Stock market correction, Facebook and #SGUnited!

Happy Good Friday!

Happy public holiday!

Happy long weekend!

Of course, with the partial lockdown Singapore is in now, it really doesn't make any difference to many, if not most, people here.

It definitely does not make any difference to AK since my life is one super duper long weekend.

What?

Cannot call it a lockdown?

Must say "circuit breaker"?

OK, whatever floats your boat.

Anyway, I wasn't thinking of blogging this weekend.

Having too much fun in Neverwinter, you know.

However, I got two comments in my blog from readers and the blogging bug bit me.






First comment was about me "betting (on) another correction."

Alamak.

When did I bet there will be another correction?

I have shared my strategy a few times in recent weeks and it has always been to wait for the dust to settle.

The latest update was just a few days ago on 7 April 2020:
Buying DBS, OCBC, UOB and cheering for IREIT Global.

Readers who have been following my blog for a long time will know that I do not believe in being overly pessimistic or overly optimistic.

I believe in being pragmatic.

That's also why I always say we should stay invested but have a war chest (or two) ready and not be too extreme.

"On one end, there are people who are almost 100% in cash. I think they are doing a Chicken Little.

"On the other end, there are people who don't like to see money sitting in their bank accounts. They imagine the money is rotting away."

Source:
Sit with all that cash and do nothing?

I should not try to predict what Mr. Market will do.

However, I can certainly prepare.

What I do very much depends on what Mr. Market does.

If you have yet to read what my plan is or if you cannot remember what it is, you might want to read my last update which was the blog before this one.






Anyway, on to another reader's comment.

It is about Facebook.

More specifically, it is about my Facebook account.

Many readers will remember that Facebook did a terrible thing to AK about a year ago.

So hurtful.

If you cannot remember, read this blog:

Financially free and Facebook free!

Well, apparently, things are back to normal now.

The reader said:

"Just to let you know that your Facebook is back to normal now.

"We can see your post and everything."

OK.

Hmm.

That's nice.

What does that mean?

Facebook realised their mistake?

I don't know the reason behind their change of heart.






Anyway, I did not try to log in to my Facebook account after reading the comment.

I just didn't feel any urge to do so.

After being Facebook free for slightly more than a year, I don't miss it.

Not even a tiny bit.

If this had happened a couple of months after I became Facebook free, I would probably have gone back to using Facebook.

However, to be honest, I rather like being Facebook free now.

OK, like I said, I did not log in to Facebook to verify if Facebook restored the links to my blog both in my page as well as on my wall.

I am just blogging based on what I was told.

Readers who are not Facebook free like I am could have a look see, if you like.

Maybe, try posting a link to this blog on your Facebook page or wall and see if the link works.






It is the 4th day of the "circuit breaker" here in Singapore.

Although I know there will be irresponsible people who do not follow the rules, it still upsets me to see them.

I saw a few of them just yesterday when I went out to the nearby supermarket to buy eggs and to take away my dinner at the "kopitiam".

For example, I saw a young couple and their two children at the playground playing before they went into the supermarket.

Alamak, understand the rules or not?

They even cordoned off the playground and you still bring your children there?

What kind of message you sending to your children?

Grow up to be irresponsible like daddy and mommy?

Go supermarket must whole family go, is it?

Husband goes to supermarket and wife stays at home with the children, can or not?

Or if the wife has a louder voice, then husband stays at home with the children lah.

Use your brain!

Really lor.

Suka suka like that?

KNS!

Makes my blood boil.

Be socially responsible and hope that this "circuit breaker" will not be extended beyond a month, can or not?

We are #SGUnited.





Related post:
Largest REIT investments updated.

2Q 2019 passive income.

It has been almost three months since my last blog and I hope everyone is doing well.

1. Update

So, what have I been doing?

OK, I will tell you and, maybe, there is a message for everyone in this somewhere too.

I have been having a blast in Neverwinter!

Many things have changed with the new expansion (Module 16: Undermountain) and I love the game even more now.

In fact, I enjoy Neverwinter so much that I created a third character just a few days ago.

This time, I created a wizard.





Neverwinter is a free to play (F2P) MMORPG and although we could use real money to buy game currency, we don't have to do it.

Everything in the game could bought by earning game currencies while playing the game.

There will always be adventurers who are impatient and want to get everything faster, of course.

I have met quite a few impatient adventurers in Neverwinter and they are the ones who have spent hundreds or even thousands of dollars on the game.

Thanks to them, AK has a free MMORPG to play.

As for me, after taking some time to understand Neverwinter's economy and how to make Astral Diamonds (i.e. the most important in-game currency), I have become quite wealthy in Neverwinter and, like in real life, having wealth in the virtual world makes life more comfortable.





I no longer have to run random dungeons with pick up groups (PUGs), which basically means groups of strangers, just to earn some Astral Diamonds.

I used to have to do it everyday as a newbie in the game, of course, and it is just like exchanging our time for money as an employee in real life except that it is more fun.

Just like in real life, being AK, I tried to get to a point where I didn't have to do that and, now, I don't have to.

I am a Neverwinter multi-millionaire.

I am enjoying Neverwinter without having to worry about not having enough Astral Diamonds.

It is like enjoying real life without having to worry about money.

Anyway, did I say there could be a message for everyone here?

I wonder what that message is?





2. Blogging

I have not been blogging and will probably not be blogging much in the future either.

I am tempted to say that I won't be blogging anymore and that this is my last blog, seeing how much time I am spending on gaming, but never say never.

Gaming is like how blogging was for me until recently.

I first discovered blogging 10 years ago and blogging took up more and more time until a point when it became a full time activity.

So, I apologise for my tardy replies to readers who have left comments here in my blog and I also apologise in advance to readers who might leave comments for me henceforth.

It is probably a good idea not to leave comments which require timely replies from me.




3. Facebook

I am unable to log in to Facebook anymore.

I don't know why and after they removed all the links to my blog from my page, to be honest, I don't really care about Facebook now.

After all, quite obviously, they don't care about me.

See:
Financially free and Facebook free.

It has been almost three months since I last logged into Facebook.

So, there are probably many messages from readers there which I won't be able to read or reply to now.

If you are one of the affected readers and would like to reach me, please leave a comment in this blog instead.

Apologies for my tardy reply in advance and, again, if it is something that requires a timely response, it might be better not to write as you would most likely be disappointed.





4. Passive income

Now, that we have addressed the important stuff, the numbers.

How much did AK receive in passive income in 2Q 2019?

S$ 60,906.39

Not a lot to the very rich but it is a meaningful sum of money to me.





Some investments that generated more than $2000 in passive income for me in 2Q 2019:

1. AA REIT
2. Accordia Golf Trust
3. Comfort Delgro
4. Wilmar
5. VICOM
6. Frasers Logistics Trust
7. AHT
8. OCBC
9. DBS
10. Ho Bee Land

Readers who have been following my blog will know that what I have achieved did not happen overnight, of course.

See:
How did AK create a 6 digits annual passive income?





5. Plan.

People might ask me what is my plan now with all the economic uncertainties.

I like to think that what I have now is strong enough to weather any financial shock.

I have a meaningful income generating investment portfolio.

So, I have been receiving passive income and that has been beefing up my war chest.

This will probably go on.

See:
Wait to pick durians.





I have a sizable emergency fund for if things should go terribly wrong.

I would like to remind everyone not to ever think that credit is always easy to obtain.

When things go terribly wrong like they sometimes do, credit could easily dry up as even existing lines of credit could get chopped.

Having money we can easily get our hands on when we need it fast with no strings attached means we are our own masters.

See:
Emergency fund.





I will continue to fully contribute to my CPF as I treat it as the risk free and volatility free investment grade bond component of my investment portfolio.

If I have to, I will be able to withdraw money from my CPF when I turn 55 which is only 7 years from now.

Otherwise, I will continue to use my CPF as a savings account.

I hope nothing so financially disastrous happens that I would have to tap on my CPF savings in future.

See:
$1.5 million in CPF savings.






6. Mantra

Always remember this.


If AK can do it, so can you!

I believe it and so should you!

Keep doing the right things and the right things will most likely happen for you.

Gambatte!


See:
Is AK a rags to riches story?






Related posts:
1. 1Q 2019 passive income.
2. Financial freedom and a break.
3. AK is a full time gamer.

Financially free and Facebook free!

Reader says:
hi ak. did something happen to your Facebook page?
only can see posts from 2018 haha

AK says...
I also dunno why but FB removed all links to my blog 😞

Reader says...
shucks haha. I guess they getting alot of flak for various things
even the assi page ah. which is so odd

AK says...
I will just stop using FB to update readers, I guess.
No loss to me. 
I guess it will inconvenience readers though. 😞






A message from Facebook.

"This post goes against our Community Standards, so no one else can see it."

Facebook has removed ALL the links to my blog.

So, I won't be able to update readers using Facebook anymore.

Readers who have been following me using Facebook will just have to check my blog from time to time for updates.

There are, of course, also other means to follow my blog.

Check my blog's left side bar.

AK is financially free and now he is also Facebook free!

Funny stuff AK shared in Facebook in August 2015.

Dug up in July 2018.

Almost 3 years old!

This is almost 3 years old!

How time flies.

Now, where is that fly swatter?

Remember Mr. Market's pessimism back then?




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

With so much panic and tension in the air, I decided to bring forward the publication of a more light hearted blog post. 

Here are some of my intellectually undemanding postings on FB in the month of August:

What was this referring to har?

I remember a reader requesting that I take photos and share here in my blog whenever I go for my long walks. 

I cannot remember the lady's name by now.

BRA OF SHAME. 

The story is quite funny.

Enlarged for those who had difficulty reading the story in the bottom left frame:

I nice, right?

A guest blogger said these looked like gigantic bra cups. 

OMG!

In case you are wondering, this is the stadium at Sports Hub and not something in Madonna's wardrobe.

I have been eating less for dinner which I think is a good thing. 

Still trying to work off weight gained from too much eating on the Super Star Gemini.

Star Wars fans? LOL!

I enjoy savory puff pastry. 

This is good lobang (i.e. value for money) for tuna puffs. 

Just don't use the microwave oven to heat them up.

Oh, don't ask me for lobang in the stock market, OK? 

Later, I share with you a lobang and you fall into a big longkang (i.e. monsoon drain).

(As an aside, if UMNO were to decide to start a script writing class, I would sign up for it immediately. I think if UMNO should start a drama production unit, TVB and Mediacorp should be very worried. UMNO have some really talented people.)





I hope this blog post has brought you some fun and laughter. 

Take deep breaths. 

Relax lah.

Related post:
Missed some stuff AK shared on FB in July?

Did you miss some stuff AK shared on Facebook in July?

I don't blog as much as I used to but I am actually still quite active in Facebook.

As I started being active in Facebook pretty late as a blogger, I think many of ASSI's readers don't follow me on Facebook. They probably use other means to follow my blog. After all, I have been blogging for almost 6 years but I have been active in Facebook for only about 2 years.

So, from now, I think I will try to share periodically in my blog what I share on my Facebook wall. However, if you think you might get to read something profound, you would probably be disappointed.

The stuff which I post on my Facebook wall which don't appear in my blog are usually nothing cerebral. They are just stuff for fun and laughter most of the time.

See for yourself:

AK is honest, isn't he? ;p

Oh, a bonus pic, from a few days ago:

In case you didn't get the joke, read this:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/breadtalk-temporarily/2028008.html

BreadTalk on Tuesday (Aug 4) said it has “temporarily stopped selling” bottled soya bean milk touted to be "freshly prepared" after an employee was caught repackaging ready-made soya bean milk into plastic bottles. The move comes after a photograph published by alternative news site Redwire Times sparked a firestorm online. “This ‘freshly prepared’ soya bean milk from BreadTalk always tasted very familiar, but somehow I couldn’t figure out why until now...

Hope you enjoyed this light hearted blog post.

HAPPY SG50. :)

Related posts:
1. Seven money habits of mine. See habit no. 1.
2. How to recession proof your life?
3. Green is not just the colour of money.

AK meets Richard Mille.

For those who don't follow me on Facebook:

AK  the Giamsiap fellow. LOL.

Added on 18 October 2016:

Source: HWZ

ROFL. ;p

Related post:
Buying a $500,000 watch.

Financial security: 5 points you ignore at your own risk.

I wrote something in response to an article which was shared by a guest blogger. The essence of my response were these 5 points:

1. Have an emergency fund and beef up our Medisave Account.

2. Have a good H&S plan with a rider to cover deductibles.

3. Live well below our means.

4. Know the difference between needs and wants.

5. Create a passive income stream.

Want to know what kind of article would draw such a response from me? This:
"I have a 6 figure salary but I am in financial trouble."

If we are able to tick off each of the 5 points I have listed, chances are that situations like this are totally avoidable, barring catastrophic events.

Don't think that we are invincible. Don't be extravagant. Don't be a wage slave. Don't put ourselves at risk of financial trouble.

It is not even about becoming a millionaire, it is about becoming financially secure and we don't have to be a millionaire to have financial security.

"I have pledged — to you, the rating agencies and myself – to always run Berkshire with more ample cash. We never want to count on the kindness of strangers in order to meet tomorrow’s obligations. When forced to choose, I will not trade even a night’s sleep for the chance of extra profits." 
- Warren Buffett.

On that note, have a great weekend!

Related posts:
1. Get free medical insurance in Singapore.
2. A meaningful emergency fund is important.
3. Think you cannot reduce your spending?
4. Don't see money, won't spend money.
5. Wage slaves should be fearful.

Moved in after 2 weeks and an $8,000 renovation.

I shared in Facebook how I spent $8,000 doing up my apartment 6 or 7 years ago and moved in 2 weeks after I got my keys.

Someone asked me how did I do it and whether I could blog about it.

I did a quick summary in Facebook in the wee hours of this morning and I am doing a cut and paste here since the majority of you guys (and gals) don't follow me on Facebook.

"Terrence, it was so many years ago. There isn't much to write really... Lights >$1K... Curtains/Blinds >$1K ... 26" LCD TV, Medium size 2 door fridge, top loading fuzzy logic washing machine >$1K... Furniture from IKEA (Queen Size Bed/Single Bed/Mattresses, 2 Seater Sofa, Dining Table + 4 chairs, TV Console, Shelves, Side Tables) >$2K... Painted the place myself in one weekend... :) 

"It really depends on what we can accept. Many people told me IKEA furniture CMI but mine lasted >4 years and when I sold my place, the buyer asked to have all the furniture. Still good. Just imagine that the money I spent on all my furniture cannot even pay for a bed or a sofa for some people. -.-"







"I am not saying that I am right and they are wrong but there are choices. The same goes for electrical appliances. I spent less than 2K on washing machine ($299), fridge ($499) and LCD TV ($699). For some people, their TV already costs $2K (or more)!

"Very often, I see people trying to keep up with their friends and relatives. "They have, I must also have! If I don't have, I will lose face!" Big problem if they think like this especially if they cannot afford it. Even if they can afford it, should they spend that money?






"To me, it wasn't about affordability although I could afford better. I could put the money to better use. People laughed at my TV back then. It was CHIMEI brand. My Taiwanese friend told me it was Taiwan's 2nd biggest brand. Good enough for me. 26" LCD TV at $699 7 years ago was a very good price. I think SHARP would have cost 50% more.

"I don't think I was extreme in delaying gratification but I did delay within reason. Why use our hard earned money to buy a super high tech TV when we could get one "free" later on with passive income generated by our investments?"

We have choices in life.





We can choose to be 
"Under-accumulators of wealth (UAWs)"
or 
"Prodigious accumulators of wealth (PAWs)".
Source: The Millionaire Next Door.

"I have been labelled a person with a peasant mentality when it comes to wealth building... Unfortunately, I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth... I can only do what I can with my limited resources to move upwards."
Source: To be a happy peasant.







As long as we are not severely disadvantaged in life, this is definitely something which all of us can do. 

If AK can do it, so can you!

Related posts:
1. A reader in his early 20s.
2. The secret to avoiding financial ruin.
3. From rich to broke.
4. If we are not rich, don't act rich.
5. Not enough money to be married.