Reflections on my investing journey so far - "It is still cash flow that triumphs".

As I reflect on my past three years plus of investing in stocks and shares, I learnt many lessons, some slightly bitter ones and some are good ones. So far, I am glad to say that I have not made any realised losses from the stock market yet. In fact, I have made steady returns of approximately 13% per annum over the past 3 years plus of investing mainly through recurring cash flows from dividends received from my stocks investments and some gains through selling of shares (a lesser amount though compared to dividends received). This figure of returns may not be exceptionally significant, but it is already better than most other alternative forms of investments. Also, I have not made a single realised loss on my investments so far.

I have learnt through my humble experience in investing so far that it is better to have the mindset of building assets that return stable continuous cash flow than to invest for quick returns. Even if one is going for an accelerated way of investing by investing for appreciation in value of assets (be it paper assets like stocks and shares or physical assets like real estate properties), one must still own an increasing amount of assets through the years that provides recurring and increasing cash flow that can beat inflation over the years.

Getting positive cash flow through owning assets is really everything about successful investing. Appreciation in value of assets is an icing on the cake. Even after one sells off an asset that has appreciated in value and made a gain, he is still faced with the decision to reinvest his gains and original capital into another asset. If he does not reinvest his cash, then cash will depreciate in value over time. By not investing one's cash, one is getting poorer by the days.

Ultimately, I believe the distinction between rich and poor people is just in the mentality of how they view money. The rich becomes financially educated and invests to control or own assets that provide them recurring and increasing cash flow that fights inflation. Of course, any appreciation in value of the assets is also welcomed. The poor views investing as risky or is just ignorant of the merits of doing proper investments. The simple key to successful investing is just to continue learning how to invest and just do it and really learn from mistakes and successes whenever investment decisions are made.

The more learning and experience one gains through own research and learning from mentors, the better it becomes as one matures in his investing journey. As I have already expressed in an earlier post quite sometime ago, my view on successful investing has not changed now. Building up the amount of high quality assets one can have the most control (be it paper assets - this tends to have lesser control for the investor as shares are just meager part-ownership of an invested company unless one is a major shareholder, physical assets or business) over time and getting increasing recurring cash flow which beats inflation will allow one to reach financial freedom sometime in life. Cash flow received from assets is further plough back to reinvest in more quality assets which further increases cash flow. This is a virtuous cycle of increasing cash flow over time (by compounding), cash flow that further feeds more cash flow.

Patience and endurance to resist instant gratification in seeing immediate gains is important. Surprisingly, I learnt through these three years plus of investing that money goes to the one who is not greedy for it. The more one is not greedy for money, the more rational and composed one is when it comes to long term financial planning and constantly making the right investment decisions. It is all about the mindset of the investor. The success and failure of investing is not so much affected by the economy, but often it is the wrong emotions of greed and fear that causes the investor to make unwise investing decisions.

I will continue to look out first and foremost for quality assets (be it in paper or physical assets or business) to invest for good quality cash flow while secondly welcoming the idea of appreciation in value of invested assets. Building cash flow through owning and controlling more and more quality assets over time that beat inflation heads down is the crux of successful investing that will enable one to reach financial freedom. Better yet is that the quality assets one has owned can appreciate in value over time. This simple rule of successful investing has not changed through the ages. I believe it will not in future too.

Are you into building more and more positive cash flow (by owning and controlling more quality assets) or "building" more and more negative cash flow over time (by spending more than one's income, chalking up bad debts or making unwise investment not in cash flow producing assets but in investments that may lose their value in the end resulting in a loss)? If 'cash' thinks that it is really king, 'cash flow' will be laughing his heads off at 'cash'. Perhaps, the mindset of wanting cash flow is probably better than the mindset of wanting cash when it comes to successful investing?

Think of cash flow investing as installing more and more taps that can be opened to provide more and more cash inflows. The choice of the right taps to install is important so that the right taps (quality cash flow positive assets) can continually provide more and more cash inflows over a long period of time to build one's passive income.