2017 07 20 17.52.48

Last week, I had the privilege to attend a 7-day training program in Johor to learn from Bill Allen, David Neenan, and the legendary Marshall Thurber.

It was a great time making new friends, learning (so many amazing individuals here!), and reflecting on turning 31 (on the first day of the course) this year.

Last year was an eventful year for me, in which I continued to grow my training business, bought a new house, and invested in 10+ new businesses.

Key Business Lessons from Marshall Thurber

During the 7 days, I also read these 3 books during my free time (in between the eating/drinking/massage sessions), which further gave me insights and clarity on how to build network by following sound business principles and sticking to my integrity. I am looking forward to many new exciting projects coming up soon.

  • Dotcom Secrets – By Russell Brunson
  • Expert Secrets – By Russell Brunson
  • No Excuses – By David Neenan & Eric Lucas

Key Business Lessons from Marshall Thurber 2

Here is a summary of some of the key learning points from the course and the books:

  • How to position yourself as an expert in your field
  • How to develop sales funnels and build a strong “CULT-ure”
  • The story of the sea quirt – don’t stop learning!
  • Claiming responsibility gives us power over our lives.
  • Moments of hardship and difficulty are the times when we strengthen the muscle of responsibility. Only through challenge do we grow.
  • 4 options when you hit the wall: change yourself, change the system, get out, suffer.
  • When you are perturbed and aware, it means that an opportunity for a breakthrough may be at hand.
  • “Most of the best things that ever came my way seemed, at first, as if they might be the worst.”
  • Simply acquiring information is not learning – knowing vs. doing
  • Luck is what happens when preparation meets action.
  • Mistakes = great learning moments
  • A lateral thought is an innovation that takes an entirely new tack to solving a problem.
  • Lateral thought > Niche (Lag) > Leverage > Value
  • Commodity > Product > Service > Experience > Transformational offer
  • “Emergence by Emergency” – Bucky
  • Do you allow others to love and support you? support vs. propping up.
  • Values are the ideas that guide all your actions. Abundance is an attitude that shapes your reality.
  • What legacy do you want to create for this world?
  • Speed learning – learning is not time dependent, and once you get it, you get it.
  • Leadership – being able to make good predictions.
  • Hero vs. Victim mentality
  • The power of priming
  • The importance of a good network – strong connections & weak ties
  • Communication is the response I get
  • Interesting vs. Interested
  • The importance of “Essence” and “Emotions” – Go Hydra! 😀
  • Cyclical vs. Structural change
  • 2 most important things: time & attention
  • Clarity is power!
  • The law of Abundance – Sharing is having more!!! Cooperation vs. Competition.
  • “Financial freedom is having enough” – when is enough for you?
  • How to use leverage to amplify your resources
  • Ephemeralization – doing more with less
  • What business are you really in? (Hint: same for all biz)
  • Sometimes you need to slow down to get there faster
  • All decision are driven by emotions – get to the heart of the matter
  • DyVal = Quality/Investment
  • Request > Suggest > Surprise & Delight
  • The concept of Precession – always keep moving!
  • Theory > Method > Tools > Metrics
  • Network Science – how to build strong networks
  • What do you want to do in life once you have enough money?
  • Dissipative structures and Perturbation
  • How to deliver powerful presentations – the “Essence”
  • The concept of Entrainment
  • Mastery is to simplify the complex
  • Values vs. Policy – United Airlines case study
  • Client vs. Customers – how to attract more missionaries
  • Lemonade stand game – Revision of GAAP vs. IFRS accounting standards

 

Here are more photos of the event:

Photo with Bill and David, all business superstars. ? #7daysbizschool #futureofbusiness

A post shared by Spencer Li ?? Synapse Trading (@iamrecneps) on

Photo with the legend himself! #marshallthurber #futureofbusiness #futureofbusinessasia

A post shared by Spencer Li ?? Synapse Trading (@iamrecneps) on

Once again, a big thank you to all participants and organisers, and for those who are keen to join next year, please drop me whatsapp/email and I will link you up with the organisers for next year’s event.

Cheers! 😀

 

thumbnail an unofficial guide to living our best life beyond financial freedom

If you are excited to get more life hacks, also check out: “Beyond Financial Freedom: An Unofficial Guide to Living Your Best Life”

2017 06 16 14.54.02 1

Last week, we had some pretty decent trades in, netting close to US$2,000 in profits for a handful of quick trades, riding on the strength of the USD after the FOMC.


An Exciting Week of Trades

An Exciting Week of Trades 2

An Exciting Week of Trades 3

 

Also took the chance to check out my new house:

 

For those who are keen to join our private network for timely trade calls, you can reserve your spot here, but do so early, as we only allow 20 new people to join each quarter!
Register: https://synapsetrading.com/the-synapse-program/

TMP 2017 Q2

Last week, we concluded another exciting run of our “Trading Mastery Program”, where we imparted our powerful “lifestyle trading” strategies to empower another batch of traders to create a 2nd source of income from the forex markets by spending 15 minutes a day.

I will be taking a long break from training, so we will not be having anymore “Trading Foundation Workshops”, but I have scheduled another 2 more sessions this year to clear our waiting lists for the “Trading Mastery Program”.

We will also be opening a few seats to the public for each session, on a first-come, first-serve basis. for those who are keen, you can reserve your slot via this link: http://wp.me/P1riws-31L

 

Training Feedback from Attendees:

“Very informative. The feedback from the homework submission is very helpful as it helps to confirm the concept & understanding. The concepts are broken down into simple parts, easily understandable with great support.” – Clemence Wang

“I’m very new to trading and this training gave me a lot of important insights & strategies to become a good trader.” – Larry Tan

“I feel that the course provided a clear and proven methodology to trade effectively. The tools provided are also very supportive.” – Janie, AXA

“The concepts taught by Spencer are easy to follow!” – Jiawei

Very informative and interactive training conducted in a right pace.” – Eugene Chng

Awesome course and wonderful post-course support even before the course ends.” – Eddy

Excellent training.” – Quek Boon Kiat

“A very complete training program that give a good coverage on trading and practical setups that are easy to understand and apply. The mindset portion is very important to ensure that we are profitable in the long term. Thank you.” – Alan

“The training was very well-done. The flow in the course is good, and very informative and detailed with a good overview of the entire market. The ending with mindset and psychology summarized it nicely. The case studies were also very useful in allowing us to apply the principles involved.” – Sherilyn Tan

“Good program structure, clear flow of progress on how to become a good trade, deep learning with a top-down approach.” – Nguyen Son Tung

Systematic and methodical.” – Wei Ming

“The course is conducted well. Able to see charts with different perspective and understand the behavior of the market and apply the correct method.” – CW Tay

“Having being a complete newbie to trading, Spencer’s course resources have made it easy for me to understand.” – Jaxon

“The program is systematic and provides good fundamental knowledge for traders who aspire to be profitable.” – Min Lun

“The concepts taught by Spencer are easy to understand.” – Gary

“A comprehensive workshop that gives insights to trading. The money management strategy is very good advice.” – Richard Ching, Nanyang Polytechnic

 

Register Early to Avoid Disappointment!

We will also be opening a few seats to the public for each session, on a first-come, first-serve basis. for those who are keen, you can reserve your slot via this link: http://wp.me/P1riws-31L

Good luck to all the new “future millionaires”, and see you all at the top! 😀

straits times index sti 140517

 

It has been a while since my last update on the Singapore markets (as well as my SG portfolio holdings), largely because the market doesn’t move much, so I only check on them once in a while.

Interestingly, I noticed that the STI has had an impressive run, coming off a low of 25xx to break past the 3000 level in the past few months. However, is this move sustainable?

Full Portfolio of Singapore Stocks

Taking a closer look at this weekly chart which shows the historical prices over the last 20 years or so, one thing which stands out is that the market has been in a 7 YEAR sideways stagnation.

If we look back at the whole history of the index, this is somewhat unprecedented.

Which could explain why popularity in this market (as well as trading volumes) has been waning. In short, it does seem like a dying market.

Not to mention that during this same time period, the US stock markets have been steadily creeping up.

If we look at the most recent red shaded circle, that is where the current price is, and it seems to be running into massive headwinds. This means that the potential upside could be quite limited.

If we observe the large sideways range that prices have been moving in, the price is now at the top of the range. And we know that the best strategy in a range is to “buy low, sell high”, which means that the odds do not favour much more upside, unless there is some new strong positive price catalyst.

However, a cursory glance at recent news headlines seems to be painting a rather gloomy picture, with muted growth forecasts and ominous employment statistics. This tell me that downside catalysts are more likely that upside ones. In other words, there is more chance of a negative shock rather than a positive shock for prices.

In light of all these factors, I am planning to cash out most or all of my profits, and wait for more favourable odds to redeploy my capital. As a trader and investor, timing is always key.

Good luck, and trade wisely! 😀

22 Miami holy ship beach party. Photo by stellaperformanceusa.com

Recently, I came across an interesting report by Wealth-X, which conducts research about the ultra-wealthy. In this report, they revealed the hobbies, interest and passions of the world’s richest people, and some are actually very different from what we think them to be.

The top 5 hobbies are as follows:

1. Philanthropy

It’s surprising that philanthropy features top in the list of hobbies of billionaires. While giving by the rich is often ridiculed by others (“Probably giving because they feel bad”), giving is a financial discipline that keeps the rich rich, and the not-so-rich to be on the right path to success.

Some ways to give your money:

Give regularly to a cause you believe in.

There are some people who frown upon giving to the poor just because they are poor, or perhaps you don’t have a very good perception toward charity. If that’s the case, find a cause that you believe in, and give regularly to it. Some causes that are worth giving to include humanitarian aid, sponsoring budding artists, supporting the elderly in society, giving to children’s education (or even a partial scholarship).

 

Give regularly to a cause you believe in

Giving is good for the heart.

The act of giving brings a healthy sense of awareness of where your finances come from; the more you serve and give, the more likely it is that people treat you with respect and have a positive attitude towards you, and your business grows.

Give physical gifts instead of financial gifts.

Some charities allow people to give physical goods instead of money. Doing your research, getting the right contacts, and finding a cause you believe in (and a sustainable one too!) requires patience and some hard work on your part, but it’s a worthy exercise. Although I personally give regularly to several charities, I do not like to publicise it.

 

2. Travel

Rich people travel because… simply because they can afford it. If you do have the spare cash, it makes sense to start travelling while you are on your way to financial success. This keeps you motivated, and you can always upgrade your holidays when your financial stability improves.

But the real challenge for most people is not just the money, but also the time. Given the nature of my job (trading), I have become the go-to person whenever any of my friends want to travel, and over the past few years I have travelled to 50+ countries while still making passive income along the way.

 

Christmas tree + Cape Town Flyer + National Geographic photo frame ???? #Christmas #southafrica #capetown

A post shared by Spencer Li ?? Synapse Trading (@iamrecneps) on

 

3. Art

Art is something that really enriches the soul, and adds flavour to life. And there is a wide range of selection to choose from, ranging from a few thousand to rare pieces that go into millions.

Art

 

Personally, I have taken an interest in this after hunting for some pieces for my new house.

4. Fashion

I’m not much into the fashion scene, but the ultra-rich truly enjoy obtaining unique pieces of clothing.

Bespoke, boutique, and customized clothing are the rage for the ultra-rich.

While I don’t really splurge on costly apparel, I do recommend spending good money on key essentials, like a pair of decent dress shoes for men, or any other piece of clothing that you find to be something you want to pull out once in a while.

I also find that it’s a waste of money to spend on cheap clothing; it’s far more cost-effective to buy quality, reasonably priced products that can last you 5-10 years, than to buy-and-throw most of your wardrobe.

That said, I do enjoy the occasional indulgence, from quality brands like Mont Blanc, Paul Smith, AP, etc 😀

 

5. Politics

When people mention the word “rich” and “politics” together, Donald Trump is the first thing that comes to mind. Other people like Henry Ross Perot, Mitt Romney and Ronald Lauder are also rich people who forayed into the political scene, but with limited success.

 

What are your hobbies?

At end of the day, your hobbies and passion are activities that bring additional job and add colour to your life, so pick something that is fun, meaningful, and something within your means. (Not all hobbies have to be ridiculously expensive.)

On a personal note, my hobbies include hitting a gym (with my trainer), tennis (with my coach), yoga (private noob level class), reading (2-3 books a week), and not forgetting trading (15 mins a day). Oh, and travelling as well. I aim for 2-3 new countries each year. 😀

 

thumbnail an unofficial guide to living our best life beyond financial freedom

If you are excited to get more life hacks, also check out: “Beyond Financial Freedom: An Unofficial Guide to Living Your Best Life”