Ivan is originally from Portugal and has lived in North London for 14 years. He works in tech, leading an AI solutions team. His investing journey began around 10 years ago, when working in the technology sector introduced him to share-based compensation and encouraged him to learn more about investing. Today, he uses Freetrade to manage his SIPP, combining a long-term investment strategy with a strong focus on ethics and greater control over his time.
Q: How did your investing journey begin?
A: I started investing around 10 years ago, when I began working in tech. A significant part of your compensation in the industry can be in shares, so I had to learn about things like restricted stock units and employee share purchase plans. My investing knowledge was fairly limited at the time. For the first few years, I mainly used a robo-adviser. I would choose my risk appetite and investment timeline, then the platform would make the investment decisions for me. I’m still happy with that approach for my ISA, but I eventually wanted to try managing part of my investments myself.
Q: Why did you choose Freetrade for your SIPP?
A: I wanted to supplement my workplace pension and experiment with taking more control over my own investments. I had read good reviews of Freetrade, and some friends who had invested in the company spoke positively about it. The fee structure was also important. My ISA provider charges a percentage of the portfolio, whereas Freetrade’s SIPP uses a flat fee. For a long-term investment that should hopefully grow over time, that made more sense to me.
Q: How do you approach managing your investments?
A: I aim to keep around 90% of my SIPP in funds. I want the majority to be simple and based on approaches that have been tested over time. I then allow myself up to 10% for individual companies. I think of that smaller portion as my play money. I might invest in a technology company whose products I understand or a business that aligns with my values. I review everything quarterly rather than reacting to every market movement. It's almost like a financial date with myself that I put in the calendar.
Q: What has investing taught you about money?
A: It has taught me how irrational the market can be. When I first started using Freetrade, everything I invested in seemed to go up. It was easy to assume that was down to my own skill. Over time, I realised that investments simply rise and fall, and much of that movement is impossible to predict. That is why I try not to look too closely at individual investments more than once a quarter. The majority of my portfolio stays in funds, while the smaller part lets me test my ideas without putting too much of my pension at risk. It allows me to remain interested and involved without making the whole experience frightening.
Q: How important are ethics in your investment decisions?
A: I’m very conscious of the brands I buy from and have clear personal boycott lists. When I looked at my investments, I realised I could have a much greater impact through where my money was invested than through my everyday spending. It is difficult because everything is connected, and many large funds contain companies I would not choose individually. I treat ethical investing as a practice rather than a final destination. Every quarter, I give my investments an ethical score from one to five and aim to keep the average above 3.5. I think of those scores as ethical guardrails that help keep my investments aligned with my values.
Q: What are you ultimately investing for?
A: My Freetrade investments are focused on my pension, but my wider goal is to have more control over how I spend my time. I like the idea of gradually reducing my working hours rather than suddenly going from full-time work to complete retirement. I don’t necessarily want to stop working early. I would rather move away from an always-on, stressful role and towards something more flexible. That might mean working part-time, pursuing other interests and allowing my investments to supplement my income.
For me, financial freedom is the capacity to decide what I do with my time. It does not have to mean controlling every hour of every day. It is about building layers of financial independence so that, over time, I can reclaim more of that control for myself.
The people featured in these interviews are actual Freetrade customers and were remunerated for their time. The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invest. Always do your own research.
