.pdf

Offerings such as Irish Life's just seemed too complicated, and when I tried to understand the costs and returns neither were clear to me.

An experiment in index funds...
So, around 2017 I was looking to do something different and to get a better solution. All the good advice, including what I read from MMM and this forum, seemed to point to self managed low cost index funds, through one of the new online brokers which had popped up - Degiro etc. With many suggesting the bog standard S&P as a good place to start.

I looked at it as a bit of an experiment. My aim was to see if I could beat the best savings rate offered in Ireland at the time - 1.5% AER after tax offered by the State Savings 10 Year National Solidarity.

I wanted to take the leanist approach possible to investing - which explains the name! - so I decided to (1) just use Degiro, (2) only purchase the S&P500 (VUSA) and (3) only purchase €1,000 worth of S&P per transaction, as Degiro do not charge fees on purchases of S&P (VUSA) over €1,000.

Old habits die hard....
I do still have regular savings accounts with terrible interest rates.....I have one where I keep a balance of money for unexpected costs etc. And, another one where I'm saving for a deposit for a house. The bulk of my savings go into these accounts - about 66%. The remaining I put into the S&P which I'm looking at as my 'Freedom Fund' - something I'm growing over the long run to hopefully provide an alternative source of income if I can get up to the €700K/€800K range.

Appreciate the advice and comment - as mentioned, if you have any specific examples of three funds please send on. I'll consider broadening my investments. Four investments is still a very lean approach and one which I could manage easily month to month.

Thanks again Radagast!
« Last Edit: December 09, 2021, 01:45:33 AM by theleanist »

daverobev

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #3 on: December 09, 2021, 05:09:49 AM »
Just bear in mind that the top 4 companies in the S&P 500 make up 20% of the whole thing. You can probably guess the four companies.

I would really suggest going for a global fund - that'll still be 50%+ USA.

I never quite worked it out but I think Ireland is unfortunately really nasty on personal investors - no allowances, high cap gains, etc? Which is laughable considering how they are with corporations. Do you have any tax shelters - pension scheme or anything like that where you can shelter stuff?

But yeah, check out VWRL.

cool7hand

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #4 on: December 09, 2021, 07:17:20 AM »
There's no right answer to your question. The answer is personal to your risk tolerance and goals. From your questions, you might consider researching portfolios with some non-correlated asset classes to reduce your risk? In short, pick a portfolio that works for you, rebalance periodically, and watch your money grow.

Radagast

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2021, 07:40:23 AM »
I think your general strategy is right, I just think you need more diversification. Sounds like you have plenty of safe cash/ bonds already. I don’t know what funds are available to you, but sounds like a total world fund might be one of them. The S&P 500 will already be about half of the global fund, and there is definitely no reason for you to have more than that. In fact currency fluctuations make it best to have a little home currency bias, so you may want to include a fund concentrating on the euro zone as well, if you have one. Hence my 3-fund selection: USA, euro, everything else. But a total world fund would also be a great choice, since you have plenty of home currency it sounds like.

reeshau

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #6 on: December 09, 2021, 01:59:13 PM »
Welcome, and good luck with your blog!

Former (temporary - 2 yrs) Dubliner here.  I confirm all you said about the lack of investing knowledge in Ireland.  In my time there, the US ex-pats in my company probably spent as much time talking about defined benefit pensions with the local new hires as we did about company processes.  And we certainly gave the representatives of the pension scheme some shocks with our questions when they showed up for a presentation.  They started to bring reinforcements!

You are doing great to take the step of going from savings to the S&P.  But as others have said, you clearly aren't in the US, so unless your retirement plans are to do so, you are opening up yourself to currency and other risks.  Definitely add some global or EU funds to your mix.

Are you by any chance a fan of How To Be Good With Money?  I loved the show, but unfortunately can't stream more than a handful of clips outside Ireland.

bthewalls

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #7 on: December 10, 2021, 05:19:13 PM »
Hi everyone,

This seemed like the correct place to post this!

I've been following Mr. Money Mustache and applying his advice for many years now! I also regularly check in on this forum which I always find really helpful and inspiring. I've finally got around to posting something!

Moving from saving to investing

Up until 2017 I used to put my money into regular savers. As I'm sure is the case from where you're reading, where I'm from - Ireland - the rates are extremely poor on regular savers. The best curent available rate is 0.96% AER on a 10 Year Fixed Government Bond.

So, in July 2017 I started investing for the first time using Degiro. I decided to only invest in the S&P500 (VUSA) and have been purchasing units fairly regularly since - Ive put in about €36k into S&P over the last four years.

So far ...the results have been really good, as outlined below.

The purpose of this thread is to give regular updates on (1) the performance of my first trade and (2) the value of my overall S&P500 investments.

I know the results are quiet small in comparison to a lot of other amazing figures posted elsewhere on the forum. But, hopefully people find it an interesting thread to follow, particularly forum members from Ireland where investing isn't as common place as it is in the US. For those interested I have a fuller breakdown of my workings with graphs etc on my website - www.theleanist.org


My first trade (Nov 21 update)


    Purchased 26 units of the S&P for €40.685 in July 17
    Current buy rate (as of 29.11.21) is €76.278
    Works out as a 11.69% AER after tax
    Best available regular saving rate available to me in July 17 was 1.5% AER after tax from the 10 Year National Solidarity Bond.

Overall value of S&P investments (Nov 21 update)

    Amount invested since July 17: €36,864
    Value before tax as of 29.11.21: €55,454
    Value after tax: €47,832
    Profit after tax: €10,968

I’m from Ireland too.

Are you aware of tax implications on investment in Roi? It’s crippling.

If you’ve access to Northern Ireland invest thru a uk isa stock and shares account...its tax free

Baz

theleanist

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #8 on: December 11, 2021, 09:26:48 AM »
Just bear in mind that the top 4 companies in the S&P 500 make up 20% of the whole thing. You can probably guess the four companies.

I would really suggest going for a global fund - that'll still be 50%+ USA.

I never quite worked it out but I think Ireland is unfortunately really nasty on personal investors - no allowances, high cap gains, etc? Which is laughable considering how they are with corporations. Do you have any tax shelters - pension scheme or anything like that where you can shelter stuff?

But yeah, check out VWRL.

Hey Daverobev - thanks for the suggestion on VWRL, will check it out.

You're correct in that Ireland isnt set up encourage investors! Tax on gains is very high, and the whole things is very confusing in terms of tax implications. So, I'm feeling my way a bit with it.

Yes - I have a pension and there is tax relief on those payments, but the options with it are poor. You must invest in it - rules of the company. And, it has only three managed funds and a cash fund. So, again, I think forum members from the US have a lot more choice and influence over your pensions, specifically where they're invested, from what I've read.

Thanks again for the feedback!

« Last Edit: December 11, 2021, 09:50:46 AM by theleanist »

theleanist

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #9 on: December 11, 2021, 09:30:48 AM »
There's no right answer to your question. The answer is personal to your risk tolerance and goals. From your questions, you might consider researching portfolios with some non-correlated asset classes to reduce your risk? In short, pick a portfolio that works for you, rebalance periodically, and watch your money grow.

Hi Cool7hand, thanks for the advice. Will have a think about it all! As mentioned in my last post, my aim was to beat the regular savers on offer in Ireland and the S&P is doing that at present - significantly ahead over the last four years. However, I take everyone's points here, and your own, in that it is less risky to have a number of funds, in different regions, non-correlated etc. And, I know the S&P has been going through a purple patch also. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

theleanist

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #10 on: December 11, 2021, 09:38:59 AM »
I think your general strategy is right, I just think you need more diversification. Sounds like you have plenty of safe cash/ bonds already. I don’t know what funds are available to you, but sounds like a total world fund might be one of them. The S&P 500 will already be about half of the global fund, and there is definitely no reason for you to have more than that. In fact currency fluctuations make it best to have a little home currency bias, so you may want to include a fund concentrating on the euro zone as well, if you have one. Hence my 3-fund selection: USA, euro, everything else. But a total world fund would also be a great choice, since you have plenty of home currency it sounds like.

Thanks again Radagast. Yes, I've got enough money set aside for a rainy day, and a good deposit for a house saved up. The majority of my savings are in those areas. So, I'm not all in on the S&P! I'm happy to leave the money i put into the S&P there to grow over the long term. I'm not planning on going near it.

Thanks, will look into total world fund and a euro index also. I expect they're both available through the broker I'm using.

theleanist

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #11 on: December 11, 2021, 09:46:35 AM »
Welcome, and good luck with your blog!

Former (temporary - 2 yrs) Dubliner here.  I confirm all you said about the lack of investing knowledge in Ireland.  In my time there, the US ex-pats in my company probably spent as much time talking about defined benefit pensions with the local new hires as we did about company processes.  And we certainly gave the representatives of the pension scheme some shocks with our questions when they showed up for a presentation.  They started to bring reinforcements!

You are doing great to take the step of going from savings to the S&P.  But as others have said, you clearly aren't in the US, so unless your retirement plans are to do so, you are opening up yourself to currency and other risks.  Definitely add some global or EU funds to your mix.

Are you by any chance a fan of How To Be Good With Money?  I loved the show, but unfortunately can't stream more than a handful of clips outside Ireland.

He reeshau, ha, I'd say you gave them a run for their money alright. The options are very poor aren't they!?

No plans to move out of Ireland! Despite the poor set up for investors...its a great country all in all!

Thanks, yes, that was main goal. To move from saving where I'm getting 0.20% to the S&P where over the long term I'll at least beat the regular savers. Will look into the global and euro funds, thanks again.

Yes - I do watch How to be good with your money! Basic but always good advice! I think its on the RTE player if you had a VPN! And, you could catch up with other riveting RTE productions such as Nationwide, ear to the ground and the angelus...

theleanist

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #12 on: December 11, 2021, 09:50:09 AM »
Hi everyone,

This seemed like the correct place to post this!

I've been following Mr. Money Mustache and applying his advice for many years now! I also regularly check in on this forum which I always find really helpful and inspiring. I've finally got around to posting something!

Moving from saving to investing

Up until 2017 I used to put my money into regular savers. As I'm sure is the case from where you're reading, where I'm from - Ireland - the rates are extremely poor on regular savers. The best curent available rate is 0.96% AER on a 10 Year Fixed Government Bond.

So, in July 2017 I started investing for the first time using Degiro. I decided to only invest in the S&P500 (VUSA) and have been purchasing units fairly regularly since - Ive put in about €36k into S&P over the last four years.

So far ...the results have been really good, as outlined below.

The purpose of this thread is to give regular updates on (1) the performance of my first trade and (2) the value of my overall S&P500 investments.

I know the results are quiet small in comparison to a lot of other amazing figures posted elsewhere on the forum. But, hopefully people find it an interesting thread to follow, particularly forum members from Ireland where investing isn't as common place as it is in the US. For those interested I have a fuller breakdown of my workings with graphs etc on my website - www.theleanist.org


My first trade (Nov 21 update)


    Purchased 26 units of the S&P for €40.685 in July 17
    Current buy rate (as of 29.11.21) is €76.278
    Works out as a 11.69% AER after tax
    Best available regular saving rate available to me in July 17 was 1.5% AER after tax from the 10 Year National Solidarity Bond.

Overall value of S&P investments (Nov 21 update)

    Amount invested since July 17: €36,864
    Value before tax as of 29.11.21: €55,454
    Value after tax: €47,832
    Profit after tax: €10,968

I’m from Ireland too.

Are you aware of tax implications on investment in Roi? It’s crippling.

If you’ve access to Northern Ireland invest thru a uk isa stock and shares account...its tax free

Baz

Hi Baz,

Yes, I know, its not set up to encourage you to try all! I still think its a better option than the regular savers though.

No, haven't heard of the Northern Ireland option. Would I not end up paying some tax in the UK? Or, would the Irish revenue not come after me for their cut? 
« Last Edit: December 11, 2021, 09:52:42 AM by theleanist »

reeshau

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #13 on: December 11, 2021, 10:41:56 AM »
Yes - I do watch How to be good with your money! Basic but always good advice! I think its on the RTE player if you had a VPN! And, you could catch up with other riveting RTE productions such as Nationwide, ear to the ground and the angelus...

I agree on HTBGWM--I find it good entertainment, though.  (in a hopeful way, too, not watching train wrecks)  I gave up my VPN when I returned, but I can watch most RTE news and self-produced shows from the US.  Even the angelus!  Very little sports, of course...

bthewalls

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #14 on: December 12, 2021, 02:40:56 PM »
Hi everyone,

This seemed like the correct place to post this!

I've been following Mr. Money Mustache and applying his advice for many years now! I also regularly check in on this forum which I always find really helpful and inspiring. I've finally got around to posting something!

Moving from saving to investing

Up until 2017 I used to put my money into regular savers. As I'm sure is the case from where you're reading, where I'm from - Ireland - the rates are extremely poor on regular savers. The best curent available rate is 0.96% AER on a 10 Year Fixed Government Bond.

So, in July 2017 I started investing for the first time using Degiro. I decided to only invest in the S&P500 (VUSA) and have been purchasing units fairly regularly since - Ive put in about €36k into S&P over the last four years.

So far ...the results have been really good, as outlined below.

The purpose of this thread is to give regular updates on (1) the performance of my first trade and (2) the value of my overall S&P500 investments.

I know the results are quiet small in comparison to a lot of other amazing figures posted elsewhere on the forum. But, hopefully people find it an interesting thread to follow, particularly forum members from Ireland where investing isn't as common place as it is in the US. For those interested I have a fuller breakdown of my workings with graphs etc on my website - www.theleanist.org


My first trade (Nov 21 update)


    Purchased 26 units of the S&P for €40.685 in July 17
    Current buy rate (as of 29.11.21) is €76.278
    Works out as a 11.69% AER after tax
    Best available regular saving rate available to me in July 17 was 1.5% AER after tax from the 10 Year National Solidarity Bond.

Overall value of S&P investments (Nov 21 update)

    Amount invested since July 17: €36,864
    Value before tax as of 29.11.21: €55,454
    Value after tax: €47,832
    Profit after tax: €10,968

I’m from Ireland too.

Are you aware of tax implications on investment in Roi? It’s crippling.

If you’ve access to Northern Ireland invest thru a uk isa stock and shares account...its tax free

Baz

Hi Baz,

Yes, I know, its not set up to encourage you to try all! I still think its a better option than the regular savers though.

No, haven't heard of the Northern Ireland option. Would I not end up paying some tax in the UK? Or, would the Irish revenue not come after me for their cut?

I’ll pm you

B

theleanist

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #15 on: December 29, 2021, 10:56:02 AM »
Hi everyone,

Hope everyone had a great Christmas.

I decided to stick with my strategy of investing in just the S&P500 (VUSA) for another while. Thanks everyone for who left advice on other alternatives. I'll keep the suggestions in mind over the course of 2022.

Just to recap;

The purpose of this thread is to give regular updates on (1) the performance of my first trade and (2) the value of my overall S&P500 investments.

I know the results are quiet small in comparison to a lot of other amazing figures posted elsewhere on the forum. But, hopefully people find it an interesting thread to follow, particularly forum members from Ireland where investing isn't as common place as it is in the US. For those interested I have a fuller breakdown of my workings with graphs etc on my website - www.theleanist.org



Summary: My first trade (Dec 21 update)

- Purchased 26 units of the S&P for €40.685 in July 17
- Current buy rate (as of 24.12.21) is €78.953
- This works out as an AER of 12.33% after tax
- So the S&P500 (VUSA) has significantly outperformed the best available regular saving rate available to me in July 17 which as 1.5% AER after tax from the 10 Year National Solidarity Bond.
- Full breakdown: https://theleanist.org/sandp500-vs-best-savings-scheme/

Summary: Overall value of S&P investments (Dec 21 update)
- I purchased another 14 units of the S&P500 (VUSA) this month for a total price of €1,105.
- Total amount invested since July 17: €37,984
- Value before tax (as of 24.11.21) is €58,504
- Value after tax: €50,091
- Profit after tax: €12,107
- Full breakdown: https://theleanist.org/overall-value-of-my-sandp500-investments/

Malossi792

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #16 on: December 30, 2021, 03:45:17 AM »
Hey OP,

Please check out monevator dot com.
Not affiliated in any way, but it's a great site for anyone outside the US.
They don't push products, but advocate for global diversification.
For example the above mentioned vwrl, or its accumulating sibling, vwce (full disclosure, I own some of the latter, this is not advice etc). Or anything you like really. Concentrated bets can make or break you quickly, diversification is usually said to be the way to stay rich.
Good luck!

theleanist

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #17 on: December 30, 2021, 02:11:05 PM »
Hi Malossi,

Thanks, will check out that site. Most sources are US centric alright! Can be hard to apply to other countries.

Thanks!



Lou2269

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #18 on: January 04, 2022, 07:30:54 AM »

Yes - I have a pension and there is tax relief on those payments, but the options with it are poor. You must invest in it - rules of the company. And, it has only three managed funds and a cash fund. So, again, I think forum members from the US have a lot more choice and influence over your pensions, specifically where they're invested, from what I've read.

Thanks again for the feedback!
[/quote]

Leanist, I don't know  the rules of your particular Occupational Scheme but generally speaking,  you can likely make AVC Contributions up to your max allowed for tax relief, either ad hoc or monthly, to a separate AVC PRSA and claim tax relief back on those contributions after the year end rather than through payroll.

You are not therefore, completely tied into making all pension contributions to your company scheme only those required to receive matching Employer Contributions and have access to any AVC PRSA available on the open market.

I may be mentioning something you are already aware of  and have decided against, but just in case...

daverobev

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #19 on: January 04, 2022, 02:46:22 PM »
I came across https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/05/23/14-fascinating-facts-about-japanese-stocks-from-19.aspx while browsing today - just a real request of the OP to think about diversifying outside just the S&P500...

bthewalls

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #20 on: January 04, 2022, 04:00:44 PM »
My private roi pension cost is 1pc...total waste of time

theleanist

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #21 on: January 25, 2022, 06:07:24 PM »

Yes - I have a pension and there is tax relief on those payments, but the options with it are poor. You must invest in it - rules of the company. And, it has only three managed funds and a cash fund. So, again, I think forum members from the US have a lot more choice and influence over your pensions, specifically where they're invested, from what I've read.

Thanks again for the feedback!

Leanist, I don't know  the rules of your particular Occupational Scheme but generally speaking,  you can likely make AVC Contributions up to your max allowed for tax relief, either ad hoc or monthly, to a separate AVC PRSA and claim tax relief back on those contributions after the year end rather than through payroll.

You are not therefore, completely tied into making all pension contributions to your company scheme only those required to receive matching Employer Contributions and have access to any AVC PRSA available on the open market.

I may be mentioning something you are already aware of  and have decided against, but just in case...
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Hey Lou, thanks for pointer. Yes I am aware of this. Thanks for calling it out though. Something I'll definitely look at in the future.

theleanist

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #22 on: January 25, 2022, 06:09:20 PM »
I came across https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/05/23/14-fascinating-facts-about-japanese-stocks-from-19.aspx while browsing today - just a real request of the OP to think about diversifying outside just the S&P500...

Hey Dave, I will do. I think If I do go with something beside S&P, it will be a worldwide fund as suggested by yourself a few other previously. Thanks again for the pointers.

theleanist

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Re: Investing in just the S&P500 from Ireland
« Reply #23 on: January 25, 2022, 06:13:58 PM »
Happy New Year everyone!

So…I'm sure January hasn’t been a good month for most investing here! Hopefully things settle soon in east Europe for everyone involved over there.

Just to recap

The purpose of this thread is to give regular updates on (1) the performance of my first trade and (2) the value of my overall S&P500 investments. I know the results are quiet small in comparison to some of the other figures posted elsewhere on the forum. But, hopefully people find it an interesting thread to follow, especially forum members from Ireland.

The performance of my first trade
I purchased 26 units of the S&P for €40.685 in July 17
The current buy rate as of 25.01.22 is €73.153
This works out as a 10.27% AER after tax
The best available regular saving rate available to me in July 17 was 1.5% AER after tax from the 10 Year National Solidarity Bond.
So, despite recent stock market drops, still far better results than if I had invested in a regular saver.
Full workings and graphs available here: https://theleanist.org/sandp500-vs-best-savings-scheme/

The value of my overall S&P500 investments
I purchased another 17 units of the S&P500 (VUSA) at a total price of €1,244 yesterday. This means, in total, I’ve invested €39,227 into the S&P500 (VUSA) since July 2017
The value before tax now stands at €55,480
The value after tax is €48,799
And the profit after tax is €9,571
Full workings and graphs available here: https://theleanist.org/overall-value-of-my-sandp500-investments/

My investment goal for 2022
I purchased almost €14K of the S&P in 2021. This was really good going, but was helped by Covid – I went nowhere so spent nothing! I don’t expect I’ll have such a frugal year in 2022. I do want to keep the momentum going however. My aim for 2022 is to purchase at least €12k of the S&P during the year.