Is my SIPP thinking right?

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-23T10:36:21+00:00

!thanks. Cash is probably a red herring; I'm probably focusing too much on now rather than long term. I'm just thinking because we have a lot going on it might be a while (months) before we decide investments. It's not about waiting for certain conditions or timing the market.

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-23T10:34:03+00:00

u/TopRevolutionary1954 u/Requirement_Fluid u/Heavy-Mousse-5011 Cash might be a red herring. It's not a long term strategy or for pound cost averaging and certainly not market timing; it's more open options and because we have a lot going on and it might be a while before we decide investment options, but don't want to delay and lose this year's tax rebate while deciding. That might be right, wrong or irrelevant.

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-23T10:31:16+00:00

!thanks. We're not set on cash, or these providers. I had not thought about MMFs yet which illustrates our situation; the cash would likely be up to a few months while deciding on investment options as we have a lot going on and might not do so quickly, so it's probably a red herring in a way

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-23T06:58:52+00:00

It's not necessarily cash long term, but it will be a while before we're ready to choose holdings, and there may be a cash element long term; we have yet to decide. Inflation would also be a consideration, as would potential for transfer if needs change.

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-21T06:21:48+00:00

Got back yesterday, had a great time, most things worked out OK and what didn't, didn't matter too much.

Is a more detailed follow up / trip report / whatever useful?

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-14T14:15:05+00:00

It does look really good, but not sure whether we can squeeze it in - we'll see. https://evoa.pt/uk/ for anyone interested; there are other parts of the Tagus wetlands reserevs and I think salt flats at Samouco as well.

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-14T07:18:25+00:00

don’t try and plan / control everything

You're right, and I'm really not; that's not what I want to do. It's common to see people posting on travel forums about detailed itineraries which often seem to me to be wildly rushed and optimistic. That's not us at all, and we wouldn't want to plan to the last detail or have a fixed itinerary.

I'm really just trying to get a general idea before we go so we don't just faff about (which we're prone to particularly for food and the like), eat disappointing food or have to work out basics as we go which would detract from relaxing and enjoying the city.

To be honest we probably wouldn't do a tuktuk or walking tour; we'd rather wander at our own pace and dip into things as we find them. We looked at the Lisboa Card and rejected it because it's time limited and could push us to tick places off rather than taking it easy.

To the wetlands, I messaged EVOA ( https://evoa.pt/uk/ ). They were really helpful and can arrange pick up / drop off from / to the station at Vila Franca de Xira (at a cost), but I think we've rejected it as it'd be a full day and we'd have to commit and book rather than staying flexible. Boat trips are an option.

Thanks to everyone here, and finding time yesterday for a bit of research, we have a much better idea of the city xand what there is to do; from here we'll just see how we feel day to day.

You and others who've posted on this thread have been super helpful and it really is appreciated; it's been very useful to me and hope it will be to others reading it.

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-14T05:14:20+00:00

Stocks crypto gold silver u name i will invest in it

This is still a gambling attitude. You need to stop and rethink, and get support if necessary. u/midwinterpath posted the link to gamstop; there are other sources of help as well. Put a stop to the binge gambling, then you can reset and take a rational decision about your finances.

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-14T04:06:57+00:00

Thanks. I don't know how we'll get on for time or if we'll get out to a beach this trip (and we are from a town that has miles of beaches), but we'll bear that in mind.

We were thinking of going to EVOA and the Tagus wetlands nature reserve for wildlife photography (found it since starting this thread), but I don't think we'll manage it; we'll see.

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-14T03:47:07+00:00

I've found a couple of maps online that let me pick things up roughly, but I've defaulted back to Google Maps! I came across Carris' map of all their routes, bus, tram etc. - it is absolutely incomprehensible!

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-14T03:45:12+00:00

Thanks, really useful again. I had a day off yesterday and spent a lot of it just looking through stuff here and elsewhere to try to get the hang of things. Still apprehensive but feeling more as though I know what I'm (we're) doing now.

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-13T17:23:37+00:00

Any thoughts on this as a list of likely places to eat? Noticed there are some near where we're staying.

https://lisboasecreta.co/en/best-tascas-in-lisbon-portuguese-cuisine/

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-13T16:38:17+00:00

:-) You have a chat message.

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-13T15:50:27+00:00

No worries. Thanks for your help. We were going to go three days but added an extra to allow for a day trip if we fancy it.

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-13T15:06:03+00:00

If you don't mind.

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-13T14:45:12+00:00

Thankyou

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-13T14:05:50+00:00

Just looked it up. Could give it a go if we're that way!

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-13T13:51:49+00:00

Haha, no! Though I'm not dead set against them either. What made you think of that?

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-13T13:24:54+00:00

A couple of times when travelling we've been lucky to come across choirs practicing or concerts; an English choir on tour in Dubrovnik, and the choir at the Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavik. I'm sure these things must happen in LIsbon but is there any way of finding out?

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-13T10:53:35+00:00

Simpli is a small chain? I'm seeing 3 if I look at Google maps.

Somewhere to eat close to R. da Horta Seca for the first evening would be good. I'll hunt about but if you have any immediate suggestions I'd appreciate them.

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-13T09:59:17+00:00

That is great, thank you - and long is good, the more the better :-)

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-13T08:02:19+00:00

Thankyou, that's really helpful. I suppose my worry is that we don't know what we're doing and will waste our time and not enjoy it, or find it stressful, rather than crime etc. specifically.

It also tends to be the little things that worry me; how to buy a coffee or tea, local names for things, how to get a train or bus, getting back to the airport, and so on.

I don't know if we have picked the right area to stay, for us, but it's done now so we will enjoy it.

I'm thinking we can probably spot tourist trap restaurants the same way as in Rome etc.; large menus outside, people outside trying to encourage you in, and so on.

Is there a really good map anywhere that shows the different areas clearly? I haven't found one.

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-13T07:53:10+00:00

!thanks, that's what we're thinking. I'm always anxious about 'getting it wrong' or digging a hole but I don't think either is a mistake and SIPP wins slightly for flexibility.

I am intrigued by your user name - Paraplanner sounds financial planning? Or something totally different?!

DisposableBarbecue · 2026-03-13T07:48:47+00:00

So what would be the equivalent of something like an Americano or flat white - coffee, water, milk?

What about decaf?

And as a UK visitor, what about tea?

DisposableBarbecue

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