Hi, I'm Slowmad.
I make a living betting on dots people don't yet realize are connected.
I work for myself, have zero employees, and would like to keep it that way.
My story
Safety, predictability and rule-following are the hallmarks of Singporean thinking. Growing up, everyone wanted to be a doctor, banker, or lawyer. It was generally frowned upon to live an unconventional life. I didn't fit in very well.
Being a soldier taught me:
- To appreciate the small things in life
- To live frugally
- To value freedom over comfort
- To appreciate geopolitics
- That the people in charge don't always know what they're doing
Spent 16 years in the education system and graduated from university with honours; It turned out to be less of an accomplishment than I thought. Looking back, I realize the main purpose of school is to inculcate compliance and obedience. Not saying it's a good or bad thing; It is what it is.
A steady paycheck was nice, but the 9-6 office routine did not agree with me. I wanted more out of life.
I'd been trading on the side for a few years at this point, and was doing well enough to pay the bills. With some savings in the bank, I decided to bite the bullet and quit my job to focus on trading.
Found an investment property that I thought was largely undervalued and a no-brainer. I initially wanted to get two units but a relative advised me to play it safe so I just went with one. In 3 years, the property doubled in value and I made 5x my money. The lesson I learned was to be aggressive when I have high conviction. It was a multi-decade opportunity and I didn't fully capitalize on it because I didn't trust my own judgement.
Since I could trade basically anywhere, I began traveling from place to place. First to the U.S., then around Europe, and finally back in Asia. I lived in China for a while, but then settled on shuttling between Taipei, Bali, and Chiang Mai. These are my favourite places to live in today.
I made my second big bet on precious metals but it didn't work out and I lost 35% of my investment.
Due to the worldwide Covid pandemic, I moved back to Singapore.
Today, I'm betting big on crypto, which will probably take a few years to play out. To follow my investment journey, join me on Twitter.
Digital Slowmad is about...
1. Decentralized income: Refers to making money without needing anyone's approval (such as a boss, client or government). This generally means working for yourself, preferably online where the results of your work can be quickly and easily scaled.
2. Digital assets: The best investments are found in burgeoning industries. In the coming decade, I believe crypto will be a multi-trillion dollar asset class. By investing into the space today, I'm looking to generate a substantial return over the next 5 - 10 years.
3. Slow travel: When your income and investments can be fully managed online, you are free to travel and live overseas for as long as you want: San Francisco, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Shanghai, Tokyo, Bangkok. Finances permitting, there's no reason you can't spend a few months a year living in any city you like.
What I'm working on now
- Learning about the crypto industry
- Managing my crypto portfolio
- Sharing my thoughts on Twitter/X
Core philosophies
A rich life
Being rich is not about having stuff - Mansions, fancy cars, expensive clothes, fine dining.
Being rich is:
- having a healthy body + peace of mind
- doing the things you love + not doing things you hate
- being unhurried
- being on a mission that invigorates you
- being with people you love and who love you
It still costs money to achieve these things, but much less than you'd think.
The problem is people too often sacrifice these important things for money, which moves them in the opposite direction.
Related: Living a life that's not your own