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Year: 2023

Guide to Real Estate Investment Trust (Reits) – Hows and Whys

Posted on by careyourpresent

What are Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)?

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are getting popular nowadays. For those who are not familiar with REITs, do read this article. For those who are familiar, this article will be a refresher and may have things that you never think of in the past.

Why and What?

In terms of capital, you can start investing in Reits from as little as $1000 as compared to real properties where you need at least 5-6 figures for the downpayment! Thus, it is a very affordable option for people who want to invest in properties for cashflow but only has limited funds.

To put in in very simple terms, in summary, REITs are

  • popular investment options for those who are interested in real estate, but do not want the hassle of managing multiple properties themselves.
  • investment vehicles that own, operate, and finance income-generating real estate properties such as apartments, hotels, office buildings, data centre, rural farms, shopping malls etc
  • investment trusts that own, operate, and finance income-generating real estate properties. In return, REITs were required to distribute at least 90% of their taxable income to shareholders in the form of dividends, which mean cashflow for investors.

Advantages of Reits

  1. Diversification: REITs provide investors with exposure to a diversified portfolio of income-generating real estate properties unlike a single property for a real physical property that one purchase directly.
  2. Dividends: REITs generate income through rental payments and interest payments from real estate loans and they are required to pay 90%. This income is typically distributed to shareholders in the form of dividends, providing a steady cash flow.
  3. Liquidity: REITs can be easily bought and sold on stock exchanges (can even use RSP), providing investors with the ability to quickly liquidate their investments if needed. This is totally unlike a real property bought from the real estate market.

Disadvantages of Reits

  1. Volatility: Like all stocks, REITs are subject to market volatility and can experience significant price fluctuations, especially for those weaker reits. In Singapore contexts, we can see what happened to the US office reits 🙁 Conversely, real physical property prices are usually steadier.
  2. Interest Rate Risk: REITs may be impacted by changes in interest rates, which can affect the cost of financing for real estate loans. We can see this in the recent rate hikes.
  3. Potential right issues: Reits doesn’t keep much cash, hence for acquistion of new properties, repayment of debt, they may raise cash using rights issue.

Key Metrics to look out for before investing

Before investing in Reits, we should always take note of these nine metrics. Of course, these are not the full list, but one should at least know these nine metrics.

Distribution Per Unit (DPU)

Distribution per unit (DPU) is the amount of dividend paid per share. One should at least aim for 6% and above since the current risk-free treasury rate is 5%.

DPU is one of the most important metrics to evaluate when investing in REITs. It is a measure of the REIT’s ability to generate income and course the cashflow to investors. Investors should look for REITs with a history of consistent and sustainable DPU growth. If DPU keep decreasing due to Reit issue (rather than Macros situation such as COVID), investors better take note and decide if one should continue with this investment.

Growth in Distribution Per Unit

The growth in distribution per unit (DPU) is the increase in the REIT’s DPU over time. Investors should look for REITs with a consistent track record of increasing DPU. IT can be slow increase but at least must increase. One can look at the Mapletree Family of Reits such as Mapletree Logistics Trust for example.

To put in another word, a REIT that consistently grows its DPU over time indicates that it is able to generate more rental income from its properties over the years, and thus, has the potential for long-term growth. However, please take note the DPU growth should not be from the growth in debt.

Occupancy Rate

Occupancy rate measures the percentage of the REIT’s properties that are currently leased. A high occupancy rate is a positive indicator of the REIT’s ability to generate rental income from its properties. Investors should look for REITs with a consistent history of high occupancy rates, as this indicates strong demand for their properties. Typically, 90% plus will be good.

Gearing

Gearing measures the amount of debt that a REIT has relative to its equity. Too much debt can increase the risk of right issues and the potential defaults in the very worst scenerio. Investors should look for REITs with a manageable level of gearing, which should not exceed 40%.

Price-to-Book Ratio (P/B Ratio)

The price-to-book ratio (P/B Ratio) measures the market value of a REIT relative to its net asset value (NAV). A REIT trading at a discount to its NAV indicates that the REIT is trading at a discount to its properties.

However, low P/B values doesn’t mean the Reits in good. Conversely, usually good Reits trade above book value (example Parkway Reit). Investors should look for REITs with a P/B ratio by referencing to its historical average or those of its peers with similar assets.

Interest Coverage Ratio

The interest coverage ratio measures a REIT’s ability to pay its interest expense using its operating income. The interest coverage ratio is calculated by dividing a company’s earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) by its interest expense during a given period.

A high interest coverage ratio indicates that the REIT can easily meet its interest obligations, while a low interest coverage ratio may indicate financial distress. Investors should look for REITs with a high interest coverage ratio, at least above 2.0.

Quality of Sponsors and Growth Prospects

The quality of sponsors and growth prospects are critical factors to consider when investing in REITs. The sponsors’ quality can provide investors with confidence in the REIT’s management team and its ability to generate long-term growth. Sponsors can also support potential right issues, thus price support too.

Additionally, investors should evaluate the growth prospects of the underlying properties, which can provide insight into the REIT’s potential for long-term growth. In Singapore Contacts, Capita, Ascendas, Maples and some frasers families of Reits will be great!

Rental Reversion

REITs signed agreement with Tenents for a certain agreed period. Leases will be renewed every few years. When they are a change in rental rates, this is called Rental Reversion.

Positive rental reversion means that REITs managed to get a higher rental rate from its tenants. If the rents drop, it is called negative rental reversion.

Investors should always look for REITs with positive Rental Reversion. This signal that this REITS have the bargain powering in the industries and also reflected the importance of its location and other features of the buildings. This indicates competitive advantages.

Lease Expiry Profile and Weighted Average Lease Expiry (WALE)

The lease expiry profile and the weighted average lease expiry (WALE) are metrics that provide insight into the stability and visibility of the REIT’s rental income stream. The lease expiry profile measures the percentage of the REIT’s leases that will expire in the next few years, while the WALE measures the average remaining lease term of the REIT’s portfolio.

Investors should look for REITs with a stable lease expiry profile and a long WALE. A stable lease expiry profile indicates that the REIT’s rental income stream is secure and that it has sufficient time to renew leases and find new tenants. A long WALE indicates that the REIT has a stable and predictable rental income stream, which can provide investors with a sense of comfort that the REIT’s earnings are predictable.

Good articles that you should read!

People are drawn to dividend investing.

Why? Firstly, dividends provide a regular stream of income, allowing investors to receive a portion of the company’s profits on a periodic basis. This can be particularly attractive for individuals seeking consistent cash flow or looking to supplement their existing income. Additionally, dividend investing is often viewed as a more stable and predictable investment strategy compared to relying solely on capital appreciation.

I always write and share articles, especially on dividends which many people love them. Do read them!

Alternatively, you can go the right side of my page, there is a search bar where you can simply search “dividend” to see all my articles related to dividends!

Of course, you can search for other things that would interest you such as “Careyourpresent”, “Reits”, “Side Hustles”, “Fixed Incomes”, “Savings” etc.

CAREYOURPRESENT

Money just buy you the chance of freedom.

When you are young and working, you exchange time for money. When you are old, you can have lots of money but you can’t buy time back, especially the things that you have missed while busying striking out in career. Of course, if you love your career, and consciously know that you are missing out the first time your child walk or talk, that’s ok, but if you are the other spectrum, please do something about it.

Your kids grew up and they no longer need you to accompany them. They no longer want to sit on your lap to share/do things with you…all these time you spent in your 9 to 6 or even longer cubicles…can the money that you have earned by you back these?

We always thought we have more time with our old parents, but we are wrong. Time with them is ticking away every day. One day it will suddenly be gone. There is no regret medicine, no reset in time. Gone is gone and cannot come back. No matter you are billionaires or millionaires, you cannot reset this.

We always thought that we have more time with our spouse every day, but we are wrong. One day they will be gone too. When you read this, please go tell your spouse that you love him/her and he or she is the best thing that you ever had in your life.

I have picked out some of the more life reflecting articles of the CAREYOURPRESENT series. Do read them:

You can read more about my articles on Careyourpresent via the Category “Careyourpresent” or simply click “Careyourpresent” via the main menu bar.

REMEMBER:

Love your life daily.

You have one less day with your spouse, parents, children and yourself.

Time is ticking away.

For each passing day,

Enjoy and Treasure your Life!

For those who are interested in regular updates of my articles, please join the others to sign up for my free newsletter to has my newest blogposts sent to your mailbox for free!

For real time exclusive updates on market news/life (especially Crypto markets where the news move fast, important news will be shared directly via tweets or telegrams), do also join the platforms below and engage with other like-minded people!

You may also contact me via [email protected].

If you’re looking referral codes, do check out my referral and ebook page. Give it a try and who knows? You might end up loving these platforms! To be absolutely fair to all the readers, I am definitely using all these companies and they are useful to me! Likely will be useful to you too!

At the same referral and ebook page, you can also download my free ebooks and other free resources.

For quick references to these resources, you can see below.

  • Ebooks and other useful resources on enhancing productivity (Investment, Excel, Notion etc). Currently most of it are free at this moment (subject to change).
  • WeBull: A powerful brokerage with nice free welcome gift. You can refer to my guide here on how to signup! 4 Simple step only! Click here to register a new account!
  • MoneyOwl: You can use this 6SHU-93MC to get free grab vouchers and highly safe liquid cash fund account.
  • Trust Bank – You will enjoy free FairPrice E-Voucher referral if you sign up via my referral code KNDBPEPT. Simply download the Trust Bank SG App on the App Store or Google Play Store. Tap on “Use referral code” immediately after you start the app and key in: KNDBPEPT
  • FSMOne: P0413007. Good account to keep liquid cash in autosweep and to purchase investment at low fee.
  • Hostinger: You can use this link for hosting your new website. 20% off hosting!
  • Crypto.com: Use my referral link https://crypto.com/app/h92xdfarkq to sign up for Crypto.com and we both get $25 USD 🙂

7 Things to consider before buy a dividend stock

Posted on by careyourpresent

Why dividend investing?

There are many ways to do investing, but one of the way that many people like is dividend investing. But why?

Dividend investing is a simple, straightforward way to earn a steady income. It’s not as sexy as going all-in on high-growth stocks or cryptocurrency, but it’s practical and reliable. Plus, it comes with the added benefit of growing your wealth over time by building passive income streams.

We’ll go into more detail about how dividend investing works here:

You can invest in shares and benefit from the power of compounding returns.

When you invest in shares, you can benefit from the power of compounding returns. Compounding is the ability of an investment to generate earnings that are reinvested, thus creating additional earnings. This means that your money will grow over time without having to add more funds yourself.

The idea behind compounding is simple: if an investor invests $100 at 6% per annum and compound it by reinvesting the dividends for 10, 20 or even 30 years without any capital injection. What would you get?

You will get 5x the money after 30 years! Don’t you like dividend investing?

It’s simple to begin investing, and there are no limits on how much you can get started with.

You can start with as little as $50, and there are no limits on how much you can get started with. You can invest in a variety of different types of companies that offer dividends and build up your portfolio over time. You may not even need to buy shares all at once – you could do so gradually over several months or years.

Dividend-paying stocks aren’t just for people who have thousands to invest; they’re also accessible to beginners who want to learn more about investing while building wealth at the same time! Of course, do get a brokerage which cheaper commissions.

Historically, dividend stocks have been shown to deliver solid long-term returns.

Dividend stocks are a great way to build wealth and generate passive income. They have proved to be more stable than the market as a whole, so you can count on them for long-term growth.

If you’re looking for a way to make money from your investments without having to worry about whether or not the stock will go up or down, then dividend investing is definitely worth considering.

Dividend investing is a sensible way to grow wealth and build passive income streams over time by investing in companies that regularly pay out cash distributions to shareholders

Dividend investing is a sensible way to grow wealth and build passive income streams over time by investing in companies that regularly pay out cash distributions to shareholders.

Things to note before investing in any dividend stocks

Dividend stocks have been shown to deliver solid long-term returns, but there are a few things you should know before diving into this type of investment strategy:

1. Dividend Yield

Always check the dividend yield to determine the annual dividend payment as a percentage of the stock price.

2. Dividend History

Look at the company’s dividend history to see if it has a track record of consistently paying dividends.

3. Growth of Dividends

Consider the company’s dividend growth rate to see if it has a history of increasing its dividends over time.

4. Earnings and payout ratio

Look at the company’s earnings and payout ratio to see if it has the financial stability to continue paying dividends.

A high payout ratio may indicate that the company is paying out a significant portion of its earnings as dividends. This is a typical trait in Real Estate Investment Trusts! Hence do take note to keep some money in case they ask for right issues at very bad market condition!

5. Business Model and sustainability

Consider the company’s financial stability and business model to determine if it is likely to continue paying dividends in the future. If there is any red flags, do take action to take profit or cut loss.

6. Industry Trends

Research the industry and its trends to determine if the company’s business is likely to continue growing and generating income.

7. Diversification

Consider diversifying your portfolio by investing in a variety of dividend-paying stocks, rather than relying on a single stock for income. In case any stock dies, you still have others!

Dividend Journey and your future will thank you!

Dividend investing is a great way to build wealth and generate passive income streams. It’s simple to get started with and there are no limits on how much you can invest or earn from dividends. With the power of compounding returns, you can benefit from regular payments from companies that pay out cash distributions to shareholders.

Your future self will sure thank you if you start now!

Do also read the articles below to learn more!

Good articles that you should read!

People are drawn to dividend investing.

Why? Firstly, dividends provide a regular stream of income, allowing investors to receive a portion of the company’s profits on a periodic basis. This can be particularly attractive for individuals seeking consistent cash flow or looking to supplement their existing income. Additionally, dividend investing is often viewed as a more stable and predictable investment strategy compared to relying solely on capital appreciation.

I always write and share articles, especially on dividends which many people love them. Do read them!

Alternatively, you can go the right side of my page, there is a search bar where you can simply search “dividend” to see all my articles related to dividends!

Of course, you can search for other things that would interest you such as “Careyourpresent”, “Reits”, “Side Hustles”, “Fixed Incomes”, “Savings” etc.

CAREYOURPRESENT

Money just buy you the chance of freedom.

When you are young and working, you exchange time for money. When you are old, you can have lots of money but you can’t buy time back, especially the things that you have missed while busying striking out in career. Of course, if you love your career, and consciously know that you are missing out the first time your child walk or talk, that’s ok, but if you are the other spectrum, please do something about it.

Your kids grew up and they no longer need you to accompany them. They no longer want to sit on your lap to share/do things with you…all these time you spent in your 9 to 6 or even longer cubicles…can the money that you have earned by you back these?

We always thought we have more time with our old parents, but we are wrong. Time with them is ticking away every day. One day it will suddenly be gone. There is no regret medicine, no reset in time. Gone is gone and cannot come back. No matter you are billionaires or millionaires, you cannot reset this.

We always thought that we have more time with our spouse every day, but we are wrong. One day they will be gone too. When you read this, please go tell your spouse that you love him/her and he or she is the best thing that you ever had in your life.

I have picked out some of the more life reflecting articles of the CAREYOURPRESENT series. Do read them:

You can read more about my articles on Careyourpresent via the Category “Careyourpresent” or simply click “Careyourpresent” via the main menu bar.

REMEMBER:

Love your life daily.

You have one less day with your spouse, parents, children and yourself.

Time is ticking away.

For each passing day,

Enjoy and Treasure your Life!

For those who are interested in regular updates of my articles, please join the others to sign up for my free newsletter to has my newest blogposts sent to your mailbox for free!

For real time exclusive updates on market news/life (especially Crypto markets where the news move fast, important news will be shared directly via tweets or telegrams), do also join the platforms below and engage with other like-minded people!

You may also contact me via [email protected].

If you’re looking referral codes, do check out my referral and ebook page. Give it a try and who knows? You might end up loving these platforms! To be absolutely fair to all the readers, I am definitely using all these companies and they are useful to me! Likely will be useful to you too!

At the same referral and ebook page, you can also download my free ebooks and other free resources.

For quick references to these resources, you can see below.

  • Ebooks and other useful resources on enhancing productivity (Investment, Excel, Notion etc). Currently most of it are free at this moment (subject to change).
  • WeBull: A powerful brokerage with nice free welcome gift. You can refer to my guide here on how to signup! 4 Simple step only! Click here to register a new account!
  • MoneyOwl: You can use this 6SHU-93MC to get free grab vouchers and highly safe liquid cash fund account.
  • Trust Bank – You will enjoy free FairPrice E-Voucher referral if you sign up via my referral code KNDBPEPT. Simply download the Trust Bank SG App on the App Store or Google Play Store. Tap on “Use referral code” immediately after you start the app and key in: KNDBPEPT
  • FSMOne: P0413007. Good account to keep liquid cash in autosweep and to purchase investment at low fee.
  • Hostinger: You can use this link for hosting your new website. 20% off hosting!
  • Crypto.com: Use my referral link https://crypto.com/app/h92xdfarkq to sign up for Crypto.com and we both get $25 USD 🙂

Update on my recent Trade under rising interest rate conditions!

Posted on by careyourpresent

Market Update

As I have shared in my previous articles, with the most recent on market being on SAVERs – How to maximize your interest and my Market Transaction/Updates and SBAPR23 GX23040S – Singapore Saving Bonds (SSB) above 3% again. Buy or Bye?, the market is very volatile now, my action now is trading but will keep those shares that I have accumulate cheap for longer terms.

Trade or Wait?

I would generally preferred at least a 6% yield before I will buy anything. If not, it would be better for me to keep money in high saving account at 4%. Why take the risk? The latest treasury yield is 3.98% now but I didn’t applied for it because Standard Chartered has given me 4% from March to Aug 🙂

My Trade

Recently I have bought CapitaLand India Trust at $1.09 in the early part of the week and sold at $1.12 yesterday. The purpose is for quick trade and to ease itchy fingers. Next month should be getting more interesting!

For those who are unaware what this share is about, you can read more about it here. I have extracted from the company’s website itself below.

Current yield is 7% with 0.96 book value. On the longer term basis, I am positive about this counter. Hence it’s worth a trade, even if stuck it’s still ok. If it come down again in March, I will buy again. Depend on how low the price get, I may keep for longer term 🙂

CapitaLand India Trust (CLINT), formerly known as Ascendas India Trust (a-iTrust), was listed on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX-ST) in August 2007 as the first Indian property trust in Asia. Its principal objective is to own income-producing real estate used primarily as business space in India. CLINT may also develop and acquire land or uncompleted developments primarily to be used as business space, with the objective of holding the properties upon completion. As at 31 December 2022, CLINT’s assets under management stand at S$2.5 billion.

CLINT’s portfolio includes eight world-class IT business parks, one logistics park, one industrial facility and three data centre developments in India, with total completed floor area of 15.5 million square feet spread across Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune and Mumbai. CLINT is focused on capitalising on the fast-growing IT industry and logistics/industrial asset classes in India, as well as proactively diversifying into other new economy asset class such as data centres. CLINT is structured as a business trust, offering stable income distributions similar to a real estate investment trust. CLINT focuses on enhancing shareholder value by actively managing existing properties, developing vacant land in its portfolio, and acquiring new properties.

Live a Life

Lastly, let me end of with this.

Everyday passes by so quickly.

Before you knew it Baby becomes child.

Parent died I become old.

Seize your time.

Do what you love.

Buy assets GENERATE CASHFLOW.

And a poem from CHATGPT!

A good life is not one of riches and fame, Nor is it found in fleeting pleasures and vain games. It’s the simple things that bring us joy and ease, Like a peaceful mind and a heart at ease.

A good life is one of love and compassion, Of meaningful connections and heartfelt satisfaction. It’s the giving of oneself to others in need, And finding beauty in every simple deed.

It’s waking up each day with a grateful heart, And finding ways to make a positive start. It’s the laughter and the tears we share, And the moments that we hold so dear.

A good life is one of purpose and of grace, Of finding meaning in each challenge we face. It’s the journey we take, not just the destination, And the lessons we learn, with each revelation.

So let us live each day with love and light, And cherish each moment, with all our might. For a good life is one of joy and peace, And it’s found within, when our hearts are at ease.

Good articles that you should read!

People are drawn to dividend investing.

Why? Firstly, dividends provide a regular stream of income, allowing investors to receive a portion of the company’s profits on a periodic basis. This can be particularly attractive for individuals seeking consistent cash flow or looking to supplement their existing income. Additionally, dividend investing is often viewed as a more stable and predictable investment strategy compared to relying solely on capital appreciation.

I always write and share articles, especially on dividends which many people love them. Do read them!

Alternatively, you can go the right side of my page, there is a search bar where you can simply search “dividend” to see all my articles related to dividends!

Of course, you can search for other things that would interest you such as “Careyourpresent”, “Reits”, “Side Hustles”, “Fixed Incomes”, “Savings” etc.

CAREYOURPRESENT

Money just buy you the chance of freedom.

When you are young and working, you exchange time for money. When you are old, you can have lots of money but you can’t buy time back, especially the things that you have missed while busying striking out in career. Of course, if you love your career, and consciously know that you are missing out the first time your child walk or talk, that’s ok, but if you are the other spectrum, please do something about it.

Your kids grew up and they no longer need you to accompany them. They no longer want to sit on your lap to share/do things with you…all these time you spent in your 9 to 6 or even longer cubicles…can the money that you have earned by you back these?

We always thought we have more time with our old parents, but we are wrong. Time with them is ticking away every day. One day it will suddenly be gone. There is no regret medicine, no reset in time. Gone is gone and cannot come back. No matter you are billionaires or millionaires, you cannot reset this.

We always thought that we have more time with our spouse every day, but we are wrong. One day they will be gone too. When you read this, please go tell your spouse that you love him/her and he or she is the best thing that you ever had in your life.

I have picked out some of the more life reflecting articles of the CAREYOURPRESENT series. Do read them:

You can read more about my articles on Careyourpresent via the Category “Careyourpresent” or simply click “Careyourpresent” via the main menu bar.

REMEMBER:

Love your life daily.

You have one less day with your spouse, parents, children and yourself.

Time is ticking away.

For each passing day,

Enjoy and Treasure your Life!

For those who are interested in regular updates of my articles, please join the others to sign up for my free newsletter to has my newest blogposts sent to your mailbox for free!

For real time exclusive updates on market news/life (especially Crypto markets where the news move fast, important news will be shared directly via tweets or telegrams), do also join the platforms below and engage with other like-minded people!

You may also contact me via [email protected].

If you’re looking referral codes, do check out my referral and ebook page. Give it a try and who knows? You might end up loving these platforms! To be absolutely fair to all the readers, I am definitely using all these companies and they are useful to me! Likely will be useful to you too!

At the same referral and ebook page, you can also download my free ebooks and other free resources.

For quick references to these resources, you can see below.

  • Ebooks and other useful resources on enhancing productivity (Investment, Excel, Notion etc). Currently most of it are free at this moment (subject to change).
  • WeBull: A powerful brokerage with nice free welcome gift. You can refer to my guide here on how to signup! 4 Simple step only! Click here to register a new account!
  • MoneyOwl: You can use this 6SHU-93MC to get free grab vouchers and highly safe liquid cash fund account.
  • Trust Bank – You will enjoy free FairPrice E-Voucher referral if you sign up via my referral code KNDBPEPT. Simply download the Trust Bank SG App on the App Store or Google Play Store. Tap on “Use referral code” immediately after you start the app and key in: KNDBPEPT
  • FSMOne: P0413007. Good account to keep liquid cash in autosweep and to purchase investment at low fee.
  • Hostinger: You can use this link for hosting your new website. 20% off hosting!
  • Crypto.com: Use my referral link https://crypto.com/app/h92xdfarkq to sign up for Crypto.com and we both get $25 USD 🙂

SBAPR23 GX23040S – Singapore Saving Bonds (SSB) above 3% again. Buy or Bye?

Posted on by careyourpresent

SBAPR23 GX23040S – Singapore Saving Bond (SSB)

Today is the 1st day of March and the new SSB rates are out again!

We are back to above 3% again to 3.15%.

As mentioned in my post on 24 Feb 2023 (SAVERs – How to maximize your interest and my Market Transaction/Updates), the worldwide interest rates are going up and likely we get chance to buy higher SSB again as well as chance to take advantage of market weakness.

https://www.mas.gov.sg/bonds-and-bills/singapore-savings-bonds

Let’s see the breakdown of the 10 years rate. 1st year is 3.01% whereas the last year is 3.53% with average at 3.15%. Great rates! S$700.0 million are offered with last day of application on 28 Mar 2023, 9pm. Upcoming payment is on 01 Oct 2023 with subsequent payments (until maturity): Every 6 months on 01 Apr and 01 Oct.

US Interest Rates

If we look at the US Treasury Rates, US6M reached 5.16% with US10Y at 4%! Yield curve is highly inverted again.

Inflation is not going away soon. FED not going to pivot so easily. For those FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and enter the market in the recent rally, do consider keeping some cash in just case to either take advantage of higher fixed income like SSBs or simply wait for further weakness in market which is coming soon.

CNBC

Past issue of SSBs

Let’s look at the rates of recent issues below and you will be able to see which I say the current month rate is decent.

SBAUG22 GX22080V
SBSEP22 GX22090Z 
SBOCT22 GX22100X
SBNOV22 GX22110A
SBDEC22 GX22120S
SBJAN23 GX23010Z
SBFEB23 GX23020X

The above are all the Singapore Saving Bonds (SSB) that I have bought previously (I only didn’t buy the March Issue because it is was lesser than 3% and I knew SSB rates are going up).

Buy or Bye?

Hence, should we buy or bye?

Let’s us recap the advantages of SSB first:

  • Very safe – backed by Singapore Government
  • Locked down decent rates of around 3% for 10 years.
  • Easy to redeem and can redeem partial
  • Liquidity needs maximum of 1 month where you can get your money back. Hence suitable as emergency fund.
  • Limit of 200k should be good enough for most people.
  • Can build Bond Ladder to get monthly income (which I already did)

Let’s us recap the disadvantages of SSB:

  • Short term rates are lower than banks’ fixed deposits, money market funds such as MoneyOwl,etc of around 3.5% and above.
  • Low returns
  • 1 month liquidity to redeem your funds may be too long for people who need the funds immediately.

Hence the question is should we buy or bye?

For me I would do a wait and see method.

I have already kept decent amount of Funds in Singapore Saving Bonds and some funds in the higher 6 months Fixed Deposits and MoneyOwl WiseSaver etc. No point to keep putting funds into Singapore Saving Bonds that limit the growth of my funds. I would prefer to buy equities (also Crypto/Options) etc for higher yields as well as capital gain.

Since the last day of application is 28 Mar 2023, 9pm which is still far away. With the current market conditions, Mr Market would likely give chance for me to accumulate cheap assets soon 🙂

If he didn’t, then perhaps I would consider buying this month SSB (and/or redeem lower rate old SSBs).

What’s your plan?

Good articles that you should read!

People are drawn to dividend investing.

Why? Firstly, dividends provide a regular stream of income, allowing investors to receive a portion of the company’s profits on a periodic basis. This can be particularly attractive for individuals seeking consistent cash flow or looking to supplement their existing income. Additionally, dividend investing is often viewed as a more stable and predictable investment strategy compared to relying solely on capital appreciation.

I always write and share articles, especially on dividends which many people love them. Do read them!

Alternatively, you can go the right side of my page, there is a search bar where you can simply search “dividend” to see all my articles related to dividends!

Of course, you can search for other things that would interest you such as “Careyourpresent”, “Reits”, “Side Hustles”, “Fixed Incomes”, “Savings” etc.

CAREYOURPRESENT

Money just buy you the chance of freedom.

When you are young and working, you exchange time for money. When you are old, you can have lots of money but you can’t buy time back, especially the things that you have missed while busying striking out in career. Of course, if you love your career, and consciously know that you are missing out the first time your child walk or talk, that’s ok, but if you are the other spectrum, please do something about it.

Your kids grew up and they no longer need you to accompany them. They no longer want to sit on your lap to share/do things with you…all these time you spent in your 9 to 6 or even longer cubicles…can the money that you have earned by you back these?

We always thought we have more time with our old parents, but we are wrong. Time with them is ticking away every day. One day it will suddenly be gone. There is no regret medicine, no reset in time. Gone is gone and cannot come back. No matter you are billionaires or millionaires, you cannot reset this.

We always thought that we have more time with our spouse every day, but we are wrong. One day they will be gone too. When you read this, please go tell your spouse that you love him/her and he or she is the best thing that you ever had in your life.

I have picked out some of the more life reflecting articles of the CAREYOURPRESENT series. Do read them:

You can read more about my articles on Careyourpresent via the Category “Careyourpresent” or simply click “Careyourpresent” via the main menu bar.

REMEMBER:

Love your life daily.

You have one less day with your spouse, parents, children and yourself.

Time is ticking away.

For each passing day,

Enjoy and Treasure your Life!

For those who are interested in regular updates of my articles, please join the others to sign up for my free newsletter to has my newest blogposts sent to your mailbox for free!

For real time exclusive updates on market news/life (especially Crypto markets where the news move fast, important news will be shared directly via tweets or telegrams), do also join the platforms below and engage with other like-minded people!

You may also contact me via [email protected].

If you’re looking referral codes, do check out my referral and ebook page. Give it a try and who knows? You might end up loving these platforms! To be absolutely fair to all the readers, I am definitely using all these companies and they are useful to me! Likely will be useful to you too!

At the same referral and ebook page, you can also download my free ebooks and other free resources.

For quick references to these resources, you can see below.

  • Ebooks and other useful resources on enhancing productivity (Investment, Excel, Notion etc). Currently most of it are free at this moment (subject to change).
  • WeBull: A powerful brokerage with nice free welcome gift. You can refer to my guide here on how to signup! 4 Simple step only! Click here to register a new account!
  • MoneyOwl: You can use this 6SHU-93MC to get free grab vouchers and highly safe liquid cash fund account.
  • Trust Bank – You will enjoy free FairPrice E-Voucher referral if you sign up via my referral code KNDBPEPT. Simply download the Trust Bank SG App on the App Store or Google Play Store. Tap on “Use referral code” immediately after you start the app and key in: KNDBPEPT
  • FSMOne: P0413007. Good account to keep liquid cash in autosweep and to purchase investment at low fee.
  • Hostinger: You can use this link for hosting your new website. 20% off hosting!
  • Crypto.com: Use my referral link https://crypto.com/app/h92xdfarkq to sign up for Crypto.com and we both get $25 USD 🙂

My Special Account Money (SA) in Central Provident Fund (CPF) – Cornerstone or Last Resort for Retirement?

Posted on by careyourpresent

Central Provident Fund (CPF)

I believe CPF formed a large net worth of most working adults in Singapore, including me. I have talked about my current stage of in my reflection article (Portfolio Update: Feb 2023 and Reflection at half-life (hopefully) mark – 40 Years old). In that article, I have mentioned that “Reach CPF Full Retirement Sum (FRS) in Special Account in Jan 2020 (Current: way exceeded 200k such that will still reach FRS even if not working).” Action and evidence speak louder than word. I shall show screenshot of my CPF in this post at the end of this post.

What is Central Provident Fund (CPF)?

In case for those not aware (especially foreigner) who are reading this post. Let me share some details.

CPF is short for Central Provident Fund in Singapore, which is a savings scheme designed to help Singaporeans save up for their future. It’s a mandatory savings plan that both employers and employees contribute to, and it offers a range of benefits such as retirement savings, medical savings, and insurance coverage.

Contributions to CPF are made on a monthly basis, and the amount you contribute depends on your age and income. The funds in your CPF account are managed by the government, and you’ll earn interest of 2.5% to 4% (with special extra interest, it can go up to 6% for the first 60k) on your savings too.

Overall, CPF is an important safety net for Singaporeans, and it’s designed to make sure that you have enough financial resources to support yourself throughout your life. Whether you’re saving up for retirement, a home, or your education, CPF is there to help you achieve your goals (hopefully).

One key term in CPF that one should know is Full Retirement Sum.

What is Full Retirement Sum?

The Full Retirement Sum (FRS) of CPF is the amount of money you need to save up in your CPF account to receive a basic monthly payout for life after you retire. This is really important because it helps to ensure that you have enough money to cover your living expenses and healthcare needs during your retirement years.

When you turn 55, you can choose to set aside your FRS in a special account called the Retirement Account (RA). The RA is designed to provide you with a monthly payout starting from the age of 65 years old, so you can enjoy your retirement without worrying too much about finances.

As of 2023, the FRS is $198,800, but don’t worry if you don’t have that much saved up yet. You can still receive a lower monthly payout under the CPF Life Scheme if you don’t have enough savings in your CPF account to meet the FRS.

Of course, if you want to receive a higher monthly payout in retirement, you can choose to set aside more than the FRS in your RA. This will help you enjoy a more comfortable retirement and give you greater financial security.

FRS has been increasing steadily over years (see screenshot below) and many people are worried that they can’t achieve it. This is fact and a real worry.

CPF website

How much monthly payout will I get?

The next question is how much I will get monthly at age 65. From the CPF website,

To receive a monthly payout of $1,470 – $1,570, you will need $288,900 in your
Retirement Account (RA) at 65. A much lesser sum of $192,000 is required if you set aside
the amount in your RA at 55.

For example, if I want 2k per month at 65, I need to have around 280k at age 55! Wow that’s a big amount. It’s difficult to achieve it – That’s why most people think.

CPF website

My CPF Special Account (SA) as of Today

Picture speaks a thousand words.

Why do I show SA only? Because I am making use of the compounding effect of CPF SA to achieve Full Retirement. The rest of money in Ordinary Account and Medisave Account to me are just bonus to me.

Assuming, I quit my job immediately, thus no further CPF contribution to work.

This is what I will get at age 65.

Ignoring the extra interest for first 60k and further work contribution, I would have 612k at age 65. Based on the payout table from CPF website earlier, $428,300 will give $2140 to $2300 monthly payout from age 65. I have 612K, thus it means I should have at least 3k per month. Together with my spouse, we would have 6k per month monthly at least. Decent lifestyle for old couple? (Don’t forget that this excludes my investment portfolio)

Power of compounding

Of course, this is a backup plan. My main plan is still my equity, bond, option, & crypto portfolio, which is way larger.

Plan early and build success.

My idea is just to get CPF FRS out of mind, hence I deliberately try to maximize it when I was younger. Hence, today, at 40, I totally don’t bother with how much I have in my CPF – just let it auto-compound.

It’s not difficult to achieve Full Retirement Sum – FRS

Contrary to most beliefs, it is not difficult to achieve Full Retirement Sum. There are few simple methods to achieve based on what I did.

  • Transfer OA to SA as early as possible. I did this after learning from A Singaporean Stocks Investor (ASSI) decades ago. This is my main method to achieve Full Retirement Sum. This is achievable as I didn’t buy expensive HDB and thus minimal amount is taken from OA to pay for my house.
  • Top up with CASH to get tax relief. I did some top-ups over the past decades (but in total less than 5k). Why? Because of the idea of shifting goalpost. It worries many people and of course me. Furthermore, I could get more than 4% outside from stocks etc, why lock my money for 30 years?

However, for the transfer of OA to SA, it is different, since money already trapped in system, why not make full use of it? Let the government interest play the magic of compounding for you.

What about you? Have you achieved your Full Retirement Sum? Do you plan to achieve it? It’s not difficult and I am the living proof of it.

Care Your Present

Lastly, I want to repeat one last thing. please learn to live in the moment, enjoy every single moment of your life.

“Time has no reset button” is what I used to be saying.

But this is not powerful accurate enough.

It SHOULD BE Time is ticking away.

For each passing day,

You have one less day with your spouse, parents, children and most important yourself.

Read: Truly understand Living in the Moment now

Good articles that you should read!

People are drawn to dividend investing.

Why? Firstly, dividends provide a regular stream of income, allowing investors to receive a portion of the company’s profits on a periodic basis. This can be particularly attractive for individuals seeking consistent cash flow or looking to supplement their existing income. Additionally, dividend investing is often viewed as a more stable and predictable investment strategy compared to relying solely on capital appreciation.

I always write and share articles, especially on dividends which many people love them. Do read them!

Alternatively, you can go the right side of my page, there is a search bar where you can simply search “dividend” to see all my articles related to dividends!

Of course, you can search for other things that would interest you such as “Careyourpresent”, “Reits”, “Side Hustles”, “Fixed Incomes”, “Savings” etc.

CAREYOURPRESENT

Money just buy you the chance of freedom.

When you are young and working, you exchange time for money. When you are old, you can have lots of money but you can’t buy time back, especially the things that you have missed while busying striking out in career. Of course, if you love your career, and consciously know that you are missing out the first time your child walk or talk, that’s ok, but if you are the other spectrum, please do something about it.

Your kids grew up and they no longer need you to accompany them. They no longer want to sit on your lap to share/do things with you…all these time you spent in your 9 to 6 or even longer cubicles…can the money that you have earned by you back these?

We always thought we have more time with our old parents, but we are wrong. Time with them is ticking away every day. One day it will suddenly be gone. There is no regret medicine, no reset in time. Gone is gone and cannot come back. No matter you are billionaires or millionaires, you cannot reset this.

We always thought that we have more time with our spouse every day, but we are wrong. One day they will be gone too. When you read this, please go tell your spouse that you love him/her and he or she is the best thing that you ever had in your life.

I have picked out some of the more life reflecting articles of the CAREYOURPRESENT series. Do read them:

You can read more about my articles on Careyourpresent via the Category “Careyourpresent” or simply click “Careyourpresent” via the main menu bar.

REMEMBER:

Love your life daily.

You have one less day with your spouse, parents, children and yourself.

Time is ticking away.

For each passing day,

Enjoy and Treasure your Life!

For those who are interested in regular updates of my articles, please join the others to sign up for my free newsletter to has my newest blogposts sent to your mailbox for free!

For real time exclusive updates on market news/life (especially Crypto markets where the news move fast, important news will be shared directly via tweets or telegrams), do also join the platforms below and engage with other like-minded people!

You may also contact me via [email protected].

If you’re looking referral codes, do check out my referral and ebook page. Give it a try and who knows? You might end up loving these platforms! To be absolutely fair to all the readers, I am definitely using all these companies and they are useful to me! Likely will be useful to you too!

At the same referral and ebook page, you can also download my free ebooks and other free resources.

For quick references to these resources, you can see below.

  • Ebooks and other useful resources on enhancing productivity (Investment, Excel, Notion etc). Currently most of it are free at this moment (subject to change).
  • WeBull: A powerful brokerage with nice free welcome gift. You can refer to my guide here on how to signup! 4 Simple step only! Click here to register a new account!
  • MoneyOwl: You can use this 6SHU-93MC to get free grab vouchers and highly safe liquid cash fund account.
  • Trust Bank – You will enjoy free FairPrice E-Voucher referral if you sign up via my referral code KNDBPEPT. Simply download the Trust Bank SG App on the App Store or Google Play Store. Tap on “Use referral code” immediately after you start the app and key in: KNDBPEPT
  • FSMOne: P0413007. Good account to keep liquid cash in autosweep and to purchase investment at low fee.
  • Hostinger: You can use this link for hosting your new website. 20% off hosting!
  • Crypto.com: Use my referral link https://crypto.com/app/h92xdfarkq to sign up for Crypto.com and we both get $25 USD 🙂

Side Hustle: Google AdSense’s earnings for 1 week and is it worth to start a blog?

Posted on by careyourpresent

Why blogging?

Many people started a blog usually with a purpose on sharing something which they are passionate about. Of course, there are many other reasons on why people blog. Some simply want to earn money which is absolutely correct too.

For me, there are many reason(s) on why I started blogging after quitting blogging for years in Dec 2014. Main reason is my son was born in 2015 and my work life was getting too busy at that time to continue blogging consistently. Haha, this is my last blog if you are interested. For those early Singapore finance bloggers who still remembered me, please say hi in the comments below 🙂

Objective 1&2: Finance Journey + Care Your Present

For my case, I would like to share my Finance Journey as well as how I learnt and grow on the path of “Care Your Present“. Take for example, I have moved on from understanding living the moment (see: Most Powerful Way to Live in the Moment) to really truly practicing it (see: Truly understand Living in the Moment now).

Objective 3: Reflection of Own Life Journey

Blogging also gives me a platform to reflect my own life journey (see: Portfolio Update: Feb 2023 and Reflection at half-life (hopefully) mark – 40 Years old) which I can refer back anytime, read and understand /reflect/reminisce how I felt that time when I wrote each article, especially months or years later.

Objective 4: As a Legacy

This site also allowed me to record my personal life story (see: Farewell Mum. You are always in my mind) that I can always go back and refer too or simply keep it as a legacy for my kids.

Maybe in future (hopefully decades later) when I passed on, this blog will be a legacy for my kids to read and understand how their father felt while they were growing up.

Hopefully also one day will be how their mother felt when they are growing up (I am still trying to chip in my wife’s help to write some articles on Care Your Present, hope that she will agree).

Practicality of Blogging

Of course, another objective which most bloggers have or those who plan to start a blog is to earn something – it can be referral fees from some services that they are using (Special thanks to those who have used my MoneyOwl Referral and Trust Bank Referral) or even simple advertisement fees. For me, ideally, I hope that it will at least cover my hosting and domain cost.

One of the users brought up a question on how much I am paying for my domain + website hosting in my last post on Side Hustle: Google Adsense finally approved!, I have shared in my reply that it cost me about SGD$135 for 4 years of hosting with Hottinger and SGD$14 per year for domain fees.

Other Options

Of course, there are other options such as Bloggers.com, WordPress.com, but those are not ideal to me as I can’t have an unique domain name, which in my case is “Care Your Present”. I strongly believe in this motto, wanted to remind myself to practice and share how I did it. You can read more about my story via the About page. Furthermore, the functionality (e.g Plugins) are very limited for these free blogging options as compared to self-hosting via WordPress.org.

Google Adsense Earnings for the week

As shared in my previous article on Side Hustle: Google Adsense finally approved!, my Google adsense’s account was approved last Saturday on 18 Feb 2023. It has just nice been a week.

I noticed that we seldom have bloggers openly sharing their earnings in their blogs to the Public. Perhaps people are more conservative or would like to have more privacy. However, for me, I decided to be transparent and share it to the Public so that in case anyone want to start a blog or have already started a blog can really see if it is really worth it to cover the cost of blogging (monetary vs efforts put in).

Within 1 week since last Saturday, I have published 3 Articles.

Below screenshot is how much I have earned from Google Adsense for this week – SGD$4.25! Barely enough for a meal in food court. For these three articles, I have put in about 4-5 hours. Worth it?

Judge for yourself 🙂

Good articles that you should read!

People are drawn to dividend investing.

Why? Firstly, dividends provide a regular stream of income, allowing investors to receive a portion of the company’s profits on a periodic basis. This can be particularly attractive for individuals seeking consistent cash flow or looking to supplement their existing income. Additionally, dividend investing is often viewed as a more stable and predictable investment strategy compared to relying solely on capital appreciation.

I always write and share articles, especially on dividends which many people love them. Do read them!

Alternatively, you can go the right side of my page, there is a search bar where you can simply search “dividend” to see all my articles related to dividends!

Of course, you can search for other things that would interest you such as “Careyourpresent”, “Reits”, “Side Hustles”, “Fixed Incomes”, “Savings” etc.

CAREYOURPRESENT

Money just buy you the chance of freedom.

When you are young and working, you exchange time for money. When you are old, you can have lots of money but you can’t buy time back, especially the things that you have missed while busying striking out in career. Of course, if you love your career, and consciously know that you are missing out the first time your child walk or talk, that’s ok, but if you are the other spectrum, please do something about it.

Your kids grew up and they no longer need you to accompany them. They no longer want to sit on your lap to share/do things with you…all these time you spent in your 9 to 6 or even longer cubicles…can the money that you have earned by you back these?

We always thought we have more time with our old parents, but we are wrong. Time with them is ticking away every day. One day it will suddenly be gone. There is no regret medicine, no reset in time. Gone is gone and cannot come back. No matter you are billionaires or millionaires, you cannot reset this.

We always thought that we have more time with our spouse every day, but we are wrong. One day they will be gone too. When you read this, please go tell your spouse that you love him/her and he or she is the best thing that you ever had in your life.

I have picked out some of the more life reflecting articles of the CAREYOURPRESENT series. Do read them:

You can read more about my articles on Careyourpresent via the Category “Careyourpresent” or simply click “Careyourpresent” via the main menu bar.

REMEMBER:

Love your life daily.

You have one less day with your spouse, parents, children and yourself.

Time is ticking away.

For each passing day,

Enjoy and Treasure your Life!

For those who are interested in regular updates of my articles, please join the others to sign up for my free newsletter to has my newest blogposts sent to your mailbox for free!

For real time exclusive updates on market news/life (especially Crypto markets where the news move fast, important news will be shared directly via tweets or telegrams), do also join the platforms below and engage with other like-minded people!

You may also contact me via [email protected].

If you’re looking referral codes, do check out my referral and ebook page. Give it a try and who knows? You might end up loving these platforms! To be absolutely fair to all the readers, I am definitely using all these companies and they are useful to me! Likely will be useful to you too!

At the same referral and ebook page, you can also download my free ebooks and other free resources.

For quick references to these resources, you can see below.

  • Ebooks and other useful resources on enhancing productivity (Investment, Excel, Notion etc). Currently most of it are free at this moment (subject to change).
  • WeBull: A powerful brokerage with nice free welcome gift. You can refer to my guide here on how to signup! 4 Simple step only! Click here to register a new account!
  • MoneyOwl: You can use this 6SHU-93MC to get free grab vouchers and highly safe liquid cash fund account.
  • Trust Bank – You will enjoy free FairPrice E-Voucher referral if you sign up via my referral code KNDBPEPT. Simply download the Trust Bank SG App on the App Store or Google Play Store. Tap on “Use referral code” immediately after you start the app and key in: KNDBPEPT
  • FSMOne: P0413007. Good account to keep liquid cash in autosweep and to purchase investment at low fee.
  • Hostinger: You can use this link for hosting your new website. 20% off hosting!
  • Crypto.com: Use my referral link https://crypto.com/app/h92xdfarkq to sign up for Crypto.com and we both get $25 USD 🙂