The Road to Million Dollars: Mr. Wu’s Big Opportunities in Small-Cap Gems
In 2025, more Tiger Brokers users than ever have achieved over USD 1 million in investment gains.
Tiger launched the “The Road to Million Dollars” series to explore how these investors think, evolve, and stay disciplined.
To Tiger, investing is more than numbers—it’s a journey from aspiration to achievement. We hope their stories inspire more people to set tangible goals and turn “one million” from a distant dream into an achievable milestone.
This edition features Mr. Wu—who taught at a university for seven years and later spent a decade in financial institutions such as Ping An. Focusing on “small but high-quality” companies, he built a research-driven and disciplined investment approach in U.S. equities. In 2023, he left institutional work to become a full-time investor. His experience shows that you don’t need to chase every market fad; spotting high-quality small caps and building early capital is the foundation for long-term wealth.
1. From the Classroom to the Financial Back Office
Mr. Wu recalls, “I was fascinated by finance in college. I wasn’t a finance major, but I studied extensively on my own.”
After earning his master’s degree, his family asked him to help manage their funds—his first real exposure to the markets.
He later worked in compliance roles across trust, banking, asset management, and insurance. A decade in these roles gave him strong data analysis skills, a structured research framework, and the ability to evaluate industry dynamics, competitive moats, and risk factors.
“People think back-office roles are far from investing, but they actually sharpened my ability to understand how businesses really function,” he says.
Beyond investing, he enjoys writing and studying business models. Creating content helped him organize his thoughts and share ideas. “Understanding how businesses work is at the core of long-term investing.”
2. Early Investments: From Gold to Global Markets
He still remembers his first A-share trade—buying Shandong Gold $Shandong Gold Mining Co., Ltd.(600547)$ in 2008 and exiting with a small profit. “It was just testing the waters, but it taught me market rhythm.”
In 2019, he started trading U.S. equities through Tiger Brokers. After receiving stock options from his company, he dove into charts and technical indicators. Early gains and losses from short-term trading made him realize its limitations.
By 2022–2023, he fully shifted to fundamental investing based on “certainty + scarcity,” focusing on rare metals, AI, and nuclear energy.
“I don’t chase trends. I invest in businesses I truly understand and believe have long-term value,” he says.
3. Three Stages of Investing: Start with ‘Small but Beautiful’
His strategy is clear: Use small-cap, high-potential names for early capital accumulation. After that, shift toward large-cap, high-dividend companies for stability.
He believes sustainable returns ultimately come from a company’s fundamentals and growth—not short-term speculation.
Discussing tech stocks, he is particularly focused on AI and the “Magnificent Seven.” He shared his Tesla trade: entering around USD 177, exiting near USD 430, and re-entering when prices dipped in the 200s.
He believes deregulation under Trump creates room for mergers, expansion, and technology integration, benefiting giants like $Apple(AAPL)$ and $Tesla Motors(TSLA)$ . Tesla’s advances in autonomous driving and robotics, he says, form a strong moat.
But he also cautions that the Magnificent Seven’s valuations are broadly elevated.
When capital is limited, he prefers high-growth small caps. Once capital and skill accumulate, stability becomes more important. “Very few small companies become giants,” he notes.
“Long-term investing isn’t about every upswing or pullback; it’s about steady accumulation.”
4. The Fifth Industrial Revolution Is Emerging
He believes the world is entering the early stage of the fifth industrial revolution—driven by AI and robotics—and that U.S. equities may be at the start of a 20-year bull market.
His long-term focus includes AI and robotics, computing power, nuclear energy, electricity, uranium, and new financial infrastructure such as stablecoins and tokenized assets.
He also sees major opportunities in rare metals due to global supply-chain restructuring. “The U.S. is supporting key companies with equity participation rather than just subsidies, giving these businesses more durable protection.”
His core investment map includes:
AI → Robotics → Computing → Power → Uranium → Nuclear (SMR)
New financial infrastructure (stablecoins, tokenization)
U.S.-based rare metals (rare earths, uranium, cobalt, titanium), driven by U.S.–China decoupling
5. The Rise of Rare Metals and a New U.S. Industrial Cycle
He notes that geopolitical shifts are one reason U.S. rare-metal stocks (such as $United States Antimony(UAMY)$ ) have surged. These companies struggled for years and even faced delisting risks. But as the U.S. prioritizes supply-chain independence, the sector has turned around.
Many firms used acquisitions, leadership changes, andb to seize the moment, gaining government support through lobbying.
With scarcity and policy protection, institutional investors began to revalue the sector. What was once ignored has become widely recognized, with room for further rerating as earnings improve.
He believes the recent pullback in rare-metal prices may signal the government’s intention to acquire stakes at lower cost—creating new opportunities. U.S. tariffs, defense bills, and subsidies can turn deeply undervalued “zombie stocks” into growth stories.
6. Stock Selection Is the Hardest Part of Investing
His decisions rely heavily on systematic information gathering.
He says the hardest part of investing is stock selection—particularly recognizing opportunities before they become obvious.
“Sometimes you only have a few minutes to act.”
This preparation and execution discipline is crucial for early-stage capital growth.
For long-term ideas such as $United States Antimony(UAMY)$ or $CRITICAL METALS CORPORATION(CRML)$ , he tracks:
Independent research and global strategy reports
Policy shifts such as subsidies, guaranteed prices, and long-term contracts
Management’s track record
Inventory, strategic reserves, and potential partnerships
7. From Gold to AI: A Flexible but Principled Allocation Strategy
His asset allocation follows a layered and risk-adjusted structure that evolves with age and risk tolerance.
He allocates:
A portion to USD deposits or liquid assets for daily needs and inflation protection
A portion to gold and gold-related equities for long-term stability
Large-cap U.S. index funds such as the $S&P 500(.SPX)$ , which historically show consistent long-term growth
For higher-risk assets:
10–15% goes to high-dividend stocks
30–40% to tech leaders such as the Magnificent Seven, ideally at reasonable valuations
Around 30% to high-growth small caps, rotating into more stable positions as gains materialize
He notes that domestic risk-rating systems (like R1–R5) don’t reflect real market risk—even “low-risk” products can suffer losses or deliver negligible returns. High risk does not guarantee high reward; the key is identifying high-certainty opportunities.
8. The ‘Million’ Moment: Meaning Beyond Numbers
Mr. Wu recalls the moment he crossed one million in gains:
“I was happy, of course, but I stayed calm. Investing is a long journey, and there’s always a next step.”
He shared the milestone with his family, seeing it both as encouragement from Tiger and a validation of his own research process.
“A million dollars isn’t just a number—it’s a reminder to stay disciplined and keep doing the right things.”
For him, personal growth matters more than the profit. Investing has given him a structured way to think, and he hopes his content can help others set goals and improve.
🌟“The real meaning of wealth is the ability to help others.”
After reaching the million-dollar milestone, he became a monthly donor to UNICEF. “The market journey is long, and there is always a next station. When you have the ability, helping others matters more than making money.”
Click here to redeem your Dream Edition Million-Dollar Milestone at the Tiger Coin Center
💫Closing
Mr. Wu did not change his life overnight. He spent more than a decade building his investment system—learning how businesses operate, developing research depth, accumulating capital through small-cap opportunities, and gradually moving toward certainty, large-cap stability, and dividends.
To him, investing is not a race to chase trends, but a long journey of continuous evolution.
As he says, “The market journey is long, and there is always a next station.”
It’s a belief that also echoes the message engraved on our achievers’ trophy:
✨ Start with one, aim for infinity.
Perhaps this is the true meaning of the Road to a Million Dollars.
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Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.
