January 9, 2025
Want to (anonymously) share your investing experience and tips, whether you are new or experienced? Click here!
Qin Kai shares his story about immigrating to North America from China, the simple rules that helped him grow his wealth, coming back after a big loss, and how he’s building wealth for his children.
I was born in China in the 1970s, moved to North America in my mid-20s, and I’ve been here ever since.
Now at 50, my wife and I have built a financial portfolio worth around $6 million, with approximately $900,000 in liabilities like a mortgage and other credit lines.
I’ve always been fascinated by investing. Working in IT consulting exposed me to tools and strategies for managing money.
Over the years, I’ve tried several platforms in both the U.S. and Canada. When I was in the States I started using M1, which made portfolio construction and auto-rebalancing straightforward.
I was looking for something similar in Canada, and that’s how I found Passiv.
“Don’t be greedy, and don’t panic.”
These simple rules keep me grounded, no matter how the market behaves.
Investing regularly is one of the biggest factors in growing your wealth.
Passiv makes it easy! Invest all your contributions and dividends at the click of a button.
I highly recommend A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel.
It opened my eyes to the power of simplicity and patience in investing.
I follow a straightforward “buy-and-hold” strategy for long-term growth.
I also use the “Buy, Borrow, Die” strategy to limit taxes through strategic investing and planning.
In the U.S., I’m a big fan of SPY and QQQ because they capture the innovative spirit of the American economy.
I’m currently working on developing my ideal Canadian portfolio - I’m looking for good dividends in CAD, without heavy tax implications.
Stay the course. It’s as simple - and as hard - as that.
My wife took over managing a Robinhood account. She went 10x leveraged and lost 60% of the portfolio’s assets.
This was a hard lesson in the risks of overconfidence and leverage.
Her brilliant academic background didn’t translate into smart financial decisions - just proof that formal education isn’t everything when it comes to investing.
Start investing as early as you can, even if you’re only scraping together a small amount.
I should have started 10 to 15 years earlier, but I didn’t have enough money left over to start investing back then. My kids are 20 and 21, and I have their portfolios set up on Wealthsimple.
Dollar-cost averaging (DCA), staying patient, and avoiding panic or greed are key.
Wealth-building is a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t expect to get rich immediately - it happens slowly and steadily.
Passiv makes managing your portfolio a breeze.
Buy all your ETFs in a couple clicks, get notified of cash to invest, & see clear reports that show all your investments in one place!
We’d love to share your investing experience!
Whether you’ve been investing for a month, a year, or a decade - people want to hear from you!
You’ve got tips, strategies, and advice that is helpful to others.
We will share them anonymously on our blog so others can learn from you.
Click here to share your experience!
* Names have been changed for privacy. The thoughts and opinions in this post are from the individual and their own experience.
Automatically calculate trades
Get notified of cash & dividends
Connect multiple brokerages
