What I learnt about Life & Investing from the Tennis GOAT
You are only as good as time and history recognises you. That is why if you survived the passage of it, they call you the GOAT = Greatest of All TIME
I found myself inspired after spending probably the best 25 minutes of my 2024 going through Roger Federer’s speech at Dartmouth.
And I really, really wanted to put it as my next thing to write about investing on Substack.
Only to realize (in horror) that plenty of others are doing the same thing.
I can only at least console myself that hopefully I am not writing for the sake of the trend, and that I played and followed tennis as a teen. I was also in the school’s team.
Players post-Federer & Nadal rivalry era, I only know of Novak Djokovic, as reality and work (and investing) devoured me.
So how do I write about something that does not look repetitive to what others have written about the speech?
Well, I am still going to go through Roger’s main points, but adding a bit of twist of how I went /am going through some similar life lessons when it comes to investing.
“Effortless” is a myth
Though I have never really divulged much of my portfolio, nor shared much about my net worth, I have been keeping track of it.
And it expanded quite a bit, especially over the last 7 months.
From -20% floating loss to 20% unrealized gains over the years, it would be easy to say that I was lucky.
I was lucky to have NVDA 0.00%↑ .
I was lucky to have MSFT 0.00%↑
I was lucky to have META 0.00%↑
I was lucky to have AMD 0.00%↑
And when the AI catalyst came, everything went to the moon (almost).
But I didn’t buy these stocks just last year. I bought META 0.00%↑, my first US stock, on a Friday night in January 2020, on the seat of a Singapore-back-to-KL bus trip, only to see it tank below 20% when COVID struck.
I bought NVDA 0.00%↑ when semiconductors were slowing down, and saw it dip -20% as well.
And now with AI floating everything, my portfolio’s meteoric rise looks effortless.
I analyzed and took a position on META 0.00%↑ when it was still known as Facebook under the FAANG cohort. I survived and justified Reels and Instagram could be Meta’s aces on its hands when Facebook’s DAU and MAU stuttered.
I bought into NVDA first as it was the better company fundamentally than AMD during the gaming catalysts. I also bought AMD in hindsight that backtesting AMD’s performance was always superior versus NVDA (Dhandho anyone?)
Effortless is a myth. It took time, effort, and of course luck, for the performance I chalked up.
Here’s to more effortless upside rides for being a long-term investor!
It’s only a point
For me, I looked at the second lesson as how we play God and Devil’s advocate when throwing stones at companies that we are analyzing, especially when it comes to due diligence.
I know psychologically everyone wants to buy a great company at the best price. But nothing is straightforward. Are Hong Kong stocks cheap? Hell yeah, dirt cheap and a no-brainer buy if that company is a US and not a Chinese company.
Are US stock valuations rich? Yes, if you look at how concentrated the indices are with Magnificient 7. But will AI bring forward new opportunities? Yes as well.
Every bull and bear point on a company is important. It drills down to our views and justifications, which can stem from pure logic, or be anchored by some sentiments/gut feel to form our ultimate decision to buy or sell a company.
You don’t need to buy and hold the same stocks as each great investor out there to replicate their success or even outperform them. It’s reassuring to share views and opinions on some aspects.
But it’s only a point.
Life is bigger than the court
This perhaps, is the one that tugs my heartstrings the most.
Life is bigger than the court. Life is more than taking advantage of a better SGD salary and savings rate.
I have spent the last 8 years in Singapore. I came over to join a local Singapore company, working in a department I have 0 knowledge about, and getting a starting pay that pales in comparison against those working in tech and financial institutions.
I knew from my Investor Flywheel, that you need capital and reinvest your earnings to accelerate the rate of return against a solid investing framework. Even though I have not reached 7 figures yet, I think discipline and tenacity, it’s just a matter of time.
But I also come to a junction in my life where I think I would have remorse and regrets, for not working on settling down with my partner and reconnecting more with my friends and family back in Malaysia.
As I was going through the speech while reminiscing my limited days in Singapore, “Life is bigger than the court” gave me the courage to face my next chapter in life - going back to KL (at least for the time being).
Singapore is one of the best places to work, grow and have fun as a single. But I can assure you that setting up a family here, even with 2 working spouses, is not a walk in the park.
It is time perhaps, to walk out of the Singapore court for now…
End notes
Roger Federer has been and always will be my favourite player. Even though back then my coach said my forehand was as vicious as Pete Sampras’.
Although he has long retired from the court, his impact and memories for tennis lovers are sealed and treasured as always.
And it is surprising that his speech resurfaced, and left me with yet another set of imprints, this time from an investing and life perspective.
What we do and excel in is different. A good chef gets Michelin Stars or general public approval. A footballer scores great goals and nabs team and individual accolades.
But what makes you great, I think, are the good traits, mental strength, determination and many more. And these all apply to all aspects of life. And what you excel in, must not be at the expense of other things or be the only thing in life.
p.s. I don’t need to be the investing GOAT. I just wish and hope for my portfolio to be a CAT - Compounding All Time!
If you haven’t watched it, here you go!
DISCLAIMER
The information available in this article/report/analysis is for sharing and education purposes only. This is neither a recommendation to purchase or sell any of the shares, securities, or other instruments mentioned; nor can it be treated as professional advice to buy, sell or take a position in any shares, securities, or other instruments. If you need specific investment advice, please consult the relevant professional investment advice and/or for study or research only.