Diary of a future rentier (24)

Although I have probably always been, without knowing it, looking for financial independence, I only really became aware of it at the beginning of this millennium. So that's fourteen years now. I started this long journey with very small steps, with more or less success. During the first decade, I learned and amassed a lot of experiences, some catastrophic, others much better. It must be said that this stock market period was special, even for the most seasoned.

During this time, I tried many different strategies and systems, some effective, some not at all. I tested technical analysis, fundamental analysis, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, hedge funds, real estate, etc. I certainly wasted some of my time. Some people might have managed to achieve financial independence during the same period, although I doubt it a little given the market conditions during this time.

But this long apprenticeship was necessary. Today I stick to a few key principles, which I apply methodically. I no longer change my mind as in the past. Above all, I am confident in these principles, even if in the short term they do not prove me right. I see things with much more perspective than in the past, I focus on long-term trends and I put the fears and excitement of the crowd about the market into perspective enormously.

You don't become a rentier overnight, that's obvious. Not only does the accumulation of capital take a lot of time, but above all it is a long psychological process to put in place. You have to be ready in your head. This is already true when you become a rentier, but it is also true throughout the quest for financial independence.