Pulling Back The Curtain

Hey chumps! Quick self plug that the vids are rolling out on YouTube.

If you enjoy the emails check out the channel as there will be plenty more videos to come (set a goal to post 52 videos this year).

Here is a link to the latest attempt of me talking to a camera if you want to check it out:

“Far more money has been lost by investors trying to anticipate corrections than lost in the corrections themselves.” — Peter Lynch

One question I get fairly often is - what do you actually own?

Rather than overcomplicating things, I wanted to share the largest positions across my traditional brokerage account and Roth IRA as of January 2026. I’ve also included my thoughts on each holdings and what I plan to do with it going forward.

That said, hopefully you can learn a few things based on what has worked for me (and what hasn’t).

Let’s pullback the curtain on my portfolio. 👇

#1 VOO / VTI - Vanguard S&P 500 ETF/Total US ETF

Total Allocation: 27%

VOO and VTI form the core of my portfolio. With one of the lowest expense ratios around at 0.03% it is hard not to love these classic ETFs (that is $3 on every $10,000 invested).

Recent performance of the S&P 500 has also been stellar as shown by VOO’s 5 year performance of +80%.

Yes, I considered VOO/VTI as one holding here as they are over 85% similar by weight. Do you need both? No. I have VTI from when I first started investing and have never had the heart to sell it.

The plan going forward is to continue dollar cost averaging into VOO no matter if the market is up, down, or sideways.

#2 QQQ - Invesco Nasdaq 100 ETF

Total Allocation: 23%

This is my main growth holding in my traditional brokerage account. More concentration in tech and innovation, but more volatility. With such a large exposure to tech the upside is what keeps me coming back to this ETF.

Another option is QQQM which is identical to QQQ but has a cheaper expense ratio. The only reason I hold QQQ instead is due to it having a more liquid option chain.

I don’t do it at the moment, but would potentially want to sell options against my QQQ shares in the future which is why I don’t hold QQQM (has less volume). If you don’t have any plans to do options, then QQQM is the better choice.

Similar to VOO/VTI, the plan is to continue dollar cost averaging into QQQ at the moment. If the market sees a significant dip this is the ETF I will buy with any extra money.

#3 VUG - Vanguard Growth ETF

Total Allocation: 10%

VUG is the main growth holding in my Roth IRA. As you can see, I’m fairly “overlapped” into big tech. This is my preference though as I’m leaning into my growth holdings, which inherently have a lot of exposure to tech thanks to recent performance.

An ETF that often gets compared to VUG is Vanguard’s tech ETF VGT. I personally prefer VUG as it has a little bit broader exposure than VGT (and QQQ for that matter). For example, VUG has exposure to Amazon while VGT does not.

If you are wondering why I’m going heavier into growth rather than dividend companies I did a full video comparing the two strategies. Check it out here.

#4 ESPP Stock - You Don’t Want To Know

Total Allocation: 7%

No chart here, but all you need to know is the five year performance of my employer’s stock is -48%. Ouch…I know.

Holding these shares is one of my toughest investing lessons over the last few years. I do get a 15% discount on the shares but it has not been enough to make up for the absolute shellacking the stock has received.

Thankfully, it is currently trying to claw back from the dead and I am only about 5% away from breakeven. I’ll be selling most of my shares at that point as I believe their are better opportunities in the market for the money.

#5 VB - Vanguard Small Cap ETF

Total Allocation: 4%

VB is my choice for small-cap exposure since I’m so heavy into the mega caps through the ETFs above. Historically more volatile, but an important diversifier and potential return booster over long periods.

Long term I’d like to keep this around 5%-7% of my overall portfolio. I also own AVUV which is another small cap ETF with a slightly more active approach than VB. Here is a full write up comparing the small cap ETFs AVUV, VB, VIOV, and VBR.

Honorable Mention

While they were just outside of the top 5 I did want to give a shout out to some of my favorite dividend/value ETFs. The last few years of the market hasn’t treated SCHD well, but if we see a turn into value SCHD will rapidly make its way into a top 5 position.

There ya have it, over 75% of my portfolio. I apologize to the trading freaks as there is nothing exotic here and no complex strategies.

The truth is boring works, especially when you stay consistent.

If you want deeper breakdowns on any of these positions, or how I think about allocation over time, let me know.

Let’s have a year. ~ Cade

SCHD Just Hit A Breaking Point - Speaking of dividend ETFs, here is a good video I watched this week on the changes coming to SCHD in March. Will 2026 be the year SCHD breaks out of the slump? We’ll see.

How To Buy Stock Near Their Lows - As you know I don’t pick a ton of individual stock but I found this X article very similar to my own approach. I don’t believe in all fundamentals or all technicals, but a mix of both is ideal.

😆 😆 😆

RIP PayPal holders…

Below is a list of featured products I have vetted personally, created, or used. These offers are just for you:

Nothing in this email is intended to serve as financial advice. Do your own research. Thanks for reading, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, etc. about the email don’t hesitate to send me a reply.