How did 小胖 get started in investing?

小胖 (Xiao-Pang) is a full-time employee, and part-time degree student at UniSIM. Born in 1991, he kick-started his investing journey in August 2012, when his dad encouraged him to invest in the stock market to achieve a possible higher returns than what the banks are offering on his savings account.

A sucker for dividends, he chose to invest mostly in what he knows best - Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). REITs are mandated to distribute at least 90% of its profits to its shareholders in order to enjoy tax transparency, which is why 小胖 loves investing in REITs!

The first stock he bought, Keppel REIT (K71U), which he still holds till today, has given him approximately 6% dividend yield annually! 

小胖 do not have a large amount of cash to begin investing with, while he is building up his warchest awaiting for the next market crash (oops!). At the same time, he needs a large sum of money to prepare for his wedding which is happening in a few months time! Therefore, he is watching the market at the sidelines, and is considering whether to re-balance his portfolio in order to free up some cash for his wedding preparations! 

Currently, 小胖 has a portfolio allocation of 93% in stocks (of which 76% are allocated in REITs and Property Trusts), and 7% in bonds. He is waiting for some better retail bonds and opportunities out there to re-balance his portfolio! 

I hope to share 小胖's investing journey in this blog, and to achieve 小胖's long-term goal of achieving financial freedom by 45 years old!