A message from Jaime Montoya, retail investor.
San Salvador, 9 October 2026, 06:05 PM (UTC-4).
Dear Reader,
You probably know some of the golden rules of investment: Buy low, sell high. Pay yourself first. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
But here is a lesser-known truth: unlike institutional fund managers, retail investors possess a structural advantage: Total freedom from performance pressures and regulatory mandates when it comes to investment philosophies and strategies.
My investment philosophy is built on specific principles:
- Never trade but be a long-term investor.
- Never rebalance; just buy and sell following personal investment principles from my philosophy and strategy.
- Never invest in cryptocurrency.
- Conduct all transactions solely through Interactive Brokers and the banking system; never use alternative intermediaries.
- Buy consistently and regularly from continuous significant savings.
- Invest exclusively on the stock market always buying the richest company in the world by market capitalization (never ETFs, mutual funds, financial money managers, etc.).
- Apply time in the market for buying, while timing the market for selling.
- Permanently follow the news via TV, websites, apps, newspapers, and magazines from Bloomberg, Barron's, The Economist, Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal to decide intelligently when to sell.
- Execute sales using FIFO (First-In, First-Out).
- Reinvest exclusively in the following: 1) Personal education, and 2) Paying off debt.
My ultimate vision is a final lifetime balance that outperforms the market.
I started investing in the stock market on 12 November 2024. Looking back at my personal stock investments, two thoughts stand out:
- I wish I had started earlier.
- I am thankful I did not start later.
I am sharing my journey as a retail investor transparently on this website. I have purposefully chosen not to interpret my investment's results, allowing the raw data to speak entirely for itself.
Sincerely,
Jaime Montoya
Jaime Montoya's Annualized Return (XIRR) Stock Portfolio Performance vs. NASDAQ-100 (QQQ), S&P 500 (SPY), and Dow Jones (DIA) from 12 November 2024 to 9 October 2026.
Jaime Montoya's Total ROI Stock Portfolio Performance vs. NASDAQ-100 (QQQ), S&P 500 (SPY), and Dow Jones (DIA) from 12 November 2024 to 9 October 2026.
Jaime Montoya's Net Profit (USD) Stock Portfolio Performance vs. NASDAQ-100 (QQQ), S&P 500 (SPY), and Dow Jones (DIA) from 12 November 2024 to 9 October 2026.
Jaime Montoya's Stock Investments from 12 November 2024 to 9 October 2026 versus hypothetical investments of the same amounts on NASDAQ-100 (QQQ), S&P 500 (SPY), and Dow Jones (DIA).
Jaime Montoya's investments from 12 April 2024 to 9 October 2026.
Richest companies in the world by market capitalization, last updated 9 October 2026.
Richest people, last updated 9 October 2026.