PUBLISHED ONMay 31, 2024 4:00 AMByYeo Shu HuiWith the multiple successes that Charmaine Sheh has in her acting career and personal life, you may think that her life has always been smooth-sailing, but that is not the case.
The Hong Kong actress, who turned 49 on May 28, shared that she had to borrow money from her mum and friends after losing at the stock market in 1998.
"When I first entered the entertainment industry, I heard a lot about which stocks to buy, so I bought it once and lost over HK$200,000 (S$35,000). I broke down after that," she revealed to Hong Kong star Carina Lau in the latest episode of the latter's talk show Jia Ren Zi You Yue, which aired yesterday (May 30).
Charmaine added that she had squandered all her money and even had to ask her mother for money to pay her debts, but that's not the end of her troubles.
"At the end of the year when I had to pay taxes, I had a headache. I couldn't ask my mother for money anymore because it was so embarrassing. So I borrowed some money from my friends to pay the taxes and never purchase any stocks again," she said.
From the experience, Charmaine shared that she started to save up.
"I think saving money is so important. If some unexpected situation happens, nobody could help me because my mum was not living in Hong Kong then. I was alone in Hong Kong and felt insecure. So after that, I made it a point to save up and that's my greatest security," she added, as Carina agreed.
According to a report by HK01 in January, Charmaine now owns at least five luxury properties in Hong Kong with a total worth of HK$100 million.
Carina shared that she also learnt a lesson from her experience at the stock market.
The 58-year-old said: "People told me that I would definitely profit from the stock and I did earn a little in the beginning and was very happy with it. I thought I would become a billionaire from then on. Is it so easy to earn money? I was so silly."
She added veteran Hong Kong actor Tony Leung, whom she married in 2008, told her to take back her capital first and continue investing with the profits, but she preferred compounding instead.
"In the end, I lost a lot of money. Those who are not in that industry should not play [with stocks]... We should also act according to our abilities," said Carina.
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