Student Question: Hello, Master. On the topic of asset allocation — there’s a theory that says don’t put all your eggs in one basket. But in practice, very few people actually do this well. Especially when the economy is struggling, the assets we’ve so carefully allocated still shrink. Does this mean asset allocation itself is a false proposition?
Master Chi’s Response: In fact, when the economy is struggling, there are always people who come through unscathed.
Student Question: Hello, Master. There’s a perspective circulating recently that domestic demand can only be revived by rescuing the real estate market. What’s your take on this? How should the real estate market be rescued?
Master Chi’s Response: I don’t quite agree with that view.
The way I see it, the residential housing market is only one part of the broader real estate sector — and moreover, it has already passed its adolescence. It is naturally destined to contract.
Every paragraph I’m about to share carries weight — because each one touches on deep, uncomfortable truths.
Any one of these points is significant on its own. And only a noble benefactor (Gui Ren) who genuinely cares about you would sit quietly and lay this out for you.
I don’t expect you to grasp it all at once. Save it, read it slowly — the day of clarity will come.
Student Question:
Master, I’ve been studying investing lately but can’t quite grasp its meaning. I keep chasing price swings — buying on the way up, selling on the way down. What should an ordinary investor really be focusing on?
Master Chi’s Response:
First, don’t fixate on buying cheap.
Buying shares in a mediocre company at a rock-bottom price is far less rewarding than buying shares in an excellent company at a reasonable price. Only excellent companies can deliver long-term, high-quality returns.
Student Question
Hello, Master. My husband and I have been together for eight years. Just a few days ago, I confirmed that he has been unfaithful — there were even photos of the two of them together. Since the very day I first began to suspect him, the thought of divorce has crossed my mind countless times. I am now 24 weeks pregnant, and we already have a three-year-old child. Friends are urging me to tell my parents. Honestly, I don’t know what to do.
I have a group of friends who, every year around May, begin planning our second-half travel itineraries with me.
For more than a decade, it’s been this same group — and together we’ve traveled to nearly every celebrated destination in the world. The three-valley snowfields of the Alps, private island villas in the Maldives, Kenya’s Maasai Mara — and countless other strange and wondrous places that seem lifted from another world entirely. We’ve been to them all.
Most people know about investing. Yet very few stop to examine what investing actually is.
In reality, investing isn’t limited to financial markets. It shows up everywhere in daily life.
Take this example: the time, energy, and money parents pour into their children’s education — that’s a form of investment. Or suppose you’re running a fruit shop and you hire an experienced manager at a premium salary to drive higher revenue. That’s an investment too.
Student Question
Hello, Master. The era of rapid residential development feels like it’s behind us now. Real estate is entering a phase of contraction — fewer projects, slower growth, falling prices. In terms of residential investment, making quick money is getting harder by the day.
Looking ahead, beyond residential properties, what other areas in real estate are worth paying attention to? How do we find our footing again and reposition ourselves?
Student Question:
Hello, Master. I have this habit of deal-hunting — tracking Meituan food coupons, entering giveaways, redeeming credit card points, that sort of thing. I enjoy it endlessly, and scoring something genuinely makes me happy. But my monthly income is already in the tens of thousands. If I spent that same time on work — finding one more client or better serving existing ones — I could easily earn a few thousand more, which far outweighs the few dozen or few hundred yuan I get from deal-hunting.
Student Question:
Master, I ended my children’s clothing business journey on April 29th of this year. Throughout the process, I repeatedly maxed out credit cards to keep funding the operation. I started with a small street-side shop, then expanded to a large branded store — it looked impressive from the outside. Looking back at the past four years, total revenue was 1.53 million yuan with a profit of 500,000 yuan. For the most part, I was overextending my husband’s credit cards. Now the business has failed. The debt has collapsed, and our marriage is under tremendous strain. Every day I worked hard — taking photos, planning promotions, building an online presence, spending endless hours in the store. As a result, my child complains I never paid attention to her, and now with the business failing, I’m heartbroken. We’re 600,000 yuan in debt — I estimate interest alone accounts for nearly half. If I had noticed earlier that profits couldn’t cover expenses, I really should have cut my losses sooner. I’d like to ask Master: in a business venture, how do you choose the right project? How can I avoid this kind of problem from happening again?