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1st Half 2026 Portfolio Update

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Time really flies. It feels like just yesterday we were welcoming the new year, and now we are already crossing the midway mark of 2026. It is that time of the year again when I sit down, look through the numbers, and do my routine portfolio review. Keeping track of where things stand helps me maintain an honest view of my investment journey, especially now that I am living off this nest egg in retirement. Mid-Year Performance Reflection For the first half of 2026, my (YTD) XIRR stands at 5.28% . Looking at this figure, I can say I am genuinely happy with the results. Let’s be realistic, not every year is going to hand us double-digit gains on a silver platter. Every year behaves differently, and a positive return of over 5% in six months is a steady, respectable outcome that keeps the portfolio moving forward. Watching portfolio returns can sometimes feel exactly like playing with a yo-yo , they just love to swing wildly up and down based on whatever mood the market wakes up in. Earl...
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Trends Have No End, Only Cycles

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Having spent so many years navigating the ups and downs of the stock market, I am more convinced than ever that equity investing boils down to just two words: market cycles. <Image credit: Fidelity Investment> There is no such thing as permanent value in the stock market; there are only shifting trends that take turns dominating different periods. What was highly sought after yesterday won't necessarily stay in the limelight today, and the "bad stock" that nobody wants right now doesn't mean it won't have its day to shine tomorrow. The future of a stock is always an unknown variable. Think back to a few years ago when the world was trapped in a super low-interest-rate environment. Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) were the absolute darlings of local Singaporean investors. Back then, who didn't have their portfolio packed to the brim with REITs? High dividend yields and stable cash flows made them look like the ultimate safe haven. All blogs, YT ch...
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The 80/20 Rule: The Secret to Long-Term Wealth

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  When it comes to retail investing, many people spend years doing *more*, analyzing more charts, reading more news feeds, and trading more frequently, only to find their returns trailing the broader market. It is easy to get caught up in the noise and assume that investment success requires constant, hyper-aggressive action. However, long-term wealth accumulation is actually governed by a very classic principle: the 80/20 Pareto Effect. The core idea is simple , 80% of your investment results come from just 20% of your inputs. The vast majority of the daily tasks investors obsess over add very little to their bottom line. Success in the markets is less about micromanaging every single variable and more about mastering a few critical, high-impact choices. Wealth is Mostly About Your Habits, Not the Math A common misconception is that successful investing requires a high level of mathematical genius or a secret spreadsheet formula. People often focus on the 20% (the technical math)...
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The Invisible Hand That Actually Moves Your Portfolio: Money Supply vs. Assets Value

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For many of us who have spent years navigating the Singapore and regional markets, we often get bogged down by the "noise." We look at quarterly earnings, we obsess over whether a REIT's occupancy dropped by 1%, or if a company’s CEO had a bad day during an analyst call. But after decades of investing, I’ve realized there is a much bigger tide at play. It’s not just about the ships; it’s about the water level. In economics, we call this the M2 Money Supply . In plain talk, it’s just how much "stuff" is circulating in the system. When the taps are open, everything feels like a genius-level investment. When the taps close, even the best companies struggle to keep their heads above water. Let's peel back the layers on how this liquidity truly dictates the price of our assets. < Image credit:www.econovis.net> Why "Inflation" Isn't Always What You Think It Is When most people hear "inflation," they think about the price of chicken r...
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When Readers Ask: “So What Should I Actually Do?”

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From time to time, I receive messages / questions like this: “Though it's interesting to know the shortcomings ( biases / behavioral finance) we may be facing, it doesn't really help noobs, or maybe even more seasoned investors, on what to do to avoid them. Does anyone have anything to share to expand on the things to do to become more disciplined, define exit strategy, things like that?” It’s a fair question. In fact, it’s probably one of the most honest questions an investor can ask. Because understanding behavioural finance is one thing. Applying it in real life, when markets are moving, headlines are loud, and your portfolio is flashing red or green , that’s a completely different game. And here’s the uncomfortable truth. There isn’t a clean, step-by-step formula you can follow and suddenly become “disciplined”. If there were, everyone would be doing it already.  Behavioural finance doesn’t sit neatly in a spreadsheet. You can’t model it like earnings growth or discount cas...
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