Writing on portfolio tracking, done honestly
Technical and privacy-focused articles for UK DIY investors.
The Best Sharesight Alternatives for UK Investors (2026 Comparison)
Sharesight remains a market incumbent, but its pricing model—charging per portfolio and counting sold shares against strict holding limits—often frustrates UK DIY investors. Here is an honest appraisal of the alternatives.
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10 articlesThe True Cost of a 0.5% Fee: How Minor Platform Drag Delays Retirement
A 0.5% fee does not take 0.5% of your final wealth. Over a 30-year investing horizon, that minor drag confiscates over 13% of your terminal pot and can delay retirement by years. Here is the math.
The Dividend Snowball: When Does Compounding Actually Become Noticeable?
In years 1 to 3, reinvesting dividends feels like picking up pennies. But around year 7, the mathematics shifts from personal savings discipline to self-propelling compounding. Here is the realistic roadmap.
Overpaying Your Mortgage vs Investing in an ISA: The Math, The Risk, and The Peace of Mind
Overpaying a mortgage delivers a guaranteed, risk-free, tax-free return equal to your interest rate. Investing in an ISA offers higher long-term expected returns with volatility. Here is how to decide between the two.
A Portfolio Tracker Without a Bank Login: Why CSV Beats Open Banking
Why UK investment platforms rarely support native Open Banking APIs, how third-party screen scrapers introduce fragility, and the technical mechanics of zero-credential CSV ledger processing.
The ISA Bridge & UK Early Retirement Drawdown Guide
For UK FIRE investors, early retirement is split across two phases: the pre-pension ISA bridge and the lifetime pension pot. Here is the mathematical framework for calculating bridge capital to age 57.
Why Portfolio Spreadsheets Break (And How to Fix the Math)
Almost every UK DIY investor starts with Excel or Google Sheets. But as portfolios mature across multiple accounts, subtle mathematical flaws compound into critical reporting errors.
The 'Do Nothing' Benchmark: Measuring True Portfolio Alpha
During bull markets, almost every investor makes money. The 'Do Nothing Test' mathematically proves whether active decisions beat a simple passive global index.
TWR vs XIRR: Which Return Metric Actually Reflects Your Wealth?
Institutional fund managers use TWR to isolate asset selection from client deposits. For DIY investors who control cash-flow timing, XIRR often tells a more complete story of compounding wealth.
End-of-Year 2025 UK Portfolio Review: Strategies for Higher CGT and Lower Allowances
With higher 24% CGT rates and the annual exemption frozen at £3,000, unmanaged taxable accounts create substantial tax drag. Here is a technical playbook to audit returns and restructure assets before 5 April.