2018 Goals and Expectations

The new year is just hours away, so its time to think a bit about the future and what success would look like in 2018. No lofty goals here, just practical, achieveable life stuff.

Financial

1) Achieve portfolio returns of 10%

This has been my minimum goal every year, to achieve double digit returns annually to beat inflation and make my time worthwhile. As you can see in my recent 2017 Performance Scorecard, this goal has not always been a reality for every year. I have managed to achieve and exceed it this year, but I hope to build some consistency to prove to myself that what I’m doing is correct and a good way going forward.

2) Grow dividend/distribution cashflows

My portfolio has been driven by capital gains in the prior years due to my tech heavy lineup. Returns from this strategy have been great, but I want to develop a decent income stream so that I don’t have liquidate my stocks all the time to reinvest in the next big idea.

I hope to grow this further through investing in undervalued Singapore dividend stocks. There are a few prime candidates I’m eyeing at the moment, I’ll update you guys when I actually make a move.

3) Achieve a savings rate of 40%

Having large investment percentage returns means nothing if your capital base is small. The fastest way to boost your capital base is save, save and then save some more. I’ve managed to save an average of 40-50% of my take home pay in the past 4 years, and I hope to keep that record going in 2018.

Life

1) Blog more to flesh out all aspects of financial freedom

Financial literacy is not taught well, if at all, in our education system. Experiencing the effects of poor personal financial management first hand with someone close to me has driven me to write more about what I know and try to educate others at the same time. Navigating the financial jungle can be difficult, I hope to guide everyone through the wilderness with views in a simple, non-technical manner.

2) Bond more with the family

Growing up, my family (Dad especially) have not been the most vocal people at sharing their thoughts and feelings, as they do not want to burden others with their worries (or at least that’s how I see it). Consequently, it culminates in explosions in emotion when things come to a head.

I’ve been trying to bridge the gap more by sharing my day, talking about random things that come to mind, asking them how they are doing, etc. It feels like I’m peeling an onion sometimes. The recent staycation we had as a family has been a step in the right direction and I hope we can have more shared experiences together in 2018.

3) Utilise that gym membership more

My work involves me having a significant portion of my time travelling, as such there is some wastage on the gym membership that is subsidised by my company. I hope to maximise the use of that membership as I anticipate not travelling much in the first half of 2018.

Signing off on 2017

2017 has been a great year for me personally and 2018 seems like a year of great uncertainty to me (on the job front and investment front). If I’m able to get through 2018 having achieved the above goals, I would be content.

Here’s me wishing everyone, friends and readers, a happy and successful new year. 🙂

What are your hopes for the new year? Do feel free to share them with me via the comments or my email.

Happy hunting in 2018,
KK