Head of EasyWealth shares portfolio

INVSTR portfolio

Wealth creation continues to be a hot topic of discussion so who better to share some wealth and portfolio insights than our very own Head of EasyWealth and Financial Planning veteran, Craig Turton.

Craig, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and 2019 Financial Planner of the year runner-up has been a wealth professional for over two decades, that’s over twenty years of knowledge guys. He has been featured in various publications and on Carolyn Steyn’s Classic Lunch Investment Q & A Show where he answered some burning investment questions, check it out. 

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Let's take a closer look at Craig's portfolio:

Portfolio philosophy

I absolutely love and am passionate about all things Investing (Not trading). I have colleagues who ask me when am I going to sell out my positions and draw profits, my reply is always, I will not sell out of a position unless there is something seriously concerning about a company.

I am 40 years old, and my investment philosophy is to buy and hold for the rest of my life. Some of my holdings might do better than others but hopefully, the majority will continue to grow over time.

My strategy in picking a share is usually around long term stability and demand for the company now and into the future. I lean towards financial, tech and retail but force myself to buy other sectors for diversity.

Top 5 local shares

Craig’s top 5 local shares are spread across different JSE sectors and include:

Capitec Bank Holdings Limited (CPI) which has seen significant gains since the pandemic downturn, Mr Price Group Limited (MRP) an absolute star in the apparel retail sector, Woolworths Holdings Limited (WHL) gained nearly 80% over the last year. The most bought stock on the EasyEquities platform, Sasol Limited (SOL) blew everyone out of the water and Purple Group Limited (PPE) naturally a no brainer in the FinTech space.

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Top USD holdings

My focus for the next 5 years is global exposure and I am using my EasyUSD portfolio for this. The reason for going offshore is to diversify away from South Africa. The currency, the politics the JSE etc. I am an optimist and love our country, but I do not want to be reliant on one country with my wealth. I would rather spread across the globe which I have tried to do with my USD portfolio.

I focus on Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and some of my bigger holdings at the moment are:

Vanguard Energy ETF (VDE), Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF (SPHQ), iShares Global Tech ETF (IXN) and the Emperor Enhanced USD bundle.

In my selection of USD ETF’s I stuck to my philosophy of looking for long term themes that would continue to grow across Energy, Tech and quality based ETF’s. The Emperor bundle follows a very similar strategy which I like but with more active management.

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Performance

In terms of performance in my local share portfolio on EasyZAR, my total return is sitting on 162% and my offshore portfolio on EasyUSD which consists of mainly ETFs has returned on average 31%.

My portfolio has definitely done more than expected. I did try and take advantage of the sharp drop during the  Covid-19 pandemic downturn and this is where I have seen a lot of performance come from.

Other investments

Externally from the EE platform I am invested in the IP Global Equity unit trust, managed by Emperor Asset Management. It recently won a Raging Bull Award. I buy into Shaun Krom’s investment philosophy and trust him with this fund. He and his team are doing amazing things with this fund.

Retirement is key

I also invest heavily into Retirement Annuities, I enjoy the tax deductibility of the contributions, I also like the long term ‘lock in’ associated with them. Saves me from myself. In my Retirement Annuity, I invest most into the Emperor Balanced Unit Trust which is one of the top balanced funds in the market now. I will continue with this strategy and my average return in my retirement funds is 13%.

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Tips and Goals

I was a financial planner for over 20 years before joining EasyEquities. I was lucky enough to have thousands of conversations with clients around their finances, dreams, and goals. There were consistent themes when it came to the clients who were doing well with their finances:

• They saved/invested before they spent.
• They were open to listening to other people’s successes.
• They were not chasing a quick return.
• They never used their investible assets for lifestyle expenses.
• They got out of debt as soon as possible.

They all had diversity in their portfolios with not too much exposure to one share or too much exposure to one country, so diversification is key my fellow INVSTRs.

Outside of investing my goal is to be fully debt free in 3 years. I am on track for this and hopefully, this will allow me to invest further.

Words of Wisdom

I am a fan of Warren Buffet, the American investor, one of the wealthiest people in the world. My favorite quote from Warren Buffett is: "The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient." 

New to investing

and want to learn more about other INVSTRs portfolios?

Read: This EasyVestor's portfolio is on fire and Futuristic INVSTR shares portfolio

Craig Turton

INVSTR, EasyWealth