Therapong Vachirapong – You Need to Take Risk to Earn a Return

BIO: Therapong Vachirapong is a Managing Director and a Head of Equity Research at Phatra Securities PLC.STORY: Therapong was a risk-averse investor who hardly took any risks. Therefore, he missed out on many investment returns and didn't increase his returns. The only time he’d take a risk was buying stocks when the prices were very low and in most cases, these stocks never grew in value.LEARNING: Avoid the maximum drawdown. You cannot increase your return without taking calculated risks. Have an investment style to avoid investing in everything. “Investing is actually not difficult as long as you don’t get emotional and make irrational decisions when prices change.”Therapong Vachirapong Guest profileTherapong Vachirapong is a Managing Director and a Head of Equity Research at Phatra Securities PLC. He served as the Co-Head of Equity Research and Banking Analyst until May 2018, covering fundamental equity analysis of Thailand finance and securities companies. He also covered strategy and the financial institutions sector for Thailand and worked closely with BofA Merrill Lynch Research Division regional financials team. He was also a part of the ASEAN investment strategy team. He joined Phatra in 1997.He won the IAA Awards for Analyst in the Financials sector in the Year 2013 and Best Research House for two consecutive years (2013-2014) by the Investment Analysts Association (IAA)Theraphong holds an MBA in Finance from Western International University, Arizona, USA, and a BA in Accounting and Finance from Thammasart University.Worst investment everTherapong was a risk-averse investor who hardly took any risks. Therefore, he missed out on many investment returns and didn't increase his returns. The only time he’d take a risk was buying stocks when the prices were very low, and in most cases, these stocks never grew in value.Lessons learnedYou cannot increase your return without taking calculated risks.Gain financial literacy before you start investing.Have an investment style to avoid investing in everything.Andrew's takeawaysYour financial background will affect how you view risks.Actionable adviceFind your own investment style and understand it before committing to it.Therapong's recommendationsTherapong recommends reading Capitalism without Capital and The Psychology of Money to understand the business world, globalization, and technology before investing.No.1 goal for the next 12 monthsTherapong's number one goal for the next 12 months is to start investing and building a retirement portfolio because he's about to retire.Parting words “Stick to your investment style and be patient. At the end of the day, investing is not difficult as long as you take emotions out of it and stay true to your style.”Therapong Vachirapong [spp-transcript] Connect with Therapong VachirapongLinkedIn