Welcome back to the September update from my monthly investing challenge.
Well this month didn’t really go to plan! Doh!
I have now contributed a total of $1,200 since starting the challenge in April.
The portfolio is currently worth $1,477.91.
That leaves an overall gain of $277.91, or approximately 23.16% on the money contributed so far.
September summary:
- Total contributed: $1,200.00
- Current portfolio value: $1,477.91
- Overall gain: +$277.91
- Overall return on contributions: +23.16%
- September gain after allowing for the new contribution: +$12.13
- September return: +0.83%
- Biggest lesson: Don’t force a trade just because you want to be in the market.
Financial disclaimer:
This challenge documents my own experience using real money. It is not financial advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or trade any investment.
Investments can fall in value and trading can involve significant risk. Always carry out your own research and consider regulated financial advice where appropriate.
Challenge Progress
The challenge started with $200 in April and I have continued adding another $200 each month.
| Month | Money Invested | Portfolio Value | Gain or Loss | Return on Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | $200.00 | $223.77 | +$23.77 | +11.89% |
| May 2026 | $400.00 | $434.22 | +$34.22 | +8.55% |
| June 2026 | $600.00 | $648.64 | +$48.64 | +8.11% |
| July 2026 | $800.00 | $930.17 | +$130.17 | +16.27% |
| August 2026 | $1,000.00 | $1,265.78 | +$265.78 | +26.58% |
| September 2026 | $1,200.00 | $1,477.91 | +$277.91 | +23.16% |
The return percentage has fallen from August even though the portfolio value has increased.
That is because another $200 has been added to the challenge. The percentage is based on the total amount contributed so far.
September Portfolio Results
Each category has now received a total contribution of $300.
To calculate the September movement fairly, I have taken each August closing value, added the new $50 contribution, and then compared that figure with the September closing value.
| Category | Name | Total Invested | Current Value | September Change | September % | Overall Change | Overall % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Stocks | Johnson & Johnson | $300.00 | $327.44 | -$1.56 | -0.47% | +$27.44 | +9.15% |
| S&P 500 ETF | State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF | $300.00 | $317.83 | -$11.81 | -3.58% | +$17.83 | +5.94% |
| Popular Stocks | Microsoft | $300.00 | $369.69 | +$7.71 | +2.13% | +$69.69 | +23.23% |
| Forex Trades | USD/JPY | $300.00 | $462.95 | +$17.79 | +4.00% | +$162.95 | +54.32% |
| Portfolio Total | $1,200.00 | $1,477.91 | +$12.13 | +0.83% | +$277.91 | +23.16% | |
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is currently worth $327.44 from total contributions of $300.
That leaves an overall profit of $27.44, or 9.15%.
After allowing for September’s new contribution, the position was effectively flat for the month, falling by around $1.56.
There isn’t really anything dramatic to say about that.
And that is probably a good thing.
Sometimes boring is useful.
Not every position needs to provide a story every month. Johnson & Johnson continues to be the calmer part of this challenge. Remember there are dividends that I have not taken into account here.
State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF
The S&P 500 ETF is currently worth $317.83.
It remains $17.83 above the amount contributed, representing an overall return of 5.94%.
September itself was weaker, with an estimated contribution-adjusted fall of $11.81, or around 3.58%.
This is a useful reminder that index funds do not simply move upwards in a straight line.
The reason I like this part of the challenge is that I don’t feel any urge to start changing everything because of one weaker month.
Microsoft
Microsoft continues to be one of the more interesting positions.
It is now worth $369.69 from total contributions of $300.
That leaves an overall gain of $69.69, or approximately 23.23%.
September added another contribution-adjusted gain of around $7.71.
It is still quite funny looking back at the earlier updates when Microsoft was the problem!
It spent a period firmly in the red and is now one of the strongest holdings. Suppose it comes with volatility.
USD/JPY – A $50 Lesson
This is where September gets more interesting.
On 2 September, I opened a USD/JPY trade.
On 7 September, it hit my stop loss.
The result was approximately:
-$50.15
One trade.
More than the entire $37.10 profit I made from USD/JPY during August wiped out.
This one bothered me.
Not because stop losses shouldn’t happen. They absolutely should.
What bothered me was wondering whether I had tried to force the trade.
I bought shortly before a significant sell-off and, looking back, I think there is a fair question over whether I was getting into the market because I genuinely liked the setup or because I simply wanted to have a trade open. That is trading without a system and a problem!
Trading for the Sake of Trading
This is something I need to watch.
When you are tracking a challenge every month, there is a temptation to feel as though you should be doing something.
But the market doesn’t care that I need something interesting to write about at the end of the month.
There does not need to be a trade.
Waiting is still a decision.
My September question to myself:
If I hadn’t been doing this challenge and didn’t feel like I needed a position open, would I still have entered that trade?
If the answer is no, then I probably shouldn’t have been in it.
The Stop Loss Still Did Its Job
There is another side to this.
The trade lost around $50, but the stop loss closed it.
I didn’t keep moving the stop further away and hoping the market would come back.
I didn’t turn a planned loss into something much larger.
The trade was wrong and the loss was taken.
That part of the process worked.
A stop loss isn’t there to make every trade successful.
It is there to define where I accept that the trade hasn’t worked and get out.
The Rest of the Month Recovered
The good news is that I didn’t immediately try to win the $50 back in one heroic trade.
Subsequent USD/JPY trades gradually recovered the loss and the trading account eventually finished September $17.79 higher after allowing for the month’s new contribution.
The account now stands at $462.95 from total contributions of $300.
That is still an overall gain of $162.95, or 54.32%.
I’m obviously pleased with the overall result.
But the -$50 trade is probably more useful to learn from than another winner.
One Trade Can Undo a Lot of Good Work
This is probably the biggest lesson from September.
August’s USD/JPY profit was $37.10.
One losing trade in September was around $50.
That means one bad decision was capable of wiping out more than a whole month’s progress.
That gets my attention.
Even with a profitable strategy, risk still matters.
A good run can disappear surprisingly quickly if I start forcing trades, increasing risk or assuming the recent results will continue.
September Was Actually a Pretty Quiet Month
Despite the drama of that USD/JPY loss, the overall portfolio only increased by around $12.13 after removing the new $200 contribution.
That works out at approximately 0.83% for September.
After some of the larger returns in previous months, that looks pretty boring.
I’m fine with that.
Every month isn’t supposed to produce double-digit returns.
If anything, expecting that would probably encourage exactly the sort of behaviour I need to avoid.
Biggest Lesson From September
My biggest lesson is simple:
I don’t need to be in a trade.
If the setup isn’t there, doing nothing is perfectly acceptable.
The danger is when boredom, impatience or wanting another winner starts becoming part of the decision.
That is when trading starts becoming something very different from following a system.
What I want to improve:
- Be more selective about entries.
- Don’t open a position simply because I haven’t traded recently.
- Accept that some weeks may have no suitable trade.
- Keep using the stop loss when a trade goes wrong.
- Review whether the risk taken on each trade remains sensible.
- Don’t try to recover a loss immediately.
Looking Ahead to October
The challenge itself isn’t changing.
I’ll continue adding the same amount and tracking the same four categories.
The main thing I want to watch is the trading.
Not whether USD/JPY makes another 20%, 30% or 50%.
Whether I can be patient enough to leave it alone when there isn’t a trade worth taking.
October goal:
Don’t confuse activity with progress.
A month with fewer good trades is better than a month full of trades I shouldn’t have taken.
Final Thoughts
After six months of the challenge, I have contributed $1,200 and the portfolio is worth $1,477.91.
That gives an overall gain of $277.91, or around 23.16%.
I am very happy with that.
But September is also probably one of the most useful updates I’ve written.
The headline result doesn’t show the uncomfortable bit.
One USD/JPY trade lost roughly $50 and wiped out more than the previous month’s forex profit.
That is exactly the kind of thing I wanted this challenge to document.
Not just the wins.
Not just screenshots when everything is green.
The decisions that don’t work as well.
September takeaway:
A stop loss doing its job is fine. Forcing a trade because I feel like I should be in the market is something I need to watch much more carefully.
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