---
title: Looking back on 2020
description: 2020 will probably go down in memory as the year of upheavals and change. I picked up a new craft during circuit breaker out of interest and a desire to fill my time.
---

[Financial Freedom by 40 | An introspective journal about my personal investing journey ](https://finfree.joceyng.com)

# [Looking back on 2020](https://finfree.joceyng.com/looking-back-on-2020)

 Written by [Joce](https://finfree.joceyng.com/author/joce) | Dec 28, 2020

2020 will probably go down in memory as the year of upheavals and change. I count myself among the lucky ones to have been able to keep my job and health during this trying year. I picked up a new craft during circuit breaker out of interest and a desire to fill my time. That has grown into [an online business selling handmade crochet items!](https://www.instagram.com/offhook.creations) It is not easy to juggle a full time job with a side business selling time-intensive handmade items but it has been incredibly fulfilling :)

 

On the investing side of things, I made a good call to pivot away from our local shores in search of better growth opportunities. Cloudflare, Alibaba and Tencent are some of my frontrunners of the year.

 

#### Portfolio grew by 127% including capital inflows 

Excluding dividends but including capital inflows, my portfolio grew 127% in the past year, of which 29% is organic growth. By organic growth, I mean an appreciation in stock value or profit from closed positions.   

 

 Check/uncheck to see data points

 

#### Portfolio value exceeded initial target by 35% 

I ended up investing twice the amount I originally intended, partly due to reduced spending, work bonuses and a pay raise :D Total capital inflow was close to 40k.

 

As a result of this, I am ending the year with a total portfolio value of S$94,934 🎉This exceeds [my initial goal of $70,000 by 35%](https://finfree.joceyng.com/new-years-resolutions-2020) (as of 24 Dec 2020) 

 

#### Winners

Cloudflare's run up was the best thing that happened to my portfolio in Q4. Back in August, [I blogged about the potential of this growing tech company and some of the things I liked about it](https://finfree.joceyng.com/eyeing-cloudflare-net). The stock has gone up almost 124% since I picked it up at $38.60. My only regret is not buying more while riding the wave up 😂

 

Tied for 2nd place, we have Tencent and Alibaba. Both stocks were at a positive 13-15% paper profit in my portfolio before the recent drop 😅

 

There's [an ongoing probe into possible monopolistic behavior by the Chinese government](https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3113860/chinas-antitrust-regulator-fines-affiliates-alibaba-tencent) so the stock price hasn't been doing well in recent weeks. That said, I am still [bullish about Alibaba](https://finfree.joceyng.com/how-would-you-invest-10k-in-the-stock-market#alibaba) and I look forward to better times ahead! 

 

I don't think I've blogged about Tencent so far. This was a stock I picked up in Q3 after reading [Not Boring's two-part series on the company](https://notboring.substack.com/p/tencent-the-ultimate-outsider). The articles are long but incredibly insightful. Highly recommended!  

 

#### Losers

Singtel is the biggest loser in my portfolio right now. Down by 31% from its peak in January, I am holding it at a loss of -17.62% after accounting for dividends and closed positions. At this point, I'm just waiting for the price to stabilize once covid-19 is done and dusted before I sell it off. The only reason I'm not selling it off right now is because I don't need the money and I frankly don't think it'll drop lower than $2 #fingerscrossed

 

Following closely behind on my "biggest losers in 2020" list is Ascott Trust. Beaten down by covid-19 and its impacts on the tourism industry and global travel in general, the share price is also 30% down from its peak in January. Unlike Singtel though, I am quite optimistic that Ascott will bounce back since it is in a much better place financially and has more growth potential than Singtel.    

 

Some personal learning points and reminders for myself

 

- Don't be afraid to jump in when stocks are beaten down. Look ahead. Its easy to say this on hindsight, but much much harder to practise in the moment
- Don't get put off by an expensive stock price (eg. Shopify) if I am confident of the growth potential. There have been too many missed opportunities >.< 

All in all, I was only able to check off 4 out of 5 of my goals for 2020:

 

1. ✔️ Save up and invest an additional $20,600 and grow portfolio value to $70k by end 2020
2. ❌ Run a half marathon - My knee started acting up recently so this is off the plate for now. On the bright side, I clocked 172km of running this year! 
3. ✔️ Exercise regularly to maintain my physical health - 5km in 30minutes
4. ✔️ Practice driving regularly so that I can drive when I visit Australia in May whenever I possibly can!
5. ✔️ Continue blogging!

Looking ahead to 2021, I hope to regain some work life balance and continue growing my portfolio. 

1. Save up and invest an additional $23,300 and grow portfolio value to $140k by end 2021
2. Clock a total of 200km of running
3. Drive to any one corner of Singapore (eg. Punggol, Changi) and back home 😂
4. Continue with my crochet side business and stay profitable 💰
5. Continue blogging 

 

[View full post](https://finfree.joceyng.com/looking-back-on-2020)

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