Scholar? Straight A? Big Fish, Small Fish? Let’s talk about Financial Sense

A scholar? Straight A, Good JC student? Unfortunately, I am neither. While I will be proud to showcase my “O” and “A” certs dotted with more “B” than “A” grades, displaying another achievement of mine (a 27-year-old investor) is perhaps more fitting as a financial blogger.

Counter	Units	Price	Allocation (%)
Penguin	588700	0.15	35.16
China Fishery	260000	0.092	9.53
Fischer Tech	18000	0.905	6.49
TTJ	29000	0.41	4.73
Silverlake	39500	0.575	9.04
Moolahsense	1	$12,200	4.86
Cash*		$75,800	30.19
Total SGD		$251,117.50	100.00%

As of end Oct 15, my portfolio stands at approximately $250,000. [Portfolio update: Sold some China Fishery, Penguin and XMH.]

While I do admit I am a “father-mother” scholarship holder, this does not take away my financial achievement. During my second year of university, I had asked myself: “what could I do to differentiate me from my peers?” You see, I was an average undergraduate who hailed from Innova Junior College - yup that 20 pointer JC, the privileged few which could accept me.

I realized financial literacy was something we had learnt little during our school days but is one of the most useful and relevant skill for the real world. It was something I knew that will get me ahead of the rat race – financial security meant less stress and the ability to take on more risk to advance a career. Furthermore, with financial sense, an individual is equipped with the knowledge to accumulate more wealth and like it or not; money is one of the stress factors of family ties. The lack/struggle to attain financial resources is a source of strain between a couple’s relationship.

Hence as financial bloggers, it is paramount that we continue to offer relevant financial information and nuggets of truth; while clutching at the straws of hopes that readers will become financially sensible from our articles and apply it to their everyday lives. It is important for us to share information and ideas (some of which I have blogged about) such as:

• Working Hard, Saving Well 
• How insurance works and why certain, if not most, insurance policies may not be best for our financial future but definitely beneficial to the agent’s pockets
• Good financial habits such as “Income - Savings = Expenses” aka paying yourself first
• Realizing things like diamond rings are a financial mistake and perhaps its time to challenge societal norms
• Learning to invest wisely through value investing, "ETF vs Unit Trust"

I hope I will be able to continuously dig out more information and share on investment analysis and financial knowledge. Of course during this journey, it is unavoidable I will make financial and investment mistakes.