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Road to 1 Million! Are you one of them?

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The Million-Dollar Question: Are You One of Them? Based on the 4% rule, if I have USD 1,000,000 invested and it generates an average return of 4% per year, I can withdraw USD 40,000 annually—about USD 3,333 per month—while preserving the value of my capital over the long term. If USD 3,333 a month is insufficient for retirement, the solution is straightforward: Accumulate more than USD 1 million, or Achieve a higher sustainable return. There are no shortcuts—just arithmetic. Now, consider geography. If I take that same USD 3,333 and spend it overseas, the purchasing power changes dramatically. In countries with lower living costs and favourable exchange rates, this monthly amount can stretch much further. What looks modest in Singapore can feel abundant elsewhere. Suddenly, the idea of retirement transforms from survival to choice. On paper, it looks like the perfect plan. But imagination without action leads nowhere. My own journey started nine years ago. Yet real actio...
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5 Years Good Service Medal

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  If investing and trading for 5 years earns me a medal, I will gladly wear it. The photo above shows a SAF Good Service medal. If you have served your national service well and you went through your NS-men reservist diligently, you will be awarded with this medal 100%. The criterial is easy, you need to perform your NS duties with a positive attitude with satisfactory service, be competent during in-camp training and provide meaningful contribution to the SAF. Sounds simple enough but if the same requirement is used on the world of investing and trading, getting a Good Service Medal might not be as easy. Simply showing up is not good enough.  
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I am half way there... 5 more years to go! My goals for 2025/2026

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Today is 15 August 2025... I am starting to put this on record before the actual anniversary day, 22 August 2025. I want to have more room to write about my 2024/2025 journey and there is so much to share. I started my trading and investing journey almost 5 years ago during the turbulence times of Covid-19. Not only has this journey change my way of living but it has also allowed me to take a step back from my daily life to constantly reflect about the life I want and how I should live it. Recently, I stumbled upon a YouTube video, Financial Freedom is Easy, after you learnt this  which is about business marketing and the creator mentioned about Time Freedom vs Financial Freedom for his "lifestyle business". He mentioned that financial freedom is what everyone is aiming for but actually it is time freedom that they are looking for. I pondered about this for a moment and his words does hold some truth. You see, most of us live through the Singapore Dream where we go to school,...
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Thinking too much...

We are our own worst enemy. Humans think too much. It took me four years to work on my financial health — four years of compounding interest, four years of dreaming about early retirement, four years of procrastination. Thinking back, did I know I needed to take immediate action? Definitely, yes! So why did it take me four years to finally get things going? The answer is simple: priority . Investing simply wasn’t my priority. It was more of a want than a need . 🏜️ A Perspective on Priority Imagine being stranded in a scorching desert with no source of water. Not a sip in three days — and soon, you’ll die of thirst. Your body will be so dehydrated that you'll be too weak to move. Hallucinations will set in, and eventually, you’ll fall into a coma and die a slow, painful death. At that point, water isn’t just a need — it becomes your only priority . Now, imagine you find a broken bottle with some liquid residue inside. It could be dew, rainwater, or something unknown. Wou...
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"Finally... I want to start my investing journey, what should I do?"

“I get asked this question a lot: What should someone do when they’re ready to start investing?” It’s a great question—but one that can feel overwhelming. There’s just so much information out there, and diving into it can be intimidating. Most people start with one simple goal: to grow their money and improve their financial situation. While that’s definitely a solid reason, it’s just one of many. Others include beating inflation, retiring early, or building passive income streams. The truth is, the motivation to start investing is deeply personal. Everyone has their own reason—something compelling enough to push them toward that first step. And that first step? Don’t underestimate it. Many people never take it. The decision to start investing can’t be forced. It has to feel right. Like eating, drinking, or sleeping—no one needs to remind you when the time comes. You just know . We often hear the phrase: “Action speaks louder than words.” That’s true, but when it comes to investing, ...
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Why should I learn from a "guru"?

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I often hear this when introducing new investors to the idea of learning from a guru: "If he’s so successful, why does he need to teach to make a living?" Yes, the guru will earn money from the classes you sign up for, but isn’t that what we’ve been doing all our lives? Think about the enrichment classes your parents enrolled you when you were a child. Your piano teacher, language tutor, and soccer coach, all of them got paid for their services, and so will a guru. From childhood through adulthood, we’ve consistently been paying for education—whether it’s tuition fees for a university degree or SkillsFuture courses to gain new competencies at some point along the way, there was some form of payment, subsidy or grant. The point is, instead of focusing on how much the guru is earning, why not consider the knowledge which you will be gaining. You’re paying for wisdom that can significantly impact your future finance. I am a bias staunch believer of paying to learn or paying to e...
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One more year... and 6 more to go.

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Adding one more year to my investing and trading journey... 60% more to go! After 4 years of wins and losses, I have to say that I am still very much in the red. Could I have done better after 4 years of losses? A resounding YES!!! Will I ever see my portfolio go green? I certainly want it... if time can help me to learn and experience, I have 100% gone leaps and bounds from where I first started. We learn and we earn! It seems apparent that I am still at the learning stage and at some point, I will have to reach the earning part. While all of these can be easier said than done, I have set my sights beyond a mere 4 years. When I first started this journey, I wanted it to be a 10 years trip. Without a doubt, I sincerely hope to end this trip earlier and turn my losses into wins but there is just so much to pick up in the financial world. Hopefully one day, if I stay long enough, I will also be able to live enough to spend the wins! Fingers crossed. Happy 4th Year Anniversary, Ben. 4 yea...
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