Mimi Ho boasts a portfolio worth $5 million, which includes investments in cryptocurrency such as bitcoin, litecoin and ethereum — and she plans to retire in the next five to 10 years.
The Brisbane woman got into the crypto game long before it was making daily headlines and spiking or dropping in price off the back of billionaire Elon Musk.
The 36-year-old started investing nine years ago, initially as a hobby, although she was prepared to put some coin behind it.
She began investing with $10,000 and has continued to use her profits to build her portfolio into seven digit figures.
When she started out, she was a part owner of an IT company, but said she is now turning over more cash then when she was running the business.
Ms Ho said she believes crypto is the way of the future and has been her best investment to date.
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She’s invested in the obvious players, but has also bought other cryptocurrency like tezos, EOS, binance and MIOTA.
“My belief is that our current traditional financial systems are flawed, and this has been proven time and time again as we experience each recession. As a result, I am confident and passionate about the technology and purpose behind crypto, and strongly believe it will solve many of the problems we face today. In my opinion, crypto is undoubtedly the way of the future,” she told news.com.au.
“I’ve never been concerned about the risks involved, as I believe there is an element of risk when investing in anything, whether it be opening your own business or investing in other asset classes.”
The UK Financial Conduct Authority has warned people should be prepared to lose all their money if investing in cryptocurrency.
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has echoed the same sentiment taking an almighty swipe at cryptocurrency investors, warning punters to be prepared to lose it all to the online phenomenon.
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Living the dream
Ms Ho’s portfolio has funded what many people dream of — a jetsetting lifestyle where she has lived in over 15 countries for the past six years.
“At the start of my journey, I ensured that I lived well below my means while I focused on building my portfolio. Some of the profits I made funded my travel lifestyle, as well as allowing me to give back to those in need,” she said.
“I was able to focus on teaching English to underprivileged children around Asia and work with animal welfare organisations, helping re-home and rehabilitate street animals. Investing in stocks and cryptoassets has provided me the flexibility to focus on my passions, and it’s been absolutely freeing.”
But since COVID-19 hit, she has returned home to Brisbane to spend time with my family.
“I have been focusing on saving my investment profits and working hard on building my portfolio, in order to ultimately retire within the next five to 10 years,” she said.
“I plan to embark on my next global journey once the pandemic is over, and would like to focus on Europe and South America as my next temporary homes.”
How she made the big bucks
So how has she made a fortune, given the warnings about the big risks in investing in cryptocurrency?
The cryptoasset market is highly affected by psychological factors, she said, but her approach is to take advantage of market sentiment by buying in times of fear and selling in times of greed.
“The crypto market is indeed still volatile, but this has been decreasing over time,” she said. “As of the last 12 months, we are beginning to witness mainstream adoption, as well as a flow of institutional investors. This alone will stabilise the market even further.”
She also has some investments in Chinese and US tech stocks.
“In terms of stocks, I try to invest in companions that compliment the cryptoasset sector such as PayPal, Square, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), NVIDIA Corporation, as well as organisations that also have investments in crypto such as Tesla,” she said.
Millennials and Gen Zs
Ms Ho believes investing is one of the smartest decisions anyone can make and in particular recommends it to millennials and Gen Zs.
“The returns you can make from investing can exceed returns from simply placing your money in the bank,” she said.
“I suggest starting with a small amount of capital and never to invest more than you can afford to lose. Always perform your own research, practice with a small amount of money or use a demo account and seek guidance from those who are most experienced in the field.”
Ms Ho uses investment platform eToro and is even set up so retail investors can copy her trades.
But philanthropy is the biggest goal for her millions.
“The ultimate goal is to open my own animal shelter, orphanage, or learning centre for underprivileged people and to be able to comfortably fund these organisations myself via earnings made in the stock market,” she added.