Moving Away

01/03/2009 at 15:21 · Filed under 1

Dear readers, Thank you for your continual reading over here. I am glad to announce that I have switched over to a privately hosted server using wordpress.org, and that you can find my new website here:

www.kevinhzh.com

It will be a blog that focuses on my physical transformation as I live out Anthony Robbin’s Living Health Programme. It will be my first time going through this, and I can forsee that there will be great challenges ahead.

As for my “Millionaire by 26 goal”, I have not forgotten about it. I will harness the power of the internet, as well as the stock markets to achieve my goals and carry on from there.
Thank you once again :)

With love, Kevin

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The Power of Individuals

10/01/2009 at 15:37 · Filed under General ·Tagged , , , , , ,

Have you ever considered the effects of your presense have in this very world? While there are people who wish and try not to be a liability in the world, little do they know that they are already an asset. Having suffered from inferior complex, it’s true that people tend to think this way when they feel inadequate.

So how much power do you possess? In a nutshell, Infinite. The saying, “When you’re ripe, you start to rot” holds true for us humans. Think about it. In the 20th century, when geniuses like Lord Kelvin (the temperature unit Kelvin was named after him) were saying that all that has been invented has been invented, were they correct? Thankfully not, else you may not even be reading this! When people believed that the 4 minute mile could not be broken, Roger Banister came along and ran his way into history books, with more and more following suit soon after with faster and faster times!

“But I’m only an average person. What good can I do?” Well, even just by living your life out, you are contributing to people and the world. Let’s say that you got employment. Are you creating value or sustaining it for the company? Either one is already a positive output issn’t it? So, let’s say that you take home S$2200 every month. You buy food from the hawker centres, supermarkets, take care of your family’s needs by buying necessities such as toilet papers, soap, provide them with electricity and clean water. From time to time you buy something to pamper yourself, such as a jewellry or just go out and have some fun.

What just happened?

You, the “average” individual have already created demand for goods and services across several sectors – agriculture, culinary cooks, cashiers and your boss, just to name a few. To respond to demand, suppliers come in to satiate these demands at a price. So, let’s say you paid S$2000 for everything in a month and saved $200 in the bank. Where does it all go? Does it just stop there?

It will never stop there. That $2000 will circulate throughout the economy and create value many times over for different individuals! Let’s just assume that everyone saves 10% of what they earn. That $2000 can create an estimated value of $20,000 for people across sectors! Issn’t it amazing? What about the money in the bank? Without you, entreprenuers would not be able to take up loans to start new innovating businesses!

Economics talk aside, let’s not forget the joy you bring to your family and friends around you who just love you for who you are. Issn’t that also being an asset? It’s amazing how one of us can affect so many in this world. Let’s face it, we’re assets of this world :)

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The greatest sin

03/01/2009 at 22:57 · Filed under 1 ·Tagged , , ,

Stop for a while and think for a moment, which sin are we all guilty of at one point or another? And among these, which is the greatest?

1) Envy 2) Pride 3) Sloth 4) Lust 5) Gluttony 6) Wrath 7) Greed / Avarice

Sloth, better known as procrastination, would be my choice. Can I blame that sin? I can only blame myself for letting it get the better of me.

Every time I write down the 3 things I want to accomplish for the day, I normally wouldn’t get it done. Things such as tidying up my room, reading 2 chapters of various books, going to work out at the gym are pretty simple and can done with relative ease. Yet I couldn’t accomplish it. Does it need extremely high intelligence to read 2 chapters of a book? It does take commitment though. And it’s not the first time already.

I’m not perfect, but it is not an excuse to keep on procrastinating. Well, let me admit my faults here. If it happens again, you have every right to lose faith in what I’m doing and call me a bullshitter. So much for talking so much about positive mentality when I can’t exercise it. Let me be accountable for my actions.

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Happy 2009!

02/01/2009 at 00:33 · Filed under General

Happy new year guys! Here’s wishing every one prosperity unto you. I hope that you guys have applied what I’ve been sharing with you and benefited from it in one way or another =)

We can finally put behind the bad times of 2008 – hearing news of financial institutions failing, people getting laid off and all and look ahead towards recovery. The present is all we have, and the future looks uncertain. 2009 is no exception, with the bulls and bears divided over which side it chooses to take. I have good news for you though. Our fate lies within our hands!

While we cannot control what circumstances may befall, let’s always remember that we can always control what we do. Let’s keep our minds focused on positive things, talk about things that bring hope and always remembering our dreams and purposes. 2009 may or may not be a good year, but let’s make it a good one!

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2009 Outlook

30/12/2008 at 00:37 · Filed under 1 ·Tagged

Based on what’s been going on this festive season, I have a feeling deflation is going to set in. Here are a few reasons why:

1) Even with huge discounts of over 50%, people are not cashing in on the post-christmas sale. If that’s the case, merchants may be forced to further discount their prices or lower the ceiling on their price tags. This would ultimately cause deflation or stagflation of some form, since I believe foods and consumables will still remain around the same levels.

2) With millions of jobs lost, high flyers getting axed, and the fear that people get from all the hype about the depression, people will tend to save up whatever money they can get. This may render fiscal policy (pumping money into the hands of citizens) useless, as people with a desperate mindset may tend to save up more during times like this. This may again cause recovery to lag. Spending in itself will also be reduced to necessities for the majority. Even people who have money now will be preparing a battlechest to go and start buying stocks at a discount rather than to splurge it on a new LV bag. Merchants will be the most affected – for if the people do not spend, they will be forced to close down their shops even with declining rental fees. This will add fuel to the fire.

3) Education will be set to rise as people start to upgrade themselves. Relevant courses such as MBAs, financial management / literacy, trading and other forms of earning money (network marketing included) will see a surge in demand and hence prices.

4) Singapore should still experience a slight GDP growth of about less than 1%, with an inflation slightly below 1%. Singapore has yet to feel the full impact of the US’ shockwaves, but it wouldn’t affect us as greatly as Uncle Sam. Financial Institutions won’t recover that quickly, as they’ve just exhausted their turn during sector rotation.

Being only a junior analyst, these thoughts are only what I can put together and hypothesise. Of course, I must say that there is a probability of it being wrong, but I would hope that I’m correct :)

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“What do I invest in?”

28/12/2008 at 15:22 · Filed under General

With the markets going down 3 notches for every notch it goes up, does the golden question, “What do I invest in?” come to mind? What do you think is the most important asset one should invest in to tide through crises and down times?

Having done and not succeeded in Network Marketing, I am grateful for all the education that I’ve been put through. It taught me to see opportunities that presents itself in the least expected situations and reinforced my desire to achieve great things. So what is my agenda here? To sell you detergents, magnetic beds or even Ponzi (Anyway, Madoff pwned Ponzi) plans? Haha, I would just like to share what I believe is right and good. Of course, I may be wrong :P

Is anything in this world secure anymore? It is highly unlikely, as the world is interconnected so closely that when Uncle Sam gets hit by depression, the whole world goes down in sympathy with him. So, is there such a thing as security anymore? If you’re working for your respective governments, I believe so, but generally the answer is no. Look at what happened to General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. Millions of jobs have been lost already, and there are millions more dangling. Financial institutions went down in the US too. Was Singapore spared? Hardly. DBS Singapore had to axe a few of its senior officers simply because they were too expensive to keep. Issn’t it ironic that you work hard to be promoted, only to be sacked because your upkeep is too high? Is there a way to make your career fire-proof? Yes! Read on.

Why are people losing more money than they’re earning from the stock markets? Is it due to the high volatility of the markets, hence causing risk to increase tremendously? Or is it due to the consuming emotions of fear and greed? What if I told you that there is no such thing as a risk? What? I’m crazy? I probably am, since my take on such issues are unconventional, but let’s analyse it. Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing. The investors who took the biggest risk were those who bought technology stocks around the year 2000, only to lose it all when the dot com bubble burst. Did good old Warren follow the crowd? Nope, because he knows what he’s doing :) Hence, we can deduce that the root of all evil in the stock markets is the lack of knowledge.

If what you’re seeing is a world whereby you need to work to sustain a living all the way until you’re 6 feet under, we’re seeing the same situation. But who is really to blame for all this? Inflation? The governments for implementing the 401k or CPF? Ultimately, we blame everything else except those who control the money. Again, why is it that there are those who start off with nothing, and managed to accumulate immense wealth, and yet there are those who managed to start off well, but end up lousy? Is it ignorance in financial management?

What if you’re a boss? Do you have control over this depression? Why sure you do. The only questions on hand are, are you doing what it takes to steer your company towards greater success? Or are you following the trend and just getting depressed? Again, inexperience and the wrong beliefs and mindset can kill a business.

As we can see, these ways of earning money have a huge problem in common. Is it the circumstance? I’d prefer to believe it’s ignorance. Ignorance can cause employees to believe the world is still running in the industrial age. Ignorance can cause people to sell stocks that are undervalued and buy overpriced ones. Ignorance can cause well off individuals to go bankrupt when their primary stream of income gets choked. Ignorance can lead people to believe they can be a boss with the mindset of an employee.

So, what is the best thing to invest in? Why, yourself! Relevant education will seperate you from the rest, and allow you to succeed where others have failed.

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Positive Mentality (1)

28/12/2008 at 00:08 · Filed under Psychology

Who do you reckon to be the most important person alive today? Think about it as you read this passage, it will all come to you when you are ready to receive the answer.

We are all equiped with a mind that has 2 sides, just like a magnet. The interesting thing is that our mind attracts whatever we feed it – positive or negative. Moreover, anyone can trigger and be in either states. What amazes me is that we actually have a choice over our circumstances. There were people who were paralyzed from the neck down, and yet they were still able to impact the lives of many. Does our former Superman, Christopher Reeves ring a bell? Yet with the same mind, there are those who resign to fate. Question : How can we develop a correct mental attitude?

A simple question, that leads to a simple answer that many of us know, but do not truly understand. Let’s talk about the current global economy. Many economists and senators have termed it to be the “greatest recession since the crash of 1929″. Is it really? Why is it that there are people who became richer than bullish times? Why is it that there were many who killed themselves over red ink? Think about it – you will understand better upon self-examination and analysis.

Let the quote, “What you focus on expands” be our guide in these challenging times :)

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Read and do

26/12/2008 at 23:00 · Filed under Action Steps

If one of your habits and passions are reading, be it fiction or not, I’ve got good news for you: You already have a habit of success! Reading happens to be one of my hobbies too, and self-help books are my favourite. In anything that we do, psychology plays a huge role in determining our chances of success. I would place 90% in psychology and only 10% in my methodology.
These are the books that I’m currently focusing on:

1) Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill

2) Success through a Positive Mental Attitude – Napolean Hill & W. Clementstone

3) Master your Mind, Design your Destiny – Adam Khoo / Stuart Tan

4) Secrets of Internet Millionaires – Stuart Tan

5) Secrets of Student Millionaires – Dylan Loh & Edmand Loh
I personally spend at least 30 minutes each day reading and thinking about how to apply what I’ve learned / relearned to improve what I’m currently doing. It’s not a bad idea to do it too, you’ll be amazed by the results you get if you take action!

Rationale (26/12/08):

To learn the important points about Int Mkt as quickly as possible and to start cashing in on it. 80% of the focus should be spent on IM, while 20% of the remaining time should be spent observing the markets. Especially the first 5 trading days of January ;)

PS: Apart from the Bible, Think and Grow Rich is the grand daddy of all psychology books ;)

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Trader’s personality profiling

26/12/2008 at 22:13 · Filed under Psychology

Here’s a website my friend, Janice, shared with me. It’s a pretty good gauge for our character, and will give us an analysis of what our strengths and challenges lie:
http://www.tharptradertest.com/

Just to share with you guys more about myself, here’s my profile which I find pretty amusing:

Independent Trader

If the markets interest you, you’ll probably work to develop a logical explanation for how they work. This is because you love theoretical ideas and abstract concepts (in fact, much more so than people interactions). This can be great for trading success, if you don’t get too theoretical. This type of trader profile suggests that you value knowledge above all else. As a result, you’ll be constantly generating new ideas about the market or trying to disprove the ideas that you learn from others. This can be a blessing, as a trader, if you transform this skill into developing a business plan for your trading. On the other hand, it could also be a weakness if you cannot translate it into a sound plan. True :)

You probably are quiet, contained, and adaptable. In addition, I suspect that you can focus in depth on solving a problem in whatever areas interest you. As a result, you can probably succeed very well in the trading arena, if you don’t get too focused on concepts that do not work. True, but I talk a lot nowadays.

You tend to be skeptical, analytical, and sometimes critical. These are also good qualities for a trader. In addition, you probably are very independent, unconventional, and original. These qualities are perfect for traders/investors because they will drive you to develop a system or methodology that FITS YOU rather than attempt to use something that someone else has developed. Since when were they friends with me?

Because you have simple day to day needs you are easy to get along with, Personal conflict doesn’t really threaten you.

You have two of the three qualities that we find the best traders/investors tend to have. Thus, if you apply yourself, you have the potential to do very well as a trader/investor.

Trading Strengths

  1. You can quickly determine if a new style of trading or system will fit well with your personality.
  2. You can rapidly evaluate when something is working for you.
  3. You like the challenge of sorting out market conditions and like the intellectual stimulation of developing and planning low risk trading ideas.

Trading Challenges

  1. Your trading could dominate your time and you could become socially isolated, which in turn could upset others, particularly if you have a spouse.
  2. You may reject or abandon workable systems if the logic isn’t clear; because you don’t understand the systems boundaries ahead of time.
  3. You are a human being not an android, and you do have emotions. You just don’t pay that much attention to them. LOL’d

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Celebration

23/12/2008 at 04:15 · Filed under General

Merry Christmas to all! I hope that most of you are relatively unaffected by the recent job lay offs or pay-cuts. Nonetheless, it is a good time to celebrate the end of a year and a new beginning.

Be there good or bad times, every day deserves celebration. After all, It’s what we focus on and how we react to the news that will determine our feelings. Are there people who have got rich even during crises? Yes! Why? It’s because they made good decisions which benefited them during these times. Are there people who got poorer? Yes also. They either remained stagnant, or made bad choices. So let’s focus on getting rich. There’s no better time than now :)

Looking at the NASDAQ, DOW and the S&P 500 indices fairing poorly these days make me believe that Santa is gonna go missing yet again this year. Maybe the markets will open bearishly for the new year as well? All the more better. The longer this whole recession drags on, the more time we have to capitalise on buying assets while they’re undervalued! My only challenge now is to raise the cash in time before the markets correct themselves.

Stocks are the only things the uninformed don’t buy when they’re on a discount! I’ll go shopping next year when my online businesses make good money :)

P.S : 2009 looks set to be a bearish year. Even if Obama does implement good changes, I believe the effects will start kicking in only around late 2009 to early 2010. And that’s to only prevent the depression from going any deeper. We have yet to consider about the stabilising and recovery phases. Is there still a way to earn money from the stock markets now? Hell yeah! :)

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