I first wrote this post in my email newsletter here.
When there’s a dip in the stock market, everyone freaks out.
We saw this during COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, then the Ukraine War in 2022.
In October 2022, I wrote my Diligence Research Report: Safe Haven for Less Than a Singapore Dollar:
“$36 trillion wiped out over the last nine months.
A wild sell off in the market that impacted asset classes across the ‘entire risk spectrum’. The war on inflation is a terrible fight.
The global macro is painful, as we, as a country in Asia, also feel the impact of higher interest rates – for one, our local banks are raising mortgage rates on properties. There’s no doubt there’s still going to be more pain ahead. The Fed has already penciled in another 0.75% rate hike and plans to shoot rates up to close to 4%. The kind of levels I’ve not even experienced since I’ve started work in finance.”
Doesn’t the script look familiar in recent post-tariff sell-offs? Like a James Bond movie. Except the cars, the actors, the ladies in the tight dresses and explosions have changed — perhaps, louder boom.
Then after the event cycle changes, the market completely forgets what it’s terrified about.
You get my point.
Read my previous article: Are Keppel’s Dividends Secured for Retirement?
I’m not worried about looking at the market today. The only thing I’m worried about is “my market”.
And the index I truly track “my market” is:
The Willie Keng Index
Did the Willie Keng Index move up today?
Or did it face a correction?
I’ll tell you what drives the Willie Keng Index higher:
- Dividends keep growing each month
- Total companies’ net profits in my portfolio go up
- Dividend yield rises each year
- I analyzed 7 more stocks today
- I read 120 pages of financial statements after lunch
- I accumulate 2-3 more high-quality stocks that fell below my Right Price Limit
- I re-checked my discount rate, growth rate and margin of safety are sound
- I spend time talking to high-performance fund managers and analysts
- I travel least 2x a year for investors’ trip to kick the tires
- I read at least 2 investment books a month
- I tracked my dividends across my portfolios each month
- I made sure my stocks are kept within my Risk Ratings (My Personal Portfolio is well-diversified with 43 stocks)
- I made sure my top 10 stock positions are 50-60% of my total portfolio value
- I cut my losers, I add on to my winners (very important)
- I re-read Warren Buffett’s letters, Howard Marks’ memos, my favourite financial newsletters for mindset
..And so on. In the long run, the Willie Keng Index goes up.
I can’t control the stock market.
I can’t control where the bottom is.
I can only control what I do each day.
Sure, my belief is stocks on average will fall further with Trump playing hardball.
At some point, your financial advisors, bankers, financial gurus will start telling you to sell your stocks, bonds and dollars and whatever – and stay in cash. When that happens, please sell your stock…
I’ll buy them at fire-sale prices from you 🙂
At the heart, we are business owners. We own a piece of real, money-making operation. On the other hand, if you’re relying on that one multi-bagger stock to “make it”, I’d say you have an investing problem.
As long as you know what you own, have confidence and clarity (knowing the building blocks of dividend investing, your financial goals), there’s really nothing to fear:
- Focus on your most important tasks
- Keep things simple
- No BS
- What’s the index you track? Send to my email, I’m curious to know 🙂
Sometimes, investing can be simple.
Willie Keng, CFA
Founder, Dividend Tita
