On my investing journey

I started this investing journey fully a year ago. I have determined that one of my main goals in life currently is to be able to retire at the ripe old age of 35, as mentioned in my previous post. This blog will serve to highlight my decision making, my learning from my reading, and some observation of the stock market as I go along.

Critical to ensuring the investing returns reach my required amount includes the need to study intensively both literature on investing and the stocks I have invested and will invest in. I believe in the teachings of value investing and the ability to buy undervalued stocks. To that end, I would recommend some books that any hopeful value investors should definitely read. These include : The Intelligent Investor, by Benjamin Graham, Margin of Safety by Sleth Klarman and also Security Analysis, another book by Graham. Graham, as value investors may know, was the teacher of Warren Buffett. I have tried my best to follow the teachings of these masters of their craft, yet I must admit I differ sometimes when I go into my investments. Gradually, however, as I learn more about value investing, I see the advantages over speculations into growth stocks, which inadvertently, I had done.

My first stock I purchased was actually 4/5 years ago. Then, knowing nothing and thinking the stock market had no place to go but up, I invested two thousand dollars into a 400 dollar loss, into FJ Benjamin. Looking at the stock price now, I think it was evident how ignorant and lost I was while investing. Nevertheless, as I go along, a value investor converted, I will do my best to explain my logic behind my stocks, and also perhaps pen down some thoughts and ideas for later revision.

Choose to be financially free.

This blog will highlight the start of my 10 year long journey to do something that many may deem ludicrous; that of retiring by the age of 35. In order to do so, I would need to ensure a few things are in order. Firstly, I would need to keep at least 50% of my salary and utilize it to purchase stocks.
Secondly, I would have to obtain at least 12% returns annualized, with injections every half a year.

For me, retirement means a house to live in, enough income to live comfortably and to do what I like. It would not require me to have a condominium, a yacht, nothing of that sort. As I joke with my friends, I just want my daily chicken rice.

A little about me. Although I am a business graduate, from SMU, I chose not to major in finance and took other majors instead. However, my interest in stocks, especially in value investing, has grown significantly since I chose those majors. I believe that I have the ability to beat the market as much as I can; and if I legitimately cannot, I will choose passive investing and put  my money into ETFs, keeping in mind, however, that there is still a dividend tax if I choose to invest in a US ETF.

Now for the interesting part. My methodology for investing is 80% value investing and 20% speculation. I have to admit, that once or twice I have deviated and bought growth stocks (Alibaba and Alphabet), as examples, while the rest of my investments are in value stocks.

Let me highlight the stocks I am currently holding on to right now.

No.	Stock Name	No. of Shares	Price Bought	% of Portfolio
1.	Bank of Zhengzhou (6196: HK)	8000	4.02/4.50	15%
2.	Barclays PLC (BARC:LN)	1300	182.40	10%
3.	Frasers Logistics and Industrial Trust (BUOU:SP)	4500	0.985/1.04	12%
4.	JPHCL Bio-Pharmacy Company (HK 8049)	4000	1.51	3%
5.	Daimler AG (DAI:GR)	28	68.44	7%
6.	Singtel (ST:SP)	800	3.38	7%
7.	Alibaba (BABA:US)	9	168.88	5%
8.	Alphabet Inc (GOOGL:US)	3	1081.46	11%
Cash				30%
Annualized Growth				37%

I will elaborate more about my reasoning for the choices above in further posts , and my annualized growth includes a previous stock purchase which I had made on BYD (1211:HK) which I had liquidated. I started this portfolio in April 2017 and this is how far I have gotten with my investments. Going further, I hope to accquire more value stocks and perhaps even some growth stocks, in a mostly 80/20 ratio (value stocks to growth stocks).

Onwards towards my goal. I choose to be free.