Investment for a living

[NTL]

Really many full time investors here!

I guess a good question to add on to the sharing is.. do you guys regret not working longer/more? Personally I thought without working full time, one will have more time to pursue interests that will not have been possible if you are working a full time desk job. Life should be more enriching and more fulfilling in that sense..

It's all depends on individual's situation. If you have no other commitment, like taking care of kids, then maybe you have the time to pursue your interest. If you are like many of us here, you will be bogged down by the numerous housework and sending/fetching kids from school.

Other than that, you will be "untied" from the society. Your friends will still be working and have no time for you. Your current colleagues will soon become strangers, as the common topic on work and bosses will become more and more distant. You will be pretty much alone. These are some of the psychological issues that will come about.

And if you have an interest to pursue, how long can it sustain? From on a book that I had read, most people will feel good in the beginning. After 6mths or so, most of them will start to feel bored, what interest them doesn't seems so interesting anymore. Some of these "retirees" went back to work, some go look for something more everlasting. It will take a while before they really settle down.

So if you really planning to quit your full time job, do think about these before you embark on the next part of your life. I went through it, and I believe many others too.

[sgd]

Other than that, you will be "untied" from the society. Your friends will still be working and have no time for you. Your current colleagues will soon become strangers, as the common topic on work and bosses will become more and more distant. You will be pretty much alone. These are some of the psychological issues that will come about.

This is very true. Everybody have work problems and work pressure f* bosses that everybody hates and love to gossip about at the office that is usually the shared common bond that form the friendship at the office.

But when you stop working you stop interacting with them on day to day basis, even if you still understand what they going thru day to day at the office they may not grasp your issues about why it's so difficult to do house chores or run errands any tom and dick can do that what? or they could feel envious after a while like you don't know how good you have it or they find your issues to be uninteresting.

Eventually after while when you find there is gap and distance that's the time you know you are pretty much on your own.

[zxiank]

I sort of "experience" a little bit of not working so can feel what you mentioned. I often have Wednesday off from work and like you mentioned it's really boring. Wife and friends are all working so I am left at home with nothing to do except chores. Quitting full time job might sound very attractive but I guess it will be so boring that I might end up with a shorter life span from a lack of brain stimulation and activity! hahaha, or are we just dwelling on the negativity here and ignoring the nicer upsides?

It's all depends on individual's situation. If you have no other commitment, like taking care of kids, then maybe you have the time to pursue your interest. If you are like many of us here, you will be bogged down by the numerous housework and sending/fetching kids from school.

Other than that, you will be "untied" from the society. Your friends will still be working and have no time for you. Your current colleagues will soon become strangers, as the common topic on work and bosses will become more and more distant. You will be pretty much alone. These are some of the psychological issues that will come about.

And if you have an interest to pursue, how long can it sustain? From on a book that I had read, most people will feel good in the beginning. After 6mths or so, most of them will start to feel bored, what interest them doesn't seems so interesting anymore. Some of these "retirees" went back to work, some go look for something more everlasting. It will take a while before they really settle down.

So if you really planning to quit your full time job, do think about these before you embark on the next part of your life. I went through it, and I believe many others too.

[zxiank]

Hmm, is it that grass is always greener on the other side? Man just can't be satisfied/settled in a routine.

This is very true. Everybody have work problems and work pressure f* bosses that everybody hates and love to gossip about at the office that is usually the shared common bond that form the friendship at the office.

But when you stop working you stop interacting with them on day to day basis, even if you still understand what they going thru day to day at the office they may not grasp your issues about why it's so difficult to do house chores or run errands any tom and dick can do that what? or they could feel envious after a while like you don't know how good you have it or they find your issues to be uninteresting.

Eventually after while when you find there is gap and distance that's the time you know you are pretty much on your own.

[Porkbelly]

Being an employee does not allow you to experiment with ideas. It can be a very expensive mistake that will cause termination.

On the other hand, being self-employed, you face the consequences alone... and sometimes the family too.

I find that being an employee is just being paid for my arms & legs, obediently following SOPs/policies/procedures.
After a while my brain is dead.

Being "out of the loop" causes me to think differently as I am acutley aware that I am alone. After some time investing, I create my own benchmarks, defined risk perimeters and acceptance of failures.

I understand my own weaknesses and strengths. Not all my investments have returned positive yields or gains.. and I am certain there will be mistakes again.

But you know the perimeters
You know about self.

Being an employee is like having blinkers, focused only on what the boss wants. There is a very separate distinction between mind, body and soul.

By the way, housework is not easy if you want a sparlikng clean toilet, kitchen, bedrooms. Well ironed clothes, kept properly and not creased.
And yet achieve delightful dinning pleasures with freshest ingredients.

With kids,and elderly folks it is full time work. Lots of planning just like quarterly plans at the office! Just that it goes round school vacation, medical checks and of course the ad hoc surprises. It knocks your project timelines off!

My kids are way past kiddies stage and are young adults. I now focus on my flowers, vacations and keep an eye on the portfolio and my physical well being.

I keep the mind challenged by creating my own holiday itenanries.. costing, estimating, researching best prices from different hotels or flat rentals and car hires. Not easy either. And if you apply what you know from previous job
your learning becomes even more acute. Buy the foreign currencies now or later? what is the trend, how does political situations affect my planned travels?

Easy? not if you set your own benchmarks and budgets.... just like what your boss did to you!

[sgd]

Hmm, is it that grass is always greener on the other side? Man just can't be satisfied/settled in a routine.

This is very true. Everybody have work problems and work pressure f* bosses that everybody hates and love to gossip about at the office that is usually the shared common bond that form the friendship at the office.

But when you stop working you stop interacting with them on day to day basis, even if you still understand what they going thru day to day at the office they may not grasp your issues about why it's so difficult to do house chores or run errands any tom and dick can do that what? or they could feel envious after a while like you don't know how good you have it or they find your issues to be uninteresting.

Eventually after while when you find there is gap and distance that's the time you know you are pretty much on your own.

have been on both side of the fence before so I understand. Another more serious thing to worry about is getting depression when you have it you can't tell but others can see, I had mild depression but went away when I started working again.

Depression is manageable but you really got to keep yourself busy problem is the discipline how to find things to keep busy all the time. When you work at office how much you no mood for it also bo pian have to earn a living have deadline to meet there's that motivation. When you no go office there's danger when you fall into dark side of depression you no to want to get up from bed don't want to go out meet anybody it start to eat itself confidence level can really plummet.

just sharing

[Big Toe]

The mind needs to be occupied. An idle mind is the devil's playground.
Frankly, there is only so much you can do when researching about a company's prospects.
And there will be times when doing nothing for investment is the best thing to do.

But there are so many things besides investment to be done, the trick is to get started.
Find something you like doing. Hobbies, charities/volunteer work, small business(setting an e-shop is almost free and easy, the hard part is making money out of it), investigating about your family roots,pets, etc etc

I think one reason why some people find themselves not having too much to do after quitting is they have spent too much time at work and left little time for anything else. When work is no longer needed, it is a large void to fill. So maybe it is a good idea to phase out full time work slowly. Maybe do part time and when ready quit the part time one as well. A colleague of mine who made a few good investment decision is financially free now but choose to work part time working in a hobby he enjoys. Part time work occupies 4 days a week from afternoon to evening. He is also running a small distribution business of a very niche product that did not require too much time. As far as i can see, he is happy. And the $ from the part time work and business is already sufficient to pay for daily expenses, add that to the sum that has been set aside for retirement, there is almost nothing to worry about financially.

[JanQuin]

Enjoyed the discussion probably because having similar situation. I am 41 this year, so am probably going through mid-life crisis. Late last year, decided to re-prioritise my life. Decided to make investment my plan A and work my plan B. Not an easy decision, as expenditure includes parents support and a SG50 baby coming real soon. I am a data person, so crunching the numbers to ensure that I have sufficient cash flow for the next 30 to 40 years provides me the reassurance then I can slow down in my work.

I think communication is important. I talked to my wife about it and we are alright with staying in our current flat and not going for private properties but renovating our current flat every 8-10 years to keep it relevant, nice and cosy.

I am not unhappy at work, I just want to spend more time with my family and myself. Regular exercise, picking up skills, hobbies and of course doing more homework for investment. I also reminded myself I need to plan my time, so that it doesn't just slip off.
I am grateful that my boss allows the PT arrangement and my wife for her support.

Back to investment, I have cash for about 1.5 years of expenditure and am aiming for at least CAGR of 8% for my investment. My past record is not fantastic, only 7% CAGR for 15-year record. There are ups and downs in my performance and they don't necessary follow SGX trend. CPF would also provide play a part IF AND WHEN I can withdraw beyond the minimum sum at 55.

Good luck to you and I am sure you can find the balance that you want.

[Porkbelly]

Wonder how much to charge for fundermental financial analysis of a company ( eg: listed on SGX)?

Buddies here are very good at numbers crunching and that skill can be used to earn some income.

Of course there must be disclaimers as with expressions of opinion.
(And done on a personal & private arrangement.)

There can be different offerings with special attentions such as debt,cash flows.

[soros]

I think the price chargeable for "analysis reports" on listed companies must be different for retail investors and trade customers .

Retail customers would probably agree to pay $50 to $100 for a one year subscription to "monthly letters" .

Trade customers including banks, brokers , financial investment companies , news paper or magazine editors may agree to pay more for articles from free-lance writers.