CPF and public assistance are not the same.

Reader says...
do u remember what the PAP garment says about targeted help? 

Can remember right? 

Basically it means when it comes to helping the poor, must have targeted help, thats why cannot set poverty line blah blah. :)




so applying the garment's logic (not my logic hor) which u so happily agrees with, when it comes to the CPF the garment should also intervene in a targeted manner only on those individuals who cannot (in your words) act responsibly. Correct?

So why all a sudden when it comes to the people's CPF instead of targeted intervention, the garment now intervenes in a blanket manner on everyone?

so do u see the double standards and failed logic that the garment and u hold? :D

.....
AK says...
The CPF is about helping us in saving for retirement. 

The CPF Life is, in essence, an annuity but better. 

We are not asking for financial aid here. 

It is different from the poor requesting for help.

However, more importantly, how can we determine if someone is able to act in a financially responsible manner? 

This is a difficult thing to determine which is why a minimum universal safety net that covers everyone works.

(Ironically, it is probably the people who are financially more responsible who might not need this safety net but they want it whereas people who need a safety net the most might clamor for earlier release of their CPF money.)




We must bear in mind that in helping the poor and the needy, we are talking about providing aid using public resources. 

There is very little or almost no emphasis on self-reliance.

When using public resources to help individuals, I appreciate the targeted efforts the government make to ensure the best use of taxpayers' money.




You might think that there are double standards here. 

However, I think you have misused the phrase "double standards".

If there are two sets of standards applied to the matter of the CPF, one set for the rich and one set for the poor, then, I would say that double standards existed.




However, helping us to save money to ensure retirement adequacy is a different matter compared to helping the poor and the needy using public resources. 

The approaches have to be different because these are two separate and very different issues.




Related post:
So near and yet so far.

CPF LIFE is not commercially viable. (Remove the CPF Annual Limit and...)

Read comments section: HERE.

In reply to AK's comment that not having a cap (i.e. CPF annual contribution limit) would be a burden to the system,


全自然 said...
I am not convinced how can more money by contributors in CPF be burdening the system. 

While the return of CPF is higher than fixed deposits or bonds, the money is locked almost permanently, well you get what i meant.

To give a comparison, a whole life insurance can give a compound return of 4%, the insurance company will welcome more money if you are willing to put in.

AK said...
I spoke to a CEO of an insurance agency before and he says that he does not even try to sell private annuities because there isn't any out there that is stronger than CPF LIFE.

The returns from private annuities simply cannot match CPF LIFE's.

What does this suggest?

CPF LIFE is not commercially viable. 




CPF LIFE exists largely because of government intervention.

If a product is not commercially viable, it is a burden to the provider.

For people with more money, once they have maxed out their CPF membership benefits, they can always get private annuities to supplement CPF LIFE if they like.




CPF LIFE is a part of CPF's strategy to help all members achieve a basic level of retirement adequacy.

All CPF members should take full advantage of this.

CPF LIFE is a basic safety net.

CPF LIFE will help in ensuring retirement adequacy for all members and there should be no argument about this.




CPF LIFE aside, paying 4% to 6% interest for savings in the CPF-MA, CPF-SA and CPF-RA is a huge burden. 

Even paying 2.5% per annum for our CPF-OA savings could be considered a burden to the system because our AAA rated Singapore government is probably able to access cheaper funds. 

This could change in future, of course.







If we have more money, we have to look elsewhere to stash it.


I am sure insurance companies will welcome our money but I am not sure they will be able to guarantee a return of 4% per annum. 

These days, such a guarantee would be quite a burden.



-----------------------------------------
Two blogs published earlier today:
1. Is AK right 6x out of 10x?
2. REITs and rights: Good at right price.

Related post:
Would you rather have it or not?

REITs and rights issues: Good at the right price.

Reader:
Can I ask u a question regarding to recently cache log have issue a right maybe know is it this right can be convert able into share when expired?

AK:
Once they have expired, rights are worthless.





Reader:
Alamak
Did u know when is expired date? Pls
And How do I sell off

AK:
It has already expired.

Reader:
Alamak like that mean nothing can I do with it?

AK:
I blogged about this. I even posted a reminder on my FB wall. 😉
All instructions and closing date in the package sent out by the CDP too.




Please be very careful and take note of all the dates when there are rights issues.

Exercise your rights to avoid dilution and, possibly, a big decline in distribution yield before the closing date.

How did Cache Logistics Trust's rights issue turn out for me?

I took up my entitlement and also subscribed for excess rights, receiving 40% more rights units than my entitlement as a result.




All investments are good at the right price and because heavily discounted rights units give the highest yields, unless it is a basket case, applying for as many excess rights as I can afford to makes sense to me.

Read this blog from earlier today?
Is AK the investor right 6x out of 10x?

Related posts:
1. Nil-paid rights and excess rights. 
2. Cache Logistics Trust 18 for 100 rights issue.

Is AK the investor right 6 times out of 10?

Recently, I got many more messages from readers on stocks I have blogged about.

Please remember don't buy or sell something based on what a blogger says. 

Always do your own due diligence.

If you feel uneasy, it is possible that you didn't know why you "invested" in something or you could be over invested.




1. 
If you didn't know why you invested in something, you might want to get out. 

You are not investing. 

You are gambling.

"Wah! AK says 8898 4D can tikam and really 3rd prize! This stock he says he is buying sure to win!"

Sounds like gambling, doesn't it?




2.
If you are losing sleep due to an investment, you might have invested too much, you might want to reduce your exposure.

"AK invested $100K in the stock. Must be safe!"

What is the percentage of $100K in AK's portfolio and what is the percentage of $100K in yours?






I always say that I am lucky that I have been right more than I have been wrong. 

My luck is not so good that I am always right.

Have I been right at least 6 times out of 10? I hope so.

Remember the $100K lesson from Marco Polo Marine.

It is important that if we should be wrong, the mistake does not sink our ship.

You are not me and I am not you.

Don't follow me.

If you must follow, don't do it blindly.

Read:
AK the investor in 7 chapters.

Sharing of anti-government websites.

Please do not share anti-government websites on my FB page or blog, especially those which oppose policies with spurious arguments.

From time to time, I had to delete such links.

These websites do nothing but to encourage ignorance and fan the flames of negative sentiments.




I welcome discussion on topics such as the CPF but not when it is apparent to me that the other party is opposing for the sake of opposing and using arguments which appeal to the heart and not the mind.

I said this on my FB wall just now when a reader posted a link to an anti-government website:

"No sharing of links to anti-government websites on my FB wall, please.

"Especially not those that do not even understand that an annuity (like CPF Life) is one of the best ways for most people to fund their retirement in their golden years."




Many of such websites are just out to sensationalize issues. 

They are more interested in pandering to an unhappy group of people.

Why not make an effort to understand how to make the system work for us instead of being frustrated and unhappy?

Worse, why make other people frustrated and unhappy?




Or are they quite happy with having a frustrated and unhappy audience they can pander to?


Or do they have a motive for making people frustrated and unhappy?


I don't read rubbishy stuff posted on websites like "Zhun Bo Singapura", do you?

Alamak. Don't.




Related post:
Would you rather have it or not?

"Purpose of CPF is to make the rich richer."

Reader:
My view is. Cpf is workable for rich ppl ......high educated/ professionals group. This system can help them richer.

It’s not really help those below average. Only can make sure they got food when they old n can’t work. No luxury.

In other word, cpf is workable for those above average n PR. But not for those below average Singaporean，who really need money to survive ( except 月光族）。So, what is the main purpose for CPF ?

AK:
Your question is rhetorical because you gave your answer in your first paragraph. So, is the main purpose of the CPF to make the rich richer?

The CPF is meant to help the masses. 

It is not meant to help the rich.

This is quite obvious when the CPF has annual contribution limit and a limit to top ups to the SA and RA. It prevents members with a lot more cash to exploit the system.

This is quite obvious when the CPF gives 2% more interest for the first $30K and 1% more interest for the first $60K of CPF savings. It is to help members with less savings.





The real problem lies in the lack of simple financial prudence and basic financial literacy amongst the masses.

Lacking in simple financial prudence, they spend all the money they make or more than what they make. 

They are too easy with spending money.

Lacking in basic financial literacy, they allocate capital foolishly. 

Some losing money to simple scams like magic stones or elaborate scams like PONZI schemes or buying expensive financial products or locking up funds in illiquid non-productive assets.






The CPF is a system that is meant to help the masses to help themselves.

If we think the system cannot help us, it is probably because we have not tried to help ourselves.

Of course, there will be some who are physically or mentally handicapped and these are people who genuinely need help. 

They cannot help themselves.

However, for most of us in Singapore, we don't really have anyone to blame but ourselves if we languish in poverty.





Read a couple of emails from readers who have helped themselves:
Power to become financially stronger is within us!

Chatting and charting in "Evening with AK and friends".

I hope that everyone had fun at "Evening with AK and friends" and, of course, I hope it was helpful in one way or another.

"Evenings with AK and friends" are chit chat sessions of epic proportion and this was probably the largest ever session as we had almost 100% attendance (160 strong audience). It felt a bit crowded and very warm!

We chatted about stocks, CPF, insurance, real estate and dieting. Yes, dieting too. Basically, anything I have blogged about was fair game.




I was surprised that almost everyone stayed until 10 pm when we called it a night. So, I guess it must have been fun. Learn nothing, never mind. Must at least be fun. Right?

A few readers made me work overtime. You know who you are. Ahem.

I also spent quite a bit of time talking about Technical Analysis (TA) this time. Here is the blog with the recommended books:
http://singaporeanstocksinvestor.blogspot.sg/2012/12/recommended-books-for-fa-and-ta.html

More recommended books in the right sidebar of my blog under "Food for thought".

A recent example of TA in my blog:
http://singaporeanstocksinvestor.blogspot.sg/2017/09/technical-analysis-of-comfortdelgro.html




I am not trading ComfortDelgro per se but the chart is helpful in showing where the supports are.

If we want to make some money trading stocks, we should learn TA. If we don't know TA, we are fighting blind.

Having said this, remember that TA is not the Holy Grail although some might think it is. 

TA gives us a glimpse into Mr. Market's psychology. 

TA is about probability and not certainty.

A stock can stay oversold or overbought for a long time. Refer to MFI.

A negative or positive divergence can have longevity. Refer to price, volume and MACD.

Always pay attention to the trend.

Fibonacci lines show us the support and resistance but not if they will hold or break. Look to the golden ratios 38.2%, 50% and 61.8%.





I joked that talking too much about TA diluted my reputation as an investor for income. Some might remember that I have revealed in my blog that I made a bit of money as a trader before. So, it really shouldn't be surprising.

Trading was helpful in growing my capital.

Refer to point number 5 in this blog:
http://singaporeanstocksinvestor.blogspot.sg/2015/06/how-did-ak-create-6-digits-annual.html





Finally, remember, that not everyone has the temperament to be a trader.  I feel that it is fair that I say this again after sharing about TA and trading in this session.

TA and FA are useful but the most important knowledge is self knowledge. We have to know ourselves.

Related post:
When to buy, hold or sell?

"Husband lost his job and my savings is zero."

Reader said:

I just recently read your blog but i really enjoy reading them. 

Hard truth with humor.






I am 35 and a mother of 2, and I am so embarrassed to said that I have no war chest, emergency funds at all. 

All I have is debt that I have to pay for another 7 years for the whole family etc.





Me and my hubby are not prudent in money and sad to say we always quarrel because of this especially when my hubby was asked to leave his good paying job.

I have to dig my own money to pay with a lot of stuff and seeing my account set back to zero really angers me.





I only came across investing few months ago and bought penny shares for 1 lot or half a lot. 

And also start to buy some blue chips shares and gold accumulation plan for $100 per month.

Oh, I have to admit I like shopping on Taobao and will spend few hundreds to buy things for myself and kids.

As much as I am aware my own problems but I really need someone like you to guide me in managing my financial better.








AK said:

Welcome to my blog. :)

Since you know my blog is about hard truths, I have more for you here:

1. You need an emergency fund. 

You shouldn't be investing in stocks and putting money in gold if you do not have an emergency fund. 

Read related post #1.





2. Review your expenses and see if you are able to cut back on expenses. 

I am sure Taobao can be Taotai (For non-Chinese reader, this is Chinese for "abandon"). 

Ask yourself a few questions. 

Read related post #2.





3. After your personal balance sheet has strengthened, then, think about investing. 

Be careful to differentiate between investing and speculating. 

Read related post #3.





Remember, no one cares more about our money than we do. 

If we don't care, no one will. 

Take care and do it properly. :)





Related posts:
1. Emergency fund.
2. 7 pertinent questions.
3. Investment philosophy.

Is investing in REITs right for you? (Rights issues hit 56 year old investor.)

Reader said...

I am 56 and I started investing last year. 

I invested heavily in reits because of the higher yields and belief that they will fund my retirement.

However, I have been hit by a string of rights issues including the recent one from cache logistics. 

I don't have much spare cash and I am not prepared for these.





Now, I wonder if I made a mistake in using my cpf money to invest in reits too.

My brother in law told me that reits will take back all the money they give out as dividends and sent me a newspaper article on the topic. 

I read your recent blog on your impressive passive income from reits. You are an expert on reits.

Could you help to shine light on this matter?

AK said...
(Reader attached the newspaper article "The REIT myth busted" in the email to me.)

The article generated plenty of discussion many years ago because REITs sank during the Global Financial Crisis and many REITs required capital injections to stay afloat.

I am sure there are many who were burnt and many who still do not believe in REITs.

I have some scary stories from those days which I can tell too.






Horror stories aside, however, I believe in being pragmatic and that all investments are good investments at the right price. 

We have to find the right tools to do what we want to do.

In my opinion, REITs are relevant to investors for income.

Having said this, as REITs distribute most, if not all, of their income to their investors, it is only natural to expect some form of fund raising if they are to grow.





So, should you stay invested in REITs?

Read these blogs first:

1. http://singaporeanstocksinvestor.blogspot.sg/2011/10/reits-and-rights-issues-dilutive-or-not.html

2. http://singaporeanstocksinvestor.blogspot.sg/2011/11/reits-and-rights-issues-singaporean.html






I hope they provide some of the light you are looking for.

To invest in REITs, it is important to be prepared for possible rights issues. 

Investors should be able and willing to deal with this possibility.

With this in mind, you have to decide if REITs are right for you. 

I cannot decide for you.





Related post:
3Q 2017 income from REITs.

"E-book" on AK the investor in 7 chapters.

Over the years, I received several requests from the media for interviews. 

Due to the fact that I would only do these interviews in disguise, these interviews did not materialize.





I am a very private person. There is no reason good enough for me to sacrifice something as valuable as privacy. 

OK, maybe, if someone were to offer me $1 million, I would consider. I am only half kidding. Seriously.

Anyway, when I received another request recently and apparently this is going to be a campaign in collaboration with Temasek Holdings, I offered them a series of blogs that tells my story instead. 





I don't know if they will use them but I thought I could organize the blogs into an "e-book" to share with my readers too and here it is.

Chapter 1:
My family almost went bankrupt.

Why am I the way I am? 

We are all products of our past experience.

Chapter 2:
Life was difficult and I wondered if Santa existed.

Be self-reliant. 

No one is going to help us if we don't help ourselves.

Chapter 3:
To retire by 45, start with a plan!

What I have today started with a plan.

Want to achieve financial freedom? Have a plan.





Chapter 4:
Secret of my success.

Our philosophy in life will guide all our decisions.

Having the right philosophy is essential.

Chapter 5:
6 digits annual passive income.

It is mostly a lot of work but luck plays a part.

This is the honest truth.

Chapter 6:
How to make $1 million investing for income.

Do the right things and time will do the rest.

Be patient.





Chapter 7:
A wealth building strategy that has worked.

We cannot predict but we can prepare.

I will be happy if my story is able to inspire many more readers to seek financial freedom.

Gambatte!

3Q 2017 passive income from non-REITs.

I continue to invest more in non-REITs, reducing my reliance on S-REITs for passive income in the process.

The largest investment in non-REITs in 3Q 2017 was in SingTel.

See: SingTel and Netlink NBN Trust.

I accumulated a relatively large investment as SingTel's share price declined to below $3.70 a share.

I am more interested in the entity's ability to pay consistent and meaningful dividends although a special dividend from the sale of Netlink NBN Trust would be a nice bonus.

In 3Q 2017, I also nibbled at the following:

1. Wilmar.

2. Tuan Sing Holdings.

3. Comfort Delgro.

As usual, there is an investing for income angle in all my investments but that is where the similarity ends for these nibbles.

Adding to my investment in Wilmar when I did was to pay a fair price investing for growth. It is important that I am paid while I wait and Wilmar pays regular dividends.

See: Accumulating Wilmar.






Tuan Sing Holdings, similar to Guocoland, is an asset play. However, the gestation period is going to be longer because their recurring income engine is yet to be completed.

See: Invested in Tuan Sing.

ComfortDelgro is the newest member of my non-REITs portfolio. Sold down terribly due to Mr. Market's intense pessimism and with so much blood on the streets, I was curious enough to take a look.

See: Analysis of ComfortDelgro.

I feel that these new investments will probably strengthen my passive income stream from non-REITs in future.






In 3Q 2017, income received from non-REITs:

$ 24,538.58

Missing Croesus Retail Trust in future will result in much reduced passive income from non-REITs as the Trust accounts for more than half of the income received in the quarter.

Other than Croesus Retail Trust, the other more significant non-REIT income contributors in my portfolio in 3Q 2017 were Centurion, VICOM and Wilmar.





In 4Q 2017, my war chest will receive a tremendous boost in the form of a final distribution from Croesus Retail Trust as the sale of the Trust is completed.

Related posts:
1. 3Q 2017 income from S-REITs.
2. 2Q 2017 income from non-REITs.

3Q 2017 passive income from S-REITs.

Although I did blog about REITs in 3Q 2017, I didn't make any changes to my investments in S-REITs. Pretty much the status quo.

Well, not entirely the status quo because there is the rights issue by Cache Logistics Trust which will close this evening. 




Since I have a small legacy position, I took up my entitlement and also applied for some excess rights.

As it is an exercise to strengthen the REIT's balance sheet, it does nothing to generate more passive income for me.

See:
Cache Logistics Trust Rights.




Anything exciting happened?

What would be the equivalent of something exciting in the world of investing for income?

Maybe, this. 

What would have been a big deal in 3Q 2017 in the S-REITs universe failed as Cromwell European REIT's IPO was pulled out. 

The reason was probably insufficient interest from investors and this was after the size of the IPO was cut too.







I had a disturbing vibe about the failed REIT IPO as it felt as if the sponsor was trying to dump a mish mash (i.e. rojak) of assets.

See: 
Cromwell European REIT cuts IPO size. 

Even so, it would have been interesting to have a new addition to the number of S-REITs available. I have no doubt that the REIT would have attracted retail investors who are yield focused.

When we plonk money in REITs, we must not think about them like how we would think about fixed deposits. 








REITs are more complicated than fixed deposits. They are investments, not savings.

It is perhaps worth reiterating here that we should avoid the instant gratification of yield. 

See: 
SingTel, Starhub and REITs.

Having said this, REITs remain relevant tools for income investors and I like to remind myself that all investments are good investments at the right price. 







My portfolio of S-REITs continues to benefit from investments made in 1Q 2017 as I received distributions from Starhill Global REIT, CapitaRetail China Trust and also an enlarged investment in IREIT Gobal.

Income from S-REITs in 3Q 2017:

$20,783.43

I was hopeful that there would be a slight increase in income compared to 2Q 2017 but there is a 1.36% decline instead.




This decline took place because industrial S-REITs continue to face headwinds due to general oversupply of industrial space and weak demand in a slow economy. 

See, for example:
Decline in Soilbuild REIT's DPU.

As there are many industrial S-REITs in my portfolio, as a group, their weaker performance in the quarter was a drag.

There is talk of a pick up in the global economy which will give Singapore's economy a lift. If it happens, it should benefit industrial properties too.




In the meantime, I am happy with the investments made in 1Q 2017. 

If I did not make those investments, the decline in income generated by my portfolio of S-REITs would have gone unmitigated.

The top 3 income contributors for the quarter are the following:

1. AA REIT
2. FIRST REIT
3. IREIT Global

Related post:
2Q 2017 income from S-REITs.

Is 2.02% interest attractive? It depends.

Reader:
Good day, have been reading your blog for few month. found many useful tip . esp the CPF sa. should have transfer once hdb loan paid off. 😞 

Would like to ask for your view on an endowment plan which is 3year at 2.02%per year. It stated protected under Singapore Deposit Insurance. Thanks for your time.

AK:
2.02% interest per annum for a lock in period of 3 years is unattractive to me. Liquidity is important to me as an investor.

Unlike a fixed deposit where the only thing we give up is the interest if we should break the deposit, premature termination of insurance policies is usually punitive and we might not recover all our money.

For a lock in period of 3 years, the interest rate offered would have to be much higher. Otherwise, I would rather settle for a lower interest rate offered by some banks for fixed deposits (e.g. 1.55% p.a. for a 2 year FD) and retain some flexibility.







Even if you are not an investor, if this is money from your emergency fund, this would not be a good choice as money in such a fund should be something you can get at immediately without delay nor suffering a loss.

If you are not very savvy when it comes to investments and the money to be put away is merely extra money on top of your emergency fund (i.e. liquidity is not a major consideration), then, this might be something you could consider.

You might be interested in related post #1 below and take note of the 6 points mentioned when it comes to buying insurance.

If you are 55 or older and a CPF member, you might be interested in related post #2 below.

Related posts:
1. Sumiko Tan's expensive lesson.
2. Use CPF as a savings account.