A step towards achieving ZEN as an investor.

We are probably familiar with a similarity between fishing as a hobby and investing in stocks which is  that both require patience. 

What about gardening? 

I believe it requires plenty of patience too especially if we decide to grow plants from seeds.

I decided to grow Sunflowers from seeds recently and here are some photos taken over the last one week with the last one being the most recent:

Gardening not only requires patience but also understanding and accepting that some seeds are bad and will never germinate. 

No matter how good a gardener we are, this is something we have to accept.

As long as we have more good seeds than bad ones, we should be happy.

How does this tie in with investing in stocks?

Hint:

"In this business, if you're good, you're right six times out of ten. 

"You're never going to be right nine times out of ten." - Peter Lynch





Related posts:
1. Investing or gardening...?
2. Know our goals...
3. How to have peace of mind as investors?

A reader's insights into AK the investor.

An email from a reader:

There are many articles - both new and old - recently that you've been sharing recently on saving money that I feel are definitely useful to the general public. 

With regards to investing, I now understand not only how to screen stocks better but also why you stop blogging about your nibbles and what you have invested in.

Entry and exit points are partly dependent on each person's financial capabilities because we don't know how Mr Market is gonna swing the next second. 

Also, maybe, you don't wanna be held accountable for other people's orders (but really though, why are they following your steps when they probably can't tank the next drop and average down; a good stock on the slide = greater value = higher dividend yield). 

After all, it's their own money and not AK's. So, they should really take care of the downside for I always believe the upside will take care of itself.

But having said that, I also understand why some are not investing or give up investing altogether after a while. The incremental numbers they see are probably smaller due to the fact that they are not hugely invested.

Whenever you blog about your quarterly dividends from REITs, I'm sure your blog's traffic spikes because everyone must be thinking, 

"Wow, if only I had that kinda money for me!" 

A fantasy?

But do they have the temperament to act like AK when everyone is looking away from a gloomy market?

The more important but sensitive question is, what did AK do to amass such amounts at the start and yet not spend it but invest it instead? 

Related posts:
1. How did AK create a 6 digits passive income?
2. Buffett and Munger don't like to pay full prices.
"... bet heavily when the odds are extremely favourable, using resources available as a result of prudence and patience in the past," Charlie Munger.