My Financial Journey Progress and Future Plan

Today, I want to talk about my current personal net worth and my progress in my financial journey. I’m showing you, readers, this not because I want to brag, but to show a tracking record of my performance in managing my personal finance. Yes, I did inherit some money from my dad as a starting capital. The total amount he gave me is $350,000. It’s not a small sum amount of money, but I manage to turn that starting capital into $1,400,000.

My current net worth (July 2021) is more than $1,400,000 if I combine both assets in Indonesia and United States. I’m not trying to brag but to show my tracking record of managing and building my personal wealth. I’m pretty satisfied with my progress overall. My investing journey wasn’t smooth, for I also made many bad decisions and mistakes that cause me to lose money. However, even though I made a lot of errors, I was able to turn the $350,000 my dad gave me in total into $1,400,000. In this article, I want to share my strategy to manage to have the current personal wealth I have right now. I am also going to talk about my plan for the future.

Is Inflation Coming? How is it Going to Affect the Economy & What You Should Do!

Recently, the Federal Reserve kept printing new money into the economy. The government did this to stimulate the economy during the Covid pandemic crisis. However, all this money printing has its side effect. Inflation is here. As with the April report, the May CPI inflation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) highlighted that prices rose across the board by a lot. Overall, prices in May climbed 5% year over year, the biggest such gain in the headline CPI data since August 2008. Even when you strip out volatile food and energy prices—so-called core CPI inflation—prices rose by 3.8% year over year in May.
 
Investors are spooked because rising inflation, which threatens investment and consumer spending, would need to be tamed by a rise in currently rock-bottom interest rates – and that would be anathema to markets and a corporate sector that has grown used to cheap money. Due to all this money printing, the economy is in a bubble that might eventually burst. The S&P 500 Index has risen so much recently due to all this money printing. I believe the market is overvalued, and the upcoming collapse of the U.S. economy might occur. In this article, I'm going to emphasize how impending inflation is coming and how it will affect the economy. Moreover, I will explain what I did to my stock portfolio and what financial advice I recommend.

My New Business Plan - Bun's Bargains E-Commerce

I have created many side businesses during the journey of my career path. I enjoy the process of creating new business ventures since it’s my passion. I decided I want to do something about my grandfathered Shopify account (free membership) to be used as a new business. My older brother was the one that created the Shopify account. I have been thinking for a long time about what I can do about it. Because I have background experience in selling electronics and gadgets on the internet, I believe starting an online store that sells these goods is a good idea. When I was still living in the United States for my education, I bought and sold electronic goods. I was buying them wholesale from China and selling them at a markup price.
 
Anyways, let me explain my business plan for this e-commerce website. Bun’s Bargains will be a new online store that sells electronics and gadgets on the internet. I am going to use my grandfathered Shopify account for making this online business store. However, before I start this new business venture, I still have to ask my older brother for permission to use the Shopify account. I am willing to give him a 50% cut if he lets me use the Shopify account. In this article, I will discuss why I want to create this business and what my plans are. Moreover, I will explain how this new business will generate cash flow for me and how I can monetize this business. 
 

Why Did Charlie Munger Buy Alibaba Stock

Readers probably already know that I'm heavy on Alibaba stock. Because I invested a large sum of my capital in this stock, I decided to research this company more. Charlie Munger, a close friend to Warren Buffett, has invested a large percentage of his portfolio in Alibaba stock. Charlie is a value investor, similar to Warren Buffett. Buffett has described Munger as his partner and "right-hand man."

I'm curious why Charlie Munger invests a large sum in Alibaba Group (Ticker: BABA). I decided to research the reason why he invested in that company. I'm pretty sure Charlie has a solid reason to invest in Alibaba. After all, he is more experience in investing compared to me. I want to make sure my investment in Alibaba is not a mistake. In this article, I will discuss the research I found to why Charlie Munger decides to purchase a significant stake in Alibaba stock. With this research, I can feel more comfortable investing a large portion of my money in this stock.  

Why I Need To Take Care of My Health to Beat the Game I'm Playing

Health problems, even minor ones, can interfere with or even overshadow other aspects of your life. Even relatively few health issues such as aches, pains, lethargy, and indigestion take a toll on your happiness and stress levels. One way to improve your ability to cope with stress and feel better is to commit to healthier habits. 

Poor health habits can add stress to your life and also play a role in how well you can cope with stress. The stress that comes from poor health is significant. Health challenges also affect other areas of your life. Health problems can make daily tasks more challenging, create financial stress, and even jeopardize your ability to earn a living.

Part of my goal to reach financial freedom is to maintain a healthy lifestyle—what's the point of having all the money in the world but have poor health. Let me explain why possessing good health is essential for me to become wealthy and beat the game I am playing. Moreover, I am going to explain what I am doing to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Why Buying a Home is usually a Bad Investment

A home can be a place that provides a permanent place for your family and kids, a great place to hang out with friends and family, and it may even provide you with confidence and pride of ownership. But don't be fooled by thinking your house is an excellent financial investment — because nothing could be further from the truth.
 
Many people buy a house because they believe it's an excellent investment. When I was young, I also thought a house is a good investment because housing prices always go up. But did you know that your house is actually a liability? Owning a home requires you to pay taxes, maintenances, insurance, and many more. All of these other things happen with your home that you've got to pay for. This is why I am not leaving my parents' house yet, and decide to keep living with them until I am financially ready.
 
You shouldn't treat your home as an investment; however, if you are buying it for personal use, then it's okay. In this article, I will explain why you shouldn't treat your home purchase as an investment. In addition, a home is a lousy investment, and don't fool yourself into buying a home as an investment. You should only treat purchasing a home if you want a place to settle down.
 

Alibaba: One of the Cheap Bargains in This Market

I have been looking around in the stock market and haven't found many stocks that are undervalued. Currently, in a market full of elevated asset prices, it can be difficult for investors to find underappreciated securities on a valuation basis. I have seen stocks like Game Stop Inc. (Ticker: GME) gone up in price without seeing any fundamental value for its price appreciation. 

I have been following Alibaba Group (Ticker: BABA) for quite some time already. I have a friend who invested all of his capital in this stock when the price was $290-$300. I placed BABA in my watch list and got my attention when the cost of the stock goes down to $210-$220 level. I believe Alibaba (Ticker: BABA) is being underappreciated through the lens of both valuation and growth potential. While investors may fear regulatory risks, management stability, and financial legitimacy, BABA's growth runway coupled with discounted prices could potentially produce a valuable investment opportunity.

 

This is the reason why I sold all my other stocks in my portfolio and invested 63% of my capital in Alibaba stock. I have written an article as to why I invested a lot of my money in this stock. Because I invested a lot of my money in Alibaba Group, I decided to research this company. I want to make sure what I did was a wise investment move. In this article, I will focus more on information about Alibaba Group (Ticker: BABA) and why I think the current price Alibaba is at is great for investors to enter.