Happy New Year to all readers !

Here's wishing all readers a Happy New Year.

2009 has been a fairly good year with the market recovery starting as early as March. I remember listening to an colleague who was talking about the recovery being fake and markets taking a double-dip thereafter, I resolved to pump all my income into the markets further because I've always believed that its the darkest before the dawn.

Well, the bets paid off and i look towards 2010 as the year where I seriously build-up an equity portfolio to complement my portfolio of REITs and business trusts.

Currently my equity portfolio is still quite weak with about $30,000 spread over the dividend stalwarts SPH, M1, Starhub and Singapore Post. I expect accumulating $20,000 more and looking for another good blue chip before June before really pumping more into small cap dividend stocks which yield 6% or more.

Looking for such companies is like searching for a needle in a haystack, my watch-list so far has about 9 such counters, they are too risky to warrant an investment of more than 2% of my portfolio.

All in all, 2009 has reinvigorated my confidence in my strategies of yield accumulation and I hope that by balancing my earning, savings and investing rate, I'll be off the rat race before the age of 40 with a net-worth over $1 million.

Regards