Did I work too hard in my younger days?

Dentsu has banned its employees from working late hours following an overwork-related suicide.

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A chat with a friend who is working in the Singapore Armed Forces:

AK:
You block leave?

F:
Ya

AK:
You have best job!

F:
You cannot meh?

AK:
I don't have best job. I have no job.

F:
Previous job

AK:
Aiyoh. Slave.

F:
Slave earn big bucks

AK:
Big bucks?

F:
Bigger than mine

AK:
Aiyoh. You don't work 6 days a week mah.
That's why I worked on Sunday too for extra money when I was younger. In the end 7 days a week.

F:
GOM states 5.5 days though

AK:
Also worked on some week nites for extra money... Very cham as a young working adult.
Your life so good in comparison lor.

F:
Dont compare😁
Thats what you said

AK:
Now, I don't liao. Irrelevant to me now. 😀








This friend is a super investor and trader, by the way. 

He doesn't have to work anymore but he has a job that is pretty undemanding and pays relatively well.

He works because he wants to and not because he has to.





Sometimes, I wonder if I worked too hard in my younger days and missed out on having fun. 

Oh, well, I will just have to catch up with having fun now.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. What about all play and no work?

Bad Jack! Bad Jack!

Oops. 

Bad AK! Bad AK!





Related post:
Financial freedom and not enough time.

Sit with all that cash and do nothing?

Reader:
A year ago, I lend $20k to help a friend pay off tuition loan. That was when interest rates were rising and I managed to snap up AIMS AMP Reit and Capitaland retail China on the cheap.




Fast forward to today and with prudent savings and by not spending her bonus, my friend has paid me back. However, stock prices seem to have gone up now given the exuberance over positive Q1 news and I can’t seem to find any other counters that I would like to be vested in. 

Should I continue to add to counters that I like but are trading close to NAV or wait till a correction while risk not having the passive income in between?

What would you do? I just started on my investing journey but I have an adequate emergency fund.




AK:
Aiyoh. I also dunno what to do. Stress.
I buy when I see value.




Reader:
i guess saving and investing when i see value would be the best way to go

AK:
Sounds like a plan 🙂

Reader:
does it bother you that your large warchest goes untouched 90% of the time?

AK:
Nope.
Charlie Munger says it takes character to sit on money. Remember? 




Reader:
haha. i guess patience is a virtue
thanks for your response
i tot i had a 50-50% chance of getting a response

There are two extremes.

On one end, there are people who are almost 100% in cash. I think they are doing a Chicken Little.

On the other end, there are people who don't like to see money sitting in their bank accounts. They imagine the money is rotting away.




I don't believe in being too pessimistic or optimistic. I believe in being pragmatic.

Related posts:
1. My simple investment strategy.
2. Revisiting my simple strategy.

Seeking help with $400,000 inheritance.

Dear AK,

Good day to you.

I was introduced to your blog as my friend highlighted that you are one of the most eminent bloggers online and I am wondering if you have any interest in offering specialized advice for individuals.

I have zero experience in investments except for some ILPs which according to what I have read recently are an absolute mistake. I am in my early 30s and have zero debts with modest savings. However, I recently inherited $400,000. 

An adviser will be compiling a report for me that contains recommended strategies based on data on my finances that I have provided him with. I am wondering if you are keen to also do the same for me.  

I understand that you are always reading up and sharing the good stuff with people and could be very busy. I do not want to impose on you like many other people who could possibly be emailing you for free advice. Hoping that you can be my mentor. 

Sincerely wishing that you can consider helping me. Do tell me if you welcome this idea and we can discuss about remuneration.

Thank you.

Hi,

Welcome to my blog. It is a place where I talk to myself and readers eavesdrop. ;)

I am quite happy to share my experience and what has worked for me. Whether readers do the same is entirely their choice.

I generally shun work as I am enjoying my early retirement.

If you have yet to read this blog, you might want to:
http://singaporeanstocksinvestor.blogspot.sg/2017/01/holistic-approach-to-secure-financial.html

I can be quite repetitive in my blog. I hope you don't get bored.

Best wishes,
AK

Related post:
Why seek help from AK?

Why do I choose to stay in a condo?

This is for readers who do not follow me in Facebook and for those who do not read comments in Facebook.





Reader:
By the way , there is nothing wrong to stay at condo also what ... ( AK also stays at condo ) , so long you can afford it , why not ? 

You work so hard , deserve to upgrade and enjoy also . 

Save tons of money and not using it also can't bring them with you one day . 

So , we don't have to keep comparing la . 

If I can afford GCB , I will go for it too ! Why not ? 😁😁

AK:
I would have bought BTO HDB flat if I had qualified. 

I like good quality subsidised housing from government. 

99 years lease at a discounted price is OK for me.





I thought of buying a resale flat but:

1. I had to wait till I was 35.

2. I was reluctant to pay non-subsidised price for an old flat with about 70 years left to the lease.





In buying a condo, I chose to buy freehold and I chose to buy what was, at that time, the smallest format available. 

I didn't need a bigger unit.

I was lucky that the property price more than doubled from when I bought it. 

I decided to sell it because I thought it became too expensive for me to stay in. 

It felt extravagant.





I was also lucky that smaller format one bedroom condo became quite popular and I was even luckier to find one freehold option that offered great value for money a year after I sold my place. 

My current place is practically free of cost since the capital gain from selling my old place could pay for this in full.

Now, you know why I stay in a condo and why it is a small condo.





Related post:
More passive income than richer friends.