June 2025 was quite the month of huge stock market returns after the crash in April 2025. The markets moved on from Trump’s tariff future and collectively decided that it wasn’t going to be as bad
If you haven’t already read my posts before, I achieved Financial independence back in late 2020 early 2021 with a portfolio of roughly $1.3m invested in mainly ETFs. This ballooned to $1.7m during the peak of the markets in early 2022 before coming back down to Earth later in 2022. The portfolio has since regained new all time highs as markets rally beyond the previous highs.
This post will be part of a monthly series of portfolio updates that summarizes how my portfolio performed, what trades I executed, what my monthly expenses were, and my general outlook on the economy/markets. This is by no means financial advice so do not look look at me for sage advice. I make stupid trades and make even worse losses quite frequently.
This is simply the performance of my portfolio and how it has performed on a month to month basis.
Monthly Highlights – June 2025
- Net worth is almost $2.2m as of June 2025 Month end
- +$135k for the month
- In June, we were all over Greece once again. We had a wedding in Milos, Greece before visiting Sifnos and Serifos.
Market Moves
| 6/30/2025 | 5/30/2025 | % Change | |
| Dow Jones | 44,095 | 42,270 | 4.14% |
| S&P 500 | 6,205 | 5,912 | 4.73% |
| Nasdaq | 20,370 | 19,114 | 6.17% |
| Russel 2000 | 2,175 | 2,066 | 5.00% |
What is in my portfolio?
My portfolio is quite simple and straight forward. I have my holdings primarily spread out between a few ETFs, fixed income, and various single name stocks.
ETFs
Again, my primary holdings are in a few ETFs. My primary holdings are in VTI, VGT, and VCR. I’ve always been a big proponent of big tech and have been heavily invested in the Nasdaq for over a decade. This has paid off very well for me given the massive bull market of the 2010s and is essentially what allowed me to FIRE so quickly.
I used to hold more dividend generating stocks as I was really into this type of investing at a period of time. I currently do not have many dividend specific ETFs as I prefer growth more than income. This kind of goes against the ethos of financial independence but I have enough money coming in from other sources that I don’t need to focus so much on consistent income from my investments.
As markets rallied again to all time highs, I didn’t add much to my position like I did in May 2025. I’m comfortable holding a bit more cash than normal and will wait for more opportunities to arise.
Single name stocks
Some of the single name stocks I own are the following
- RDDT
- ANET
- TEM
- NFLX
- RITM
- ASML
- ARES
These single name stocks make up less than 5% of my total portfolio. I tend to not buy much single name stocks anymore as there’s no point to take on unnecessary risks when I’m already so diversified with my ETFs.
Real Estate
I currently own no real estate. I used to own property in the US but have sold it in 2022 before rates started rising. I am not a big fan of real estate. While it definitely can be a good investment, I don’t think it beats investing in the markets. In addition, real estate is highly illiquid with high transaction costs that few people consider.
Finally, as someone that travels around the world and does not like to be tied down to one location, real estate doesn’t make sense as managing it from afar creates a bunch of headaches. I much prefer to have my money liquid and in the stock market.
Fixed Income
I also purchased I-Bonds in 2022 at the height of inflation peak when I-Bonds were paying 9.5%. The rates have come down significantly since then as inflation itself has come down and I no longer bother with I-Bonds.
In the recent high interest rate environment, I had allocated a small portion of my portfolio to fixed income products, specifically purchasing treasury bills with 3-6 month expiry. These were paying out 5.5% which was a great guaranteed income generator. In recent months on the back of anticipated FED rate cuts, this rate was always going to come down which meant stocks should increase.
Well the FED cut rates for the first time since COVID in Sep 2024 which means treasury bill returns will be decreasing for the foreseeable future. My last treasury bill expired in July 2024 and that cash was used to buy the market. I suspect I will not buy any fixed income products for the foreseeable future.
Market Commentary – June 2025
June 2025 was one of those months in the markets where you could almost hear the sound of traders holding their breath.
It started with another surprise from President Trump—this time, a sudden hike in tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, doubling them to 50%. Branded as a bold move to “restore American manufacturing,” it set off immediate market jitters. Investors had already been on edge since Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” in April, when sweeping tariffs had rattled equities and sent commodity prices plummeting. As June opened, it looked like we were in for more of the same. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both slipped as fears of a renewed trade war loomed, but just as quickly, the narrative flipped. By mid-month, the administration began quietly walking back some of the more aggressive tariff threats, hinting at ongoing trade talks with China and the EU. Markets responded with gusto: risk appetite returned, and equities began clawing their way back toward record highs.
But then came the shock from abroad. In the middle of the month, tensions in the Middle East exploded. A surprise Israeli bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities was met with swift retaliation, sending shockwaves through global markets. Oil prices surged by more than 10%, airline stocks sank, and investors sprinted to safe havens like gold and the U.S. dollar. The headlines dominated financial news: were we on the edge of a broader regional war? Yet again, by the end of the month, a tenuous calm began to settle. Diplomats rushed in, oil prices cooled slightly, and investors—perhaps numb from so many geopolitical flare-ups—started focusing elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the U.S. economy showed surprising strength. The June jobs report crushed expectations, adding 147,000 jobs and pushing unemployment down to 4.1%. On paper, that was great news. But for the Fed, it complicated the path forward. With inflation still hovering above 3%, strong labor data made an immediate rate cut less likely. Traders, who had spent the spring pricing in easing, had to recalibrate once again.
By month’s end, the S&P 500 hit an all-time high, up nearly 20% from its April lows. The Nasdaq followed suit, fueled not just by tech giants but by a broader rotation into cyclicals, small caps, energy, and financials. There was talk of a “Goldilocks market”—just strong enough to grow, just fragile enough to keep the Fed from tightening, and just volatile enough to keep people guessing. But beneath the surface, risks still lurked: unresolved trade policy, shaky geopolitics, and a July tariff deadline that could quickly undo June’s gains.
It was a month that reminded everyone: in 2025, the markets don’t move on data alone—they move on drama.
Market Value of Portfolio
Here is a history of my portfolio value. As you can see, it’s moved in line with the markets as should be the case since most of my holdings are in ETFs that track the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.
| Ticker | Quantity | Market Value |
| VGT | 1550 | $1,028,084 |
| VTI | 2080 | $632,174 |
| VCR | 400 | $144,928 |
| VDC | 350 | $76,650 |
| TQQQ | 500 | $41,500 |
| FBGRX | 400 | $78,800 |
| VHT | 250 | $62,085 |
| ARES | 100 | $17,320 |
| RITM | 2500 | $28,225 |
| ANET | 35 | $3,581 |
| RDDT | 100 | $15,057 |
| ASML | 50 | $40,070 |
| Total Stocks | $2,168,474 |
In total, my portfolio rose to all time highs along with the market. It’s crazy how fast things changed this year.
Trades executed for the month of June 2025
June 2025 was not an active month of trading for me. I was pretty busy traveling around Europe and we had a wedding in Milos, Greece. June saw tremendous rally upwards and the dips I had already purchased in April and May bore fruit.
I had cash lying around because a few covered calls I had were exercised for being in the money. I then sold cash covered puts for a hefty premium on VGT.
I’m also okay with being more cash heavy in this market. I feel like while markets won’t crash as fast as they did in April, being more liquid in the future might prove well as volatility will continue to be elevated. Therefore, if the price of these ETFs go above the strike price of my covered calls, I’m okay being forced to sell and pocketing the gains.
Summary of stock and ETF purchases
| Ticker | Transaction | Quantity |
| IGM | Sell August Put | 10 |
Portfolio withdrawals and expenses
Withdrawals from my portfolio is an important part of the financial independence ethos. The 4% withdrawal rate rule is one of the main concepts of the FIRE movement which I try to adhere to. Generally, I prefer to sell from my portfolio when markets are near or at all time highs to capture, and only when I actually need the cash.
For the month of June 2025, we spent most of the month in Europe to enjoy the European summers. This included a long stop in Greece where we had a wedding in Milos and then island hopped to neighboring Sifnos and Serifos. I absolutely love the Greek islands, and especially the Cycladic islands.
Serifos was a new island for me and easily one of the most beautiful islands in all of Greece. The views are out of this world and the island retains that wild and untouched vibe that many of the other islands are slowly losing.
I truly believe it’s the most special place in all of Europe and there’s nothing like them in the world. I’ve probably spent a cumulative 4 months traveling around the Cyclades now and it never seems enough.
I made no withdrawals from the portfolio as I had enough cash coming in from my blog as well as leftover cash from other sources. My blog generates money every month to the tune of $5k or more and I cover exactly how I earn money from blogging in other posts.
My June 2025 Blog Earnings
I always give a run down on my monthly blogging income on these monthly portfolio reports because this is about my blog after all. My blog generates quite a lot of money from many years of hard work that it is a huge supplement to my FIRE portfolio.
My full 2024 blog earnings report has finally been released via my post in the links above. I made a total of $72k from blogging in 2024 which was an absolute monstrous and record year. 2024 was the last hurrah for traditional blogging and the last of the good days before the major Google algorithm changes.
I earn money from blogging primarily from ads and sponsorships. My ads are managed by Mediavine which I joined in May 2024. In addition to Mediavine advertisements, I also earn money from Affiliate programs, sponsorships, and travel planning. More details on these things in my how to make money blogging posts.
Here is a breakdown of my monthly earnings.
| Category | Amount Earned ($) |
|---|---|
| Mediavine Ads | $1,950 |
| Sponsorships | $3,100 |
| Affiliate Programs | $1,200 |
| Travel Planning | $0 |
| Grand Total | $6,250 |
Blogging income has gone down precipitously going into 2025 but June 2025 was a solid month. Google search results has remained consistent which helped generate a lot of ad revenue. Things were looking grim at the end of May but search traffic quickly rebounded at the beginning of June.
The entire world is shifting towards AI and a more video based world. People are relying less and less on traditional Google searches for the content they want. Traffic therefore will continue to trend down and earnings as well.
I suspect the era of small time blogging like myself is over. Google will double down on their AI dreams and favoritism for big websites like Reddit which they have partnerships with. Sad times, but that is the inevitable path of capitalism!
