Investment Trust Management Records and Changes in Mindset: Reflection on February 2025
Since I started investing, asset management has been a significant theme for me. Every day, I keep an eye on market trends while continuously thinking about how to nurture my portfolio. Although I have many concerns about the recent performance of investment trusts and stock selection, it is also true that I am beginning to see results as I continue to accumulate gradually. I believe that how I respond during significant market movements will be key moving forward.
Held Investment Trusts (S&P 500, All Country, a mix of domestic stocks. The diversification is excessive down to the individual stocks.)
2025/2/13
Total Assets: 1,474,105 yen (Unrealized Gain/Loss: 60,749 yen +4.29%)
Two weeks later, on
2025/2/27, due to my continued efforts in accumulation,
Total Assets: 1,482,089 yen, which is about the same, but (Unrealized Gain/Loss: surprisingly +5,519 yen +0.37%) has decreased.
Since the trading is lackluster, it’s not a significant blow, but it is a bit disappointing.
When the Magnificent Seven drops, it falls beyond imagination. Comparing with 500-7=493 stocks, it doesn’t seem to have dropped that much.
Mr. Trump’s auditorium is manly, quick, and impressive as promised, but it’s a bit scary for an ordinary citizen like me.
Analysts' opinions are divided and unclear.
I will continue on my own path, just like with running.
The current mainstay of my portfolio, Japanese stocks, is surprisingly holding up well.
I believe that there is no tomorrow that doesn’t dawn, and there is no crash that doesn’t stop falling.
Rumor has it that especially after the U.S. presidential election, February will see adjustments and stock prices will drop.
I will look forward to a rebound in March and continue to accumulate without losing heart. (Nervous).
While I sometimes get overly emotional about market fluctuations, it is important to maintain a long-term perspective. I want to move forward without being caught up in the numbers in front of me, maintaining a steady accumulation approach. I am determined to walk my own path without being swept away by trends. I will continue to calmly watch the market while looking forward to the upcoming rebound in March.
"The Journey of a Marathon: Enduring the Cold, Experiencing Luxurious Hell, and Facing New Challenges"
I want to participate in a marathon in Honshu at least once a year during the February to March season when there are marathons almost every week. In February 2024, I participated in the Osaka Marathon. The weather was pleasantly cold while running. However, I have a lasting memory of the tough 60 minutes spent in the cold at the starting block. The baggage collection was also challenging due to the lack of a roof and the complicated layout. The course was good, so I intended to participate in Osaka again, but I had to give up because it was scheduled for the last day of the three-day weekend in 2025.
I tentatively registered for the Kyoto Marathon, which is held on February 16, 2025, where I experienced "luxurious hell." I entered the Tokyo Marathon with a light-hearted feeling, thinking I wouldn't win the lottery anyway. As a result, I ended up being selected for both. Good luck?? I asked my wife to let me participate in both events.
I plan to participate in the Yokohama Marathon in October 2024, but I had to DNS (Did Not Start) due to a fall while running two weeks prior, resulting in a bruise on my right chest and a rib fracture. By the end of October, the pain improved, and I participated in the local race I had originally registered for, the Hokkaido AC Marathon. I initially intended to stop after 20 km, and I ran 20 km as planned and then stopped. (It wasn't a comfortable withdrawal; I felt full after 20 km and didn't have the energy to continue.)
Since then, I have been preparing for a full marathon with a monthly running distance of 300 km as a must, but my training was only about 200 km a month. Moreover, my training mainly consisted of running on snow, which didn't raise my heart rate, and was quite leisurely. The gym runs I occasionally attended also had a 40-minute limit, leading to insufficient training and long runs. As expected, my legs gave out at 20 km, my posture deteriorated, and I experienced "luxurious hell."
I had to run for 4.5 hours, finishing with a net time of 5 hours and 17 minutes. It ended with an unexpected result. Still, I try to think positively that I was able to do a long run in the incredibly luxurious city of Kyoto. The day after the Kyoto Marathon, I did a recovery run and walk of about 3 km to Nijo Castle, and surprisingly, my legs felt light, which was a relief.
When I returned to Hokkaido, it was still a snowy world. Gradually, from the third day, I started to resume running. In Kyoto, I wore the #Mizuno Space Rebellion Pro LOW, which is a high-performance shoe that felt a bit too good for me. I chose to wear them despite insufficient practice. I liked the good rebound and bouncy feel, but it put a lot of strain on my undertrained legs, which I believe was one of the reasons my legs stopped at 20 km.
Despite this, I completed the hot Hokkaido Marathon 2024 in #Taiwan Sandals Yellow in 4.5 hours, and during snow running, I had to use my entire foot for landing. I felt that Mizuno's high-performance running shoes were too much for me. For the upcoming Tokyo Marathon 2025, I decided to participate in #Taiwan Sandals after careful consideration.
I ran on the 400m indoor track at Tsudome in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and found asphalt roads to run on, which allowed me to reaffirm the benefits of Taiwan Sandals and their compatibility with me. Therefore, I will challenge the Tokyo Marathon 2025 in #Taiwan Sandals Purple.
Sub-4 is an eternal theme after resuming running, but my goal is to aim for sub-4, ideally aiming for my best after resuming running, which is 4 hours and 12 minutes, with a must of 4.5 hours. I am a bit concerned that the temperature is expected to exceed 20 degrees. As of February 26, I might be in the best condition for my legs this year.
Here are my recent training details. Even though I was able to do a luxurious long run at the Kyoto Marathon, my training mainly consists of shorter distances at M pace.
February 19: 5.2 km (snow running, with spikes)
February 20: 11.1 km (pace run on snow at 6 min/km with spikes)
February 21: Rest day.
February 22: Round trip run to the Hokkaido Museum, 6.2 km. In the afternoon at Tsudome, I ran 2.4 km in new black Taiwan Sandals for trail running, 2.4 km in yellow Taiwan Sandals, and 2.4 km in Mizuno Space Rebellion Pro LOW. Mizuno was faster, but since I felt good, I added 2.8 km in yellow Taiwan Sandals, which led me to decide to go to Tokyo in Taiwan Sandals.
February 23: 3.6 km wandering around the Hokkaido Museum. In the afternoon at Tsudome, I ran 10.4 km in yellow Taiwan Sandals. It was indeed easy to run (light).
February 24: Round trip run to the Hokkaido Museum in Atsubetsu, 6.6 km. Back home, I ran 5.1 km on asphalt in #Taiwan Sandals Purple (about 5 min 10 sec/km, which is threshold run level for me now).
February 25: In the morning, I ran for 40 minutes on asphalt in Taiwan Sandals Purple at M pace.
I feel that my condition is gradually improving. I will make sure not to catch a cold and enjoy the day. My eldest daughter and her husband, along with my two grandchildren, will come to cheer me on. I am also looking forward to my cousin in Tokyo hosting a gathering for me.
With a passion for running and challenges, I look forward to participating in various events in the future. I am excited about the challenge with Taiwan Sandals in the next Tokyo Marathon, and I want to create enjoyable memories with my family's support. I will prepare my body through upcoming training and work hard towards my goals. I want to feel the joy of running the same path with everyone and move on to the next step.
The Struggles of a Beginner Investor and Anxiety for the Future: Days Tossed by the Waves of the Stock Market
Since I started investing, I've begun to think about many things. In particular, I'm constantly concerned about how daily news and investment trends in the market affect my portfolio. As a beginner, I sometimes feel anxious, but I always find myself pondering how to grow my assets. Now, I would like to reflect a bit on my recent investment situation.
On the morning of February 18, 2025,
my evaluation of
investment trusts + Japanese stocks + a little bit of U.S. stocks
was 3,299,642 yen (investment principal: 3,004,921 yen), with an evaluation gain/loss of 294,721 yen (+9.80%), which made me feel pleased. (1 year and 2 months have passed: I've been trying to invest about 300,000 yen monthly.)
However, on the night of February 25, 2025, just one week later,
my evaluation of
investment trusts + Japanese stocks + a little bit of U.S. stocks
was 3,369,968 yen (investment principal: 3,162,373 yen), with an evaluation gain/loss of 207,595 yen (6.56%), which declined as I expected.
As a beginner investor, I feel a bit uneasy, even though I anticipated this. (I'm basically a timid person.) While I am somewhat considering growth investments, the decline in my regular investments is not a pleasant feeling. Is it okay to just endure this?
Since I have a higher proportion of Japanese stocks compared to investment trusts, I feel that the damage is surprisingly less, but the day-to-day declines are disheartening.
My investment trusts are not solely in the S&P 500 or Oricon, so I am quietly observing the situation. For now, I am not stopping my regular transactions and just watching. (I simply lack the courage.)
I wonder what will happen on the morning of February 26 when NVIDIA's earnings report comes out (I have been accumulating about 5,000 yen monthly: a trivial amount).
It seems that even Mr. Buffett, the god of investing, values trading companies. They are soaring, but compared to their maximum, are they still cheap?
Is now the time to buy, even if I'm a bit late?
The world is changing rapidly, with global situations and politics.
I believe that being able to feel this closeness is what investing is about.
My lifestyle, originally planned, is changing rapidly due to workplace circumstances. I feel anxious about what to do.
The world of investing is truly difficult to predict. Prices go up and down, and it's inevitable that my heart races each time. However, I think that through these experiences, my understanding of my own emotions and market movements deepens. What’s important is to maintain my pace without rushing and to look ahead to the future carefully. While it’s enjoyable to be excited or worried about the next earnings report or market movements, I want to keep a long-term perspective as I move forward.
I was thinking along those lines. I believed I could definitely finish the Osaka Marathon 2024 in under 4 hours 36 minutes, aiming for a target of 4 hours 12 minutes (6 minutes per kilometer).
The weather forecast predicted rain on the day, but the rain stopped before 6 AM, and although the temperature was low, the conditions were good.
I joined MAC-san's shoe circle, took off my outer layer under the roof at Nishikyogoku Stadium, put on a transparent raincoat, and moved to Block D.
There was about a 4-minute delay at the start gate, but I didn’t feel too crowded as I began.
My heart rate was in the 130s. I didn’t feel any discomfort, focusing only on landing directly beneath me and swinging my arms while running.
After starting, I made a stop at the second restroom (a non-private restroom that was very convenient for men, resulting in about 2 minutes of restroom loss).
Honestly, I was able to run without feeling much discomfort.
This time, I had planned for a luxurious fun run, so I took quite a few photos.
Togetsukyo Bridge
Hirasawa Pond
Scarecrows around this area.
Of course, the Ninna-ji Temple at about 11 km.
I struggled a bit on the hill on Kinugasano Road, but I think I was able to run as planned.
Then, near Kitano Shrine, I met my daughter and her husband, who moved to Kansai, and they came to cheer me on with their beloved dog, Uta. We took a nice photo together.
The uphill running up to this point was not forced, so I was able to run comfortably at 6 minutes per kilometer.
I also filmed the drum support at Imamiya Shrine.
Running along the Kamo River, I crossed the northernmost bridge, reaching almost 20 km.
Up to that point, everything was good.
As I began to think about running under 4 hours 12 minutes and possibly in the single digits, my legs started to feel heavy. I had been training 2-3 times a month up to 20 km, so I felt okay up to that distance. However, I had anticipated that 30 km would be tough, and the results confirmed my expectations.
I have always aimed to reduce my anxiety about distance by running longer distances, but I was anxious from the start. With a training volume of 200 km per month, I felt a strong sense of inadequacy in my training, which may have led to negative thinking even before I started.
That said, my biggest hope in Kyoto was to receive support from the maiko in the botanical garden and, if possible, to get a photo. That was at the 27 km mark.
My legs were getting heavy, and I was running in the late 6-minute pace, but I managed to keep going until then.
I was able to take a super smiley two-shot with the maiko, and perhaps I felt like my mission was accomplished.
I made the mistake of stopping on the downhill in the botanical garden where I could have picked up speed and ended up walking.
When I get tired, I have an unpleasant habit of leaning my core to the right. This phenomenon occurs after running for about three hours. I suffered from this during the Hokkaido Marathon as well.
It became impossible to continue. After 27 km, I was running at a pace of over 7 minutes, after 32 km it was 8 minutes, and after 37 km it exceeded 9 minutes, putting me in a situation where I could hardly move.
I could manage to pass some runners who were walking, but otherwise, I felt like I was being overtaken by everyone. The shock of being passed by a fast-walking woman was particularly tough.
At the turnaround point at the city hall at 35 km, I was able to meet my daughter and her husband again, and they took a photo of my back, which was leaning to the right.
In the second half, there were about four turnaround points. The short 2-3 km turnarounds were incredibly tough.
I couldn’t even run to the 1 km remaining sign and ended up walking to take photos.
Even the 200 meters to the torii gate of Heian Shrine felt like I was walking.
Just as I crossed the finish line, a staff member helped me into a wheelchair as I was feeling dizzy, and I struggled to stand and walk straight. After about 100 meters in the wheelchair, I managed to walk on my own.
The medal and towel from this Kyoto Marathon had a beautiful design, and I was glad I didn’t give up and was able to get them.
The distance to the Higashiyama subway station and the walk from Karasuma Oike to the hotel was also very tough.
After returning to the hotel, I took a shower in my room and slept soundly for about two hours in bed.
After that, I went to the hotel’s large public bath, did five rounds in the cold water to relieve the inflammation in my legs, and became somewhat able to walk.
I was really hungry, so I recovered with a set meal of mackerel simmered in miso, rolled omelet, and tofu at a diner. When I ordered the set meal, I was pleasantly surprised to find beer and highballs for just 190 yen.
By chance, there was a runner of the same age sitting next to me, and we had a lively conversation about the race.
Looking ahead to the Tokyo Marathon on March 2, I had thought of it as a luxurious long run, but it turned out to be a luxurious yet hellish long run.
I’m really glad I was able to get the medal.
Lack of training truly does not betray you.
In Tokyo, I plan to aim for a must-do time of 4 and a half hours and enjoy the experience.
