36 Years Investing - What I've Learnt - by Philippa Gee

Rule 6: Know When Your Holding Is Designed to Flourish

Mon, 09 Nov 2026 05:35:00 GMT

Today's very short episode is to do with timing, and where we are in the stock market climate. I have people coming to see me who have been investing by themselves and say, I don't understand, the fund was doing well, other markets have continued to rise and my holding didn't. What's gone wrong? Usually they have already sold it.

The problem can be that not all stock market periods are the same. It's like buying plants: you plant them all in summer and one doesn't do well, because it was designed to flourish in spring or in autumn. I'm not a gardener myself, but hopefully it helps.

In this episode

Why stock markets are cyclical, and what that means for your fund
The questions to ask before selling: am I crystallising these losses, and how long would it take to claw that money back?
Why capital gains could be a concern if your money isn't in a tax wrapper
Why a holding that isn't performing isn't necessarily a dud
Reaction times, and why it's human nature to react too late when markets are falling
Understanding what your holding represents and in what environment it would flourish

Golden Rule 6

Make sure you're aware of when your holding might flourish, and whether your timing is right going in or going out.

Find out more

https://www.philippagee.co.uk

Important information

This podcast is for information only and reflects my personal views at the time of recording. It is not advice or a personal recommendation, and listening does not make me your adviser. If you are unsure whether an investment is right for you, please take regulated financial advice.

When investing, your capital is at risk. The value of investments, and any income from them, can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is not a guide to future returns.

Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may change in future.

Philippa Gee Wealth Management Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate tax planning or trusts. This podcast is subject to the UK regulatory regime and is intended for listeners based in the UK.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rule 5: The Sweet Spot of Diversification

Mon, 02 Nov 2026 05:35:00 GMT

Diversification is a lovely word. It's just about spreading your investments out as widely as is right for you in your circumstances. But there's a balance: diversify too much and you may dilute the return you achieve, yet when markets are retreating it can be the comfort blanket that means you don't lose as much.

In this episode I talk about finding the sweet spot, and about the person who came to see me having put a quarter of their portfolio into one new investment that went from market leading to market losing.

In this episode

What diversification means, and why it can both help and hamper your returns
Why you don't want 200 funds, each holding 50 to 200 stocks themselves
Knowing what exposure you have with each holding, and what climate it won't do well in
Why any new holding is untested in your portfolio, and how a shadow portfolio can help
Limiting how much you put into something new

Golden Rule 5

Diversify, diversify, diversify, to a point.

Find out more

https://www.philippagee.co.uk

Important information

Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may change in future.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rule 4: Don't Chase the Timing

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 05:35:00 GMT

Today is about reacting. Markets fall, markets soar (at times - no guarantee of course!), there's a headline, there's a budget, there's something going on in the world that nobody saw coming. And the question is, what do you do?

What I'm seeing is people falling into one of two camps. The first is the over reaction: the market drops and they want out. The second doesn't get talked about as much: the person who does nothing, ever. That isn't being calm. That's just not looking.

In this episode

Why the person at the dinner party who sold everything just before the fall might not be giving you the real facts
Selling when markets drop, and the second decision you then have to get right: when to go back in
The portfolio set up years ago and not looked at since
Deciding in advance, when things are quiet, how you'll react
The question to ask when something happens: has anything changed for me, or are the headlines just louder today?

Golden Rule 4

Don't chase the timing. Don't over react, don't under react. Have a plan and come back to it.

Find out more

https://www.philippagee.co.uk

Important information

Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may change in future.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rule 3: What Does Long Term Actually Mean?

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 04:35:00 GMT

Today's episode is about timeframes. We talk about investing as long term, but what does that actually mean, and what mistakes might you make because of it?

A timeframe is the amount of time you could give your investment to produce the sort of return that might be expected from it, allowing for challenging markets, cyclical changes and unforeseen world events. If your mindset is that 12 to 24 months is the maximum you're prepared to hold the money there, that starts to ring warning bells for me.

In this episode

What "long term" means, and why I talk about at least five to ten years, if not longer
Why you need to allow for something untoward happening, particularly if it happens almost straight away
The absolute need for a specific sum in two years' time, and why a high risk strategy doesn't sit with that
The falls I have seen in stock markets during my career
How the timeframe you have available could directly impact the risk you can take
Why you wouldn't sign up for a marathon that's happening next week

Golden Rule 3

Know your timeframe before you invest. The shorter the term, the lower the risk you can take.

Find out more

https://www.philippagee.co.uk

Important information

Philippa Gee Wealth Management Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This podcast is subject to the UK regulatory regime and is intended for listeners based in the UK.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rule 2: If It Looks Too Good to Be True?

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 04:45:00 GMT

If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. It might seem obvious, and I wish it was, but time and time again I'm seeing people come into my office for the first time who have fallen foul of this very point.

In this episode I talk about fool's gold: the new product, the new theme, the up and coming sector, the fund that has grown the most. Over 36 years I've seen them come and go, and the more something becomes the latest whizz-bang investment, the more potential there is, in my eyes, for it to fail.

In this episode:

Why following the herd into the latest thing can be a very high risk strategy
The questions to ask about a fund that has grown the most: what is driving that growth, and why?
Clickbait headlines, social media and being cautious about what you read
Why a tax saving, a lower cost or beautiful marketing is not a reason on its own
Who the investment was really created for: you or them?

No leaping, people. Just measured, considered, researched steps.

Golden Rule 2: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Find out more

https://www.philippagee.co.uk

Important information

Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may change in future.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rule 1: DIY Investing and the Warning Bell

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 17:07:15 GMT

There is so much information out there now: a wealth of investment platforms, a great range of funds, and far more detail on allocations, risks and objectives. But does that mean you should do it yourself?

In this first episode Philippa Gee looks at the DIY option.

Why your initial reaction to doing it yourself is worth listening to
What's at stake: how much you retire on, the income you can take, what you pass on
Being accountable for the risk you take, not only the return you achieve
Why changes to tax and products make this a time to think about advice

Golden Rule 1: don't be your own investment adviser if it doesn't feel right.

Find out more

https://www.philippagee.co.uk

Important information

Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may change in future.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.