Mentally and financially prepared for retrenchment.

This is part of an email a reader wrote to me after reading an updated blog post. (They invested in multiple properties and are now retrenched.)



Reader:
"Their experience is getting more common. I am in my late 50s and I see many friends and relatives in my age group being asked to go. I am sure it will be my turn soon as the company has not been doing well. 

"I have been reading your blog since 2010. I have invested in the REITs you suggested, including Saizen. I am not rich like you but I think I can cope if I lose my job today. I found out that many won't be able to cope. CPF and some savings cannot be enough.

"In a way, your blog saved me and I told my sons that they should learn from you too. Their future can be so much brighter than mine because they can start early."





Sometimes, when readers in their 50s or 60s ask me what should they do to be like me, I find it hard to give them an encouraging answer. This is because what I have achieved today took me almost 20 years. So, you can imagine how happy I felt reading the above email.

As long as we still enjoy a meaningful and regular earned income, we probably could and should make an effort to invest to have another stream of income, passive income. Age shouldn't matter.

When we are in our 50s and 60s, if still employed, we are in our final years of employment. If we want to have a chance at getting rich quick, put aside, maybe, $50 each month and buy BIG SWEEP or TOTO. 

Think again before signing up for some courses or schemes with get rich quick promises. If it sounds too good to be true, it might just be.

Also,

Think again before buying some life insurance or complicated financial product. Don't buy just because they are giving you some freebies.




What should we be doing?

Click on the suggestions below for some ideas:

1. Make good use of our CPF account.

2. Take part in CPF Life for lifelong income.

3. Invest in bona fide income producing assets and think of monetising our home.

Notice I put investment last in the list. This is because the CPF is a risk free and volatility free option.

Investments are rarely risk free and definitely not volatility free.

If you are in your 50s or 60s and if this is the first time you are reading my blog, remember, no one cares more about your money than you do. 




In your golden years, you should enjoy life a bit more if you can afford it but don't do anything stupid with money.

At your age, you cannot afford to make big mistakes with money.

What would be considered stupid and big mistakes?

Anything that might force you back into the workforce if it should go wrong even if you must become a cleaner making $1,300 a month.







Always ask yourself what is, realistically, the worst case scenario and if it should manifest itself, would you be able carry on with your life as usual.

Then, you would know what to do.

There are many examples of seniors who are foolish although they say wisdom should come with age.

Our golden years should be financially secure. Don't be foolish and you can make it so even in the face of retrenchment.





Related posts:
1. How many 20 years and $29K do we have?
2. Withdrawn CPF money in excess of MS.
3. Financial strategy for the elderly with spare $.

They chose financial independence over home ownership.

This is somewhat extreme but watch how this Canadian couple chose financial independence over home ownership. 

They are in their 30s and, well, they are retired.








If we qualified for a BTO HDB 5 room flat which costs, maybe, $500,000 today, why do we need to buy a condominium which costs $1.5 million, for example?

If we didn't need so much living space, would a BTO HDB 3 room flat in Choa Chu Kang which costs less than $180,000 be good enough for us?


Now, would you rather have $1 million in income producing assets (e.g. income stocks) or a $1 million home (which doesn't generate income but instead would incur expenses)?






Very often, people over consume when it comes to housing and, not surprisingly, they might also be the people who find financial independence out of reach despite enjoying higher than average earned incomes.

Reader says:
"Today I had a conversation with a colleague. She has a relative who is very unhappy at work due to unfair treatment and feels like quitting. 

"However, this relative's family intends to buy a condo while retaining their HDB. 

"The wife of this relative told him that if they go ahead and buy the condo, he MUST not quit. 

"If he buys a condo, he is stuck between a rock and a hard place, and that is not good for mental well-being."





AK says:
"Often, it is peer pressure.

"Keeping up appearances is more than just financially destructive.

"Do you believe me when I say that when I tell people I downsized from a 2 bedroom apartment to a 1 bedroom apartment, most of the time I would get a negative response?

"Recently, when I told my new banker that I bought a small car, he said the same thing as my dad that he would not buy a small car unless he could not afford a bigger one.

"It is peer pressure but it is also how we deal with it."





----------------------------------------------------

Reader says:
"maybe i have the wrong perception. 

"i thought AK got the funds from property investment.

"thats why you have the funds to invest in stock market."

AK says:
"You might have missed this:
How did AK create a 6 digits annual passive income?"







It doesn't hurt to have some advantages in life but unless severely disadvantaged, all of us can be financially independent.

Related posts:
1. Housing and the CPF.
2. To rent or to buy?
3. The biggest and most expensive.
Purchasing a 3-Room BTO flat:

We need a home but a condo?

Hi AK,

I have been reading your blog for sometime & found you to be very smart & prudent. Are you able to give me some advice based on my current situation?

 

Employment status:

Unemployed

 

Age:

40

 

Housing:

Condo with $650k outstanding loan (mkt value $1M)

 

CPF OA:

$400k

 

CPF SA:

$100k

 

Dividend stocks:

$50k

 

Cash:

$150k

 

Expenses:

$20k/yr

 

I have been trying to do trading with mix success. Had also been doing part-time job to earn about $1k/mth.

 

Should I try to find another corporate job? ( I really hate it & had been unsuccessful trying for a while)

 

Thanks in advance!

EW

Hi EW,

Aiyoh. I am just another lazy fellow. Prudent enough but not particularly smart.

At 40, I think you would be financially pretty comfortable if not for the housing loan. ;)

If you were to sell your condo and get a resale HDB 3 room flat, you would probably be debt free and free to do whatever you want without having to go back to the corporate world which you hate!

We need a home but we don't need a condo. :)

Best wishes,
AK

Related posts:
1. Sell HDB flat to buy a condo.
2. Parents asking me to buy a condo.

To pay down HDB housing loan faster or not?

Not only do all of us have different financial circumstances, we also have different capacities to stomach stress.

What works for one might not work for another (i.e. what might give someone peace of mind might be quite stressful for another).

So, listen to what others have to say but, ultimately, make our own decision, one that will not rob us of our precious sleep.



Chat with Reader #1

Reader:
 Hi there Ak. I have a question. I have a new bto flat that im staying in with abt 200k hdb loan spread over 25 years. It takes up abt half of my oa contribution every mth to pay it. Should i use the excess oa funds to channel it to sa or focus on paying off the house asap?

Like · Reply · 1 hr

Assi AK
I would max out my SA first. Money should go to where it is treated best. Doing so, I would maintain a buffer in my OA sufficient for 24 months of loan repayment in case something goes wrong.

Like · Reply · 2 · 33 mins

Chat with Reader #2

• 
  

  12:31pm
  

  
  

  Reader:
  

  Hi AK, do you think i should pay off 10k of hdb housing loan whenever my OA accumulates to 20k so that it stays below 20k to enjoy the additional 1% interest? i.e. 3.5% instead of 2.5%

  
  
• 
  
• 

  12:51pm
  

  
  

  Assi AK
  

  Earning more interest is always appealing to me. ;)

  
  

  
  
• 
  

  1:11pm
  

  
  

  Reader:
  

  Cos I have a friend who says it's more impt to pay off housing loan as the 0.1% on a big loan is more than 1.5% on the 10k transferred. I.e. It only makes sense if the housing loan is less than 150k, correct?

  
  

  
  
• 

  2:37pm
  

  
  

  Assi AK
  

  It depends on what you are after. :)

  
  

  
  
• 
  

  2:38pm
  

  
  

  Reader:
  

  Maximized returns lor

  
  

  
  
• 
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
• 

  2:41pm
  

  
  

  Assi AK
  

  You have to remember to compare like for like

  
  

  
  
• 
  

  2:41pm
  

  
  

  Reader
  

  Meaning?

  
  

  
  
• 

  2:41pm
  

  
  

  Assi AK
  

  Compare $10K with $10K, $150K with $150K

  
  

  It is meaningless to compare 0.1% on a $200K loan and 1.5% on a $10K savings

  
  

  
  
• 
  

  2:42pm
  

  
  

  Reader:
  

  Ah. So for 10k, where can it get maximum returns

  
  

  
  
• 

  2:43pm
  

  
  

  Assi AK
  

  By paying $10K of your loan, what are you saving? By putting $10K in your SA, what are you gaining?

  
  

  You will have your answer then

  
  

  
  
• 
  

  3:00pm
  

  
  

  Reader:
  

  Ok, I get it. Only that the SA monies cannot be used for other purposes in future.

  
  

  Thanks AK! 👍🏻

  
  

  
  
• 

  3:01pm
  

  
  

  Assi AK
  

  Yesh... ;)
  

  
  

  If you are saving for retirement, go for it. :)

  
  

  
  
• 
  

  3:02pm
  

  
  

  Reader:
  

  姜还是老的辣

Whenever we do something, it is important to be clear what our motivation is. Then, we will know if we are doing the right thing.

Related posts:
1. Pay off home loan and hit MS.
2. Related to housing loan repayment.
3. Fixed rates, SIBOR, FHR18 or HDB loan?

Why worried metrosexuals seek help from AK?

There are two parts to this blog post. The first part was written a few weeks ago before I decided to take a break from blogging. The second part was written a few days ago.

---

FIRST PART

---

Readers who have written to AK to ask for a private meeting would know that they are likely to have a reply in the negative. This is mainly because AK is a very private person. Well, it also has to do with the fact that he is very lazy and finds it a bother to meet people.

Recently, I received an email from a couple who were introduced to my blog by a mutual friend. Yes, it was signed off by both of them, two names. Later, they told me it was to be doubly sincere. Does it work that way?

Anyway, they read a few of my blog posts which our mutual friend suggested and found them mind boggling! They found them so mind boggling, in fact, that they picked up the courage to write and requested for a private meeting with me, explaining to me their current situation and how they were worried about their financial future. As usual, I wrote them a short reply, politely declining the request.

The next day, I received a call from my friend. He was roped in to help persuade me. He said that the couple were very private people just like me and they did not trust advisers in the banks or even insurance agents. They would prefer to talk to someone who has no vested interest like me.

When I told my friend that they could wait for the next "Evening with AK and friends", he said they were genuinely worried about their ability to achieve financial freedom and did not want to wait. 

They had a whole gamut of questions and would prefer to have me to themselves for a few hours and were, in fact, willing to pay me for my time.

---
SECOND PART
---

I met up with the couple a few days ago in their flat. Yes, it was a home visit as the couple felt more comfortable meeting at home. Quieter and more private. As the meeting would probably last a few hours, I agreed that it made sense to be in a comfortable environment too.

Their home was definitely comfortable. It fact, it could be an understatement.

It was a HDB flat but it felt like the hotel suite I stayed in Hong Kong once upon a time (and I blogged about it in my travel blog before: here). It was really very nicely renovated. It was obvious that they spared no expense.

When I remarked at the relative opulence of the interior deco, they told me they loved travelling and always stayed at 5 star hotels. Coming back from their travels, they didn't want the feeling of luxury to go away.

I could not resist asking how much the renovation cost. The most expensive HDB 3 room flat renovation I knew up till then was $60,000. They wouldn't tell me how much their renovation cost exactly but they told me it was a 6 figure sum!

I felt like the church mouse there and then. Now, something like that was mind boggling to me.

When our mutual friend told me the couple were "metrosexuals", it probably didn't register but when I saw the couple, I understood.

I first came across that word when the newspapers used it to describe an MP of ours, Mr. Teo Ser Luck, years ago. It sounded posh and it sounded expensive.

"A metrosexual is especially meticulous about his grooming and appearance, typically spending a significant amount of time and money on shopping as part of this." 
Source: Wikipedia.

They were both well groomed and well dressed. I was dressed in my Uniqlo best but I probably looked a bit shabby. Shabby chic, maybe?

I won't be sharing the details but, in the next few hours, I answered all their questions and made quite a few suggestions to help them achieve financial freedom. Big adjustments would have to be made.

As we chatted, to them, the topic wasn't mind boggling anymore, it was almost depressing.

They have probably enjoyed their lives to the fullest but now find it difficult to envision an enjoyable life in their golden years.

As they are in their 40s, I told them that they would have to work doubly hard now to achieve financial freedom not by 55 years of age (which is what they want) but possibly by age 65 (when CPF Life starts paying them a monthly income for life).

Obviously, they were not thrilled by the idea.

Realistically, however, without making any adjustments, they might never be able to retire (even with CPF Life's monthly payments) if they want to maintain their current lifestyles.

They still looked somewhat depressed when they shook my hand as I was leaving their home (and I am quite sure it wasn't because they had to give me a red packet as promised) but there was determination in their voices when they told me they would take all my suggestions to heart.

They said they wished they had done all that I did in the last 20 years. I could only smile and wish them the very best on their new metaphorical journey. All of us could do with a bit of luck, after all.

So, why did these metrosexuals seek help from AK? Definitely not because AK has good fashion sense.

Remember, we have choices in life. While we still have time on our side, choose wisely.

Related posts:
1. Work hard and plan early.
2. Too late to plan at age 57?
3. Retiring before 60 is possible.
4. Wife on retirement adequacy.
5. To be a happy peasant.

Resale flat in Sengkang or BTO flat in Bidadari?

Dear AK, 

I have been reading your blog for quite sometime and have since taken a thought about financial prudence before any purchase.  

I am in a dilemma to get a BTO or resale flat. 






Currently i have got a queue number to select for the recent Bidadari Bto however i have to wait for 4 years to get the flat. 

My spouse do not have a house here and my parents place do not have enough space for us to live in therefore we have to rent. 

By waiting (3rm flat rental planning for kids) my rental will probably work out to be $65,000 (for the entire waiting period).

The Bidadari BTO 4rm will probably cost about $490,000. (A new 99yr flat, near my parents place)

A resale flat in Hougang/Sengkang 4rm perhaps $350,000. (A 30yr old flat)

Now the question is if it is financially prudent to give up my BTO and get a resale flat instead. 

Bidadari BTO is an attractive location and maybe a good future investment (when?) the property goes up. 

However when i look at it financially it might not be that attractive. 

Although it is close to my parents home and a fabulous location.

Can you talk to yourself on this matter?

Your Sincerely,

V

Hi V,

$490K for a 99 year lease or $350K for a 69 year lease? 

The choice is clear. 

Throw in the rental cost of $65K (while waiting for the BTO to be built) in the meantime, it gets a bit murky. 






I would think of it as your 99 year leasehold flat costing $555K instead. 

Does this help? 

Sounds pretty pricey, doesn't it?

Personally, I am very wary of buying very old (99 years) leasehold properties for many reasons but from the perspective of cost, the resale Sengkang flat is rather pricey too. 

$350K for 69 years of remaining lease, top it up to 99 years and you will see a price tag of $502K. 






Based on this alone and nothing else, I would get the BTO flat in Bidadari. 

Better location in more ways than one and for really only a 10% premium. :)

Best wishes,
AK

Related post:
Buying a HDB flat old or new?