Reader says...
It’s been a while since I dropped you a note.
The impact you have on my financial planning and share investments have been instrumental.
I managed to hit my FRS before I turn 31 this Oct!
In searching for financial guides, it always lead me back to your website.
Please don’t ever remove it even if you stop writing!
Enjoy your retirement! 🌈
AK says...
I am very happy to read this. 😀
This cornerstone in retirement funding will be a significant one for you because you have reinforced it so early in life. 🙂
Stories like yours make me feel that sharing my CPF story and even numbers in recent years has been worthwhile. 🙂
Reader says...
Yes it helps for sure!
Thank u so much!
Keep doing what you are doing.
I am sure many have benefited a whole lot.
This young reader together with a few others who have written to me have achieved something that I did not at their age.
Although I suspect their monthly salaries are higher than mine was which allowed them to hit the FRS at a younger age than I did, without the will, having the ability is useless.
Their determination to make the CPF work for them is equally if not more important.
Don't earn as much money as them?
Don't be discouraged.
Even if our earning capacity is lower, just by giving our CPF-SA a push now and then, we would be making the government work harder to help us meet the FRS.
I can safely say that I was not a high flyer as a working adult.
If I did not do OA to SA transfer when I was in my 20s, my CPF-SA would probably still be some way from the FRS today.
Because I gave my SA savings a leg up early on, compound interest had more time to work its magic.
If we do whatever we can, it is better than not doing anything at all.
Most messages I have received from readers in response to my blogs on the CPF have been very positive.
I am glad that sharing my own CPF experience has been enlightening and inspiring.
I am even happier when that inspiration translates into informed action for many readers.
For more on what I have to say on this matter, please read the related post at the end of this blog.
From my Facebook wall later the same day:
Jack James said...
Hitting FRS before age 30 is a high achiever . 😱😱😱😱
Assuming you studied JC, 4 years of university, 2 years of NS, by the time you work for 7 years, you can hit FRS, that’s like age 30 to be exact!
Assumptions:
(1) Fresh graduate start up pay S$6,000 (max CPF contribution).
(2) You didn’t use a single cents in OA/SA for HDB or stocks.
(3) Assuming company gives you at least 2 months of bonus consistently.
(4) The quick figures above do not include the fat up to 5% interest in SA and 3.5% in OA and their compounded interest effect, that’s why the 7th year can hit FRS.
(5) Other ways to accelerate to FRS:
(A) SA S$7K TOP UP since year 1.
(B) Do VC contribution each year to the max.
(C) Company gives you tons of bonus like 8 months.
Then you can beat the 7 years timeline.
Good luck! Cheong ar!!
If AK can do it, so can you?
NO!
If AK can do it, you can do better!
Related post:
Hit the FRS in CPF-SA by age 31!
16 comments:
Jack James says...
Simulate a fresh graduate pay S$6,000 ( cap max at contribution ) for 14 months ( 2 months bonus ) and see when can be the earliest age to reach FRS.
AK says...
You can do it easily with Excel lah. :p
Fresh grad pay is $6K? Wow!
That is more than double my pay as a fresh grad. :(
Haha AK .... it's becoz you weren't some million dollar salary professional and yet achieved what you've achieved that endears you to readers! :)
Where's the fun in somebody already with a golden spoon telling people to save money? ;) LOL!
Man, those millennials have us Gen X'ers and Baby Boomers beat!
In the US they are showing photos of million dollar plus 401K's by 35.
In S'pore they are hitting CPF FRS by 30.
Hi Spur,
I guess there is a good reason why homes cost as much as they do now. ;)
Inflation can be scary but it can be a wonderful thing too. ;p
If AK can do it, so can you?
Nah.
If AK can do it, you can do better! :p
Reader says...
Hey Shifu - Your reader on reaching FRS at 31 yo made me very itchy!
AK says...
Remember, the CPF is but one piece of the jigsaw puzzle. ;)
Jackson Yang says...
Wah... so early..
i start late but I'm sure I can reach there before age 55 too!
Jiayou and gambateh!
AK says...
Steady lah! :D
Jasper Quek says...
Instead if leaving money for kids, what if we top up their CPF to max!
Guess they might "hate" me.. money "can see cannot touch" 😂
AK says...
Remember this blog:
Planning a $1.4M legacy.
Jack James says...
Hitting FRS before age 30 is a high achiever . 😱😱😱😱
(This blog has been updated with Jack's full comment with numbers.)
hello AK
PLEASE please do not delete your links at this page.. cos its like a wikipedia to me who needs to read what AK would do in similar situation.
After starting to read your blog for a few years, I have done the following things,,,
1. do voluntary top up to my retirement account.Although my husband says its silly cos we cant touch the $ till 65 and govt always raised the retirement age..
2. save more (reduce expense increase income) so that i can buy some shares to build up passive income generation
3. convince my husband to start a SRS after sending your links to him to read
4. educating my children to not only save but start to invest a little at a time esp on shares that give regular and increased dividends/undervalued shares.
Your blog has educatedd and motivated us for the better.. Please continue to talk to us. thanks.
Jimmy Ng says...
While this reader is a high flyer, his doesn't looked like he is in cloud9, yet.
Good and smart. Perhaps he is AK's prodigy or relative.... :-)
Jack James says...
妈,我又上榜了。
Hi Ruby,
I have been told not to trust Wikipedia (too much). :p
OK, as long as the links remain relevant and useful, there is no reason to delete them. :)
I am glad you took affirmative action to strengthen your family's financial security. :D
Jackson Yang says...
Friend, don't like that leh.. im very stress leh...
This is not the game of getting champion or break record, this game is called "to retire financial comfortably like AK" can beat AK then you win liao :p
AK says...
If AK can do it, so can you? NO!
If AK can do it, you can do better!
Don't feel stress, Jackson.
Makes me feel like a failure like that.
Cham lah. How like that? :p
doesnt need to be a high flyer really, assume:
- starting pay of 3k
- 5% increment rate
- 2 months yearly bonus + 1 mth aws
- yearly vc of 7k
- monthly transfer of oa to sa
of coz, it means you will take some time after that, before you can save enough for a house.
23.00% 6.00% 8.00% 4.00%
age year pay oa sa ma vc sa
25 1 3000 690.00 180.00 240.00 7000 20920.00
26 2 3150 724.50 189.00 252.00 7000 43372.80
27 3 3308 760.73 198.45 264.60 7000 67454.51
28 4 3473 798.76 208.37 277.83 7000 93266.83
29 5 3647 838.70 218.79 291.72 7000 120917.35
30 6 3829 880.63 229.73 306.31 7000 150519.89
31 7 4020 924.67 241.22 321.62 7000 182194.81
Hi Ed,
You really crunched the numbers!
Where there is a will, there is a way!
Amen to that. ;)
Hi all, thanks for sharing. I've a noob question here. I understand that the CPF FRS may increase in the future. This means that hitting the FRS now is non-guaranteed and we may have to top up more in future, right?
Hi Tay Shu Jun,
If you hit the prevailing FRS in your CPF-SA today or soon in the future, you probably don't have to worry about any increase in the FRS in future.
The interest earned alone would probably meet or exceed any future increase in FRS. ;)
I have shared my story before. See:
A lot of money in my SA is from the government.
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