Newsletter — 28 June 2023
Spaceship began in 2016 — the same year Britain voted to leave the EU, Donald Trump was elected as the next president of the USA, and Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize for Literature. In other words, it feels like a lifetime ago now (and I can't be the only one who feels that).
We launched our first product, Spaceship Super, in January 2017.
We followed it up in May 2018 with the launch of Spaceship Voyager.
In the five years since we launched Spaceship Voyager, we've been through plenty of ups and downs. We've grown to more than 200,000 investing customers (and counting!) and more than $1 billion in funds under management across both our products. By the numbers, this very newsletter has been opened many millions of times.
We've also had some really difficult moments. We felt the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic reverberate through the company. We've seen stock market performance cause our portfolios to experience some really tough corrections.
And, yes, for a couple of weeks earlier this month, we had to temporarily suspend taking new investments while we worked through interim stop orders. I wholeheartedly apologise for the disruption this caused.
But one of the things that's held Spaceship together is we — myself, and the people I work with every day — are united in our mission to transform the way young people think about and invest their money. That's why we get up and go to work every day.
Having said that, we know it's not always easy as an investor.
My first investment into the Spaceship Universe Portfolio was $100 (in 2018). My most recent investment was $145. While it's helped me achieve some long-held financial goals, I've also had that same stomach-churning experience that some of you might have had of seeing my investment dip into the negative. The thing that reminds me to keep with it is knowing the power of long-term investing.
As we celebrate the fifth anniversary of two Spaceship Voyager portfolios — the Spaceship Universe Portfolio and the Spaceship Origin Portfolio — we wanted to share with you how believing in long-term investing can play out.
The Spaceship Universe Portfolio returned:
15.32% in the year ending 31 May 2023, and has returned an annualised performance of 9.09% since the Funded Date of 15 May 2018 (60 months).
The Spaceship Origin Portfolio returned:
10.26% in the year ending 31 May 2023, and has returned an annualised performance of 8.55% since the Funded Date of 15 May 2018 (60 months).
Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance and is provided for your information purposes only. Returns are net fees, and not a projection. The Funded Date represents the date on which the fund was substantially invested in accordance with its investment strategy.
We also want to thank you for being a Spaceship customer — whether you've been with us since the beginning or you've come across us recently, thank you.
We know transforming the way you think about and invest your money feels different for everyone — especially in these uncertain financial times. For some, it might be setting up a $10/week investment plan and seeing where it takes you. For others, it might be as simple as reading our Real Money Talk series and taking notes.
Just know, we're so thankful you’ve decided to join us on our journey, perhaps at a time when investing in your future is more important than ever.
And by the way, there's some exciting things in the works. Soon you'll be hearing about more investing options – especially if you joined our waitlist.
In the meantime, if you ever have questions about your account, please reach out to us directly. We're always happy to help.
