My dad was the catalyst to my introduction into stocks. He always said to "make your money work for you, don't leave it in the bank", and he frequently tried and sit me down to listen to him talk non-stop about how to read financial reports of companies... yada-yada-yada. BORING.
However, the idea of using money to make more money stuck with me. I went online and search for "best stocks to invest in singapore" - how blunt. I did get results (thanks Google), and that was how I learnt about Sheng Siong - my first stock. At that time, I didn't understand the financial reports, and I was limited to the information I could get from fellow investors online.
My first few stocks were Sheng Siong, Croesus RTrust, Mapletree Com Tr. I felt a rush through my body whenever I made a Buy (it felt a little like a gamble because there were many things I did not know about the companies - and it brought me adrenaline). The process of buying and waiting for these investments to mature was too long, and I soon found myself searching for quicker alternatives.
I ended up drawing down my investments to fund my CFD trading account, and I started making lots of technical trades - which ended up in huge losses). It took me 2 years to learn that trading wasn't for me, and I closed my account at the end of 2016.
With an income after graduation, I now am able to inject capital to build up my portfolio. I am extremely happy that as of April 2017 I am finally out of the red. I do hope that I can continue this performance for the years to come (not just because of the bullish market this year).
Looking back, I do not regret the loss I made because it thought me valuable lessons (albeit a little painful).
As Benjamin Franklin once said: "He that can have patience can have what he will."