March 2022: Finally it’s spring!

Finally it’s spring! Not that that has much of an effect on investments, but I’m just more of a summer person than a winter person.

Hopefully it will soon be spring again in terms of the economy, because an inflation of 11.9% here in The Netherlands could be seen as an economic winter. And an end to the war would also be nice, what a lot of human suffering is being caused there. I do feel guilty that large profits can be made from oil as a result. There is little you can do about it, except donate of course. I did that again. Turning the heating down a degree is also a good option, of course, but it was snowing just two days ago and like I said: I’m a summer person.

Last month I received two letters from the FIOD, the Dutch Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Service, with long questionnaires about the platforms Kuetzal and Grupeer. The FIOD has received requests for legal assistance (European Investigation Order) from Latvia because of the criminal cases pending there. Because I reported these platforms to the Latvian police a (long) time ago, I was heard as a witness through those questionnaires. In the questionnaire you can also indicate whether you want to join the criminal case, so that you can submit a claim to the Latvian authorities for the amount you invested. If money can then be retrieved, there is a chance that you will get part of your investment back. So it can pay to file a report.

Portfolio overview March 2022

Last month my portfolio increased by € 8,083.05 and my average rate of return over all platforms is 14.4%. The table below shows the details for each category.

Passive income per month

The extreme highs and lows on the stock market prevent me from adequately determine the passive income that my investments can generate when I stop working. That is why I now calculate the 6-month moving average of my passive income.

You can find my definition of passive income on my portfolio page.

Activities

To show you how little effort is involved when investing via crowdfunding and crowdlending I have added an overview of the manual actions in the last month:

I did check the platforms every now and then, but this was purely for fun. It wasn’t necessary to get these interest payments and return rates.

Crowdlending

I have grouped by P2P platforms into two groups, one containing all platforms based in Western Europe and one containing all platforms based in Eastern Europe. In the table below you can see the balance between them.

Crowdlending (west)

In the table and paragraphs below you can see which platforms make up my “Western Europe group”.

 Flender

This month 3 loans have been successfully repaid at Flender. There are now a few hundred euros ready to be invested, but I’ll leave that to the auto-invest. After all, money should work for you, not the other way around. And the auto-invest on this Irish platform is doing just fine.

My investments at Flender returned € 18.41 last month, and my average return rate is now 5.9%.

 Funding Circle NL

The two remaining projects on Funding Circle NL continue to pay interest and principal nicely, and my returns are still fine. It’s too bad that you can no longer invest here as a private investor.

My investments at Funding Circle NL returned € 4.81 last month, and my average return rate is now 8.7%.

 Lender & Spender

No news is good news, and Lender & Spender is running smoothly. The depreciations are very low here, this Dutch platform provides loans to Dutch consumers and despite everything we are actually doing ok in this country. My investment is automatically spread over more than 3000 loans, so problematic loans have little effect.

My investments at Lender & Spender returned € 10.81 last month, and my average return rate is now 3.8%.

 Max Crowdfund

At Max Crowdfund a number of loans are extended. Because of the crisis there are considerable backlogs at the land registry in the UK, so that property developers have difficulty transferring properties and thus cannot sell them to repay the loans. Interest is paid during the extra terms, so not much of a loss for investors here.

Max Crowdfund is growing considerably, with a new record of 18 published projects within a month. The largest of these, worth more than a million euros, was financed within 22 days by 421 investors. Not bad for a Dutch platform.

My investments at Max Crowdfund returned € 4.46 last month, and my average return rate is now 4.8%.

Crowdlending (east)

In the table and paragraphs below you can see which platforms make up my “Eastern Europe group”.

 Bondora

For the first time in more than a year, Bondora‘s net return has remained unchanged. It seems that the effects of the crisis are now also somewhat over.

That seems like good news to me, because a further decline could weigh on Bondora Go&Grow’s return. At Bondora Go&Grow you will be credited with interest on a daily basis, which is (maximum) 6.75% on an annual basis. The main plus is that you can normally withdraw your funds at any moment. Of course it is riskier than a savings account, this is still an investment. But so far it’s running fine.

My investments at Bondora returned € 20.26 last month, and my average return rate is now 6.8%.

 Brickstarter

In terms of projects it was a nice month at Brickstarter, 3 new ones became available and I invested 100 euros in a project in Cádiz with an expected total return of around 10%. The intention of the projects on this platform is to buy them cheaply, then rent them out for a while and then sell them for a profit. Usually the expected profit from rental income is approximately equal to the expected profit from the appreciation.

The advantage of these projects is that the property (usually apartments) is also the collateral of the loan. The disadvantage is that this platform is not licensed, and is therefore not under the direct supervision of the financial authorities. The platform was established with the help of subsidies from the European Social Fund and with the support of the Valencia Chamber of Commerce, so that gives a slightly better feeling.

My investments at Brickstarter returned € 5.57 last month, and my average return rate is now 4.9%.

 Bulkestate

It seems that Bulkestate is really trying to improve communication. For a long time the information provided about lagging projects was quite substandard, and you had to look for it yourself on the forum.

This month I received several emails, in addition to a newsletter also an email per ‘problem project’. It was striking that quite extensive apologies were made for the lack of communication and updates in the past. The loans are being extended, because Bulkestate believes that eventually the loans can be repaid. Investors will continue to receive the same interest on an annual basis. For one of the projects, a survey was sent, where investors could vote for a direct sale or a sale after the renovation was completed, for a higher share of the proceeds. It’s good that investors are polled when making decisions like this.

Finally, the newsletter also included the announcement that the platform has started the steps for following the European guidelines and obtaining a license.

Last month my account value at Bulkestate did not change, and my average return rate is now 5.0%.

 Crowdestate

Crowdestate is an 8-year-old platform platform from Estonia, and since they entered the Portuguese market last year, a few projects from Portugal are added every month. For some reason it feels better if a platform has a lot of projects in Western Europe.

What I don’t like is that I haven’t received any interest in the last few months. Attempts are being made to sell the collateral of a number of problem projects, but at the moment this is proving difficult. Hopefully something will flow back soon.

Last month my account value at Crowdestate did not change, and my average return rate is now 8.5%.

 Crowdestor

At Crowdestor I invested 75 euros in Crowdestor Flex, which is a bit similar to Bondora Go&Grow but not quite. The interest rate is a lot higher at 10-12%, but it is also all a bit more opaque. You don’t just invest in Flex, but choose a Flex project to invest in. In principle, you can also withdraw at any time, but it can take a few days.

If I invest here it will only be in Flex, and I doubt even that. The reason that I invested 75 euros of the free 146 euros in flex is that I think a total investment of 250 euros is a better amount than the 175 euros that I initially deposited. But because I have already withdrawn more with this platform than I deposited, it is a “luxury problem”, the only thing I can still lose here is a piece of profit.

According to the annual financial figures for 2020, the platform makes a profit, almost 400,000 euro. That is a kind of reassurance, the fact that annual figures are published. The figures for 2021 have not yet been published, but other platforms often take more than six months for this. What is striking is that the labor costs in 2020 were only 34,230 euros.

But what is even more striking is that the numbers are not correct. At least not the totals. The total for 2020 is equal to the total for 2019, while all items in 2020 are higher. So they are not verified figures. Also, the amounts are very low, compared to average salaries in Estonia there seems to be only 1 person employed, or maybe two underpaid. That makes this platform more of a one-man business than a large platform with a real team behind it, and I find that very worrying.

My investments at Crowdestor returned € 5.06 last month, and my average return rate is now 13.2%.

 EstateGuru

EstateGuru is working hard. They have signed a contract with Raisin Bank to provide EUR 215 million in loans in Germany this year. In addition, the European Investment Fund will invest a substantial amount in Estateguru’s ‘Senior Secured Credit Fund’, a fund of up to 170 million euros that focuses on Finland, the Baltic States and Germany. They have also now opened an office in the UK, in Manchester after approval by the FCA (The British Financial Authority).

Because this platform is above my limit of 2,500 euros per Eastern European platform, I have withdrawn 800 euros of the almost 825 euros that was free. Not because I’m dissatisfied with this platform (I own a few shares in this company through Seedrs) but because I want to stick to my own limit. I don’t think I will invest this money withdrawn in another new platform, I will need money to buy a car soon.

My investments at EstateGuru returned € 3.26 last month, and my average return rate is now 9.7%.

 EvoEstate

This month the merger of EvoEstate and InRento has been completed, all accounts have been migrated to InRento. InRento is licensed and supervised by the Lithuanian financial authorities, so that’s a plus.

You can still view your account on the EvoEstate website and see your investments made through EvoEstate, but new investments will be published on the InRento site.

My investments at EvoEstate returned € 17.71 last month, and my average return rate is now 6.4%.

 Fast Invest

Fast Invest has not paid out the withdrawals for a year, according to its own words due to problems at the borrowing companies. But you can also not withdraw the free amount, while this should always be available. Therefore, stay far away from this platform, this is just not right.

Last month my account value at Fast Invest did not change, and my average return rate is now 11.6%.

 Grupeer

Grupeer’s website remains active, but nothing else happens and investors still can’t access their money. Don’t even come close as an investor.

Last month my account value at Grupeer did not change, and my average return rate is now 5.9%.

 Iuvo

Due to the war and crisis, Iuvo has sent official views of all affiliated lenders via several emails. In short, the message is that no lender with this platform is negatively impacted, and that there is even growth.

Last month my account value at Iuvo did not change, and my average return rate is now 7.1%.

 Mintos

Mintos introduced new functionality for the custom strategy/auto-invests: dynamic diversification.

If you have a custom auto-invest it is definitely recommended to enable it. One of the options with your auto-invest is ‘Manage diversification’:

If you set this to dynamic, the maximum amount of loans per originator is determined every day so that your spread is maximized, and never more than 15% of your portfolio goes to a single originator. Your current loans will not be adjusted by it, but the auto-invest uses this automatic determination when choosing new loans to invest in.

Due to the sanctions against the Russian banks, part of my accounts in Russian Rubles and Kazakhstani Tenges were automatically converted to euros this month. This was not a choice of Mintos itself, but this has been done by the financial institutions where investors’ funds are kept. I’m starting to think investing via currencies other than the euro just isn’t worth it, it only results in more risk and hassle.

Last month my account value at Mintos decreased by € 112.51, and my average return rate is now 8.6%.

 NEO Finance

NEO Finance abolished the Provision Fund because it would have few benefits for investors. Nothing will change for loans already concluded with the Provision Fund, and the guarantees will remain.

Instead of this Fund NEO Finance will offer a ‘buyback service’, where you can sell back loans to the platform. In addition, you can also invest in A+ loans, which come with a 100% buyback guarantee.

My investments at NEO Finance returned € 15.06 last month, and my average return rate is now 3.7%.

 PeerBerry

Even in these times, PeerBerry and the Aventus group, which provides the bulk of the loans on this platform, are doing well. Aventus will actively repay and buy back loans from Russia and Ukraine from investors, for this they will use half of their profits.

My investments at PeerBerry returned € 8.53 last month, and my average return rate is now 10.3%.

 Reinvest24

There were quite a few new projects at Reinvest24 this month, so I was able to invest all my free money here again. Recently there have been more and more projects in the west, in Spain, Switzerland and Germany. In one way or another it feels safer than projects in Moldova and the surrounding area. But there are also plenty of those.

My investments at Reinvest24 returned € 19.46 last month, and my average return rate is now 6.3%.

 Robocash

Robocash has increased the interest rates for new loans. The interest rates on this platform are linked to the maturities:

This platform is consistently one of the high performers in my portfolio. Stable interest income and the return is high and stable.

My investments at Robocash returned € 13.46 last month, and my average return rate is now 12.6%.

 TFG Crowd

TFG Crowd is a platform to stay away from. Fortunately, I was able to withdraw a bit more than I deposited, so I no longer run any risk with this ‘red flag’ platform.

Last month my account value at TFG Crowd did not change, and my average return rate is now 13.3%.

 TWINO

Because the Russian loans cannot be repaid because of the sanctions, TWINO will extend those loans. After 6 renewals, the 60 days of the buyback guarantee will begin, and the investment will be refunded to the investors. During the extra term, interest will be paid out, TWINO will advance or take care of this. TWINO has always had loans with a payment guarantee instead of a buyback guarantee, so this works the same way. This is possible because both the platform and the lenders belong together.

My investments at TWINO returned € 17.25 last month, and my average return rate is now 9.7%.

 Viainvest

No news about Viainvest, and no news is good news of course. My returns here are super stable, and the auto-invest works like a charm. Investments are only made in loans with a buyback guarantee, the platform and the lenders belong together, and they are licensed. I don’t know what else to ask for.

My investments at Viainvest returned € 23.49 last month, and my average return rate is now 11.9%.

Crowdfunding

 CrowdAboutNow

I now receive monthly emails from the LOC brewery, via CrowdAboutNow I have invested in a loan to this brewery from Tilburg. It’s nice to be so involved and get frequest investor updates on the remodelling, the new location, and the other uses for the loaned money. I can’t wait for the other investor bonusses: a tour with tasting, and a few beers. And the interest of course.

For the first time in a long time, there is another equity campaign on this platform, Jungle the Bungle, most projects on this platform are loans. But for now I have invested enough through this platform I think. Admittedly, it’s only 2 investments, but the one in Beer in a Box was quite large. But because of that, I now enjoy a beer subscription every two months with new delicious beers all the time.

Last month my account value at CrowdAboutNow did not change, and my average return rate is still 0.0%.

 Crowdcube

Last month my account value at Crowdcube decreased by € 15.97, and my average return rate is now 0.4%. This is all because of varying exchange rates as one of my investments is in British Pounds.

 Seedrs

Seedrs had a lot of uninvested money in it after the sale of Mimetis. I have already invested a relatively large amount in start-up companies through this platform, so I will stop with new investments here and have the money paid out.

Last month my account value at Seedrs decreased by € 134.36 (because of exchange rate changes), and my average return rate is now 9.4%.

Stock

 DEGIRO

At DEGIRO, in February, I had bought 6 different ETFs focused on dividends. I think it will take another 1 or 2 months before the first dividend will trickle in.

I will slowly sell the shares I have here when they are on a profit. Zscaler, Suncor and Johnson&Johnson are strongly in profit, others such as Lufthansa on loss, but I expect a significant recovery after the crisis. But first I’m going to check of those stocks pay dividend. If a stock pays a lot of dividend then I think I’ll stick with it.

My investments at DEGIRO returned € 433.21 last month, and my average return rate is now 28.8%.

 ING

At ING I received €4.68 in dividend for my 34 iShares AEX UCITS ETF. That’s a nice extra.

The relationship between the economy and precious metals has come a little closer together, but they are still quite a bit apart:

Following my strategy I invested another 50 euros in each category this month.

My investments at ING returned € 215.43 last month, and my average return rate is now 12.1%.

 Saxo Bank

Last month the price of oil really skyrocketed, causing me to deviate from my sales strategy for LOIL at Saxo Bank. Instead of always selling in packages of 500 euros, I have now sold a few batches at a much higher price than usual.

Instead of about 40 pieces at a price of about 13 euros, I placed orders for 100 pieces at a lot higher prices to see if they were going to be hit. And yes, the orders for 19,- each and 20,- each were suddenly executed. Then I placed orders for 22.50 each and 25.00 each. Not long after, the price peaked: at the opening of the stock market I was even paid 24.42 each for the order where the asking price limit was 22.50! Even the order at 25,- each has been hit, and I think I was very lucky because not long after that the prices fell sharply again. It currently fluctuates around 17 euros. This all resulted in huge gains, especially considering that I only paid 2.40 for them.

My investments at Saxo Bank returned € 7,509.65 last month, and my average return rate is now 102.0%.

And finally…

That was it for this monthly update. You can subscribe via the contact page and you’ll receive an email the moment a new update is published. Or just visit again next month, that’s up to you.

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Disclaimer: I share my experiences on this site, and blog about my results and things I encounter. It is for informational purposes only and cannot be considered professional advice. Investments bring risk and you should never invest funds that you are not willing to lose. I think my site is a nice start, but do your own research and make sure you understand the risks before you start to invest yourself. You can read more about this here.