This December, we’re taking a moment to look back on the past 12 months and reflect. It’s been a big year, with ups and downs. What have been your highlights and insights of 2021?

Chirag Sharma: I don’t usually stop to reflect, so I appreciate this! OK, here goes!

1. Highlight number 1 was passing the first level of my CFA. I took it in May, and received the results at the end of July. That’s just level 1; I’m currently studying for levels 2 and 3. Just getting over that level 1 hurdle has given me the extra boost and confidence to keep going with it. It also highlighted my passion for the portfolio management area of finance by exposing me to much more complicated versions of scenarios I had seen before and introducing me to new concepts I had not seen before.
2. A second highlight this year was being able to finally go home this Summer to the Virgin Islands, where I’m from—I’m Caribbean. The pace in the north-east is faster, which has its upsides, like motivating me to hustle. But when I was home, I got to slow down. I saw friends I hadn’t seen in years, and could enjoy the more relaxed culture I grew up in. It’s a tourist-based economy, which got hit during the pandemic, and affected everyone, my parents included. It was a relief to see that things were getting back on track.
3. Another highlight for sure was a less expected one: my girlfriend finally got a dog. She adopted a half Chihuahua-half Papillon—his name is ‘Brownie’. Being able to have this other living being that I’ve been helping and making feel safe has given me a sense of purpose and achievement.

What’s the one takeaway insight from the past 12 months?

A lesson I’ve learned this past year is that sometimes you’ve just got to slow down and chill out. I admit, I don’t look back too much, but there’s value in taking time out to not think about anything and decompress.

Chirag with ‘Brownie’, a definite 2021 highlight.