Hello Getquins,

As always, I'm starting my summer a little early with a vacation. This time it's not Asia but surprisingly :-) the USA.

As it's my first vacation in this country (otherwise only on business) I'm taking advantage of other opportunities, not just the company and hotel.

$ROST (+0,48%) The shares of the company are very strong here and were not known to me as a share, the turnover, profit and share price in the past are very lucrative.

My investment $PEP (-1,39%) I hardly see here except for sweets like Lay Chips but $KO (-0,14%) is the leading beverage here.

I have $TSLA (-1,38%) and am surprised at the company empire, the South African is doing (almost) everything right. His company Space X (now also rockets), the Boring Company opposite and batteries under construction for houses, companies and cities are a large portfolio.

They build like mad here, whether streets $CAT (-1,63%)

$DE (-2,56%) or entire residential areas with several hundred houses.

The integration of South Americans has been properly implemented here, you can see them working in construction, with the cleaning crew or as handymen in the trades. Whether this will work in Europe with state support is questionable, but it's a different topic.

Almost 90% of people here have $AAPL (-4%) iphone, $F (-1,72%) pickups or $GM (-3,29%) a few European ones can also be seen here $VOW (-3%)
$BMW (-3,43%)

The bar culture, restaurants and dinners are very popular.

$BOM

Of course there is a huge $WMT (-0,31%) and next to it the $CVS (-0,34%)

Best regards and hope you had Easter or soon Whitsun vacation.

So long

Smudo

Before the moment is over again, I would like to take a moment to celebrate my first small milestone: after almost a year of active trading, I have reached €10,000.

Most of the time I was still a student - with small savings rates, a lot of curiosity and learning by doing (and many mistakes). I've now been working as an engineer for a month and can invest properly for the first time. I'm excited to see where the journey will take me.

I am pursuing a long-term growth strategy, but I also like the charm of dividends as a motivator. With half of the bonuses, I will probably buy individual shares or burn a penny or two by gambling.

I know things aren't going perfectly, but I'm prepared to learn from mistakes and constantly question my strategy.

One small fly in the ointment: my Mercedes shares are currently still blocked.

I look forward to your feedback, experiences and tips - on the subject of crypto, I'm still torn as to whether I've missed the party.

Savings plans: 690€

200€ - $IWDA (-1,45%)

60€ - $EIMI (-0,17%)

40€ each - $JEGP (-0,39%)
$MAIN (-0,73%)

25€ each - $NOVO B (-1,85%)
$HTGC (-0,97%)
$GOOGL (-2,9%)
$WMT (-0,31%)
$CRWD (+1,14%)
$AMZN (-1,96%)
$MELI (-4,43%)
$META (-2,42%)
$NET (-0,03%)
$ALV (-1,13%)
$WM (+0,17%)
$ASML (-1,57%)
$SAP (-2,77%)
$PLTR (-0,43%)

AHEAD: Starting next month, my Instagram monthly recaps will only show the most important facts and figures on the slides of the Instagram post. The detailed text version will appear here on getquin. This makes it easier to absorb the information and makes the Instagram posts clearer.

I will divide the monthly review into a portfolio update and a review for private finances. I could also create a separate review for dividends and reinvestments. My aim is to motivate people to take responsibility for their own finances and to build up their wealth. The whole thing is based on my experience reports from my personal everyday financial life, tailored to the respective target group for each sub-post. Let's see how well I succeed.

Here is the last All-In-One post.

While many have continued to panic about Trump, I think I have understood that the whole tariff issue is only intended to depress the markets so that the USA can refinance itself at much lower interest rates when a good USD 7 trillion of the USD 36 trillion of national debt matures this year. That's why I preferred to keep on hiking, while the portfolio rewarded me with plenty of dividends for the month.

I present the following points for the past month of April 2025:

➡️ SHARES

➡️ ETFS

➡️ DISTRIBUTIONS

➡️ AFTER-PURCHASES

➡️ CASHBACK

➡️ P2P CREDITS

➡️ CRYPTO

➡️ AND OTHER?

➡️ OUTLOOK

➡️ Shares

So the second of April was the aforementioned day of liberation. And it was indeed one, the day of liberation from the excessive overvaluations in US equities. Unfortunately, there was also other collateral damage, but in the end there will be none, as it is all just book losses.

The trap in the US government budget that I would like to briefly point out is the national debt to GDP ratio of 123%, as of March 2025. In Germany, it is around 63%. This is stiflingly high and means that economic output is not enough to keep the national debt in check! Therefore new new "money" has to be printed for refinancing. And this money reaches us through asset price inflation. The illustration is, of course, highly simplified, but that is why we invest.

A look at my portfolio shows me that my individual shares $NFLX (-1,29%) my previous class leader $AVGO (-1,93%) has at least just caught up in terms of performance. Nevertheless, Broadcom remains the largest position in terms of volume. Who knows for how much longer?

Netflix's performance has recovered to +184%, Broadcom's is +182%. I'm watching the spectacle, but I'm letting the savings plans continue. Nothing more will be done here, as Beate Sander once said: the horses stay in the stable. Behind the two draught horses $WMT (-0,31%) 3rd place in terms of volume and $SAP (-2,77%) in 3rd place in terms of performance with +110%. In the last review, I reported that the waste disposal service provider $RSG (-0,02%) had risen steadily. It is now losing a few places again, but rising $V (-2,26%) and $MA (-1,99%) are rising together and both are already knocking on the door of the top 5 from the outside. The performance of both is similar and decent with +44%/+42%.

As always, the last places in the main stock portfolio are occupied by the same suspects. $NKE (-2,87%) , $TGT (-1,59%) and $HTGC (-0,97%) are the smallest positions. In terms of performance, Nike and Target are the worst performers at -40%.$DHR (-2,31%) as well. But that leaves me cold. In the current macro situation, this is hardly to be expected otherwise. The "neighbor indicator" fits, because most of the shoes on their doorstep (larger family) are Nike shoes. I'm thinking about adjusting my savings plans so that these values receive a higher proportion of my net salary.

➡️ ETFs

The impact of Trump's tariff policy was also clearly felt in the prices of my ETFs in April, leading to significant losses. It is important to remain calm in such volatile times and continue to invest strategically. Such phases are part and parcel of long-term asset accumulation.

➡️ Distributions

In April, I was pleased to receive 19 distributions on 8 payout days. This additional income stream is a valuable addition to my normal earned income, for which I am very grateful. I recommend everyone to build up this kind of additional income in order to become more financially independent from their traditional main job.

Traditionally, April is not a low-distribution month for me. This time, however, the distributions from my three large ETFs were not paid out at the end of March but in April, which distorted the distributions for both months. This effect made April the second-highest distribution month since I started investing. Otherwise, April is always slightly below the distributions of March.

➡️ Additional purchases

From the refunds below, I bought two one-off savings plans on the $GGRP (-1,11%) and $JEGP (-0,39%) executed. I would have liked to buy more, but I still don't want to touch the nest egg or reserves.

➡️ Cashback

In April, I received a cashback on my electricity bill and a travel allowance from my employer. Part of this was used to pre-finance future expenses and to top up sinking funds, while the other part was invested in an old portfolio via the aforementioned one-off savings plans.

➡️ P2P loans

With Mintos, there were no interest or redemption payments. I always withdraw incoming funds with availability. How are you doing with P2P? Are you also withdrawing from the investment?

➡️ Crypto

April was also a very volatile month for crypto investors. The unrest caused by Trump's tariff policy depressed crypto prices, similar to March. However, prices gradually recovered, indicating that the money supply is already increasing again. This is happening through new debt being purchased in the form of government bonds by the FED, which is essentially the equivalent of 'printing' money. Historically, the $BTC (+1,43%) usually follows this development with a delay of just over 10 weeks, as it is strongly correlated to the money supply at 90%.

I am following the whole thing with interest. My preferred theory of cryptocycles still fits in with the current trend. We are moving back towards 100K and I expect a bullish crossover in Bitcoin. The limit orders are still in the market, even if it will be a long time before they trigger. Of course, I hope that the "normal" bear market will then resume. In a few months' time, we will know whether we will have seen another clear double top in the current bull market.

Here are two key figures from my crypto wallets: monthly performance: +5.5%, performance since the beginning: +56%.

➡️ And what else?

I'm continuing to delve deeper into the use of LLMs and am currently working on my prompting technique. The posts on my Instagram channel that I have published since March have been created with the help of AI, I have used AI to give me ideas for image generation, to have them created naturally and many of the quotes are also AI-generated. I use several LLMs and see significant differences in the outputs. This makes it more diverse and even allows me to merge multiple results. The models are also learning my writing style better and better, with longer generated texts you can still clearly read the generic, but I myself understand better and better how I can use the new technology to improve my productivity instead of letting it replace me. This also applies to my job.

As in the previous month, I am also focusing much more intensively on the topic of nutrition. I avoid added sugar as much as possible. So there was no chocolate bunny for me at Easter and I'm not hungry for chocolate or other sweets. That's a real miracle.

I've also increased my weekly exercise routine once again and am paying close attention to how my body is coping. Instead of two weight training sessions at home, I now do three, instead of three running sessions a week I do a lot and every morning I do some general fitness/cardio and core exercises for my stomach to warm up. The clear aim is to continue building muscle and strengthening my heart health. And I enjoy it, even though the temperature in my apartment has already risen towards 25° Celsius on some days.

I've been hiking twice in Saxon Switzerland, once just under and once over 30 km. On hiking days, I like to leave at 4 a.m. on the first Saxonia Express train. In the fall and early spring, this is even the perfect time to enjoy the sunrise on the sandstone cliffs. For me personally, this is pure healing for the soul and a real quality of life. I can enjoy it without depressing thoughts in my head because I know that my finances are in order and running on autopilot.

➡️ Outlook

May will be a no-spend month for me, simply because I feel like taking on the next challenge. Later in the year, I want to start a Hartz IV/citizen's allowance experiment. I should be able to do this most of the time, as my expenses in March and April were both under €1,000. I'm already looking forward to the evaluation at the end of the challenge.

Links:

Social media links can be found in my profile, also feel free to check out the Instagram version of my review.

Tops

Still at the top 🥇Sprouts Farmers$SFM (-1,52%) which are stable 📈 followed by 🥈Netflix $NFLX (-1,29%) which has fought its way up to second place despite all the market turbulence.

Walmart $WMT (-0,31%) who have always been in the top 3 since I started covering the position.

Unlike the country 🇩🇪 where it feels 📉. Things are looking surprisingly good on the stock market for 🇩🇪 shares $DB1 (-0,07%) & $MUV2 (-2,18%) in the top 10 💪😊

Surprisingly, there is no sign of Magnificent 7 far and wide 😂 although $TSLA (-1,38%) is no longer represented in the "ETF".

Flops

Although Adobe$ADBE (-2,81%) actually has good figures, the position has not really gotten off the ground since I started holding it, worse still, so far it has brought me the most losses, although it does not pay a dividend 😂

Of course the savings plans are still running this month, but not all positions.

The winners are still running, some of the losers have been paused for the time being and only the flops are still running. $QCOM (-2,38%)
$AMAT (-3,07%) continue.

$WMT (-0,31%)

$WMT (-0,31%)
$TGT (-1,59%)
$HD (-1,6%)
$LOW (-2,72%) Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's and Target attend White House meeting

Target announces meeting to discuss next steps for retailers

US retailers suffer from tariffs and shrinking profit margins due to import dependence

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump met with major retailers including Walmart (WMT.N), opens new tab, Home Depot (HD.N), opens new tab, Lowe's (LOW.N), opens new taband Target (TGT.N), opens new tab to discuss broad-based tariffs on Monday that will likely raise the cost of imported everyday goods.

Major U.S. chains like Walmart and Target rely heavily on imported goods, and tariffs - including 145 percent levies on China - are likely to add to a U.S. population already burdened by persistent inflation.

https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/trump-meet-retailers-including-walmart-home-depot-discuss-tariffs-impact-2025-04-21/

🔍 Walmart share in focus - stability meets innovation:

Walmart ($WMT (-0,31%)) is much more than just a supermarket giant. With annual sales of 648 billion USD in the 2024 financial year and around 2.1 million employees worldwide Walmart remains the company with the highest sales in the world. Despite a net margin of around 2,39 % the company generated a net profit net profit of USD 15.5 billion - a clear sign of operational efficiency at low prices.

📦 E-commerce & automation:

Walmart is investing heavily in digitalization and automation. Online sales are growing at double-digit rates, driven by services such as Walmart+ and same-day delivery. Automated warehouses, AI-supported logistics and self-checkout reduce costs and increase efficiency - a targeted counter to Amazon.

🧠 Technology & data strategy:

Big data, cloud solutions, fintech services such as Walmart Pay: Walmart uses state-of-the-art technologies to control prices, manage demand and increase efficiency. The company is increasingly developing into a tech-driven retail giant.

🛡️ Defensive business model:

As a local supplier with a focus on everyday needs, Walmart remains in demand even in times of crisis. The reliable cash flow and the dividend history (for 50 years rising) make Walmart a real "safe haven". The dividend yield is currently 1,12 %.

📊 Key figures (as at: 2024)

• P/E RATIO: approx. 34,8
• Market capitalization: approx. USD 669 billion
• Debt-to-equity ratio: approx. 73 %
• Free cash flow: approx. USD 15.1 billion

📈 Conclusion:

Walmart represents a rare combination of defensive stability and digital growth. Anyone looking for long-term strength with a technological tailwind should take a closer look at this share.

(No investment advice - DYOR!)

The first quarter of 2025 is over. In March, real assets recorded declines, both in equities and ETFs and especially in cryptocurrencies. The markets have become increasingly volatile. While many are panicking, I have been enjoying the first signs of spring, hiking and continuing to winter bathe diligently.

For the past month of March 2025, I present the following points:

➡️ SHARES

➡️ ETFS

➡️ DISTRIBUTIONS

➡️ CASHBACK

➡️ AFTER-PURCHASES

➡️ P2P CREDITS

➡️ CRYPTO

➡️ AND OTHER?

➡️ OUTLOOK

➡️ Shares

There was a considerable setback in March, and not just in equities. The reason for this is the customs issue, on which I have already formulated my thesis, which many believe to be correct. To summarize briefly: Markets are being depressed to get investors into bonds, which lowers bond yields and allows US debt to be refinanced at a lower interest rate. After the refinancing of short-term US government bonds, the tariffs are put into perspective and the next upswing follows, which Trump can boast about. Whether this assumption is correct remains to be seen. However, it would make sense in the long term to slash US spending. Even if the D.O.G.E. does a good job, you can't cut everything without incurring the displeasure of the population.

A look at the depot shows the front-runner $AVGO (-1,93%) and its companion $NFLX (-1,29%) both currently only 150% up, despite a significant setback. I am unimpressed by this development, as the capital market is always facing worse times, which will be followed by better ones. According to André Kostolany, it is now the "shaky hands" that are significantly triggering the sell-off. Yes, change your perspective: the red sign in your portfolio is irrelevant, now is the time to buy more. Enormous overvaluations in tech stocks have been reduced and they may now be available at a fairer price. There are also attractive defensive value stocks on offer, ideal for a dividend portfolio.

Second and fourth place in my individual share portfolio are still occupied by $WMT (-0,31%) and $SAP (-2,77%) . Walmart can now prove that it acts as a stable anchor in the portfolio even in bad times. In sixth place is a stock that I did not expect to be in the top 10. Like me, many of you have shares in $WM (+0,17%) but the stock I am looking for is its competitor: $RSG (-0,14%) . I have been watching the rise of this stock even before the pressure from Trump and I am happy about it. This is an example of a defensive stock. Garbage collection is necessary and Republic Services, like Waste Management, will literally turn garbage into gold for shareholders 50 years from now. Anyone complaining about their portfolio being down 50% probably has too much tech and too little defensive. My overall portfolio currently stands at around -12%. That's OK in the current macro environment.

Which brings us to the subject of performance: $NKE0 and $DHR (-2,31%) returned around -39% at the end of March.

➡️ ETFs

They are also recording significant losses. It is important to remain calm and continue investing. Such phases are part of the game. I will not repeat further details.

➡️ Distributions

In March, I received 31 distributions on 15 payout days. I am grateful for this additional income stream. Everyone should build up such additional income.

This time, the distributions from my three large ETFs were not made on March 31, but in the first few days of April. This means that there should theoretically be 34 distributions. Numerous corrections and cancellations of dividends from REITs were not taken into account. With $O (-0,33%) , $OHI (-0,22%) , $LTC (+0,36%) and $STAG (-1,32%) there were therefore some cancellations and new dividend distributions. Although this was a major bureaucratic effort, it was usually a cause for celebration. This is because the REITs initially distribute dividends from current net income. If there are then corrections in the following year, it is determined that a distribution is also made from the already taxed retained earnings. This subsequently reduces the company's tax burden and I have noticed that I pay less capital gains tax and solidarity surcharge. So more cash in my pocket for reinvestment.

➡️ Cashback

In March, I received a small amount of income from an expense report, which I invested directly in my custody account. More on this under subsequent purchases.

➡️ Subsequent purchases

The additional purchases were financed from the expense report and, above all, from the bonus paid out by my employer. I am grateful for this, as my employer is not doing well at the moment.

I made numerous additional purchases in several ETFs that are in my small old portfolios. I invested smaller sums $GGRP (-1,11%) , $JEGP (-0,39%) , $SPYW (-0,53%) , $FGEQ (-1,18%) and $SPYD (-0,89%) and bought a larger sum in shares of the $IWDP. On the last Friday in March, I checked my portfolio and realized that, despite careful use of the surplus, there was more cash left than I had expected. I therefore made a small additional purchase in the $VNA (+0,68%) . For me, Vonovia (like the REITs) is a kind of hedge against my own rising rent.

➡️ P2P loans

With my last P2P platform, Mintos, there were no interest or redemption payments. I still intend to withdraw all funds where released. I would even accept a full write-off to get out of the platform. The remaining amount is no longer relevant to me.

➡️ Crypto

Crypto investors continued to experience significant volatility in March. The double top predicted by some does not seem to be materializing and the indicators do not currently point to a steep rise. I am studying the charting and the macro environment for crypto, although I still have a lot to learn here. Patience and calm are still required. I am sticking to my cycle strategy, the macro situation confirms me, so there is no need for me to take any action.

➡️ And what else?

I'm currently deepening my knowledge of AI. The posts on my Instagram channel that I published in March (and others that will follow in April) were created with the help of AI. I explained my approaches, beliefs about finance and the frugal lifestyle, and my goals to AI. The AI then created suggestions for Instagram posts, including prompts and allowing for a week break at the end of the month.

There is still a lot for me to learn. I am using AI more and more intensively and deeply in my professional and private life. While colleagues are happy that an AI can write emails for them, I use it much more extensively, for example to have technical content and its effects on departments and companies explained to me at work or to have economic relationships explained to me in my private life. In addition to ChatGPT, I particularly like Grok by X, as this AI always asks questions and thus enables a fluid conversation. The AI doesn't just reproduce facts, but also evaluates my ideas and classifies them, for example whether I should already use part of my nest egg to buy more quality stocks at favorable prices. Her suggestion was perhaps to wait until after the refinancing of short-term US government debt, when there might be less downward volatility in the market. This recommendation is based on my thesis mentioned above.

March was also a month of fasting for me, not for religious reasons, but because I want to and always intend to. I like to use the time after fasting to change my habits, adjust my diet and vary my sports units and routines. For me, this is particularly easy after fasting - the time afterwards generally feels like a new beginning.

➡️ Outlook

In April we will continue to see negative signs in the portfolio. I have now placed a limit order, which I hope will be triggered. The annual electricity bill is also due. I'm curious to see how much will be returned, the refund will certainly go into the custody account. It will also become clear whether I will increase my discount due to higher electricity costs. Until then!

Links:

Social media links can be found in my profile, you can also take a look at the Instagram version of my review.