[INVESTING · MONTHLY CHALLENGE]
This is the third month of trying to actually stick to something instead of just thinking about it.
Summary
- Added another $50 into each category.
- Spent less time checking positions constantly and letting things run.
- The S&P 500 has continued performing much better than I expected.
- Forex has been particularly volatile this month.
- Following the plan is starting to feel easier.
Monthly Challenge – Results
| Category | Name | Start Value | Current Value | Current Monthly Change | Current Month % | Overall Change | Overall % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Stocks | Johnson & Johnson | $100 | $99.99 | $2.93 | 2.93% | -$0.01 | -0.01% |
| S&P 500 ETF | State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF | $100 | $111.59 | $4.90 | 4.90% | $11.59 | 11.59% |
| Popular Stocks | Microsoft | $100 | $108.33 | -$1.44 | -1.44% | $8.33 | 8.33% |
| Forex Trades | USD/JPY | $100 | $114.31 | $4.06 | 4.06% | $14.31 | 14.31% |
Month 3 – Easier To Follow The Plan
Another positive month overall.
The account finished around $10.45 up, which works out around a 5.23% increase. Not quite as strong as April, but still positive which I’m happy enough with.
The thing that has surprised me most is probably the S&P 500 performance.
An 11.59% increase over two months feels pretty impressive to me. I’d honestly be surprised if it keeps increasing at that kind of rate for much longer.
Forex was definitely the most stressful part of the month.
USD/JPY and GBP/JPY both had large spikes down which ended up hitting stop losses.
At one point, forex profit was actually closer to $30 overall before that happened, so I’m fairly happy to still come out positive considering how volatile things got.
One thing I’ve noticed already is how much easier this feels when I stop staring at positions constantly.
I’ve spent less time checking charts and looking at positions this month.
That has probably helped more than anything else.
The setup was already done, so this month mostly just came down to making sure the extra $50 went into each category and then leaving it alone.
That sounds simple, but honestly that’s probably the hardest part.
What I’m Learning So Far
- The S&P 500 feels boring, but boring seems to work quite well.
- Forex can move from strong profit to stop loss very quickly.
- Checking positions constantly usually doesn’t improve decisions.
- Consistency is starting to feel more important than timing everything perfectly.
- Once the system is already running, adding money monthly feels much easier.
Plan For Next Month
The plan stays the same for now:
- another $50 into each category
- less overthinking
- stick to the process
- see what happens over time
I’m still more interested in consistency than trying to force massive returns every month.
At the very least, this challenge has stopped me changing strategy every couple of weeks.
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