What Is StoffelWealth?

StoffelWealth.com is a personal blog about long-term investing and financial literacy. It’s where I share what I’ve learned as a retail investor, a parent raising a money-smart child, and someone who believes that building wealth is a skill anyone can develop – no finance degree required.

Why “StoffelWealth”?

“Stoffel” was my childhood nickname. When I created this blog, the name felt like the right foundation: familiar, personal, and honest. “Wealth” isn’t just about money here. It stands for the broader kind – financial confidence, clear thinking, strong relationships, and a life built with intention rather than impulse.

Who Am I?

I’m Kristoph, originally from Germany. I left over two decades ago and have lived abroad ever since — seven years in Thailand, followed by close to fourteen years in Singapore, where I’m based today.

I’m not a financial advisor, a fund manager, or an academic. I’m a professional with a full-time job, a family, and a brokerage account I manage myself.

I started investing in the late 1990s during the dot-com bubble. Armed with enthusiasm and zero knowledge, I watched 70% of my first portfolio disappear when the bubble burst. It was painful and humbling – and exactly what I needed. That early loss taught me that markets don’t reward ego; they reward discipline.

Since then, I’ve spent over twenty-five years learning, reading, making mistakes, and slowly building an approach rooted in humility, consistency, and evidence. I study risk premia, build model portfolios, manage multi-currency holdings across different markets, and rebalance with discipline rather than instinct.

I’m still learning. Always.

Why This Blog Exists

The one thing I want you to take away from this site: you don’t need to be a professional to invest well.

If you make the effort to understand the fundamentals, do your own research, learn about your biases, and stay disciplined and consistent. You don’t need to hand your money over to bankers, follow influencers, or wait for someone else to tell you what to do.

That’s the message behind everything I write here. StoffelWealth started as a way to organise my own thinking and hold myself accountable. If it helps you do the same, then it’s doing exactly what it should.

What You’ll Find Here

Investing: Personal, hands-on insights from my own journey. Model portfolios, risk management, rebalancing strategies, and the lessons learned from staying in the game through multiple market cycles.

Financial Literacy: Practical tools, stories, and systems for families and individuals. Whether you’re teaching your children about money or building your own understanding from the ground up.

Final Thoughts

Real wealth – financial or otherwise – is built slowly, steadily, and with intention. My hope is that StoffelWealth becomes a useful companion on your journey, whether you’re building your first portfolio or teaching your child about money.

Thanks for being here.

Stay curious. Stay invested.

Kristoph Baum

If you find value in what I share here, you’re welcome to buy me a coffee — it helps cover the costs of running the site.