My 2023 Annual Review
Revealing the good, the bad and the ugly
It’s that time of the year again.
A time where we make new year resolutions, only to lose momentum 1 month into the new year.
Not sure if you felt the same way, but this year seemed to just fly by so quickly for me. Before we know it, we’ll be in 2024.
This exercise is for me to pen down my thoughts for the year, how I did and what can be improved going forward.
Hopefully, this can serve as a guide for you when doing your own annual review.
Similar to my investing style, I like to keep things simple.
I use 3 questions that James Clear uses for his own annual review:
What went well this year?
What didn’t go so well this year?
What am I working toward?
WHAT WENT WELL?
1. Investments
My investment portfolio had its best year ever (at least for the U.S market). Thanks to the roaring stock market, the U.S portfolio has generated 40% YTD returns.
While I did not track the returns of the SG portfolio, the returns are in the single digits.
While I am happy that I did well, I know that the stock market is at euphoria levels, and can turn around any time.
Just like in 2022 where I survived a 33% drawdown, this can happen again in any given year.
A reminder to myself to remain grounded, and not let the stock market dictate my emotions.
It’s why I’ve decided to fully automate my investments going into the new year.
2. Reduced Back Pain
Thanks to my regular chiro sessions, my back pain has been greatly reduced. I am feeling stronger now while working on the various exercises which my doctor has prescribed.
Glad to have started on this journey in June this year, after procrastinating for the best part of a decade.
While these sessions are not cheap, health comes before wealth.
3. Work From Anywhere
A key milestone I achieved this year, one of the items that has been on my bucket list.
Being a digital nomad, working from anywhere, while holding a full time job. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be an entrepreneur/ solopreneur to do this.
I appreciate that this opportunity is not common among 9-to-5 employees. I am grateful to have such a privilege.
Thanks to my employer, I had a taste of what it’s like to work from anywhere. Working in Melbourne for a month in August changed my perspective on how I viewed work.
It’s definitely something I’ll be doing again in 2024 (in a different country).
4. Multiple Overseas Holidays
If you know me personally, you’ll know I’m not someone who goes overseas for holidays much, even before covid.
So it might come as a surprise (even to myself) that I travelled to 4 countries in 2023.
Some of these were on my own, some with others.
The ones I went solo, I thoroughly enjoyed. Solo travel was something I never really considered in the past.
But once I took the plunge, I never looked back.
It‘s something I believe everyone should try at least once in their lifetime.
The fact that you can go on an adventure somewhere else, to a place where no one knows you and be whoever you want.
Nothing matches up to that (at least for me personally).
Along the way, I’ve also made friends and connected with people from all over the world, some of which I’m still in contact with today.
This is even more of a surprise given my introvert tendencies.
Words alone can’t describe that feeling.
Looking forward to my next adventure in 2024.
WHAT DIDN’T GO WELL?
1. More Active in Promoting myself
Promoting myself online has continued to be a struggle for me.
I need to develop that consistency of posting and engaging on socials. While I intend to use automation tools to help me with posting, there are some things (e.g. engaging with fellow humans) that still require the human touch.
2. Reading
I’ve not been reading as much in 2023, be it ebooks or physical books. It could be part of the reason why I constantly find it a challenge to come up with ideas to share.
This was in contrast to my younger years, where I could finish multiple books within a month.
WHAT AM I WORKING TOWARDS?
1. Double Down on What Works
I’ve been invested in the U.S markets for 5 years, only slightly beating the S&P500 over this period.
While it’s not a long enough period to draw any definite conclusions, I’m comfortable with doubling down on what has been working for me.
The easiest way for me is to set up an automated recurring investment. Every month, my orders to purchase more of my current holdings will be executed, without my
There’s no need to change what’s working.
2. Improved Health and Fitness
This has been my area of weakness since my younger days.
As someone who suffered medical complications at birth, I was never the healthiest or fittest person.
In school, I was exempted from physical activities due to my medical condition.
As I grow older, I’ve come to understand the importance of exercise and physical activity.
As a remote worker, with no need for commutes to the office, it’s easier than ever to fall into a sedentary lifestyle.
It’s why I force myself to step outside on most weekdays when I’m working (even if it’s just for some fresh air). Even going back to the office once in awhile helps.
One sustainable way to start exercising is to find a sport you truly enjoy.
For me, that’s rock climbing and some yoga to give those stiff muscles a good stretch.
The only way to find what’s for you is to try different sports and see which you enjoy.
Health is an area of life that cannot be compromised.
3. Reading More
I used to read a lot in my younger days. I would borrow books (mainly fiction) from the library (or from others) and devour them in the space of a few days.
As I grew older, I got busy and lost this habit. It’s why I intend to build it up again in 2024.
After all, reading is where we get our knowledge from.
Life is a never-ending learning process. The more we read, the more we learn.
These days, my genre of choice has turned to non-fiction (specifically finance and investing).
As I’ve been starting to read more, I’ve found ideas easier to come by.
My goal is to read at least 1 book per month. The aim is to start small, but start somewhere.
P.S. – If you’d like to connect, I am spending a lot more time on Twitter/X these days. Follow me over there for more investing gems.