New to investing at 22 — am I doing okay so far? Any advice from more experienced investors?
Hi r/phinvest,
I’m still new to investing and currently trying to build a long-term portfolio while continuously learning and doing my own research along the way. I’m not really looking for “what stock should I buy” answers, but more on insights, experiences, and possible things I should improve early on.
Current holdings:
- Google (Alphabet)
- Nokia
- NASDAQ 100 ETF
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
- Vanguard Total International ETF
Recently, I sold my Gold ETF at around an 8% loss because after studying my preferences more, I realized I’m more interested in long-term tech growth rather than gold exposure through ETFs. I shifted more toward tech-related investments like Google and NASDAQ-focused funds instead.
I still bought physical gold jewelries this week though, so I feel like I still have some non-stock asset exposure outside the market.(bought it from my mom around ₱100k)
For context:
- I’m a fresh graduate currently working as a software engineer earning around ₱23k/month
- I also have a part-time work internationally earning around ₱40k/month as a software engineer too
- I help provide for my parents with around ₱10k/month
- I am putting around 5k to 7k in US stocks(but planning to put 7k up consistently)
Right now, my focus is:
- long-term investing
- consistent contributions
- learning proper risk management early
- avoiding emotional decisions
I wanted to ask:
- Does this kind of portfolio direction make sense for someone young and growth-focused?
- For people who also started tech-heavy, how did it go for you long term?
- Any lessons or mistakes you wish you knew earlier when starting out?
- How do you personally balance ETFs vs individual stocks?
Would really appreciate hearing experiences from people who’ve been investing longer than I have. Thanks!
