Mooers' Stories | The power of 'Don't Settle': Brian's career and investment evolution
Hi, mooers. Welcome back to Mooers' Stories, where we unveil our community members' unique paths in their investment journeys. In this episode, we're sharing @Brianjh's tale of resilience, guided by 'Don't Settle' and marked by an extraordinary investment in a company that supplies parts to Tesla. Starting from varied roles across multiple industries, he embarked on a relentless quest for his true passion, leading him to the dynamic world of investing. Dive into this story of investment prowess and be inspired to make your own smart moves!![]()
📚 Brief introduction: “Don't settle.” From a laboratory assistant in the lab, retail operator, admin officer, and financial advisor to a mechanical engineer, I have pretty much experienced it all.
🔍 Brian's journey of discovering passion and purpose in life
Just like anybody, when I was a child growing up, I didn't really know what was my passion and my purpose in life. The only way to find out what my passion was, was through trying different fields.
I once came across a video from a guy whom I didn't know who it was at that time (Ray Dalio). He mentioned if you want the greatest possible outcome in 2 words: “Don't Settle.”
Don't Settle by being around people who are not the greatest people. Don't Settle for a job that isn't a great job. There's an open world, just try to go from one to another until it's excellent. The best people around you and the best job that you can possibly have. Don't Settle! These are the exact words taken directly from him.
From a laboratory assistant in the lab, retail operator, admin officer, and financial advisor to a mechanical engineer, I have pretty much experience with it all. Although sometimes I really wish I could discover my passion earlier, I would have reached a high level of knowledge and experience in that field by now. But I realized that all of it was necessary for me. To go through that phase of life, that phase of trying different things and coming to an understanding of what I really want in life.
🔍 What kind of investor are you？
I am an active investor focusing on growth. I am an investor with high return expectations and high-risk tolerance during market volatility to potentially achieve medium to long-term capital appreciation.
I also consider myself a contrarian investor as contrary to the traditional beliefs, I don't really diversify my portfolio as I believe that will limit my overall returns, and I would prefer to study 5 to 10 individual tech stocks with the hope of maximizing my potential returns.
🔍 What initially sparked your interest in the stock market and investing?
What sparked my interest in the stock market and investing was during a low period in my life when I was feeling lost and lack of purpose in life. I came across a Singapore YouTuber video discussing the purpose of life and money in general. The title was How would I make $0 to $4 million (If I had to start over). The link can be found here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e6PNqW8lSM
Didn't know his channel was about stock investing/trading when I first watched his videos, but when I continued to binge-watch his videos, I fell into a rabbit hole. From there, I wanted to start learning more about investing and finance in general. Till then, the fire (passion) of investing and the thirst for knowledge & experience continues to grow. I never look back.
📈 Investing Journey: Self-taught through online resources, Brian honed a risk-managed and tech-focused strategy, balancing it with career goals.
🔍 How did you learn to invest at the beginning?
Initially, when I ventured into the realm of investing, I had no idea what terminologies those finance gurus were using. (Annualized, appreciation, go long/ go short, bear and bull market, blue chip, market cap, dollar cost average, etc). Through bits and pieces of connecting dots of information and knowledge from watching YouTube and researching on Google, I was then able to slowly put all the bits and pieces together.
🔍 Do you have a specific risk management strategy?
My risk management strategy is mainly setting stop losses and taking profits during targeted price points using support and resistance levels.
🔍 Are there specific sectors or industries you gravitate towards when making investment decisions?
Personally, I prefer to focus my investment research on 1 to maybe 2 (maximum) sectors.
The main sector that I focus on is Technology. The tech sector's strong performance over the past years was supported by its solid fundamentals. The sector appears to be well-positioned to deliver favorable returns in the coming years and In terms of profitability, this sector's earnings growth outpaces the overall equity market.
At the same time, the strong balance sheets, highlighted by the cash generation capabilities, also support its equity performance. Many tech companies have abundant cash on their balance sheets. They also enjoy the lowest leverage ratio among all sectors.
In short, it appears that strong earnings, positive free cash generation, and low levels of debt may help support the sector to potentially perform well in the midst of the changing macro environment. Some of the themes that are driving the technology sector are also quite interesting and are what I plan to focus more on. This includes AI, cloud computing, technology as a service, the Internet of Things, and autonomous vehicles.
Sector investing risks: Due to its concentrated focus, sector investing tends to be more volatile than diversified investments across various sectors and companies. Additionally, sector investing carries extra risks associated with its specific industry. The technology sector, for instance, can be significantly impacted by factors such as interest rate policy, the obsolescence of existing technology, short product cycles, declining prices and profits, competition from new entrants to the market, and general economic conditions.
🔍 How do you balance trading or investing with your daily life, work, and other commitments?
Currently, right now I have the issue of insufficient time to learn more and educate myself on investing/trading in general. So, my next goal would be to work in the equity research industry next year which would incorporate learning and working together so I can learn to work and work to learn. Fortunately, the moomoo app is well-equipped and well-rounded. Hence, during my free time at work, I can trade or invest on the go.
🪐About moomoo: Making investing less daunting and easier to approach.
🔍 How was your experience using the moomoo platform?
My experience with moomoo has been nothing short of amazing. Moomoo is the platform that watches me grow from a complete beginner to a much better investor. From making silly mistakes to making memorable trades, the well-designed and smooth interface allows me to browse through my workflow easily and explore new features without any issues. Everything in the app is placed where it should be. As a user, I have a great experience using the moomoo platform.
🔍 Were there specific features on Moomoo that you found particularly useful or that set it apart from other platforms you've used?
There are many features that moomoo has that already stand out from other platforms. From having financial information and analysis of a company, listening to the earnings call to heat maps and institutional tracker, moomoo does it all. One particular feature that I find really useful it's the learn tab, which allows not only beginner investors to learn about various topics on investing, it also covers more intermediate and advanced topics in very well-designed and informative content. Moomoo truly does it all.
📑 Words for newcomers
If you are new here on moomoo. Congrats on taking the first step. The platform itself has great resources and tools to aid in your investment in learning. I am certain you will like the diverse and passionate community around here!
🎁 Interactive Activity
1. Make your choice
2. Spark meaningful conversations
Topic: Curious about @Brianjh's investing journey or have topics you're eager to explore with him? Drop your questions in the comments for an engaging discussion.
Bonus:
30 points for mooer who raises insightful and @Brian-related questions
Activity Period: Through Jan. 30, 11:59 PM.
(Rewards will be distributed within 5–10 working days after the activity ends.)
Notes: We encourage benign and in-depth interaction, from which all mooers can learn from each other, helping our community members be more courageous and not alone in the investing journey.
We truly appreciate @Brianjh for sharing his inspiring experience with us! Feel free to interact with him if you have anything to say!
Just in case you didn't know, you can also be the one to tell the story! There is also a chance for your story to get more exposure to multi-channel media. Interested? Comment below to let us know!
Thanks for your time. See you next time!![]()
Disclosure: Options trading is very risky and is not appropriate for all customers. Read the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options (j.us.moomoo.com/00xBBz) before considering trading options. Options transactions are complex and may involve losing the entire investment in a short period of time. Supporting documentation for any claims, if applicable, will be furnished upon request.
*Notes: All information comes from the interviewee and is published with the interviewee's consent. The testimonial provided herein may not represent other customers' experience, and does not guarantee future performance or success. Your experience may be different than the ones represented here. All contents, such as comments and links posted or shared by users of the community are the opinion of the respective authors only and do not reflect the opinions, views, or positions of Moomoo Financial Inc., Moomoo Technologies, any affiliates, or any employees of MFI, MTI or its affiliates. Please consult with a qualified financial professional for your personal financial planning and tax situations. Moomoo may share or provide links to third-party content. Doing so is intended to provide additional perspective and should not be construed as an endorsement or recommendation of any chat room, channel, services, products, guidance, individuals, or points of view.
*Disclaimer: Please consider that users will have different risk profiles, financial understanding, financial objectives, investment time horizons and tolerance for potential losses and they should consider these factors when comparing performance, advice or recommendations from other users. This presentation is for informational and educational use only and is not a recommendation or endorsement of any particular investment or investment strategy. Investment information provided in this content is general in nature, strictly for illustrative purposes, and may not be appropriate for all investors. It is provided without respect to individual investors' financial sophistication, financial situation, investment objectives, investing time horizon, or risk tolerance. You should consider the appropriateness of this information having regard to your relevant personal circumstances before making any investment decisions. Past investment performance does not indicate or guarantee future success. Returns will vary, and all investments carry risks, including loss of principal. Moomoo makes no representation or warranty as to its adequacy, completeness, accuracy or timeliness for any particular purpose of the above content Moomoo is a financial information and trading app offered by Moomoo Technologies Inc.
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mr_cashcow : Hello @Brianjh
My question is what are some of the common mistakes that are made during the never ending investing journey? Have u made any and if so how would u have done it differently?
Mooers LabOP : Hi, mooers! You're invited to spark meaningful conversations here!
Bonus:
What else do you want to know about @Brianjh ? Any other topics you wanna discuss with him? Comment below to let us know.
30 points for mooer who raises insightful questions.
Leave your comments now!!
小trader : Hi @Brianjh what an inspiring story. My question is do you make use of options when trading? Especially when the technology sector is so volatile?
sociable Dingo_8604 : Hi @Brianjh! Very impressed and inspiring to know such a young man like you. At such young age, there are many that are still looking for jobs that provides stability.
What do you suggest to overcome this fear of learning to invest or start investing if one do not have much income to start out?
102362254 : Nice sharing. My question: What additional resources do you leverage for learning about investing and trading, apart from Moomoo?
LightWhat : Hi Brian, I will continue following up your posting and liked post, also once you have some stock to share like about FA & TA etc. You do share some macro & micro market information which is useful. Thanks and please keep up. Well, am looking foward other more targeted and specific individual stocks and looking forward on market views soon if any.
Dadacai : Hi Brianjh, thanks for your sharing. On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being highest level), how would you rate the progress you’ve made in terms of your investment knowledge and skill since joining moomoo?
70781399 : Do you want to check the receipt for your notebook today?
safri_moomoor : Open it up, what's next?
Brianjh Dadacai: Hello Dadacai ! Thank you for your question. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate a solid 10!The reason for that is because when I first join moomoo, it just just purely beacuse of the promotion held during their launch in Singapore. At that moment I have no knowledge of Stocks, bonds,market or any sort of financial knowlegde.(Basically a complete complete newbie)After taken advantage of the promo (oops)I basically just leave the app in my phone. Got motivated by a finance youtuber (chicken genius) regarding stock investing. Remember I have this APPL stock in my app which I forgot to sell. Saw that APPL has rose from $140 to $150ish. -Realized stock market is legit.Begin to start my investing journey.1st year: Learn about basic finance terminology that professional use. Bought some Tesla, Apple and LK Tech.Profit. (Mostly from Tesla and LK)I was delighted.2nd Year: Got into Meme stocks during AMC/GME Saga. Naive me thought I could make some life-changing money. (But actually lost around $2k)Also at this point, learn about options.Different types of options. This year got hit by Tesla Leverage as well. (Due to greed)3rd Year: Realized that equity researching is my passion. Hope to turn it into a career.Busy upskilling through classes, courses, networking. Learn alot alot more about the market: How different asset classes work and affect one another. Bonds, commodities, equities.Financial Ratios: PE, EPS, ROE, DY, Sharpe ratio, FCF, PS, ROA and many other more.For options wise: More on the strategies like covered call, protective puts, long straddle, iron condor. How each variable is determine and affect one another (Greek symbols : Beta, Theta, vega, rho, gamma, delta)And the most diffcult one is probably financial modelling : DCF modellingPortfolio wise: Didnt touch much, was focus on tech like amd, nvidia, tesla,microsoft.4th Year (2024): Currently pursing finance degree, pursing CFA and CAIA level 1+ joining investment interest group
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