Fourth Milestone Reached

My portfolio value hit my 4th milestone this month, though I waited for 2 weeks to ensure that it was relatively stable and not a temporary blip. Together with record dividends collected in 2022, I feel I have a reasonable margin of safety when it comes to maintaining financial independence in the face of a possible recession in 2023 (or so the experts claim). However, one thing about recessions is that if too many experts forecast a recession, it usually doesn't occur.

What is interesting is that the last 2 gaps were quite consistent:

• Aug 2018 - Nov 2020 - 2 years 3 months
• Nov 2020 - Jan 2023 - 2 years 2 months

As explained in my portfolio page, the gap between the 1st and 2nd was large because I was repaying my housing loan.

I didn't make a New Years' Resolution for Investing this year, but plan to continue on with my earlier resolution to BUY MORE ETFs and do LESS STOCK-PICKING. 

As it is good to set a target and to measure progress, my 4th milestone is now replaced with a 5th milestone and I'm looking at achieving it in 2-3 years' time based on previous progress. 

A fair chunk of my cash balance will be wiped out as I really need to replace my car this year and I am hoping for a lower COE (as COE quotas are increasing later this year). If not for car replacement, I would have been more confident of reaching my 5th milestone in 2 years' instead of 3 years'. Car ownership comes with an opportunity cost, but as long as one properly budgets for it, it is manageable. 

 

  

<a href='https://pngtree.com/so/4g'>4g png from pngtree.com/</a>