Another year, another birthday and work anniversary. This year's milestone brings added irony, given that I'm on the verge of retrenchment. While this is horrible news by traditional standards, I'm actually quite excited with where my career will pivot to. So I'll be ok. Really. As is tradition now, I usually would share a personal story about money at these milestones. 2 … [Read more...] about My early relationship with money
Featured Posts
Portfolio @ July 2020
Cash / SRS Portfolio Performance Indicators / Dividends YTD Time weighted return: -14.87%XIRR since portfolio inception in 2013: 17.07%Dividends collected: SGD 3,338.90Cum-Dividend: AIMS APAC REIT - $0.44Capitaland Retail China Trust - $199.65Ascendas India Trust - $464 Portfolio Review July was a month where I had a bit of an epiphany. It was the month … [Read more...] about Portfolio @ July 2020
Portfolio @ June 2020
Cash / SRS Portfolio Performance Indicators / Dividends YTD Time weighted return: -12.53%XIRR since portfolio inception in 2013: 17.63%Dividends collected: SGD 4,001.84Cum-Dividend: NIL Portfolio Review June was a roller coaster month as retail exuberance in early June gave way to renewed coronavirus and recession worries towards the end of the … [Read more...] about Portfolio @ June 2020
Portfolio @ May 2020
Cash / SRS Portfolio Performance Indicators / Dividends YTD Time weighted return: -12.69%XIRR since portfolio inception in 2013: 17.85%Dividends collected: SGD 2,801.13Cum-Dividend: Singtel - SGD 337.90 Portfolio Review May turned out to be a great month thanks to the REIT explosion that occurred yesterday. So much for sell in May and go away. Overall … [Read more...] about Portfolio @ May 2020
Earn interest on crypto with BlockFi
Cryptocurrencies burst into our collective consciousness with its meteoric rise in value in 2017, as well as its subsequent catastrophic collapse. As a millennial, I'm always interested in new technology and unbeknownst to readers, I do check in on the crypto-sphere from time to time to understand any new major developments in the space. While I've always had a slight … [Read more...] about Earn interest on crypto with BlockFi
Endowus Review – Best CPFIS Product?
Ever since I wrote My Guide to the CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS) last year, there has been a new product introduced to the CPFIS universe - Endowus received approval to become the first digital financial advisory firm to be approved to offer its services for CPFIS.This caught my attention as Endowus was one of 2 digital financial advisors offering Dimensional Funds to … [Read more...] about Endowus Review – Best CPFIS Product?
2019 Performance Scorecard
With 2 tradings days remaining in 2019, its once again time to review how 2019 went for me. 1. Career The hospitality trading environment was challenging this year. With political unrest in various countries and the US-China trade war, travel demand was dampened. Consequently, my employer should not have performed up to expectations this year. We'll see when the latest … [Read more...] about 2019 Performance Scorecard
My views on REITs (Guest Appearance)
I was recently contacted by Kevin Shee, an entrepreneur and investor from Hong Kong via Facebook. Apparently, he found me through my Prime US REIT article on DrWealth. We chatted a few times about S-REITs and he thought it would be great if I were to share my views on his podcast, the Kevin Shee Show. The Kevin Shee Show is a relatively new podcast about entrepreneurship, … [Read more...] about My views on REITs (Guest Appearance)
SG Open Electricity Market Guide – Updated Q3 2019
The Open Electricity Market is now fully rolled to all Singapore consumers. One question everyone has is - Which is the best electricity plan? Having burnt much of my video gaming time researching this topic, here are my findings and views about choosing an electricity retailer for your home. Disclaimer: While I strive to ensure all information below is accurate, I too am … [Read more...] about SG Open Electricity Market Guide – Updated Q3 2019
My Guide to the CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS)
Recently, a friend asked me about the CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS) and wanted to know how I use it personally. Having shared my general views with him, I thought I'll write a more comprehensive article on it to share my personal thinking on this topic. What is CPFIS? The CPFIS is a scheme that gives CPF members a chance to lose all their CPF monies super-charge the … [Read more...] about My Guide to the CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS)
Singapore Savings Bonds (SSBs) Guide
At Risk N Returns, I'm passionate about promoting sensible DIY investing through sharing my thoughts or documenting my investing journey. While I love to take calculated risks, I recognise that most Singaporeans don't. So here's a relatively risk free way to invest your warchest or emergency funds with almost no lock-up period and generally higher yields than fixed deposits … [Read more...] about Singapore Savings Bonds (SSBs) Guide
2018 Performance Scorecard
With only 1 trading day remaining in 2018, its time to review how 2018 went for me. Career 2018 has been a busy and transitional year for me. My company went through a restructuring exercise which resulted in my team in Singapore going down from 2 to 1 (Yup I'm the only person in my global team based here LOL) so I had to try to pick up the slack where ever I can. I … [Read more...] about 2018 Performance Scorecard
“Save 100k by 30” goal review
Whenever you reach a milestone in life, you tend to reflect on what has been and sometimes, what could have been. As I celebrate the 5th anniversary of joining the workforce yesterday and my 30th birthday today, I am reminded of a goal I once had but have not tracked for a long time. Back in July 2013, as a young fresh graduate about to embark on my career as a legal … [Read more...] about “Save 100k by 30” goal review
REITs vs SG Investment Properties – 7 reasons why REITs are better
As Asians and Singaporeans, we traditionally favour investments that are more tangible and brick-and-mortar. This is evidenced from the enduring popularity of property as a form of investment compared to stocks, bonds or even Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). These investments are viewed as complicated and difficult to understand, and are shunned as a … [Read more...] about REITs vs SG Investment Properties – 7 reasons why REITs are better
Personal tax planning 4 – bringing it all together
Welcome to the final part of my basic personal income tax planning series! In this series of posts I hope to cover the following topics: Tax reliefsCPF Cash Top UpSupplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS)Bringing it all together - How to best utilise these reliefs to your advantage In this part, I will cover the considerations and general strategy I use to mitigate my … [Read more...] about Personal tax planning 4 – bringing it all together