~~Towards Barista FIRE~~

This is going to be a short reflective post for myself, and it serves as a reminder for me to remain calm and composed through the possible volatility that may dictate the market for the remainder of this year. January has been kind to my equity portfolio.  Year to date, it is up about 4%, which is a solid start by any measure, and definitely something worth appreciating.  Returns like this remind me why staying invested matters, even with 'noises' heard since 2025 that 2026 is probably going to be a bad year for stocks. That said, I am also trying not to let early gains lull me into complacency.  The world does feel unusually tense right now.  Geopolitical risks are simmering across multiple regions, and history has taught me that markets rarely move in straight lines when uncertainty runs high.  Volatility is almost a given, and possibly the main headline for 2026 moving forward.  This is especially the case when prices of precious metals like gold (gene...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is inevitably transforming the world.  From healthcare and finance to transport and national defense, AI is changing how businesses operate and how value is created.  Yet for many of us who are not software engineers, data scientists, or tech experts, this new era can feel overwhelming. Sometimes I worry: Being non tech-savvy, will I eventually be left behind?  Will AI make me dispensable in the industry I am in?  These are real concerns, especially as AI tools become more integrated into how work gets done. But here is the perspective I have come to embrace.  I do not have to be an AI developer/ expert to benefit from the AI boom.  I just need to be a smart investor. Why Investing Is My Strategy I have accepted the fact that I am unable to build AI solutions.  However, I can invest in companies that do.  By allocating capital to businesses that adopt AI to improve productivity,  use AI to create competitive...

This is not an account about skill, foresight, or macro-brilliance. This is a short account of how I ended up owning a small amount of physical gold and silver, largely through chance, modest curiosity, and a bit of luck, and what that experience taught me about diversification. How It Began I bought my first piece of physical gold in February 2024.  I was hoping to slowly dollar cost average into gold, buying one ounce yearly  to accumulate my position in precious metal, as a form of diversification.  There was no strong thesis behind it.  I was not trying to bet against fiat currencies or make a bold macro call.  It felt more like owning something tangible outside the financial system, even if the position itself was small.  I remember I was mocked by someone online, someone whom I did not know personally, for buying that piece of gold near all time high at that time. However as time passes, prices of gold climbed to further highs and it became out of...

One of the biggest perks of blogging is I can easily look back at previous posts and compare which are the goals I have successfully achieved and which has fallen behind.  In this first post of 2026, I will like to reflect upon 2025, and compare with what I had written in this  post  one year ago to assess my achievements. 1)     Liquidating My US Growth Portfolio This has been a huge debate with myself this year, whether I should continue investing in US Growth stocks, or liquidate the portfolio to pay off my Malaysia mortgage loan.  In the end, I chose the latter, and enjoy the peace of mind and positive cashflow with my finances in Malaysia.  I know I may miss out the huge upside (and facts has shown that), but I am not regretting what I am missing out, instead I am cherishing and looking forward to a slower pace of life next year, with lesser financial stress from the mortgage debts that I have. Will I restart and rebuild this US Growth P...