Most people are glad to see the end of 2020. What with Covid-19 and all its loss and pain. For me, 2020 has been an interesting year. My reflections as follows: Work Been WFH since April. I don’t miss the commute or the madness in the CBD. Will aim to WFH more even as life…
Author: FIREman
From 40 to 400
During the GFC, I had about 40k of investments, mostly in banks. I wanted to invest more but I didn’t earn much and had limited savings then. A decade later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I have about 400k in my portfolio. Around 150k was added during 2020. I am looking to add more. This has…
Berkshire
It’s been staring me in the face. I first bought Berkshire Hathaway (of WB’s fame and B share of course) in 2010 in order to attend the shareholders’ meeting in Omaha in person. That was still one of my most memorable experiences. Not longer after attending the meeting, I sold the shares. This was due…
DIVERSIFY
Diversity is strength, especially in the world of investments. Of course, there are people who have done well in their investment journeys by focusing on a few companies. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. My initial stock picks in SGX, the local banks, did well. My subsequent investments (even those in blue chip companies)…
The Issue with Rights Issue
Over my investing career, I have encountered quite a number of rights issue. I still remember during the GFC when DBS did a rights issue of about $5 per share. I was lucky enough to subscribe for 1 lot. That really paid dividends (pun intended). I wrote recently about the SIA rights issue so I…
A Voracious Reader
I enjoy reading all kinds of books. Well almost all kinds. Fiction, non-fiction, autobiographies and what have you. During the past 4 months when I was working from home, I managed to read about 30 books. This is in sharp contrast to the first quarter of the year when I only managed about 10 books….
$1,200,000 and counting
A little more than a year after reaching the $1 million milestone, I have reached another symbolic number. This is largely in line with projections and I am still on target for the first retirement date in 2022. My CPF accounts are maxed out where possible. Now is just about sitting tight and watching the…
A $100k look into Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has provided some opportunity in the stock market. That said, no one can call the bottom and most people agree that the world economy is in for a rough ride over the next couple of years. As a long term investor, I am aware of both sides of the rhetoric. Are you…
Disadvantage as an Advantage?
This is not the first I hear this. Of course, generally, the disadvantage shouldn’t be so great as to deal a fatal blow. A lot of successful people overcame disadvantage(s) to make it in life. There are many adages to this effect. It’s not the size of the dog but the size of the fight….
What is Essential?
It’s June and most of the world is still in lockdown mode. Life as we used to know has changed and may not return in a new normal. For me, essential boils down to family (including dog), food and shelter. I have a gym membership but since gyms are not allowed to operate for the…