My 9-Year Investing Track Record — What Actually Worked (2017–2026)

Before I talk about where I’m going, I need to show where I’ve been.

Because strategy without a track record is just theory.

This is my real, 9-year investing journey—starting in 2017, through mistakes, wins, losses, and everything in between.

No filters.

Where it started

I didn’t start with a perfect system.

I started like most people:

• buying individual stocks

• chasing ideas

• reacting emotionally

• learning everything the hard way

Over time, I built a portfolio that today sits around:

    ~3.5 million HUF
    ~17% total return

But those numbers don’t tell the real story.

---

The truth behind the performance

My results weren’t linear.

They were driven by a few key decisions—and a lot of mistakes.

---

What actually worked

1. Holding winners longer than expected

Positions like:

• Magyar Telekom

• ZWACK Unicum

Delivered outsized returns because I didn’t sell too early.

That sounds simple—but it’s one of the hardest things to do.

---

2. Staying invested

Even without a perfect strategy, I stayed in the market.

That alone created:

• compounding

• experience

• resilience

Most people quit before this kicks in.

---

3. Taking risk (sometimes too much)

I invested in:

• small caps

• speculative ideas

• international stocks

Some worked.

Some didn’t.

But they accelerated my learning curve.

---

What didn’t work

This part matters more.

---

1. Holding losers too long

Examples:

• Greenlane Renewables → ~-90%

• Amira Nature Foods → ~-100%

• Biora Therapeutics → ~-100%

These weren’t just bad picks.

They were:

• lack of discipline

• no exit strategy

• emotional attachment

---

2. No portfolio structure

For years, I didn’t think in terms of:

• allocation

• diversification

• risk balance

I was managing positions—not a portfolio.

---

3. Ignoring tax strategy

Until recently, I didn’t actively manage:

• realized gains

• realized losses

Which meant:
     unnecessary tax exposure
     inefficient capital use

---

The turning point

The shift didn’t happen because of one trade.

It happened when I realized:

Returns don’t come from ideas.
They come from structure.

---

That’s when I started thinking in terms of:

• portfolio allocation

• risk management

• tax optimization

• long-term positioning

---

Where I am now

After my recent rebalance:

• I reduced concentration

• I realized gains strategically

• I created a tax-efficient position

• I started building ETF and bond exposure

For the first time, the portfolio has a clear direction.

---

The role of mistakes

My biggest losses taught me more than my biggest gains.

Not because losses are good—but because:

    - they force clarity
    - they expose weaknesses
    - they reveal your real behavior under pressure

---

A quick note on my forex trading

Alongside investing, I also ran an active trading account:

• ~1.88M HUF account size

• ~747k HUF total realized loss

• ~534k HUF previous gains

This experience taught me something critical:

Activity is not the same as progress.

---

What I’m changing going forward

This is where everything connects to the previous article.

---

1. From stocks → portfolio

Less focus on individual ideas
More focus on allocation

---

2. Adding ETFs

Core exposure through:

• Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF

---

3. Adding bonds

Stability through:

• iShares $ Treasury Bond 1-3yr UCITS ETF

---

4. Active tax management

Using:

• realized losses

• gain timing

To optimize outcomesoutcomes

---

The real takeaway

If you look at my 9-year journey, one thing stands out:

Not skill.

Not luck.

But evolution.

---

I went from:

• random investing
  → to structured thinking

From:

• reacting
  → to managing

---

Final thought

This track record isn’t impressive because of the numbers.

It’s valuable because it’s real.

---

Next, I’ll go deeper into something most investors don’t talk about:

     the hidden side of building capital—what it costs, what it takes, and what most people never see.

Stay with me.