It has been an exciting year 2009 in terms of my journey towards financial freedom.

Returns for 2009

I have managed to achieve the highest returns on my investible liquid assets mainly in equities  (stocks/shares) since I started tracking my performance in 2003 and was fortunate to be able to ride out some of the recovery in the STI from March 2009 to December 2009.

I also learnt the important lesson of achieving balance in life and to enjoy the journey of financial freedom rather than to be overly fixated by the end result.

Life is unpredictable

Over the New Year holiday period, the report of a 44 year-old CEO of a billionnaire dollar company hit the news when it appeared that his death was caused by cosmetic surgery – liposuction.

Stories like this and my own encounters with NSmen and regulars who passed away during NSF and NS (reservist) times remind me of the fragility of life and not to narrowly focus on the end result of achieving financial freedom and lose sight of enjoying the process.

“Your Money or Your Life” by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez echoes the same message and the key question raised by the authors is whether we are making a living or more akin to making a dying in our quest for money, money and more money.

Goals for 2010

Given the past events of 2009, I look forward towards 2010 with hope and anticipation. I realise that I will continue striving towards my journey of being financially free before age 45 and I will allow myself to enjoy the process and avoid being overly obsessed with the ends and neglect being alive to the means.

Thus my goals for 2010 will reflect the different aspects of my life beyond only financial targets.

Goal #1: Financial – Save 15% of income

This goal spurs me to continue to focus on my earning and spending and to save 15% in cash above my insurance and CPF contributions. This will be an interesting goal as I’ll be starting a mortgage a few months down the road for my new home.

Thus, the challenge is to fund my new home and yet save some cash on a rainy day while supporting 4 mouths (myself, my spouse, daughter and maid).

Goal #2: Health – Exercise 2 x a week, eat healthily and manage stress

We know that wealth without health is meaningless. Health requires effort. So far, controlling my diet is getting easier as I generally eat healthy breakfasts and home cooked meals except for lunch. I will continue with the diet part but know that the exercise part is lacking. I’ll try to swim more to build up my cardio-vascular fitness and some light jogging.

Managing stress is equally important. Much of this focusses on anger management and to “go with the flow” more about life issues. Recently, I found myself getting slightly better but can do more to improve this area.

Goal #3: Career – Build Up Experience and Team

My career will be the biggest contributor of income for the next 20-30 years. Thus, it’s important that I continue to build relevant skills and experience in my chosen career in internal audit. I am fortunate to work with a good team and I’ll continue to develop my people so that as a team we become more effective, efficient and innovative.

Goal #4: Family

My daughter is growing up fast. In a blink of an eye, she’s now 22 months old, running around, full of joy, life and energy! She tires me out so much during weekends that I find working in the office less tiring than looking after her.

I’ll continue to enjoy weekends and evenings with family and to build strong relationships with my spouse and daughter. I realise that no matter what happens to me, I will have a legacy through my daughter and that soothes me much when the going gets tough.

The goals I’ve set are not the traditional new year’s resolutions to be made and then forgotten as the year progresses. I’ll review them from time to time to remind myself to stay true to the direction I want my life to take.

What are your goals, financial or otherwise, in your own life?

Share with Panzer in the comments section.

Be well and prosper.

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