Cafe in Nice at the time my portfolio passed the £1 Million mark

I couldn’t have been in a better location when my overall portfolio of shares and property passed £1 Million net value. I was in the South of France, in the beautiful city of Nice having a few days away following a busy first part of the year. It was a particularly good week on the markets, I was sat outside a cafe enjoying the company of my partner and watching the world go by, we had ordered champagne for no reason other than ‘why not’! It was May 6th 2017 at around 6:40pm when I checked the progress of my shares which had increased sufficiently to push my overall portfolio across the £1 Million mark. My first instinct was to message my old business partner, however in my excitement and after one or two glasses of bubbles I sent the message to the wrong person!

Investment, Patek Philippe Nautilus

I wanted to mark the occasion and I always thought that I would buy myself something, perhaps an item that would appreciate in value. A friend had introduced the watch brand Patek Philippe to me, having researched I found that these watches can be a good investment. Later that year I took a trip to London and purchased a Patek Philippe Nautilus, a second hand model from Burlington Arcade which bizarrely was considerably more expensive than a new one. However, having visited the Patek Philippe shop on Bond Street I was quickly illuminated to the 8 year waiting list for a new Nautilus which is currently closed to new names!

I loved buying this watch, I love wearing it, I love what it stands for. I feel an immense sense of appreciation every day that I hold and wear it. I think of my life so far and all its blessings, particularly those that light me today. I hope one day to pass it and its story to a younger Barraclough generation.

Portfolio screen shot at the time it passed £1 Million

My overall portfolio is spread across property and shares, at the time more weighted to property. I have since sold some property and moved the cash into shares, the mix today (31/12/2017) aprox. £550,000 (net value) in property (excluding my own house) and £450,000 in shares. There is also £50,000 in what I call ‘other’ investments. Albeit still weighted to property, I expect the shares portion to catch up over next few years giving me an even balance between the two.

I have a conservative value on my properties, a realistic price, if anything slightly undervalued. I keep a regular eye on similar properties for sale and sold in each area, adjusting my valuations accordingly.