Cleaning up physically and financially
I would never have guessed that everywhere is so dirty if not for the routine annual spring cleaning we do before Chinese New Year.
I sit on the sofa every day but I could never have guessed that it's so filthy with just a quick wipe. I did not know that my closet full of clothes could ever be so dusty and sandy... I mean there is only clothes there and I don't put my shoes in there! Sometimes I really hope that all the filth are gone in a flick of my wrist and magic is put to good use.
But I digress. If I don't put special attention to tidying up the house, I would never have noticed that there is a spray can of paint in my drawer or there is a dead cockroach in the shoe rack. Argh...! Maintaining a house is surely not easy and this forces me to inspect and scrutinize to find out what's really happening underneath the carpet (pun intended).
I remind myself and future homeowners to always be practical when purchasing furniture. Those that are aesthetically pleasing but look flimsy will break apart in time to come, no doubt about it. A quality furniture is worthwhile and less time and headache is needed to maintain it.
Always avoid white materials. White chairs, cloth, shower curtain, walls.. whatever is white will be disfigured! I mean discolour and turned dirty and grimy. Bacteria is black in colour so they will also be more visible on white linens.
I am glad I don't like to store junk items around. Less cleaning and tidying is needed and the things you did not know existed should probably be thrown away or donated. I hate to waste money on a good usable item but let's face it, if you don't need it in a year, you will not need it at all. Better to give it to someone who does ok.
Similarly, it's good to sit down and think of tidying up my financial portfolio. Following Derek's post, I wonder if my asset allocation is considered risky as my stocks take up more than the normal 50%.
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| Back breaking work, really! |
But I digress. If I don't put special attention to tidying up the house, I would never have noticed that there is a spray can of paint in my drawer or there is a dead cockroach in the shoe rack. Argh...! Maintaining a house is surely not easy and this forces me to inspect and scrutinize to find out what's really happening underneath the carpet (pun intended).
I remind myself and future homeowners to always be practical when purchasing furniture. Those that are aesthetically pleasing but look flimsy will break apart in time to come, no doubt about it. A quality furniture is worthwhile and less time and headache is needed to maintain it.
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| Not a good idea to jump on the white sofa, sweetie. |
I am glad I don't like to store junk items around. Less cleaning and tidying is needed and the things you did not know existed should probably be thrown away or donated. I hate to waste money on a good usable item but let's face it, if you don't need it in a year, you will not need it at all. Better to give it to someone who does ok.
Similarly, it's good to sit down and think of tidying up my financial portfolio. Following Derek's post, I wonder if my asset allocation is considered risky as my stocks take up more than the normal 50%.
I am thinking of selling some of the REITs in my portfolio which will decrease my stocks percentage by 20%. Since it's a bull run currently, I am still bidding my time. I am happy that my expenses doesn't take up much; I am a low maintenance girl =P My focus this year will be to decrease my stocks portfolio, consolidate them properly and increase my cash holdings.What about you?
Jes
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Hi Jes,
ReplyDeleteI think it is always a good idea to realize some profits if the market has been quite kind to you. I am also trying to do so with my portfolio, but it is very counter-intuitive since we are always hoping for it to go higher.
Unrealized profits is not "house money", it is completely our money in our pockets if we cash out and walk away from the table!
Hi GMGH,
DeleteThanks for reading! Yeah, greed plays a part here so we are always waiting to sell higher and buy lower =S I understand about unrealized profits.. similarly it's the same about unrealized losses, hehe! I am hanging on for no reasons at all to some unworthy stocks..
This year I will have to cut losses and also sell stocks that have already hit my target... hard to do it but I will try! Hope you will do better than me..
Hello Jes,
ReplyDeleteEvery investor has their own needs and strategy. What is your strategy? Are you looking to lock in the capital gains? Or are you looking to switch to another opportunistic use of your monies?
I guess you can only answer these questions yourself. Good luck!
Hi SRSI,
DeleteMy strategy is to earn money... just kidding. I am trying to unlock some cash and be opportunistic if the right stocks come along! I have a few stocks that is less than 5 lots that I bought initially but I think it's time for a consolidation either to the war chest or to re-invest.
Thanks for the suggestions and forcing me to think harder =P
Hi Jes,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I would think your portfolio very much depend on your preference and comfort level.
Some interesting observations. Your Luxury Fund, Emergency Fund and War Chest are the same. This is the same for my Future Fund, Emergency Fund and War Chest. While I did not intentionally set it that way, it may be because of how I was allocating equal amount from my Salary each month. What about yours? Was it intentional or coincidental?
Another observation is that you have a low expenses fund but a large luxury fund. Can I make an educated guess that most of the time you live frugally but will splurge every once so often?
Hi Derek,
DeleteOk, I have never thought of them being the same value.. it is coincidental for the moment. I will want my emergency fund to reach 10% and war chest to reach 20% if possible after selling the mentioned stocks. I can't wait!
Haha, oh my you caught me. Normal luxury fund should not be so high I think. The luxury fund is usually for my travelling, even for work, as I need to spend on my own account and then claim from the company. Sometimes it's quite hefty which explains why my luxury fund is so high... I hope I am living frugally as what you said... Life's too short so some splurging is necessary to keep me sane. I am sure you think similarly even though you only allocate 1.15% in luxury funds, your amount might be substantial =P
Enjoy your week ahead!
Hi Jes,
ReplyDeleteInstead of selling, you might also consider increasing your warchest by contributing to it through savings. Need not sell if there's no reason to do it because there's opportunity cost of holding cash. Just don't end up holding the losers and selling the winners ;)
Hi LP,
DeleteYep I understand what you are saying and thanks for the feedback. I will still continue to contribute to my war chest but it will go to my emergency funds first. As mentioned in my previous comments, 20% war chest and 10% emergency funds is my ideal and hope to reach it this year!
l have a slight different view from LP. When you are certain that there are losers in your pot then do not hesitate any longer but to let them go; whatever proceeds left can be re-invested into other superior stocks. On winning stocks, why still hold on to them when say, it has reached its fair value. Winning stocks prices will not forever defying gravity so lock in the profit and re-invest into it during market correction. Normal investor fear is that failing to re-investing into it again at such low price as before. But do not forget that it is equally true stocks possibly can never reaching its historical high price again. After some years in the stock market, can explore create wealth through long term investing and short term trading. Ding, ding ... end of profitable round XX; then move on to the next round XXX and so on. Also, if nothing worth buying after getting back the proceeds then put it in good normal savings account (cimb, etc) but not locking it up in fixed deposits; this way, you can immediately seize the golden opportunity when it comes. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteHi Money Honey,
ReplyDeleteI almost mistook you with Got Money Got Honey (GMGH). Anyway, I think you have hardened up and invested decisively which resulted in your fat portfolio and I am still learning from it. I kept thinking about what you said and that's the thing, I don't know if they have reached their fair value as there may be some additional value that I do not know about... what if it's a ten-bagger and I let go of it too early?!
Anyway, thanks for the advice, I think I will complete my first loss soon =( Hope I will earn back the losses. I do have Poems SBP and OCBC 360 like what you said. Appreciate your guidance and the sharing of what you know with newbie investors like me.