How big is a 452 sq ft apartment?

UPDATE (October 2018):
I have lived in a shoebox apartment for 4 years!
------------------------
A while ago, there was quite a lot of discussion about apartments smaller than 500 sq ft in size and, in some quarters, there was also talk about whether they are good enough as habitats for humans.






When I revealed that I bought one such apartment early last year, there were mixed response from people. 

Some said I made a good decision since there are many advantages of buying a small format apartment. 

Some said I made a terrible decision since there are many disadvantages too.

Many of those who said it was a terrible decision questioned if there is actually going to be enough space for me to live in.

The smallest apartment I lived in as a child was a HDB one room flat. 

As a teenager, the smallest apartment I lived in was a HDB three room flat. 

For 13 years of my life (in my late teens and as a young adult), I lived in a HDB five room flat. 

In the last flat, my share of living space was about 300 sq ft.

So, a 452 sq ft apartment is more than enough space for single me, I reckon.

Anyway, to stop all the guessing, I went online to search for videos of what 452 sq ft of apartment space might look like. 

Here is one which doesn't have some background music or commentary:






Fit for human habitation, you think? ;p

What about a 200 square feet apartment?

Tea with Solace: Getting Ready For Investment. (Part Two)

Solace continues:

Building up Investment Knowledge

To me, this is the most tedious and tiring part. I was not educated in the field of finance and accounting. So, I have to learn everything by myself from scratch.

I need to create my own personalized winning plan. In order to do it, I need to know what I want, specifically my investment objectives and risk profile. This should be the first step before I start to invest.

I am only investing in stocks but note that there are other products available such as commodities, FOREX and derivatives (Options, Futures, Contract for Difference). Many of these products, however, are riskier than stocks and often involve trading with leverage. I believe that we should not invest in something which we do not have enough knowledge in. So, I avoid these.

There are two main approaches when it comes to the analysis of stocks. They are fundamental analysis and technical analysis.

Fundamental analysis involves making an assessment of a company operations. Various factors such as profit, forecast profit, outlook for the industry, key personnel in senior appointments and members of board of director are considered in a fundamental analysis.




Three key financial statements are used:
1. Statement of Cash Flow 
(see Cash Flow Statement)
2. Balance Sheet
(see Balance Sheet)
3. Profit and Loss Statement
(see Income Statement)

They are available in the annual reports.

I watch the valuation of a company carefully. Even the most wonderful and fundamentally strong company is a poor investment if purchased at too high a price. Look out for P/E, P/B, PEG, earning yield, cash return and discounted cash flow etc.

Always have a margin of safety when purchasing shares.

Safety first!

Technical analysis is the study of a stock's actual price, to help form an opinion on the likely future direction of a stock. It makes use of charting software and looking at trends. Some of the common indicators I used are moving averages, Relative Strength Index, MACD, Stochastic Oscillator and On Balance Volume (OBV).




Conclusion

In closing, I think that we need to arm ourselves with the necessary tools to be a successful investor. I am continuously learning and discovering new things from time to time. Never think we have learnt enough about the markets, one should always continue to seek further knowledge.

The day we believe we have learnt enough about investment will also be the first day on our way to failure as we have become complacent.

Related post:
Tea with Solace: Getting Ready For Investment. (Part One)