What to do with 5M in cash?

[ClubMan]

Not too sound rude but the returns seem small in comparison to an SP500 Index; Since mid-2014, the S&P 500 has produced a total return of 233.6%.
Investing in a trust like JAM/ATT/PCT would have made better returns and probably cost less in fees.

Could the returns that @Gordon Gekko mentioned be net of dividend income over the 10 years perhaps?

 

[GSheehy]

The thing about past performace comparisons is that, unless someone posts a link to the source of the figures quoted no one else can make head nor tail of them. They're just illusory. In this case, the number and geographical location of the shares is definitely not on a like-for-like basis, one may be net of all charges, and possibly net of taxation.

 

[Rufenian]

I guess I've just recently finished 'A Random Walk on Wall Street' and I'm biased towards Indexes and thinking about when in 2008, Warren Buffet made an open bet that no fund could out-perform the S&P 500. I think only one person took him up on the bet, and did not win. So investing in funds, or self directed equity portfolios carries a statistical likelihood you will lose money compared to the market index.

 

[cremeegg]

€1m for a house and car (Personally I would go more on the house,. You can buy a very mediocre house in nice Dublin for €1m)
€3m invested in an etf (Diversified equities). You should be safe to draw an income of 4% €120k, fully fund wife's pension
€1m to actively invest.

In 5 years time if your active investments outperform your etf maybe readjust the allocation.