tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310749652024-03-28T07:16:17.649+08:00LIVE RICH LIFE FREEAttaining Freedom in Life with No Fear & No GreedQiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02914666190719255080noreply@blogger.comBlogger380125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-39721585036970022792024-03-25T10:17:00.000+08:002024-03-25T10:17:08.457+08:00Applied for Singapore Savings Bonds (SBAPR24 GX24040Z) <p> <span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98RV53aEsJIS9jm9KvKai96N0YXgqjlTqj86T0G02_-HxpoUyVePro_6Fm1FeJ0C9UCMNJWPA37tFF1KAVi9a0YKNzcL5zOHY40rcgyxj7BBV1iX2E49PNrD482KEojazQnLO87QYhG_W5tgrWjvrJTndmmgsLclg94_0wSzHAbLrBQGajcOSHA/s537/SSB%20Mar24.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="537" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98RV53aEsJIS9jm9KvKai96N0YXgqjlTqj86T0G02_-HxpoUyVePro_6Fm1FeJ0C9UCMNJWPA37tFF1KAVi9a0YKNzcL5zOHY40rcgyxj7BBV1iX2E49PNrD482KEojazQnLO87QYhG_W5tgrWjvrJTndmmgsLclg94_0wSzHAbLrBQGajcOSHA/w400-h336/SSB%20Mar24.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Apr 2024 tranche of Singapore Savings Bonds (SSB) has an average yield of 3.04% over 10 years.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "Times New Roman";">The first 6 years yield a flat 2.95% per annum; 7th year yields 3.04% p.a, 8th year yields 3.19% p.a. and 9th, 10th years yield 3.28% p.a.</span></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Even though such yield is lower than other low to risk-free alternatives such as T Bills, money market funds and bank fixed deposits which easily yield more than 3% currently, it is higher than CPF OA rate of 2.5% p.a.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">If we also consider the great flexibility, liquidity of SSB for redemption and long-term lock down at above 3% p.a for the next decade, then this tranche of SSB is fairly enticing for us to park our spare cash at zero risk, capital guaranteed for the mid to long-term. </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">We could redeem SSB anytime, earning interest at 2.95% in the short-term while getting back our capital for deployment to other investments or large item purchases unlike T Bills and bank fixed deposits which would incur losses or forfeit of interest with premature withdrawals. Do note that the redemption process of SSB can be up to 1 month of lead time.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">I decided to apply for $10k of this Dec 2023 tranche using my idle funds in SRS.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">There it goes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdDtDWOYi6HXuk24MQ5xxdnzFd9rJOMnlEUm618u96INVzFVrvpGj2vjhP2MxgZOmK8l0Lvo5FdtmnPOzWWejR86-9sKa17wpwgidXUrWGwgXL4r-PC8FfXik8-3Wkt4ob9AjO1bKdi8ycAqzDQdWCAvX7ksrM_RdAZCKXwFLk6_bNsnsMNZ93w/s1167/Application.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="1167" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdDtDWOYi6HXuk24MQ5xxdnzFd9rJOMnlEUm618u96INVzFVrvpGj2vjhP2MxgZOmK8l0Lvo5FdtmnPOzWWejR86-9sKa17wpwgidXUrWGwgXL4r-PC8FfXik8-3Wkt4ob9AjO1bKdi8ycAqzDQdWCAvX7ksrM_RdAZCKXwFLk6_bNsnsMNZ93w/w640-h422/Application.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">S$900m is up for grabs.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">The first payment will be on 1 Oct 2024 and this bond will mature on 1 Apr 2034.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">I will still be happy to inject more cash into SSB in the next few months if the yields stay above 3%. My ultimate aim is to max out the personal limit of S$200k soon.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">If you are interested in this tranche of SSB, do note that the application dateline is on today, 25 Mar 2024, 9pm for online applications.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Thank you for reading.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">With love & peace,</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Qiongster</div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-87183582999762762922024-03-23T12:25:00.001+08:002024-03-28T07:15:45.264+08:00Passive Income in 1Q 2024 exceeds S$6k<p style="text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0vfjEzFAMx1Udwjg9ogri9xHMumLfI551AAU6v3goYqnzO4rViZH7iANtFEcz3KjLOrHlDYmNogAa5js78HHXUBciieH6FyDl2JVPLdSpyJ9gTjF8nvuRGrqisVlpDmaMOLzpk24uAf2cIJD_r5WdMEHRxr6njf4-Ymmk8AnhP5AtNFFsSg/s3867/dividends.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2578" data-original-width="3867" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0vfjEzFAMx1Udwjg9ogri9xHMumLfI551AAU6v3goYqnzO4rViZH7iANtFEcz3KjLOrHlDYmNogAa5js78HHXUBciieH6FyDl2JVPLdSpyJ9gTjF8nvuRGrqisVlpDmaMOLzpk24uAf2cIJD_r5WdMEHRxr6njf4-Ymmk8AnhP5AtNFFsSg/w640-h426/dividends.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p>The first quarter of 2024 is on the brink of ending.</p><p>While I am grateful to be a wage slave having collected 3 months of salary from work, I am actually not happy because active income is derived from trading time for money, seeing bosses' faces, dealing with crappy work portfolios and worse of all, taking a toil on my mind, soul and body and being taxable.</p><p>Real joy emanates from passive income streaming into our bank accounts automatically from doing nothing, other than owning a tiny piece of income-producing cake such as properties, businesses, REITs or stocks.</p><div>For Q1 2024. my passive income from Singapore Savings Bonds, stocks and Reits in my investments are as follows:</div><div><br /></div><div>$123.20 Savings Bond (2 Jan)</div><div>$147.50 Savings Bond SRS (2 Jan)</div><div>$128.70 Savings Bond (1 Feb)</div><div>$93.30 Suntec Reit (28 Feb)</div><div>$309.50 Ascott Trust (29 Feb)</div><div>$138.00 Savings Bond SRS (1 Mar)</div><div>$429.55 Savings Bonds (1 Mar)</div><div>$744.10 Ascendas Reit (6 Mar)</div><div>$504.84 Mapletree Ind Trust (7 Mar)</div><div>$149.60 Parkway Life Reit (7 Mar) SRS</div><div>$346.56 Keppel DC Reit (11 Mar) SRS</div><div>$330.00 MPACT (14 Mar)</div><div>$300.17 Keppel Reit (15 Mar) SRS</div><div>$463.26 Mapletree Log Trust (20 Mar) DRP 303 shares</div><div>$299.10 IREIT (21 Mar)</div><div>$819.00 Aims Apac Reit (22 Mar)</div><div>$164.52 Capitaland China Trust (28 Mar) DRP 203 shares</div><div>$981.00 CICT (28 Mar)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Altogether they amount to <b>$6,471.90.</b></div><div><div><br /></div><div>This is a 21% Year-on-Year increase from my passive income in Q1 2022 of <b>$5,335.98.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Free cashflow is indeed awesome and enjoyable!</div><div><br /></div><div>I value passive income highly because they do not require much effort nor labour to earn. Furthermore, dividend income is not taxable in Singapore.</div><div><br /></div><div>I strive to continue living frugally, save up, invest in any bear or bull market conditions, slowly and steadily build up my investments, staying on track towards achieving financial freedom.</div><div><br /></div><div>My ultimate finacial freedom goal is to own an investment portfolio valued at one million dollars yielding at least $50k of passive income annually, or $12.5k of passive income quarterly. I am barely halfway there.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nonetheless, I look forward to earning more passive income for the rest of 2024.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading.</div><div><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div>With love & peace,</div><div>Qiongster</div></div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-55870322944257151982024-03-19T20:35:00.005+08:002024-03-23T22:51:43.167+08:005 Lessons Learnt from a Broken Phone<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrVTNzDcbVZ-2LN_-O_et_KC2ENhdWPh_PY4BmUOADJd7mmgvkvtSjz69Sajlwov2U3csJOlA6vfsogCrtmJ0HJJdsKIK4gqzjwW_nwMjm6nOTE_8DE-MjLvuN58iyDsioB2WF6Ri2rW7lvg8HQR3a_Q_xNKC-l9Q1dGe11n9xBy7xLcSXVlZaQ/s500/D_NQ_NP_880745-MLA52132317842_102022-O.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="366" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrVTNzDcbVZ-2LN_-O_et_KC2ENhdWPh_PY4BmUOADJd7mmgvkvtSjz69Sajlwov2U3csJOlA6vfsogCrtmJ0HJJdsKIK4gqzjwW_nwMjm6nOTE_8DE-MjLvuN58iyDsioB2WF6Ri2rW7lvg8HQR3a_Q_xNKC-l9Q1dGe11n9xBy7xLcSXVlZaQ/s320/D_NQ_NP_880745-MLA52132317842_102022-O.webp" width="234" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the past 2 weeks, I have been battling with my mobile phone by twisting the USB-C cable and tilting phone position in order for it to be properly charged.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since yesterday, I have sent the phone for diagnosis at Xiaomi service centre and 2 reputable mobile phone repair specialists. They all concluded that the issue lies with the motherboard, not charging port nor battery. It is not cost effective to replace the motherboard with a low chance of recovering back the data.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><!--StartFragment-->This budget Xiaomi Pocophone M4 Pro finally died today as it could not properly channel electric charges anymore. I have only used it for 13 months and was unlucky to have missed the warranty by just 1 month.<!--EndFragment--></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nonetheless, I have given up hope of using this phone. As an interim solution, I migrated the commonly-used banking and authenticator apps back to my old Huawei phone which has been a trusted and reliable powerhorse even after 6 years. I have also ordered a new Oppo budget phone - A78 4G for under $280 by applying discount vouchers at Shopee today.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is not the first time I experienced an unexpected death of a mobile phone. Many years ago, my Asus Zenphone could not boot up due to firmware issue. Before the pandemic, my iPhone 7 crashed from selfie stick onto ground while taking selfie in Taiwan.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A broken spoilt phone can be a real pain, but it can also be a surprisingly enlightening experience. Here are 5 lessons I learned from my time with this broken phone:</div><br /><p></p><div><u><b>1. Importance of Backups</b></u></div><div><u><b><br /></b></u></div><div><!--StartFragment-->The only regret from this incident was not to backup the photos, videos and data in my phone regularly. This resulted in me losing a large part of the photos and videos taken during vacations last year. I have accepted the loss, being part and parcel of life, which itself culminates in death. This experience served as wake-up call to regularly synchronise data into cloud or backup photos and videos to computer or hard disk drive. Backup is a great form of data insurance and security.</div><div><br /></div><div><u><b>2. We Can Live Without Constant Connectivity</b></u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div>In this digital era, being without a phone can feel like being cut off from the world. I experienced this disconnected feeling from the long number of hours being without a working mobile phone. This disconnected experience allowed me to appreciate the beauty of the real world and survive interrupted focus.</div><div><br /></div><div><u><b>3. There is More to Life Than a Phone Screen</b></u></div><div><u><b><br /></b></u></div><div>I realised that I spent too much time fiddling with phone everyday. I believe it is the same for most digital warriors out there. A broken phone forces us to live and rediscover the real world around us. I found myself simply living in the moment and having no distraction. I used the PC more for work and updating personal spreadsheets properly. I was also able to greatly reduce Youtube and Tiktok video watching time on phone. </div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><u><b>4. The Value of Minimalist Digital Life</b></u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div>A temporary switch to a legacy slower phone made me realise how many unnecessary apps I have installed and hoarded. I have also stored too many years of data, photos and videos in my phone. This experience prompted me to declutter my digital life and prioritise apps which add value. It also gives me an opportunity to start off from a clean slate in accumulating new life experiences in the form of new photos and videos.</div><div><u><b><br /></b></u></div><div><u><b>5. It is just a Phone</b></u></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>A phone is very important in our lives but actually it is a lifeless object which can be easily replaced. What has sentimental values are the stored photos which collect memories of our past life experiences. This realisation enlightened me to detach from material possessions and focus on what truly matters in life.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope all of you take care of your phones well and not end up in a situation like mine. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Update</b>: I sent my phone for motherboard repair at <a href="https://citrimobile.com/">CitriMobile</a> at 101 Upper Cross Street, #01-47, People's Park Centre, 058357 and managed to restore it back intact for me to recover my photos and data.</div><div><br /></div><div>With love and peace, </div><div>Qiongster</div><div><br /></div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-64508158197649937772024-03-16T21:56:00.002+08:002024-03-16T21:56:49.862+08:00Net Worth Update Mar 24<p> <span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxBIvJCgAuOXusvTJPcLDMkgApmzCGC1-HN46mYFafQflRNLPJ0qq_O-eG7R5l9HoEBDQn8sd14gGkIO-8i2CQzSJNET85wkhwLEefxdebg-iG4KJtafv1GRtzpPWAWf0P8tHDhzNMMOQZiL12e5uIkUSMhKgv4XmTQM_1Z_OgFxZnNZyBdN0j6w/s441/NW.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="441" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxBIvJCgAuOXusvTJPcLDMkgApmzCGC1-HN46mYFafQflRNLPJ0qq_O-eG7R5l9HoEBDQn8sd14gGkIO-8i2CQzSJNET85wkhwLEefxdebg-iG4KJtafv1GRtzpPWAWf0P8tHDhzNMMOQZiL12e5uIkUSMhKgv4XmTQM_1Z_OgFxZnNZyBdN0j6w/s16000/NW.png" /></a></div><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"><p><span style="font-size: xxx-large; font-weight: 700;">S$1.587m</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">My net worth stagnates at <b>S$1.587m </b>as my Reits-heavy investment portfolios took a beating due to market expectation of prolonged high interest rate environment.</p><p style="text-align: left;">CPF still forms the bulk 37% of my net worth. I have already achieved full retirement sum (FRS) in CPF SA.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Cash and war chest constitute 16% of my wealth. My cash is being stashed away in bank fixed deposits yielding more than 3% p.a., in Fullerton cash funds under custody of Moomoo and Tiger Broker, and in Money Market Funds held by Phillips Capital yielding more than 3.5% p.a. with interest paid daily.</p><p style="text-align: left;">My bonds consist of Singapore Savings Bonds ($140k) and Astrea 7A PE bond ($9k) which are low-risk bonds contributing to 10% of my wealth. </p><p style="text-align: left;">CPF, cash and war chest, and bonds amount to 63% of my net worth as relatively safe assets. </p><p style="text-align: left;">In recent weeks, I have completed the $15.3k annual contribution limit to my SRS account which forms 8% of my wealth. I plan to subscribe to the coming Apr 24 tranche of SSB with average yield of 3.04% using my SRS idle funds. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Currently, 23% of my net worth is in stocks and Reits. This, combined with the local holdings in SRS, brings my exposure to riskier assets up to 31%. For the sake of diversification and reducing portfolio risk, I am happy to increase exposure to risk-free SSB in my SRS portfolio.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I resolve to remain steadfast on the track towards financial freedom, remaining disciplined and focused. I will not let the noises and distractions influence my decisions.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-size: 16px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As Warren Buffett said, 'Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.' <span style="font-family: inherit;">By staying content with my long-term plan, I won't be swayed by emotional decisions.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;">Thank you for reading.</p><div style="text-align: left;">With love & peace,</div><div style="text-align: left;">Qiongster</div></div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-14441512073213031082024-03-11T17:56:00.002+08:002024-03-11T17:56:52.736+08:00Completed $15.3k SRS Contribution Cap for 2024<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2O79MWEnxit6vQWxKL2Ay0WnX19UKwh0f9SXOPLhc_8wHuJHDoTPoUdJ4NjbamYlJlJFSVvSQQoxl49rQBLvmaAVNcg5-8ImqAlqgRRKET3LuzC8GmVdE2uYNt9i6ROmjXhwLkessGKAhF7-W4O6Tv5o17PqTtqpJ2ykx_GUPkDD4rtA3OrKI8A/s735/SRS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="735" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2O79MWEnxit6vQWxKL2Ay0WnX19UKwh0f9SXOPLhc_8wHuJHDoTPoUdJ4NjbamYlJlJFSVvSQQoxl49rQBLvmaAVNcg5-8ImqAlqgRRKET3LuzC8GmVdE2uYNt9i6ROmjXhwLkessGKAhF7-W4O6Tv5o17PqTtqpJ2ykx_GUPkDD4rtA3OrKI8A/s320/SRS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>I have completed the annual contribution of $15,300 to my Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) account today.</p><p>This feat is achieved before end of 1Q 2024 and now I can focus on building up war chest and long-term investment for the rest of the year.</p><p>The main benefit of SRS is to save taxes aka cash outlay to the taxman next year.</p><p>Another benefit is to build up a cannot-touch ultra-long term portfolio using SRS funds.</p><p>There are also other options of endowment or insurance plans, annuity plans, bonds, funds or robo-advisor investment portfolios that we could invest with SRS funds.</p><p>However, SRS savings may not be for everyone because of the long lock-down period. We can only withdraw up to $40k from SRS tax-free for 10 years from the first penalty-free withdrawal, upon reaching the statutory retirement age (63 w.e.f 1 Jul 2022). There is a penalty incurred for withdrawing funds from SRS prior to retirement age, on top of being slapped with tax on the withdrawn amount.</p><p>I believe SRS will be beneficial for people who are earning income qualifying at least in the 7% tax bracket.</p><p>I have already contributed $8.4k to SRS earlier.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXvGAyHk-28SXCFziE9CxZe5HbJ_oYbg6VNyQ2n_l1DkqKRhPX3oaINCgfh9ZpIuUcz4DngpuIcrt-M99XhkZw7mpbWih2S_KgJk-ronBTs2qD4e49keg60DRerBe66k0QtntzZQsENg63GrpqVvh01GcUjo2_HNSUBXcah-RRgYcxU1aP1LbQQ/s1080/IMG_20240310_224441.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="1080" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXvGAyHk-28SXCFziE9CxZe5HbJ_oYbg6VNyQ2n_l1DkqKRhPX3oaINCgfh9ZpIuUcz4DngpuIcrt-M99XhkZw7mpbWih2S_KgJk-ronBTs2qD4e49keg60DRerBe66k0QtntzZQsENg63GrpqVvh01GcUjo2_HNSUBXcah-RRgYcxU1aP1LbQQ/s320/IMG_20240310_224441.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>There it goes. $6.8k to complete the quota for 2024!<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EvnxOO5U8i0FZMIC5BQdMWlIvqeStPNP4vAFrnXfWDFHJfwC52iN9Kr0b5fPdSgh8uwQa3IfnRKXM6SwPAiPmFlSASdC5rlQMHexVDWIKPbCA-Gl-KKRBGqjv3pGfWJkbJhtUdgMY_HJYLY1afaRUX_nYz_M2sCQGDR7aFZgZ6bMsGoRLGnHNg/s1093/IMG_20240311_175252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1093" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EvnxOO5U8i0FZMIC5BQdMWlIvqeStPNP4vAFrnXfWDFHJfwC52iN9Kr0b5fPdSgh8uwQa3IfnRKXM6SwPAiPmFlSASdC5rlQMHexVDWIKPbCA-Gl-KKRBGqjv3pGfWJkbJhtUdgMY_HJYLY1afaRUX_nYz_M2sCQGDR7aFZgZ6bMsGoRLGnHNg/s320/IMG_20240311_175252.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div>Thank you for reading.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>With love & peace, </div><div>Qiongster</div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> </div></div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-1951483144263830692024-02-29T20:30:00.000+08:002024-02-29T20:30:24.536+08:00Portfolio Update Feb 2024 | Shopping spree<p>This is a quick update of my investment portfolios for this short month of February.</p><!--StartFragment--><p>My SGX Income Portfolio value rises to $340k from $328k mainly due to capital injection for scooping up MPACT, CLCT and nibbling of DBS.</p><p>My US/HK Growth Portfolio value stagnates at US$17k.</p><p>My SRS Ultra Long-Term Portfolio value increases to $147k from $139k mainly due to my contribution of around $7.5k to SRS.</p><p>The US stock markets have attained fresh record highs before recent retracement, amidst uncertainties over interest rates, ongoing wars and diminishing fears of global recession. US 10-year and 30-year government yields have rebounded slightly and the Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest rates high for the short-term before cutting up to 6 times this year.</p><p>Despite being clouded by uncertainties, immense noises and fears, it is crucial that long-term investors like us always remain calm, unwavered and focused on our investment objectives. Stick to our own plan and continue deploying our financial resources into high quality income-producing instruments such as government-backed risk-free bonds, property assets, or strong growth businesses tactfully according to our own risk appetite. </p><p>I have gone on a shopping spree as I strongly believe in taking strides towards financial freedom by building up my passive income streams.</p><p>I have started contributing to my SRS account and has added more OCBC to my SRS portfolio. I have no plan to add US/HK stocks.</p><p><b>Portfolio Actions</b></p><div>1. Bought 200 shares of DBS at $32.38 on 9 Feb.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. Bought 383 shares of UOB at $28.68 on 22 Feb.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. Bought 5,000 shares of Capitaland China Trust at $0.75 on 28 Feb.</div><div><br /></div><div>4. Bought 500 shares of OCBC at $13.02 using SRS on 28 Feb.</div><div><br /></div><div>5. Bought 5,000 shares of MPACT at $1.35 on 28 Feb.</div><div><p><b>Portfolio Dividends</b></p><p>1. Received $128.70 of dividends from Savings Bonds on 1 Feb.</p><p>2. Received $93.30 of dividends from Suntec Reit on 28 Feb.</p><p>3. Received $309.50 of dividends from Capitaland Ascott Trust on 29 Feb.</p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">SGX Income Portfolio</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBoem2ccs_c-uPquAMs0FJMjuVQRVmn640YBV0M0c6ApUDcPQeQKO6rozzV6Ln-UD9yOQWH-bI_d55873mjpUEIA3qnIzm5knTdTq4Avn8bE-D28YZIb2_1b6_mo98rUmMhZImaxzy4a6zcbcnqQYcRdxL8k4keb2HgBxE6XE0JzsNHfgteh16g/s646/SGX.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="646" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBoem2ccs_c-uPquAMs0FJMjuVQRVmn640YBV0M0c6ApUDcPQeQKO6rozzV6Ln-UD9yOQWH-bI_d55873mjpUEIA3qnIzm5knTdTq4Avn8bE-D28YZIb2_1b6_mo98rUmMhZImaxzy4a6zcbcnqQYcRdxL8k4keb2HgBxE6XE0JzsNHfgteh16g/s16000/SGX.png" /></a></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Portfolio Value = $340k</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">US/HK Growth Portfolio</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"><span><p><span><span style="font-size: large;">Moomoo</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84sZdTzL3qgmLB0e-Q4Bd4FHq0PikgaPTqy4ENTDqIVS3pdTDHyWO_spAFiG8dy4vffL-uI4Hcx10X-h8brx9xoSjn0QDBWDkydwi9L-JJiuY_7ADy86u8FUC5qJjUn-qe8bcNhBhq7YtslpVFr0NNrg3XGqh0adePuU7SIOkg7qzxOd7CkcEbQ/s1080/IMG_20240229_195908.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="1080" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84sZdTzL3qgmLB0e-Q4Bd4FHq0PikgaPTqy4ENTDqIVS3pdTDHyWO_spAFiG8dy4vffL-uI4Hcx10X-h8brx9xoSjn0QDBWDkydwi9L-JJiuY_7ADy86u8FUC5qJjUn-qe8bcNhBhq7YtslpVFr0NNrg3XGqh0adePuU7SIOkg7qzxOd7CkcEbQ/w400-h369/IMG_20240229_195908.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">US$3.9k</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span><span style="font-size: large;">Tiger Broker</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9e1eDwUlzLdE3UocqndTwzgSWOMAk3TErZBPo8bDAoaDxCGQOr6Jxtlug8r3pPkz5h4FKbLVGamxHeerCMyAbg69tp6j5HG1Ru5xb1D5CebMOJ0DJEkvRLQSID5RQ2AgdYdqtnsARq9KDNuDQsF36jIJ6VAzFrvyaHyuqTkoge3Gw5-kHD1ZbWg/s1267/IMG_20240229_200510.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1267" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9e1eDwUlzLdE3UocqndTwzgSWOMAk3TErZBPo8bDAoaDxCGQOr6Jxtlug8r3pPkz5h4FKbLVGamxHeerCMyAbg69tp6j5HG1Ru5xb1D5CebMOJ0DJEkvRLQSID5RQ2AgdYdqtnsARq9KDNuDQsF36jIJ6VAzFrvyaHyuqTkoge3Gw5-kHD1ZbWg/w341-h400/IMG_20240229_200510.jpg" width="341" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDdhjpHDC4B8_3Zs7X9DSQ9AOkpagZnP_QBEylZIpZVp-km2o26tiMWBq3j0ABqkKzIa-SArWMekOcKSUnTFmrhWcowEeSmCwMzTSr42VXChaK3n4dIqpWx9anYdIQBFo6llYC81vmT3TurVotAyb4_L_gobrwvSY1kgBbzTzNpXwplWMZljBLA/s1080/IMG_20240229_200542.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1080" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDdhjpHDC4B8_3Zs7X9DSQ9AOkpagZnP_QBEylZIpZVp-km2o26tiMWBq3j0ABqkKzIa-SArWMekOcKSUnTFmrhWcowEeSmCwMzTSr42VXChaK3n4dIqpWx9anYdIQBFo6llYC81vmT3TurVotAyb4_L_gobrwvSY1kgBbzTzNpXwplWMZljBLA/w344-h203/IMG_20240229_200542.jpg" width="344" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">US$12.7k</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span><span style="font-size: large;">Syfe Trade</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8cxYJfYWAMf7lv1KWBcWtJdwARQRDzfObySGFS8vc4zpIPotxJYv7nxt_m7dJJCXw6GLIHMbiKRUNPtPY26yzzt5_47Ekys60mwUQAO79R28cxXV92Y2dv5IIVjx1R7EXacKeijASJpvZy_0AZ-lLmXw9w8acHTtvxO_ONjZyUQtxql2rc88NQ/s1080/IMG_20240229_201622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="1080" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8cxYJfYWAMf7lv1KWBcWtJdwARQRDzfObySGFS8vc4zpIPotxJYv7nxt_m7dJJCXw6GLIHMbiKRUNPtPY26yzzt5_47Ekys60mwUQAO79R28cxXV92Y2dv5IIVjx1R7EXacKeijASJpvZy_0AZ-lLmXw9w8acHTtvxO_ONjZyUQtxql2rc88NQ/w400-h251/IMG_20240229_201622.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div>US$0.9k<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Portfolio Value = US$17k</span></span></span></span></div><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">SRS Ultra Long-Term Portfolio</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DFOGloMKfxNpToNOZofRxgOsVD30iicFOPx5fCswQiK2VOLyq9oP3DoWBMavqTWK9Va8vtAJieM_NFd_UfcjCTvhOnvKKIMjXuPgS4N1TSfXpBpbDC68i0kltwpuADWV1qVszgZoNKFS93MMiBxNBxSIPEhz2PQaoN81QoQ-mo5hWG-BWMKy8Q/s460/SRS.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DFOGloMKfxNpToNOZofRxgOsVD30iicFOPx5fCswQiK2VOLyq9oP3DoWBMavqTWK9Va8vtAJieM_NFd_UfcjCTvhOnvKKIMjXuPgS4N1TSfXpBpbDC68i0kltwpuADWV1qVszgZoNKFS93MMiBxNBxSIPEhz2PQaoN81QoQ-mo5hWG-BWMKy8Q/s16000/SRS.png" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;">Portfolio Value = S$147k</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></span><br /><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Thanks for reading.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">With love and peace, </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Qiongster</div></div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-12444797298648634282024-02-28T13:46:00.000+08:002024-02-28T13:46:17.727+08:00Added MPACT<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-a8nytglIiTEjbQi9ykky9kHi5jTjS_kYsh0JayMFblzhYBX47PVIdYiZGjiyAsGqW42ZQ_JXjkaDeuqAo81Ykit5del7VIIC2MYsws-mwENs5WkZivMJJeBUnmGLi2qWnh2rvu3dD-BPwrDbRun8p_3QXWD7kiw5GZbj9XtNNuQG7rbOa4/s1280/V.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-a8nytglIiTEjbQi9ykky9kHi5jTjS_kYsh0JayMFblzhYBX47PVIdYiZGjiyAsGqW42ZQ_JXjkaDeuqAo81Ykit5del7VIIC2MYsws-mwENs5WkZivMJJeBUnmGLi2qWnh2rvu3dD-BPwrDbRun8p_3QXWD7kiw5GZbj9XtNNuQG7rbOa4/w400-h225/V.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>My order for 5,000 shares of Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust (SGX:N2IU) is filled today.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImfprl-kohitAKhc-0kktpTcKsc-79973XHV64z8xLMiqEsQdfNGCy-gDeeNZQ2LhRIH56Rnq8MVwiPjn5l7aIwmOGVkvZM_e2zEmeu5c-4xRODCKfAC78r6sWYhq53OshiwxVPkDKPjDA_TLTYIqUXQyMQVh-4UpIySNuG5R9sduOiDNZ87LPw/s1080/IMG_20240228_134254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="1080" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImfprl-kohitAKhc-0kktpTcKsc-79973XHV64z8xLMiqEsQdfNGCy-gDeeNZQ2LhRIH56Rnq8MVwiPjn5l7aIwmOGVkvZM_e2zEmeu5c-4xRODCKfAC78r6sWYhq53OshiwxVPkDKPjDA_TLTYIqUXQyMQVh-4UpIySNuG5R9sduOiDNZ87LPw/s320/IMG_20240228_134254.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This will bring my existing holdings of MPACT to 20,000 shares.</div><div><br /></div><div>The share price of MPACT has weakened severely ever since its merger with Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust to lose its status as a pure Singapore Greater Southern Waterfront commercial property asset play.</div><div><br /></div><div>The last time I increased my investment in MPACT was in July 2022 during its preferential offering at $2.0039 to raise funds for the merger with MNACT. I bought from open market 4,000 shares at $1.78 instead of subscribing to the preferential offer.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have long been wanting to increase my investments in MPACT especially after every visit to the ever crowded Vivo City. However, I have not visited its other APAC assets such as Festival Walk in Hong Kong, Gateway Plaza in China and commercial properties in Japan which will require much more time to recover from tourism, retail and office space demand. </div><div><br /></div><div>I sensed opportunity this time because my investment is driven by passive income for the long-term horizon and attracted by great value of paying below the NAV of around $1.76. Its share price has rebounded from the lows of $1.27 in Oct 2023 on the back of potential interest rate cuts in the short future. Generally, at $1.30s, MPACT is below its fair value and historical valuation.</div><p>I believe MPACT is still a high quality income producing Reit which is able to pay dividend consistently above 6% for the next few years or even decade.</p><p>Today's high interest rate environment will not last forever. The FED will most likely start to reduce interest rates later this year to avoid any onset of economic recession and interest rates will taper to around 2% next year. Lower interest rates will certainly benefit Reits such as MPACT by reducing financial costs and improving net property income for more distributions as dividends to investors like us.</p><p>Even though MPACT will continue to suffer in terms of price weakness and volatility in the short-term, I am optimistic that in the long run, its share price will recover above $1.60 and slowly climb towards its NAV of $1.80.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Thanks for reading. Stay safe and remain strong always!</div><div><br /></div><div>With love & peace,</div><div>Qiongster</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-24009793051810237602024-02-28T10:33:00.001+08:002024-02-28T10:33:52.704+08:00Doubled Up on Capitaland China Trust<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbDWF-kJgbITve2AMNiTKszUxRXMwySQGR74EqB5Oj77x8o_TN7FqTzwccKLZchFhRh17SDDFKakbESvVmjkKMpaJlMIBSqDISPp1ma_f6hI_62EtS1EAq0b4YYfwt9HO7wPliS8Sj5CnanFqq2cm2iEcH7eMnJX4iNq3rWW-rJ1bFrOu3zOZ5Q/s1920/CLCT%20P.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="926" data-original-width="1920" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbDWF-kJgbITve2AMNiTKszUxRXMwySQGR74EqB5Oj77x8o_TN7FqTzwccKLZchFhRh17SDDFKakbESvVmjkKMpaJlMIBSqDISPp1ma_f6hI_62EtS1EAq0b4YYfwt9HO7wPliS8Sj5CnanFqq2cm2iEcH7eMnJX4iNq3rWW-rJ1bFrOu3zOZ5Q/w640-h309/CLCT%20P.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">CapitaMall Xuefu, Harbin, China</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>My order for Capitaland China Trust (CLCT) shares is filled today.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFaZ698euoFKszxUf7lnJ0s7XLlO8PH8ErjoyVTYJ8zLW3kGSIu4o2Jh5Bgo7GJOT2w1hY_6VXj9NRCd02fs8ia2FrbX0SMBSa9lJiRsYoqVINZyOslaYn-BjyVV3IruQnWkqRvPlsX5DlwixZBKiLYcG43sAPQHWleDXdzSpDKwcliwSlRmTmw/s1080/IMG_20240228_101208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="1080" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFaZ698euoFKszxUf7lnJ0s7XLlO8PH8ErjoyVTYJ8zLW3kGSIu4o2Jh5Bgo7GJOT2w1hY_6VXj9NRCd02fs8ia2FrbX0SMBSa9lJiRsYoqVINZyOslaYn-BjyVV3IruQnWkqRvPlsX5DlwixZBKiLYcG43sAPQHWleDXdzSpDKwcliwSlRmTmw/s320/IMG_20240228_101208.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This effectively doubled up my small initial position in CLCT to 10,000 shares.</div><div><br /></div><div>The share price of CLCT has tanked in recent weeks and has been on a poor bear run by diving more than half from the high of $1.65 before the onset of pandemic in 2020 to hit a 52-week low of $0.74 today.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the largest China-focused REIT in Singapore, CLCT is facing strong headwinds in China's economy, including slowing growth and lingering impacts of its previous zero-COVID policies. High debt levels among many Chinese property developers have fueled anxieties about the sector's stability, spilling over into the REIT market as institutional investors worry about the health of properties that CLCT hold. Prolonged high interest rates and depreciating RMB versus SGD dollar only serve to exacerbate the fears of investors in CLCT.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even though CLCT seems like junk now, it is crucial to remember that REITs like CLCT can offer immense long-term potential as its fundamentals never change. CLCT reported higher revenue and net property income in the latest financial results and is able to deliver 3 cents of dividends on enlarged unit base, higher expenses and unfavourable forex rates.</div><div><br /></div><div>At a share price of $0.75, assuming a dividend of $0.06 for 2024, it yields around 8%. With a book value of $1.21, it is trading at 38% discount. A crisis breeds opportunity. CLCT has become too attractive and undervalued for me to ignore as I smell a great opportunity for me to lower my investment cost and rideout for a possible turnaround in its fortune and fate.</div><div><br /></div><div>This will be a long-term value, recovery investment play for me. CLCT is not just a major retail player in China but has added business parks containing industrial properties, logistics warehouses and data centers to its portfolio in 2020. Investing in CLCT is one way to ride on the turnaround of China's economic environment as its government has introduced stimulus measures to stabilise the property market recently. Besides, the retail malls owned by CLCT have recovered from increase in tenant sales and shopper traffic to pre-pandemic levels </div><div><p></p></div><div>I am not too concerned about the volatility of its share price in the short term. I am happy and patient to wait out at 8% yield and sitting on a diversified, heavily discounted portfolio of China's retail, industrial and logistics property assets.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading.</div><div><br /></div><div>With Love & Peace,</div><div>Qiongster</div><div><br /></div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-3480551175720122072024-02-28T09:48:00.005+08:002024-02-28T13:42:05.319+08:00Added more OCBC to SRS Portfolio<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1go-vs8smpfcodY_5nReqvNQ9oQtPGXjP3Sav5dBnOqHdV4xc3l8B-IodpZQTiand2FIiN2T2587z5vK8HMNQVkYoz2YrA2Hz7BQh_ENMGK_qlmiO3vzlm9EGRtBFSDXylKXueH-KRatm2v_IrJbxbkEc0o-4ERN6DVQZYHJHgExNQF7ZtCw/s310/images.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="310" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1go-vs8smpfcodY_5nReqvNQ9oQtPGXjP3Sav5dBnOqHdV4xc3l8B-IodpZQTiand2FIiN2T2587z5vK8HMNQVkYoz2YrA2Hz7BQh_ENMGK_qlmiO3vzlm9EGRtBFSDXylKXueH-KRatm2v_IrJbxbkEc0o-4ERN6DVQZYHJHgExNQF7ZtCw/w640-h338/images.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The share price of OCBC (SGX: O39) has corrected from the recent peak of $13.45 to $12.90 today, after announcing its 2023 full year results.</p><p>OCBC has attained 12% increase in Q4 profit to $1.62 billion and 27% increase in 2023 profit to $7.02 billion. A slightly higher dividend of $0.42, compared to interim dividend of $0.40, is announced and payable on 21 May, maintaining a dividend payout ratio of 50%. However, the results have fallen short of expectations, disappointing the market.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This near 5% correction is enough to trigger my temptation to accumulate shares.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The book value of OCBC is around $11.77 and ideally I would prefer to pay lesser than the book value.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">However, I added 500 shares to my ultra long-term SRS portfolio when my order got filled at $13.02 this morning.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As OCBC is currently on cum dividend of $0.42, net cost less dividend is $12.60 which is just 7% above book value, at a fairly attractive dividend yield of more than 6%, assuming OCBC maintains an annual dividend of at least $0.84 for the next few years. The next dividend in Aug 24 of at least $0.42 should drive down my net cost to closer to book value.</div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh10Exy3j4aezk9gpDVboXSDDzJp98R3UmD-hZrYSTEFD8YOw885nqKKsi9AZndlASYYwZMHuGYFKL9DJjHLNQi7_r76p4LnOYg3Jn5Asf1cdiWd902dXY3ONgB_lKpyyRUPmvW-c-WemdgDYCcFKjpYLi8DagtcJfh5jmFOXVGfiIwDswML-n-mg/s1076/IMG_20240228_093502.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="1076" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh10Exy3j4aezk9gpDVboXSDDzJp98R3UmD-hZrYSTEFD8YOw885nqKKsi9AZndlASYYwZMHuGYFKL9DJjHLNQi7_r76p4LnOYg3Jn5Asf1cdiWd902dXY3ONgB_lKpyyRUPmvW-c-WemdgDYCcFKjpYLi8DagtcJfh5jmFOXVGfiIwDswML-n-mg/s320/IMG_20240228_093502.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I last <a href="https://liverichlifefree.blogspot.com/2023/03/added-more-ocbc-to-srs-portfolio.html">added OCBC share last year at $11.93</a>, <a href="https://liverichlifefree.blogspot.com/2022/03/added-more-ocbc-to-srs-portfolio.html">added OCBC shares in 2022 at $11.56</a> and also <a href="https://liverichlifefree.blogspot.com/2020/03/added-more-ocbc-to-srs-portfolio.html">added OCBC shares in 2020 at $7.87</a> during the market shake-up from onset of the pandemic.</div><div><br /></div><div>With this addition, I will own 5,000 shares of OCBC at an average net cost of $9.17 only, positioned to collect at least $4.2k of dividends this year and for many years or decades to come optimistically.</div><div><br /></div><div>My long-term plan for SRS remains the same - to slowly and steadily accumulate OCBC shares via dollar cost averaging every year, because my SRS account is owned by OCBC and I intend to own the bank which owns my retirement funds.</div><div><br /></div><div>Be greedy when others are fearful!</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading.<br /><br />With Love & Peace,<br />Qiongster</div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-48938943333600005682024-02-26T19:36:00.000+08:002024-02-26T19:36:58.554+08:00The Trifecta of Life: Navigating Time, Money and Energy<p style="text-align: right;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BnpCJ98wFC8g0m4a4dDOVonLqlXqLMS-X0q45KhBC-vE2VgGwf6Xa9W0wFtCvkimg77Q82RVNp7qq7YNpVP50roVyoWhlQWDVbd1MfHmOIkYN3pAlVEz8epe7z1V6CQXU4W0kA/s320/IMG_0063.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="320" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BnpCJ98wFC8g0m4a4dDOVonLqlXqLMS-X0q45KhBC-vE2VgGwf6Xa9W0wFtCvkimg77Q82RVNp7qq7YNpVP50roVyoWhlQWDVbd1MfHmOIkYN3pAlVEz8epe7z1V6CQXU4W0kA/w400-h295/IMG_0063.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Living the Balance: Time, Money and Energy</b></p><p>Life is a precious journey woven from three intertwined threads: time, money, and energy. While we often chase these resources independently, true fulfillment lies in striking a harmonious balance between them.</p><p>As time relentlessly marches forward, our vitality naturally declines like a battery nearing its end. While we can recharge through rest and sleep, our capacity for boundless energy diminishes with age. Money, however, offers a different perspective. Through dedication and hard work, we can accumulate financial resources by exchanging time for financial gain.</p><p>However, the question remains: is reaching retirement synonymous with enjoying our "golden years" filled with leisure, financial security, and good health? The reality, unfortunately, is not so straightforward. As we age, our bodies naturally face limitations, including a decreased appetite and reduced energy levels.</p><p>This is where the concept of financial freedom, achieved at a younger age than the traditional retirement path, becomes intriguing. Imagine having the freedom to choose how you spend your time, whether pursuing passions, traveling the world, or simply relaxing, without being solely driven by the need to earn a living. It presents the unique opportunity to experience all three precious resources simultaneously while still young and vibrant.</p><p>While achieving financial freedom, especially in metropolitan cities like Singapore, may seem like a steep ascent, it's not an impossible climb. Through dedication, discipline, and a sound financial plan, we can strive for it. Even if full financial freedom eludes us, aiming for financial stability fosters a sense of security and empowers us to make choices without being solely dependent on income.</p><p>The ever-evolving job landscape further underscores the importance of diversifying income streams and securing passive income sources. This could involve exploring investments, building an online business, or acquiring new skills relevant to the changing job market. It's crucial to remember, though, that while enjoying life is essential, a mindset solely focused on spending everything earned (YOLO - You Only Live Once) can leave us vulnerable in unforeseen circumstances.</p><p>Ultimately, the key is to be mindful of the passage of time. While we can accumulate more money as we age, accepting and planning for the natural decline in energy levels is paramount. By striking a balance between time, money, and energy throughout our lives, we can navigate a fulfilling and enriching journey that transcends the limitations of traditional retirement.</p><p></p><p>Call to Action: Take the first step towards achieving balance. Explore resources and create a plan that prioritizes your needs and aspirations in each of these three aspects. Remember, true fulfillment lies not in maximizing each resource in isolation, but in orchestrating them to create a beautiful and harmonious symphony of life.</p><p>Remember the shortness of life. Precious yet fragile. Be content with what we have. Be fearless and ungreedy. Learn to let go and be free in our minds.</p><p>Thanks for reading. </p><p>With love & peace,<br />Qiongster</p>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-9146401973975962252024-02-24T22:33:00.002+08:002024-02-24T22:45:59.730+08:00Unveiling and Analysing my $150k SRS Portfolio<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFSaX3HNafQ-2-twHJCsqXaUaSjHWFQQxIexd2dmnjPADHqhW0uXBnTdb3BJTr5Cm6fSycT_pYWyX0F9eE-UzvVbBvUTETTP-jjvRJkNJoOgnzT2Prw5FE2KNPhqBY2Fo0EOrOXDHSeYzObjdD7Osg5WsrpE_w10YkJGLfUcVdIaX27Rmglr8hQ/s648/SRS.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="648" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFSaX3HNafQ-2-twHJCsqXaUaSjHWFQQxIexd2dmnjPADHqhW0uXBnTdb3BJTr5Cm6fSycT_pYWyX0F9eE-UzvVbBvUTETTP-jjvRJkNJoOgnzT2Prw5FE2KNPhqBY2Fo0EOrOXDHSeYzObjdD7Osg5WsrpE_w10YkJGLfUcVdIaX27Rmglr8hQ/s16000/SRS.png" /></a></div><p></p><p>I realised that my SRS porfolio has surpassed <b>S$150k</b> today!</p><p>This is upon tallying the cash balance and the market values of the stocks in my SRS as I have started contributing funds to my SRS in the past weeks.</p><p>I opened my SRS account with OCBC in Dec 2016 after more than 5 years of working.</p><p>My SRS portfolio has grown slowly and steadily from $0 over the past 7 years to $150,608.69 now.</p><p>I decided to analyse my SRS portfolio which was neglected largely as I believe this is a vault which can only be activated after 62 years old or upon retirement.</p><p>In my net worth tracking, I conservatively account my SRS component as cumulative amount of funds contributed over the past. This amounts to $124,664.43 now.</p><p>Hence, my gains are almost $26k or 20% over 7 years from capital gains and dividends collected. This translate into a modest 2.7% annualised rate of return.</p><p>With the benefit of hindsight, I believe that I could have done better for my SRS. However, as a novice investor managing my own idle funds, I am contented to be able to generate decent returns with minimal effort instead of incurring losses.</p><p>From the pie chart, the bulk of my SRS is invested into OCBC and this investment turns out to be the best performer as my average cost is less than $10 and its market share price is above $13 now. I have reaped around $7k of dividends from it too.</p><p>My second best performer is ST Engineering as I bought it at $3.22 in 2017 and has collected more than $4k of dividends over the years while enjoying capital gains.</p><p>My third best performer is Keppel Reit even though its share price now at $0.885 is lower than my buy price of $1.03 in 2016. I have collected close to $4k of dividends hence it is still a winner overall.</p><p>My poorest performers are actually ComfortDelgro, Keppel DC Reit and Wilmar as I bought them at high prices at $2.09, $2,88 and $4.33 respectively and they are still in the red after a few years of investment and dividends collected. Fortunately, they only constitute 17% of the portfolio collectively. Since they are still able to pay my dividends consistently and their fundamentals did not deteriorate much, I will not consider cutting losses on them.</p><p>Moving forward, I plan to increase my OCBC ratio to 50% and hope that I could get rid of the losers to recycle into other local bank stock such as DBS or UOB. I may also consider getting T-Bills or SSBs before interest rates start to fall.</p><p>Thanks for reading. Happy Full Moon on 15th day of CNY!</p><p>With love & peace,<br />Qiongster</p>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-69196395172621109252024-02-22T11:50:00.003+08:002024-02-22T20:20:34.108+08:00Added UOB: A Steady and Growth Bank Play without the Fireworks<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCfG9Mw-_jNGMcvLrMqlxp_J7uFztHudaI8nZogT23TyY11ro44_Sez5ZwYwwn855CVxlGmZeLW4KMl-xNmzL8iAaGf17jaAuOOEDBErwDbOtaoC8gEjZRWAvxutwesUqwBB3-g/s2048/uob1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2048" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCfG9Mw-_jNGMcvLrMqlxp_J7uFztHudaI8nZogT23TyY11ro44_Sez5ZwYwwn855CVxlGmZeLW4KMl-xNmzL8iAaGf17jaAuOOEDBErwDbOtaoC8gEjZRWAvxutwesUqwBB3-g/w400-h260/uob1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Amidst great expectations of bonus shares or special dividends like its DBS counterpart, the share price of UOB (SGX: U11) has corrected from the high of $29.68 in past days to test short term support level of $28.50 at 1.14 times its book value of around $25.</p><p>UOB has announced a record $6.1 billion profit for the financial year 2023 early this morning, underpinned by strong net interest income, trading and investment income. This is a 26% increase from FY 2022. If factoring in the Citigroup integration costs, net profit is S$5.7 billion, also a landmark high.</p><p>Most notably, net interest income rose 16% to S$9.7 billion. Net interest margin rose 23 basis points to 2.09% and loan growth of 2% in constant-currency terms.</p><p>Net fee income increased 4% to S$2.2 billion as credit card fees surged to S$382 million.</p><p>However core operating expenses rose 15% to S$6.8 billion and total allowance for credit and other losses on a few non-systematic accounts rocketed 53% to $921 million, higher than $590 million by DBS.</p><p>Asset quality remained stable with non-performing loan (NPL) ratio at 1.5%, which is higher than DBS's NPL ratio of 1.1%.</p><p>Most importantly to long-term investors of UOB, the dividend announced is $0.85, same rate as 1H FY2023. There is no special dividends nor bonus shares as wished, hence disappointing the market and resulted in the weakening of its share price today.</p><p>I believe that UOB is still an attractive steady long-term investment prospect of a growth bank business with yields close to 6%, at payout ratio of about 50%. This is despite headwinds in the economy, uncertainties over interest rates and increasing core operating expenses and write-offs. </p><p>I find timing the market difficult and prefer to invest in banks during times of uncertainty rather than waiting for the booming economy or ideal circumstances before doing so. In a perfect scenario, we may have to pay inflated prices i.e. 1.5x to 2x book value for bank shares. I will perform dollar-cost average into adding bank shares.</p><p>I believe UOB is more conservative and defensive relative to DBS and OCBC because it has greater presence in regional domestic markets, larger focus on South East Asia growing and youthful economies, best valuation at only 1.14x book value whilst being the smallest bank in Singapore. OCBC on the other hand, has greater presence in China and Hong Kong while DBS is penetrating into south Asia economies in Taiwan and India.</p><p>Ideally, it is great to own all 3 banks to have the best of all worlds. With limited resources and based on priority now, I decided to focus on accumulating UOB first.</p><p>I was owning 617 UOB shares and required 383 more to round up to 1,000 shares.</p><p>There it goes and my order was filled at $28.68 today.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvfGpYLiCkQ9lRUtjFOpoRVTgnurfZq_Kb6psWXvlov_1yVN2GXF2NSFphLZYtjDtcGm9VZZWBDh27UkJjf1DtLWZV22imAuEYVJicJOvo_hwO3DlLVDQV4myhOMyWVFDjTaLFSEckOyQwJ-Dwkz5959rcUI4Live9Smr3XQva9zhWoNBhIeWCg/s1080/IMG_20240222_093458.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="1080" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvfGpYLiCkQ9lRUtjFOpoRVTgnurfZq_Kb6psWXvlov_1yVN2GXF2NSFphLZYtjDtcGm9VZZWBDh27UkJjf1DtLWZV22imAuEYVJicJOvo_hwO3DlLVDQV4myhOMyWVFDjTaLFSEckOyQwJ-Dwkz5959rcUI4Live9Smr3XQva9zhWoNBhIeWCg/w400-h122/IMG_20240222_093458.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>My order for 83 odd shares was then filled at $28.69.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnCRHuq-AGUH0YOooGgAPAq9o6y03ZcHwSt2O7D6P-jYX86wqJE4yFr9msfId4HYUeh2VK_ImsqagdJjjhyphenhyphenPZVYXJnY0KtAXIhQSRDj6aWWQg2Xzs7XIaLmUe3OGd5W8ecb8TJI1xEw7NWj3ouPO23ntPG1TCdakj3_1KK1vlzHsssJi3RrBxPw/s1080/IMG_20240222_094951.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="1080" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnCRHuq-AGUH0YOooGgAPAq9o6y03ZcHwSt2O7D6P-jYX86wqJE4yFr9msfId4HYUeh2VK_ImsqagdJjjhyphenhyphenPZVYXJnY0KtAXIhQSRDj6aWWQg2Xzs7XIaLmUe3OGd5W8ecb8TJI1xEw7NWj3ouPO23ntPG1TCdakj3_1KK1vlzHsssJi3RrBxPw/w400-h99/IMG_20240222_094951.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I will now own 1,000 UOB shares, looking forward to collect $0.85 dividends 2 times this year and greater dividends in the years to come.<div><br /></div><div>The share price of UOB continue to test lower short-term support levels and I will monitor and may add more shares.</div><div><br /></div><div>My next hunting targets will be OCBC which will be announcing its results on 28 Feb, and DBS. Here I come.<br /><p>See Related Posts:</p><p><a href="https://liverichlifefree.blogspot.com/2020/05/nibbled-uob.html">Nibbled UOB</a></p><p><a href="https://liverichlifefree.blogspot.com/2020/02/own-banks-or-let-banks-own-our-money.html">Own the banks or let banks own our money</a></p><p>Thanks for reading,</p><p>With love & peace,<br />Qiongster</p></div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-43852097156835935712024-02-17T10:08:00.001+08:002024-02-17T10:50:03.028+08:00Net Worth Update Feb 2024<p> <span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7CO4VVWE16IF7BYiPfUn4aYIr7havZ6itLWzp7J6hxAS1QQ8oa31wgTGFONlCMUwlPCCvMjpsGBRfPR_QSkTMhbAsQOC1IcMbB4mZeG1FPHjFR6SaPjKqeeqaNKaJpMsXwgpOT1U_SQerhLPbYoyvc9dDy_pBJ1TziiWuZJa4cwkmhKMxKPm3Fg/s447/NW.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="447" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7CO4VVWE16IF7BYiPfUn4aYIr7havZ6itLWzp7J6hxAS1QQ8oa31wgTGFONlCMUwlPCCvMjpsGBRfPR_QSkTMhbAsQOC1IcMbB4mZeG1FPHjFR6SaPjKqeeqaNKaJpMsXwgpOT1U_SQerhLPbYoyvc9dDy_pBJ1TziiWuZJa4cwkmhKMxKPm3Fg/s16000/NW.png" /></a></div><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"><p><span style="font-size: xxx-large; font-weight: 700;">S$1.587m</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">My net worth increases to <b>S$1.587m</b> in Feb 2024.</p><p style="text-align: left;">This is after CPF contributions from Jan 24 salary and savings from Feb 24 salary.</p><p style="text-align: left;">CPF forms the bulk 37% of my net worth. I have already achieved full retirement sum (FRS) in CPF SA and has <a href="https://liverichlifefree.blogspot.com/2024/01/5-reasons-to-top-up-cpf-retirement.html">completed $8k top up to my mum CPF Retirement Account</a> for some tax relief.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Cash and war chest constitute 17% of my wealth. In the current high rate environment, my cash is being stashed away in bank fixed deposits yielding more than 3% p.a. in Fullerton cash funds under custody of Moomoo and Tiger Broker, and in Money Market Funds held by Phillips Capital yielding more than 3.5% p.a. with interest paid daily.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Singapore Savings Bonds ($140k) and Astrea 7A PE bond ($9k) are low-risk bonds contributing to 10% of my wealth. Together with CPF, cash and war chest, they amount to 64% of my net worth as safe assets. I will skip the coming Mar 24 tranche of SSB with average yield of 2.88%.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Stocks and Reits constitute 22% of my net worth. In recent weeks, I have contributed $7.5k to my SRS account which forms 8% of my wealth. My SRS funds are mostly deployed into local stocks and Reits. They are the 30% of riskier assets in my financial portfolio.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I hope to remain steadfast on the track towards financial freedom. Ignore the noises. Be greedy when others are fearful. Be fearful when others are greedy. Be contented when others are hungry.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Thank you for reading. <span style="text-align: center;">Huat ah!</span></p><div style="text-align: left;">With love & peace,</div><div style="text-align: left;">Qiongster</div></div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-42242271903788461522024-02-11T19:53:00.001+08:002024-02-11T19:53:32.405+08:00The Calm in the Storm: How Stoicism Can Make Us a Better Investor<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEWeh2S5l_7dG7Xw2R-egs_NsyxtvbOx0MG4hWQl-rvh19H4Iyx5V7zBCxECxSzFrbeo6UWFN2ajCia21bdOhtDhzPKuoE27OiKlKPMq126ayfO4VgO6E83Yqx9io78v8MKR-1pYz0OMXBpzXeTz-g3UaF6XjB7_AEvR6IUGIgQF1CgsMG_Yplg/s643/StoicWB.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="643" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEWeh2S5l_7dG7Xw2R-egs_NsyxtvbOx0MG4hWQl-rvh19H4Iyx5V7zBCxECxSzFrbeo6UWFN2ajCia21bdOhtDhzPKuoE27OiKlKPMq126ayfO4VgO6E83Yqx9io78v8MKR-1pYz0OMXBpzXeTz-g3UaF6XjB7_AEvR6IUGIgQF1CgsMG_Yplg/w400-h300/StoicWB.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p data-sourcepos="1:1-1:194" style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;">Stoicism is an ancient philosophy that emphasizes the importance of reason and self-control. It teaches that happiness comes from accepting what you cannot control and focusing on what you can.</p><p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:175" style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1rem 0px; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;">These principles can be very helpful for investors, who often face volatile markets and uncertain outcomes. Let me share some key stoic practices that can be applied to investing:</p><p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:175" style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1rem 0px; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-weight: 700; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;">Focus on what we can control:</span><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"> This means focusing on our investment strategy, asset allocation, and risk management. We cannot control the market, but we can control your own decisions and certainly not let emotions rule over our mind.</span></p><p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:175" style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1rem 0px; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;">We should design and develop a well-researched and diversified portfolio aligned with our risk tolerance and financial goals.</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;"> This includes choosing appropriate asset classes, understanding</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;"> their historical performance,</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;"> and rebalancing regularly. </span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;">Decide how to distribute your investments across different assets like stocks,</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;"> bonds,</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;"> real estate,</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;"> and cash.</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;"> Consider their volatility,</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;"> potential returns,</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;"> and correlation to each other to manage risk.</span></p><p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:175" style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1rem 0px; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-weight: 700; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;">Accept what we cannot control:</span><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"> The market will fluctuate by going up or down, and there will be unexpected events. Accepting this reality can help us to stay calm and rational when faced with losses. Likewise, we must be prepared to lose what we can afford to invest. Otherwise, do not invest in risky financial instruments such as stocks or bonds.</span></p><p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:175" style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1rem 0px; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;">Market ups and downs are inevitable.</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;"> Understand historical trends and cycles,</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;"> but accept that short-term volatility is unpredictable.</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;"> Don't let emotions like fear or greed dictate our decisions. </span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;">Black swan events like geopolitical crises or economic shocks can impact markets significantly.</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;"> Focus on building a resilient portfolio that can weather such storms.</span></p><p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:175" style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1rem 0px; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;">We cannot control how others behave in the market.</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;"> Avoid getting caught up in herd mentality and make decisions based on our own research and analysis.</span></span></p><p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:175" style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1rem 0px; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-weight: 700; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;">Focus on the long term:</span><span style="white-space-collapse: collapse;"> As an investor, do not get caught up in the short-term volatility of the market. Instead, focus on our long-term goals and make investment decisions that are aligned with them.</span></p><p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:175" style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1rem 0px; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;">Resist the temptation to time the market and frequently trade our investments. Historically, </span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;">buy-and-hold strategies with diversified portfolios have yielded better returns over long periods. Actively trading is stressful and akin to having a part-time job compared to the laid-back passive mode of an income investor who does nothing but gets paid with dividends consistently.</span></p><p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:175" style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1rem 0px; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-weight: 700; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;">Live virtuously:</span> Stoicism emphasizes the importance of living a virtuous life. This means acting with integrity, fairness, and wisdom. These qualities can also be applied to investing.</p><p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:175" style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1rem 0px; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;">Choose companies that align with our values and operate with good governance.</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;"> Transparency and responsible business practices contribute to long-term success.</span></p><p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:175" style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1rem 0px; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;">We should not set unrealistic return goals that might tempt ourselves to take unnecessary risks.</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;"> Always understand that consistent,</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;"> stable growth is usually more effective than chasing unsustainable gains.</span></span></p><p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:175" style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1rem 0px; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Remember,</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> stoicism is not about eliminating emotions entirely,</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> but about recognizing and managing them effectively.</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> By applying these principles,</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> we can cultivate a calmer,</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> more rational approach to investing,</span><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> leading to better decision-making and potentially achieving our financial goals.</span></span></span></p><p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:175" style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1rem 0px; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Thanks for reading. Happy Dragon Year!</span></span></span></p><p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:175" style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1rem 0px; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve;">With love & peace,</span></span></span></p><p data-sourcepos="3:1-3:175" style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Google Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 1rem 0px; scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve; word-break: break-word;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent;"><span style="scrollbar-color: rgb(218, 220, 224) transparent; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Qiongster</span></span></span></p>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-29776904888797844072024-02-10T12:08:00.004+08:002024-02-10T21:49:30.844+08:00Why I Top Up SRS Early in the Year instead of Year End?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEX2n9jm_7yhb0IMnJU8u3vY-iKDVTRBAN9um9Dy2lpKT0Z0a-uImh-_httzC2QfFq6GHjH6EPV1UuoYz7kLuIEnt3Wf-tqgC6IsbcaENFZhYTr08E_Tt7Wf5pIcNyKZhXzfWrpyOKU2K6Zo6COoGrAqsRSSFXXWC1qBxZdRluvNyffQ529Ic3Pg/s1118/IMG_20240209_183254.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1118" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEX2n9jm_7yhb0IMnJU8u3vY-iKDVTRBAN9um9Dy2lpKT0Z0a-uImh-_httzC2QfFq6GHjH6EPV1UuoYz7kLuIEnt3Wf-tqgC6IsbcaENFZhYTr08E_Tt7Wf5pIcNyKZhXzfWrpyOKU2K6Zo6COoGrAqsRSSFXXWC1qBxZdRluvNyffQ529Ic3Pg/s320/IMG_20240209_183254.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>I started to top up my Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) account since last week.</p><p>Even though the amounts I topped out are small, they help me to slowly but steadily conquer the full annual contribution limit of $15,300.</p><p>I have contributed $403.10 to SRS so far using "free" passive income from Savings Bonds interest and IPPT award monies.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvKhaGhCZaPaWK_KNHZx1EyH_y-onNJHtAd4fl-vUC3i2RX7YNiKuHRhwH5fowUZ6wqNyANhKmslJs2skRdnNwwbPgVaG1WAMC0uY5Tq1q-FKN_KARKaDYHf80GeGVyrn60ZAJx-aw2LwN8OcmoQTcAIEZ6yAHqkP3r23-1Ujaqa2r2fNnbbv-w/s1080/IMG_20240209_184312.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="1080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvKhaGhCZaPaWK_KNHZx1EyH_y-onNJHtAd4fl-vUC3i2RX7YNiKuHRhwH5fowUZ6wqNyANhKmslJs2skRdnNwwbPgVaG1WAMC0uY5Tq1q-FKN_KARKaDYHf80GeGVyrn60ZAJx-aw2LwN8OcmoQTcAIEZ6yAHqkP3r23-1Ujaqa2r2fNnbbv-w/w320-h241/IMG_20240209_184312.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><p></p><p>I plan to continue contributing to SRS using savings and "free money" from dividends this and next month.</p><p>My target to complete the contribution cap of $15,300 by end Mar 2024.</p><p>It is only February and why do I start contribution so early in the year instead of waiting till end of the year?</p><p>Let me share 5 reasons why.</p><p><b>1. Investment Goal and Opportunity</b></p><p>As the long-term investment goal for my SRS investment portfolio is to accumulate and go heavy on OCBC bank, ironically the bank of my SRS account, I always target to add more OCBC banks shares before April of every year using SRS funds. This is because OCBC pays dividends in May and August annually and the earliest XD to qualify for May's dividend is early May.</p><p>The earlier I load up my SRS account with funds, the better I will be able to capitalise on investment opportunities from occassional dips in OCBC share price.</p><p>As of now, I only have around $2k in my SRS account. I will have to top up at least $5k soon in order to have a chance to nibble more OCBC shares.</p><p>As I have an investment plan, my funds in SRS seldom lie idle and will be deployed to good use soon after they are injected.</p><p><b>2. Avoid Procrastination</b></p><p>We all have a tendency to put things off till the last minute. Topping up SRS early removes the temptation to delay and ensure that I complete this financial assignment early to qualify for tax relief as well as building up my retirement readiness.</p><p>I may also not have the spare funds during year-end for SRS contributions as my funds could have been deployed in other cash-related investments or paying off credit card bills incurred from holidays or furniture purchases.</p><p><b>3. Psychological Advantage</b></p><p>Contributing to SRS early in the year becomes a positive habit and sets a morale boosting tone for the year. </p><p>This helps me to establish a consistent saving habit to achieve financial freedom and ultimately retirement. It becomes less of a burden and more of a natural action.</p><p>By building up my SRS investment portfolio early of the year allows me to move on and focus on building my SGX cash portfolio next. I will get a better sense of accomplishment and feel more motivated psychologically towards achieving my financial goals.</p><p><b>4. Reduce Spending Temptation</b></p><p>By contributing to SRS early, I will reduce the temptation to spend my money on travelling or unnecessary things in the early part of the year.</p><p>The commitment to allocate huge portion of my savings towards SRS funding instills strong discipline in my financial budgeting objectives and forces me to prioritise long-term financial goals over short-term spending impulses.</p><p><b>5. Compounding growth</b></p><p>Compounding is the 8th wonder of the world. As my funds become available in SRS early in the year, they have more time to stay invested and potentially generate returns or reap dividends earlier.</p><p>These dividends then get recycled back into my SRS to become investment capital, potentially earning additional returns in subsequent periods. Such continuous periods of compounding will accelerate the growth of my SRS portfolio allowing me to cruise towards the journey of financial freedom more effectively.</p><div>I look forward to completing the $15.3k contribution cap of SRS in the coming weeks</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thanks for reading. Wishing everyone a Heng Ong Huat Dragon Year ahead!</div><div><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div>With love & peace,</div><div>Qiongster</div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-16987277061076580552024-02-09T11:07:00.000+08:002024-02-09T11:07:42.395+08:00Added DBS. Averaging Up or Down?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhUtdfp9I6WfyWwX_niqXm-TbJoBG9ZBUer7UjbOCnsvdLCfuHrOciKq3hcFt28aTW6m3vhW_oHawV8gtPlMZpIH3g8oTzFnM6KMsOdDp2UQ4A94SjDAUivKmieq5LK5AR8BQY68HduBsXbxNHDVd5Q-SpSXRkHhS4vgst1DjTNVn0vp2sGQ/s1200/Best%20Bank.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhUtdfp9I6WfyWwX_niqXm-TbJoBG9ZBUer7UjbOCnsvdLCfuHrOciKq3hcFt28aTW6m3vhW_oHawV8gtPlMZpIH3g8oTzFnM6KMsOdDp2UQ4A94SjDAUivKmieq5LK5AR8BQY68HduBsXbxNHDVd5Q-SpSXRkHhS4vgst1DjTNVn0vp2sGQ/w640-h334/Best%20Bank.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Today is Lunar New Year eve. Happy Dragon Year to everyone in advance!</p><p>I decided to nibble DBS (SGX:D05) to give myself a forever stream of ang baos and perhaps due to fear of missing out (FOMO).</p><p>There it goes. My order is filled at $32.38.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiq9XIVwKRZ_QzCRuiOKhgm9GCVd2cdqNRe0cbbbTabfAN9P9OfK6H-YL8ETdhCdBAz79W1DihNZRHqqwB1U98iglzFb_7Jv6ptV4L_lyLSeSMxmKV-F54RK8P_7XGLqLJTGap7ygI224_AykFZqLJOM2jFrTz5qJAVNIOx5AR-RIaJInlFu_Hw/s1080/IMG_20240209_100141.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="1080" height="84" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiq9XIVwKRZ_QzCRuiOKhgm9GCVd2cdqNRe0cbbbTabfAN9P9OfK6H-YL8ETdhCdBAz79W1DihNZRHqqwB1U98iglzFb_7Jv6ptV4L_lyLSeSMxmKV-F54RK8P_7XGLqLJTGap7ygI224_AykFZqLJOM2jFrTz5qJAVNIOx5AR-RIaJInlFu_Hw/s320/IMG_20240209_100141.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>My last purchase was in June 2023 at $30.80.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmIVtWarx3Q2Az8rCL2U4fsVe5BSK1IdFyUTrmSyMXaguDLRrLnKYOdIDVX09ZJPXuFFckIPCSY-qMf6vXyvuDnWgf6nF8DAi9qzIdReJ3YVrLCOR3Df_wyV_Dojf5rcc-PnlKc5su4EoaxEM6MVpoRFXMYfdHm1otEVTjdQNIOHgVKUhRwLA/s1080/IMG_20230607_135924.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="1080" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmIVtWarx3Q2Az8rCL2U4fsVe5BSK1IdFyUTrmSyMXaguDLRrLnKYOdIDVX09ZJPXuFFckIPCSY-qMf6vXyvuDnWgf6nF8DAi9qzIdReJ3YVrLCOR3Df_wyV_Dojf5rcc-PnlKc5su4EoaxEM6MVpoRFXMYfdHm1otEVTjdQNIOHgVKUhRwLA/s320/IMG_20230607_135924.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Am I averaging up or down?</p><p>Technically I am averaging up because I added shares at higher price compared to previous purchase. The net cost of my 2023 tranche is $29.95 after lessing off dividends collected and inclusive of trading costs in 2023.</p><p>Realistically, I am averaging down because there is cum-dividend of $0.54 and a 1-10 bonus share offering. The dividend and bonus shares are worth at least $3.74 ($0.54+$3.2) for each DBS share owned. Hence the net cost of DBS is only $28.61 assuming we bought at $32.38.</p><p>DBS is the world's best bank and it currently yields more than 6% despite at more than 40% above book value of $23.</p><p>Ideally I would like to get DBS at below $30 per share however my fingers are itchy and getting impatient. It is also very difficult to time the market.</p><p>Besides, the looming 4 quarterly dividends of $0.54 for FY 2024 and 1-10 bonus share (subject to approval in AGM) are almost certainly guaranteed. I believe DBS is the best candidate to compete with all the top quality Reits in my SGX income portfolio for the long-term by providing consistent and stable passive income while preserving its share price.</p><p>DBS has a great track record of rewarding shareholders consistently and steadily with growing dividends and capital gains over the past decades. It should continue to do well in this sustained high interest rate environment clouded by noises and uncertainties. Even during low interest rate environment, DBS will be boosted by lending of cheap monies by institutions and retail customers.</p><p>Should the share price of DBS plummet below $31 or $28 in the future, I shall add more shares to increase investment in this world's best bank.</p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Thank you all for reading. Stay focused and remain steadfast as always!</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">With love and peace, </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Qiongster</div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-77326697056711749432024-02-01T20:27:00.002+08:002024-02-01T20:27:54.305+08:00My early $200 Ang Bao<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJEyGUOo0EdWxBSH1LUXZHZy8XdTDrrkSBY7EOYk_Fz8QryN12niVgYtIb9S4RXnvLIKDvRCU_NUxG-atlUFGtrK8I_Y1lAZ9ShiKmsxQvVCW7lxM4r_ADuLyN0GDZTe0h3ZEc-dDn0J6sREOhqZVJ-COVpir5t8JOdfX4kfh2I5ioR2sq_vGpg/s225/download.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJEyGUOo0EdWxBSH1LUXZHZy8XdTDrrkSBY7EOYk_Fz8QryN12niVgYtIb9S4RXnvLIKDvRCU_NUxG-atlUFGtrK8I_Y1lAZ9ShiKmsxQvVCW7lxM4r_ADuLyN0GDZTe0h3ZEc-dDn0J6sREOhqZVJ-COVpir5t8JOdfX4kfh2I5ioR2sq_vGpg/w400-h400/download.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p>I earned an early ang bao from Mindef by taking an Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) today.</p><p>For Singapore guys, IPPT is an annual national service (NS) liability for those who are certified fit and have not completed the 10 operationally ready cycles after completing full time NS.</p><p>I am surprised to be able to do 31 standard push ups and 38 sit ups, clocking 40 points out of 50 in my age group for young uncles between 37 to 39.</p><p>I then need to run under 15 mins for 2.4km to earn 21 points to achieve at least 61 points in total to qualify for a $200 incentive.</p><p>The weather was good with cool breeze during sunset today. Track conditions was dry and perfect too. </p><p>I managed to drag my weak legs wrapped in a pair of tattered decade-old Nike shoes for 14:29 mins from the 2.4km run to pass with 65 points for $200 incentive!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATHxFsyC-klZF7OVnO2guw-lvoVOmSfmZ4c3_uVcxeX_A76tEUsvvJRb3H-n7KF3nupJLNWbuljyRXV4OKMJVT4lKPjzRN2HhDzfE2UOU0uXb290ZLxZT3LETxmJa16gfScg38GvpLjlXs18e7E63ghHwKu91iK-O46c1MZ6Tk1yCB-DpZXnxZA/s4624/IMG_20240201_201459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2499" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATHxFsyC-klZF7OVnO2guw-lvoVOmSfmZ4c3_uVcxeX_A76tEUsvvJRb3H-n7KF3nupJLNWbuljyRXV4OKMJVT4lKPjzRN2HhDzfE2UOU0uXb290ZLxZT3LETxmJa16gfScg38GvpLjlXs18e7E63ghHwKu91iK-O46c1MZ6Tk1yCB-DpZXnxZA/w216-h400/IMG_20240201_201459.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Fitness is Wealth.</div><div><br /></div><div>This shall be one of my last few attempts to take fitness tests in life.</div><div><br /></div><div>This achievement will motivate me to exercise more this year. </div><div><div><br /></div><div>Wishing everyone good fitness and wealth in the upcoming Dragon Year.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading.</div><div><br /></div><div>With love & peace,</div><div>Qiongster</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-78143408783830883932024-01-31T22:51:00.001+08:002024-01-31T22:51:48.209+08:00Portfolio Update Jan 2024<p>This is the first update of my investment portfolios for 2024.</p><!--StartFragment--><p>My SGX Income Portfolio value falls to $328k from $339k.</p><p>My US/HK Growth Portfolio value stagnates at US$17k.</p><p>My SRS Ultra Long-Term Portfolio value shoots up to $139k from $143k.</p><p>The US stock markets have attained fresh record highs amidst uncertainties over interest rates, ongoing wars and diminishing fears of global recession. US 10-year and 30-year government yields have rebounded slightly and the Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest rates high for the short-term before cutting up to 6 times this year.</p><p>Despite being clouded by uncertainties, immense noises and fears, it is crucial that long-term investors like us always remain calm, unwavered and focused on our investment objectives. Stick to our own plan and continue deploying our financial resources into high quality income-producing instruments such as government-backed risk-free bonds, property assets, or strong growth businesses tactfully according to our own risk appetite.</p><p>I plan to start contributing to my SRS account while waiting for interest rates to fall while monitoring high quality S-Reits and local bank stocks for addition to my SGX income portfolio if opportunities arise in the next few months. I have no plan to add US/HK stocks.</p><p><b>Portfolio Actions</b></p><div>Nil</div><div><p><b>Portfolio Dividends</b></p><p>1. Received $123.20 of dividends from Savings Bonds on 2 Jan.</p><p>2. Received $147.50 of dividends fromm Savings Bonds in SRS on 2 Jan.</p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">SGX Income Portfolio</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWQt1SFQD-ckrGJtNh8EwT8j-_QNmdQtFniyXcz9t0v3UNnHtzJht9SmScFhV9uBvImEONIkrJNh4-Dw4KmMOjwGjhOdhGm8ldz3Mj_pDWeDrfuxSFHAeU15V9t7Wk-nvKI2ZnCiD3qqn9kBmx7Nz9CexOimoiOM4qID9HwqxCYsgBN4OtURr8A/s574/SGX.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="547" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWQt1SFQD-ckrGJtNh8EwT8j-_QNmdQtFniyXcz9t0v3UNnHtzJht9SmScFhV9uBvImEONIkrJNh4-Dw4KmMOjwGjhOdhGm8ldz3Mj_pDWeDrfuxSFHAeU15V9t7Wk-nvKI2ZnCiD3qqn9kBmx7Nz9CexOimoiOM4qID9HwqxCYsgBN4OtURr8A/w610-h640/SGX.png" width="610" /></a></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Portfolio Value = $328k</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">US/HK Growth Portfolio</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"><span><p><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Moomoo</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYuOlV5EUbrMMWZ81aWxGxFGjk5q69ISqDoLSZpyUbuB_S6vgn-xlFXGPyd8IJyDNwPzBP_r49oXTYM8X2rMp-PJIB933KP3WitehJXmRHBRlAaPTFiNp-WSXl7gro7XzI0a7RclX7lSIl_ad3msyYucefr-LDyihLC3_F8XG0sT_zmKi5YTiZQw/s1080/IMG_20240131_223338.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1041" data-original-width="1080" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYuOlV5EUbrMMWZ81aWxGxFGjk5q69ISqDoLSZpyUbuB_S6vgn-xlFXGPyd8IJyDNwPzBP_r49oXTYM8X2rMp-PJIB933KP3WitehJXmRHBRlAaPTFiNp-WSXl7gro7XzI0a7RclX7lSIl_ad3msyYucefr-LDyihLC3_F8XG0sT_zmKi5YTiZQw/w400-h385/IMG_20240131_223338.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">US$3.9k</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Tiger Broker</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGgTzDgg0ZOxsNa04eWZDfhHSQ5EUb4pQoNXFFx-ZQH2dn_wKn8eFDdGSDs_6ilN4XKkQ01YFSpwtjD6zruukvwHXewXilzp1LYRbr7f3hpDhIyRK-LzLyi1Hf7F0EFFG3YKUomjk6FdaX6GlF1jRB9YxqKtQU8VFwDvo4BNLp1ts_Ho5Klv5yQ/s1797/IMG_20240131_223508.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1797" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGgTzDgg0ZOxsNa04eWZDfhHSQ5EUb4pQoNXFFx-ZQH2dn_wKn8eFDdGSDs_6ilN4XKkQ01YFSpwtjD6zruukvwHXewXilzp1LYRbr7f3hpDhIyRK-LzLyi1Hf7F0EFFG3YKUomjk6FdaX6GlF1jRB9YxqKtQU8VFwDvo4BNLp1ts_Ho5Klv5yQ/w384-h640/IMG_20240131_223508.jpg" width="384" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">US$12.6k</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Syfe Trade</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBuCKQh6Utw6uMJeehGDpvh7Sj2zfsN1i70wZty_7WbEtTBWVydsgVVQ8kULzkbehl35GanHQSwL6K-2MEZzRhBuKM8-BtbGjUN-IFREu4LALdcuFCZRhTw9XDkfnbyy1N-QvyFnBq3AlMmlRtHBF273cavfO3gBLXAzKyc5gEuT59iUn5Gndnag/s1080/IMG_20240131_223643.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="1080" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBuCKQh6Utw6uMJeehGDpvh7Sj2zfsN1i70wZty_7WbEtTBWVydsgVVQ8kULzkbehl35GanHQSwL6K-2MEZzRhBuKM8-BtbGjUN-IFREu4LALdcuFCZRhTw9XDkfnbyy1N-QvyFnBq3AlMmlRtHBF273cavfO3gBLXAzKyc5gEuT59iUn5Gndnag/s320/IMG_20240131_223643.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div>US$0.9k<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Portfolio Value = US$17k</span></span></span></span></div><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">SRS Ultra Long-Term Portfolio</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaSyuinB9IhM9PbHyGw0kpEEugPzpCcKTE_nu2EsY6EoUp8SR9MDM38ppCb2g7kKBpxyNU_N6x7gDeq6sCIVKP21Fv_KzcVP-8PojHnW2_eUCqUWwcRbaKMoX37h42uqVtcg-Z1ppSlUTr9qAmLuUlyC3Se29iJmbnIjR3noNIUuGNUb1zLaMJQ/s455/SRS.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="455" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaSyuinB9IhM9PbHyGw0kpEEugPzpCcKTE_nu2EsY6EoUp8SR9MDM38ppCb2g7kKBpxyNU_N6x7gDeq6sCIVKP21Fv_KzcVP-8PojHnW2_eUCqUWwcRbaKMoX37h42uqVtcg-Z1ppSlUTr9qAmLuUlyC3Se29iJmbnIjR3noNIUuGNUb1zLaMJQ/s16000/SRS.png" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;">Portfolio Value = S$139k</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></span><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Thanks for reading. Looking forward to the new year awashed with fresh beginnings and opportunities!</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">With love and peace, </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Qiongster</div></div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-32212782726485365452024-01-29T17:38:00.001+08:002024-01-29T17:38:24.616+08:005 Reasons To Top Up CPF Retirement Account of our parents instead of giving cash<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyAY6vef6Pk2odSoQ-0I8M7LPdMKnQ902Pa4P4jFZOmAUhfJW19J7fqXHyMOEa17EM1_y4IaDXvzyitcXpiYgVi7bouRjOjByP0LS2yQqdyi1hdDi3uBQnSFKoUPmhG69NzlHgczp6crzXB28VQzpdC3FSNerOAuWjsNZpo_rQS9gi2woCbwyCw/s935/CPF.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="935" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyAY6vef6Pk2odSoQ-0I8M7LPdMKnQ902Pa4P4jFZOmAUhfJW19J7fqXHyMOEa17EM1_y4IaDXvzyitcXpiYgVi7bouRjOjByP0LS2yQqdyi1hdDi3uBQnSFKoUPmhG69NzlHgczp6crzXB28VQzpdC3FSNerOAuWjsNZpo_rQS9gi2woCbwyCw/w640-h374/CPF.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="text-align: left;">I topped up $8k into my mum's CPF Retirement Account via Paynow today.</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUbVCuog6T8RC36K8T1bEn_n8uKKVb1EQbKVNtvHarAzOKwkvNe5sMYUfp2K07TpLFpRyoZKiH55TL_2uE8B2nUimDYjLUx4rG0GDIo0x_WoFuuFjAf60l3tjtBK_525cZ_OMn5QZ0i33UNBW8QaJgf6Aisp0eAUEcVFbuelTtWSg4VMEhF5ilA/s1236/IMG_20240129_172342.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUbVCuog6T8RC36K8T1bEn_n8uKKVb1EQbKVNtvHarAzOKwkvNe5sMYUfp2K07TpLFpRyoZKiH55TL_2uE8B2nUimDYjLUx4rG0GDIo0x_WoFuuFjAf60l3tjtBK_525cZ_OMn5QZ0i33UNBW8QaJgf6Aisp0eAUEcVFbuelTtWSg4VMEhF5ilA/w280-h320/IMG_20240129_172342.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The transaction and RA account balance are updated instantly in my mum CPF statement.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVLBI_8CHv7L31I6NKwA7Xmg3k8h9-RocKp449QSCjTKZNEaxNcvKq_TaL7rjfEh5mAYJV2KWIXAWwWuJf7chBIRCoouhjHuxxxHyyhwBO8NPDztQiGb9JlVtYn7XwhmLnRAArN_QkN9YTrFlISrdyvUOdXd5Kii19vD-7QPpCF5AHYIAn-8MYA/s1296/Transaction.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="1296" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVLBI_8CHv7L31I6NKwA7Xmg3k8h9-RocKp449QSCjTKZNEaxNcvKq_TaL7rjfEh5mAYJV2KWIXAWwWuJf7chBIRCoouhjHuxxxHyyhwBO8NPDztQiGb9JlVtYn7XwhmLnRAArN_QkN9YTrFlISrdyvUOdXd5Kii19vD-7QPpCF5AHYIAn-8MYA/w640-h126/Transaction.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In my CPF dashboard, my tax relief is also reflected instantly.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWhfUt-xvPkF81kDWZHsgZLF2asfLPtIfx8Dg3X1ScOWT0Rui_XMM96zDMCSkLX2FSXMYQv99wDUS1j37c6-i-z50Sj7cerV_-8HQuch6HnHT_4thP1EuJv8_YHnY-rabdNmatMxzb306h3GvyR_ubEuQtWOk5P3AVaZOoaBChctubiIB7CXfug/s1385/Tax%20Relief.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="1385" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWhfUt-xvPkF81kDWZHsgZLF2asfLPtIfx8Dg3X1ScOWT0Rui_XMM96zDMCSkLX2FSXMYQv99wDUS1j37c6-i-z50Sj7cerV_-8HQuch6HnHT_4thP1EuJv8_YHnY-rabdNmatMxzb306h3GvyR_ubEuQtWOk5P3AVaZOoaBChctubiIB7CXfug/w640-h350/Tax%20Relief.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>Let me share 5 reasons why we should top up the CPF Retirement Account of our parents instead of giving cash to them.</p><p><b><u>1. Tax Relief</u></b></p><p>For personal financial objective, we could enjoy tax relief of up to $8k per calendar year for topping up our parent's CPF Retirement Account under the Retirement Sum Top Up (RSTU) scheme.</p><p>Assuming my tax bracket is at 11%, a relief of $8k will save me $880 of taxes in cash, which is enough to eat more than 100 plates of $5 chicken rice at the coffeeshop.</p><p>The tax relief is also applicable to family members such as parents-in-law, grandparents, grandparents-in-law, siblings and spouse.</p><p><b><u>2. Compounding growth at 4%</u></b></p><p>CPF Retirement Account yields at least 4% and up to 6% for senior folks risk-free and guaranteed by the Singapore Government. Monies growing at compounded rate of at least 4% will double in 20 years hence, by leaving cash in CPF RA account, they will grow much faster than inflation rate to preserve and uphold its real value.</p><p>For CPF members aged 55 and above, an extra 2% of interest is paid on the first $30k of their combined balances (capped at $20k for OA), an an extra 1% for the next $30k.</p><p><b><u>3. CPF Life</u></b></p><p>In order to qualify for CPF Life, one need to have at least $60k in their CPF retirement savings before reaching 65 years old. We could help our parents to boost their CPF retirement savings to qualify for CPF Life if they do not have active income and CPF contributions.</p><p>CPF Life offers payouts perpetually for life but is a debatable subject because its pros and cons varied across individuals' opinions. If one's CPF RA does not have $60k before reaching 65 years old, then he or her will only rely on Retirement Savings scheme to draw down their CPF savings till it is depleted.</p><p>Having at least $60k in CPF RA will offer extra choice of being able to qualify for CPF Life scheme to enjoy perpetual monthly payouts.</p><p><b><u>4. Matched Retirement Savings Scheme</u></b></p><p>Under the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme (MRSS), the Government will match every dollar of cash top-ups made to the Retirement Account of eligible members up to a cap of $600, which can amount to $3,000 over 5 years. To be eligible, the person has to be aged between 55 and 70, has a CPF RA of less than the current Basic Retirement Sum of $102,900, has average monthly income of less than $4k, live in a property with annual value less than $21k and not owning more than one property.</p><p>By topping up at least $600 to a qualified family member's CPF RA account, we can milk the $600 of free money from the Government.</p><p><b><u>5. CPF is like golden ATM for senior citizens</u></b></p><p>For senior folks close to reaching the 55 year old and 65 year old milestones of being able to touch their CPF monies, their CPF accounts are like golden ATM that offer high interest rates for "withdrawable" cash with the click of a button. This is unlike younger folks who could only stare at their CPF balances as numbers. Hence, the concept of 1M65 is indeed beneficial and practical to people who could really live beyond 50s or 60s and on the brink of drawing down cash from their CPF balances. People who lived past 50 years old should try to pump more monies into their CPF accounts, by all means, in order to reap the risk-free guaranteed returns on their monies.</p><p>In conclusion, I top up my mum's CPF RA account with cash instead of giving cash, in order to maximise the value of money. For the $8k topped up, I can enjoy $880 of tax savings myself, let my mum earn at least $280 of CPF interests for 2024 and attract another matched $600 from the Government. This $1760 of "earnings" from $8k gives a whopping ROI of 22% in a year.</p><p>In addition, there is compounding effect from future years' interests and being eligible to qualify for CPF Life for perpetual monthly income payouts. Overall, I feel that it is an awesome deal.</p><p>However, topping up CPF accounts using cash is an individual decision depending on a myriad of factors and may only suit some of us and not everyone. One should always exercise our own due diligence to make the best decision for our own financial matters.</p><div><div>Thanks for reading. Stay focused and remain steadfast as always!</div><div><br /></div><div><div>With love & peace, </div><div>Qiongster</div></div></div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-29680142485514504492024-01-26T19:35:00.004+08:002024-01-26T19:35:50.814+08:00Maxed Out my CPF MA to BHS $71.5k<p style="text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPYdZd6Nnb3C-L02rqLgPVAzXnAdpR59FiawAWGrqPP1mjH9DA6IhFCx8wtdNYsEz_6Cno7ClDw6L-hD-Yy8kg2QGHA9w32KCbMsIdf5iNu12xOqBRnvIHM1V6h1ult5-sOn1dX7Loj4T3StPdfKnk2pw16qN6wL34ZVj2W4x33CKsbe3CXI/s1200/cpf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1200" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPYdZd6Nnb3C-L02rqLgPVAzXnAdpR59FiawAWGrqPP1mjH9DA6IhFCx8wtdNYsEz_6Cno7ClDw6L-hD-Yy8kg2QGHA9w32KCbMsIdf5iNu12xOqBRnvIHM1V6h1ult5-sOn1dX7Loj4T3StPdfKnk2pw16qN6wL34ZVj2W4x33CKsbe3CXI/w400-h214/cpf.jpg" width="400" /></a> </p><p></p><p>I topped up around $1.4k into my CPF Medisave Account (MA) today.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ojfkeYqfY_Am4uEgHcgRXtEkbOqEm93mRB3U8maJVyS-xnO4hIEqqx9xU_J1JBrJEgL9t_apv2r_ibAJSStdyg2VP4u2wpxPkwADYtiuCBA4O6imwa-fk1cykVAtUlAHOB9xbUAVxxUB7BQnRiXseFFBzCp9THM6X9-4DVWYJnf6scIMmrebsA/s1310/Transaction.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="1310" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ojfkeYqfY_Am4uEgHcgRXtEkbOqEm93mRB3U8maJVyS-xnO4hIEqqx9xU_J1JBrJEgL9t_apv2r_ibAJSStdyg2VP4u2wpxPkwADYtiuCBA4O6imwa-fk1cykVAtUlAHOB9xbUAVxxUB7BQnRiXseFFBzCp9THM6X9-4DVWYJnf6scIMmrebsA/w640-h146/Transaction.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>My CPF MA is now maxed out at the Basic Healthcare Sum of $71.5k</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8U4zYhsEAps1i2aRe0KFsNLjfcMQeRWHj6fBZbcUSMC3vAGqxt6wewmrELqXcRo7cC0LEHN1Y7_NYEDfP7F-tqoBNca_yX5PC_OfOCcbLZyc76I7aBTClrntTLdlTprauHyAGD4t9bSGAC6neJnLNGoZ_8t7JLxEqPFxBVlbz-UucSXjYJhv_w/s1091/CPF%20B.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="291" data-original-width="1091" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8U4zYhsEAps1i2aRe0KFsNLjfcMQeRWHj6fBZbcUSMC3vAGqxt6wewmrELqXcRo7cC0LEHN1Y7_NYEDfP7F-tqoBNca_yX5PC_OfOCcbLZyc76I7aBTClrntTLdlTprauHyAGD4t9bSGAC6neJnLNGoZ_8t7JLxEqPFxBVlbz-UucSXjYJhv_w/w640-h170/CPF%20B.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I am able to enjoy tax relief of the $1.4k cash used for top up as well as 4.08% p.a interest on the balance in MA till 31 Mar 2024.</p><p>As I have already attained Full Retirement Sum in my CPF Special Account, I could no longer make voluntary top Up under the RSTU. This is the best effort I can make with CPF.</p><p>First mini financial mission accomplished for the year!</p><p>Thanks for reading.</p><div>With love & peace, </div><div>Qiongster</div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-31803964856780523832024-01-20T14:15:00.003+08:002024-01-20T14:15:40.756+08:00Net Worth Update Jan 2024 | Towards SGD 1.65m Target<p> <span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyWR4fLeW0KtmsI4BHpuA-J_UgSeFsBsEEW_1q5dFv9gNtmCgme1xCQ-vpKd8p3vvIgrj8UCt9PRbEfLU8tIqAHaiWbR1R9SQSzv5SOOfYjNRl_8QqQuqXoVrG7GEwO4eJI2gsiDxVzyXcmz8BcLPU49DoSceRDmh-pl7sQ_aR0JTvr_yZWYGuQ/s489/NW%20Jan%2024.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="489" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyWR4fLeW0KtmsI4BHpuA-J_UgSeFsBsEEW_1q5dFv9gNtmCgme1xCQ-vpKd8p3vvIgrj8UCt9PRbEfLU8tIqAHaiWbR1R9SQSzv5SOOfYjNRl_8QqQuqXoVrG7GEwO4eJI2gsiDxVzyXcmz8BcLPU49DoSceRDmh-pl7sQ_aR0JTvr_yZWYGuQ/s16000/NW%20Jan%2024.png" /></a></div><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"><p><span style="font-size: xxx-large; font-weight: 700;">S$1.58m</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">My net worth grows to <b>S$1.58m</b> in Jan 2024.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The boost is from CPF interests for 2023, CPF contributions from Dec 23 salary and annual wage supplement and savings from Jan 24 salary.</p><p style="text-align: left;">CPF forms the bulk 37% of my net worth. I have already achieved full retirement sum (FRS) in CPF SA and intend to top up my Medisave account to the basic healthcare sum (BHS) of $71.5k next week for some tax relief.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Cash and war chest constitute 18% of my wealth. In the current high rate environment, my cash is being stashed away in bank fixed deposits yielding more than 3% p.a. in Fullerton cash funds under custody of Moomoo and Tiger Broker, and in Money Market Funds held by Phillips Capital yielding more than 3.5% p.a. with interest paid daily.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Singapore Savings Bonds ($140k) and Astrea 7A PE bond ($9k) are low-risk bonds contributing to 10% of my wealth. Together with CPF, cash and war chest, they amount to 65% of my net worth as safe assets. I will skip the coming Feb 24 tranche of SSB with average yield of 2.81%.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Stocks and Reits constitute 22% of my net worth. Together with SRS account which forms 7% and is deployed mainly into local stocks and Reits, they are the 29% of riskier assets in my financial portfolio.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I expect my net worth to continue increase slowly and steadily in this new year. My target by 31 Dec 2024 will be S$1.65m.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I hope to remain on track towards the path of financial freedom. Ignore the noises. Be greedy when others are fearful. Be fearful when others are greedy. Be contented when others are hungry.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Thank you for reading. <span style="text-align: center;">Stay focused and remain steadfast as always!</span></p><div style="text-align: left;">With love & peace,</div><div style="text-align: left;">Qiongster</div></div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-73996590196608249762024-01-01T10:22:00.000+08:002024-01-01T10:22:02.380+08:00Your CPF Grew While You Slept! Check Your Interest Now!<p> <span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPYdZd6Nnb3C-L02rqLgPVAzXnAdpR59FiawAWGrqPP1mjH9DA6IhFCx8wtdNYsEz_6Cno7ClDw6L-hD-Yy8kg2QGHA9w32KCbMsIdf5iNu12xOqBRnvIHM1V6h1ult5-sOn1dX7Loj4T3StPdfKnk2pw16qN6wL34ZVj2W4x33CKsbe3CXI/s1200/cpf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1200" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPYdZd6Nnb3C-L02rqLgPVAzXnAdpR59FiawAWGrqPP1mjH9DA6IhFCx8wtdNYsEz_6Cno7ClDw6L-hD-Yy8kg2QGHA9w32KCbMsIdf5iNu12xOqBRnvIHM1V6h1ult5-sOn1dX7Loj4T3StPdfKnk2pw16qN6wL34ZVj2W4x33CKsbe3CXI/w400-h214/cpf.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Happy New Year 2024! </p><p>Our CPF accounts are credited with interests for 2023 today. </p><p>The first thing I did when I woke up today is to check my CPF savings.</p><p>Happy to receive more than $18k of interests!</p><p>Another important step in the journey towards financial freedom and retirement.</p><p>Even though CPF monies do not seem to be like real monies, I believe they are still illiquid monies that can be used to fund our retirement in our late lives, purchase properties, pay for education fees of children and pay medical bills.</p><p>Here are my CPF interests for 2023:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieVwSjEi1d75XWJZCmAUrcp7oh1lyk2tgO4C2DuMfgZmDnT28-4NUDckptNUT2Zo_Q-4smpSsEGVGKVFEUZqG8Hn1CGw9lBeFZ0JO-EdAttMBhkVfrLoQsDU0CxfpViNMBBc8p4uWzi89ciMMhf_5ZBENgzf4MDWzPwYN83N7nFmeUzH97ggEAqg/s1027/IMG_20240101_101528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="870" data-original-width="1027" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieVwSjEi1d75XWJZCmAUrcp7oh1lyk2tgO4C2DuMfgZmDnT28-4NUDckptNUT2Zo_Q-4smpSsEGVGKVFEUZqG8Hn1CGw9lBeFZ0JO-EdAttMBhkVfrLoQsDU0CxfpViNMBBc8p4uWzi89ciMMhf_5ZBENgzf4MDWzPwYN83N7nFmeUzH97ggEAqg/s320/IMG_20240101_101528.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>In total, I received $18,409.68.</p><p>This is a 10% increase from $16,739.56 for 2022.</p><p>The interest of $2.7k earned from Medisave account can easily cover the premiums for Careshield life and Medishield life. In a way, it is possible to enjoy free insurance by using passive income from CPF savings to cover the insurance premiums. This can be achieved if we bother to top up our own medisave account and strive to hit the maximum Basic Healthcare Sum limit of $71.5k in 2024 to let the 4% interest rate do its compounding work. </p><p>I am certainly pleased with this source of passive income which certainly boosts my CPF total and net worth on the first day of a brand new year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJ7MHDmJcvX7rjoNZzewkn46YuE0zPvVZKfzMsa79eSZuPPVP2T67SoaMEOb9MMgB8QaJYnH8TAlUg4KBAP_xF9SOmUyqbkJBXCUvjbVF5Dhq0nI08hW585iSS0N3-piOW94ZT4WE4TMDcG89o86HtB3ifXFlZdT0IYojPIyv1swv4mITPoQnaQ/s687/IMG_20240101_101835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="687" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJ7MHDmJcvX7rjoNZzewkn46YuE0zPvVZKfzMsa79eSZuPPVP2T67SoaMEOb9MMgB8QaJYnH8TAlUg4KBAP_xF9SOmUyqbkJBXCUvjbVF5Dhq0nI08hW585iSS0N3-piOW94ZT4WE4TMDcG89o86HtB3ifXFlZdT0IYojPIyv1swv4mITPoQnaQ/w200-h191/IMG_20240101_101835.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Thanks for reading. Stay focused and remain steadfast as always!</div><div><br /></div><div>With love & peace,</div><div>Qiongster</div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-24661720406634723832023-12-31T12:59:00.003+08:002023-12-31T13:00:07.624+08:00Reflection on Year 2023 - 10 Things I experienced for the 1ST Time<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0N2V5jBte2r0-sjcq3E7uIhcZhnGkgQK5Vj_VZAblq_5Za0COik-7YIlKSO1etZJJ8BB6Mp21pzZSMydCNXlPUnyUkvMKx14ZNx1eC99ZfQM6rSZkQeTeZQRnOwlLKWpQXcDEmLev7wm4JPKWetgV5x_l_rcU87UGs-zewt0RPPykUtyt_D9ZqQ/s338/outdoors-beautiful-sky-spiritual-fantasy-generative-ai_983314-2166.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="338" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0N2V5jBte2r0-sjcq3E7uIhcZhnGkgQK5Vj_VZAblq_5Za0COik-7YIlKSO1etZJJ8BB6Mp21pzZSMydCNXlPUnyUkvMKx14ZNx1eC99ZfQM6rSZkQeTeZQRnOwlLKWpQXcDEmLev7wm4JPKWetgV5x_l_rcU87UGs-zewt0RPPykUtyt_D9ZqQ/s320/outdoors-beautiful-sky-spiritual-fantasy-generative-ai_983314-2166.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p>Before year 2023 turn into history, let me reflect and share on the 10 things I experienced for the first time over the past 12 months.</p><p><b>1. Job</b></p><p>Since I changed job for the very first time in my career during the pandemic in 2021, I transited from a technical role to a technical management role in IT. This year, I was redesignated back to a leading technical role as my organisation recognised the need to strengthen internal cloud engineering capabilities instead of heavy reliance on vendors.</p><p>Our jobs yield the greatest dividends from trading our time to produce work for our employer. Our remuneration usually is a measure of the perceived intrinsic value of our investment in own education, knowledge and gaining of past experiences. I am glad that my monthly income exceeded S$9k to hit a new high in my career.</p><p><b>2. Fitness and Health</b></p><p>I adopted an agile and flexible approach towards improving my fitness instead of having a rigid regime. I got the chance to exercise in various 4-Star hotel gyms via ClassPass Membership. I also participated in free high intensive internal trainings held in parks from booking sessions in Health 365 app and NS FIT programmes. </p><p>On some days, I merely did static exercises such as push-ups, squats and planks in the comfort of my room. I am happy to be able to exercise in different places freely and flexibly, gaining great fitness experiences. I have also passed my IPPT with incentive for the 19th consecutive year since ORD from full-time national service.</p><p>Having exercised more, reducing intake of ice cream and meat, my weight fell from 78kg to 72kg and on track towards achieving back my lean and shredded body of the younger days. My latest blood test result has also shown improvement in the level of cholestorol at 4,83 mmol/L compared to 5.3 mmol/L during the pandemic days in 2021</p><p><b>3. Interest rates</b></p><p>During the pandemic, I opened low-cost brokerages - Moomoo and Tiger Broker and funded them to enjoy free Apple shares. In the high interest rate environments of past year, I stashed away my cash war chests in the Fullerton Cash Funds offered by these brokerages and earning daily interest rates of above 3.5% p.a for Singapore dollars and above 4.5% for US dollars.</p><p>I added more than S$50k into Singapore Savings Bonds, locking down average interest rates above 3% for the next decade.</p><p>I also renewed more than S$200k worth of fixed deposits at more than 3% for the next year.</p><p>In total, I amassed more than $10k of interests from Cash Funds and Fixed Deposits and they are not excluded from the computation of my passive income for the year.</p><p>However, high interest rates have an impact on my investment portfolios which are heavily into REITs. At least S$30k of paper value had been wiped off my portfolio and net worth earlier in 2023 and recovered only recently.</p><p><b>4. Refurbish home</b></p><p>For the first time in my life, I bought Nippon paints and brushes from Shopee and painted my entire home on DIY mode with the help of my mum. It was very exhausting but nonetheless rewarding to give a fresh coat of paint on the ceilings and walls after 3 decades. The entire process took more than 10 days and costs less than $400 for a 4-room HDB.</p><p>It would have cost more than $1,800 to engage professional painters to paint the home and I am glad to be able to complete the feat.</p><p><b>5. Hybrid Work</b></p><p>Post pandemic, I get to fully experience what hybrid and flexible working entails in this year.</p><p>On paper, I am supposed to work in office 3 days and WFH 2 days in a week. However, due to hot desking, I do not really enjoy working in hot desks as the desks are dirty with no privacy and I do not feel a sense of belonging with small lockers to contain my stuffs at the end of day.</p><p>So practically, I "appeared" in office only for physical meetings while working from home most of the time. However, sometimes there are ad hoc meetings organised suddenly on the day in office. So I had to travel from home to office just for 1 to 2 hours meeting and then went home after the meeting ends. I will also occasionally work in meeting rooms, in other co-work offices or even when travelling on public transport.</p><p><b>6. Investment</b></p><p>I added high quality stocks such as DBS and Parkway Life Reit into my SGX Income portfolio for the very first time. The past year presented great opportunities for investment in Reits. I doubled up my position in Mapletree Logistics Trust and increased my investment in Mapletree Industrial Trust, while also expanded my positions in Aims Apac Reit, IREIT and Ascott Reit via preferential offerings. With the potential reduction in interest rates, I believe these stocks and Reits are poised for a strong performance in the new year.</p><p><b>7. Passive Income</b></p><p>As a result of my growing investments and higher Singapore Savings Bonds, <a href="https://liverichlifefree.blogspot.com/2023/12/passive-income-in-2023-exceed.html">my official passive income exceeded $27k</a> which is a major feat in my financial journey.</p><p>My unofficial passive income also grew to above $10k. They are from sources such as bank interests from fixed deposit and savings accounts, sales on Carousell, cash outs of Google AdSense earnings from this blog, dividends from US stocks and profits from options trading, surveys rewards and so on.</p><p>I am pleased with the progress of my investment journey so far and will continue to build up the SGX income portfolio for more dividends in future years to come.</p><p><b>8. Travel</b></p><p>I applied and gotten a new passport with 10 years validity in Feb 2023. I managed to travel to Ho Chi Minh City in Apr 2023 and set foot on Seoul, South Korea in Sep 2023 for the very first time in my life. I am enthralled to be able to fly, experience freedom and travel without restrictions again after the 3 years of hiatus.</p><p>I look forward to visiting more destinations and cities to broaden my horizons in the new year.</p><p><b>9. Investment in Self</b></p><p>I continue to invest aggressively in myself to learn, gain knowledge and broaden horizons through attending many courses, webinars and workshops. I renewed more than 8 expiring professional certifications and obtained 1 more new accreditation. Getting certified by tech giants, Microsoft and Amazon will boost one's credentials and allow prospective employers to recognise my expertise and skills in the cloud computing world, thereby helping in my career progression in the future hopefully.</p><p><b>10. Net Worth</b></p><p>Last but not least, my net worth remained above USD 1 million or S$1.4 million throughout the year and increased by more than 10% or around $150k from Jan 2023. Most importantly, <a href="https://liverichlifefree.blogspot.com/2023/12/net-worth-update-rockets-past-s155m-in.html">my net worth exceeded S$1.55 million recently to hit new record high</a>.</p><p>I did not invest aggressively this year as my strategy was to grind at work, earn the monthly pay cheque, live frugally, sit back and let the equities recover in tandem with the economy, while collecting dividends. My main track is to slowly but steadily increase investments and build up passive income, inching towards financial freedom.</p><p><b>Conclusion</b></p><p>2023 has been a decent plain sailing year for me.</p><p>I look forward to the coming year and am optimistic that 2024 will bring greater opportunities.</p><p>Have you reflected on your achievements for this current year?</p><div>Thanks for reading!</div><div><br /></div><div>With love & peace,</div><div>Qiongster</div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-17064911556698536002023-12-30T11:46:00.002+08:002023-12-30T11:46:38.614+08:00Portfolio Update December 2023 | Wonderful Finale<p>This is the last update of my investment portfolios for 2023.</p><!--StartFragment--><p>My SGX Income Portfolio value rebounds strongly to $339k from $316k.</p><p>My US/HK Growth Portfolio value stagnates at US$17k.</p><p>My SRS Ultra Long-Term Portfolio value shoots up to $143k from $137.4k.</p><p>The US stock markets have attained record heights amidst increasing certainty of pivoting interest rates, ongoing wars and diminishing fears of global recession. US 10-year and 30-year government yields have retraced from record highs and the Federal Reserve is expected to reduce interest rates in 2024. Local S-Reits have rebounded strongly to boost my SGX Income Portfolio's paper value.</p><p>Intimidating storylines about economies, monetary policies and geopolitical tensions just keep repeating in the media, instilling chaos and fear amongst investors and traders While being clouded by uncertainties, immense noises and fears, it is crucial that long-term investors like us always remain calm, unwavered and focused on our investment objectives. Make the best out of current situation by allocating our financial resources into high yield risk-free bonds, stable and high quality income-producing assets, or strong growth businesses tactfully according to our own risk appetite.</p><p>I plan to continue stashing away idle cash in high yield cash funds while waiting for interest rates to fall while also adding high quality S-Reits or local bank stocks to my SGX income portfolio if opportunities arise in the next few months. I have no plan to add US/HK stocks.</p><p><b>Portfolio Actions</b></p><div>Nil</div><div><p><b>Portfolio Dividends</b></p><p>1. Received $296 of dividends from Savings Bonds on 1 Dec.</p><p>2. Received $132.50 of dividends from Netlink Trust on 1 Dec.</p><p>3. Received $188.00 of dividends from ST Engineering in SRS on 1 Dec.</p><p>4. Received $498.83 of dividends from Mapletree Ind Trust on 5 Dec.</p><p>5. Received $336.00 of dividends from MPACT on 8 Dec.</p><p>6. Received $880.00 of dividends from Frasers L&C Trust on 14 Dec.</p><p>7. Received $459.13 of dividends from Mapletree Log Trust as 318 shares under DRP on 19 Dec.</p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">8. Received $819.00 of dividends from Aims Apac Reit on 22 Dec.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div><br /></div></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">SGX Income Portfolio</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidApXOUvJ54UofHGAcdXGCY8CZegc17qNzEn_Btbv56OM0OukT3Z31xE8hF45xomcvjAiJ7knTFcUGoTFB2gIOBuSudRZq_23P9uL1dWtV9xmtsi4mvuQ4K1CylClm3Yo17e3-tFVJvoCcsdG83UXjOXoYphMYi6iytQvIa7AQOCGMKZa7XdVeLA/s723/CDP.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="687" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidApXOUvJ54UofHGAcdXGCY8CZegc17qNzEn_Btbv56OM0OukT3Z31xE8hF45xomcvjAiJ7knTFcUGoTFB2gIOBuSudRZq_23P9uL1dWtV9xmtsi4mvuQ4K1CylClm3Yo17e3-tFVJvoCcsdG83UXjOXoYphMYi6iytQvIa7AQOCGMKZa7XdVeLA/w608-h640/CDP.png" width="608" /></a></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Portfolio Value = $339k</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">US/HK Growth Portfolio</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"><span><p><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Moomoo</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpWv6mk1XS_KcRBqLN5YfXfdgPo2XpMHDRUG3spgmtzKU2f3PM2kGxdxA0um47JtqeMFDZUBN3Bw-EFICdXW61fkXrmY4uIO2euLVcxvJunj8Sm47wsNcXYj-CfmRdraxNwUIHcZOX_XRmqsWCtH8OyXlq4-aS9CMBkzfjl2_UeeR8awpyY2pEg/s1080/IMG_20231230_112204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="1080" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpWv6mk1XS_KcRBqLN5YfXfdgPo2XpMHDRUG3spgmtzKU2f3PM2kGxdxA0um47JtqeMFDZUBN3Bw-EFICdXW61fkXrmY4uIO2euLVcxvJunj8Sm47wsNcXYj-CfmRdraxNwUIHcZOX_XRmqsWCtH8OyXlq4-aS9CMBkzfjl2_UeeR8awpyY2pEg/w400-h376/IMG_20231230_112204.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">US$3.8k</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Tiger Broker</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSu1Zf7Rq5w3bJ7ban_Hk8ZPpaW6QZ8kh9Sc_kYA0nyx3op4nckj08ba10xDoKQtJ5x_cV5xwO2BWs8NIfZ2xVAtoxMtKx51-fEpUBG7__vfVALd-TkO319eeX12sf2rBKhbV3r9HKqB5uw1zhDqBCBSwC1LyLyziA8c9HH-xwz9OmMmgQkKJ_Ow/s1800/IMG_20231230_112446.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSu1Zf7Rq5w3bJ7ban_Hk8ZPpaW6QZ8kh9Sc_kYA0nyx3op4nckj08ba10xDoKQtJ5x_cV5xwO2BWs8NIfZ2xVAtoxMtKx51-fEpUBG7__vfVALd-TkO319eeX12sf2rBKhbV3r9HKqB5uw1zhDqBCBSwC1LyLyziA8c9HH-xwz9OmMmgQkKJ_Ow/w384-h640/IMG_20231230_112446.jpg" width="384" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">US$12.6k</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Syfe Trade</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIoYmEuLhEqty66VgbeWzsDkgsar1-0_sN0c6GTTxcnlAMFf0YKIWEUe_80m-w_RJbIxS4mvAM1GF8CYntDYXAfh6aDPuB9XMcmUQmKi3Y52l4VbIVL23eVKjwiOJAP1duIg4AU02NVPvyI3XY0zuEPNgfi_XE4bT4OCB9sxz4RSUQcDuI07zVw/s1080/IMG_20231230_113127.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="1080" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIoYmEuLhEqty66VgbeWzsDkgsar1-0_sN0c6GTTxcnlAMFf0YKIWEUe_80m-w_RJbIxS4mvAM1GF8CYntDYXAfh6aDPuB9XMcmUQmKi3Y52l4VbIVL23eVKjwiOJAP1duIg4AU02NVPvyI3XY0zuEPNgfi_XE4bT4OCB9sxz4RSUQcDuI07zVw/w400-h188/IMG_20231230_113127.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>US$0.9k<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Portfolio Value = US$17k</span></span></span></span></div><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">SRS Ultra Long-Term Portfolio</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzj1ouzwPRXjv-xCgoaA00iKSxN4TKYISc4cnMGOBeTEbtPLUUbUJHOgPzyDtovHe1EJiLXup3kUmhVPC3iJSPZNvcqfuwrt9L0BzLL9_BMkSwF3NR4iK1_lUsPcgZMM_kw9F_1dmPGXNmLb28y6VLmo3X04AZQso2conSzL85lwo2OPofD9x4g/s576/SRS.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzj1ouzwPRXjv-xCgoaA00iKSxN4TKYISc4cnMGOBeTEbtPLUUbUJHOgPzyDtovHe1EJiLXup3kUmhVPC3iJSPZNvcqfuwrt9L0BzLL9_BMkSwF3NR4iK1_lUsPcgZMM_kw9F_1dmPGXNmLb28y6VLmo3X04AZQso2conSzL85lwo2OPofD9x4g/s16000/SRS.png" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;">Portfolio Value = S$143k</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></span><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Thanks for reading. Looking forward to the new year awashed with fresh beginnings and opportunities!</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">With love and peace, </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Qiongster</div></div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31074965.post-68909469355371225102023-12-26T18:23:00.001+08:002024-02-25T22:44:15.800+08:00Applied for Singapore Savings Bonds (SBJAN24 GX24010F) Redeemed SSB (SBJAN19 GX19010T)<p> <span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGaI9ca1hf7oDl_PZst6uVnGGNWJcfxlBBEYBn2UTSICafe-Uuryyr6HLxA7FBli-4M8mncaSo7nxiSIVsehh4OGhPC9GNkMgf4CO6DebCtr-FfMeosc8_uMGEN-BMpW0kUWvKCdmE1buDxUQDZnmMeHdt7Yhl2pwOQ4wqWIqvW0THSkn49xm5eQ/s477/SSB%20Jan24.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="477" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGaI9ca1hf7oDl_PZst6uVnGGNWJcfxlBBEYBn2UTSICafe-Uuryyr6HLxA7FBli-4M8mncaSo7nxiSIVsehh4OGhPC9GNkMgf4CO6DebCtr-FfMeosc8_uMGEN-BMpW0kUWvKCdmE1buDxUQDZnmMeHdt7Yhl2pwOQ4wqWIqvW0THSkn49xm5eQ/w400-h365/SSB%20Jan24.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Jan 2024 tranche of Singapore Savings Bonds (SSB) has an average yield of 3.07% over 10 years.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "Times New Roman";">The first 7 years yield a flat 3% per annum; 8th year yields 3.2% p.a and 9th, 10th years yield 3.27% p.a.</span></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Even though such yield is lower than other low to risk-free alternatives such as T Bills and money market funds which easily yield more than 3.5% currently, it is higher than many fixed deposit rates on offer by local banks as well as CPF OA rate of 2.5% p.a.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">If we also consider the great flexibility, liquidity of SSB for redemption and long-term lock down at above 3% p.a for the next decade, then this tranche of SSB is fairly enticing for us to park our spare cash at zero risk, capital guaranteed for the mid to long-term. </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">We could redeem SSB anytime, earning interest at 3% in the short-term while getting back our capital for deployment to other investments or large item purchases unlike T Bills and bank fixed deposits which would incur losses or forfeit of interest with premature withdrawals. Do note that the redemption process of SSB can be up to 1 month of lead time.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">As interest rate cuts are on the cards for 2024 by the Fed, this SSB could be one of the last tranche to have an average yield of above 3%. We should expect the average yields for next few tranches of SSBs to be in the range between 2.6% to 2.9%.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">I decided to apply for $20k of this Jan 2024 tranche using my war chest.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">There it goes.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTUNYlFxm0UR_cy3Y3LfxcmHkV9WhBH3hqgrI6WlUbKb8eY_83262gUETb5mCPXUrQnDyE0aA7x2AgId6x8mN0aHkoH0BWOn7B8Wtl08zvGSQKnUL13A_oX_nFid49X9hetmnCoKPCBY55JdXSiul2q8EcdKXr-8W6f67vRsCe3nBhqQgpjptaQ/s1785/IMG_20231226_181555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1785" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTUNYlFxm0UR_cy3Y3LfxcmHkV9WhBH3hqgrI6WlUbKb8eY_83262gUETb5mCPXUrQnDyE0aA7x2AgId6x8mN0aHkoH0BWOn7B8Wtl08zvGSQKnUL13A_oX_nFid49X9hetmnCoKPCBY55JdXSiul2q8EcdKXr-8W6f67vRsCe3nBhqQgpjptaQ/w242-h400/IMG_20231226_181555.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">S$1.1b is up for grabs.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">The first payment will be on 1 Jul 2024 and this bond will mature on 1 Jan 2034.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">If you are interested in this tranche of SSB, do note that the application dateline is 26 Dec 2023, 9pm for online applications.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">At the same time, I also redeemed an old tranche of SSB (SBJAN19 GX19010T) with an average yield of 2.45% and currently only yielding 2.45% in its 5th year. It is hence a no brainer decision to recycle the funds.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DWa91jy3zQPHynlAxvSETnolnKt4ZH0DvAvjF7EEqlax5NZ3SV83eVpHdDDHdh9rygJ-86tvA79Yrg92mHzDAjG-udZcsmyo7uxVFhk0gYvpYyXp8HeFme1VmfXrUQY3wABoVlXTwKhekAWVa4yLV52Y0yQPsU2mxuZbxCUM6CSNGlkCbIM2fA/s1747/IMG_20231226_182146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1747" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DWa91jy3zQPHynlAxvSETnolnKt4ZH0DvAvjF7EEqlax5NZ3SV83eVpHdDDHdh9rygJ-86tvA79Yrg92mHzDAjG-udZcsmyo7uxVFhk0gYvpYyXp8HeFme1VmfXrUQY3wABoVlXTwKhekAWVa4yLV52Y0yQPsU2mxuZbxCUM6CSNGlkCbIM2fA/w248-h400/IMG_20231226_182146.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Thank you for reading.</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">With love & peace,</div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Qiongster</div>Qiongsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587390590797874302noreply@blogger.com0