I am 40 now. Was just looking back and rewinding back at my life.
From 25 years of age to 37 years, was working at a break neck pace, clocking in 18 hour days for most days in a week. A lot of times, when I reached home, everyone is asleep already.
People my age are wondering why I was working so hard and living such a frugal life.
At 37 years old, I decided that i needed to spend more time with my family and loved ones, thus worked 3.5 days a week.
True, I have achieved financial independence within 12 years of working but alas, i have also sacrificed family time in doing so.
I guess I need to make up good for the lost time. Hopefully, its not too late.
Life is like a game, you win some and you lose some.
From 25 years of age to 37 years, was working at a break neck pace, clocking in 18 hour days for most days in a week. A lot of times, when I reached home, everyone is asleep already.
People my age are wondering why I was working so hard and living such a frugal life.
At 37 years old, I decided that i needed to spend more time with my family and loved ones, thus worked 3.5 days a week.
True, I have achieved financial independence within 12 years of working but alas, i have also sacrificed family time in doing so.
I guess I need to make up good for the lost time. Hopefully, its not too late.
Life is like a game, you win some and you lose some.
Paul, what job is that? That's long.
ReplyDeleteLots of sai gang n odd jobs (let me keep some privacy), but looking back, it seemed memorable to me now. I never could imagine myself working those long hours now. I will be dead!
DeletePenguin,
ReplyDeleteNo wonder you understood me when I said:
Success is what we have to sacrifice to achieve it.
Yeah. With sadness in me, i have to admit so. Not sure if i had to live life over again, i would exchange youth for money in such insane ways.
DeleteThink back now, without money i might even be happier....lol lol
Smol...i think i have come or nearly come one complete cycle.
DeleteNow i dont prefer the latest big car...i prefer an old car without auto gear and without power windows.
Simply simplicity.
So what is your networth now? if you are comfortable to share :)
ReplyDeleteIf u are observant, look at the annual reports and read my blog closely, you will get some clue.
Deletehmm...let me make a guess. Roughly 1 mil per stock in your portfolio. Some stocks you are just buying into it, my guess is 10 millions :)
DeleteRoughly how long you take to accumulate each stock? 6 months? if you buy aggressively, it will cause a surge in the stock price.
And you are always 100% vested with no war chest right? I know you reinvest your dividends every now and then.
Thks for sharing your experience as it help me to chart my path forward.
i have much to learn from you. :)
well...
Deleteit might take me many mths to buy into an illiquid counter. I prefer not to force my way in as that would mean paying a premium. prefer to wait for people to sell to me.
yes, you can say 100% vested. cos anyway I collect dividends very regularly so that itself can be used as emergency funds if need be. so if no need to use, the simplest way would be just to reinvest them.
we learn from each other lar....no one knows everything, right?
You are such a humble person. Have you thought of putting some of ur assets into property? Or maybe you have already own some properties on hand which you did not blog about here.
DeleteYes. I have some. I also own have an antique collection.
DeleteU have a blog too? Let me know.
Sorry, i do not have a blog. We are same age i think, born in the year of 75. I also started work from 25 yrs old, after graduating from local uni. so i think we started on the same line, but you are running much ahead of me :)
DeleteI am 40% in cash, so i wonder what is the best way to deploy my cash.
Hi Lkh
DeleteU flatter me lar. My stock portfolio not so big lar.
Anyway..everything comes with a price. U see me good. I see u good. Sometimes i wish perhaps i din press myself so hard in the earlier start up years. Missed the stage where my children were toddlers. Money cant buy those back.
Saw your names in a few annual reports. I estimate your stock net worth at least 10mil. With properties and other stuff, my guess is that your total net could be 20-40mil or even more.
DeleteAlthough I didn't work long hours; but in end 1999 I realized that getting out of rat race is better for me i.e. make my money works harder and I work lesser. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi cw8888
ReplyDeleteU r rite. Having tasted having 120 hr work week then and 25 hr work week now, i think money is impt but not everything. Unfortunately in s'pore everything is money money n money. Lots of pple invest in stks n buy toto 4 D in hope to get freedom. Bo lui ae si kinda thinking. How to not thinking of making more money. Kopi 10years ago 60c. Now 110c.
oh congrats. enjoy a good rest.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I will.
DeleteLol
My family complaints i sleep too much in the day time.
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteI always wonder if taking a breather at my age (29) is a better strategy than chionging all the way till 35/40. Semi-retire earlier or full-retirement later... hmm...
My original thinking was to quickily accumulate when young then let compoundation take over. When old 1) time less 2) less stamina to tahan woek++. Now I got it. But now i cannot buy back what i have lost.
DeleteSo i guess u win some u lose some...
Hi Low Paul,
ReplyDelete子曰：“四十而不惑。” You really sound like a wise person.
Life has no reset button. We are given only one life and there is no re-play. It is also true that money cannot buy many things:
1. you can't buy back your youth;
2. you can't buy back your lost first love;
3. you can't buy back the toddler time of your children;
4. you can't hire someone to be sick on your behave;
......
and the list can go on.
But regret not, learn from the past mistake and press on. What is lost is gone, so let them go (hard, sometimes I cannot, but trying to) and treasure those around you. Enjoy what you have won in life.
Cheers!
Hi Uncle Sanye,
DeleteThanks for the very kind words for me. Not sure if I am worthy of this.
I think you are the wise man.
Away from investments, I must say I have gained a lot from your life's philosophy.
Money isn't everything in life. There are much more meaningful things in life.
Cheers, Sanye!
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. There's always a cost to everything and it's only when we have the wisdom to see it that we wonder if we did the right things at that point in time. I think since you can't go back to change the things you did back then, the only thing to do is to focus on what you can do now to enjoy more family time.
While others are still tilling their fields, you can now sit back and relax. I see your grass greener on your side but nobody knows it's because there's more shit over there.
Hi LP, realised its my initials too,
DeleteThanks for the consolation.
Think its time i move on to what matters most to me so as to avoid regret in future.
Thanks
Congrats! You have achieved the goals of many people. In the blogging world, I have found three Singaporeans seems to have achieved financial freedom. You are what I inspire, admire and would love to become.
ReplyDeleteKeep blogging so that minions like me can learn and be motivated and aspired.
Hi kevz,
ReplyDeleteFF is one thing. Like what i mentioned about to another reader, u see me good, i see u good.
Frankly i need to pick up the pieces where i left off when i embarked on this fast forward financial journey.
Hi Paul
ReplyDeleteWould like to know more stories of your strike out years . Share it in another post someday if you don't mind ? hehe
Hi small time investor, no problem.
DeleteI will post more such stories.
In a way, this sort of writing helps me organise my thoughts of the past and prioritise the things i should be doing in future.
Hi Paul low,
ReplyDeleteNot sure what pieces u are talking about, from some of your recent sharings, I dun think u have reach a point of no returns in terms of relationship.
Since money is out of equation, make the next 40 "the Best of both world"
But one thing is clear, given how "rich" u are, u still feel "unhappy" I know we can only be happy when we are "accepting"
Money helps a lot I guess, but the Crux of the matter will never be money ...
But hey! Congrats !! At least efforts did not go do waste or nothing !!
enjoy your FI, u own it to yourself and the tradeoff to enjoy it.
Hi Mike(u are mike in real life, rite?),
Deleteyeah...I think I just have much more free time now. I look around and look at myself. Look at people without much money yet appear so happy. I am trying to discover the things I missed and trying to make good.
True, money helps me enjoy a lot of things in life. I can go for the best dining and things like that.
No no...i think I need to fill up the gaps in my relationships which had taken place because of my pursuits earlier on.
I see a lot of people want to yet rich. Goal is to make their million and so on. Most of the time, the first million is the hardest and involves the most sacrifice. Good for them if this happens without undue sacrifice to their personal life and space. But alas, in reality is often far from that.
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteYup, I am mike. Sometimes, we made our choices unknowingly. I doubt if I did not have so many quarrels with my wife in my earlier marriage would I be like u just go all out to earn money .... Tuition is good money
But just to tell the story from the other side, there is a period of time where I feel 一事无成, rememeber we first chat online over my delusional journey?
I am glad I get past that little inner devil.
But I worry about my mum bills at times, so I guess as u say it, it's always the pasture is greener...
But I also know of people who work their ass out and had little time for family buy earn little.
But then again, when God close one door, it opens another ... Most "poor" people I noticed are easily contented.
This is very informative article. I want to share this post with my knowing person. Thanks for sharing..................
ReplyDeleteStock Finance Services Hong Kong