I am 35 this year and I guess in Singapore context this means a full grown ass adult. (This is the point in life one could buy a HDB apartment as a single, also the part when your relatives and friends would check if you wanna try out Coffee Meets Bagel).
Review of 2018
Career wise, it was relatively disappointing as I was expecting a promotion a few things occurred here and there and next thing I knew my supervisor resigned and everything was a flux in the department. It affected some operations and it was quite hectic especially during May - Sept. However, compensation wise we received a pleasant surprise as there was a slight increase in the EOY bonus payout by 0.5 months.
I sold my current apartment and it fetched us quite a tidy little sum. We did not expect the amount to double in just 5-6 years of stay. I would look out for a suitable apartment for my mum next year so that she could stay near me next time. Both of us intend to keep the extra profits as emergency funds. SSB for my mum - probably is the best and only idea as she doesn't meet any of the min spending or salary criteria for high interest saving accounts.
On the equities side, I have a rather painful year.. thankfully the absolute amount is relatively small and I have since learn two lessons - to take profit and set stop loss and also to review regularly the finances … busy at work is no excuses to not follow up on investments. This is especially true if you purchase any higher risk items. S -chips for example
2019 Resolutions
The following shall be my 2019 goals:
Take care of my body more - I feel like physically something is missing ever so often, lack of energy, prolonged soreness after basketball. Its the general weakness. I guess its aging. I shall restart my twice weekly non-ball workout sessions and jog at least once a week. Gotta eat cleaner too (Brown rice !)
Discipline for investing - keep learning, reading and dedicate time to sift through information. Read books and alternate news such as blogs. Understand more macro stuff and general worldly matters. 2 Hours weekly (sundays now that I do not work on weekends)
Save ! - This is a bit of a stretch but I hope to save $50,000 for this year. This would aid our plans for the wedding in 2020 and potential honeymoon bomb. I should be able to do this if everything goes to plan... fingers crossed.
Mental fortitude - Due to office politics and lack of opportunities both inward and outwards, my strategy is to keep my poise, continue to do my good work. Until the next wise boss comes around I should manage my expectations and bid my time. This should be a wiser move than quitting into unknown territories where I potential could be raking in less. The current situation is not ideal especially for progression but still above average. Based on the statistics I am at 70% of the median income... I guess I cannot complain too much and learn to appreciate what I have. Keep calm and carry on.
Some photos of the lovely view out of my window for the last 6 years:
This is me every Sunday afternoon.
