UPDATES. Time and money. Rights issues and parents.

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:
Do we give our parents enough money?