If there’s one thing I like doing, it’s looking at other investors’ portfolios. Whether it’s an institutional investor with billions under management, or a retail investor with a small portfolio, I find it really interesting to see what stocks they own.
Today, I’m going to turn the tables and give investors a look into my own portfolio. With that in mind, here are the top-10 stock holdings across my Stocks and Shares ISA and SIPP accounts as we start the second half of 2023.
My top 10 stocks
Let me start by saying that I am a long-term investor with a focus on growth and quality, and a relatively high-risk tolerance. My ultimate goal is to build a seven-figure investment portfolio for retirement over the next 20 years, or so.
As for my top stock holdings, I’ve listed them below. All come with risks but I see them as strong picks, nonetheless.
Note that I also own plenty of funds in my ISA and SIPP, so while the weightings of some of the stocks are quite high, they’re lower in terms of my overall portfolio.
| Stock | % of stock portfolio |
| Apple | 8% |
| Microsoft | 8% |
| Alphabet | 7% |
| Amazon | 7% |
| Nvidia | 5% |
| Mastercard | 5% |
| Diageo | 5% |
| Visa | 4% |
| Unilever | 3% |
| Smith & Nephew | 3% |
Big Tech is the foundation of my portfolio
Zooming in on my holdings, my largest four are Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet (Google), and Amazon.
I’ve said for a while now that I’m building my portfolio around these four Big Tech companies and, currently, they make up around 30% of my stock portfolio.
Why have I loaded up on these four stocks? There are a few reasons.
One is that they play an integral role in our lives. Every day, I use an iPhone, Microsoft Word, Google, and Amazon.com.
Another is that they all have plenty of long-term growth potential. These companies operate in high-growth industries such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), electronic payments, and online shopping.
A third reason is they are financially strong with solid cash flows and balance sheets.
Now all four have risen significantly this year. As a result, they don’t offer a lot of value right now. I’m ok with that though. These are long-term holds for me.
Powering the digital revolution
After those four, my next largest holding is chip designer Nvidia. This is another tech company I’m very bullish on.
Nvidia’s products power a number of growth industries including AI, data centres, video gaming, and self-driving cars. I think it has huge potential.
However, this is a volatile stock and it’s also very expensive. But I’m comfortable with the risks, however.
Payments: a long-term growth story
My sixth- and eighth-largest holdings are Mastercard and Visa, which operate global payments networks.
I’ve invested in these companies because over the next decade, trillions of transactions are set to shift from cash to card.
I also see them as a good way to play the travel theme. When we go abroad, we tend to use our credit cards a lot.
Three top UK shares
Finally, there are three UK stocks in my top 10 – alcoholic beverages company Diageo, consumer goods champion Unilever, and joint replacement specialist Smith & Nephew.
Why these three?
Well, I like Diageo as a play on rising global wealth and I’m in Unilever for its defensive attributes and nice dividend.
As for Smith & Nephew, I expect it to do well as elective surgeries pick up after Covid. And in the long run, it should benefit from the world’s ageing population.
