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There was another thread on another forum which discussed Fandi's life, and compared it to Ang Peng Siong (former National Swimmer).

Apparently, the gist of it was that Fandi could not easily say "No" to anyone, and this meant all sorts of crazy and deluded business proposals came his way and made him squander all his money on failed business ventures. The article in TODAY also mentioned that he acted as guarantor for 2 business partners who later went bankrupt, meaning he had to shoulder their debts as well. So he tried too hard to "diversify", only to realize so many years later that he should have just stuck to his guns and did what he was good at - soccer!

Of course, it could also be a case of bad money management during his "good" years, as is the case of many celebrities and sportsmen who made a huge pile and then somehow either lost it or squandered it away.

Just my views. (Note: I do like Fandi Ahmad and hope to see him get back on his feet again after all the trials and tribulations).

Mar 13, 2011
me & my money
CFO has investment plan all figured out
IT whizz has developed software for crunching numbers, volatility data
By Lorna Tan, Senior Correspondent

Mr Schuhardt, board director and chief financial officer of online tyre retailer Delticom, started developing software at 13. He used his skills to create a system that crunches figures and data to decide a selling price for each of his investments. The 41-year-old saves 80 per cent of his monthly pay and all of his bonuses. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA

As a teenager, Frank Schuhardt put his interest in computer software to good use by developing and selling software to local businesses.

By the time he was 26 in 1996, he had founded two firms with three friends, with an initial investment of $45,000, marketing derivatives pricing software. Although he is a majority shareholder in one of the two firms, Eller, Reif und Schuhardt, it is now dormant. He sold his stake in the other in 1998.

Mr Schuhardt, 41, is currently the board director and chief financial officer (CFO) of Europe's leading online tyre retailer, Delticom.

Listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in 2006, it has 120 online shops in 39 countries. The German was in Singapore recently to complete a majority stake acquisition in home-grown online tyre retailer Tyrepac.

When it comes to his personal investments, Mr Schuhardt is careful to have an exit strategy for each of them, be it in shares, funds or commodities.

He has used his software skills to develop a system that crunches figures and volatility data to arrive at a selling price for each of his investments. Acting on these specific stop-loss criteria, his broker helps him execute sell transactions when necessary.

Mr Schuhardt graduated from the European Business School in Oestrich-Winkel, Germany, with a degree in business administration in 1996.

He then joined HSBC in Dusseldorf and London as an apprentice trader. When he left HSBC in 2000, he was the head of liquid bond trading.

After that, he became a partner at DVC Deutsche Venture Capital Gesellschaft, Munich, where he was responsible for investments in software and the Internet.

During that time, he also served as a non-executive board member of Delticom till 2005 when he left to run his own software business Eller. He joined Delticom as an employee in 2007.

He is married to insurance adviser Ilka Ruge, 36.

Q: Are you a spender or saver?

I would definitely put myself in the saver category. As a manager, I know that one must have a balanced mix of both traits. Grow, but profitably. I am frugal and not flashy. I save about 80 per cent of my monthly pay and all of my bonuses. My lifestyle does not exert too much pressure on my account balance - a couple of hundred euros a month is enough - not counting those wonderful and sometimes downright silly things that I like to buy for my wife and for our home.

Q: How much do you charge to your credit cards every month?

Like the company I work for, I am debt-free. Delticom, which is listed, has more than 40 million euros (S$70 million) in cash. I have one credit card and one company credit card. I always pay my bills in full. The money is deducted automatically from my bank account. I have never had any debt.

Q: What financial planning have you done for yourself?

I became financially independent about two years ago as my wife and I have accumulated enough savings to live on.

I use the software which I have developed to manage my investment transactions. My investment portfolio may have more than 200 'open' positions, trading in shares, indices, exchange-traded funds, hedge funds, gold bullion, silver and even some bets on the betting exchanges in Britain on certain events such as political outcomes and events.

I invest only in tradeable securities and only in many small lots. I set automatic stops in my investment transactions so my loss will never be higher than 3 per cent of my total investable assets, excluding my Delticom shares. The correlation in the various products I invest in is very low.

I don't have a target return for my portfolio.

For the past seven years, I have consistently achieved above 5 per cent returns each year. Besides, I have cash for a rainy day and other opportunities.

I own several life insurance policies and I have a life cover of about 670,000 euros. I pay annual premiums of 18,000 euros.

Q: Moneywise, what were your growing-up years like?

My father was a manager in a plant that produced industrial goods. My mother was a secretary. I am an only child. We lived in a two-storey house in a small village in the vicinity of Frankfurt.

I started to earn money by developing software in the 1980s when I was 13. I am fortunate to have parents who funded my college and university education. From then on, I have always had nice jobs with great teams and good pay. I have enough money for my loved ones and myself.

Q: How did you get interested in investing?

While studying in the United States during an exchange programme in 1993 and 1994, I got to know the financial markets.

My first job was at HSBC, where I finally ran its fixed income trading business. The trading floor was brimming with investment ideas, and that's where I really got into it.

Q: What property do you own?

I don't like owning houses. I have been travelling for my work and I don't know where I will retire.

My family owns some real estate in Germany. My father died a couple of years ago of cancer. My mother owns two houses - a one-storey and a two-storey - in Frankfurt. She lives in the latter and rents the other out.

The real estate prices in Germany are low - in the low six-digits - as they are not scarcity-driven, with sufficient land and the population decreasing.

If I do buy a house, it will be for my retirement plan, so I don't have to pay rent when I am old.

Q: What's the most extravagant thing you have bought?

Two things come to my mind: A hugely expensive high-end Naim Audio system bought in 1998 and a 1.2-carat diamond heart-and-arrows-cut engagement ring in 2003 for my wife. Both cost about 10,000 euros. I am very happy with both decisions.

Q: What's your retirement plan?

I will like to continue to have a great time with my family and my friends for as long as possible.

Q: Home is now...

I rent a two-bedroom apartment in downtown Hanover. It is approximately 3,200 sq ft.

Q: I drive....

I don't own a car.

lorna@sph.com.sg

Thrifty

'My lifestyle does not exert too much pressure on my account balance - a couple of hundred euros a month is enough - not counting those wonderful and sometimes downright silly things I like to buy for my wife and for our home.'

Mr Frank Schuhardt

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WORST AND BEST BETS

Q: My worst investment to date...

Over the years, I have had so many investments which turned sour that I cannot pinpoint the 'worst' one. Here's an example. Between 2008 and last year, I invested in Twintec, a firm that produces exhaust filters for cars with diesel engines. I bought two lots at 14.36 euros in July 2008 and I sold them at 6.41 euros four months later. In July 2009, I bought two lots of the same counter at 6.9 euros and a few more lots in March last year at 13.25 euros apiece. I sold all the shares at 6.77 euros in November last year. In all, I lost about half of what I invested in the stock.

It hurt because it was something I should not have taken any bets on. I was betting that policymakers would force German car owners to buy such a filter and fit it to their cars. But they didn't.

Q: My best investment to date...

Well, the exception to my 'small lot' investing rule is my shareholding in Delticom, of course. Much of my personal wealth is tied up in Delticom shares. It is my most successful investment to date. I have 9,120 shares and it is trading at about 63 euros apiece currently. I'm a director at Delticom, so I have shares in the firm.

A rather ambitious chap. He wants to buy 10 properties to generate passive income of $40,000? Not bad, a 27-year old driving an Audi A6!

My personal opinion is that it's not a good idea to buy property in 2010, as prices are already sky-high.

Somehow, I feel his love for gems and watches may cost him a lot of money, even while he is getting a 25%-30% return on his business investment since 2003....

Mar 20, 2011
me & my money
Fitness buff maintains healthy bottom line
Young owner of sports supplements business already has a wealth of experience
By Lorna Tan, Senior Correspondent

The entrepreneurial bug bit Mr Barnabas Huang when he was only 14 years old. He borrowed $30,000 from his mother to breed ornamental fish at home.

The venture flopped, losing more than $20,000, but it did not stop his mother from lending him money for his next venture when he was studying at Nanyang Polytechnic in 2003. His mother, who is a sales merchandiser of wine and spirits, lent him $3,800 to buy a sports supplements business, NutriSports, from his then fitness trainer.

A fitness enthusiast and bodybuilder, Mr Huang renamed the business NutriFirst and began learning how to run it. It was tough at first. His former trainer had sold him his inventory of supplements without a customer database, and he had to contend with zero sales in the first six months of his venture.

He invested another $20,000 in the firm - again borrowing from his mother, as well as his sister - to buy more stocks of supplements and create a website.

In 2006, the firm hit $300,000 in sales and $100,000 in assets. The following year, he bought supplements firm ATWSG for $25,000 and merged it with NutriFirst.

Last year, NutriFirst generated $1.6 million in sales and its assets amounted to $500,000. Carrying 30 products under its proprietary brand, the firm now has about 10 staff and 20,000 online customers.

Last year too, he set up fitness portal www.FitnessSutra.com under Royal Wave Media, with an initial investment of $60,000, to market exercise videos.

His investment portfolio also includes two properties that he bought last year - a condo unit in Simsville in Geylang East Avenue, and a commercial unit in Burns Road.

Mr Huang, still a youthful 27, is single and lives with his parents.

Q: Are you a spender or saver?

I spend about 20 per cent of my income and invest 75 per cent, with the balance of 5 per cent saved. I do not believe in just saving, as investment brings in more returns than just putting money aside.

I don't shop unnecessarily. Rather than branded stuff, I prefer to buy diamonds and watches, both of which can potentially appreciate in value. I can also wear them at the same time. I've just started on this by buying a diamond pendant and a Rolex GMT.

Q: How much do you charge to your credit cards every month?

I have three credit cards and I charge an average of $2,500, mainly personal expenses, to them. I pay the bills in full every month. I withdraw about $3,000 each month from the ATM.

Q: What financial planning have you done for yourself?

My investment portfolio comprises mainly my businesses, properties, insurance and savings. My businesses include online supplements provider NutriFirst and exercise and fitness portal FitnessSutra.com.

I have a life cover of $250,000 and a critical illness plan of $100,000. I also have a hospitalisation policy. Every month, I contribute $2,000 to the Central Provident Fund Board for my retirement savings.

I've never invested in stocks as I believe they pose a higher risk and I would need time to do research on them. Neither am I invested in unit trusts which generally achieve less than 10 per cent a year. I want higher returns but at lower risk.

Q: Moneywise, what were your growing-up years like?

I am the youngest in a family of five. My father, now retired, was a clerk-of-work at developer Wing Tai. My mother is still working as a sales merchandiser of wine and spirits. My parents taught us to be thrifty from a young age. We lived in a four-room flat in Serangoon Avenue 4 till I was 14, before moving to a five-room flat in Sengkang.

I recall my parents fighting over money issues when I was younger, and it led to stress within the family. I told myself then that I would not fight over money when I'm married. That's why I'm working hard now to accumulate wealth.

Q: How did you get interested in investing?

I ventured into ornamental fish breeding when I was about 14, selling fish from my parents' flat. I invested about $30,000 of my mother's savings in fishes like luohan, discus and betta. I was a runner-up in a discus competition in 2002. Though I lost more than $20,000 two years later, I was determined to be the best in whatever I did.

I'm also inspired by my uncle Philip Ng, who used to run electrical works business Jiade. I worked at his firm during my secondary school holidays.

Q: What property do you own?

Last year I bought two properties. In June, I bought a 980 sq ft 99-year leasehold condo at Simsville in Geylang East Avenue for $720,000. It is worth more than $850,000 now.

In December, I bought a 775 sq ft commercial unit at Trivex, Burn Road, for $418,000. It is located near Tai Seng MRT station. I'm looking at a rental yield of 6 to 8 per cent a year. With the savings, I plan to buy another property.

I prefer properties that are near the MRT so that I can do away with using the car.

Q: What's the most extravagant thing you have bought?

A 4.8-carat diamond cross pendant which cost me about $10,000. I bought it from Lee Hwa Jewellery in 2009. I have a strong liking for gems.

Q: What's your retirement plan?

An amount ranging from $4,000 to $5,000 a month in today's value should be sufficient for a comfortable life when I retire.

I plan to buy at least 10 apartments and rent them out for a passive income of $40,000 or more.

I also want to train new blood to manage or create business ventures as well as invest in other small profitable businesses.

Q: Home is now...

My condo at Simsville.

Q: I drive...

A black Audi A6 2.4 auto.

lorna@sph.com.sg

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WORST AND BEST BETS

Q: What has been your worst investment to date?

I set up Royal Wave Media, which hosts online portal FitnessSutra.com, last year with an initial investment of $60,000. It is still in the red and I'm trying to grow the customer database.

Q: And your best investment?

It will be my investment in NutriFirst, an online store selling health supplements which I set up in 2003. I've invested about $100,000 to date and it has achieved 25 to 30 per cent return on investment per annum. My target is for the firm to achieve assets of $5 million over sales of $20 million to $30 million within five years.

Should focus more on the hard work the entrepreneur put in........

aspial boss koh wee seng should be pleasantly pleased with his purchase of 4.8-carat diamond cross pendant from lee hwa jellewery

(20-03-2011, 12:06 PM)newborn1000 Wrote: [ -> ]Should focus more on the hard work the entrepreneur put in........

Actually, I probably forgot to mention it but I really do admire his entrepreneurial spirit which started when he was so young. Kudos to him for that!

My point was more on the spending aspect - no matter how good a businessman you are, if you have a weakness or penchant for expensive goods like luxury watches and gems, it may be hard to stay rich....

30K to Play during Poly 2003, the family seems quite well off.
Higher probability someone is guiding or urging him to try early.

There are people who starts from grounds up with much poorer background and succeed.
This is more special.


Cory

(20-03-2011, 06:15 AM)Musicwhiz Wrote: [ -> ]A rather ambitious chap. He wants to buy 10 properties to generate passive income of $40,000? Not bad, a 27-year old driving an Audi A6!

My personal opinion is that it's not a good idea to buy property in 2010, as prices are already sky-high.

Ignore dat 27 yrs old guy ambition, too early to tell... I am thinking on MW's remark above.....

Will ppty prices correct? but i can be very sure 5th cooling measure will be out immediately after GE...this time increase pro-tax, anything dat MBT can think of to make more money for Temasick & GIC to loose.

But Japanese might be printing more money to re-built their damaged infrastructures...High inflation, high cost of living, high evil servant salary..of cos high Land price and ultra low interest is the root cause.

My data revealed dat after 2013 abundant of projects on TOP list, hehe including my new launch bot last year too.... However, if liquidity still flooding the market (i.e. print $ like no tomolo) then situation might be different....let see after GE

Learnt 2 new words today, temasick & evil servant. Very apt and very nice....

Onto the 27 year old kid who had some success. While his youth is and entrepreneurial spirit deserves the thumbs up, I do not see anything impressive yet. A firm generating 1.6M with 10 staff is nothing to shout about, in fact, it is quite worrying. You take the cost of goods, distribution expenses, staff salary and other overheads, it may make very little or no money. The total cost of the set-up is 100K and the ROI at 20% is not really something to shout about, but it is a good start nevertheless.

John Paulson makes a better read. Intellectually more stimulating.
I'll post in a new thread.

(20-03-2011, 06:15 AM)Musicwhiz Wrote: [ -> ]A rather ambitious chap. He wants to buy 10 properties to generate passive income of $40,000? Not bad, a 27-year old driving an Audi A6!

My personal opinion is that it's not a good idea to buy property in 2010, as prices are already sky-high.

Somehow, I feel his love for gems and watches may cost him a lot of money, even while he is getting a 25%-30% return on his business investment since 2003....

Mar 20, 2011
me & my money
Fitness buff maintains healthy bottom line
Young owner of sports supplements business already has a wealth of experience
By Lorna Tan, Senior Correspondent


Last year, NutriFirst generated $1.6 million in sales and its assets amounted to $500,000. Carrying 30 products under its proprietary brand, the firm now has about 10 staff and 20,000 online customers.

Last year too, he set up fitness portal www.FitnessSutra.com under Royal Wave Media, with an initial investment of $60,000, to market exercise videos.



It will be my investment in NutriFirst, an online store selling health supplements which I set up in 2003. I've invested about $100,000 to date and it has achieved 25 to 30 per cent return on investment per annum. My target is for the firm to achieve assets of $5 million over sales of $20 million to $30 million within five years.

How come this guy only mention sales and assets as targets? Normally pple give sales and profit targets...giving asset targets seems quite weird and meaningless...