My View on Relationship, Family, & Wealth

This article is very random. It's more of my personal life, but it might be an important lesson for others. My first love was with my first girlfriend that occurs in the United States when I was still studying abroad. The relationship happened from 2010 to 2012. However, sadly the relationship failed. And since the breakup, I have been single for almost 10 years till now.
 
The reason why the relationship fell apart was that I was not strong enough mentally and financially. I was still depending on my parents, and I was confused about my own identity. I was traumatized from my first relationship, which resulted in me being very picky when it comes to choosing the partner in my life. I don't want to make the same mistake again. Going through a breakup is really harsh; it almost made me go insane.
 
I met a lot of girls after my breakup; however, I never had chemistry with them. I am always looking for the one to be my soul mate. Furthermore, I was very strict with my personal finance, making it harder to make the spark. It is a turn-off when you are frugal towards someone you like. I know readers who had been following my blog understand my ambition to be financially independent. However, readers would probably understand more after finishing reading this article. In this blog post, I'm going to talk about the reason why I'm still single. Moreover, I will talk about my secret crush and why I am so obsessed with becoming financially independent.

Why Professional Fund Managers Often Underperform the S&P 500 & the Best Alternative Solution

It's practically hard to anticipate the market's performance in any given year. Furthermore, putting together a portfolio that yields market-beating returns is extremely tough for an individual. In 2020, 60.3 percent of large-cap equity fund managers underperformed the S&P 500 (GSPC), according to new data from S&P Dow Jones Indices. This is the 11th year in a row that professionals have fallen short of the mark.

 
This is not exactly breaking news to many investors. Moreover, thanks to the likes of Warren Buffett and Jack Bogle promoting the benefits of investing in less expensive, passively managed index funds, S&P estimates that there are $11.2 trillion in S&P 500 index funds. To be fair, many active fund managers are not simply seeking to outperform the S&P 500; they're also trying to provide investors with risk exposures that aren't replicated by the benchmark index.
 
This is an exciting topic to talk about. I wondered if it's better to let a professional fund manager manage my portfolio or whether it's better to manage my own. When I came back from the United States to Jakarta, Indonesia, My father did give me some capital to start with. I invested some of the money into Mutual Funds managed by professionals. The result is not very exciting; the portfolio that fund managers manage did worse than the stock portfolio I built from scratch. In this article, I will explain whether it is better to invest on your own or pay a fund manager to do the job for you. Moreover, I will explain my experience as a stock investor and why you should just invest in a low-cost index fund such as S&P500 (Ticker: SPY) if you are still a beginner in the investing world.

Why Saving Rate is the Most Important Factor to Building Wealth

I always thought that to become wealthy, you will need to invest. Furthermore, the annual returns from your portfolio determine how much wealth you can build. But I realize something more important than performing great in the investment world. This does not require knowledge about the financial world, but it is more of a character and discipline. Yes, it is indeed true that investment return is essential to building wealth.

Nevertheless, this primary method is the most crucial factor in successful investing. Do you want to know what it is? Your discipline and determination of how much you are willing to save up each month from your income is the most important factor in becoming wealthy. This article will talk about why the saving rate is the most critical factor to building wealth. I will also talk about how the saving rate is why I can become wealthy today.

New Year 2022 Resolution (My Personal Plan & Goal for the Year)

I can't believe it has been one year that has passed by. Before I start writing this article, I want to say Merry Christmas and Happy New to all the readers who follow my blog. I didn't accomplish many goals for 2021 since there are many things I said I wanted to do for 2021, but I wasn't able to do them. I can still not increase my primary income and still depend on the wage from my father. However, I did manage to accomplish building my workstation in my bedroom. Now, I can't make any excuses for not being productive during the nighttime.
 
Moreover, I could stick to my financial plan, such as saving and investing every month. Another thing I accomplished in 2021 is learning how to use Word Press Engine for building websites, and I can make all kinds of websites by myself without needing to hire a web developer to build a website.

  
The Covid Pandemic crisis problem is still not finished yet, but I see the progress of people getting vaccinated. I hope this issue can resolve in 2022. 2022 will be a new year for me, and I will be 32 years old soon. This actually scares me because I'm not getting any younger, and I still want to achieve many things in my life. I want to share my new goal and plan for this fresh start to the year in this blog post.

Why I'm Planning to Stay with My Parents Even If I'm Married

I’m planning to stay with my parents even if I’m married. I know readers out there might wonder why I want to live with my parents even when I’m married. Usually, when you have a family of your own, you should be independent. The answer to this question is that I find it beneficial to live with my parents. It’s not because I need their money since I saved up my own personal wealth for quite some time already. My view of living with my parents had changed after living with them for quite some time.
 
Back then, I used to want to own my own home because I liked the design of my house to be minimalist. I was always complaining about how my older brother got the opportunity to live on his own. I felt he was lucky to live on his own, but now I feel fortunate I’m able to live with my parents. I’m glad that my dad prevented me from purchasing my own place. If it wasn’t for him, I would probably be in financial trouble now. As I grew up, I learned many valuable lessons from my parents that made me think differently. This is the reason why I want to live with my parents even if I’m married. I hope my future wife can agree to my idea. In this article, I will explain my reasoning as to why I will live with them forever. Moreover, I’m going to talk about my plan of building my own dream home.

My New Bedroom Workstation - 'The Famous Table'

People that have been reading my blog know that I am setting up a workstation in my bedroom. I really need this workstation for my bedroom since I want to be more productive during the nighttime. I believe having the convenience of working in my bedroom will help me be more hard-working. Before, I could not do any work when I was just hanging out in my bedroom nighttime. I'm too lazy to go to the office since I don't want to dress up. Unlike having a workstation in my bedroom, I can keep working even when I only wear my underpants.
 
The table I have set up uses the classical theme design. Personally, I prefer minimalist design more. However, because my parents' house is a classical design, I have to match it with that theme. Also, this table compares the theme of my other furniture in my bedroom. All of the furniture in my bedroom looks uniform and matches each other. I have been waiting for this workstation for a very long time due to Covid-19 Pandemic. However, I was finally able to persuade my parents to make one.
 
I know this topic is not related to investment or personal finance, but because this is the work setup that I will use to build my career life and my journey to financial freedom, I will talk about it. After all, this workstation is called "The Famous Table" for a reason. This article will share all the equipment and gadgets that I use to set up my workstation. I hope this can be an inspiration for readers interested in setting up a workstation.

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.

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 I'm Not Buying a New Car & Sticking to My Awesome Beater Car

I have been driving my Mitsubishi Pajero 2009 Model since I moved back to Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2013. The car used to be my brother's, and he let me have it when I move back to Indonesia. The car is quite old now for it has been used for almost 12 years now. I am planning to keep using this car for another 5 to 10 years ahead. My parents did offer to buy a new car for me; however, I decline the offer. I believe the car I have been using is still fine and runs perfectly. Many readers are probably wondering why I don't get myself a new car since I'm well-off now. The reason for this is because I still want to focus on building my personal wealth. I find buying a new car doesn't give me the satisfaction I want. In this blog post, I will talk about why I don't want to switch to a newer car. Moreover, I will mention my reasoning as to why I love my Mitsubishi Pajero so much.

Why I'm Not Moving out from My Parent's House

Since I moved back to Jakarta, Indonesia, I have lived in my parents' house since my studies in San Francisco. I always wanted to own a place of my own since I want to design my own home using minimalistic design. My parents' house has a classical theme design which I don't really like. However, I still force myself to live with my parents and plan to stay with them for a more extended time.

I know I am already a millionaire status by the age of 31. Today's personal net worth (April 2021) of mine is about $1,300,000 USD when I combine all my assets from the United States and Indonesia. Many of you readers are wondering why I'm not moving out from my parent's house and buying my own home. It's true, I believe I am considered wealthy now, but I am going to tell you my reason why I'm not ready to live on my own. In this article, I will explain why I'm not moving out of my parent's house. Moreover, I am going to explain my plan for how I can buy my own home.
 

Why I want to be a YouTuber

We can’t deny that cable subscriptions are declining, and more people are turning into streaming services such as Netflix or Hulu. YouTube has become a way people view their favorite television programs. I personally watch YouTube every day using my gadgets. It is very entertaining and an exciting way to entertain yourself. Becoming a YouTuber is a career that had become popular over this past decade. Many YouTubers make a significant income from doing this. Because I see this as an opportunity for me to earn additional income, becoming a YouTuber is a good choice for me.

 
The YouTube channel I’m going to create will be in the personal finance niche. Similar to this blog you are reading right now, my YouTube channel will have topics and content just like these. I really have a lot of interest and passion for personal finance. I like sharing valuable information for people to learn and help them to potentially become financially successful themselves.  
 
I understand that many people didn’t succeed as YouTubers. Becoming a successful YouTube requires a lot of hard work and dedication. I know some of you think that I am wasting my time pursuing this career as a YouTuber. However, I believe becoming a YouTuber has many incredible benefits that can potentially boost my career path. In this article, I will explain my reasoning as to why I want to become a YouTuber. Also, I am going to share my strategies and plan as a YouTuber. 
 

New Year 2021 Resolution (My Personal Plan & Goal for the Year)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Everyone!! It is now the year 2021, and I hope this year will be better than the previous one. I hope this year will be great for all of us. I am glad that I was able to go through 2020 without any significant problems. I had stuck with my financial plan, such as saving and investing every month. Even though 2020 was not a great year since we faced Covid-19 Pandemic, and the problem is not yet solved, my portfolio has performed pretty decent. 

 
2021 is a new year for all of us, which is the time to start something new. I realized that I am getting older every year, and I want every beginning of the year to begin with a New Year resolution. I want to have a goal that I want to achieve something for this new beginning. In this article, I would like to share my goal and plan for this fresh start to the year. I will also explain my career and business plan to increase my income and what I'm going to do with my stock portfolio investment. 
 

Why Living in Indonesia is an Advantage for Me to Build Wealth

Jakarta, Indonesia, is my hometown. This is the country where I was born. However, I was mostly overseas, living in Singapore and the United States when I was young. It was a privilege for me to receive my education from developed countries. If it wasn't because of my father working hard, I wouldn't get this kind of opportunity.

After graduating from San Francisco State University with a finance major, I decided to move back to Jakarta, Indonesia, to pursue my career. I did regret coming back too soon since I wasn't making the kind of income I was hoping for. I should have tried to apply for a job in the United States after graduating from university.

 

It has been almost 8 years since I moved back to Jakarta, Indonesia. I did think about how my life would be if I had stayed in the United States instead of moving back to Jakarta, Indonesia. I know I could have earned and accumulated wealth if I had a decent paying job in the United States. However, after doing some critical thinking and comparison, I concluded that deciding to move back to Jakarta was the right thing for me to do.

 

I know working in my father's company doesn't generate much income for me. I could have made a better wage if I was working in the United States. However, I believe living in Jakarta, Indonesia has its own advantage for me. Despite earning a meager income, living in Jakarta, Indonesia, is still perfect for building my own personal wealth. In this article, I will explain why living in Jakarta, Indonesia is excellent for me to build my own personal wealth. Moreover, I'll explain why moving back to my hometown is the right thing for me to do.

 

The Janitor Who Became a Multi-Millionaire By Retirement

We always portray someone who is a multi-millionaire to have lavish lifestyles. Usually, we think they live in a big mansion, drives a nice sports car, and own many other expensive things. Moreover, we often believe that to become a multi-millionaire, you need to have a high-paying job such as becoming a CEO, Doctor, or Lawyer.

I was also naïve when I was still young. I always thought that to become a multi-millionaire, you need to make a lot of money. However, did you know that to become a multi-millionaire does not require many of these traits? You will be surprised to find out that you do not need to earn a massive paycheck to become a millionaire. In this article, I want to tell the story of a Vermont-based janitor and gas station attendant name Ronald Read who secretly amassed multi-million-dollar wealth. I will explain how he did it and how we can apply it in our life as well.

How I Became a Millionaire by the Age of Thirty

I have become a millionaire by the age of thirty. Yes, you read it right, a Millionaire! I am delighted and content about this achievement since I actually made it without asking my dad for more capital. In total, my dad only let me inherited $200,000 for my U.S. portfolio and approximately about $150,000 for my Indonesian portfolio. So technically, I started with a total of $350,000 that was given by my dad. It's indeed a large amount of money that was given to me. However, I grew it to over a million dollars with living below my mean and being consistent and disciplined, investing in the stock market.
 
I'm thrilled that I could become a millionaire with the low wage I'm getting for working in my dad's company. Each month, I receive Rp25,000,000 for my paycheck. That's approximately about $1,778 if converted to U.S. dollar (November 17, 2020). The amount can still fluctuate since the currencies always change every trading day. My wage is considered a lot in Indonesia; however, if you compare it with the United States wage, it's really low.
 
Despite my low income, I was able to become a millionaire by the age of thirty. I believe anyone out there can also become a millionaire if they are willing to learn and manage their personal finance well. Becoming a millionaire is not as hard as you think it is. Anyone can achieve it if they put the work and dedication to it. In this article, I will share what I did to reach millionaire status by thirty. Most of my personal wealth is invested in the stock market; I will show my assets. Moreover, I will explain how you can do it too.
 

Want to Learn about Stock Investing & Build Wealth: 9 Reasons Why You Should Buy My Book that I'm Soon Going to Release

I have been a dividend growth investor for quite some time already. It has been a few years since I have started the portfolio and this blog. If you readers have been following my blog, you probably know that I have done pretty well in stock investing. Through discipline saving and investing, I became a millionaire on my own (not dad's wealth) at the age of thirty. I do not acquire any debt in my life and have built my personal wealth just from living below my mean and religiously investing most of my income. Moreover, I didn't reach millionaire status because I have a high-income paying job, but from managing my personal finance really well and always investing my money in the stock market.

Because I felt I made a tremendous financial achievement at the age of thirty, I felt that I wanted to share the knowledge and information with the world. I felt that many people out there are not managing their personal finance wisely and have no plan at all for their retirement. During my free time, I wrote my own book about building wealth through dividend growth investing & creating new income streams. The book's title is called "Snowball from Zero," but this is still a prototype, and changes might be applied.

I have not finished writing the book yet, but I am currently halfway through writing. So far, I have written approximately close to fifty pages, and believe I still have many things I want to write. I have designed the book front and back cover, but I might still want to edit it. My goal is to have the book finish written by the end of 2021. Hopefully, I can finish writing and have it published at that time.

The book I'm currently working on is intended for the people out there to learn basic building wealth through dividend growth investing. Moreover, it also teaches people new ways of creating a new stream of income. I really believe that the book I plan to have published is excellent for anyone curious about building wealth and stock investing. It is great for beginners and someone who already has some understanding.
 
I am really confident the book I am currently working on can help people learn the things I'm already implementing in my life. Whatever I am covering in my book is the knowledge and experience I have gone through to create the personal wealth I have right now. Yes, I have received quite a large sum of starting capital from my dad from investing in the stock market; however, I believe this book can help anyone out there start building wealth starting from zero. I want to be able to help others reach the financial freedom that many dreams of. Also, there are many things that the book covers, creating new sources of alternative income. Some of these methods are things I am also currently working on in my life. It might not pay much money now; but, I will explain the potential revenue from working on these side projects.  
 
Once I finished writing the book, I am planning to have it publish and sold. I am not planning to price it at a high price, but at a meager and affordable price. I don't want to make a lot of money from selling this book because my real intention is for people to learn how to build wealth through stock investing. Also, I want people to know and learn about the side-projects I am working on that can potentially make me a good income aside from working in my dad's company. In this blog post, I want to explain why purchasing my book is beneficial for readers out there to learn about building wealth and stock investing. Moreover, the book also covers the things you can do to create a new stream of income. Buying my book is value for the money, and it is something you should not avoid before starting investing in the stock market.

Why I'm living Below My Mean (Frugally) Despite My Wealth

Readers who have been following this blog probably know about my frugal behavior in spending money. Even though I come from a well to do family, I am still living a life below my mean. I believe in creating my own personal wealth of my own since I want to feel its challenge.
 
It has been almost seven years since I moved back to Jakarta, Indonesia, and working in my dad’s company. I started with a decent salary since working for him; however, I have not received a single raise yet. I am not complaining about it since I am only working part-time for him. In fact, I believe I am more of a freelancer in the company but still receive a monthly wage.
 
I am really fortunate and blessed to have this kind of privilege since many people out there don’t have a job. Even though my wage is quite low if comparing it with workers from the United States, my monthly wage is considered pretty good in my country.
 
Since the first day I start working with my dad, I have been very conservative with the way I spend my income. I was living very frugally back then to save up 80% of my monthly wage. However, I am now saving about 60% of my monthly wage and spending 40% of it for everyday use.
 
Many people are confused about why I am living frugally, even when I am considered wealthy. I have many friends who complain about my spending habit and think that I am overdoing it. In this article, I am going to explain why I am living below my mean. Living a life unlike many others, will eventually result in me to having a life without any financial worries in the future. I hope the things I am doing can make my parents proud of me.
 

4 Reasons Why My Dad Bought Used Luxury Yachts Instead of Brand New

Owning a yacht is the favorite rich toys. Studies have shown that the world's super-rich spend nearly $22 billion on yachts every year. Owning a yacht is not for everybody; it requires the individual to be wealthy and to be able to afford to upkeep them. A yacht is treated as a liability that drains so much money from your pocket just to maintain them. However, many wealthy people love them. It's like a status symbol of success at a different level. It's not like buying a Lamborghini or Ferrari. Owning a yacht is another level of wealth and achievement.

My dad always dreams of owning his private yacht, but he still delay his gratification to wait until he is financially stable before purchasing one. I, too, was the same as him; he felt that owning a yacht is a symbol of accomplishment. In 2013, our dream came true. My dad finally decided to celebrate his success in his business career and my graduation from a bachelor's degree in finance by buying two pre-owned yachts.

My dad and I decided not to purchase a new one but instead to buy that are used. I was the one that look for great deals on the internet so that my dad gets a bargain for his first luxury yachts purchase. We end up buying an Azimut 80 and Sun Seeker 74 yacht that was manufactured in the year 2003. Both yachts were about ten years old when we purchased them, but there were so many benefits of buying them used rather than new. In this article, I would like to share the reason why my dad and I decided to purchase used ones and not brand new.   

My Retirement Plan as of October 2020

It has been five years since I manage my own stock investment portfolio. When my older brother and I decided to split, our portfolio was in October 2015. I started with $400,000 capital when I started managing my own portfolio. Moreover, I have been contributing money ($2000/month) in the portfolio every month. Now, my portfolio is valued at $810,000 (As of October 12, 2020). That's a CAGR of 10% every year since October 2015. If I compare my portfolio performance to the S&P 500 performance, I actually underperform the market. I made many bad investment decisions during my journey; however, I learned from it. I hope for the future; I can make better decisions in investing.

New Year's, it's about to come soon. It's going to be in 2021 soon. I'm going to grow older, but I am still committed to my financial plan toward financial independence. Even though my portfolio has grown in value over the years, I think it is still far from the goal I want to achieve. I still want to keep working on my portfolios for another 15 years ahead before I start enjoying the passive income the portfolio will generate for me.

Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps Financial Guide of Getting Out of Debt and Becoming Wealthy

Many people out there are always trying to figure out how to get out of their debt and become wealthy. They tiredly work so hard in their job but felt like they are going nowhere financially. Dave Ramsey, who is a financial mentor that wrote a book which title is "The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness" had inspired many on how to get out of debt and become wealthy. Before he became a financial guru, he went through the same mistakes many people go through, which is to use debt. At the age of 26, Dave Ramsey was a millionaire who used leverage (debt) to finance his real estate investment strategy. He has a real estate portfolio asset of $4 million dollars, which $3 million dollars of the asset is financed with debt. However, he lost everything two years later. He had to downgrade his financial lifestyle and felt humiliated for his downfall. It was a very tough moment for his life, which eventually changes his perspective of how he wants to live later life. He eventually worked his way out of his financial problem and became wealthy again (has a net worth of $240 million as of 2019). Now he became a multi-millionaire personal money management expert that mentors many people the problem of using debt as a tool through his talk show host and TV personality. Moreover, he has helped many people to get out debt through budgeting and invests gradually to build wealth.

I read his book and often listen to his radio talk shows on YouTube. I had learned a lot about how many Americans are stuck in debt and have difficulty getting out of the rat race. His book preaches about the simple 7 Baby Steps technique that many can easily follow to get out of debt and build wealth. Following his technique to get out of debt and acquire wealth is not a get quick rich scheme, but discipline steps that people need to follow. People who are wealthy didn't become a millionaire overnight, but through discipline spending habits, budgeting, and of course, frequent investing. I felt his teachings in his books and radio talk shows on YouTube are excellent for people who are sick and tired of being lost financially. Anyways, I know some readers here don't want to go through the hassle to read his book. Because of that, I want to point out the 7 Baby Steps that Dave Ramsey preaches that help many people get out of debt and build wealth.