I Sold My ETFs and Bought These 10 Stocks

After years of holding S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 ETFs alongside individual stocks, I made a major change to my eToro portfolio. I sold all my ETF positions and went fully into individual stock picks, with a heavy focus on AI and tech. This was not a decision I made lightly. Here is the full breakdown of what I bought, why I made the switch, and how the new portfolio is structured.

Why I Sold My ETFs

Let me be clear: I still think the S&P 500 is one of the best investments most people can make. I still hold ETFs in other brokerage accounts. But on eToro, my largest single brokerage, I wanted a portfolio designed to generate alpha, meaning outperformance versus the broader market.

Over the first 1.3 years on the platform, my individual stock picks had already nearly doubled the S&P 500's returns. That track record gave me the confidence to go all-in on stock picking for this particular account. The core thesis is straightforward: we are in the early stages of an AI transformation that will reshape entire industries. If I believe that, it does not make sense to allocate capital to 500 companies, the majority of which have limited exposure to AI.

I still keep ETFs in my other portfolios for diversification. This eToro account is specifically my high-conviction, growth-focused portfolio.

The New Portfolio: 10 Positions

After selling the ETFs, I restructured into 10 individual positions. The allocation skews heavily toward IT and AI, with 81% in tech, plus two defense holdings and one real estate position. Here is the full breakdown, ordered by position size.

1. Amazon (26% of portfolio)

Amazon remains my largest position by a wide margin. At 26%, it is slightly above my ideal maximum of 20%, but my conviction in the company is high enough to justify the overweight. I see Amazon as the dark horse of AI. While Google and others have already had their AI-driven rallies, Amazon has not yet received the same market recognition for its AI investments. Between their deep partnership with Anthropic (the company behind Claude, my favorite AI tool), rumored OpenAI involvement, and massive infrastructure buildout, I think the market is underpricing their AI potential. I am not adding to this position at the moment due to its already large weighting, but I am not trimming either.

2. Google (Alphabet)

My second-largest holding, already up 67% since I bought it just a few months prior. Google was written off by many investors in the first half of last year, and then it surged. I am not adding fresh capital here because of the strong run-up, but I am holding the position. The company continues to print money, and their AI capabilities across Search, Cloud, and DeepMind are substantial.

3. Emaar Properties (MR)

This is one of two non-US holdings in the portfolio. MR is a UAE-based real estate company that pays a 7% dividend yield. That is actually higher than the net rental yield I get on my physical apartments in the UAE, which come in around 6 to 6.5% after service charges and management fees. With price appreciation on top of the dividend, this stock has been a solid performer. I also own two Emaar apartments, so I am familiar with the business from both the shareholder and property owner perspectives.

4. Microsoft

A new addition to the portfolio. I had been watching Microsoft for a long time but always found it a bit expensive. Then their earnings report came out and the stock dropped 12% in a single day, largely due to concerns about their OpenAI exposure. I used that dip to open a position at around $7,500. The leadership under Satya Nadella is strong, and I believe they will surprise the market with their AI capabilities, even if Co-Pilot has not been the most exciting product so far.

5. NVIDIA

Yes, I am late to NVIDIA. But I was also late to Bitcoin when I bought it at $40,000, and late to Google. Being late does not mean the opportunity is gone. NVIDIA is the most valuable company in the world for a reason. Their chips power the majority of AI workloads, and the demand is not slowing down. Beyond current AI models, robotics will create an entirely new wave of chip demand. My position is still relatively small, under $10,000, but I plan to build it up over time.

6. TSMC (TSM)

TSM manufactures between 90% and 95% of all advanced chips in the world. Every major tech company depends on them. Up 57% over one year and 250% over three years, yet the market cap of $1.7 trillion is still well below NVIDIA's. The biggest risk is geopolitical, specifically a potential conflict with China. But I believe the US has strong incentives to prevent that scenario, and if it did happen, the impact would be so broad that virtually all global stocks would suffer. I would rather own the dominant player than avoid it out of fear.

7. Micron Technology

Micron produces the high-bandwidth memory that AI models require to function. There are only three major memory manufacturers globally, and Micron is the American one. The US government is actively investing in domestic chip production, and Micron recently opened a major new plant. I bought it in January, and within days the position was up over $450. Their entire 2026 production capacity is already fully booked. The company is profitable, growing, and rated as a strong buy across multiple analyst platforms.

8. Rheinmetall

A German defense company that has been one of the best-performing European stocks, up 135% over one year. With Europe increasing its defense spending in response to geopolitical uncertainty and reduced reliance on US support through NATO, companies like Rheinmetall are positioned to benefit for years. The market cap of 81 billion euros still ranks them only 34th among European companies, suggesting significant room for growth. They are also reportedly exploring a Starlink competitor for Europe, which adds an interesting long-term angle.

9. AMD

AMD serves as a hedge against NVIDIA in the AI chip space. The stock was up 100% over one year at the time of purchase, with strong buy ratings across the board. The market cap is significantly smaller than NVIDIA's, which gives it more room for growth. It is a slightly riskier position, but the potential upside justifies a smaller allocation in the portfolio.

10. ATI Inc.

ATI is a US aerospace and defense materials company that was not on my radar until I found it through Seeking Alpha's top 10 stocks for 2026. The stock was up 108%, with strong buy ratings from analysts and quant models. The market cap of $16.5 billion means it could grow more than 5x and still be under $100 billion. Short interest is minimal at 1.64%. Revenue has been growing consistently, and the company is profitable. This is a smaller position, but one I could see increasing over time.

Copy Trading on eToro

Along with this portfolio restructure, I also became an eToro Popular Investor. This means anyone can copy my exact portfolio and all future trades automatically. The minimum to start copying is $200, there are no fees or commissions, and you can stop at any time. My one-year performance at the time of the switch was 25.9%, comfortably ahead of the S&P 500. If you are interested, you can find the link to my profile on my YouTube channel.

Total Portfolio and Passive Income

Looking at my total portfolio across all brokerages, stocks and ETFs now make up over 56% of my holdings, with the rest in cryptocurrency. That is a much healthier balance compared to earlier periods when crypto dominated at 70% or more.

In total, passive income for January came to over $2,000. The $1,100 eToro crypto cashback was a promotional reward paid out in Rheinmetall shares, essentially a 1% monthly return on crypto held on the platform. Combined with dividends from MR, interest from Bondora Go and Grow (6%) and Nexo, plus credit card cash back, the passive income streams are adding up nicely alongside portfolio growth.

Why This Strategy is Not for Everyone

I want to be upfront about the risks. This is a concentrated, aggressive portfolio. If AI sentiment turns negative or any of my top holdings report weak results, the portfolio will take a bigger hit than a diversified index fund. I am comfortable with that tradeoff because I have a long time horizon, no leverage, and enough diversification across my other accounts.

If you are just starting out or prefer a lower-risk approach, a simple S&P 500 ETF remains one of the best options available. My eToro portfolio is one piece of a broader strategy that includes ETFs, real estate, crypto, and cash positions across multiple brokerages.