I Quit My Job. I’m All in Old School Value.
Scared.
Thrilled.
It’s both at the moment.
After a brief 10 year corporate career, I’m calling it quits.
It’s taken three painstaking years to get my wife on board with the idea of pursuing old school value full time and working to grow this into a much bigger value investing resource.
Old School Value was mostly done during late nights until the early morning for the past several years.
My regular schedule over the years was
- go to work from 9-7
- come home
- spend about 1-2 hours with my wife and on other commitments
- spend the next 4-6 hours until 2-3am getting things done
But I’m a firm believer that everything has it’s timing.
Looking back, I was pushing it 3 years ago and it’s obviously better to have a wife fully supportive of the idea.
Coming from a very traditional family where my expected life progression was school -> stable job -> family -> retirement, I can’t believe that I’m now in a position to work on something I love full time.
I have no idea how things will look in one or two years.
But I do know that old school value will be a better place and resource for you to hang out and grab information.
More time will be dedicated to writing articles and looking at stocks again.
Old School Value is also a very singular product. The OSV Analyzer serves a single clear purpose but it can definitely be better and I have a lot of ideas in my head that I need to organize to bring to fruition.
I’m just floored to have such great users and fans of the product.
But it’s time to take the next step of dreaming bigger and making it happen.
So Why Old School Value?
I started old school value purely as a blog one year after I joined my current job at Samsung. With a 401k, I wanted to invest it properly myself after having experienced my first 100% loss to a bad financial advisor.
With old school value, the purpose was to simply keep it real and document what I was learning so that;
- I didn’t have to relearn everything
- and to document my progress
Looking back at my first year as a blogger, it feels like looking at a photo of myself 10 years back and shuddering at my hairstyle and dress sense.
It’s a day and night difference to when old school value first started.
Had I not made the move to the US, this would never have happened.
That’s why I love the United States because it truly is the land of opportunity. I’m still a Korean + Aussie at heart, but USA is my sweet home.
Having come at the age of 23 with no family, friends or money, if it was any other country, I doubt old school value can be where it’s at.
It’s humbling to know that OSV is now helping to stimulate the economy thanks to people like you.
Giving Back and Watching it Happen
One of the great joys has also been being able to give back.
If you look at the bottom of every page, you can see our motto.
Love God and love people (actually I stole it from my beloved church).
Old School Value supports a Christian child sponsorship program called Compassion International.
It’s a top rated charity and it’s a pleasure to watch the money be put into good use.
Being able to support less privileged people puts my life into perspective and it’s a mega blessing
On my 2nd wedding anniversary back in 2010 (wow it’s been 4 years already), my wife and I decided to visit first hand the children that we sponsor in Columbia.
Sipping on a Coconut in a Shack Home
We’ve always sent letters to the children, but to see how $40 a month, an amount that doesn’t change our lives, can make such a big impact really stabbed at my heart.
And since then, old school value has dedicated resources into sending support to various charities, local projects and individuals in need.
There really is nothing more fulfilling than knowing and watching your hard earned money be put into good use.
Old School Value doesn’t make millions of dollars (yet lol), but percentage wise, when all costs are added up the giving is between 12-17% of revenues.
Consider that corporate contributions to charity was a pathetic 0.8% in 2012.
I pray that this side of old school value continues to flourish.
Top 5 Greatest Hits of Old School Value
With 736 posts published, there are a lot of really good articles lost in the archives, but these are the top 5 most popular articles as of now.
1) The Best Free Stock Portfolio Tracking Spreadsheet using Google Drive
2) Changes in Working Capital in Free Cash Flow
3) 20 Balance Sheet Ratios for Businesses and to Determine a Company’s Health
4) FIFO LIFO Inventory Valuation Method
5) Does the Magic Formula Really Work?
The New Beginning
Thanks for reading this far and again for visiting and being a part of old school value.
A new beginning awaits and I can’t contain my excitement at the things to come.
To celebrate this milestone leap, my wife planned a mini trip to lovely Winthrop, WA.
I am now Tap Dancing to Work
.
