When people discuss investing, stocks and real estate are typically the first asset classes that come to mind. However, the investment world goes beyond just stocks and real estate. For example, owning a private business is also a form of investing.
As investors, we can choose to be “sleeping partners,” where we contribute capital without being involved in day-to-day operations or take a more active role in managing the business to enhance its value.
One person who isn’t afraid to broaden his horizon of what it means to be an investor is Chua Ee Chien. When I first met Ee Chien, he was working in Business Development and Partnerships at Endowus, a robo-advisor platform. Then, he was also running an F&B group that included the very popular bar Jekyll & Hyde.
Juggling his day job with the demands of managing multiple businesses and investments, Ee Chien also dedicates himself to fitness, committing to regular weekly gym sessions to achieve his fitness goals. His professional journey includes roles at Grab, Uber, and Goldman Sachs. Currently, he is the APAC Director of Business Development at GTN, where he spearheads sales initiatives targeting Fintechs across the APAC region.
In this edition of #theeverydayinvestor, a DollarsAndSense content series featuring everyday investors, we talk to Ee Chien about what motivated him to learn investing and lessons to share from his years in the markets.
Timothy: Growing up, what did the term “investing” mean to you? Has your definition of “investing” changed as you become older?
Ee Chien: My dad passed me articles to read at quite a young age from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. These articles covered various topics but had a lot about finance and investing. I also remember the calls he used to have with his stockbroker from Salomon Smith Barney until it closed. So, from a pretty young age, I was exposed to traditional methods of investing.
As I got older, I started to learn more about different financial products and asset classes, which I sometimes look at and invest in. I think this might sound cheesy, but the definition of investing has changed because it’s not just about monetary investments; it’s also about investing your time, relationships, jobs, and people.
Investing, in a sense, means committing something, whether it’s capital, time, or effort, generally with some expectation of an ROI. So, I suppose that continues to evolve and change as time goes by.
Timothy: What was the first investing decision that you made?
Ee Chien: I convinced my dad to give me $1,000 to open a trading account back in the day. I don’t remember what I invested in, but I don’t think it did well. There have been a lot of other investments since then.
I feel that you can think about “firsts” when investing a lot because different asset classes teach you different lessons. For example, investing in equities is very different from investing in real estate, just as investing as an angel differs from investing in a restaurant.
I bought my first property right out of college because it was in the US and a lot cheaper. I sold it three years later for a 60% gain. However, if I had held onto it until today, it would have been up 250%, not including the rent I would have collected.
Diversification is an interesting concept in investing because it really depends on the capital available to you. I’d say that the best investing decision a young person can make is to open a brokerage account and invest in index funds. If you want a bit of fun, take 10-20% of that and put it in one stock that you really believe in for potentially more upside (or downside).
Each investment teaches you different lessons across different times, sometimes immediate, sometimes over a longer period.
Timothy: What are some financial investments that you have made in your life?
Ee Chien: I bought a bar — this was supposed to be an emotional and financial investment. Honestly, I thought it would be really easy to run a bar, have fun, and get a decent ROI that would pay the investment back over two years. How wrong I was. Through a series of decisions and expansion plans, I ended up in pretty substantial debt.
In retrospect, it was not a good idea because:
I tied up my liquidity, and the capital was not easily deployable.
It took a huge emotional toll and caused a lot of stress.
It took time from my life that I can’t get back.
Angel investing: I have made some small investments in friends’ companies. Not because they are friends, but because I believe in them. Obviously, there is more trust when they are friends. At the end of the day, you hope that you still get some returns, but this really is a long-term play, so you sit down and hold on for the ride!
Property: I bought a place a few years back with my partner. We debated whether to buy or rent an HDB or a condo.
The funny thing is that after we put down the 1% deposit, I was doing a spreadsheet on renting versus paying a mortgage and, through my calculations, thought that renting would have been better. She also flipped her lid. Thank goodness we bought the place. We locked in at a good interest rate, and rental prices spiked afterwards. My financial model would have been blown out of the water had we been renting.
Timothy: What are some non-financial investments that you have made?
Ee Chien: Fitness is definitely one of my bigger non-monetary investments. It’s financial because I’ve spent money to hire a trainer to teach me various workout movements, and I’ve paid for gym memberships and physiotherapy.
However, in relation to what you’re asking about, my investment in fitness has been quite important for a few reasons:
I feel better: Endorphins, adrenaline, and energy – working out generally gives me a good physical boost and energy to get ahead in the day. Or, at the end of the day, it’s a good way to destress from the stressors of the day.
I look better: Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to compliment myself. But, back in the day, I was chubby and didn’t have any muscle definition. I also had a wonky haircut and wore spectacles. Changing all of that made a positive difference, both on the outside and, more importantly, inside.
Motivation: I push myself to do more. It teaches me endurance and tenacity, and sometimes, it means doing things that I know are good for me, even if I don’t want to.
Timothy: What is a poor investment you have made. What lessons did you learn from this investment?
Ee Chien: The worst investment I made was the one that led me down a rabbit hole that, in a sense, still continues today. I bought into a Chinese ADR that got involved in a fraud case and essentially went bust overnight. I lost my entire CNY savings accumulated over 20 years overnight and still owed some. The lessons I have learned from that, which I still don’t necessarily practice, are:
Don’t trade on margin.
Don’t allocate all your cash to invest in just one equity – diversification is important.
Don’t day trade.
I have to talk about another investment that wasn’t “bad,” but a lesson that I learned from it. I remember buying Netflix again in 2011 or 2012 at $60+ (this is all before any stock splits). I sold it when it went to $70+ and made a gain of something in the teens in terms of percentage. I was ecstatic.
Can you imagine if I had held that Netflix stock until today? From ~$20 to $642 today.
The lesson here is that whether it’s a broad-based income fund or a stock (that you believe in), it is, well and truly, time in the markets and not trying to time the market that will allow you to build your nest egg and wealth.
Timothy: One advice that you will have for anyone who wants to start learning how to invest.
Ee Chien: Take the time to read, read, read. Learn about different sectors and industries before you start your first investment. Be hungry for learning. Knowledge is power.
I was on a flight in college when the guy beside me started a conversation and told me about a car company called Tesla and the stock he had bought. He was convinced that the stock could only go higher. I had no idea what he was talking about and didn’t research much into it.
Tesla shares were about $11 then; now, even after a downturn, they are at $178 as of Friday’s close. That’s a 1518% increase.
Learn about things you don’t know. Be curious, then decide what you want to do with your money.
Learn To Be A Knowledgeable & Patient Investor
One of the things that struck me while speaking to Ee Chien is how exposed he is to different types of investments and the valuable lessons he has learned from both good and poor investments. His experiences highlight the importance of practical exposure and learning in becoming a successful investor.
To be an investor, we need to invest, and while we are likely to make some mistakes along the way, what’s more important is recognising those mistakes and bouncing back from them. Being hungry to learn and building up our knowledge will also make us better investors in the future.
Through his past investment experiences, Ee Chien understands the importance of continuously building up his knowledge to make better investment decisions. He recognises that patience is crucial in investing, as it allows him to maximise returns from successful investments. His journey underscores that being a good investor involves a blend of education, resilience, and patience.
Read the other articles in our #everydayinvestor series:
Why Jeraldine Phneah Believes That Every Millennial Needs To Care About Their Investment Journey
How This Full-Time University Student Finds Time To Study, Work, Invest & Go To The Gym Regularly
The post From Equity Trading To The Kitchen Floor: Chua Ee Chien Shares His Experience As A Multi-Faceted Investor In Stocks, Properties & Businesses appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.
