Self directed pension plans

I don't have a pension, I simply invest directly, so it's self directed with no fees other than those necessary to make or divest individual investments.

Of course it doesn't have the tax benefits of a pension, but my investment strategy is near solely focused on the benefit being dispensed via dividends rather than a lump sum cash out based on capital gains.

I am unfamilliar with your jargon. For 2022 I was getting a dividend return on assets of 4.1% and a capital appreciation of 6.07%, so an annual return of 10.17% In contrast, I do have a small sum in professionally managed cumpulsory super from a previous employment which managed a return of 2.37% in capital appreciation, returned no dividend, and then the pro's gobbled about 25% of that gain in fees.

All this is leaving out the BTC, which would distort everything too much.

How do you do the calculation? If total gain is not the addition of income and capital valuation change, what is the correct definition?

The performance of fund managers put's an upper limit on what an individual can achieve; yeah, right.

I do my own tax returns. I'm really confident as to the exact dividend returns my investments generate. I also think I have a good grasp of what constitutes a capital loss or gain, for tax purposes.

Lol.

You remind me of my former Swiss bank. I once asked them could they not provide me with a way to log into my account online? Too which they replied, 'certainly Herr sucker valued customer, just authorise us to deduct CHF 85 from your account and we will send you a code device.'

Rabo bank and later AIB, gave me one for free, well what passes for free in bank terms.

I have a Davy Self Directed PRSA for about 5 years. I moved to this from a institutional retail fund after years of poor performance in the good times which in no way reflected the growth in the markets and drops in value to my fund which mirrored drops/crashes in the market. After years of bullshit and incompetence I made the switch and have done pretty well and would recommend this approach for like minded people

You need to go through an independent broker to get in. Mine was a IFA who I guess I had to persuade I was up to looking after myself in this regard. I think there is a minimum pot they require but I don't think it's that much

I pay fees on each transaction, buy & sell, these vary depending on the exchange and than a 1% annual fee

You then have total control over what you buy and sell except you are limited to stocks/etfs/bonds that are on their trading platform. If something you want to buy but isn't available through the very clunky online trading platform you can ring the trading desk and see if they can make it available for you

Davy are complete boomers when it comes to crypto and won't let you trade the BTC efts. A BTC EFT went live in Amsterdam in August and Davy refuse to open this up in the platform to "protect their customers". When speaking to Davy support they don't distinguish between bitcoin and alts

So on the one hand you will have freedom and control to manage your investments but on the other you will have to navigate this ridiculous paternalistic attitude - BTC up around 80% since August. They are inconsistent as well as you can trade Coinbase and Micro Strategy which are 100% crypto companies. Obviously they know better than Blackrock etc

I have read the comments about trading style in this thread and really its up to yourself. I have actively traded in the five years except for one. The one year I was not getting in and out, taking profits - limiting losses, was the year I lost money. You can be conservative and it can all go to ****. On the otherhand I can look back at some of the first trades I made and if I had just left them alone I would be better off. But I really enjoy actively trading. I'm a retail trader, nothing like a pro and I'm doing well. I am assuming we are in for another year of growth but the peak is, if not on the horizon, just over it. If I get out somewhere between 1-20% off the top valuation of my pot when the crash comes I'll be happy. 20-30% down won't be a disaster.

There is no chance my pot would be anywhere near the valuation it is now if i remained in the retail fund and when the crash happens it would plummet in value and the fund managers will shrug and take their fees anyway

You never expected anyone to read the text when the cost to do so was €74.

Hands up anyone who bought the book?

Your cute version of the Swiss banker asking for CHF 85 just so I could have something close to online banking.

As an interesting additional data point to your implication my returns are incorrectly calculated when I say my portfolio returned 10.17% ROI in 2022 - Vanguard have started offereing Australians a superannuation product, for which they claim current annual returns of 14.7% for people under 47, with fees of 0.58%.

They offer a different product that they say is more conservative and returned 10.89%, for someone aged 61, so that makes me feel better.

Next you will be claiming Vanguard can't calculate ROI or performance correctly, either.

I never said you were, you suggested I buy and read a €74 book.