Retirement planning (How much do we need or what do we need?).

Recently, I was asked a question on how much do we need for retirement?

It is one of those questions which seem easy to answer but, if we spend more time thinking about it, we realise it is actually not that easy.





I talked about needs and wants in another post earlier.  

What are needs and what are wants? 

See:
Money management: Needs and wants.

There are certain basic needs in life but there are many wants which have become needs in modern society. 

Therefore, how much do we need for retirement could depend on how many wants we have in life, wants which have been internalised as needs over the years.

An important question to ask is, then, what do we need for retirement? 

This is a qualitative question and needs to be answered.  Otherwise, we cannot start estimating how much do we need for retirement.  

So, the person who put the question to me was left scratching his head as I gave him not an answer but another question.






Very often, people wonder how much they need for retirement, wonder if a million dollars is enough or maybe two million dollars.  

They should think about what they really need in life and what would they be contented with.  

Perhaps, they should not keep chasing after that first million.  

Perhaps, they should not keep thinking about how much do they need.  

Perhaps, they should think of what they really need instead.

Planning for retirement? 
You might want to read these:
1. Inflation adjusted retirement plan.
2. POSB ManuRegular Payout better?
3. Selecting a good financial adviser.
4. OCBC BCIP.
5. POSB INVEST SAVER.
6. A cornerstone in retirement funding.
7. Wealthy nation cannot afford to retire?

Courage Marine: Range bound.

Price seems range bound between 19.5c and 18.5c. The BDI has been rather anemic of late and that could perhaps partly account for the lethargy in Courage Marine's share price.

The MFI, OBV and RSI have all recently flatlined.  Nothing seems to be happening. In a range bound situation, look at the Stochastics and we see it high in the overbought region.  This suggests that price, which happens to be at the upper end of the range identified, could find it hard to move higher for now.

The good news is that MACD has been rising slowly in positive territory above the signal line.  The return of positive momentum provides some cheer although we should remember that it is a lagging indicator.

FSL Trust: Where to from here?

I have blogged about how a past decision to invest in FSL Trust was a mistake. Over time, I have discovered more reasons why FSL Trust is a high risk investment and how, in the long run, it is doomed to fail as it is operating based on a flawed business model.

An article, Shipping Trusts: A closer look, 13 July 2010, in Next Insight says it well:

"... problem arises when the trust managers market the trust as a going concern, but then pay out cash as if the trust were self liquidating ... This misleads investors who think that the high payouts are sustainable and do not realise that part of the cash received is a return of capital...

"Until recently, FSLT paid out 100% if cash generated and did not pay down its debt. This essentially made the trust behave like a self-liquidating vehicle, regardless of any management claims to the contrary."

I know of at least two blog masters who have liquidated their investments in FSL Trust recently at a loss: Mike Dirnt and Musicwhiz, admitting that their investments were mistakes.  JW of Wealthbuch almost put some money in FSL Trust just before the recent crash from 60+ cents based on the posts by Grandmaster89 in an investment forum. Grandmaster89 has become more grounded in his views since. More recently, Alvis of A Investor bought some units at a price close to the bottom at 30+ cents based on TA.

I still have units in FSL Trust bought at $1 in the early days, probably at about the same time Musicwhiz bought his units.  I have been thinking of divesting these units but was not as deft as Mike Dirnt to divest at >60c at the recent high; nor did I divest last week like Musicwhiz at a rather much lower price.

I also have some units which I bought in the recent crash. Why? I explained that the purchases were made based on TA and are for a trade. Looking at the charts, FSL Trust's price has not just found a floor, it has most probably bottomed.  So, would I sell at the bottom?  No. 

In fact, the low formed on 11 Jun at 36c would be a strong support if price does decline to that level again.  Market participants would remember that price as the low and they could have made some money if they had bought more then.  More likely, however, the recent many times tested support at 37.5c would act as an effective breakwater in case of a decline. What about the upside? For now, it seems that the price could remain trapped in between the 20d and 50d MAs for a while. These assumptions are valid as long as everything else in FSL Trust's business remains constant.

From a FA perspective, it is true that FSL Trust has very high risks and its propects seem bleak in the longer term but would it go belly up in the next few months? Rather unlikely as the world economy is still on the mend and the fortunes of the shipping industry are looking up.

Related post:
High yields: Successes, failures and the in betweens.
Charts in brief: 26 Jul 10.

High yielding REITs.

I came across an article which reported Morningstar analyst John Coumarianos saying "I guess people are so exasperated with earning nothing on money market [funds], so they're opting for the 2 to 3 percent [yield] that they're getting on a REIT fund".

This is a reference to the situation in the USA.  2 to 3 percent yield? That's peanuts compared to what we are getting from REITs in Singapore!  I mentioned before that a 5 to 6 percent yield in a REIT is not enough to attract me because I can get an almost 10 percent yield in some REITs here. I think investors in REITs here are spoilt!

After the subprime mortgage crisis, all types of real estate investments were punished. Many experts thought that commercial real estate would be the next big bust. "The headlines were all so bad with the housing market," Sorensen says. "REITs don't have a ton to do with the housing market, and expectations there were so depressed. The reality has been better than expected."

Read the article here.
Will the REITs Rally Continue?

Ben Baden, On Thursday August 5, 2010, 11:43 am EDT

Related post:
Create more passive income with limited capital. 

Property prices in Japan.

Property prices in Japan may be near the bottom because transactions are picking up as loan default rates begin to decline....

.... Investors including Chuo Mitsui Trust & Banking Company and CLSA Capital Partners have said they will invest in real estate in Japan this year after the nation’s commercial land prices fell to the lowest in at least 36 years....

.... ‘The best time to invest is before things hit bottom, because if everyone were to agree we are right at bottom, they would all come rushing back in. If you have a longer term outlook, now is a very interesting time to be looking,’ said Buddy Ferrie, a general manager of the investment division at property consulting firm Colliers Halifax in Tokyo....

Read complete article here.
Analysts indicate property prices in Japan may be near bottom, Property Wire, Friday, 04 June 2010 .

I first put up this video on 13 March but I think it is worth watching again.  A video interview with Marc Faber (Posted Mar 12, 2010 07:30am EST by Peter Gorenstein):



"If you are going to put money to work in stocks both market watchers think Japan is the place to be. After a 20 year bear market and despite high-debt-to-GDP levels, the pair think the market has become too cheap to ignore. Always a contrarian, Faber believes the lack of interest in Japanese stocks makes it one of the most compelling buys in the world. "

Related post:
Buy Japanese real estate.

Golden Agriculture: Uptrend.

58.5c is a natural resistance turned support if we look at the candlesticks formed in the last three weeks.

The current uptrend support approximates the rising 20dMA and would be somewhere around 57.5c in the next session. Price could decline, break support at 58.5c and hit 57.5c in a whipsaw before rebounding.

Since the price hit a low of 48c in May, the MFI, OBV and RSI have been rising together with the rising price. So? Growing demand, continual accumulation and bouyant price movement. All good news for bulls.  If this continues, price could push upwards to retest 62.5c.  Could it overcome this resistance level?

Crude Palm Oil (CPO) has recovered strongly in a steep line upwards and is now at RM 2,661.  This is not far from the double top which saw CPO at around RM 2,710.  Golden Agriculture would benefit from higher CPO prices and the market knows this.  If CPO price breaks RM 2,710, we could see Golden Agriculture's share price rally to a new high.

Tea with AK71: Philips Blu Ray.

On Sunday, I bought a Philips Blu Ray player for a good friend as a housewarming gift.  I got it from Courts near HDB Hub in Toa Payoh.  I bought it because it was such a good deal.  Listen to this: usually $299, it was going for $239!  Also, they threw in a free HDMI cable and 2 free Blu Ray titles! 

I got my Sony Blu Ray player just weeks ago at Best Denki in Vivo City for $299 and I had to pay $99 for a HDMI cable!  I also had to spend more money buying a few Blu Ray titles at MJ Multimedia to start me off.  Fortunately, MJ was having a GSS offer at $70 for two titles but it would still come to a total of $299 + $99 + $70 = S$ 468 to get the same deal as offered by Philips in Courts!  It's a $229 savings!

Now, here is the issue: the free Blu Ray titles must be collected from Philips HQ in Toa Payoh Lorong 1.  They were not available in Courts.  The posters in Courts showed Wolverine, UP and a couple of other titles.  The salespeople told me that my friend has to bring along the receipt and his IC to choose the titles of his choice.  I dutifully conveyed the message when I gave the player to my friend.  This was on Sunday.

This evening, my friend went to Philips HQ and they told him that only Night at the Museum 2 and UP are available. Initially, I thought that the other titles were fully redeemed.  My friend told me he was informed that only these two titles are available all along!!! This is a clear case of misrepresentation!!!  I am so upset but my friend took it quite well and told me not to be angry.  Grrr!!!

If anyone from Philips HQ in Singapore is reading this, you guys are lucky I was not with my friend when he went to collect the discs.  I would have given you guys a piece of my mind!!!

Saizen REIT: Oversold.

Saizen REIT has been stuck at 16c for weeks. Nothing is happening and it is just a waiting game now.  However, it appears that most of the weaker holders have sold.

The Bollinger bands have narrowed and the MAs are all flattening with the exception of the long term 200dMA which is still rising.  In fact, the 20d and 50d MAs have merged and flatlined at 16c. 16c could either become a very strong support or resistance in future.  Looking at the MFI and the Stochastics, we see that this counter is very oversold. The OBV shows a stalemate between accumulation and distribution.

Taking a look at the weekly chart reveals that the longer term demand has been trending up.  The MFI confirms this. Price has also overcome the descending 100wMA which was a strong resistance.  At 16c, the unit price is sandwiched between the flat 20w and 50w MAs.  Although Mr. Market does not care for what I think, it seems to me that the unit price of Saizen REIT could only go up from here.  Let's wait for the results.

AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT: Dragoning.

The latest substantial shareholder of this REIT, Dragon Pacific Assets Limited, has increased its stake in the REIT again today. Its stake increased from 7.21 % To 11.39 % and it now owns 167,010,000 units.

I have not been able to find any information on Dragon Pacific Assets Limited and I am very curious as to its background.  I am also very curious regarding the identities of the sellers. The same reason has been given for the buy up as before: Acquisition for investment purposes.

The REIT closed at 23c, the upper end of its range and with it going XD tomorrow, I would be very surprised if this long term resistance could be overcome. Then again, never say never.

Noble: Downtrend.

Noble has been in a downtrend since the middle of March. This downtrend is intact.  With MFI forming lower highs, which suggests a lowering demand, and OBV dipping gradually, suggesting consistent distribution, the technical picture is rather negative.  The MACD is in negative territory and has just completed a bearish crossover with the signal line. Momentum is negative and it is not improving.

The counter is nowhere near oversold and price could sink lower if there is no catalyst strong enough to turn market sentiments positive. Price is currently resting on immediate support at  $1.66.  Immediate resistance is at $1.70 as provided by the 20dMA and candlestick resistance. 

Noble to sell coal mine stake to Gloucester, Australian says, for as much as A$300 million ($370 million).
Wednesday, 04 August 2010

© 2010 - The Edge Singapore

CapitaMalls Asia: Low volume sell down.

Price reached a low of $2.09 before closing at $2.11 which is the top of a mini double bottom formation. If $2.11 breaks, we could see a retest of the base of the double bottom at $2.02.  How likely is this?

Although price has moved down, volume has likewise reduced.  A low volume pull back. Good news. Second opinion? The OBV has turned down but it did not plunge which means no massive distributrion. Again, good news.

However, chart watchers would see the sell signal on the MACD histogram.  If this is confirmed in the next session, price is more likely than not going to move lower.

CapitaMalls Asia off 1.9%; 2Q fails to inspire. Earnings down 23.7% on year at $113.1 million as lower property valuation gains offset 31.9% rise in revenue.
Wednesday, 04 August 2010

© 2010 - The Edge Singapore

Blackstone is buying real estate in Japan.

I came across an article published by Bloomberg on 22 July, 2010, that Blackstone may buy Morgan Stanley's real estate assets in Japan.  Here are some salient points:

Prices for Tokyo office buildings have fallen as much as 50 percent from their 2007 peak, according to an estimate by CB Richard Ellis Group Inc.’s Japan subsidiary. Blackstone’s first purchase in the country, after opening a Tokyo operation three years ago, may suggest prices are set to climb, said Takashi Ishizawa, a real estate analyst at Mizuho Securities Co.

“The news confirms my view that property prices in Japan have reached bottom,” Ishizawa said in a telephone interview in Tokyo. “Now is the time to invest.”

Japan’s nationwide average land prices dropped 8 percent in 2009 from a year ago, the second straight annual decline, the National Tax Agency said in a report earlier this month.

The drop has attracted other buyers. Acquisitions by the country’s 38 publicly traded real estate investment trusts more than doubled in the first quarter to 229 billion yen from the same period last year, according to IB Research and Consulting Inc., a Tokyo-based research firm.

Japan’s listed real estate investment trusts have raised 195.5 billion yen in the first six months of this year, the highest since 2008, as they look to expand their portfolios, according to Mizuho Securities Co.

Read full article here.

Related post:

Buy Japanese real estate.

Starhub: Testing support.

Technically, this counter looks a bit weak. $2.38 has been established as a strong resistance while $2.30 is a many times tested support. Volume was rather high today as price started at $2.38 and travelled all the way down to test the support at $2.30 before closing just 1c higher at $2.31.  Could the rising 50d and 100d MAs lend support to $2.30 or would the support break?

The declining MFI suggests that demand has weakened while the declining MACD suggests that the shorter term MA is losing altitude.  All in, a rather ominous picture for the bulls. Support at $2.30 is critical. If this support level holds as momentum oscillators decline, that is a sign of strength. If it were to break, $2.22 would be the immediate downside target.

STI drops 0.3% to 3,014.77 at closing.

Hyflux (HYF SP), Singapore’s biggest water treatment services provider, increased 1.6% to $3.28. The company said it and Mitsui & Co. will start a venture to buy stakes in four water treatment plants in China and offer to take Hyflux Water Trust (HYFT SP) private. The trust surged 11% to 76 cents. The venture will offer to buy 205.5 million shares in Hyflux Water at 78 cents each.

Tuesday, 03 August 2010

© 2010 - The Edge Singapore

AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT: New SS.

There is a new substantial shareholder for this REIT: Dragon Pacific Assets Limited.

No. of Shares held before the change: 38,985,000

No. of Shares which are subject of this notice: 66,693,000

No. of Shares held after the change: 105,678,000
As a percentage of issued share capital: 7.21%

Reason given:  Acquisition for investment purposes.

Many are probably wondering who are the sellers as this is probably a married deal. The volume is really very high.  Fundamentally, more substantial shareholders with a longer term investment horizon is good for the REIT. They would give a stronger floor to the unit price and, therefore, a firmer platform for possible future price appreciation.

Technically, the big sell down today at 22.5c sent the MFI crashing into the oversold region. The MFI has also formed a lower high.  What we see now is a negative divergence with price which has moved up to test the long term resistance of 23c in recent sessions.  23c remains a formidable resistance.

OBV dropped a notch and the MACD seems ready to form a bearish crossover with the signal line.  With XD date approaching in another 3 days, a pull back in the unit price of this REIT is probable.  In such an instance, expect initial support at 22c and a stronger support at 21.5c, the midpoint of the trading range (20c to 23c).  Good luck to fellow unitholders.

CapitaMalls Asia: Sell on news?

The market seems unimpressed with CapitaMalls Asia's results.  Price tried moving higher, touched a high of $2.18 before declining to close unchanged at $2.16. The MACD is back in positive territory which suggests that we are once again seeing positive momentum in price movement.

Although the rising MFI suggests a strong demand, the OBV has turned flat in the last two sessions which suggests that neither accumulators nor distributors have the upper hand. Therefore, the lower volumes in the last two sessions as the price tried to move higher should be taken as a strong cautionary note.

Having said all these, it is worthwhile noting that price has closed above the 100dMA again even though it's a black candle day.  If the 100dMA is confirmed as the new support, price could move higher.

CapitaMalls Asia achieves 1H 2010 net profit of $209.8m
Tuesday, 03 August 2010

© 2010 - The Edge Singapore

Genting SP: Bearish engulfing candle.

Genting SP spots a bearish engulfing candle today.  This is a big black candle that envelopes the entire candle of the previous day.  This is extremely bearish as it indicates that price started the day higher but met with resistance and turned down to close lower than the previous day's low. That this was accompanied by high volume makes it more ominous. The bearish situation is backed up by a sell signal on the MACD histogram and the MACD has turned down towards the signal line.

However, even with the massive sell down today, the uptrend is still intact.  Look at the support line I labelled "uptrend support 2".  This uptrend approximates the position of the 20dMA.  Could price bounce off this support in the next session or continue to decline to test the many times tested resistance turned support at $1.20?  Although the MFI has turned down, the uptrend is intact.  OBV has turned down which indicates some distribution took place today.

Genting Singapore down 3.9%; $1.20 support. Traders attribute selloff to market chatter of company planning share placement. Gaming group declined to comment when contacted.
Tuesday, 03 August 2010

© 2010 - The Edge Singapore

Golden Agriculture: Sell down,

In my post on Golden Agriculture yesterday, I said that "Although volume expanded today, a case could be made that we are seeing a negative divergence with price.  Just keep this thought handy."

Golden Agriculture started the day at 60c to hit a high of 62c before retreating to close at 58.5c on high volume.  This is where we find the downtrend resistance which was overcome yesterday.

OBV has turned down which confirms that distribution is taking place.  However, the MFI is now higher than the previous high.  This hints that demand continues to be strong and there are buyers waiting to collect at lower prices.

Could 58.5c now serve as support?  It could but we need confirmation.  A stronger support is at 55.5c, as provided by the 100dMA.

Related post:
Golden Agriculture: Downtrend broken.