If you have not read Part 1, click here first.
“Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it’s a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from.”
Continuing from Part 1:
I liked the idea of passive income and therefore ventured into dividend investing. After learning from my mistakes, I did sufficient homework and research. I handpicked my investments like Tapestry and Altria and managed to get them at a relatively cheap price. Both were paying out pretty decent dividend yields too.
However, because of the US dividend withholding tax, the dividends I got back were lesser. I also touched on Singapore’s market, mainly banks and REITs.
Soon after, the market crash came and I held through it. I took another few months to study mainly fundamental analysis and a little technical analysis. From the very beginning, my mindset was to be a long-term investor, so fundamental analysis resonated well with me.
I invested in many growth companies and they performed really well (but this is not because I’m good). Anyone who invested at that time would most likely have made a decent amount of returns. But again, no investment is a sure thing.
At that time, I was overconfident after seeing almost all of my stocks performing well. And along the way, I decided to try short-term trading especially after hearing all the stories of how people were making quick returns. That was where I made a new mistake, overtrading.
(Stay tuned to my new post on My Trading Mistakes)
From that experience, I stopped trading and decided to stick to long-term investing. (Everyone have different preferences and situations)
Personally, I also have a small portion of my investment portfolio in cryptocurrencies, mainly Stablecoins and Bitcoin. It only takes up 5% of my investment portfolio at the time of writing and I fully understand the risks that I am taking.
Over the years, I have learned to not be overconfident especially when the market is performing irrationally well. Like the famous economist John Maynard Keynes said, “the markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent.” So be cautious and flexible as market conditions evolve.
Although my DIY investment portfolio managed to reach an all-time high in 2021, I have chosen to limit picking individual stocks as I feel it is not a sustainable solution in the long run and I do not want to risk my future. Instead, with proper financial planning, I am following a hand-crafted financial plan to reach my financial goals with peace of mind.
I also continue to keep an open mind and explore new ideas to optimise my current financial plan. If you are someone like me, wanting to have access to ethical and genuine financial planning, feel free to contact me or book a discovery session here.
Important: The information and opinions in this article are for general information purposes only. They should not be relied on as professional financial advice. Readers should seek independent financial advice that is customised to their specific financial objectives, situations & needs. This advertisement or publication has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
I came a long way experiencing what a young adult might face when stepping into the world of Personal Finance. (click here for my past history)
I tried many types of investments, made mistakes, took losses, and made solid gains. However, it wasn’t a sustainable solution and I knew I had to do something about it. I was putting a big chunk of my net worth in investments and neglected other areas of my financial plan.
Things changed when I started to do a FINANCIAL HEALTH CHECK (see Specialties tab) and learned about ethical and proper LIFE PLANNING. All along, I thought I was doing well as I am quite a saver, have got insurance and my investment portfolio reached an all-time high (a lot of luck involved). But the fact was, I DON’T KNOW WHAT I REALLY HAVE ?♂️, WHAT I AM DOING IS NOT SUSTAINABLE?♂️, and that Insurance does not equates to Financial Planning.
Through proper LIFE PLANNING, I now have a clear direction and have actionable steps to take to reach my financial goals with peace of mind.
Fast forward today, I work with a team of professionals, and represent my clients’ best interests. I am passionate about what I am doing and would love to help elevate the quality of your life through proper planning. As a Financial Advisory Consultant, I do not represent any financial institution and therefore, I am able to provide unbiased advice and my honest opinion.
To know more about what I do, please click here.
Click here to know more about my story.
