大咖福利影院

What you say is very true - I was at a crossroads in life when it was time to re-enlist in the Army, I wasn't happy with where the Army was going - circa 1989, race wars in barracks, slovenly soldiers/Sergeants etc etc.聽 I walked into a 'saloon' in outside Ft Huachuca, Arizona, bartender served my beer, and a guy at then end said "Man, you look like you just lost your best friend"聽 聽I said "Well, it's time to re-enlist and I think I'll just get out, after 12 years"聽 He said "Boy, I won't tell you what to do, but I am retired US Army, 68 years old, no family, live in a small ranch style house, but you know??聽 No one has to pay my rent for me, I have retirement check for life"聽 聽I mulled that over and decided to re-up, best decision I ever made.聽 聽That paved my way for retirement at 40 years old, another career, and another retirement, then at 66 Social Security........I am set for life.聽 I am now what they call a "Triple Dipper" 3 Government retirement annuities, and I earned every one of them.聽 聽 聽peace

@PhuNinhTim

That鈥檚 a great story 鈥� and a powerful reminder of how one moment, one conversation, can shape the rest of your life.

What stands out is not just the decision itself, but the timing. You were at a genuine crossroads, and you paused long enough to think it through rather than reacting to what was happening around you at the time. A lot of people walk away in those moments and only realise the long-term impact years later.

Your point about security also lands well. Having that base income for life gives you options 鈥� not just financially, but in how you choose to live and work afterwards. It鈥檚 something many expats don鈥檛 fully appreciate until much later, especially those who step away from structured systems without putting something else in place.

鈥淭riple dipper鈥� made me smile 鈥� but behind that is decades of discipline and sticking with a path when it would have been easier not to.

Appreciate you sharing that 鈥� exactly the kind of perspective people benefit from hearing.

I鈥檒l be honest 鈥� when I first looked at markets, savings, investing鈥� it all just felt like noise.

Charts moving up and down. Headlines changing every day. Everyone sounding like they knew what was coming next.

I didn鈥檛 feel confident in it at all.

But I did have a sense that it was important.

Looking back, that instinct was right.

You don鈥檛 need to understand everything at the start.

You just need to recognise it matters and begin, even in a small way.

Just putting something aside regularly and leaving it alone can make a real difference over time.

Clarity comes later. Confidence comes with time.

Just a thought from experience.

I鈥檒l be honest 鈥� when I first looked at markets, savings, investing鈥� it all just felt like noise.
Charts moving up and down. Headlines changing every day. Everyone sounding like they knew what was coming next.

I didn鈥檛 feel confident in it at all.

But I did have a sense that it was important.

Looking back, that instinct was right.

You don鈥檛 need to understand everything at the start.

You just need to recognise it matters and begin, even in a small way.

Just putting something aside regularly and leaving it alone can make a real difference over time.

Clarity comes later. Confidence comes with time.

Just a thought from experience. - @bhspence

Hey Brian,

Glad to see you are still active in Hanoi.

I always appreciated your many kindnesses shown to me when we first met in September, 2018.

I finally got my financial house in order when I married a wonderful Vietnamese woman with whom I share common purpose in life.

First I focused on paying off about $50,000 in residual debt.

Then a little over a year ago I started actively using the investor portion of my Charles Schwab account.

It's amazing how much a man can put aside each month when he's married to a thrifty Vietnamese woman and they share the same financial goals.

I've not only put aside a good chunk of change, much of it in equities, but my credit scores are now in the 800+ range, a hugely from barely hanging on to 600 scores 7 1/2 years ago.

We were in Hanoi a couple of weeks ago for a VFW reception and I wish I had thought to reach out to you.

But I just checked my WhatsApp and I don't see you connected on there anymore.

Next time you are in 膼脿 N岷祅g, Maybe we can connect?

Meanwhile, anyone needing financial guidance here in Vietnam might well consider sending you a private message.

Cheers!

.

I鈥檒l be honest 鈥� when I first looked at markets, savings, investing鈥� it all just felt like noise.

Charts moving up and down. Headlines changing every day. Everyone sounding like they knew what was coming next.

I didn鈥檛 feel confident in it at all.

But I did have a sense that it was important.

Looking back, that instinct was right.

You don鈥檛 need to understand everything at the start.

You just need to recognise it matters and begin, even in a small way.

Just putting something aside regularly and leaving it alone can make a real difference over time.

Clarity comes later. Confidence comes with time.

Just a thought from experience.

- @bhspence

Hey Brian,

Glad to see you are still active in Hanoi.

I always appreciated your many kindnesses shown to me when we first met in September, 2018.

I finally got my financial house in order when I married a wonderful Vietnamese woman with whom I share common purpose in life.

First I focused on paying off about $50,000 in residual debt.

Then a little over a year ago I started actively using the investor portion of my Charles Schwab account.

It's amazing how much a man can put aside each month when he's married to a thrifty Vietnamese woman and they share the same financial goals.

I've not only put aside a good chunk of change, much of it in equities, but my credit scores are now in the 800+ range, a hugely from barely hanging on to 600 scores 7 1/2 years ago.

We were in Hanoi a couple of weeks ago for a VFW reception and I wish I had thought to reach out to you.

But I just checked my WhatsApp and I don't see you connected on there anymore.

Next time you are in 膼脿 N岷祅g, Maybe we can connect?

Meanwhile, anyone needing financial guidance here in Vietnam might well consider sending you a private message.

Cheers!

O.B.

Like

@OceanBeach92107

Hi O.B.,

Great to hear from you 鈥� and thank you, I really appreciate your message.

It sounds like you鈥檝e done exactly what most people struggle to do 鈥� you鈥檝e brought structure, discipline, and shared purpose into your finances. Clearing the debt first, then building steadily鈥� that鈥檚 a strong foundation.

And I have to say, having the right partner alongside you makes a huge difference. Alignment on spending and saving is often the part that doesn鈥檛 get talked about enough, but it鈥檚 where a lot of long-term success comes from.

That move from 600 to 800+ is no small achievement either 鈥� that tells its own story.

I鈥檓 glad things are going well your side. Shame we missed each other in Hanoi, but yes, next time I鈥檓 in 膼脿 N岷祅g it would be good to catch up.

And thank you as well for the kind mention at the end 鈥� much appreciated.

Stay in touch.

Sincerely

Brian

I鈥檒l be honest 鈥� when I first looked at markets, savings, investing鈥� it all just felt like noise.
Charts moving up and down. Headlines changing every day. Everyone sounding like they knew what was coming next.

I didn鈥檛 feel confident in it at all.

But I did have a sense that it was important.

Looking back, that instinct was right.

You don鈥檛 need to understand everything at the start.

You just need to recognise it matters and begin, even in a small way.

Just putting something aside regularly and leaving it alone can make a real difference over time.

Clarity comes later. Confidence comes with time.

Just a thought from experience. - @bhspence

@bhspence, At age 35, I had "negative savings." By that I mean I owed more money than I had.

At 39 I got my first job (in the USA) that had a pension, health insurance, and the opportunity and incentive (matching contributions from the employer) to contribute to a 403(b) account: setting aside money "before taxes". I made an effort to set aside 10% - 15% of my income. I still had a lot of debt: student loans, car loans -- the usual baggage of an undisciplined American, I'd say.

I signed up for a retirement planning session in a local school district's evening adult education class. I was by this time 43 years old. On the first day of class, the teacher said, most of you are here today because you became aware of the fact that you have more "yesterdays than tomorrows." Yup. That was me.

Eventually, I got connected with a "fee-only" financial planner. He told me to write down every day, every penny I spent for three months. He looked over my stuff and said, refinance your mortgage because you have more than $100,000 in equity. Take some of that equity and pay off all your debts except for the mortgage. Your house payment will be less because you can get a lower interest rate now. After you pay off your debts, always pay off your credit card bill every month.

In the one year after doing all he said, I had $21,000 in the bank savings account and had also continued to put 10% - 15% of every paycheck into the IRA/403(b) accounts. I always pay off my credit card every month and my credit score has been over 800 for two decades. I have bought (and sold) three cars since then, paying cash for them all.

It is a weirdly obvious truism, but here it is: *one can only do "financial planning" with the money one doesn't spend!* If I spend all the money I take in in a month, there's nothing to "plan" with. So, even today, with my Social Security, my pensions from two sources, and the ROI (return on investment), I am retired very happily in Vietnam with a Vietnamese spouse, and I don't spend all the money that comes in every month -- I'm still growing my accounts.

I couldn't be happier with the financial place I'm in due to about 25 years of taking expert advice on *what do do* financially, planned and executed.

And I also want to recognize OceanBeach92017 for his many kindnesses, posts, helpfulness and all-around sane observations and assistance. We're lucky to have him here.

That鈥檚 a great example 鈥� thank you for sharing it so openly.

A couple of things really stand out.

The turning point wasn鈥檛 a complex investment strategy 鈥� it was getting control of spending and creating a surplus. Everything else followed from that.

And you took advice and acted on it. That鈥檚 often the difference. Many people hear good advice, but don鈥檛 implement it.

Your point is exactly right 鈥� financial planning only really begins with the money that isn鈥檛 spent.

What鈥檚 encouraging for others reading this is that you didn鈥檛 start early. You started in your 40s, with debt, and still built a strong position over time.

That鈥檚 a useful reminder 鈥� it鈥檚 rarely too late to begin, but starting does matter.

For anyone reading this and recognising a bit of themselves in your earlier situation, even a simple conversation can help bring some clarity on where to start.

Thanks again for sharing your experience 鈥� it鈥檚 exactly the kind of perspective that helps others take that first step.

When I arrived in Hanoi a decade ago at sixty three, I thought I had it sorted.

Thirty five years in financial services. Sold a business. Had a plan.

What nobody told me 鈥� and what I couldn't have told myself 鈥� was that five to ten years is the minimum before Vietnam takes you seriously.

I found that out the hard way.

First two years were just relationship building. Networking. Long lunches. Not much money coming in. Just Dunkirk spirit and staying put.

Then COVID hit.

Everything changed overnight. Expats went home. Businesses shut. Everything I'd built needed rethinking.

At sixty three that felt manageable. At seventy three looking back, I wonder sometimes if I would have come at all, had someone sat me down and told me the truth upfront...

But I didn't know. So I stayed. And I kept going.

I'm not sure that's a success story. I think it's just an honest one.

What would your "If I knew then" moment be? I'd like to hear from you 鈥� drop a comment or send me a message.

@brianhspence

Sorry Brian, but we'll have to keep only one thread and members should have only one account/username to avoid any confusion.

I closed the other thread and I invite you to contact me in private by clicking on my photo > send a message. I would like to know which username/account you'll like to keep active.

The link to the active discussion : /en/forum/asia/vie 鈥� w-now.html

Regards

Bhavna

That鈥檚 a great example 鈥� thank you for sharing it so openly.

A couple of things really stand out.

The turning point wasn鈥檛 a complex investment strategy 鈥� it was getting control of spending and creating a surplus. Everything else followed from that.

And you took advice and acted on it. That鈥檚 often the difference. Many people hear good advice, but don鈥檛 implement it.

Your point is exactly right 鈥� financial planning only really begins with the money that isn鈥檛 spent.

What鈥檚 encouraging for others reading this is that you didn鈥檛 start early. You started in your 40s, with debt, and still built a strong position over time.

That鈥檚 a useful reminder 鈥� it鈥檚 rarely too late to begin, but starting does matter.

For anyone reading this and recognising a bit of themselves in your earlier situation, even a simple conversation can help bring some clarity on where to start.

Thanks again for sharing your experience 鈥� it鈥檚 exactly the kind of perspective that helps others take that first step.

MAybe there are two kinds of people-

Those who can delay gratification now for a future reward.

Those whose interests are more immediate.

I was in the first category, always debt-free and a saver but didint know how investing worked... and didint know anyone to ask. So I basically started with C-Ds then it was suggested I talk to my bank -Investment rep. I took his advise but it seemed I could make more money in just a few hours of work than what that produced.

Next I went to a managment company "The mutual fund store" which I used for a number of years.

I was selfemployed and basically when I did my taxes I would put money in an Fund to bring down my taxes. This accumulated to 100K but the fees would reduce my growth.

Then later, I heard of a Schwab ROBO account where your funds are managed by a computer, I thought I would put some in there and compare it with the other managment acc.

I聽 really lacked the interest and confidence to try to "play the market" but then I stumbled across a guy doing an interveiw on Youtube about his book "SIMPLE PATH TO WEATH."

I was really interested in his simple method. His basic concept was two investments VTSAX (VTI) and a similar total bond market fund.

I moved money from the paid managment to Vanguard where the fees are miniscule.

With the swab ROBO acount I moved from that to the two fund approach as well.

I have been using that method for about 7 years and now my problem is -it has grown so much, That now I have the problem of how to distribute it to my kids either before or after I pass in the best way.

As other have said, the biggest thing is to get started. I delayed for years worried I would make a mistake and lost valueble time.

In one of Warren Buffets interviews he was asked about his estate and he said he would have it go in the S&P 500, which is the plan I am doing.

If you want to look into this concept, just listen to JL Collins doing one of a number of interviews on his "Simple path to wealth."聽 聽I never even bought the book, in fact he has said, everything in the book is on his free blog.

I should add, I have other sources of monthly income, I am not really counting on my investments, so of course investments that perform well, *will have big swings,*聽 if you are at retirement age, you need to consider risk more than I do.

MAybe there are two kinds of people-Those who can delay gratification now for a future reward.Those whose interests are more immediate.I was in the first category, always debt-free and a saver but didint know how investing worked... and didint know anyone to ask. So I basically started with C-Ds then it was suggested I talk to my bank -Investment rep. I took his advise but it seemed I could make more money in just a few hours of work than what that produced. Next I went to a managment company "The mutual fund store" which I used for a number of years.I was selfemployed and basically when I did my taxes I would put money in an Fund to bring down my taxes. This accumulated to 100K but the fees would reduce my growth.Then later, I heard of a Schwab ROBO account where your funds are managed by a computer, I thought I would put some in there and compare it with the other managment acc. I really lacked the interest and confidence to try to "play the market" but then I stumbled across a guy doing an interveiw on Youtube about his book "SIMPLE PATH TO WEATH."I was really interested in his simple method. His basic concept was two investments VTSAX (VTI) and a similar total bond market fund. I moved money from the paid managment to Vanguard where the fees are miniscule. With the swab ROBO acount I moved from that to the two fund approach as well.I have been using that method for about 7 years and now my problem is -it has grown so much, That now I have the problem of how to distribute it to my kids either before or after I pass in the best way.As other have said, the biggest thing is to get started. I delayed for years worried I would make a mistake and lost valueble time. In one of Warren Buffets interviews he was asked about his estate and he said he would have it go in the S&P 500, which is the plan I am doing. If you want to look into this concept, just listen to JL Collins doing one of a number of interviews on his "Simple path to wealth." I never even bought the book, in fact he has said, everything in the book is on his free blog.I should add, I have other sources of monthly income, I am not really counting on my investments, so of course investments that perform well, *will have big swings,* if you are at retirement age, you need to consider risk more than I do. - @Dannyroc3

In the bookstore, I saw the title, SIMPLE GUIDE TO GOOD SPELING, and gave it a pass. 馃し鈥嶁檪锔忦煠�

@Dannyroc3

That鈥檚 a great reflection 鈥� and I think you鈥檝e hit on something important.

Most people don鈥檛 start with a clear plan. They move through exactly what you described 鈥� bank advice, managed funds, trying different approaches, and eventually settling on something simple that makes sense to them.

Your point on fees is a big one as well. It鈥檚 not always obvious at the start, but over time it makes a real difference.

I鈥檓 a big fan of Warren Buffett, and I often share one of his comments with clients during the early conversations. When asked how his own estate should be invested, his answer was very straightforward 鈥� a low-cost S&P 500 approach. That simplicity says a lot.

And you鈥檙e right 鈥� getting started is the key.

I see a lot of people delay for years because they鈥檙e worried about getting it wrong. In reality, starting imperfectly is far better than not starting at all.

Interesting as well that your challenge now is how to pass it on 鈥� that鈥檚 a different phase entirely, and one that needs a bit more thought around timing and structure.

Appreciate you sharing this 鈥� a lot of people will recognise their own journey in it.

@bhspence

I will share a big loser of an investment: Through work I bought some eee savings bonds. I have had those thing for decades and the last I checked, they still were not mature. And only certain banks will cash them?

They are still in a briefcase in storage.

I imagine savings bonds, kind of had the same effect as gift cards, a certain number never even get turned in.

Somewhere in a loft or cupboard lies my greatest unrealised investment return. I just have no idea where.

In 1966, when England won the World Cup for the one and only time, the government issued first-edition commemorative stamps. I must have been about 14, convinced they'd be worth a fortune one day.

Unfortunately, I carefully stored them for safekeeping inside an old encyclopedia.

I've never seen them since.

And in many ways, that's the real lesson with investing 鈥� and money generally. Human behaviour matters more than people think. Forgotten bonds, lost stamps, unclaimed pensions, old share certificates tucked away in drawers. It happens far more often than anyone realises.

Your EE bonds may actually be more valuable than you think, particularly if they're still earning interest or have quietly compounded over the years. Worth checking before they end up like my stamps.

What's your "lost treasure"? I'd love to hear what you've found 鈥� or forgotten about 鈥� over the years.

Just a thought from someone who learned the hard way.

鈥� Brian Harrison Spence***