I am not an expert in investing or finance. Until my mid-thirties, I had little interest outside my own field. Whenever friends talked about investments or recommended stocks, I would buy some shares, smile at a 10% gain, and shed tears over a 50% loss—just an ordinary small investor. But as I approach my forties and became a father, my perspective began to change. I realized that being devoted to my profession could set a powerful example for my family, especially my child. I decided to focus on my main work while spending most of my time with my family. At the same time, I needed a way to prepare for the future without constantly sacrificing my time. By chance, I came across the paper by Brinson, Hood, and Beebower, which showed that 91.5% of portfolio performance variation comes from asset allocation. From that moment, I studied only asset allocation and became convinced that it is a way to achieve stable returns with minimal time involvement.
This blog was born to record my journey of enduring life’s uncertainties through the solid framework of “asset allocation,” turning the slow passage of time into an ally through consistency. It will not chase flashy stock picks; rather, it will focus on designing a blueprint that aligns life goals with risk tolerance while lowering the noise of the market. I hope to share perspectives and data with each reader and grow together.
# Why now, and why asset allocation?
The heavier the weight of life and work becomes, the more I believe that managing money should move away from emotion and closer to principles. Asset allocation resembles evidence-based decision-making in medicine—it prioritizes long-term survival over short-term predictions. Here, I hope to refine the habit of focusing first on risk metrics such as volatility, drawdowns, and recovery times rather than chasing returns.
# The goal: A stable retirement
The ultimate goal of this blog is simple: “A stable retirement.”
The approach is also simple—record, verify, and improve.
A once-a-year rebalancing, long-term diversification centered on U.S.-listed ETFs, and disciplined cash flow management form the foundation.
# Content direction
- Principles: Analyzing the philosophy of timeless strategies like the 60/40 portfolio and the Permanent Portfolio, along with new methods.
- Practice: Backtesting and evaluating performance using real ETF combinations such as SPY and TLT.
- Expansion: Exploring diversification performance across broader markets and alternative assets.
# How to grow together
I am not an expert, and my writing will surely have shortcomings. Critical feedback and questions are always welcome. I believe they help me grow. Mistakes often teach more than successes, so I’m happy to share failed investment patterns too. In the future, I plan to develop a backtesting tool, though as a non–programming expert, I’m not sure how long it will take.
# A study book for my children
This blog aims to become a “working textbook” that my future children can read and apply directly. I want to leave behind practical materials that may help them when they begin their economic lives. Numbers and rules reduce the space for luck and emotion to interfere—that’s the message I wish to pass on.
# Humility in knowledge, confidence in systems
I will reduce my conviction about the market and build trust in my system instead. Rather than trying to predict the macro environment, I will keep to my risk budget and rebalancing schedule. I believe that calm discipline determines most of long-term performance.
# Lastly, a promise
Here, I will have the courage to say “I don’t know” and claim nothing beyond what I truly understand. I will not deviate from the three principles of diversification, consistency, and low cost over the long term.
With this first writing, I begin the journey where small records of today will grow into lasting peace tomorrow.
