Introduction

Investing is an art. There is no right or wrong when it comes to investing - it's all relative. A glass that looks half empty to you may look half full (or even 3/4 full) to me. Since every investor has his or her own objective, there is no standardized approach when it comes to investing. That's why I usually cringe when so-called "experts" on TV are asked to share their wisdom with the audience. Such advice should always be taken with a degree of skepticism and followed up by some level of diligence (i.e., research).

Like it or not, we are now living in unprecedented times. The credit crisis that blew over the global economy just robbed trillions of dollars from families, individuals, and institutions all over the world. With the balance in savings, brokerage, and retirement accounts recently downsized, lives have been changed, plans have been put on hold, and dreams have been neglected. It should then come to no one's surprise that many individuals out there have sworn off on investing - and they can't be blamed.

So why am I still passionate about investing? Because I believe that now is the BEST time for someone like me to invest. I don't have an immediate need for capital (i.e., in the next 3-5 years), and I have no significant financial obligations (other than my monthly living expenses). Above all, I really enjoy interacting with the markets. I view it as a game whereby "Mr. Market" and I sit across from each other every day, trying to knock each other out. What makes it even more exciting is when I come out on top despite all the distractions: the constantly moving stock price/indices, barrage of economic data, and the chatter from all the talking heads in the media. To win, being right is not simply not enough; you need to be right at the right time.

I'd be lying to you if I said that the driving force for this blog is pure altruism. To be fair, I do hope that I can help educate others about investing. But that's not the main reason for the blog. The objective of having this blog is for me to anonymously chronicle my journey towards becoming a professional investor. Completing a career transition is not easy, and I suspect that it is even more challenging in the "Great Recession" that we now find ourselves in. As part of my career journey, I will share my views and investment ideas to those who care to read my blog - with the hope that a prospective employer (or two, or three...) will take notice.

You are probably wondering how I came about going with that peculiar monicker of "Covert Investor". Since I am financing my MBA studies with full-time work (I am in Chicago Booth's Weekend MBA program), I need to ensure that my current employer remains unaware of my career objective. Hence the desire to remain anonymous until the right time comes. Failing to do so could lead me to become another unemployment statistic.