I cannot understand these article that shown some successful people visiting places of interest and holidaying, except it make those who cannot make it to retirement feel self pity for themselves, even though it purspoe is to share and learned from the successs of that individual.

But as a guest of this forum, i will try not to hurt thoae who own this site , as this is their article. They have the right to do what they pleased.

I will try not to talk too much, much talking will cause hurt and further debate which is a waste of time, with winner get nothing out of it, that is not me.

But believe me, if you think holidaying and enjoy the luxury of life means retierment, you are wrong.  I dont mean that you cannot go to Eiffel Tower and dine there, of course, it is good sometimes to relax a little, But to do it a few time a year is too time wasting.

But if you are addicted to all these, you have wasted your life time on this planet, For you are not doing the will of those who sent you here or your karma and virtue any good.

What is the meaning of life? It is what you think of it and yearn for it, If you think about sex everyday, then that is your meaningof life, a life of sexual advanture. Log on to pornoagrphy now and then.

If you think holidaying and enjoy driniking, then that is your meaning of life. A life of Holidaying and drinking non stop.

It is actually what you think.

The true meaing of life is to leave this planet with no regret. Because we can never come back here to do correction.

Take care of our virtue and enhance it , that is the real meaning of lfe. And if you are able to retire , you got time to do it.

The true meaning of life is definitely not making big money in stock and retire to a life of holidaying, but what we do to that money we make from other loser. Those losers who are poor or rich or what ever, i don't know.

But one thing i must know is that this is the so call blood money other lose to me, must be put to good uses. So those who lose did not lose in vain.

Look at WB and Bill Gates, they are truthly the meaning of life. Even if they do this for publicty,it is still applaudable.

We need be like them, but if everyone is just some 5%, this will be enough to make this world a wonderful place for all.

Don't be disappointed, i see all as human as what human always do, to seek pleasure to enjoy good things in life. I am not out to comdemn those who go for holiday. For sometime i am one too.

All fear pain, all fear losse, all seek happiness and pleasure.

may all be well.

Read the book The Lazy Millionaire ....

Janjansen elaborates:

Most of the 1mil was accumulated over three years when I worked as an investment banker, the bonuses was particularly generous in the good years and so was the retrenchment package during the financial crisis. However, I never fitted into the investment banking world. It is the norm for my colleagues to drive only continental cars, but I stuck with my Toyota. They dine in restaurants and have wine with every meal, I continued eating at food courts. The professional also have some of the most extravagant and greedy people who think they are god's gift to the world. It is just not for me.

Going forward, I can never accumulate wealth at that pace as I will not go back to that life. I saved aggressively for those three years just so I can get out. Today, I have a better work life, but it is still more of the same, albeit at a slower pace. I am still slogging away 5 days a week and enduring the daily commute and traffic jams. It is getting old.

More importantly, money is just a means to an end. It suffers more diminishing marginally utility like everything else. I believe that beyond what is necessary for a decent living, it will not make you a happier individual. It is a necessary condition for happiness, but not a sufficient one.

I guess is everyone dream to retire early to say goodbye to our daily grind or other words by keeping heads above water in corporate world.

In reality it is hard to get the right pay job to match the mortgage when the housing prices seems to be soaring every day, and cost of living is on the rise too. But there's only one problem with this wishful thinking: Retiring early is easy, but making your money last is hard.

But don't get discouraged. If you're serious about retiring early and dedicated to making it work, you can make it happen. All it takes is some serious financial planning, a strict budget and some good old-fashioned luck.

Working for a corporate world has its beauty in having a deeper security financially and deeper safety net for health issues.

Not everyone has the privilege of retiring early.

Thanks Cheongwee once again for your brilliant 20/20 hindsight. :)

Very perfect timing you have, everytime you say market rally and get people to buy, you brilliantly sell just in time before a correction,Then after that you tell us you took profit, what a genius you are! ;) Hopefully others read your mind and took profit too, because waiting for hindsight would be too late wouldn't it ? :)

Thank you once again for filling this forum with the brilliance of your 20/20 hindsight, perfect hinsight, like perfect vision, is a talent you're simply born with, and like perfect vision, is something that money cannot buy, despite the millions I know you'e made from your gifted 20/20 hindsight ;) 

If you are thinking of buying stock for dividend income, dont do it now, wait till 2013, or 2014, buy at mkt low. I believe we see one then.

For if you buy now at today price, you will be virtually paying yourself dividend, because the stock price have gone down by then 2013, and you are sitting on paper losses. Ask those who bought at 2007 high, they are still in the red till today., so what so good abput the dividend???

if you have bought at 2009 low, u would collected 20% didvdend and plus capital gain for reit and 10% dividend for blues.

wiat and be patient, mkt will present an opportunity in 2013.

I cannot help you to be a millionaire, but if you stay vested, i believe you see your money grow by Q4.

We will see higher price by then.

And if you join me in penny , and you are willing to risk losing some money, you will definitely make more money.

If you think you are bad, look around you, there are some even worse. You say, i got no job, but you have got food, you say i have got no house, but you got food. You say i got no food and no job, you got your life.

Go to Tanzania, or to my country indonesia poor, then you will know you are lucky in Singapore.

they really got nothing, just 2 old pieces of clothing on their body.

One million dollar is a stack of one thousand dollar note measure some 6 ins in height, if new note will be even shorter. And one million is too small, why? when you got it, you will know what i means.

Do not be envy of other, i know mostly people who read this type of article end up self pitying themselves for how many really can retire like the one you read. He is lucky, he got good job and well educated. But there are some unfortunate one who faces head wind in life and cannot make it.

If you can retire young, do it. If not it is ok. Because in that article he said some do not know what to do. Only fool say this. Life is short, before we know, we will be gone.

At his age of 63, his days is number, so it mine. at most we have another 7000 days of lease left on this planet. (include sleep time) if exclude 4500 days. Is that long enough for you???

Relax, this type of article are meant for those who are well off, not for those 90% out there struggling to make end meet. it is only a dream for most. The more u read the more u feel disapointed. I dont see this article can help those who are less well off.

Some times a few year of education can make lot of different, well relax, becuase all end up like that billonaire at CCK cementery.

Close your eye now, breath in slowly and out, 7 times, notice the in between,

That is the meaning of life, that is why you hear said, all man are equal, yes, we are all equal in the between.

all will end in a moment, all are foolishness.

CHENG HUANG LENG: 'You can retire only if you meet 4 conditions'

Congrats on your financial success. How much did you start with to reach $1 m in cash?
Cash? U mean also the value of your financial assets, I suppose.

I note you said you are thrifty etc. But it's not a life to the full  IMHO. I don't really know enough about you but it seems a narrow life. Pardon me if that is not correct or acceptable.

I note you never go on holidays overseas, and you plan to remain single -- Jeez, you have never known romance and felt attracted to any woman?

Would like to hear more about yourself  in order for me to provide better-calibrated views.

I took this from Valuebuddies.com because it's an unusually interesting post and the author Janjansen can get a spread of views from forumers here. What do you guys think about this?


By Janjansen

This is my first post but I have been lurking in this forum for a while. I have been contemplating early retirement for a while now, to get away from the greedy corporate world, and to pursue my own interests. It will be considered unconventional due to my age. Indeed, my friends think I am crazy to exit while in my prime years.

That said, I work solely to achieve financial freedom, and once that is achieved, I do not see the point going through the daily grind until 65 when I will be too old to do the activities I enjoy. About myself:
1. I am thrifty
2. I never go on holidays overseas
3. I plan to remain single
4. I stay with my parents and do not plan to buy property
5. I own a fully paid Toyota
6. I have no debt
7. My monthly expenses is about 2k, including parent allowance
8. I amassed 1 million in cash as of today

I have a modest portfolio consisting of purely government owned or government related dividend blue chips in the stock exchange, telecommunication, defense property, postage and media. The allocation has remained relatively constant over the past 3 years, and is yielding approximately 8% annually. I understand that the principle value of the portfolio will fluctuate, but these companies have historically continued paying dividends even during past crisis.

Now, if increase the size of the portfolio to 1 million with the same allocation, at today’s prices, it will yield about 6%. That translates to a yearly dividend of 60k or 5k per month. Baring unforeseen circumstances, I should be saving 3k per month to act as a buffer for inflation, and setting aside the excess for emergencies.

The problem is my close friends and parents have frowned upon my retirement plan. They keep saying that if it was so easy to retire, no one would be working after 40! In their minds, they cannot contemplate a life without work until at least 60. They also mention that it would be embarrassing for one to be unemployed at 35.

Now, all of these appear to be emotional to me. I do not care for corporate titles and the politics of the workplace. But in terms of finances, I believe that 60k of tax free dividends is enough to sustain a single individual, and support his two aging parents (who also happen to have their own savings). However, being human, I can and will make mistakes, and I am trying to gather opinions or scenarios where my retirement plan is unsound and leave me financially strapped. This is the most balanced forum I know of, and many of you are financially savvy and I have come to respect the opinions here. If you think that there is something I am missing here, I would appreciate hearing from you. Any comments or views are also welcomed. I want to consider every possible scenario before taking the plunge.

Thank you