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How I Saved $100,000 By 30
A couple of months after celebrating my 30th birthday, I celebrated a financial milestone that I didn’t think I would achieve by that age – having $100,000 saved up. I feel simultaneously proud and self-conscious writing about this milestone. Proud because it’s a pretty damn good achievement in my books. On the other hand, self-conscious because it doesn’t feel like that big of a deal when so many others have gotten to this number (or higher) quicker than I have. Because if you’ve read enough personal finance articles, you’ll know that saving $100,000 by 30 isn’t a new concept, and I suppose my perception has been skewed from reading too…
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Portfolio Snapshot: Brace for Impact
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this post are my own opinions and does not constitute financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell securities. Disclaimer 2: This is a stream of consciousness writing mess, so take from it what you will. I was 6 years old when the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis happened. I started college just as the global banking system collapsed in 2008. In 2013, the European debt crisis was at its tail-end when I started my first job. Even as I lived through 3 market collapses, I was too young and oblivious to comprehend their damaging effects. Though, I heard and read countless stories about those…
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How I’m Setting My Goals for 2020
Truth be told, I’m terrible at goal-setting. For most of my adult life, I’ve either: 1) not set any goals at all, 2) vaguely visualised goals in my mind, but never took actionable steps to see them through, or 3) set goals so unrealistic, fall very short of the mark as I tried to reach them, then, feeling discouraged, I’d abandon the effort altogether. Everything I’ve done up to this point in my life, such as getting good grades or saving money, unfortunately, wasn’t achieved through positive goal-setting. No. Instead, I achieved milestones out of sheer fear and panic that life would crumble right before my eyes if I didn’t.…
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10 Favorite Websites To Read on The Internet Right Now
Who here is an avid reader? I love reading. It is one of the few things I truly enjoy doing the most during my downtime. Reading keeps my brain active. It’s where I get new ideas, learn about the world and experience someone else’s perspective. It’s also a great way to brush up on grammar and learn new styles of writing. Unfortunately, time has become an increasingly finite resource. When I was a teenager, I would devour 1000-page epic novels in less than a week. Now, I struggle to finish a 300-page novel in a month. Maybe this is one of the trappings of adulthood. To get my dose of…
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Asset Allocation for Malaysians: What is The Best Portfolio Mix for You?
Over the last few months, I wrestled with the concept of asset allocation. In theory, this is a straightforward concept but in practice, I don’t take asset allocation into consideration when making investment decisions. What Is Asset Allocation? At some point in your investment journey, you might find yourself thinking, “There are just too many investment options out there, how do I choose the right one?” The answer is there shouldn’t be just ONE investment option that you should be putting your money into. Ideally, your investments should consist of a variety or a mix of assets that fit you. This mix is different for each individual. Think of a…
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How To Calculate Your Economic Net Worth
Do you know your net worth? I have to admit this question scares me. As someone who loves tracking her expenses and investments, I have long avoided actually calculating my net worth. Naively, I thought that by age 28 I would have accumulated a net worth worthy of someone who’s well on their way to financial independence. But that’s hardly the case anymore. Your Financial Net Worth The simple calculation for net worth is this: Take all the assets you own and subtract all the debt you have. Voila, you have the dollar value of what you are worth in this capitalistic society. Assets – Liabilities = Net Worth In…
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Digital Marketing & Finance are More Similar than You Think
The topic of career change is endlessly fascinating to me. I wouldn’t say I’m a seasoned “working adult” but having hustled for money since I was 17, one could say I’ve been in the workforce for quite a while already. As much as I am inexperienced in the matter of drastic career changes, I think it’s safe to say that the transition will alway reveal interesting nuggets both about the working world and about yourself. I never intended to become a marketer. I’m still adjusting to that label since it replaced banker. The switch from banking to marketing is not as difficult as I initially thought. Sales and networking are…
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Month in Review: February 2019
Hello, readers! Hope you’re all well. I took a bit of a hiatus (unintentional) in February, mostly to deal with a stressful workload. Truthfully, I was also feeling uninspired, having a dreadful writer’s block. Consistency has always been a struggle for me, especially when my attention is spread very thin at the moment. How do some of y’all do it? Like, how do you juggle a job, all these side-hustles, write blog posts, exercise, meal prep, read, and have a social life without having a fucking burnout from doing too much? Please message me your secrets, I’ll pay good money for ’em. I apologize for the social media absence as…
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2018 Portfolio Recap
January is almost coming to a close and I’m finally getting around to doing a summary of my portfolio for 2018. Better late to the party than never, right? Believe it or not, my portfolio is still relatively new. I started my long-term investing approach sometime in August 2017. Throughout 2018, I slowly built a modest equity portfolio comprising of five stocks. If you’re an avid reader of this blog (hah, it’s probably just me), you might be familiar with said stocks by now from my monthly(-ish) portfolio snapshots. I’m going to share the actual numbers from my portfolio. In the past, I hesitate to reveal them because I felt…
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My 2018 Expenses and Income
Some days ago I read a blog post from Suraya of Ringgit Oh Ringgit in which she reveals her annual income and expenses for the last year. I thought, “Hey, I’ll do that too!” Naive, little ol’ me thought that this was going to be an easy breezy fun post to write. I was sorely mistaken. I spent the whole weekend confronting the numbers that my year essentially boiled down to. The more I looked at them, the more anxious and afraid I became about sharing it with the world. It’s one thing to hold those numbers close to yourself but it’s a completely different thing to let other…
