One speech of my EMBA program is worthy to be kept in mind, which was delivered by Blair Pickerell on January 5th this year. Blair has been a leader in the Asian investment management industry for the past 30 years. As an old friend of Professor Joseph Lyu, the former finance minister, he was invited to give us some basics of investing.
Part I - 7 Basic Rules
1. Inflation matters
- The real risk
- Keep up with the inflation
2. Time matters
- Let your money grow gradually
- Earn for a long time, not a lot of money
3. Return matters
- Don't let your money sit on your bank account
- Don't save your money in bank accounts for long time
4. Diversification matters
5. Cost matters
- Watch the cost severely
6. Tax matters (relatedly)
7. Timing matters (negatively)
- The biggest one
- Time in the market, not timing in the market
Part II - 3 Pockets
1. One's long term investing pocket
2. Bank deposit pocket
3. Speculation pocket
Don't mix them together and think clearly in your mind.
Part III - 3 Houses
1. Property
2. Retirement plan
3. Children's education
Wrap Up
- Invest for a long term and take a long term view
- Have a plan for 3 houses
- Think strategically about each of your 3 pockets
- Don't try to time the market
- Watch out for inflation, a silent killer
- Beat the inflation
- Diversify
- Watch your costs at least once a year
Good takeaways for me and share with you! :)