I’m growing my Stocks and Shares ISA to ultimately replace earned income. Goals might differ between investors, of course. Some might be saving to purchase a home or to supplement regular income, for instance.
To target a £43,100 retirement income, I will need a substantial pot of money. I calculate that should be around £540,000.
That might sound like a huge sum but note that it’s not a near-term target. It will likely take years of diligent saving and investing to reach it.
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I’d expect to reach this goal if I can maximise my ISA allowance for 14 years, and achieve a long-term average stock market return of around 10%.
Targeting an earlier retirement
To start retirement earlier, I’d aim for a higher return though. Consider that over the past year, my own ISA has grown by over 20%. And over the past decade I’ve managed to considerably beat average returns.
Looking back, I’d put it down to careful stock picking and investing in the strongest sectors. For instance, the US tech sector has been a large driver of global stock market returns over the past decade. And that has been an area of focus for my ISA.
The bulk of my returns over the past year came from Nvidia and Meta. Both tech giants achieved triple-digit gains over the past 12 months, so that really helped my overall performance.
If I can continue to gain 20% every year, I calculate I’d reach my target within a decade. But to do this consistently will be a challenge.
Looking at past returns is useful, but looking ahead is more important. So which stocks should I consider for a new Stocks and Shares ISA?
Strongest sector right now
My favourite stocks right now tend to be in the hottest sectors. For instance, generative artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to be a mega trend over the coming decade.
But don’t just take my word for it. Last year, Nvidia noted that the world has $1trn worth of data centres installed in the cloud that are in the process of transitioning into accelerated computing and generative AI.
The market opportunity in this sector is frankly huge. But it’s not just chip makers like Nvidia that stand to benefit.
An AI play
One AI stock I’d buy next is Oracle (NYSE:ORCL). This cloud infrastructure provider reported strong earnings and a partnership with Nvidia. It’s competing with the likes of Microsoft and Amazon to provide low-cost cloud infrastructure.
According to Oracle executives, its AI infrastructure business is booming. It’s building data centres at a record level to meet demand. Some of these are relatively small, but it’s also building some of the largest ones in the world.
This mega-cap stock offers a double-digit return on capital employed and profit margin. It pays a dividend and trades on a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 20, which doesn’t strike me as expensive, given its growth outlook.
Bear in mind it has $80bn of debt, which isn’t something I want to see. So far, it’s been manageable, but I’d prefer if it pays that down over the coming years.
Overall, with spare cash in my ISA, I’d press the ‘buy’ button.
