Rebalancing, New Investments & Lessons Learned
March has been an intense month of reflection and action. With several stocks sold and a handful of fresh positions added, it’s time to walk you through my latest investment decisions, updated strategy, and key insights. This month was all about being intentional with rebalancing, learning from past decisions, and preparing for the opportunities that may lie ahead in a volatile market.
Rebalancing the Portfolio: Taking Profits from Big Winners
Over the past few months, several of my core holdings have delivered outstanding returns. Positions like AppLovin (+1000%) and Hims & Hers significantly outperformed expectations, and although it’s always tempting to hold on, history shows that excessive gains often lead to inflated valuations and sharp corrections. That’s why I’ve taken the decision to reduce these positions and lock in substantial profits.
- AppLovin: Reduced position from $32,000 to just $4,400. Still holding a small amount for potential long-term upside.
- Hims & Hers: Trimmed down from $10,000 to $3,000 after major gains and signs of overvaluation.
- Aing: Triggered stop loss after consistent uptrend; still sitting on a +$23,000 profit.
This rebalancing effort has allowed me to significantly increase my cash reserves—over $52,000, representing roughly 25% of the Degiro portfolio. Additionally, I’ve built up another $7,000 in Interactive Brokers, which gives me greater flexibility for upcoming investment opportunities.
Cutting the Losses: Letting Go of Underperformers
Just as it’s important to take profits, it’s equally critical to recognize when a thesis has failed. In this update, I exited a few positions that no longer aligned with my expectations:
- NDAY: Initially a turnaround story, but dividend cancellation and leadership changes made me lose confidence. Fully exited.
- Alen: Poor timing and execution. I’ve kept a small position as a speculative play but recognize it was a mistake.
- Shipping Stocks (e.g., DHT, Frontline): Reduced total exposure after a strong 2024. These stocks became too cyclical and volatile for my strategy.
Accepting and learning from mistakes is part of the process. Letting go of poor performers ensures that my capital can be redeployed more efficiently.
New & Expanded Positions
With additional cash freed up, I strategically added to or initiated positions in the following stocks:
- Teckon (Tech): Now one of my largest holdings. Scalable business model, strong leadership, and attractive valuation.
- Zeta Holdings: Recently re-entered at a lower price after profit-taking. Solid long-term potential.
- Kelly Partners Group: Still delivering. Up +60% since I entered. Strong acquirer strategy.
- Powell Industries: Small cap with strong fundamentals and exposure to the growing data center infrastructure segment.
- Vitec Software: Initiated a small starter position—highly scalable, proven recurring revenue.
- Evolution: Bought more shares after a temporary dip; my conviction remains high.
- Teleperformance: An undervalued value stock with a P/E of 6.5 and strong growth potential. Opportunistic buy.
Many of these are small- or mid-cap companies with room to run. My focus remains on companies with solid fundamentals, proven leadership, and exposure to secular growth trends.
Key Lessons & Long-Term Strategy
Every month presents new challenges and lessons. Here are a few that stood out in March:
- Stick to your strength: I’m most successful investing in high-growth, asset-light businesses with scalable models. Staying true to that philosophy pays off.
- Embrace stop losses: Setting objective exit points protects gains and minimizes downside.
- Timing is hard: Even with bad entry points (e.g., StoneCo, PagSeguro), the long-term thesis can still be valid.
- Management matters: I only invest in companies where leadership is transparent, consistent, and trustworthy.
Investing is as much psychological as it is analytical. Discipline, consistency, and humility go a long way.
Private Equity & Silent Investments
Beyond public markets, I’ve made progress in the private equity space. One of my most exciting positions is in Facility, an early-stage tech firm with a strong business model and highly promising recurring revenue potential. Although high-risk, I see Facility as a potential game-changer in its niche.
I’m actively exploring the idea of creating a holding company focused on acquiring high-quality SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) that align with my values: long-term growth, positive impact, and operational excellence. If you're an entrepreneur with a proven business and looking for a hands-on growth partner, reach out—exciting things are coming.
Portfolio Snapshot – March 2025
Here’s where things stand at the end of March:
- Degiro Portfolio: Over $200,000 in assets, 25% held in cash for flexibility.
- Interactive Brokers: Smaller public equity positions, including shipping stocks.
- Real Estate Funds: Roughly 50% of total portfolio, performing well due to interest rate conditions and market corrections.
- Private Equity: Investments in Facility and other early-stage opportunities.
This diversified structure gives me a mix of safety, yield, and high growth potential.
Outlook: What’s Next?
Looking ahead, I’m keeping a close eye on a few key names:
- AppLovin: After a steep drop, may offer a re-entry point.
- Hims & Hers: Watching closely for re-entry if volatility settles.
- Aing: Still excellent long-term prospects, but might underperform QQQ ETF.
Additionally, value stocks like Teleperformance, PagSeguro, and StoneCo continue to present compelling opportunities. These were badly timed entries, but fundamentals remain strong. Dollar-cost averaging has helped bring my cost basis down, and I’m confident about long-term upside.
As always, patience is key. I’m playing a long game, building positions in companies I believe will outperform over 5–10 years—not days or weeks.
Thanks again for following along. If you have any questions, want deeper insights, or just want to share your own journey—drop a comment.
See you in the next update!
