This past year has been a financially remarkable one. The decision to invest a significant portion of my assets into gold and silver mining companies at the beginning of the year proved prescient. Some of those investments include:
AngloGold Ashanti (AU): global mining company with a diverse, high-quality portfolio of gold, silver, copper operations and projects.
Silvercorp (SVM): leading silver producer with a proven track record of profitability, supplying silver to the expanding green energy sector.
Newmont Corporation (NEM): world’s largest gold mining company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, also producing copper, silver, zinc, and lead, with significant global operations across North America, South America, Australia, and Africa.
The decision to invest in precious metal mining companies at the beginning of 2025 was driven by the failure of the 2024 Santa Claus rally, the election of Donald Trump, and the trade and tariff turmoil that he brought to the economy. Over the course of 2025, many investors and nations increased their gold holdings as a store of value while the US dollar lost nearly 10%. The trade and tariff uncertainty also led to increased demand for precious metals as a safe haven. In Q4 of 2025, I increased holdings in SVM due to the unique situation they find themselves in with their Chinese presence being able to sell their silver into the Shanghai Metals Market where silver enjoys a widening premium over COMEX pricing received by nearly all other silver miners. With China restricting silver exports and silver demand set to continue exceeding supply over the coming decade, this seems to be a very opportunistic investment option. While I don’t expect a repeat of 2025 metals performance in 2026, there seems to be plenty of opportunity for continued growth in the space as the circumstances that led to the 2025 surge in prices are still in play.
2025 Portfolio Performance
The above chart shows the outperformance my portfolio enjoyed in 2025 compared to US Stocks. This 58% outperformance is the largest I’ve ever experienced, as is the total 75% gain in investment value. As we head into 2026, I am moving much of my non-commodity investments into more defensive positions in domestic and international dividend funds and a new “All Weather” ETF from Bridgewater. As the labor market data continues to deteriorate, the odds of a recession grow and signal a potential rotation out of the high-flying tech sector and inflated P/E ratios into more value-oriented defensive stocks.
Net Worth = Assets minus Liabilities
| Assets | Amount | |
| Checking/Savings | $43,506 | |
| Retirement Accounts | 461,557 | |
| Taxable/Nontax Investments | 142,393 | |
| Misc. (Gold/Silver/Cash) | 18,000 | |
| Total Assets | 665,457 |
| Liabilities | Amount | |
| Credit Cards | $8,083 | 0% interest rate. |
| Student Loans | 322,528 | PSLF |
| Total Liabilities | 330,611 |
Net Worth = $334,694
Change in Net Worth from last update: $230,699
Total Change in Net Worth Since July 2020: +$382,922
It’s hard to believe I started this blog over five years ago. While I haven’t kept up with it nearly as often as I originally planned, it’s been a nice archive for me to keep track of my finances and goals.
