Urszula Adamik
Urszula Adamik
Occupation
Auditor
The portfolio
Ten per cent in cash; 35 per cent in stocks including General Motors Co., BlackBerry Ltd., Shopify Inc. and Manulife Financial Corp.; 55 per cent in equity exchange-traded funds (ETFs) including iShares S&P Global Clean Energy, Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples and iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETFs
The investor
Urszula Adamik started investing after taking a university course in finance. She also learned about investing by reading investment books and websites such as Investopedia.com.
How she invests
Ms. Adamik's non-cash portion of her portfolio is allocated nearly 100 per cent to equities. And it has exposure to riskier companies, in addition to blue-chip companies. "I have a fairly high risk tolerance," Ms. Adamik, who is 33 years old, explains.
"I have a defined-benefit pension plan through work, so have something to fall back on should my investments be less successful than anticipated." The speculative investments that interest her include "stocks that are not doing well or whose price has dropped significantly." An example is struggling BlackBerry Ltd.
The company "has been doing pretty horribly since I got it but it doesn't bother me too much," she discloses. Moreover, there is a chance that some of her other speculative plays could turn around and deliver gains substantial enough to offset losses on BlackBerry and other positions.
Ms. Adamik also has leeway to invest in smaller companies doing things she believes in. "Buying shares in companies I personally cheer for because of their innovative, ethical or local work is what gives me a real thrill," Ms. Adamik remarks. "I really want [them] to succeed."
"I still do my research of course," she adds. It's just that making a profit on stocks is even more satisfying when the gain is realized on the shares of companies that are contributing to worthwhile objectives, such as technological advancement or community development.
She keeps cash in her account, to be ready to buy stocks when the opportunity arises. Infusions are added bi-weekly.
Best move
It was "investing in the up-and-coming Canadian company Shopify."
Worst move
"I bought Manulife stock right before interest rates dropped, without realizing how closely linked interest rates are to the price of its shares."
Advice
"With the amount of information available online, in libraries and bookstores, you don't have to have a finance degree to be able to manage your own portfolio," she says.
Want to be in Me and My Money? Contact Larry MacDonald at mccolumn@yahoo.com or his website