~~Towards Barista FIRE~~

This month marks the end of the 2nd quarter of 2025.  Thus it's definitely a good time for me to record the performance of my portfolio to track how it has been. To recap, I started my SG Dividends Portfolio in late 2017, and I began tracking the dividends and all reinvestment done starting 2018.  To date, my SG Dividends Portfolio consist of banks, REITs and defense technology.  On the other hand, I only started the US Growth Portfolio in late December 2021.  Currently, my US Growth Portfolio consist of mainly big tech names, bank and exchange traded funds (ETFs). Being a relatively conservative investor, I prefer to dollar cost average (DCA) into the market to slowly build up my portfolio.  The advantages of using Interactive Brokers to buy the US shares via DCA are undoubtedly the low fees and ability to buy fractional shares of mega-cap technology shares like Alphabet and Tesla.  This month is marked by many events which heightened the volatility of t...

Just for heads up, I think this post may ruffle some feathers, but I want to say that I am not targeting any specific person.  I am just sharing my thoughts through a general post.  Most of the following points are my personal opinions while some are thoughts share by my friends during casual discussions.  I am not against any individuals following the recommendations by gurus and performing the investment transactions on their own.  Instead, what is baffling me is why individuals pass their monies to gurus who will "invest" on their behalf. In today’s financial world, it has never been easier for individuals to start investing.  With low-cost Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), robo-advisors, and a mountain of free educational resources from books, YouTube videos and blogs, anyone with a smartphone and internet connection can begin building their own portfolio in just minutes.  Yet, despite this transformation in the investing world towards simplification, many...

Two and a half months ago, I shared a post titled " Handling Challenges With Positivity: Improving Health When There Is Less Work ", where I opened up about the struggles I was facing and the mindset I hoped to adopt to navigate them.  Today, as I look back on that chapter, I am filled with a deep sense of gratitude and renewed clarity.  Life has not become perfect, but I have changed, improved and adapted, and that in itself has made a world of difference for myself. Better in Body, Mind, and Spirit Since November 2024, I have lost 9% of my body weight.  That milestone did not come overnight, instead it came through consistent effort, healthier habits, and a shift in priorities.  More importantly, my latest health checkup confirmed that every one of my health metrics has either improved or stayed at a good level since February 2025.  This validation from within (my own body) means more to me than any external affirmation.  It is a reminder that progress ...

As someone who has been on a slow and steady journey toward financial independence, I have always believed in the power of investing for income, especially after I stuck on to this strategy since 2018, and it has proved to serve me well.  Recently, I read Get Rich with Dividends by Marc Lichtenfeld, and it helped to anchor and strengthen my belief in investing in dividend-paying companies, not just for passive income, but as a signal of a business’s financial health. First and foremost, many would think that the best system introduced by Lichtenfeld is the 10-11-12 system, which stands for aiming for 10% average annual yield on cost, 11% average annual total return, and 12 years to double your income.  To me, all this are too technical and too much of a hassle for me to keep track.  All I am looking for is consistent dividend payout from the companies I own.  As long as dividend-payment are recurring, I will continue to hold.  For cyclical businesses, dividend c...