Office worker hits 1 billion won in financial assets after 7 years — the investment wisdom that got him there

An office worker who invested in SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics shares has gone viral after posting proof that he reached 1 billion won in financial assets in just seven years.

On Thursday, a post titled "I hit 1 billion won in assets on Tuesday" appeared on Remember, an online community popular among office workers.

The author, identified only as A, wrote that he had reached 1 billion won in financial assets on Tuesday, adding that the market had since pulled back slightly below that threshold. "But I'm happy just to have touched 1 billion won, even if only briefly," he said.

A opened his first brokerage account in January 2019 and is now in his eighth year as a stock investor. "Along the way, I've been through the COVID-19 crash, the V-shaped rebound that followed, and a beating during the rate-hike cycle — I feel like I've been through a lot," he said. "Every time I wavered while investing, I turned to YouTube videos and news articles for advice from seasoned investors."

He said the wisdom that once felt abstract now rings true. <style ref="s1">"Sayings like 'never leave the market,' 'don't try to time it,' and 'stocks are an investment in time'</style> — none of them clicked at first, but looking back now, they were all right," he said. "Merely trusting the market and waiting it out produced good results."

He credited a combination of luck and circumstance for his success, citing his ability to save most of his salary by living with his parents after starting work, the fortunate timing of entering the market just as the semiconductor supercycle took hold, and his decision to hold on to the Samsung Electronics shares he bought when he first started investing.

"I have no real estate and no car — this is my entire net worth," he said. He added that reaching 1 billion won had always been the milestone at which he planned to retire. "I figured that with 1 billion won, I could buy a small apartment outside Seoul for 300 million won and live comfortably off annual dividends of 5 to 6 percent on the remaining 700 million won."

"Now that I've actually hit 1 billion won, I feel good but also a little strange," A wrote. "I used to think about quitting every single day because work was so draining, but when it comes down to it, I can't quite bring myself to leave. It seems even resigning takes courage. I'll probably keep going to work for now."

According to the account details A made public, his total financial assets stood at approximately 1.016 billion won on that day, with investment assets of about 815 million won. His overall return was 118.67 percent. Among his holdings, SK Hynix was valued at approximately 297 million won with a return of 201.92 percent, while Samsung Electronics stood at about 131 million won with a return of 624.75 percent.

"Compared with people who have assets in the tens or hundreds of billions of won, 1 billion won may not seem like much," he said. "But it means more to me because it is a goal I achieved purely through financial assets, without any real estate or a car."

Fellow users responded with congratulations and expressions of envy, with comments including "Congrats on hitting 1 billion" and "I'm jealous."