The conclusion of Provident on “Should property be your biggest investment?” is: Not necessarily, and probably not for most investors for investment property rather than the home you live in. My two-cents on property investment Note that Provident is a fee-only wealth advisory firm. It is understandable why it advocates diversified portfolios in asset, sector and … [Read more...]
Is frugality the only way to retire early in Singapore?
How extreme will you live with frugality in order to retire early in Singapore? After being retrenched at 35, a Singaporean retired and bought a 3-room flat in full. Despite a monthly passive income of $2,500 ($900 from rent and $1,600 from insurance payout), he only spends $150 a month. His financial freedom doesn’t come from wealth building but from frugality or extreme … [Read more...]
Money lessons I share with my children
Should I write about money lessons for children? Two years ago, I wrote the blog post “Teaching children about money”. However, unlike the very popular post “Another PSLE result release day”, not many read it. Apparently, blogging about PSLE has nine times more views. Obviously, Singapore parents think helping their children to score well in public exams is far more … [Read more...]
Is buying condo your goal?
Buying condo is the dream of many in Singapore. It can be upgrading from HDB or buying a home for the first time. Like it or not, the Singapore dream is very humble. It is far from saving humanity or making a mark in a field. Sadly, even a reasonable goal of work-life balance or holistic well-being sounds too ambitious. Our wish is only getting BTO, profiting from it and … [Read more...]
My experience of early retirement
Early retirement was a popular topic during friends’ gatherings this Chinese New Year. Many of my friends are in their mid-50s to 60s. Although they are older than me, I was the first one to stop working full-time at age 45. Hence when they mentioned three highs and work stress, or whether they should retire now and what things to do after retirement, I was grateful that I … [Read more...]