Update: 3.5 years since starting my investment journey

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It has now been 3.5 years since I first posted here and subsequently started investing seriously. A lot has happened since then and there are currently some big changes happening. That’s why I wanted to write an update post along with some questions and thoughts.

Note: I know that these values are in no way ordinary for a 23 year old. Where the money came from has already been answered in the initial post. I just wanted to write this post to get some input and also document my journey and maybe share my experiences as this is a very rare situation that I’m in. In general I don’t really talk about money, there’s only one person (my mother) that knows about this.

My current portfolio looks like this:

Private equity in companies:
Company 1: 2’332’000 CHF
Company 2: 448’000 CHF
Company 3: 25’000 CHF (small startup investment)

Real estate (amount of equity):
Property 1: 700’000 CHF (where I live)
Property 2: 150’000 CHF (rented)

Stocks:
560’000 CHF (VT)

Crypto:
210’000 CHF (70/30 BTC/ETH)

3a:
46’000 CHF (99% stocks)

Physical assets:
70’000 CHF collectibles (mainly watches)
15’000 CHF car

Cash:
400’000 CHF

Total: 4’956’000 CHF

Yearly Income (everything is net, before taxes):
9 to 5 job: 78’000 CHF
Dividends from company 1+2: 100’000 CHF
Salary from company 1+2: 26’000 CHF
Sidehustle: 15’000 CHF
Property 2: 15’000 CHF

Total: 234’000 CHF

My expenses are generally pretty low. Maybe like 1-2k/month. Most of that is just for food/eating out, hobbies and vacations.

Current thoughts/questions:

Just a few days ago I received a sizeable windfall (375k CHF, that’s why my cash holdings are that big, usually I leave around 5k cash) in the form of a Schenkung due to the sale of a house belonging to my grandparents. I‘m not sure yet what I‘m going to do with this money. I lean towards just dumping it in VT altogether. I’d split it over like 4-6 months. I know that lumpsum investing usually wins but this is quite a big part of my liquid portfolio so I wouldn’t want to risk it. Rental Properties don‘t make that much sense with the current mortgage rates (got lucky with a 0.9% 10y fixed mortgage for property 2) and I‘m already quite exposed to RE (Company 1 has all of its value due to RE holdings).

If I do invest it all into VT I‘ll soon approach the 1M mark in IBKR. I‘ll probably look into splitting this on two brokers just to have some peace of mind. I know that the chances of something like FTX happening with IBKR are pretty low but I’d rather be more careful as I lost quite a bit of money on FTX.

My mother and I both live in property 1. Her dream has always been to be able to build a new house for her retirement. We are in the process of finalising the details and start construction after the summer. Total costs will be 1.5M (excluding land, we already own that). We probably won’t have to bring in any more Eigenkapital as our current mortgage is pretty low and we could stock that up.
Financially this whole thing doesn‘t make much sense but I want to support her in achieving this dream and having a happy retirement. Property 1 will be kept and rented out afterwards which should be able to (almost?) pay for the mortgage of this newly built house and property 1‘s mortgage.

I‘m also thinking about seeking professional help in the form of therapy. I struggle with anxiety and sometimes I have trouble finding purpose in my life. I also catch myself debating why I‘m even working for 78k/year when I have all of this money laying around. I‘d probably wait until next year to choose a 300 CHF health insurance deductible. I can already hear my mother saying „Bei den Reichen lernt man sparen.“. Has somebody here made any experiences with talking about financial stuff at a therapist?

Feel free to ask me anything and please let me know if you have and suggestions or inputs.

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My question here is really - why do you need a 9 to 5 job that pays you 78k/year, when you have such numbers?

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Same question that I often ask myself… I’m not sure about the answer to this question. I’m a very frugal person and I try to optimise my income/expenses wherever possible. If I would quit my job I’d feel like I’m missing out on additional income. I would also feel weird about FIREing at my age - what will I do for the next 60 years?
I have planned to take 1-2 years off in the near future and just travel a bit and do stuff that I enjoy but being completely without a job feels kind of weird.

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You don’t have to work for money, so you have all the freedom to figure out what makes you happy in life.

If the content, relations and/or challenge in your current job make you happy, then that’s a totally valid reason to keep working at it.

Otherwise, leave the job and start to explore. Read books all day, do voluntary work with the elderly, work in a cafe, travel, work with refugees, join the red cross and relocate to the middle of Africa… whatever attracts you most at this point. Humans generally tend to avoid change but it’s only exactly that which results in personal growth.

I personally am one that likes to read a lot, about why humans do what they do and what life is. I came across some quotes attributed to Alan Watts… very thought provoking.

The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.

Or:

No amount of anxiety makes any difference to anything that is going to happen.

Or:

And all of your friends and relations and teachers are busy telling you who you are and what your role in life is.

Basically: up to you to figure out for yourself who you want to be.

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I mean it could also be difficult if you just quit your job. You mentioned nobody except your mother (and us) knows about your financial situation. So if you are just going to quit your friends (if you have any) might ask questions from what do you live. It will become more and more difficult to uphold the secret… And with that one might become either lonely. The same goes with traveling: I would also suggest to take an 1-2 year world trip but traveling can you also make you quite alone…

But you seem a quite nice guy and wish you the best in exploring what might be your purpose.

Edit: But only keep working if the environment is at least ok and you enjoy what you are doing

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yes, probably the most important question that I need to figure out an answer for… I don’t need the answer right now, as you said I’m young so I can take some time to work on that. Thank you

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Definitely, but there’s ways around that. I could just say that I’m trading crypto or building a business or whatever
I have no problem with being alone. I do have a girlfriend but I specifically would like to do the world trip alone
The work environment is very good, I enjoy the work that I do and the challenges that come with it. One thing that I’m considering is to just cut the hours to 80% to get a bit more spare time

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Thank you for your response! My job does make me happy and it gives me a sense of structure in my life which otherwise would probably be a bit difficult to upkeep.
But yes, I do have activities aside from my job that would keep me busy and fulfilled.
Very interesting quotes and definitely some points that resonate with me. I’ll read up on Alan Watts.

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I relate a lot to this sentiment. Retiring early is seen as the gospel to many in personal finance forums but frankly without a job I feel I would lose a sense of purpose, at least while young. Similarly living frugally; in the end money exists to provide you with utility and it would be stupid not to use it in such a position. The challenge comes when you realise the money isn’t a lightswitch to happiness :stuck_out_tongue: .

I think taking a year to travel while young can be a great idea. I only managed a few months myself and wish I had had more time because I learned a lot about myself and the world.

Unless you lose the windfall (although it seems like you are quite financially savvy already) it sounds like your real challenge will be figuring out where you will get fulfilment from in life. Build your relationships and really decide what you want to commit your time, energy, and passion to. Live your life, have some fun, build the house, find a good therapist, go do some studies, etc.

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“The first generation makes it, the second generation spends it, and the third generation blows it.”

It is not just about the wealth it is the psychology. Building wealth via my own means gives me a sense of achievement and progress. I think you are absolutely right to look into getting some kind of coaching and figure out what makes you happy

Warren Buffet gave USD 1M to each of his kids and said no more. His daughter once asked him for 20k to redo their kitchen and he refused

Good luck !

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Sorry, I should have clarified that - it’s a social anxiety so a problem not related to the money topic. Just something that I wanted to talk to with a professional anyways so I thought I cold then also bring up the financial stuff.

Regarding the financial stuff, I don’t really need to talk to people about that, it’s more the “issues” (finding purpose etc) that come in relation to that.

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I just want to say first and foremost, for your age & situation, I find your described actions are really admirable in how sensible you’ve been!

I’ve seen all too many trust fund kids lose their way, in the worst cases end up dying from a drug overdose.
I’m not saying you’re a trust fund kid, but part of your situation is quite similar.

Ouff, if I were to think up some challenging-to-find therapist profile, this would be one of them.
Having some experience with therapists, I found it difficult to even find ones who understood me/clicked with me on more typical problems.
I’d say find a therapist suitable for your anxiety and maybe find an experienced relative or similar that you can trust, to speak with about financial things?

What’s the anxiety about mainly, is it related to the money (losing it) or more a problem with life and its (supposedly lacking) purpose? Remember, being happy is sometimes hard work, even for people who “have everything”.

Definitely consider reducing to 80% as a first step, to learn how to handle more free time. And maybe this will help you to find something inspiring to do? Reducing to 80% won’t raise (m)any eyebrows (friends, colleagues) and allow you to invest more time in a therapy, being there while they build your mom’s house etc.
And if you don’t like it, no problem to go back to 100%, so hardly anything to lose, no?
It definitely sounds like you’ll use the time sensibly.

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Thank you for your response.
Yes, retiring early is not really my goal for now. I enjoy making money and I simply wouldn’t be ready to just quit work at this age. It’s another story if you try to retire at 50 for example, I’d be more comfortable with that.

I don’t think I’ll be able to lose my money if I even tried to. I’m way too frugal to just spend money on unnecessary stuff. I like seeing my money grow and just spend money on things I truly enjoy or are worth it.
Good point on trying to decide where to spend my time. Usually time gets traded for money. As I wouldn’t really have to do that maybe I could also try and spend my time on more fulfilling/helpful jobs to the society. Something I’ll keep in mind for sure.

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I often think about that saying. I’m actually the fourth generation and managing to keep/grow it pretty well. Looking at the other side of the family, the third generation is blowing it as we speak.

A wise man. To be honest I wouldn’t give my kids (if I decide to have some) a ton of money either. Earning money yourself definitely feels better than just getting it out of nowhere. You appreciate it more.
Thank you

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Thank you, I appreciate that.
I think my situation is inherently different as my family (grandparents) have money but they don’t show/spend it. I also wasn’t raised with much money as my mother was the only person raising me and she’s comfortable but by no means wealthy.

Good point in dividing the topics, I think that makes sense. I don’t have any relatives that I want to speak about regarding financial stuff as they don’t seem to appreciate the money and just blow through it.
Probably the best option would be to talk to somebody that also inherited a lot of money at a young age and is now a bit older and made his experiences in that situation. Incredibly difficult to find though.

Sorry, I should have clarified that the anxiety is a different topic. But yes, the money topic is just a “problem” with life (what am I going to do, should I just keep working like normal and stash more money which I don’t really need?). Being happy/content can be difficult, yes.

Reducing to 80% does sound like a good plan. I could use the time to support her for the project (which I already do but more in depth, she works a lot) and figure out my next steps in life.

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About therapists: I haven’t had one specifically for financially related topics but my experience with them is that they mainly got me to figure out what I wanted to do and what I needed to do to get there, as well as providing meaningful encouragement for focusing on myself. Their expertise on the specific topic that constituted my trauma, while useful, wasn’t the most useful thing they brought to me : their expertise in human psychology and on how to guide me was.

There are several kinds of therapists and of therapies, I have had ones with whom I clipped real well and did real progress and others with whom nothing happened. It has never been a magic formula for me: I always left with still a lot of questions, and the healing process as well as moving forward was not finished when I left their care (at a point where I doubted they could provide meaningful assistance to help me move further).

When it comes to therapists, I think it’s important to shop around and find one with whom you feel confident they can help you. For one that would tick that box, there are several who wouldn’t, and I sometimes discovered it only after a few sessions, as opposed to immediately. It’s normal and part of the process : it’s only once you get to experience what working with them really is that you can decide if they can provide you with what you are in need of. You should never be afraid to end the therapy, explaining that you just don’t feel the understanding/kind of connection you need with your therapist and will seek another. They know how it works and will understand.

Not all therapists are covered by mandatory health insurance. Some/many are covered by supplementary insurance (which is worth it in my opinion, but it depends on what you would value in the available policies) and some are not covered at all. I would say that you can afford to cover it yourself, and that time is the ultimate currency, of which we can’t have more of. If it can help you improve the quality of your life, it may not be worth it to wait six months to save a few thousand bucks (in your situation, someone with less assets would be in another situation).

I’d shop for a supplementary insurance I like, see if it is advantageous to take it for what I intend to use it for, then either take it and do what’s required to put therapy on it, or not take it and go to therapy on my dime. You are the only one knowing your true situation, though, so, of course, your own assessment may differ.

Edit: As an added note: you shouldn’t be surprised either if therapy doesn’t bring you anything of value after having tried it. It happens and is fully normal. It may help but there’s no guarantee of results when going through it. “May” is the operative term in the previous sentence: there’s no reason to question ourselves if it doesn’t work for us.

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You could also connect to other Mustachian and organise a meet-up in your city.
I have done it in Geneva and it’s quite fun

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Out of curiosity, do you have a university degree?

Met plenty of people there that were in similar situations… :smiley:

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Yeah, mostly about financial anxiety related to my general anxiety. Not that she gave me any advice financially but she helped me frame my anxieties around money differently.

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Do you like that job and a career in that field?
Growing in a specific area can give you a direction in life and some happiness.

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