Retirement in a foreign country is the dream of many. It is expensive to live in Singapore. We have high inflation, high housing cost and high cost of living. In contrast, our nearby countries can offer the same quality or even better retirement life at a fraction of Singapore’s costs. As more of my friends are approaching the age of retirement, discussions come up on an … [Read more...]
My love-hate relationship with CPF
Disclaimer: This article is not sponsored by the Central Provident Fund Board. Although I am grateful that my 3-3-5 rule was endorsed by CPF 3 years ago, I am not obliged to return the favor by encouraging the public to deposit spare cash into their CPF account. All views expressed in this post are my personal opinions. Readers are advised to refer to the CPF website for … [Read more...]
Is buying properties a saving plan?
When banks and buyers are having their hands tied by the TDSR framework, local developers are stepping up to slash prices for both new and old units. Amid a softening market, property agents are struggling to look for buyers and close the deal. With a changing landscape, those old sales pitches like 'buy now before prices climb further', 'buy properties to beat … [Read more...]
Story of my fourth property (part I)
I would like to dedicate my 100th blog post to a dear friend who is the person behind my fourth property purchase. I haven't been writing about my property stories since early last year. For readers who have been waiting and sending me reminders, my sincere apology and thank you for your patience. Just three months after buying my third property, I sniffed another good deal … [Read more...]
To rent or to buy?
I just sold one of my properties yesterday. The buyer is actually my tenant. They rented the place since last year. The idea was to wait for the property market to slow down before buying their own place. Unfortunately, prices keep going up. They think I would most likely increase the rent when the tenancy expires next year. They really like my unit and decided to buy … [Read more...]