The last two weeks in Shanghai after the trip was mainly decompression.  I also used this time to research a new wealth management plan with the help of online platforms and two great friends.

After I dumped the cash value life insurance and made steps towards selling the Thai condo, it was about time to take the power back in my hands.  But truth be told, I'm still in shock from the last 14 years of the insurance investment fiasco. 

Two things were realized.  One, there are a lot more options and possibilities for self-managing a wealth plan than I had considered.  Two, I am increasingly angry at these so-called 'financial advisors' who take advantage of the expats' perceived lack of options.  Their pitch usually goes like this:   You live in China and as a non-resident in both your home country and here, you have very limited options for wealth management.  We can help you out.  Such 'help' means they basically think you're an idiot who has no options and treat you accordingly.  They tend to prey on teachers who, as the stereotype goes, are naive and lack business sense.

But thanks to meeting people in my circle who are indeed successful business people, it only makes sense to learn from them.  

There is, however, a positive side to all this.  It meant that those 14 years of forced savings were exactly that.  Not only did I manage to get my money back, this forced savings proved that I could live on 70% of my income and set aside money every month for investments.  It also laid the foundation for budgeting.  Even if I lost a ton in opportunity costs, there were some good habits formed.  

Now if I could somehow invest that same amount of money into something better going forward, we would be off to the races.

After having already put aside the lion's share of the insurance nest egg into a short-term deposit to earn decent interest, I set up a small smarter fund of about $10k.  This would go into a brokerage account where I would learn by myself how to trade stocks and ETFs.  The idea is that as a beginner I would make some mistakes of course, but eventually growth my confidence and start adding more and more money to this trading account

Not knowing exactly where to start, I created a portfolio of paradoxes.  Basically, trying to profit off other people who do the opposite of my philosophy.  Stocks were picked in industries such as:  

1.  Credit card companies 

2.  Fast food companies and restaurant chains 

3.  Consumer staples with a focus on alcohol.

4.  Defense and aerospace contractors

5. Timeshare resorts and casinos

If my theory is correct, this portfolio might actually grow.  After all no matter what happens, people can be guaranteed to get into debt, make stupid choices, gamble, drink, start wars, and waste their money on dumb things.