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Tag: Dividends

FIRE and the Big Dilemma: Dividends vs. Safe Withdrawal Rate – Which One Helps You Sleep at Night?

Posted on by careyourpresent

So, you’ve made it. After years of grinding, saving, and investing like a maniac, you finally hit your FIRE number. Financial independence is yours. No more alarm clocks. No more bosses breathing down your neck. Just freedom.

But then, reality kicks in.

“How do I actually live off my investments?”

This question keeps a lot of FIRE folks up at night. After spending so long watching your net worth grow, the idea of selling investments to fund your life can feel… well, terrifying. Nobody wants to see their nest egg shrink, even if it’s part of the plan.

That’s why many people turn to dividends—the idea of living off passive income without ever touching the principal feels safe. But is it really the best strategy? Or should you focus on total return and use the Safe Withdrawal Rate (SWR) method instead?

Let’s break it down—without all the boring financial jargon.

Dividend Investing – The “Never Sell” Approach

Imagine this: Every quarter, you get a nice little deposit in your account. Free money, right? That’s the appeal of dividend investing—build a portfolio of solid companies, collect passive income, and never worry about selling shares.

Why People Love Dividends:

✅ It Feels Like a Paycheck – You’re just living off the income, not selling anything.
✅ No Market-Timing Stress – Whether the market crashes or booms, your dividends (mostly) keep coming.
✅ Psychological Comfort – Your net worth stays intact, making it feel like you’re not “spending down” your wealth.
✅ Legacy Factor – You can leave the whole portfolio to your kids without touching the principal.

Sounds great, right? Well… hold on.

The Downsides Nobody Talks About:

❌ You Need a HUGE Portfolio – A $1M portfolio with a 4% dividend yield only gives you $40K per year. Want $80K? You need $2M. That’s a high bar.
❌ Dividends Aren’t Guaranteed – Companies cut dividends all the time—especially during recessions.
❌ Lower Growth Potential – High-dividend stocks tend to grow slower than the broader market.
❌ Sector Overconcentration – Many dividend stocks are in boring, slow-growth sectors (utilities, REITs, consumer staples).

But here’s the biggest issue: Dividends aren’t actually free money.

The Big Myth: Are Dividends Really “Passive Income”?

There’s this idea that dividends are extra money, like an interest payment. But that’s not really how it works.

  • When a company pays a dividend, its stock price drops by the same amount.
  • That’s because cash is leaving the company—it’s not magic money appearing from thin air.
  • Companies that don’t pay dividends often reinvest profits into growth, leading to higher share prices over time.

That’s why companies like Amazon, Google, and Berkshire Hathaway don’t pay dividends at all—they’d rather reinvest for maximum shareholder value.

So while dividends feel great psychologically, they may not actually be the best way to maximize long-term returns.

Safe Withdrawal Rate (SWR) – The “Sell a Little, Let the Rest Grow” Strategy

Now, let’s talk about the SWR method, which is a fancy way of saying:

“I’ll withdraw a small percentage of my portfolio each year and let the rest keep growing.”

How It Works:

1️⃣ In the first year, you withdraw 4% of your portfolio (if you follow the famous 4% rule).
2️⃣ Each year, you adjust for inflation.
3️⃣ Your portfolio stays invested in stocks and bonds, growing over time.
4️⃣ Based on history, this strategy has a high probability of lasting 30+ years (hello, Trinity Study!).

Why People Love SWR:

✅ Lower Portfolio Requirement – Since you’re not limiting yourself to dividend stocks, your money can grow faster.
✅ More Diversification – You can invest in index funds, growth stocks, bonds—whatever you want.
✅ Historically Proven – Research shows a 3-4% withdrawal rate works long-term.
✅ More Flexibility – In good years, you can spend more. In bad years, you can cut back a little.

The Challenges of SWR:

❌ Psychological Barrier – Selling shares feels like spending your nest egg.
❌ Market Volatility – If you hit a bad market in the early years, your portfolio could shrink too fast.
❌ Uncertainty – Nobody knows the future—will 4% really last? What if you live to 100?

But here’s where SWR really shines:

SWR is More Likely to Grow Your Net Worth Over Time

For a lot of FIRE folks, it’s not just about covering expenses—it’s about watching their net worth grow even in retirement.

If you’re invested in broad market index funds (like the S&P 500), which average 8-10% returns per year, your portfolio can keep growing, even as you withdraw money.

Real Example of SWR Using World Index Funds (VWRA):

Let’s say you have $1M invested in a globally diversified portfolio of world index funds, such as the Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF (VWRA). This ETF provides broad exposure to stocks across both developed and emerging markets, and its historical returns have averaged around 7-8% per year.

The Math Behind a 4% Withdrawal:

  • You start with $1M.
  • Withdraw 4% in year one: $40,000.
  • After the first year, you adjust the withdrawal for inflation.

Assuming the 7% average return holds and inflation is around 2%, here’s how your portfolio would grow over time, even with withdrawals:

  • Year 1: Start with $1M, withdraw $40K, leaving $960K.
  • Year 2: Your portfolio grows by 7% (now worth about $1.027M). Withdraw $40,800 (inflation-adjusted).
  • By Year 10, even with withdrawals, your portfolio could be worth roughly $1.3M if the market continues to grow at an average 7% per year.

This example shows that you’re withdrawing money, but your portfolio continues to grow. In fact, over the long run, it can even grow faster than you’re withdrawing, providing you psychological comfort that your wealth is still increasing.

What About a Hybrid Approach?

Many FIRE folks mix both strategies for the best of both worlds:

✔ Dividends cover core expenses – Helps avoid selling during market downturns.
✔ SWR supplements income – Provides flexibility and growth potential.
✔ A cash buffer (1-3 years of expenses) – Prevents the need to sell in a crash.

Example of a Hybrid Portfolio:

Total Portfolio: $1.5M

  • $500K in dividend stocks (generating ~$20K/year in dividends).
  • $900K in index funds (like VWRA) (used for SWR withdrawals).
  • $100K in cash (buffer for market downturns).

This setup:

  • Provides reliable passive income through dividends.
  • Lets the rest of the portfolio grow at market rates.
  • Reduces risk by avoiding forced selling in downturns.

So, Which Strategy is Right for You?

Go All-In on Dividends If You:

✅ Hate the idea of selling shares and want steady passive income.
✅ Have a big enough portfolio to support your expenses.
✅ Are okay with slower portfolio growth.

Go with SWR If You:

✅ Want a higher likelihood of net worth growth over time.
✅ Are comfortable selling shares as part of your strategy.
✅ Prefer more diversification and flexibility.

Do a Hybrid Approach If You:

✅ Want the security of dividends but also the upside of SWR.
✅ Like the idea of not touching assets during downturns.

At the end of the day, FIRE isn’t just about having enough money—it’s about feeling confident in your plan.

Some people sleep better knowing their dividends cover their bills. Others feel fine selling a little each year while watching their net worth grow. The best strategy? The one that lets you actually enjoy your freedom.

Which one do you prefer? 🚀

Photo by micheile henderson on Unsplash

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 🙂

Interest Rate Cut on the Horizon…what’s next?

Posted on by careyourpresent

Interest Rate Cut on the Horizon…what’s next? This must be in the mind of many investors, especially for those into sensitive to rate instruments, such as S-REITS.

Before the actual rate cut in the next few days, SREITs are up by more than 10% for the past few weeks.
Congrats to fellow investors! I think my portfolio at least up by 50k or more.

Rates are already down

Before official rate cut announced by Fed, the rates are starting to come down. One can see from the Fixed deposits offered by banks, SSB coming down, treasury yield coming down etc…

I have already locked 400k worth (together with spouse) in SSB as emergency fund… guess just collect 1k per month worth of cash for the next 10 years at average rate of 3+%.

So what’s next?

For me I will have investible cash, waiting for pound on next opportunities. Meanwhile just keep calm and enjoyed the harvests that I have planted for the past few months/years.

Let’s ask AI

This is the question that I have input
“Interest rate cut on the horizon. what is next?”

FROM MS Co-pilot.

It looks like an interest rate cut is indeed on the horizon, with the Federal Reserve expected to make its first rate cut in years, possibly as soon as September12. This potential cut is largely driven by cooling inflation and a job market that no longer threatens to overheat the economy2.

Here are a few things that might happen next:

  1. Lower Borrowing Costs: If the Fed cuts rates, borrowing costs for consumers and businesses could decrease. This includes lower mortgage and auto-loan rates2.
  2. Increased Refinancing: Homeowners might see an opportunity to refinance their mortgages at lower rates1.
  3. Stock Market Reactions: Financial markets have already started to price in the expected rate cuts, so we might see some volatility as investors adjust their strategies1.
  4. Economic Growth: Lower interest rates can stimulate economic growth by making it cheaper to borrow and invest2.

FROM CHATGPT

When central banks cut interest rates, it’s typically a response to slowing economic growth or low inflation, with the aim of stimulating the economy. The implications of an interest rate cut can unfold in various ways:

  1. Lower Borrowing Costs: Consumers and businesses benefit from reduced borrowing costs. Loans, mortgages, and credit often become cheaper, encouraging spending and investment. This can stimulate economic growth in areas such as housing, business expansion, and consumer spending.
  2. Weaker Currency: Interest rate cuts often lead to a weaker domestic currency, as lower rates make a country’s assets less attractive to foreign investors. A weaker currency can boost exports by making them more competitive internationally, but it can also lead to higher import costs and inflation.
  3. Stock Market Boost: Equities tend to rise in response to rate cuts because companies can finance growth more cheaply, and investors often move out of low-yielding bonds and into stocks. This can create short-term stock market rallies.
  4. Bond Market Response: Bond prices typically rise as interest rates fall, since the existing bonds with higher interest rates become more attractive. However, future bond issuances may offer lower yields.
  5. Real Estate Market Surge: Lower interest rates can fuel the housing market by making mortgages more affordable. This can lead to increased home sales and higher property values, although it can also increase housing affordability challenges in already hot markets.
  6. Inflation Risk: Prolonged low interest rates can lead to inflationary pressures if demand overheats. Central banks need to balance between stimulating growth and keeping inflation in check.
  7. Savings Impact: Lower interest rates tend to reduce returns on savings and fixed-income investments, which may affect savers, particularly retirees relying on interest income.

Next steps will depend on how the economy responds:

  • Further cuts or unconventional measures: If the rate cut isn’t enough to spur growth, central banks could signal more cuts or even deploy unconventional tools like quantitative easing (buying bonds to inject liquidity).
  • Monitoring inflation and growth data: Central banks will closely monitor economic indicators to decide if more action is necessary.
  • Market and investor reaction: Investors may adjust portfolios, shifting from bonds to stocks or real assets like commodities, depending on the perceived future economic conditions.

Hi AI

AI are getting more powerful each day. Maybe one day we will have Ultron taking over the world. Who know? So what do you think will happen next after rate cut?

Most importantly, what is your plan 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 🙂

I am the God of Investing!

Posted on by careyourpresent

Many people think that they are God of Investing.

I am the God of Investing!

To do so, I can simply do stock picks of individual stocks, in distress or great potential to goes up in future. Then I can get 100% or 1000% gain within a year, then can just compound and be super rich! I can easily buy the next Amazon and Apple while they are very low market CAP and earn to the max!

Many people think they that they are the God of Investing!

They would beat the market return and most often, they really do for some times, and they really do. They beat the market, use a rod to beat up the market.

They laugh and think they can beat the index return, beating those who are satisfied with low return of 4-7% return in “safe” Singapore dividend stocks.

Then laugh at others with low 4-7% annual return. Have Fun Staying Power!

Yes, they are the God of Investing…

But Karma will come by one day. One bad trade and one lose all!

Photo by Davide Cantelli on Unsplash

Truth

The truth is often otherwise.

One maybe has newbie luck to win the markets over a few trades, but could one do it in the long run? |
If yes, everyone in the world will be already Warren Buffett.

Photo by micheile henderson on Unsplash

I can safely say that majority of the investors (90%) would be better with either of these two approaches.

  • Those who prefer regular cashflow: Invest in super “safe SG stocks“ that give 3-7% dividends stock with very minimal risk of capital. Of course this has country risk. But one can just collect dividends and chill every year. Better for your mental with regular cashflow. After dividends come in, go back and invest more to compound further. Of simply do ETF investing that given some dividend returns for those who are not sure how to pick “safe” stocks. （Can go read this post by Dr Tii).
  • Those who believe in the regular improvement of the world: Invest in world index fund like VWRA using DCA method and hope that the end of the world will not come and things always goes higher eventually given the human nature of keep improving things.
Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

Learn investing from courses? Unpopular Opinion.

One more thing, more those who think they can become great investors after attending courses for few hours or days, think again.

Many of us attended decades of school from Primary, Secondary, JC, Poly, University. Dig your memories: For a simple academic knowledge that we need to learn like Mathematics (e.g. Calculus), how long did you learn it? Did you learn and Master it within just a few lessons? really?

Likewise, attending classes for investing for few hours, or few days would not make you a super better investor.

If this really so, why there are so many lousy investors around? Attending Courses simply make your course instructor rich! If they are so good in the first place, they would rather spend time doing their own investing/trading instead, why waste time teaching you?

The reason is simple: You are their consistent cash cow.

Anyway, if you still wish attend courses, you can join my course for free via

Ultimate Free 2 Days Reit MasterClass: Exclusive at Careyourpresent.com

(Of course, no harm spending some amount doing some trading, pick stocks etc. I did for Crypto too!)

Deal 1:

Interest rates are getting lower everywhere and there are usually many hoops to jump to get higher rate such as OCBC 360 and UOB ONE!
Consider Maribank, one of the fuss free and give you 1.28% daily without any conditions! Interest is credited daily!

Sign up for MariBank using my referral code: 2KGZ29UL.
https://www.maribank.sg/product/mari-savings-account/

Insured up to S$100k by SDIC.

Deal 2:

Best Items that I have bought from Shopee.

ONLY the best useful worthy items

Many people I realised that they have only shared things that give them the most commissions. I am different. I will only share things that I have bought, used and found it to be good.

Deal 3:

Webull – Get free money!

Good deal! Do not miss this! Sign up here now for free money!!

Deal 4:

Trust Bank New Clients

Deal 5:

FSMone – Cheap Comms and can transfer your shares to Personal/Joint CDP for Free

I am using FSMOne.com to invest in funds & ETFs (including money market funds). FSM is good due to the low comms and the free transfer from FSMOne to CDP (typically takes less than a week to transfer). If you do not have an account, you can sign up here. Please use my FSMOne referral code: P0413007.

Deal 6:

Eskimo – Best Option for Roaming!

For now, you can get 500MB for free just by signing up with my referral link, no purchase required (I get 500MB only too, but only if you buy a paid plan). Referral code: CHING104915

You can read my review here.

Money just buy you the chance of freedom but can’t buy back time. In life, there is no reset button. Time is limited but money is not.

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 (your strong health, time with young child) while busying striking out in career.

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.

Love your life daily. You have one less day with your spouse, parents, children and yourself. Time is ticking away.

Focusing Careyourpresent & living a fulfilling life by supercharging your mind & investment/online income. Careyourpresent Series focus on things that one MUST know in their Life.

More articles can be found here.

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].

It’s a long start of the year – what I have been busy with?

Posted on by careyourpresent

It’s a long start of the year – what I have been busy with?

It’s been a long while since I posted anything. It’s been a very busy January 2024. I started the year with the typical 9 to 5 work of course! It’s a very busy work year. But luckily started with the news of my increment amount and bonus, not bad!

I have also a written a long post about 2023. Do read it. It’s give both portfolio and precious life lessons that I have learnt.

Mirrors of Time: Delving into the Reflections of 2023

Time Flies

It’s has been almost a year since my mum passing. Times really flies. Life is fragile.

Farewell Mum. You are always in my mind

Remember to look at these 3 pictures every morning.

Portfolio

This is the most interesting part where people are keen, and this is for my own record.

In terms of CPF, I have received 14k interest in my account and 13k from my wife account. Not bad!

Photo by micheile henderson on Unsplash

In terms of Singapore Dividend Portfolio, I started the year with a family projected dividend of 2k per month + 1k per month from SSB + about 1.5k from cash interest / money market funds account. That’s about 4.5k per month. Hopefully this year I can change the 1.5k cash interest / money market funds account to equity (which I believe highly likely possible.)

I know we shouldn’t and can’t time market. But I rather keep cash at this moment of the time, waiting for opportunity.

Recent Trade – SG market

Nevertheless, I can’t stop hand itchness.

Recently I have bought 9CI (Capitaland Investment Limited) at $3.01 and F34 (Wilmar International) at $3.45. This time I didn’t post my transaction in the telegram group or twitter since I thought no one might be interested anyway. But for transparency and own record, I shall share here. Anyway, these two are for trading, not long-term positions in mind. However, 9CI might become long term, let’s see out how the results goes.

Recent Trade – Crypto

What am I busy with? Airdrops!

See: Time for Free AirdropS!

2024 Crypto is bullish with Bitcoin ETF just approved on the surface (but this is actually leading wolf to sheep pack if you seriously think about it). Bitcoin halving also coming!

What airdrops have I been farming? In Short, many many!

FREE MONEY using little or no Money, why not?

Cosmos – Atom, Tia, Inj, Osmos, milktia, Dem Exchange etc

Zksync

Layer Zero

Manta

Linea

Blast L2,

Scroll

Aveos

Rango Exchange

Testnet – like Bera Chain etc

and Many Many!

Usually for Crypto, information really follows fast. Hence, I usually post in my Twitter instead. For example,

Out of the above, my most anticipated and the one that I have put in most effort is as per screenshot below, please give me a big one!

Deal 1:

Interest rates are getting lower everywhere and there are usually many hoops to jump to get higher rate such as OCBC 360 and UOB ONE!
Consider Maribank, one of the fuss free and give you 1.28% daily without any conditions! Interest is credited daily!

Sign up for MariBank using my referral code: 2KGZ29UL.
https://www.maribank.sg/product/mari-savings-account/

Insured up to S$100k by SDIC.

Deal 2:

Best Items that I have bought from Shopee.

ONLY the best useful worthy items

Many people I realised that they have only shared things that give them the most commissions. I am different. I will only share things that I have bought, used and found it to be good.

Deal 3:

Webull – Get free money!

Good deal! Do not miss this! Sign up here now for free money!!

Deal 4:

Trust Bank New Clients

Deal 5:

FSMone – Cheap Comms and can transfer your shares to Personal/Joint CDP for Free

I am using FSMOne.com to invest in funds & ETFs (including money market funds). FSM is good due to the low comms and the free transfer from FSMOne to CDP (typically takes less than a week to transfer). If you do not have an account, you can sign up here. Please use my FSMOne referral code: P0413007.

Deal 6:

Eskimo – Best Option for Roaming!

For now, you can get 500MB for free just by signing up with my referral link, no purchase required (I get 500MB only too, but only if you buy a paid plan). Referral code: CHING104915

You can read my review here.

Money just buy you the chance of freedom but can’t buy back time. In life, there is no reset button. Time is limited but money is not.

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 (your strong health, time with young child) while busying striking out in career.

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.

Love your life daily. You have one less day with your spouse, parents, children and yourself. Time is ticking away.

Focusing Careyourpresent & living a fulfilling life by supercharging your mind & investment/online income. Careyourpresent Series focus on things that one MUST know in their Life.

More articles can be found here.

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].

Answer to the Guess my Company

Posted on by careyourpresent

Yes, you are right. I am still in holiday now (see my last post on 8 Dec 2023).

I have no internet access. I deliberately cut off myself from the internet work. I have told my bosses / co-workers that I am not subscribing to roaming, hence won’t have any access 🙂

Does the picture below look familiar to you? I bet it happened to your family every day!

Courtesy from https://creator.nightcafe.studio/

I am following my own previous advice in this article:

I strongly urge you to read it!

Ditch your mobile phone to build real life

Phone Phone Phone

The photo above shows that we’re so obsessed with our phones that we can’t even go to the bathroom without them / can’t even have a proper meal with your loves one. We’re not just talking about checking your phone every five minutes or playing Candy Crush on the toilet — we’re talking about actually interact and taking to one another over a simple meal only.

This isn’t just a trend in Singapore it’s happening all over the world, and it’s not just affecting adults. Kids are spending more time with their phones than ever before, and they’re developing social skills that are less than ideal. We’ve seen a lot of articles about this problem already, but here’s our take on the negative effects of hoarding to your phones and how you can ditch your phone in order to build real relationships in real life.

https://unsplash.com/photos/man-holding-fire-sparks-inside-room-chZJeUjM4uY

Then how I post this article without internet?

It is definitely not magic like the above picture! I am not Dr Strange!

This is a scheduled post. I wrote in on the morning of 2 December 2023 while the rest of the family members are still sleeping!

There are people asking me about what is the company that I have mentioned in this article:

Let me share one of my favorite company

So have you guess it correctly?

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

The Answer

And it has given me good dividends on 1 Dec 2023!

Deal 1:

Interest rates are getting lower everywhere and there are usually many hoops to jump to get higher rate such as OCBC 360 and UOB ONE!
Consider Maribank, one of the fuss free and give you 1.28% daily without any conditions! Interest is credited daily!

Sign up for MariBank using my referral code: 2KGZ29UL.
https://www.maribank.sg/product/mari-savings-account/

Insured up to S$100k by SDIC.

Deal 2:

Best Items that I have bought from Shopee.

ONLY the best useful worthy items

Many people I realised that they have only shared things that give them the most commissions. I am different. I will only share things that I have bought, used and found it to be good.

Deal 3:

Webull – Get free money!

Good deal! Do not miss this! Sign up here now for free money!!

Deal 4:

Trust Bank New Clients

Deal 5:

FSMone – Cheap Comms and can transfer your shares to Personal/Joint CDP for Free

I am using FSMOne.com to invest in funds & ETFs (including money market funds). FSM is good due to the low comms and the free transfer from FSMOne to CDP (typically takes less than a week to transfer). If you do not have an account, you can sign up here. Please use my FSMOne referral code: P0413007.

Deal 6:

Eskimo – Best Option for Roaming!

For now, you can get 500MB for free just by signing up with my referral link, no purchase required (I get 500MB only too, but only if you buy a paid plan). Referral code: CHING104915

You can read my review here.

Money just buy you the chance of freedom but can’t buy back time. In life, there is no reset button. Time is limited but money is not.

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 (your strong health, time with young child) while busying striking out in career.

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.

Love your life daily. You have one less day with your spouse, parents, children and yourself. Time is ticking away.

Focusing Careyourpresent & living a fulfilling life by supercharging your mind & investment/online income. Careyourpresent Series focus on things that one MUST know in their Life.

More articles can be found here.

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].

Portfolio Update: Dividends/Interest per month

Posted on by careyourpresent

Portfolio

It been a long while since I did an update of my portfolio. My last update was on 13 September 2023 titled:

Portfolio Update: Dividends/Interest S$3800 per month

In that update, I have shown the below picture. Many people like to show dividend per year, per month, daily, hourly, per minute, per sec thing.

Hence, I decided to share the fun and did something similar in this last post.

Why dividend income?

In the pursuit of financial independence, passive income plays a crucial role.

It allows individuals to break free from the traditional 9-to-5 grind and enjoy the freedom of having their money work for them.

One powerful source of passive income is dividend income.

Similar to having a worker toiling away on your behalf, dividends provide a consistent stream of income without requiring active effort.

It can be a game-changer in achieving financial freedom.

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

Remember to compound your return

One of the key advantages of dividend income is its potential for growth.

As you reinvest your dividend income back into the same stocks or other dividend-paying investments, you can benefit from the power of compounding.

Over time, this compounding effect can significantly increase your passive income.

It’s like having a worker who not only works for you for free but also brings in additional workers to increase productivity.

The more you reinvest your dividends, the more your passive income grows, allowing you to accelerate your journey towards financial freedom.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Be Diversified and research well too

Building a portfolio of dividend-paying stocks requires careful consideration and research.

It’s important to select companies with a track record of consistent dividend payments, strong financial health, and potential for future growth. Diversification is also key to mitigate risk and maximize returns.

By spreading your investments across different sectors and companies, you can protect yourself from the impact of any single company’s performance.

Additionally, staying informed about market can help you make informed investment decisions and optimize your dividend income.

Cash is Rotting

Cash is rotting was a term that we have been used to seeing for the past decades. Things become vastly different in the last two years as FED raises the interest rates!

As share in my update of my SSB post earlier,

This is the first time in history where there is an unprecedented increase in interest rates by FED within a short span of few months. There will be time lag effect for the hike in rate to affect the market – very likely the coming few months till early Q1 2024. We shall see.

I am hoping for the chance to deploy my cash and it will come soon.

But luckily at least now my rotting cash is earning 3-5% every month (SSB, FSM, Treasury Bill, CIMB Fastsaver Promo, Esaver Promo, UOB One, OCBC 360 etc), as compared to the past year period of low interest rate. That period is really the cash rotting period where the interest in bank is so low!

See: Savers Heaven Options for Dec 2024

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

Cash is now an Asset Class

Cash is now an asset class too, generating 3~4% almost risk free!

Hence, I don’t want waste this chance to generate some interest income, and I have decided to include it in the portfolio calculation for this update.

Ok, what everyone has been waiting for so long.

Refer to the table below!

Cash Is KING

From the above, many would have realized that I hold huge amount of cash relative to my portfolio. Why so?

Let me repeat again:

This is the first time in history where there is an unprecedented increase in interest rates by FED within a short span of few months. There will be time lag effect for the hike in rate to affect the market – very likely the coming few months till early Q1 2024. We shall see.

I am hoping for the chance to deploy my cash and it will come soon.

Deal 1:

Interest rates are getting lower everywhere and there are usually many hoops to jump to get higher rate such as OCBC 360 and UOB ONE!
Consider Maribank, one of the fuss free and give you 1.28% daily without any conditions! Interest is credited daily!

Sign up for MariBank using my referral code: 2KGZ29UL.
https://www.maribank.sg/product/mari-savings-account/

Insured up to S$100k by SDIC.

Deal 2:

Best Items that I have bought from Shopee.

ONLY the best useful worthy items

Many people I realised that they have only shared things that give them the most commissions. I am different. I will only share things that I have bought, used and found it to be good.

Deal 3:

Webull – Get free money!

Good deal! Do not miss this! Sign up here now for free money!!

Deal 4:

Trust Bank New Clients

Deal 5:

FSMone – Cheap Comms and can transfer your shares to Personal/Joint CDP for Free

I am using FSMOne.com to invest in funds & ETFs (including money market funds). FSM is good due to the low comms and the free transfer from FSMOne to CDP (typically takes less than a week to transfer). If you do not have an account, you can sign up here. Please use my FSMOne referral code: P0413007.

Deal 6:

Eskimo – Best Option for Roaming!

For now, you can get 500MB for free just by signing up with my referral link, no purchase required (I get 500MB only too, but only if you buy a paid plan). Referral code: CHING104915

You can read my review here.

Money just buy you the chance of freedom but can’t buy back time. In life, there is no reset button. Time is limited but money is not.

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 (your strong health, time with young child) while busying striking out in career.

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.

Love your life daily. You have one less day with your spouse, parents, children and yourself. Time is ticking away.

Focusing Careyourpresent & living a fulfilling life by supercharging your mind & investment/online income. Careyourpresent Series focus on things that one MUST know in their Life.

More articles can be found here.

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].