Spring has finally arrived, at last. Is it me or has April felt like winter? Happily as we near the end of the month it is truly Spring, at last.
We have ventured out into the garden here at the Quirky Museum a few times. Mostly tidying up and I have removed a chainlink fence which turned out to be cemented in, most annoyingly. Speaking of fencing, I have started painting (with coloured preservative) some of the fencing between us and our neighbours; we have quite a lot to do, along with some repairs along the way.
We need a roofer to provide the roof with a health check as it needs to be kept in good order. The roof includes a valley, this means we can’t see all of the roof from ground level and we won’t be surprised if there is the odd slate which needs fixing back into place.
Cars are looking for a good clean and polish and it does feel good to see the warmer, lighter days arrive. We tend to be outside more when May arrives and it’s good for our health. Speaking of being outside, we took my mother to see the bluebells at Ashridge a few days ago (see above photo). Luckily when we were there there were few other people; when it becomes busier the National Trust are there to make some money.
Speaking of money
We had our annual review with our advisors a few days ago. All okay as expected. However, I did express some frustrations and I wonder if I am the only one. I am sure this may apply equally to my readers here in the UK and in the US.
It is all very well investing “ethically” but it is so hard knowing what the effect is. We have bought into the ESG agenda, that’s the Environmental, Sustainability and Governance investment sector.
Years ago we expressed our desire to avoid investing in harmful ways, such as alcohol, gambling, tobacco and so on. We added arms later but have changed our minds on that. Defence is different to guns and bullets for civilians.
Our money is held in a wide ranging model portfolio, geared to our appetite for risk. This means we have invested in numerous investment funds and this spreads the risk nicely. It probably also means there is some overlap between the funds with the companies they invest in and of course they probably invest in other investment funds.
So when I ask for examples of what good our little nest egg has done out there I get little back. Investment fund websites are full of well meaning twaddle. The handouts are full of hopeful sounding aspirations but nothing specific. I am weary of this and yet we will continue as we trust our advisors who have done us proud over the years.
One thing I did ask for a while back was for about 10% of our investments to be held in traditional investments, also consistent with our risk levels. There are about 10 different funds, including those that track the FTSE 100 and 250. I am pleased we have done this, while the performance hasn’t exactly set the world alight, it is probably good for the longer term of 10 years or more.
I mentioned to our advisors, in the nicest way, I am open to investing in a more specific way. Eyebrows were raised.
Readers – any views on this? Are you also frustrated by the waffle you get from ESG investment funds?
And finally
Our Ukrainian guests probably think we are completely mad. In our family bathroom, Rachel and I seem to be engaging in some toilet roll art. Every time I go into the bathroom, the pile of toilet rolls seems to change, so I add to the changes and rearrange them once again! Admittedly there are only so many ways these can be changed but it does, at the very least, brighten the day while performing bodily functions. It was probably the Christmas tree which finally convinced them…..
