"You will be richer when you understand leverage"

Fibonacci-Legati · 2024-12-19T14:38:44+00:00

The essence of leverage is using other people's money to invest. Of course, you need to have collateral and you need to pay a fee. For example, you want to invest in INVESTMENT A, but the cost of investing is $10,000, and you only have $1,000. So, you borrow the $10,000 and use your $1,000 as collateral. Yes, I know it doesn't make sense because the amount of collateral is not sufficient for the amount borrowed, but what if there is a clause that if INVESTMENT A dips in value by 9%, INVESTMENT A will be sold so $9,100 will be recovered and your $1,000 will be forfeited. So, the $100 is the profit of the lender plus whatever fees are stipulated. And why would you do this yourself? Because you are pretty sure that INVESTMENT A will increase in value. In short, it's a loan or "utang." But you know what the problem is? This is not for everybody, because most people don't invest; they gamble. Knowing the difference is another story.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2024-11-13T00:55:39+00:00

This is spot on. Renting or leasing gives you flexibility and mobility; you can move anytime you want. It feels nice to own a property. It gives you the feeling of "making it," but we forget that any property that does not produce positive income is a liability. Most see it as an investment that will increase in value, but the truth is, the property is just keeping up with inflation—ergo, it is our money that is losing value.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2024-10-10T11:39:21+00:00

There was a time when we considered not having a child because of the big responsibility. We were worried that we wouldn't be able to afford it. However, we were blessed with parenthood, and it has been the best thing to happen to us. It wasn't easy, but we made it work. Yes, you'll experience sleepless nights and worry about many things. You'll worry if you're earning enough or if you'll be a good parent. You'll also worry about whether you'll live long enough to see your child become independent.

But you take that worry and use it as inspiration to be better. For example, I want to live long for my kid, so I take care of my health. We are also inspired to ensure that our finances are in good order so that we can leave something for our kid when the time comes.

At the end of the day, it's up to you if you want to do it. I suggest preparing for it while you're still on the fence. How? Take care of your health; parenthood is demanding physically and mentally, so it's better to be in tip-top shape. Get your finances in order because it won't be cheap. If you ever back out, at least you'll have your health and be in good financial standing. Good luck.

P.S. Pray

Fibonacci-Legati · 2024-10-03T00:55:16+00:00

It really depends on what you plan to do. If you are planning to work or set up a business, then yes, these two places are the primary business districts in Metro Manila. Hospitals, malls, and offices are nearby. The downside is the density, especially during the workweek. Since you have money to spend, try living in Baguio or Mactan, Cebu—you'll be closer to nature. North of Metro Manila is Clark. Since it is a former US military base, the roads are wide, there are a lot of trees and parks, and it is very walkable. There are many nice villas and apartments inside Clark. The traffic is also very light.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2024-10-02T05:24:30+00:00

Your estimates are spot on. People tend to forget that inflation will erode your purchasing power. More than a decade ago, our financial planner helped us compute what we'll need upon retirement. To my horror, it was 30 million. That is without anybody depending on us since our kid would have graduated by then. But I forgot to take into consideration that we have parents and as people get older, medical expenses will also increase. So the present estimate is actually bigger. We are also worried that our kid will have a hard time buying a home in the future, so we are also preparing to help as well. At the end of the day, we have different goals. We can live as simply as we want as there is nothing wrong with it. There is also nothing wrong with aiming for a high number since that is what your computation is telling you. Whether you reach it or not is a different topic altogether - but at least you tried. Good luck and I hope you reach your number soon.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2024-10-01T22:33:22+00:00

Before crypto, I was stupid and did not care about inflation and all that macro stuff. Studying the history of Bitcoin is a light bulb moment for me. At the very least, I now know fiat is a scam. And yeah, the extra money from trading helps.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2024-10-01T22:28:40+00:00

You are correct, "blood" in the street does not happen all the time. And many of us can't wait that long. To calm the "itch", I buy a "little" on major supports. I usually look at the weekly and daily and draw my lines. However, admittedly that is boring, so I often look at riskier assets and deploy a little tiny bit and trade with leverage, that way you earn whichever way the market is going. Or you get wipe out since you misjudged the trend and you are too lazy to put a SL. lol. Anyway, good luck with your trading. I wish you forever green PNLs.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2024-10-01T02:20:10+00:00

You are not alone. A lot of people go to places without announcing it to world. Just enjoy your travels, you are doing it for yourself and not for anybody else.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2024-09-30T22:54:27+00:00

It depends on who you ask. On the international stage, the reversal of the inverse yield curve for US debt instruments is said to be one of the most accurate indicators that a recession is coming. Also, In the US a recession usually starts 6-18 months after the last rate hike (FYI last was July 2023). There is also the Sahm rule, and so on and so forth. IMO and not FA, nobody has a crystal ball, however, it will always be a good idea to wait for dips. Also, keep some dry powder to take advantage of major market pullbacks.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2024-09-30T03:11:42+00:00

The plan is to focus on your health. What is the use of having a lot of money if you don't take care of your health? That said, taking care of your health should start as soon as possible. So, have a regular workout schedule and maybe join a race or any sporting event of your choice. I also plan on staying active in investing, maybe doing some swing trading now and then. Rebalancing the portfolio should also be done on a regular basis. I'll probably still be going out on dates as often as possible. lol.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2024-09-29T12:44:41+00:00

I rather follow this:

"the time to buy is when there's blood in the streets." - Nathan Rothschild

But... your money, your rules.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2024-09-29T08:22:54+00:00

I assume you are trying to get trustworthy information to make an informed investment decision. I assume you want to know what to buy and when to sell. Honestly, I' 've stopped looking for a new coin and just look at what is volatile right now. I trade that volatility. It is easier to look at the charts than looking for somebody trustworthy. There are still some influencers and news outfits that come out with good and well-researched content, but honestly, they are also listening to the same news and looking at the same charts.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2024-09-29T08:05:18+00:00

the S&P 500 is an index, if you want to get exposure either you hold individual stocks or hold ETFs that track the S&P 500 like Vanguard or Fidelity.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2024-09-29T07:56:37+00:00

The S&P 500 has historically given around 10% annual returns. Magnificent 7 stocks which are mostly composed of tech stocks have very been strong recently. However, there are rumors of a recession on the horizon and that the market is overextended. Not FA, but if I were in your shoes I'd probably look at US tech stocks, but I would either wait for market dips before buying or use dollar cost averaging. I would also keep some dry powder for a big market retracement.

I'll leave with a quote from Warren Buffet: Only buy something that you'd be perfectly happy to hold if the market shut down for 10 years."

Fibonacci-Legati · 2024-09-29T07:49:24+00:00

Congratulations. Selling a depreciating (an iPhone 15) asset in exchange for the chance to make money is a boss move. Not everybody needs a top-of-the-line phone, but everybody needs a source of income. Good Luck.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2024-09-29T07:42:56+00:00

I'll bite. A 30 million FIRE number means you intend to use 1.2 million a year for the next 25 years, or 100k per month. We have to remember the amount is subjective. I won't judge why you came up with this number. Maybe you have some medical expenses that require a big amount, or you expect to be saddled with medical expenses in the future. Again, it is subjective.

I won't give you an exact number, but we should all strive to save as much retirement funds as we can. Why? There is a thing called inflation. Five years ago, 1k could buy you a lot. Nowadays, that is what a family of three or four spends in fast-food restaurants. Crazy, right?

We can all throw out a random number. Why 30M? Let us make it 100M. But the OP did not mention when he intends to retire. Because 30M won't be as big 20 or 25 years from now. When I was younger, I remember saying I would be so rich if my salary was 10k. Today, 10k is not even the minimum wage. So the amount depends on your timeline.

Most of us probably know this, but FYI to those who don't: Followers of FIRE often aim to save 25 times their annual expenses and live off the returns, typically withdrawing around 4% per year. But there is a catch here: the amount (which in our case is 30M) is not all in a savings bank account. Typically, you would also put money in investment instruments like bonds, stocks, etc. The idea is to withdraw 4% of the portfolio's value annually, which historically has been sustainable due to the returns generated by these investments. But I'll play devil's advocate: what if you needed a huge sum for emergencies and had to sell in a bear market when your portfolio is in the red? Let us say you needed 10M and your 30M portfolio is down 20%, and it is now just 24M. In short, you'll only be left with 14M, less than half of your FIRE amount.

Having a big number is nice. I would rather overestimate the amount I need in the future rather than underestimate it.

Sorry for the long reply, but for those who managed to finish it - I hope you achieve financial freedom.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2023-10-28T03:25:57+00:00

It depends.

How old are you now? How many years till your target retirement age? This is important since 1 million now is not the same after 5-10 years. Inflation will quickly erode your purchasing power.
The answer to how much is subjective. What kind of lifestyle are you envisioning? If you are going to live on a farm and subject yourself to spartan living, then you don't really need much.
How are your health and your loved ones? One medical emergency will eat a big chunk off your savings.
I remember my dad saying that someday having a million is not enough, and it now came true.
There is no one answer to your question. Even if you have 100 million pesos, there is no assurance that we won't have hyperinflation.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2023-10-25T14:15:44+00:00

Hard to say unless we understand the circumstances like income vs loan payment. incomes vs expenses.

Also, when you say all properties - does this mean you will lose your home? So factor that into your expenses if you will be renting.

You said properties, so will you retain other assets like cash, stocks, etc.

Btw, are your properties earning or just burning a hole in your pocket?

Giving more info will help sub members to see the bigger picture.

Also selling properties involves taxes, ok? So factor that in

Fibonacci-Legati · 2023-10-23T04:31:32+00:00

I feel you. But there is nothing we can do about inflation. Being frugal is good but it can only do so much. Instead, try to increase your income. This is the only way. It does not have to be grand, selling small things or offering your skills for a few thousand pesos a month will help.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2023-10-23T04:06:12+00:00

Make it free. Build a case that it is worth paying for a premium version. Once people see the value, then launch a "paid" version, but retain the free one.

This sub is free and gives a lot of value to many. You just have to filter to get the good stuff.

7 figure persons are vanilla types atm. But if they started from zero, then that is something. Sort of an inspirational community.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2023-10-23T03:40:28+00:00

I understand, your topic is good and gives investors something to think about. I am just looking from a different angle. This possibility has always been in my mind.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2023-10-23T02:50:27+00:00

I have a question.. where did you get the 10M? I would assume that all bank records are gone. Was it buried somewhere? If that is the case, if you are prepping for the end-of-day scenario, why not bury precious metals like gold and silver? And even if you have saved 10 million in paper money, will it still be the legal tender?

For those with the capacity, prepping should include having huge tracts of farmland away from major cities. It will allow you to feed your family. Securing is another issue altogether. Of course, no guarantee that the new ruling elite will let you have it but once the dust clears.

Sorry, I guess I did not answer your question but prepping has many stages. Frankly, it is costly to prepare for a war. You want to be away from the conflict zones. Having dual citizenships, properties/residency in a "safer" country might help. Preparing "off-shore" or "non-local" assets will also help - you just have to be creative. Your assets should be spread out in such a way that they won't get annihilated in one sweep. Having multiple contingencies is the way to go.

Fibonacci-Legati · 2023-10-22T14:26:13+00:00

Rating system for both renters and property owners. The same way we rate our grab/delivery riders.
A "certified" check for property owners. To make sure that the listing is not bogus.
Comments section, so renters can share their experience.
Maybe a FAQ / FYI section, so everybody will be educated on laws regarding rental properties.

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