This is a compilation of my Q3 quarterly update for this year.

The previous 2 quarters can be found here and here.

The theme for this post will be outsourcing and we will look into how we can do that to our advantage. 

There are many companies that are outsourcing their transaction or operational tasks to a cheaper location. 

The objective is very clear - to achieve an overall costs savings which would benefit the company and ultimately shareholders in terms of bottomline earnings. 

I recalled when our company was tasked to migrate a few of the activities a few years back, almost one-third of our staff was retrenched and had to pack their bags. They were basically either deemed too expensive or redundant or both. What might seem so plausible at first has become a nightmare when there are inefficiencies counterproductive during the hypercare period. This lasts for the next year or two before it becomes more stabilized. 

As employees, we can never take things for granted. There are so many variables that can take our retirement dreams away from us. 

Redundancy is clearly one of them, especially as our wages become more expensive for the company over time while the contribution do not keep up with the wages. 

When we are being made redundant, we can almost forget about extrapolating our income all the way until retirement. Most of the times, we do not have too much influence over this other than continuing to upgrade our skills. 

Accident is another which can dampen our hopes. While the probability of an accident happening is clearly small, this is a black swan event which cannot be underestimated. 

Dividend investing is not the only strategy for success but gives us an additional option to have something controlled within our means (it is better than not having one). 

They work the same way as the interests received in our banks or the rental we get from our landlord. 

In essence, we strive to make money works harder for us instead of having ourselves work harder for the money. Well, we do need to put in extra effort at the beginning and perhaps maintain a certain level of effort after that, but the idea is that it'll get better from there on. 

My dividend income has not been stellar these past few months.

While dividend investing remains my main strategy for the long run, there are a couple of opportunities which I am eyeing on. In the meantime, I'll just have to depend on the rest of the equities which are giving me the dividends.