100% Guaranteed Returns

Oh, another week of volatile markets. I have been working for more than 7 years, and this is the first time I'm feeling the impact of the volatile financial markets. Even when the dot com bubble bursts, it did not matter to me. I was too young, wilful, passionate, idealistic and stubborn. Nothing could get in the way of my dreams of being in the E-commerce industry.

I worked through 2001 and 2003. Oh, I studied part-time, too. And at the end of 3.5 years, I got my degree. By the time I completed my studies, organizations started hiring again. In no time, I was hired by another bank as a senior officer. Within a year and 3 months, I was promoted to assistant manager.

Times were good. I became hungry for more. Just when my patience were running up, an ex-colleague called. Long story short, he asked if I was interested in a job at a foreign bank. There wasn't much to lose then. I went for the interview and found myself being offered a package which was too good to resist. The offer came fast and furious. They didn't even want me to serve my notice. They bought me out of my bank.

The interview happened in October 24 2007 (Wed) and I tendered my resignation on October 26 2007 (Fri). That was barely a year ago.

Today, I find myself in a unfamiliar situation. Because things were pretty smooth the last 7 years and life was pretty damn fine.

I took up my first investment last year, which saw an upswing of more than 30% in the hey days but now it left me in the red of more than S$12,000 (ain't gonna sell my funds now, hopefully it'd get back in shape 10 years later). Unfamiliar grounds.

My dad was laid off. Never in my 26 years had I experienced that before. My workaholic dad. My dad who had been the sole bread winner for the longest time (until 7 years ago when his dear daughter, me, got a full time job). I do feel the stress. I have my worries. This is once again, unfamiliar grounds to me.

With all that chaos in the money markets, I wonder how many layoffs and "restructuring" would be happening. Am I afraid? Frankly, I wouldn't be if my dad was still employed. Job security was never in my list. That didn't quite matter to me until now. Such unfamiliar grounds!

It's time to put on the true allie's spirit, i.e. to find opportunity in any given situation. I might suck at investing in funds, but I've been great at self investments. What I mean is to spend some money to pick up a skill or two. And that sort of investments is a 100% guaranteed returns! ;) And who knows, after 3 years, I might be offered another job with an awesome package which I simply cannot refuse. *dreams away*