Today I have the honour of inviting Brian (nickname B) over for a short interview.
B has been blogging for more than 6 years since year 2011 @ this popular site –http://foreverfinancialfreedom.blogspot.sg/. His aim of writing this blog is to document and journal his journey towards the path of being financially free by the age of 35. He is currently 32 this year.
Outside of the blogging sphere, Brian is a financial controller working in a logistic industry, a father of 2 and loves to pursue his passion for traveling. He also blogs leisurely at leisurewithdaddyb.blogspot.sg
Without further ado, let’s get straight to the Q&A.
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Kindly tell us more about yourself.
B: Hello, thanks for having me. As James has kindly covered in the introduction, I am a father of 2 currently and am working in the logistic industry in the fields of accounting.
My goal is to be financially free by the age of 35 through saving and investing and I hope to be able to share my journey on this blog and urge more people to join me on this journey.
- What got you started into investing?
B: I started investing on the back of passive income idea because it gives me motivation. I like the idea that money is working hard for us instead of the other way round and I started to learn how to pick companies that are winners.
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Where do you usually get your investment ideas?
B: My market horizon is not far away and I am so far only looking at SG companies which I believe is sufficient for my strategy to achieve my goals.
Singapore has a good market characteristic which includes high dividend yield and no capital gain tax being imposed.
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What is your investment strategy and what do you like about it?
B: My main thesis for investing is mainly on companies which yields good dividend and exhibits growth potential.
I blogged in my article previously on the X+Y=Z strategy in a lot more detail. That shapes how I usually think about buying companies.
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Have you measured your CAGR (%) over the past years? Does it come close to what you set out to achieve?
B: My return so far has outweighed my expectation. So I am pleasantly pleased with the results. Still, I need to continue practicing prudent when investing and keep learning to become stronger.
The one thing which all investors should not do is to become complacent and think one is good enough to extrapolate it into future years.
6. So here is the golden question – Can you tell us your Best investment and Worst    investment since you started investing?
B: I have a lot of winners and was lucky to have them as part of my best investment in terms of the numbers, but nothing is as crucial as connecting with like-minded people in the local blogosphere. I think the amount of learning I could get from fellow bloggers is by far my best investment so far.
My worst investment is so far is in the form of insurance and ILP related, which unfortunately I had to cut due to different needs. I lost quite a bit in terms of the premium I had put in the past few years, but it’s a nice way to look at things objectively and know what I really need and want.
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Do you have a role model and what have you learnt from him?
B: My dad is a big influence on how I perceive investing for passive income because we are both folks who doesn’t’ believe in the traditional way of working as employee to achieve sustainable income.
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Is there a particular book you will recommend for our readers?
B: The one book which remains deep in my mind is the book on the Cashflow Quadrant. It gets me thinking about how our mindset would shift from being an employee to investors to business owners.
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Lastly, any advice or words of encouragement for fellow young aspiring investors??
B: It is a very rewarding journey if you decide to embark in this journey with the many of us going in the same direction.
Start young, keep on learning, learn from mistakes and churn out winners. The amount compounded can exceed expectations in future years to come.
If any of you need help with questions that I can help with, you may email me @ brianhalim723@hotmail.com and I hope to be able to assist in my best capacity as a friend.
Thanks Brian and hope you all have enjoyed our interview series at MyTwoCents.
See you next time!
