I always say try not to be married to our jobs.
Spent money and will spend more time.
Have a more secure financial future in an uncertain world by creating a stream of reliable passive income with high yields.
Ever since the CPFB introduced a colorful pie chart of our CPF savings a few years ago, I would look forward to mine every year like a teena...
I always say try not to be married to our jobs.
Posted by AK71 at 12:28 PM 12 comments
Labels:
ASSI,
money management
The sequel to the podcast I did with The Fifth Person last month is here.
I just watched it and I thought it would be good to tie up a few loose ends.
If viewers should spend some time ruminating on what I said in the follow-up podcast, they would not need to read this blog post.
So, this blog post is more for my benefit since I have a need to talk to myself all the time.
AK is mental.
1. My response to a viewer who said most regular folks would have to speculate in order to generate sufficient capital to get a $200K dividend annually from investments.
There is no need to speculate although we could certainly do it and in the podcast I shared my view on that.
There are other ways to make more money and regular readers know I did some trading and I also had side hustles to make more money.
I also blogged about how we should not wait until we have a larger amount of money before we start investing for income.
Dividends made in the early days, no matter how small, would grow our wealth, and could be used to invest for even more income.
2. Possible to make $200K dividends annually with $2M and how to get $2M in capital?
In the podcast, I said that my capital wasn't $10M, $5M, $4M or $3M.
It could have been closer to $2M.
And that is giving me $200K in yearly dividends now?
How is that possible?
Elementary, my dear Watson.
A lot of what I bought was bought during crises, when Mr. Market was suffering from severe depression.
By now, my experience with AIMS APAC REIT should be quite well-known.
It is one of my largest investments and probably my oldest one.
It generates a distribution yield of more than 10% on cost for me, year after year.
As I got into it in a big way during the Global Financial Crisis, it is a major contributor to my yearly passive income.
Of course, my investment has been free of cost for many years too.
I have recovered my capital and I am still receiving income from my investment.
So, of the $200K in dividends received last year, a big chunk of it was actually free money.
It is money generated from nothing.
How did this happen?
Time happened.
It is possible to get higher dividend yields during crises if we invest in the right businesses that would survive the crises.
Of course, we could choose to sell these investments if their stock prices should recover later on.
I used the examples of Lippo Mall Trust and First REIT in the podcast.
Regular readers of my blog would know there were others like Saizen REIT, Croesus Retail Trust and Accordia Golf Trust as well.
Selling for significant capital gains grew my wealth.
It gave me more capital to invest with.
We could also choose to sell a portion of our investments like what I did with Old Chang Kee and Hock Lian Seng.
I sold half of my investments in them when their share prices doubled.
So, whatever I am still holding now is free of cost.
And they are still paying me dividends, year after year.
More free money.
This brings me back to the earlier point on speculation.
Why is there a need to speculate in order to grow wealth?
Simply wait for the next opportunity to make significant investments for income like what I did during the Global Financial Crisis.
Invest in good businesses which are able and willing to pay us.
That opportunity came in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic not too long ago.
Of course, regular readers would know that I emptied my war chest during the pandemic and got into UOB at $19 a share.
That is one of my largest investments today.
It is rewarding me with a dividend yield of almost 9% per annum now.
I also talked about how I started buying into DBS at $13 and $14 a share back in 2016.
At $13 a share, the dividend yield is almost 15% per annum today.
Now, coupled with free money I get from AIMS APAC REIT and some other stocks, do you see why I say the capital deployed isn't as much as what some people say it is?
What I have done over the years isn't simply putting some of my monthly salary in fixed income instruments unless we count the CPF.
If that was my method, then, yes, to generate $200K yearly in dividends now, I would need around $4 million in capital today.
I agree this would be insurmountable for most regular folks.
So, I remind myself of what I did over the years and how I made what seemed impossible happen.
This might be a lot for some people to take in.
There is also the fact that my skill as a wordsmith has regressed in recent years.
So, maybe, read this blog post a few times.
Ruminate on it.
I know I had to.
AK is talking to AK here, after all.
Please don't let people tell us what AK has achieved is not possible for regular folks because the capital required is enormous.
It is simply not true.
This blog post is the truth.
Go share this with people you care about and tell them this.
AK is a regular folk too.
If AK can do it, so can you!
Posted by AK71 at 10:19 AM 37 comments
Labels:
ASSI,
investment,
passive income
Everyone should probably know by now that I did a podcast with my friends at Fifth Person two weeks ago.
Posted by AK71 at 9:19 AM 12 comments
Labels:
ASSI,
passive income
In my last blog, I said that I might not be blogging for a while but I would be checking the comments section daily like I would do usually.
However, I was too tired both physically and mentally to do it.
A thousand apologies.
I am very sorry that I have not been checking the comments section daily.
This might have made some of you worried.
Please forgive me.
This is just a quick blog to say sorry and to say I am OK.
I have been enjoying (virtual) life a lot in the last few years.
What happened was a reminder that real life can be brutal.
Things can go very wrong from time to time.
It could be a lot worse than just getting lemons.
It could take a while before things settle down.
Time will heal.
I must believe this.
Know that we are here for each other.
Life will not be the same but life will go on.
I want to thank everybody for their kindness and encouragement.
I promise I will read and reply to all your comments soon.
Please don't worry.
If AK can still talk to himself, he is OK!
Posted by AK71 at 11:18 PM 20 comments
Labels:
ASSI
In a recent blog, I said that the COVID-19 pandemic changed my views on many things.
Life is so fragile and it could end quite unexpectedly.
Although I feel that everyone should try to achieve financial freedom, I understand that it isn't everybody's cup of tea.
So, live and let live.
This is something I have been saying for many years.
Nothing is more important to appreciate than this.
We have only one life to live.
We have a responsibility to ourselves to be happy.
We also have a responsibility to others, especially to those who matter to us, that even as we celebrate our right to happiness, we do not compromise theirs.
Of course, we cannot always be happy.
It is even harder to ensure that people around us are always happy.
There will be good days.
There will be bad days.
This is true for all of us.
We are only human and can be unkind to people when we are unhappy.
We lash out at people closest to us as they are the ones we are most likely to take for granted.
Of course, this is wrong.
Try to make amends later and try to be a better person in future.
Our wealth can grow if we do the right things.
However, our time on earth is limited.
We don't want to learn that we had a good thing in life only after we have lost it.
Of course, we get angry sometimes.
With people we care about, we might get even angrier.
Be angry but don't stay angry for too long.
Always think of the good that is in that person.
Think of past kindness received.
We are all unique individuals.
Even twins are not 100% alike.
Things are rarely perfect in life.
No one is perfect.
Everybody makes mistakes.
Be more forgiving.
We might not be selfless but we can try to be less selfish.
If you think that I am not feeling 100% now, you are right, but I am still OK.
I always like to say "all in good time".
It will take time for things to get better.
I remind myself that life has to go on.
However, there is a chance I might stop blogging or replying to comments for a while.
Of course, this wouldn't be the first time but it would be for a different reason.
So, it is important that I talk to myself about this.
Still, I will try to check the comments section daily.
If AK is still talking to himself, do not worry. :)
Posted by AK71 at 9:40 AM 66 comments
Labels:
ASSI
First update is on the subject of "time".
In recent weeks, I settled into a routine of producing videos and then publishing the transcripts here.
Both the video and the blog would be released within minutes of each other.
I kept doing that because I had an inkling that most people who "eavesdrop" on AK don't really enjoy eavesdropping.
They really enjoy reading AK's diaries.
Tsk, tsk.
Terrible.
Anyway, looking at the viewership and readership numbers, it is quite apparent.
As I am a hobbyist YouTuber just like I am a hobbyist blogger, this isn't a tragedy.
In fact, it could be a blessing in disguise.
Although I still enjoy making YouTube videos as a hobby and I have produced videos almost daily for more than a year, I might do it less often as it is more time consuming.
So, in future, there might be more blogs like this where there would not be a corresponding video.
I need more than 24 hours a day to do all the things I want to do in retirement!
I really have quite a bit of catching up to do in the online games I am still playing, for example.
Second update is on the subject of "money".
Some readers might know that my retiree parents are invested in AIMS APAC REIT and IREIT Global too.
Apart from their CPF and SRS savings, the two old folks have rental income from a shoe box apartment and dividends from some stocks.
As I am paying the property tax and maintenance of their rental property, they are able to enjoy the rental income in full.
Being retirees, they are living off passive income as they should.
However, total passive income they get in a year is only about half of what their total yearly income was before they retired a few years ago.
I remind myself of the following.
If not for us children, for sure, they would have been able to save a lot more money for their retirement.
There is also the fact that their CPF and SRS savings would be depleted in their mid 80s which is only another few years from now.
For readers who have been following my blogs on the topic of providing financial support for my parents, this probably throws more light on why I have significantly increased the quantum in recent years.
Since I do not expect my own expenses to grow significantly in future, I am ready to provide even more financial support to my parents if required.
This is so that they would not have to make too many changes to their lifestyle in retirement or compromise on their standard of living in their old age.
Alamak!
This is supposed to be a quick update and I just went rambling off.
A thousand apologies!
Back to AIMS APAC REIT and IREIT Global.
I have decided to help my parents pay for their rights units.
Of course, consistent with what I have said before, I will keep an eye on the current unit prices as well.
Mr. Market seems to be feeling rather pessimistic and if I should be offered prices which are much lower, I would buy from the open market.
In such an instance, I would be leaving the sponsors of the REITs to pick up my rights entitlement in the form of excess rights for them instead.
In fact, I have overnight BUY orders to buy more units in AIMS APAC REIT at $1.16 a unit and IREIT Global at $0.42 a unit as, technically, these look like strong supports to me.
To be honest, it would be a pleasant surprise if my orders are filled but I know never to say never.
Of course, helping my parents to increase their investments in the REITs this way would mean that I would have less money to add to investments in my own portfolio.
However, trying to make more money for myself really hasn't been a priority for me for quite a while now.
Why do I say this?
Is having more money no longer important to me?
Am I OK with growing poorer over time?
Hmm.
I really don't want this to be a long blog.
So, I might blog about this topic a bit more later in the week.
Let me end this update here for now.
If AK can talk to himself, so can you!
Related post:Posted by AK71 at 9:15 PM 17 comments
Labels:
AIMS-AMP Capital Industrial REIT,
ASSI,
blog,
IREIT,
money management
"Evening with AK and friends 2023" was successfully held and I want to put down my thoughts on paper while I still have them.
I think it was evident at the event that my memory really wasn't very good.
I feel that it isn't what it used to be.
Used to be able to remember things easily and rattle off precise numbers too.
Not so anymore.
Hope dementia does not come too early for me.
Crossing fingers.
Here are a few things I want to say.
1. Thank you!
I want to register my heartfelt thanks to my friend, Kenji, for organizing the event.
It would not have happened if he did not offer to organize it because AK was too lazy.
Kenji is always very concerned that I don't go out enough and that I don't socialize enough.
I am blessed to have a handful of good friends like him who I must admit I don't make enough time for.
Don't need many friends.
Only need a few good friends.
2. Thank you again!
I also want to thank the two young men seated in the front row.
They took on the role of photographers as readers asked for photos with AK.
Thank you plenty plenty.
3. If AK can do it, so can you!
To people who got the little souvenir from AK, I hope it helps you to remember that what AK has achieved is not impossible for regular folks.
If AK can do it, so can you!
4. No photo because I forgot.
I forgot to pass my camera to Kenji to take photos.
So, no photo of the event to share in this blog.
Sadness.
5. Epic chit chat Q&A!
"Evening with AK and friends" has always been an epic chit chat session driven by Q&A.
Hope that I have answered all your questions satisfactorily.
Please bear in mind the following.
For sure, I do not have all the answers and I am as fallible as any other person.
6. Technical Analysis.
Someone asked me about technical analysis.
Here are a few books I would recommend.
See:
Recommended books for FA and TA.
7. Remember the pyramid!
I shared this in many blogs and one was in a blog about Wilmar.
"S" at the tip of the pyramid stands for "speculative" position and we should always keep this small.
See:
Wilmar: Target reacquired.
8. Remember the Rule of 15.
It really shows who were the people swimming naked.
I mentioned Anita Yuen and her husband at the event and it's all in this blog.
9. Gold is for insurance.
Precious metals are not investments.
Why get them?
See:
Why investors for income buy gold?
10. Totally honest.
Many things I shared at the event, I would never publish here in my blog for various reasons.
I wasn't joking when I asked you not to do any video or audio recording.
Even if what I said or the answers I gave might be jarring at times, I held nothing back and gave my all.
11. REITs handout.
I think there were a few readers who wanted the handout on REITs but didn't get it.
I published the handout in a few blogs before and I found one published in 2022.
If you are interested, you should be able to save it in your phone.
Just a list of pointers and nothing mind blowing.
12. Very touched.
According to Kenji, 280 people turned up.
An overwhelming number stayed till the end.
If the PA system didn't tell us that it was time to go, we might have stayed longer.
To all who came, thank you for showing me that talking to myself for more than 10 years has been helpful not only to myself.
I hope you found that the evening with AK was time well spent.
Until the next time, remember not too be overly optimistic nor pessimistic.
Always stay pragmatic.
Nobody cares more about our money than we do.
Don't ask barbers if we need a haircut!
If AK can do it, so can you!
Posted by AK71 at 1:30 AM 18 comments
Labels:
ASSI
Well, two big things happening today.
One bigger than the other.
The bigger one is OCBC reporting Q1 2023 results.
I just produced a video for this.
For readers who are not subscribed to my YouTube channel, here is the video.
Fantastic response from OCBC after getting downgraded by both JP Morgan and CIMB.
I also produced videos for these.
The smaller thing happening today is "Evening with AK and friends."
To everyone who has bought tickets, remember to have an early dinner.
If no time for early dinner, at least bring a snack like a Gardenia bun or Old Chang Kee curry puff which you can eat outside the lecture hall during breaks.
Why must be Gardenia or Old Chang Kee brands of snacks?
No other food allowed?
You know, I know.
If you still don't know, ask me this evening.
Anyway, I will try to remember to have a 10 mins break after every 50 mins of talking.
So, you can go to the washroom or have a snack.
Come prepared with questions and we will have an epic chit chat session as always.
Hard to believe but it has been almost 5 years since the last time we did this.
See:
Financial freedom and a long break from public appearances.
See you this evening!
Posted by AK71 at 9:23 AM 12 comments
This is a follow up blog on "Evening with AK and friends 2023."
As promised last Friday, for those who are interested, here is the ticketing link:
Buy your ticket for "Evening with AK and friends 2023" here.
AK is back! |
Some of you might also be interested in the latest YouTube videos by AK Production House.
I was on steroids and produced many videos on the banking crisis in the U.S.A. and if DBS, OCBC and UOB could be affected.
I am now working on new videos regarding the SATS rights issue as well as the S.D.I.C. which insures up to $75,000 in banking deposit.
Remember to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you want to get free timely notifications.
DBS, OCBC and UOB crashed!
Interest income under pressure!!
Which bank is next to fail?
U.S. banking bailout!
Posted by AK71 at 12:30 PM 26 comments
Labels:
advertorial,
ASSI,
DBS,
OCBC,
UOB
On 19 February, when I blogged about "Evening with AK and friends" coming back this year, I wasn't bluffing.
Still, it does feel somewhat surreal because I didn't plan to do this.
The whole thing happened rather spontaneously in response to readers' comments.
I know that my blog isn't as well set up and that some readers have trouble getting updates.
At least, that is what I have been told.
Some readers asked if they could reserve seats for the event but, unfortunately, the ticketing system isn't smart enough to do it.
So, blogging about the event before ticketing starts is probably the best option as it, hopefully, gives readers who might only check my blog once every few days a better chance to secure a ticket.
Ticketing for the event will start on 13 March 2023 (Monday) in the afternoon.
Date and time of event:
10 May 2023 (Wednesday.)
7.00PM to 10.00PM.
Location of event:
Lifelong Learning Institute.
11 Eunos Road 8, Event Hall 1-1, Singapore 408601.
Total number of seats:
300 only.
Ticket price:
$38.00 each.
Auspicious number!
Although the event starts at 7.00pm, please try to arrive earlier for registration at the door.
Otherwise, my friend, Kenji, who is helping me to organize the event is going to be overwhelmed.
Maybe, 15 to 20 minutes earlier.
Another important reminder.
Please have your dinner before coming to the event.
You might also want to bring a bottle of drinking water and maybe a snack.
Not for AK but for yourself, of course.
We will try to have a break every 50 minutes or so but there wouldn't be enough time for you to go get dinner during the breaks.
Photo taking with AK is a must and that is what the breaks are for, of course.
I know a reader who pinned his photo taken with AK on a corkboard in front of his computer desk with the words "IF AK CAN DO IT, SO CAN I!"
Win liao lor!
He got good value for his money!
Yes, remember, come for the fun and laughter.
"Evening with AK and friends" is just an epic chit chat session.
It is definitely nothing profound.
If you think AK might be sharing some hot and steamy stock tips, don't come.
You have been warned.
So, if you are absolutely sure you still want to attend, please bookmark my blog and come back on 13 March 2023 (Monday) after lunch in the afternoon to get your ticket.
I will publish another blog with updates then.
Recently published:
Buy bonds, not stocks in 2023?
Related post:
Evening with AK and friends 2023. Incoming!
Posted by AK71 at 4:48 PM 14 comments
Labels:
ASSI
I absolutely did not see this coming.
I did not plan to have another "Evening with AK and friends" this year or the next either, to be honest.
Inertia is a terrible thing.
Always lazy but grown lazier.
Terrible, I know.
However, my comments section was buzzing with requests for a comeback event a couple of weeks ago and that gave me a nudge.
If you are unaware of the buzz, see comments section: HERE.
Anyway, my friend from The Fifth Person, Kenji, saw the comments and said my readers missed me and offered to organize a comeback event.
So, it seems that "Evening with AK and friends 2023" is happening soon.
AK has been out of the limelight for many years.
Only active in my blog, boycotting Facebook, means a lot less interaction online.
It has become harder for anyone to contact AK as even my email link has gone out of service.
My blog's comments section is the only line of communication left open and, even so, anonymous comments are blocked.
This means that apart from talking to myself, I only talk to regular long time readers most of the time in my blog.
This is all by design and I am happier this way.
Regular long time readers might remember that tickets to past "Evening with AK and friends" sold out within 24 hours of launch.
However, I suspect that it might take much longer for tickets to be sold out this time as I don't think AK is as popular as before.
So many new local bloggers and also YouTubers popped up in the last few years in the personal finance and investment space.
A number of social media influencers shared their sexy ways to get rich quick or to 10x our money too.
Not surprisingly, they attract many followers.
AK is out of fashion which is true in more ways than one.
To be honest, this is fine by me.
Still, some fellow bloggers might question why I would give up years of progress made as a blogger and retreat to my little corner in cyberspace?
The answer is simple.
AK is a hobbyist blogger.
Blogging is a hobby.
If I were blogging to make a living, then, I would have done things differently in the last few years.
If blogging became a business or a career, however, I am sure I would not like it as much.
Anyway, this is just a heads up that "Evening with AK and friends 2023" is happening.
There will either be 150 or 300 tickets available, depending on how lucky we are with the venue.
For sure, the event will be happening before the middle of the year.
Time is going to be 7pm to 10pm like before.
More details will be available very soon.
So, look out for it.
It is all about pASSIve income!
It has been almost 5 years but we are back!
I have always wanted to say something like this.
So drama. :)
Reference:
Financial freedom and a long break from public appearances. (Give me F.I.R.E.)
Recently published:
Changes to portfolio in Feb 2023.
Posted by AK71 at 8:18 AM 37 comments
Labels:
ASSI
This is going to be a short blog to touch base with readers.
Quick update, basically, to let folks know I am alive and kicking (butts in virtual worlds.)
I have been busy gaming in Neverwinter and Genshin Impact but, mostly, I am spending time playing RISK Global Domination now.
That is the ultimate time killing game as one game could go on for hours just like the board version of the game!
Anyway, for readers who are not just following my blog but also my blog's comments section, they would know that I am still around as I reply to comments usually within 24 hours.
For readers who are following my baby YouTube channel, they would also know that I am still around as since my last blog in middle August, I have uploaded 5 videos.
My videos are more like audio books which last a minute or so which means you don't have to watch them, only listen.
For examples:
It is pretty easy to produce such videos.
If you are interested in the other recent videos, hop over to my YouTube channel: AK's channel.
The world is in a mess now and everybody is hurting one way or another.
Just remember that no one cares more about our money than we do.
Stay prudent with money.
As long as we are invested in bona fide income generating assets and as long as we are investing more and speculating less, we should do better than most people.
Gambatte!
References:
1. CPF money not our money?
2. Lost $300K staking crypto...
Posted by AK71 at 9:48 AM 11 comments
Labels:
ASSI,
CPF,
passive income