Successful Investors Have No Regrets

VS

I chanced upon an article or book (cant remembered which one) titled 'Successful people have no regrets'. Though I didnt read the article but I sort of agree with this statement.

Let me give you an example, during time like this when market was weakened due to potential Fed's rate hike and China stock market crash or any other reasons. It's a good time to buy the market right? Some people will be procrastinating as to 'when' is the good time or best time to buy stocks?

They are worried that if they buy too early, the stock prices could dive deeper due to more incoming bad business news. They want to avoid this and want to sit out and wait for the best time to buy. But what happens if they wait for too long and the stock market suddenly perform a V shaped recovery and they missed the boat? Well, there isnt any best time to buy.

So, when is the best time to buy? The lowest point of the dip and just before the stock market recovers? Well, I am afraid nobody knows when it will be the lowest point till it happens! ie the market recovers and stock analyst will say 'There! thats the lowest point' when its already happened and thats in the past, gone, opportunity lost!

Many a times, you will hear someone with full of regrets and say things like 'Aiya! I missed the boat! The market recovered and I thought its going to drop further!' or you rather be a successful investor with no regrets who will stroke on his chest and say 'Heng ah! Luckily I nibbled and bought some shares when the price was low'

Though I dont considered myself to be a successful investor yet, still learning to be one :)

I gathered that to become a successful investor with no regrets, you buy bit by bit and space out your buys. Some average down when their stock prices fall by a certain margin, others buy consistently across different time frame eg monthly. That way, you will buy some shares when the price is low. Of course, it may not be the 'best' price but at least you bought your targeted stocks during bearish market opportunities like this.

This is just one solution to at least buy bits of shares when market is down and next time when the market recovers, you will be patting yourself on your shoulder and uttered silently that you have done a great job :)

This downturn, I am going to take advantage of this opportunity and definitely not going to be the one who say 'Sh*t! I missed the boat!'

Nov 2015 Portfolio

This month STI dip down abit after having a fantastic V shaped recovery in Oct 2015. This is quite expected as all goes up must come down for a while. Its quite common to see a retracement down a bit. Also in the month of Nov 2015, there were quite a few companies paying out dividends so its quite expected for STI to go down abit.

This month I added Keppel Reit into my portfolio.
Keppel Reit is trading at quite low price with a low PE of 7 and low PBR of 0.66. It has some solid portfolio of office towers in both Singapore and Australia. Big names such as Bugis Junction Towers, Marina Bay Financial Centre, One Raffles Quay and Ocean Financial Centre are all under its card.

STI vs my portfolio

My portfolio is still hovering in the negative region :( but good news is that I beat STI at least a consolation prize :)

Period	STI	My Portfolio (Realised)	Verdict
Jan 2015	2.71%	3.21%	I win
Feb 2015	2.41%	2.16%	I lose
Mar 2015	3.31%	0.62%	I lose
Apr 2015	6.02%	4.18%	I lose
May 2015	3.31%	3.84%	I win
Jun 2015	0.90%	1.14%	I win
Jul 2015	-2.41%	-3.83%	I lose
Aug 2015	-10.54%	-9.07%	I win
Sep 2015	-14.16%	-9.34%	I win
Oct 2015	-8.43%	-4.48%	I win
Nov 2015	-12.05%	-8.57%	I win

Total 20 stocks in portfolio



Dividend
This month I received dividends from SIA Engineering, Ascendas Reit, StarHub, Sabana Reit, Lippo Mall Tr.



Checkout my Dividend history

Dividend Stock Tracker
I keep track of good SGX dividend stocks such as 10 years consistent SGX dividend stocks, REITs, Business Trusts, etc with real time information update. Checkout the link below:
Checkout my Dividend Tracker

Try To Be Yourself

We often hear people say that life is like a movie or serial drama. Many a times we have to wear a mask and be pressured by fellow peers and environment, we are forced to become another person. If not, we are considered outcast or people who does not blend in the group. This is especially so for the youngsters who are conscious of what people think of them or are they nerds or geeks. They are very concern of others perception of them.

Nowadays, I am more immune to this kinda of things. If I am not happy, I will just find an excuse politely and walk away. That makes me happier than when I was much younger. However, not very true. In workplace, no choice, when I need to entertain or attend a official event, I still need to wear my mask and look friendly.

Guess my happy hours are not in any pubs or drinking session but in my home with my family where I can do whatever I want, be it staring at my TV or playing with my pet fish or children.

I particularly like this song 'Try' by Colbie Caillat and find that its very meaningful. Even the MTV casts are not any super models or pretty lass. They are just plain Jane who wore no makeup or wigs.

This song is about being yourself, no need to change yourself or try to act like another person or pretend to be somebody so that other people will like us or accept us.

Every day when we wakeup, when we look at the mirror. We should like what we see. We should like ourselves.

Oct 2015 Portfolio

This month I witnessed the amazing V-shaped recovery of the SGX stock market. In Sep 2015, it went down down to a low trench of -9.34% and this month, Oct 2015, it suddenly went up with a almost triple times recovery of -3.30%. This definitely caught the pants off for those short sellers and could be a result of short recovering. The reason for this V shaped recovery is more likely due to Fed postponing of rate hike and China implementing more measures to help prop up their stock market.

By the way, this month marked my portfolio one year anniversary! Time flies, its one year already but was glad I embarked on this journey towards financial freedom. Onward !

This month I added M1 into my portfolio.
Added more M1 into my portfolio because there was weakness in telco stocks due to the arrival of the 4th telco company my republic. Telco stocks are defensive and dividend stocks which I believe will ride out all economic cycles. So I took this chance to add in.

STI vs my portfolio

My portfolio is still hovering in the negative region :( but good news is that I beat STI at least a consolation prize :)

Period	STI	My Portfolio (Realised)	Verdict
Jan 2015	2.71%	3.21%	I win
Feb 2015	2.41%	2.16%	I lose
Mar 2015	3.31%	0.62%	I lose
Apr 2015	6.02%	4.18%	I lose
May 2015	3.31%	3.84%	I win
Jun 2015	0.90%	1.14%	I win
Jul 2015	-2.41%	-3.83%	I lose
Aug 2015	-10.54%	-9.07%	I win
Sep 2015	-14.16%	-9.34%	I win
Oct 2015	-8.43%	-4.48%	I win

Total 19 stocks in portfolio



Dividend
This month I received dividends from Global Invest and UMS.



Checkout my Dividend history

Dividend Stock Tracker
I keep track of good SGX dividend stocks such as 10 years consistent SGX dividend stocks, REITs, Business Trusts, etc with real time information update. Checkout the link below:
Checkout my Dividend Tracker

Its Better To Be A Giver Than A Receiver

On 2nd Aug 2015, my wife saw the Blood Donation Drive banner around our neighbourhood and asked me if I am ok to join her. Ok why not. By the way she was a first time donor and was pretty nervous about it as previously, her weight was below 45kg so was not heavy enough to donate blood. Now she's 47kg so off we go!

When we reached Metta School @ Simei Street 1, Oh boy! there were many people there and we were quite surprised. Its a Sunday and we can see quite a few donors are from the Y gen meaning those around 20+ years old. Good good!

We had to fill up a few pages of questionaire to make sure we are physically fit without any serious medical history or disease. After that, we have to have our blood pressure taken by a on-site doctor who will run through the survey form and ask questions on some of our answers. Wow I must say its quite strict in making sure that they got the right donors.

Made a small chat with the doctor and he said this donation drive very strange. Suddenly all the old donors who stopped donating long time ago appeared today and also lots of first time donors haha. I was one of those old donors who didnt visit them for long time. He said my last visit was 2010 or 2011.

Then, when it was my turn to lay down and got my blood siphon out, a senior nurse came along and chat with me. She told me that the Blood Donation Drive was supposed to end at 3pm and it was already 2.30pm and looking at the huge wave of donors coming in, they can only end after 5pm. She told me, she and her team of nurses have not taken their lunch and wouldn't want to hold us back and was happy that so many donors came forward. Suddenly all the nurses who are busy working look so attractive to me! Such a nice white nightingale :)

I feel so fortunate and blessed to still be a abled bodied person to donate blood to the needy. Knowing that my blood will one day save a life and make a difference. I got a colleague who got involved in a road accident told me that she used up 20 bags of blood when she got hit by a taxi. See one bag of blood is not enough and you can only donate blood once every 3 months. Those who are keen please be a regular donor :)

Well, its better to be a giver than a receiver. Ok, I empathize over my colleague's mishap but in this case, everyone would rather be the donor than the receiver. Just like the spirit of Christmas, the spirit of giving :)

Same for money, isn't it great to have enough or surplus money so that you can help less fortunate people who are in need of help for emergency use? I wrote it in my motivation that in order to help others we have to first help ourselves only then are we in the advantage or position to help others.

Sep 2015 Portfolio

Market is still volatile and manage to recover a little but overall its still bear.

This month I added Ascendas Reit into my portfolio.
These few months, I started buying more blue chips as they are fallen to attractive levels and their stable dividends will provide me for many years to come. This time I added Ascendas Reit. This is a big cap Reit with well diversified portfolio of commercial, business, industrial properties.

STI vs my portfolio

My portfolio is still hovering in the negative region :( but good news is that I beat STI at least a consolation prize :)

Period	STI	My Portfolio (Realised)	Verdict
Jan 2015	2.71%	3.21%	I win
Feb 2015	2.41%	2.16%	I lose
Mar 2015	3.31%	0.62%	I lose
Apr 2015	6.02%	4.18%	I lose
May 2015	3.31%	3.84%	I win
Jun 2015	0.90%	1.14%	I win
Jul 2015	-2.41%	-3.83%	I lose
Aug 2015	-10.54%	-9.07%	I win
Sep 2015	-14.16%	-9.34%	I win

Total 19 stocks in portfolio



Dividend
This month dividends came in for quite a handful of companies or stocks. Cash is king in these times. So that I can reinvest into better dividend producing counters.



Checkout my Dividend history

Dividend Stock Tracker
I keep track of good SGX dividend stocks such as 10 years consistent SGX dividend stocks, REITs, Business Trusts, etc with real time information update. Checkout the link below:
Checkout my Dividend Tracker

GE2015 How We Can Apply To Portfolio Management

Finally, Singapore decides who they want to lead them for the next five years. The past 2 weeks are dramatic with rallies by opposition parties and ruling party. I managed to attend a rally by WP and PAP and looking at the large turnout of the WP rally. It is scary. The crowd is like going to a soccer match with many people from different generation and background. Especially the WP rally, you can hear people cheering and shouting. It can be very entertaining when the WP speaker talk about the people's usual problem such as CPF, jobs taken up by foreigners, etc.

Chee Soon Juan from SDP also improved alot this GE2015, he's not so aggressive and more reasonable. No shouting at Mr Goh like during the last election. He also played the empathy card by telling people about his humble life via social media. He also showcased his family, especially his daughters in the politics during his rally speeches. Something I feel he should not involve them.

For a moment, I thought PAP would have a hard time defending their grounds.

When the result is out, I was kinda relieved. I know that some of my friends want some opposition party to be in the Parliament not because they are good but they just want them to be in so that they will watch over PAP. This is a very scary thought. What happens if majority thinks like that and start voting for opposition not based on merits but purely this reason? What will happen to Singapore? Are the opposition party ready to be the ruling party and lead Singapore?

I am relieved that despite all the ra-ra from opposition parties, majority of Singaporeans still choose PAP as it is stable and reliable, a proven working ruling party, status quo.

I think it apply to our portfolio management too. We need it to be a stable and reliable cruise ship sailing towards our destination. Our portfolio should not be exciting and entertaining with high beta stocks making high swings in the the price. We need it to be a stable business and consistently gives dividends.

So choose wisely how you want to build up your stock portfolio.

Do you want it to be exciting like gambling ? or stable like a business?

Aug 2015 Portfolio

This month's volatility is a continuation of Jul's. Market still affected by ShangHai stock market crash and STI has fallen by 10%. To add matter worst, China devalue its yuan currency sending large stock market decline all over the world. At one time, STI was -90 points or 3% down in just 1 day. Looks like we are in the bear market and will continue to be like this for weeks.

24 Aug 2015 is known as 'Black Monday' as the global market crashed, with Dow Jones opening with -1000 points down but recovered to close at -500 down. Then the last week of Aug, we see market recovering fast for a few days. Short covering? We are in for the volatility and I think we are in a confirmed bear market.

This month I added StarHub into my portfolio.
Market has been pretty volatile these days. Lots of blue chips have fallen by quite a lot. I have been picking up more blue chips lately. My latest purchase is StarHub. I have been wanting to buy it for sometime for it is a great dividend generator with a stable telco business.

STI vs my portfolio

My portfolio ended in the negative region :(

Period	STI	My Portfolio (Realised)	Verdict
Jan 2015	2.71%	3.21%	I win
Feb 2015	2.41%	2.16%	I lose
Mar 2015	3.31%	0.62%	I lose
Apr 2015	6.02%	4.18%	I lose
May 2015	3.31%	3.84%	I win
Jun 2015	0.90%	1.14%	I win
Jul 2015	-2.41%	-3.83%	I lose
Aug 2015	-10.54%	-9.07%	I win

Total 18 stocks in portfolio

Dividend
This month dividends came in for quite a handful of companies or stocks. Cash is king in these times.



Checkout my Dividend history

Dividend Stock Tracker
I keep track of good SGX dividend stocks such as 10 years consistent SGX dividend stocks, REITs, Business Trusts, etc with real time information update. Checkout the link below:
Checkout my Dividend Tracker

Are We A Bunch of Losers?

Below are some of the loser's thoughts.
Are you a long term investor now because you lost money in trading?

Are you a trader now because you sucks at investing?

Are you spending too much time on investing or trading now because your career has no future or you are blacklisted by your boss at work?

Are your portfolio bleeding now? Staggering massive paper loss and it gets worst everyday?

Below are the winner's thoughts.
You switched to investing because you found out that trading is not your cup of tea. You couldn't sleep well, thinking of the forex position which is open 24/7 per day except weekends and Public Holidays. Glad you are out of trading :)

You are a trader now because they found that investing doesn't work for you. There's no kick, slow and looking at the huge paper loss makes me sick.

You invest to create your investment income in addition to your active income (job). You will retire happy and not worried about your finance.

Its just the usual market correction, up and down, up and down, stock is volatile. Very much expected. In the long run, stock will out perform any other asset class.

Some people are very good at showing off their wealth or goodness in life especially facebook which I find its a 'hao lian' platform where friends will post pictures or write on just how good they are and how enjoyable is their life.

Of course life is not all bad and no good. We don't have to envy or compare with others. They may not appear as what they seem to be.

Its actually a state of your mind.

A good example is a glass half filled with water.
Is it half full? or half empty?

Let's switched your mind to the winner side and be a winner!

Then you will be happier.

Let It Go

This is my little nephew and niece's favourite song. Sometimes they will just sing out loud. "Let it go! Let it go!" suddenly it rang a bell in me. Yea, these kids are right, we got to let it go! Kids can teach the adults who are usually blinded or numb by our mundane, ruthless world.

Wonder how would a surgeon perform a good job if he keep on thinking of how much can he earn from the operation or worry that their patient couldn't foot the bill. Money is the least thing he should worry and concentrate on getting the operation done successfully.

How would a office worker perform if he/her keep thinking that its past my office hours and I will "lu gi" or "bo hua"(make a loss) if I still continue working and not get paid for the extra hours put in.

How would a nurse perform her duties well if she has to keep thinking that she is working late night shift and earning a miserable pay instead of attending to her patients and making sure that they have the best care.

How would a property agent sit around the Million Dollar round table when he keeps worrying that he is wasting money or not getting his money worth on advertising or wasting time doing door-to-door calls and sales. He got to take the first step to reach out for potential customers. I got a property agent friend who told me he started off by doing door to door sales call and get rejected countless times in order to build up his customer contacts to be what he is today.

Next time, if you got a big assignment or project, if you straight away link it to your big bonus or promotion, probably not a good idea. Try not to think about the rewards first, because they may not come to you even though you did a good job. Instead focus first on getting the project done in time and do it well. Recognisation and rewards will come naturally.

How would your portfolio perform if you keep thinking that you will be losing money if you invest and do not dare to press the 'buy' button. Don't be too scared to lose. In the end, you will not take any action and no action means no result.

Try not to worship Money, it should be your least concern. Important thing is to get your work done properly :)

Next time, maybe try to 'let it go', only then you will perform :)

Happy SG50 Singapore!

Happy Birthday Singapore!
Have a super long weekend ahead!