To The Moon

The Power of the Mundane: My Mid-Career Embrace of ETFs

If you look at my investment portfolio today, five years after I finally started, you wouldn't be impressed. It's not a flashy collection of meme stocks or the "next big thing" in disruptive tech. It is, quite simply, boring.

And that, I’ve realized, is my single biggest advantage as a late starter.

When I was 35, I was paralyzed by the fear of being behind. I felt the urgent need to "catch up" with friends who had been compounding wealth since they received their first paycheck. This anxiety is a trap; it pushes you toward high-risk decisions—like trying to pick the next winning stock—which, statistically, are most likely to set you back further.

My saving grace was settling on Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). It allowed me to trade the risky excitement of stock-picking for the reliable power of global compounding.

How Boring Became Beautiful

For a mid-career professional in Singapore, time is not the asset it once was; consistency and capital are. My ETF strategy is built around maximizing those two things:

Global Diversification Solves the Anxiety: Instead of betting on one country or one company, I bought the entire world. When the US markets are down, I know my allocation to European or Asian markets might be holding steady. This instant, built-in protection is invaluable for someone who cannot afford a major setback before retirement.

Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA) Solves the Timing Problem: I stopped trying to predict the market. My monthly contribution is automated, regardless of whether the index is up or down. At 40, my primary goal is not maximizing the return on a single trade, but maximizing the total number of shares I own by retirement. Consistent buying—especially during dips—is the most reliable way to achieve this.

Low Fees Protect the Compounding Engine: Every percentage point I save on management fees goes straight back into my portfolio, where it compounds tax-free (depending on the domicile). For someone who started late, minimizing this drag is critical for accelerating the accumulation phase.

Five years ago, I thought "successful investing" meant constantly analyzing charts and buying low. Today, I understand it means automating the process, ignoring the noise, and letting time work for you.

My portfolio may be the financial equivalent of watching paint dry, but that boredom is what allows me to sleep soundly at night, knowing I finally have a sensible, powerful engine running toward my future. The best investment is the one you can set and forget, and for me, that has been the humble, global ETF.

For those who started investing later in life, what mental shift helped you stop chasing excitement and start embracing consistency?

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