Hey everyone, Nolan Gouvea here—my students call me Professor G—and today I’m sharing a comprehensive mid-year update on my investment portfolio as of July 2025. This post will give you a deep dive into where I’m putting my money across various asset classes including equities, real estate, cryptocurrency (with a heavy focus on Bitcoin and other key cryptos), cash equivalents, and more.
With so much happening in the world of Bitcoin, Crypto, BTC, Blockchain, CryptoNews, Investing, I’m excited to share not only my portfolio allocations but also my outlook for the rest of 2025 and beyond. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your portfolio, this detailed breakdown will hopefully provide valuable insights to help you craft your own winning strategy.
Building a Balanced Portfolio: Why Multiple Asset Classes Matter
One of the biggest lessons I emphasize to my personal investing clients—and what I live by myself—is the importance of diversification across different asset classes. Investing solely in equities might work for a while, but life often throws curveballs like recessions, geopolitical conflicts, or market crashes that can hit one asset class hard. Having multiple types of appreciating assets helps to smooth out the volatility and keep your wealth growing steadily.
Here’s the framework I recommend for a robust portfolio:
- Equities: ETFs and individual stocks
- Commodities: Gold, silver, and other physical assets
- Real Estate: Physical properties providing cash flow and appreciation
- Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and select altcoins
- Bonds or Cash Equivalents: High yield savings, money market funds
- Business Equity: Ownership stakes in businesses you run or invest in
- Alternatives: Collectibles like paintings, rare sneakers, or classic cars
The goal is to own at least three different asset classes, but five or more is even better if you can manage it. This multi-pronged approach can protect you when one sector struggles and offer multiple pathways for growth.
My Portfolio Breakdown for Mid-2025
Let me walk you through my personal portfolio allocation as of July 2025. For clarity, I’m focusing here on four major asset classes and omitting business equity for now since it’s a bit complex and involves multiple ventures. However, business income remains my primary wealth driver through about six income streams—something I can dive into in a future post if there’s interest.
Here’s how my portfolio stacks up:
- High Yield Savings Account & Brokerage Money Market: 5%
- Physical Real Estate (2 houses): 29%
- Cryptocurrency: 11%
- Equities (ETFs & Stocks): 55%
I’d love to hear how your portfolio looks too—please share your breakdown in the comments below so we can all learn from each other!
Cash & Emergency Fund: The Foundation of Smart Investing
Starting with the simplest but arguably most critical piece: cash reserves. To be a smart investor, you need an emergency fund. Life is unpredictable, and markets can swing wildly. Having cash off to the side means you have a safe place to fall back on if stocks, crypto, or real estate falter at the same time.
I recommend holding at least three months’ worth of living expenses in an easily accessible, high-yield savings account. For me, because I have a solid job as a university professor plus several business income streams, three months is sufficient. If I relied on a single job, I’d bump that up to six months.
Right now, I keep my emergency fund in a Capital One high yield savings account. It’s safe, straightforward, and earns decent interest. Alongside that, I hold some cash in the money market portion of my brokerage account—this is not part of the emergency fund but reserved for buying opportunities when the market dips.
Having this cash buffer is vital because I anticipate some volatility ahead in 2025, which I’ll detail later.
Physical Real Estate: Tangible Assets with Cash Flow and Appreciation
Next up is physical real estate, which accounts for 29% of my portfolio. I own two houses: my primary residence and a long-term rental property I’ve held for about five years. The rental is a great source of steady cash flow.
In the time I’ve owned it, the property has appreciated roughly $200,000, and the tenants have helped pay down about $100,000 of the mortgage. While real estate investing can be a headache—think emergency calls at 6 AM about sprinkler issues or sudden floods—the equity growth and cash flow make it worthwhile.
Overall, real estate has added about $300,000 in equity to my portfolio over five years, a solid foundation for wealth building.
Cryptocurrency: A Growing but Carefully Managed Portion
My crypto holdings make up 11% of my portfolio. I first dipped my toes into cryptocurrency back in 2016 and have since done extensive research on the space. After years of deep dives, I firmly believe in Bitcoin’s long-term potential. Ethereum also holds promise, but the rest of the altcoins are more speculative and risky for my taste.
Given the global landscape—with increasing talk about de-dollarization, unsustainable inflation, and aggressive money printing—I think Bitcoin’s role as “digital gold” is becoming clearer and more important.
Here’s how my crypto portfolio breaks down:
- 80% Bitcoin (BTC)
- 12% Ethereum (ETH)
- 5% Cardano (ADA)
- 3% spread across XRP, Chainlink (LINK), Polygon (MATIC), and VeChain (VET)
This allocation reflects my confidence in Bitcoin as a core store of value while maintaining some exposure to promising platforms like Ethereum and Cardano. The smaller altcoins are experimental and make up a tiny portion of the overall crypto allocation.
Equities: The Largest and Most Diverse Portion
The biggest slice of my portfolio is equities at 55%. This includes ETFs, mutual funds, and individual stocks spread across retirement and taxable accounts:
- 403(b) plan through my university
- Roth IRA (funded via backdoor conversions)
- Solo 401(k) through my business
- Taxable brokerage account
Retirement accounts make up about 64% of the equities portion, while taxable accounts are roughly 36%. To simplify, I’m combining all equities here to show the full picture.
My largest holding overall is the S&P 500, which I primarily hold through my 403(b). The options in that 403(b) are limited, but the S&P 500 mutual fund available has low fees and solid performance, so it’s my go-to.
Here’s the equity breakdown by category:
- S&P 500 Exposure: 42% (includes mutual funds and VOO ETF)
- Dividend / Value Stocks: 26% (SCHD ETF at 22%, Berkshire Hathaway at 4%)
- Growth Stocks & ETFs: 32% (SCHG at 12%, QQQM at 12%, plus individual stocks at 8%)
My individual stock holdings include Microsoft, Apple, Palantir, Google, SoFi, and the newest addition, APLD. I like to mix blue-chip names with some higher-risk growth companies to balance potential returns with stability.
This portfolio structure follows the principles I preach regularly: keep your investments mostly in ETFs (85-90%) and diversify across foundational, value, and growth categories. The individual stocks are a smaller portion to add some targeted growth potential without excessive risk.
Importantly, I always consider my entire portfolio risk, including crypto. For example, if you have 30% of your total portfolio in crypto and then 50-60% of your stock portion in growth or speculative stocks, your overall risk is much higher than it might seem. It’s crucial to look at the whole picture.
Looking Ahead: My Investment Strategy for the Rest of 2025 and Beyond
So, what’s my outlook for the rest of the year and how will I be investing? Here’s the deal:
Despite some positive signs, we’re not out of the woods yet for 2025. Global trade tensions, ongoing wars, tariffs, and geopolitical risks mean we should expect more volatility and bad news that could impact markets.
I foresee several more dips in the market—likely four to five dips ranging from 3% to 10% or more—before the end of the year. This is why I’m keeping a small portion of my cash in the money market fund, ready to deploy when these buying opportunities arise.
Here’s my plan for deploying that cash during dips:
- If the market dips 3-5%, I’ll invest a portion of that cash
- If it dips 5%, I’ll allocate about 25% of the cash reserved for dips
- If it dips 10% or more, I’ll likely invest nearly all of it
We’ve seen this pattern play out earlier in 2025: emotional sell-offs create short-term dips, but the market corrects within months. Those who invest while others panic are usually the ones who win in the long run.
At the same time, I’m dollar-cost averaging every month—investing a consistent amount no matter what, even when the market is at or near highs. This disciplined approach helps smooth out the impact of volatility over time.
To put it simply, if I have $1,000 to invest each month:
- About 80% goes into my core investments across foundational, value, and growth categories
- About 20% is held in the money market fund, reserved for buying dips
If by December 2025 none of the expected dips have materialized, I’ll deploy all that reserved cash into the market before 2026 starts.
Looking further ahead, mid-2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year with midterm elections and a new Federal Reserve chair appointment. I strongly believe these events will set the stage for a booming stock market in 2026 and 2027, offering significant profit opportunities for prepared investors.
By the end of 2025, I aim to have fully invested all my available funds so I can ride the wave of growth in the years ahead.
Final Thoughts: Tailor Your Portfolio to Your Goals and Risk Tolerance
My portfolio is a reflection of my risk tolerance, goals, and personality, and it’s built to weather volatility while capturing growth opportunities. I highly encourage you to take a holistic view of your own portfolio. Don’t just focus on your stocks or crypto in isolation—look at your entire asset mix.
Remember, the key to long-term success in Bitcoin, Crypto, BTC, Blockchain, CryptoNews, Investing and beyond is diversification, discipline, and a well-thought-out plan that fits your unique situation.
If you’re serious about taking your investment strategy to the next level, keep educating yourself, stay consistent with your investing, and don’t be afraid to adjust as the market and your life evolve.
Thanks for reading! Drop your portfolio breakdown in the comments—I love hearing what others are doing—and keep investing simplified.
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