How to be a better investor in 2016

During this festive season, I have thought deeply on my investment style and track records so far in 2015. While I did not make any major investment moves for the past three years, my personal finance is certainly in a better shape now as compared to 2010, the year I started this blog. Along the way, there were several intriguing investment ideas, new philosophies and key lessons that I have picked up from the various people that I have met. In view of this, I thought it is important to pen down my thoughts for more clarity.

Have you wondered why some people just keep winning in their stock investments while others lost huge sum of monies in stocks or fallen prey to silly gold scams which they never should have in the first place? Is it true that “the rich will become richer and the poor will become poorer”? I have come to realize that those who keep making money from the stock market are those who know how to read the game. In other words, they have the available tools and data that enable them to make informed decisions, thus allowing them to get ahead from the rest of the people.

Smart investors know that their potentials and abilities are limited, so they are willing to constantly invest in themselves to expand their knowledge and acquire new skills from proven investors. In some cases, they also join investment networks to leverage resources or share experiences.

Very often, I am amazed that people are willing to spend years and even fork out ten of thousands to obtain tertiary education in the hope of achieving good careers and attractive salaries. Yet they don’t realize that schools don’t teach you how to make money and be an effective wealth builder.

Investors must realize that it is not the responsibility of the government or policymakers to help you achieve your financial goals. Ultimately, the onus is always on yourself to gain the investment competencies, find the right tools and in the process, become a better investor. After all, nobody is born to be an investor. To survive in the real world, you need help, and it is unlikely that you can achieve this from school.

When it comes to spending monies on sharpening investment knowledge, I know the perennial thinking is that you can do it alone and that there are a lot of free resources in the internet, so there is no need to sign up for exclusive memberships. But just think about it, cheap things don’t come good and good things don’t come cheap. There is no free lunch in this world and nobody owes you a living. Sometimes, in order to get ahead of the competition, you have to spend a little premium to get that edge above the rest.

So start educating yourself in the art of making money and master the analysis skill on reading the game. Enjoy the ride and have fun.

Magically yours,

SG Wealth Builder