A brief look back:

I started investing 5 years ago (still 23 years young at the time).

At the time, I was still in the final stages of my dual studies when Corona suddenly hit.

My original plan to buy my own car was quickly changed to a loan-financed purchase.

The 17k that became available went public in April 2020. Looking back, there was probably no better time.

First learning:

The father of my current fiancée advised me to invest in 50% Msci World $IWDA (-0,2 %) and 50% Dax $DBXD (+1,57 %) to invest. This in the form of two ETFs.

Without any knowledge of the stock market, I went to my bank (Sparkasse) and told the advisor that I would like to invest in the two ETFs mentioned and open a custody account for them.

I was presented with two funds. Deka Champions and DWS Dax or something like that.

When I asked her that these were not ETFs but funds, she simply said that the benchmark was the same and that the nice saleswoman would also invest in the products mentioned.

So 10k was invested. The 3% and 4% issue and sales charges were thus paid.

Later, after I got to grips with the stock market, these were liquidated and I switched to Smart Broker for individual shares and Trade Republic for ETFs.

2nd learning what goes up can also go down:

One of my first stocks was $KO (-0,43 %) and $ALV (+1,16 %) the good $ETSY (-0,32 %) . EK was 53€ and about 1.5k was invested.

Etsy went up to 110€ and I made my first 50% partial sale ever. Etsy rose to 240€ and nothing was done on my part. Etsy sinks to 90€ and I got back in with the partial sale. Etsy was finally sold completely at 70€.

My first learning on individual stocks was followed by the second. FOMO:

Cannabis = Bevcanna Enterprise 1.5k invested 99% loss

Independent mining corp. = 1k invested sold with 60% loss.

Today I am very thankful that I only paid 2k in tuition fees. I seriously believe that it saved me from bigger losses in the following years.

3rd learning:

An investment in a pure ETF $VWRL (-0,33 %) from the beginning would have given me almost 15k more return by 2024.

I spent 2022 to 2024 reducing a difference of almost 20k, from mistakes made in 2020 and 2021, to my what if portfolio (ETF only). In 2025, however, I settled the amount for the first time to now plus minus zero through my portfolio outperformance.

4th learning:

In all this time, I have been studying the stock market in depth. I don't think I would have gone long with a pure ETF. All the non-fiction books, conferences, streams and videos have also given me a more comprehensive understanding of world events beyond the stock market. I have also made a noticeable change on the subject of money. And no, I don't turn over every penny. My savings ratio is 50% consumption / vacation and 50% retirement provision.

My latest learning:

Being debt free at 29 and having 100k gives you peace of mind. You shouldn't live your 20s in complete consumption, but you shouldn't oversleep either. My trips around the world to Asia, Central America, Europe and Africa, some with friends, some with family, have brought me more than just money.

But everyone is different. I am happy to have taken the middle path.

I have now increased my initial savings rate of €400 per month to €840. However, the €800 for vacations and consumption are just as important to me.

Thoughts on my current portfolio:

Trade Republic:

About the ETFs $IWDA (-0,2 %)
$EIMI (-1,06 %) and $XSX6 (+0,63 %) I don't have to say anything. This is my core investment.

$SGBS (-1,5 %) and $GDXJ (-3,14 %) are my way of diversifying with gold. When I added gold to my savings plan on December 31, 2024, both positions almost automatically reached the 5% weighting.

What is new $VNA (-1,95 %) . I selected these at the end of 2025 together with $O (+0,05 %) for my 10% weighting in the real estate sector. For me, Vonovia is wrongly valued too much as an interest rate bet. Fundamentally, there is a lot right with the exception of the debt. I hope for a nice turnaround and even if not just under 6% dividends are very attractive.

As my individual stocks have performed very strongly, my allocation has become unbalanced. The goal is 50% ETFs, gold, real estate, cash and 50% individual stocks.

I won't say anything about my individual shares so as not to prolong the article too much.

Except:

$ALV (+1,16 %)
$BATS (+0,6 %)
$SHEL (+1,96 %)
$GOOGL (-2,82 %) are long-term stocks

$AAPL (+1,38 %)
$BABA (-0,89 %)
$1211 (-4 %)
$EUZ (-0,19 %)
$AXON (+4,43 %) medium-term

$OXY (-0,95 %)
$ARM (-1,2 %)
$UNH (-0,93 %) short term bets

and unfortunately I can't get the tracking 100% correct. Getquin crashed in March, which is why only Trade Republic is displayed as the previous value and Smart Broker as the capital invested in March / April.

In addition, due to the change of custody account Sparkasse -> Smart Broker -> Smart Broker plus -> Trade Republic (Etfs sorted out) I had no power to enter everything since 2020

$KDP (-1,59 %)
$7751 (+1,04 %)
$NXPI (+4,52 %)
$WM (+0,96 %)
$CDNS (+0,87 %)
$BN (+2,12 %)
$SOFI (+3,79 %)
$UNH (-0,93 %)
$AMT (+0,52 %)
$UPS (+0,89 %)
$BNP (+0,61 %)
$NVS (+3,24 %)
$DB1 (+0,7 %)
$MSCI (+1,66 %)
$ENPH (+1,27 %)
$BKNG (-0,24 %)
$LOGN (-0,31 %)
$V (+1,75 %)
$MDLZ (-0,97 %)
$PYPL (+1,71 %)
$000660
$MBG (+1,79 %)
$BAS (+1,89 %)
$UBSG (+2,85 %)
$SAN (-5,23 %)
$CVS (-0,85 %)
$OTLY (-5,23 %)
$GSK (-1,21 %)
$ETSY (-0,32 %)
$CAT (-8,58 %)
$KHC (-0,56 %)
$ADYEN (-0,04 %)
$ADS (+5,6 %)
$AIR (+1,28 %)
$SBUX (-0,01 %)
$CMG (+1,45 %)
$META (+1,29 %)
$KLAC (+1,75 %)
$MELI (-1,75 %)
$WOLF (-2,86 %)
$GOOGL (-2,82 %)
$EQIX (+3,27 %)
$MSFT (-6,85 %)
$CVNA (+8,42 %)
$EBAY (-2,66 %)
$005930
$6752 (-2,04 %)
$KOG (+13,61 %)
$VOW3 (+1,5 %)
$GLE (+1,16 %)
$LHA (+1,63 %)
$STLAM (-0,04 %)
$SPGI (+1,46 %)
$MA (+3,94 %)
$PUM (+0,18 %)
$AIXA (+9,63 %)
$FSLR (+1,02 %)
$AAPL (+1,38 %)
$REDDIT
$AMZN (-3,98 %)
$NET (-2,91 %)
$MSTR (-2,12 %)
$GDDY (+2,67 %)
$TWLO (-4,37 %)
$COIN (+0,02 %)
$066570
$CL (-0,11 %)
$ABBV (+0,02 %)
$XOM (-0,35 %)

Etsy Inc $ETSY (-0,32 %) disappointed investors today - and in a big way! The figures for the fourth quarter of 2024 show that the platform is struggling with a decline in active buyers of almost 3% to 89.6 million. This also had an impact on sales: Gross merchandise sales fell by almost 9%.

On the positive side, however, Etsy was able to increase revenue by 1% to $852 million. This was mainly due to an improved advertising strategy, which also led to an impressive 56% increase in net profit to $130 million.

Despite these positive trends, there is great concern about user retention. What do you think - can Etsy win back its buyers, or are we facing another decline? Discuss with us! 👍

Wayfair ($W) (+5,55 %) was a clear winner in e-commerce during the pandemic, but experienced a drastic crash afterwards. Now that the market has stabilized, investors are asking themselves: Is Wayfair ripe for a comeback or will the company remain under pressure?

Overview: What does Wayfair do?

Wayfair is one of the world's largest online retailers for furniture and home accessories. The company operates an asset-light model, which means that it does not produce its own furniture, but brokers products via a broad network of manufacturers and suppliers.

✅ Wayfair.com: Main platform for online furniture retail in the USA, Canada and Europe.

✅ Wayfair Professional: B2B platform for companies and interior designers.

✅ Perigold, AllModern, Birch Lane and Joss & Main: Other brands covering different design styles.

Wayfair relies heavily on data analysis and AIto understand buying behavior and optimize the supply chain.

Competition: Who are the competitors?

🔸 Amazon ($AMZN) (-3,98 %) & Walmart ($WMT) (+0,24 %) - Huge competition in online retail, which also offer furniture.

🔸 IKEA - The stationary furniture giant that is constantly expanding its online presence.

🔸 Home Depot ($HD) (+1,57 %) & Lowe's ($LOW) (+2,37 %) - Important competitors in the Home & Living segment.

🔸 Etsy ($ETSY) (-0,32 %) & smaller specialty retailers - Competition from individual furniture and decoration suppliers.

Wayfair has the advantage of being a pure online specialist specialist for furniture, but has to hold its own against financially strong rivals.

Opportunities: Why could Wayfair make a comeback?

✅ Efficiency gains: Wayfair has worked hard on its cost structure and reduced staff in recent quarters.

✅ Stabilization of demand: After the extreme boom in 2020-2021 and the decline in 2022-2023, the market could now normalize.

✅ Improved consumer climate: Falling inflation and potential interest rate cuts could boost purchasing power.

✅ Improved margins: The company has recently achieved higher gross margins, which indicates better cost control.

✅ Expansion of B2B business: Wayfair Professional continues to grow and could be a stable revenue generator in the long term.

Risks: What could continue to weigh on Wayfair? ⚠️

⚠️ High competitive pressure: Amazon, IKEA and Walmart are strong opponents with better supply chains.

⚠️ Dependence on macro factors: High interest rates and weak consumer sentiment could delay the recovery.

⚠️ Profitability remains fragile: Wayfair has made losses in the past and needs to show it can sustain profits.

⚠️ Logistics and storage costs: Despite efficiency gains, shipping bulky furniture remains a challenge.

⚠️ Customer loyalty: Unlike Apple or Tesla, customers have little loyalty to Wayfair - many simply compare prices with the competition.

Conclusion: turnaround opportunity or value trap?

Wayfair could be one of the most exciting turnaround candidates in 2025. The company has worked hard on its cost structure and could benefit from a recovery in consumer sentiment. However, competition remains intense and it is not yet certain whether Wayfair will become sustainably profitable.

What do you think? Does Wayfair have the potential for a strong recovery or will the share remain a shaky candidate? 🚀

When you really immerse yourself in the market matrix, you need a bit of spice - and I've put together a five-pack for that:$GOOGL, (-2,82 %)
$TSLA (+0,52 %), $TIGR (-3,49 %), $SOFI (+3,79 %) and $ETSY (-0,32 %) .

GOOG not only rocks the search engine world, but also presents itself as an AI monster that always provides us with the next innovation kick - even if you sometimes think when Googling that they are deliberately driving us crazy, only to come up with ingenious innovations around the corner.

TSLA? Ah, the wild ride with Elon at the helm. The share is making more headlines than many a meme stock - you can't help but shake your head while applauding at the same time.

TIGR is the tiger in the portfolio, boldly plunging into risk - drama in its purest form, so to speak. Whether it is the joker that delivers the thrills or simply the one that always provides surprises remains to be seen.

SOFI brings the FinTech rebel into the fold, who is shaking up the long-established banking world. While the conservative cracks frown skeptically, SOFI shows that courage and innovation are sometimes the best cards.

And ETSY? The charming marketplace for creatives - a quiet up-and-comer that proves that handmade products also have their place in a high-tech world.

Ironically, this five-piece is like a financial cabaret where everyone plays their own game and together they create a dazzling kaleidoscope of possibilities. Not investment advice - just an exaggerated look at the opportunities that might help me get started next week.

What do you think: do we gamble with the big jokers or do you prefer to remain a spectator?

#GOOG
#TSLA
#TIGR
#SOFI
#ETSY
#FinanzKabarett
#BörsenDrama
#InvestingMitWitz
#AufLock

How I beat the MSCI World by over 25,000% over 13 years

Part 3: My girlfriend with no financial know-how changed everything

You can find the first part of my investment story (incl. background and TL;DR) here: https://getqu.in/JldknL/

The second part here: https://getqu.in/Ptei6g/

Welcome to the third part of investing failures, bad luck and mishaps. What do you think? How many parts did I need to make a Netflix documentary out of it?

Money, money, money

In the meantime (2018), I had taken on first a small, then a slightly larger management position. How did I manage that? Quite simply. With the first one, I went on my boss's balls until I got it. At the second, there was a restructuring and my boss asked me. Once again, I was in the right place at the right time. My part-time degree (which I hadn't completed yet) certainly helped, as I was able to prove my resilience and stamina. This enabled me to increase my gross annual salary from 36,000 euros to just under 50,000 euros and later to around 75,000 euros. As my cost of living only increased marginally at the same time, I suddenly had a lot of money at my disposal. Reason enough for me to take a closer look at my finances for the first time.

Where to put all the money?

First of all, I started writing down and calculating my previous investments and the associated returns. Manually in a text file. Fortunately, there's getquin for that nowadays. However, writing things down by hand helped me to understand how returns and the like are calculated in the first place, what influencing factors there are, what effect they have, ... In any case, I had the feeling that my bank advisor always told me a lot of nice things, but the returns were usually terrible. And I was right.

So I resolved not to follow any more stupid recommendations from my bank advisor. Instead, I managed very well to continue making stupid decisions myself. This included, for example, an investment in a subordinated loan from a local company via crowdfunding (the risk/return ratio was terrible, but it worked out well) and a savings plan on an ETF with a high dividend and low return.

However, I also made some decisions that I would describe as "still okay". For example, the investment in P2P loans and in a DAX ETF. By chance, my savings plans in $IWDA (-0,2 %) and an IT ETF. In a way, I invested in everything that wasn't up to scratch. @Koenigmidas I still do that today 😘.

However, most of my money continued to flow into fixed-term deposit accounts, as I still had my sights set on financing my own home.

A high savings rate can make stupid investments (partially) offset

My assets have now grown to a 6-digit amount. I don't remember exactly how much (and probably didn't know at the time). Maybe just under 200k. It's crazy when you consider that I was mainly investing in building society savings, life insurance, fixed-term deposits, Riester and mutual funds and the crypto market was at rock bottom. But my savings rate was simply phenomenal at the time, I started very early thanks to my parents and the unit-linked Riester pension was doing pretty well 🚀.

In 2019, I had finally completed my part-time studies after my Abitur, Bachelor's and Master's degrees and had also finished my one-year intensive English course. This gave me time to focus even more on my finances and learning. First on the agenda was crypto. I started to understand my crypto investments and realize what nonsense I had invested in. So I sold many (not all) of my altcoins and reallocated the proceeds into $BTC (-0,51 %) and $ETH (-1,04 %) reallocated. I no longer had an exit plan, but had written off the money and wanted to hodl until it became worthless or life-changing. When the bull run started in 2020, I reinvested in some nonsensical altcoins via a savings plan and tried out crazy crypto products on Binance 🤦. Needless to say, I only lost money.

At the same time, I bought my first individual shares. As an IT nerd, I stumbled across a book about companies with a modern corporate culture and a focus on IT. That was the only (!) basis for buying $ING (-2,38 %) and $ETSY (-0,32 %) 😅. As you can see, even a few years ago I was still traveling without sense and reason. Looking back, however, at 36 euros was an ideal entry price, at least for Etsy, and at 100 euros not a bad price to sell at. I was able to sell the ING shares at +/- 0 after holding them for a few years.

Water becomes wine. Fixed-term deposits become ETFs.

I was so convinced of myself and at the same time so convincing that some people developed boundless confidence in my abilities, who were actually at bank advisor level. This included my girlfriend, whom I recommended to start a savings plan on an MSCI World (lucky guess). And she did. With 700 euros a month 🤯. And I fed my ETF with 500 euros a month despite my higher income and supposedly higher financial building. That was the wake-up call for me. "Donkey" I thought to myself. "Donkey, how can it be that your girlfriend, to whom you have just explained the world of finance, has a higher savings rate than you?". I had to stop preaching wine (ETFs) and drink water (fixed-term deposits). And that's what I did. From then on, I saved significantly more in my poorly chosen ETFs and correspondingly less in call money and fixed-term deposits. Looking back, this was one of two decisive turning points in my investment career.

The second turning point in my investing career was Kellogg's $K. But more on that in part 4: https://getqu.in/d4GUta/