Suddenly, financial freedom looks less remote!

Blogging about my meals has had positive consequences both for me and some readers.

1. There are people who care enough to write to me to tell me I don't eat enough vegetables. So, I have been making a conscious effort to incorporate vegetables in my diet more regularly, thanks to their nagging. What did I have for dinner this evening?

Non-fried noodles. Broccoli. MSG free soup cube.

Add mom's secret ingredients plus a mug of genmaicha.

2. Some readers have informed me that I have inspired them to pack lunch to work and to have dinner at home more often instead of going to the restaurants. Some of them actually realised substantial savings especially when they managed to get the whole family to participate. 

Like with many things, it gets easier with time as is the case for a lady who told me her husband is now a firm believer in the changes she has made to their lifestyle because of the resulting savings he sees accumulating in their bank account.

Their wealth is growing more rapidly now, month after month, and this gives them a greater sense of financial well-being. This is an achievement. 

I feel happy for them.

Through sharing very personal information such as how much I receive in terms of passive income, how much I have in my CPF-OA and SA, how I am able to get free health insurance in Singapore and how I save money on a daily basis, just to name a few things, I have found that it is easier to convince people, to inspire people to take their first step on the journey towards financial security and, ultimately, financial freedom. 

Suddenly, it is not just something people talk about. 

Suddenly, it looks more achievable. 

Suddenly, it does not look so remote.






It has been a 20 years journey for me but, hey, if AK can do it, so can you, right?

Some might take a shorter time. 

Some might take a longer time. 

It doesn't really matter, does it?

I know some people might ridicule me for blogging about my meals but I am sure regular readers are able look beyond the facade. 

Regular readers know that my journey towards financial freedom is anchored upon a philosophy and that philosophy is apparent in my daily life.




Updated on 2 July 16:

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Singlish with AK: Give a talk? Can but not free.

Aiyoh, the title is so ambiguous lah. Fun, right?

Got people invited me to give talks and I said just read my blog lor, it is free lah.

At home, I blog, reply to emails and interact online with readers. All own time, own target and for free mah.

If I have to leave my home to give a talk, it cannot be free liao. Why? AK lazy. AK doesn't want to leave his home. Too bothersome. (Don't later some smart aleck suggests to have talk in my home hor.)

I made the remark, "I fishing no use hook de..."

From the reply, I think the person doesn't know what I am talking about. LOL.

How to make my money last longer? A senior's example.

The very first question I was asked during the meeting with readers last Saturday was, "I am 60. What can I do to make my money last longer?" 

Well, in our golden years, I feel that we probably want to be less adventurous when it comes to money matters and I shared some of my thoughts with everyone at the event. This blog post coincidentally exemplifies one of those thoughts. I don't know if the lady who posed the question on Saturday will be reading this or not but I hope she does.

My dad might not be the most financially savvy person I know and he has some bad money habits but he has very good work ethics. He belongs to a generation of hard working Singaporeans who refuse to stop working. He is almost 70 years old and, yes, still working.

My dad used to spend money very easily, too easily, and, for many years, I was very worried. I wondered whether he would have enough money for retirement. So, in my own retirement planning, I factored in the cost of my parents' upkeep, just to be safe.

For a long time, my dad was also very suspicious of the CPF but, in his old age, as he fears not having enough money for retirement, he started believing in the system instead of joining the Hong Lim Park "Return our CPF" protests. Well, this is largely due to my nagging.

Son nagging at father? Bad AK! Bad AK!

This morning, my dad sent me a message:

"Son, my cheque to CPF cleared already."

I logged into his CPF account just now to take a look.

My dad continued to work beyond 55 years of age and, in so doing, accumulated more funds in his CPF account. Any voluntary contribution he makes now can be considered as short term savings as he is allowed to withdraw money from his CPF account once a year while still working and anytime he wants once he stops working. 

The funds will enjoy interest rates of 2.5% (OA) and 4% (SA) per annum in the meantime. No fixed deposit rates in Singapore can beat these.

If you are a senior or if you have loved ones who are seniors, this might be something worth considering and sharing if they are trying to achieve retirement adequacy.

IMPORTANT (added 4 Feb 15):
For seniors 55 to 65 years old, please read comment by Sally Tan in the comments section below.

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