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CNA
6 hours ago
- CNA
I made an investment mistake. How do I recover from it?
Have you ever made an investing mistake, one that you really regretted? One of my earliest and most painful investing lessons was when I bought into SingPost in 2015. I thought the company had solid fundamentals and growth potential, based on what my broker told me. He urged me to buy, saying it was such a no-brainer move that he had already persuaded his parents to invest in it as well. At around S$2 (US$1.55) a share, he made it sound like a steal. But shortly afterwards, the stock kept sliding. Today, it's worth around S$0.60, which is a staggering 70 per cent loss from when I first bought into it. Maybe you've been in the same boat as me. Perhaps you didn't act decisively enough in the recent market crash, and you're kicking yourself now when you see stocks fly and the indexes hitting new all-time highs. Or maybe you bought into a stock that tanked overnight or went all-in on a cryptocurrency project that collapsed overnight. Now you're staring at the red numbers in your portfolio, wondering what went wrong and asking yourself: "How do I bounce back from this?" LEARNING FROM INVESTMENT LOSSES The sinking feeling of sadness, frustration and despair when you lose money can be traumatising, but here's the truth you need to hear: no investor, no matter how experienced, has a 100 per cent win rate anyway. We've all made mistakes. When it comes to investing, those mistakes can be particularly painful, not just because it is our money on the line. Making the wrong investment choices can also hurt our confidence and make us question our beliefs in our own decision-making. Just ask the 700 investors who bought into a bogus cryptocurrency mining investment here, or the 947 investors who fell for the fraudulent nickel investment scheme – including venture capitalists and private bankers. But what matters from here is not harping on the mistake; instead, it is what you do next. With my SingPost experience, I took great pains to ask myself: "What is the lesson to be learnt here?" Reflecting deeply on this question, I realised that I had put too much trust in "stock tips" from professionals and failed to do my own in-depth research and analysis before I made a decision. I learnt that I had to pay more attention to competitors in the same space, because SingPost clearly was no match for them. I also realised that just because someone is licensed as a professional, doesn't mean that they can't get it wrong sometimes. The lessons I learnt from this mistake, as well as others I've made over the years, have helped me to become a better investor over time. STOP LIVING IN THE PAST In the aftermath of an investment gone wrong, it's tempting to slip into a downward spiral of regret and beat ourselves up for losing money. In trying to make sense of things, we can end up obsessing over all the "what ifs". We think over and over: "Why did I trust that advice? Why didn't I exit sooner? How could I be so foolish?" But hindsight is always 20-20. There's no point in always looking in the rear view mirror – we have to focus on the road ahead in order to keep moving forward. Our success will depend on our ability to invest for the future, while adapting and charting a new course of action whenever a failure occurs. That's why the far more productive approach is to extract the lessons from the losses. What does it reveal about ourselves as investors? Does it reveal biases and assumptions we didn't know we had, for instance? Does it show any gaps in our thinking and reasoning? In the wake of an investing mistake, here are some questions I now focus on: Was this a failure in due diligence? Did I blindly follow someone else's advice without doing my own homework? Was this something I could have predicted ahead of time, with the knowledge and information I had? There are some investment losses that can only be attributed to bad luck or a black swan event that no one can predict. For these scenarios, there is no point in beating yourself up over it. But when the loss occurred because of a gap in our process, then the onus is on us to learn to correct it. YOU ONLY NEED A FEW BIG WINNERS Remember: no one has a perfect track record in investing. Not American hedge fund manager Ray Dalio. Not investment fund founder Cathie Wood. Not even Warren Buffett. The investing legend has famously admitted to some big blunders, such as buying Dexter Shoe Company with Berkshire Hathaway shares, or losing hundreds of millions from holding onto computer giant IBM for too long, believing it would be able to reinvent itself. Just like us, the greatest investors in the world have taken hits to their portfolio. But what sets them apart is their ability to learn, adapt and stay in the game. Here's a secret: what matters isn't avoiding mistakes entirely but ensuring that your winners more than make up for your losers. Even if a few of our investing positions go to zero, we still have other positions in our portfolio. And the gains from these other counters can often overshadow the losses incurred by the rest. This was my own experience, as I watched stocks I own – like iFast, DBS and Meta – grow into multi-baggers over time. These multi-baggers are investments that multiply in value, delivering returns of two times, five times, or even 10 times our original capital. They're the outliers in our portfolio that can more than make up for past mistakes, and can significantly accelerate our wealth when held with conviction over the long term. I've owned iFast since it was S$1 a share, and DBS at under S$14. Today, they've increased in value by more than 800 per cent and 300 per cent respectively – and are still growing as we speak. These alone more than make up for what I lost with SingPost and other mistakes. STAY IN THE GAME This is the beauty of investing: your downside is capped, but your upside knows no bounds. If you invest S$1,000 in a company and it fails, you lose S$1,000. But if you invest S$1,000 in the next Apple, Nvidia or Tesla while it is still undervalued – something with the potential to grow five or 10 times bigger over time – that single investment can not only cover multiple losing counters but also put you ahead. That's why I choose to focus on fundamentally strong companies, buying into them when the market is pessimistic or irrational. And I don't lose sight of this even when luck turns against me, or when I get things wrong sometimes. At the end of the day, what matters is your entire investment portfolio rather than obsessing over the outcome of each individual position. So as Idina Menzel sings: "Let it go". Let your losers go, but not the lessons. Double down on your research. Look for opportunities. And keep your emotions in check. Investing isn't about getting it right every single time. It is about staying in the game, learning as you go, and making better and better plays as you grow. Not every loss is our fault. But if we don't take every opportunity to learn, we'll have no one to blame but ourselves.
Independent Singapore
13 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
Maid who endured poor working conditions says no to contract renewal after employer refused pay raise, denied vacation leave, and changed rest days
SINGAPORE: Fed up with her poor working conditions and stagnant pay, a domestic helper shared on social media that she's decided not to renew her contract with her employers. In an anonymous post on the Direct Hire Transfer Singapore Maid/Domestic Helper Facebook group, she explained that throughout her two years of employment, she had to pay for all her personal necessities, including toiletries such as shampoo, shower gel, and toothpaste, using her own money. Adding to her challenges, the helper said she often had to buy her own food, particularly fruits, fish, and vegetables, as the family generally provided only one proper meal per day, which was dinner. Beyond the lack of support for basic needs, the helper said that the extensive level of surveillance in the household made her feel deeply uncomfortable and intruded upon. According to her, the employer had installed '10 CCTV cameras' throughout the home, including one in her bedroom, and placed a tracker on her house key that was connected to their mobile phones. The final breaking point, however, came when her employer recently informed her that if she chose to continue working for them, she would not be given a pay raise, would be denied a one-month vacation leave (which she had requested), and that her off days would be changed. 'My day off, they said they would allow me to have two days off a month, but only on weekdays, not on weekends, which I don't like,' she wrote. 'Like, hello, I will go out alone, so it feels lonely because my friends' day off is only on Sundays. My previous contract gave me one day off a month, and it was on a Sunday, but then it suddenly changed.' 'I hope you find an employer who values and respects you as a person.' Her story drew support from other domestic workers online, many of whom said they could relate to her experience. Some encouraged her to look for an employer who would treat her with more respect and care. 'You're right to prioritise your own needs and well-being. It doesn't sound like your employer was treating you with the respect and care that you deserve,' one wrote. 'You're taking a big step by standing up for yourself and choosing to look for a new opportunity. I hope you find an employer who values and respects you as a person. You deserve it!' 'Good decision, sister..a lot of employers here [are like that] actually,' another commented. 'I hope you feel better after sharing your feelings. Since you already made up your mind not to renew, then no need to dwell too much on it. Let go and move on,' a third added. Are employers obligated to give their helpers a pay raise? Employers are not legally required to increase their helpers' wages. However, the Ministry of Manpower encourages employers to do so as a way to recognise and reward their helpers' good performance and dedication. MOM also recommends offering a 'contract gratuity,' which is a bonus paid at the end of the contract, to motivate helpers to maintain or improve their work. Read also: Maid asks if she was wrong to request S$10k loan in exchange for renewing contract
CNA
21 hours ago
- CNA
Former CAG chairman heads 2025 National Day Awards list
SINGAPORE: Former Changi Airport Group (CAG) chairman Tan Gee Paw has been conferred one of Singapore's top honours. He leads this year's list of National Day Awards recipients, having been awarded the Order of Nila Utama, or Darjah Utama Nila Utama, for his contributions in advancing Singapore's development on multiple fronts, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said in a citation. Instituted in 1975, the honour is accorded by the president on the advice of the prime minister. Mr Tan is one of 7,210 people who have been recognised for their contributions to Singapore in this year's National Day Awards list. The recipients are made up of 6,460 civilians and 750 members of the military. VISIONARY LEADERSHIP Mr Tan played a significant role in augmenting Singapore's air hub competitiveness, water security and rail reliability, according to MOF's citation. From October 2020 to March 2025, he was the chairman of CAG. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he kept CAG focused on Changi Airport's core mission as an airhub, enabling it to quickly achieve full traffic recovery post-pandemic. Mr Tan also contributed to the Changi East project and the design of Terminal 5. "Under his leadership, CAG advanced its innovation and sustainability efforts, enhanced operational efficiency and made significant infrastructure upgrades," read his citation. Mr Tan also served as the chairman of PUB, Singapore's national water agency, between 2001 and 2017. He enhanced Singapore's water security through initiatives such as NEWater and long-term water infrastructure projects, including the Marina Barrage. As an advisor to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Ministry of Transport, Mr Tan "provided guidance to resolve complex technical issues" on rail projects and advised LTA on critical organisational issues. He also urged Singapore's rail operators to achieve a common rail reliability target by 2020. DISTINGUISHED SERVICE ORDER This year's National Day Awards will see two individuals being conferred the Distinguished Service Order, or Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang: defence scientist Lui Pao Chuen and late artist Lim Tze Peng. Prof Lui is conferred the Distinguished Service Order for his contributions to Singapore in numerous domains. A citation issued by MOF referred to him as "a pioneering advocate of systems thinking". He served for 41 years in the Ministry of Defence, including spending 22 years as its first chief defence scientist. Prof Lui is the inaugural Temasek defence professor at the Temasek Defence Systems Institute and chairman of the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Institute. Since retirement, he continues to contribute to education, science, technology, urban development, defence and infrastructure, the citation read. He served as an advisor to several agencies, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of National Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Research Foundation. He was also a board member of the Economic Development Board. "Prof Lui has been instrumental in advancing Singapore's research capabilities and technologies across multiple spheres, from nuclear science, water sustainability, national security, underground cavern development, to the establishment of Singapore's space capabilities," according to his citation. As chairman of MOF's development projects advisory panel, Prof Lui provided "strategic leadership" in the review of major public infrastructure projects, achieving cost-effective outcomes. He also guided the planning of Changi Airport Terminal 5, Tuas Port and the island's coastal protection. Mr Lim will receive the honour posthumously for his contributions to Singapore's cultural heritage and visual arts landscape. The iconic artist, known for his innovative approach to Chinese ink and calligraphy, died earlier this year at the age of 103. Mr Lim, whose artistic career started in the 1950s, was the first Singaporean to hold solo exhibitions at the National Art Museum of China and the Liu Haisu Art Museum, according to his award citation provided by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. The self-taught artist's works have also been showcased outside of Asia, including at the Saatchi Gallery in London and the Grand Palais in Paris. Mr Lim's citation highlighted the importance of his Old Singapore Series, describing it as "an invaluable visual archive of Singapore's heritage" which masterfully captured Singapore's transformation through depictions of Chinatown and the Singapore River. "These works preserve memories of kampongs, shophouses and bustling river life, connecting generations of Singaporeans to their cultural roots," it said. In 1949, Mr Lim became a teacher at Xin Min School, before going on to become its principal in 1951 – a position he held until 1981. In 2014, he established the Lim Tze Peng Art Gallery at his alma mater, Chung Cheng High School (Main). The gallery was officially opened by then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Jul 10, 2014. In 2022, Mr Lim opened The Art Abode: Lim Tze Peng on Ubi Road, a dedicated space showcasing his life's work. Twelve individuals have been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, or Pingat Jasa Gemilang. Among them are social scientist Dr Noeleen Heyzer; PAVE CEO Sudha Nair; and Singapore International Arbitration Centre chairman Davinder Singh. The full list of 2025 National Day Award recipients was announced on the on Saturday (Aug 9).
