Portfolio Update: June 2025

We are now 50% done with 2025, and the crazy April tariff war-induced bear market is a distant memory. We've hit new all time highs on index

We are now 50% done with 2025, and the crazy April tariff war-induced bear market is a distant memory. We've hit new all time highs on indexes once again, and we're risk-on in speculative assets like crypto and tech stocks.

In this post, we'll look at my more conservative Merrill Edge account and more aggressive Robinhood account.

Merrill Edge

This is my "real" account in that I intend to continue accumulating shares over time using a conservative approach. I have removed money a few times in the past few years (including a $110k asset transfer to US bank) in order to get the benefits of holding balances at particular banks and brokers. However, I don't expect to do this any further in 2025.

Positions of note:

AAPL: Apple has been lagging the market's recovery the entire time, likely due to some leftover tariff fears. Apple is also late to the AI party, having delivered nothing new to consumers.

I expect the tariff war to completely abate, and Apple has a habit of coming out of nowhere with software and hardware that appeal to normies. In keeping with that tradition, I expect Apple to eventually introduce an iPhone with built-in AI applications that people actually want to use.

In the meantime, the stock is underperforming and it's dragging my portfolio.

VIG: The Vanguard Dividend Growth ETF is the only share position I'm adding to. Since it is a low-yield dividend ETF, it tracks the S&P pretty closely while still reliably increasing dividends (on account of selecting stocks that have a history of raising dividends).

Although I am not a huge dividend enthusiast, I do enjoy my quarterly distributions.

Robinhood

I added $100,000 to this account that I was saving for a down payment on a new house. This was a large risk, but it has so far paid off as the account has continued to grow. I anticipate withdrawing this $100k later for the down payment.

Although this is my "play" account, it still holds serious investments. I use this account as permission to trade more aggressively, whereas Merrill Edge is conservative boomer investments.

Positions of note:

HOOD: Robinhood has been going after every industry, from crypto exchanges to mortgage lenders. It is pushing hard, and the stock is reacting accordingly, as one of the biggest gainers in the market this year.

I added a total of 506 shares, and regret not buying when the stock was much cheaper. However, I am up a few thousand, and the stock is continuing to moon, so no complaints.

I expect that Robinhood will continue to rise in price until its eventual addition to the S&P, at which point the stock will quickly rise once more before leveling off. Investors will want to see its profits catch up to its market cap and reach a less aggressive valuation.

UNH: I added United Health at $320, and sold some options along the way to bring my basis down to about $313. I think we will look back to these price levels as a good buying opportunity, since the market is discounting potential for growth. I expect the stock to reach its former $500 levels at some point in 2026.

GOOG: Like Apple and Amazon, GOOG hasn't been keeping up with the Nasdaq and has been a bit of a drag. However, OpenAI recently tapped Google for its next round of chips. Although Alphabet will be slower to move than the high-flyers like HOOD and NVDA, the market has been sleeping on this one, and I'm happy to own it in the $170s.

AMZN short put: I have been wheeling AMZN for a few months, since I am happy to buy at these prices and the premium is substantial. Although most revenue growth has been in AWS, Amazon's delivery service is expanding rapidly outside North America, and I believe this isn't being reflected in share price. Amazon will find a way to turn the additional deliveries into more profit, even if just through becoming more of a household name outside NA.

Final Thoughts

We just won a bid for a $72,500 lot measuring 0.2 acres, and the house we're putting on it is going to be expensive. Inshallah, this will be one of the last massive purchases I need to make.

As of now, I expect to liquidate shares in my Robinhood account to reduce the amount of money I need to borrow. However, that is a very conservative thing to do, especially since I am likely to outperform the borrowing cost if I stay invested.

I am not entirely sure what to do yet, and it will likely depend on how much cash I have on hand and what the interest rate is when it's time to make the down payment.

No matter where you are in your investing journey, remember the golden rule: buy stonk. Prices fluctuate, but the market marches on. SPY will be $1,000 eventually.