My Top Picks for 2017 Review

At the conclusion of 2016, I issued the following top picks for 2017.

Heading into 2017, I was quite bullish on: Birimian Limited (BGS.AX/EEYMF), Critical Elements (CRE.V/CRECF), and Ivanhoe Mines (IVN.TO/IVPAF).

How did we end up doing?

From the 2017 CEO Stock Picking Contest (shout out to @Evenprime for all his hard work!).

On the whole, the top 3 picks for 2017 finished up 142.51%…

I finished in 13th place (not bad), just below @PamplonaTrader, and anytime anyone can do that, it’s a MASSIVE success!

Anyway, 142.51%… That’s a pretty healthy return in a year’s time, wouldn’t you agree?

The best part?

I put my money where my mouth was, and those top 3 picks actually comprised a big chunk of my portfolio holdings as January 1, 2017 rolled around…

In fact, Ivanhoe Mines to date ranks as my greatest investment ever.

In regards to Birimian Limited, shares of BGS.AX started to surge towards the end of 2017 and the unrealized gains that I have achieved to date now actually surpasses that of Ivanhoe Mines… Total profits (unrealized + realized) are currently sitting in the $200k USD range…

As for Critical Elements? When accounting for both realized + unrealized gains, we are talking in excess of six figures as well, so another great win in my eyes.

Straight up — 2017 was a very good year for my portfolio and I got really lucky with the aforementioned top picks!

I know many readers, family members, friends, etc. followed me into those “conviction ideas”, if you will, and I just gotta say I’m ecstatic for anyone who got well situated in any of those stocks and has benefited from the rise! ??(TM),

But ALWAYS remember — I don’t know jack shit about anything! I make horrendous investment decisions all the time… Please, you must do your own research and due diligence before putting any of your own investment capital at risk!

With the Game of Speculation, you just never know for certain, so don’t forget that when you’re in amazing profits, it’s usually not a bad idea to sell a little/some/a lot/all, de-risk, and free carry your positions as much as possible…

Or even better, make your epic gains via mining stocks and then figure out a way to eventually transfer those proceeds into creating “real wealth” via class A/tier 1 properties and stuff of that nature… You know, park your wealth into “buy and hold forever” type assets that will retain their value over time and continually spit out cash flow… Or pay down/off your mortgage!

I look at mining stocks as pure speculations and nothing more than “buy and hold rentals”… “Ticking time bombs” is perhaps an even better, more appropriate description .. I am NOT attached or married to any of my mining stocks, at all…

Mining stocks aren’t meant for the long haul…

But the profits that you can make trading these super volatile vehicles can be life changing.

Early FI, that’s what it’s all about!!

Thanks to the top 3 picks, I’m entering 2018 in a very good place, and I couldn’t be happier with the progress I’ve made in the overall portfolio since starting this venture into mining stocks during the summer of 2015.

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good…

In any case, I’ll take wins however I can get them.

Here’s to an even better and more prosperous 2018!

Fight On!