Who am I?
I started investing (very very) small amounts in 2016 and have slowly built up my portfolio over the years. I enjoy reading up on new companies and searching for those that present good opportunities to invest. My goal is to achieve financial freedom by age 40!
Why start a blog?
This blog is intended to be a chronological record of my investment journey, with an introspective focus. In addition to tracking my investment returns and dividends in numbers, I would like to document how I make investing decisions by putting my thoughts to words.
If there is one thing I'm good at, it's the persistence to build a habit of doing something I enjoy, and maintaining that habit for a long, long time.
I have been tracking my daily expenses since 2016 and I bake every weekend :D This year, I added meal prep to my weekly habits. My cadence of investing is not as frequent, but I try to check on my watchlist stocks and catch up on blogs I follow, a few times a month.
Starting this blog is one step towards building that regular habit of investing and one that I hope will put me on the right path to achieving my goal of financial freedom by 40. As a record of my current thoughts, here is a list of reasons for starting this blog:
- Self-reflection - organize and find clarity in my thoughts through writing
- A reminder to stay focused on my end goal(s) which I wish to achieve through proactive financial planning
- Keep track of materials I've consumed, what has been helpful and how they have shaped my thinking
- Practice writing
- Achieve financial freedom by 40
How do I define financial freedom?
Financial freedom is not financial independence. I define financial freedom as having 60% of monthly expenses (liabilities included) provided for by investment gains or returns. This is a moving target which I may adjust as major life changes affect my expense profile.
Why 60%?
I am confident that I can live comfortably with 3 decent, balanced meals every day on a 60% "payout" assuming I do not work at all. Granted, I would have to forgo nice restaurant meals, paid entertainment and travelling overseas. The point here is not about stopping work when my investment gains/returns can cover 60% of my expenses. the goal is to get to 60% so I have the freedom to prioritize other non-work things in life and reduce my workload and/or work hours.
Why age 40?
In all honesty, 40 is a number I grabbed out of the air. It provides a goal post that is ambitious but not unattainable. Besides, it conveniently alliterates with "financial" and "freedom"
Maybe I'm being pessimistic here, but I don't know if I am capable of achieving full financial independence, especially if I start a family and have kids in future. So I've set my sights on financial freedom for now and may reconsider aiming for financial independence when I'm closer to 40. Meanwhile, I have charted out a number of milestones which I am working towards!