SSB 3.4% p.a. and 6 months T-bill ladder.

At the beginning of October, I had this to say:

"Although I am sticking to my strategy of growing the investment grade bond component of my investment portfolio, there might no longer be a hurry to lock in higher yields for the longer term now."

I said that because we could see yields staying higher for longer.

So, I have been nibbling at Singapore Savings Bonds in the past 2 months.

This month's offer by MAS is 3.4% p.a. in 10 year average yield which is a tad higher than 3.32% p.a. we saw last month.

I will be nibbling again.

How much is that exactly?

Only $5K.

That qualifies as a nibble for me.

Q4 and Q1 are going to be leaner for me in terms of passive income I receive from my investments.

So, I will have to be more careful with money.

As for T-bills, I will continue to maintain the ladder from the next auction.

I won't be strengthening the ladder for a while as I set aside some funds for the purchase of SSBs.

Someone actually suggested that I rejoin the workforce so that I wouldn't have to do such juggling act when it comes to money.

OMG!

PTSD!

If AK can juggle money, so can you!

References:

1. SSB 3.32% p.a. Higher for longer.

2. Increasing bond exposure.

My plan for CPF as SSB 3.32% p.a. oversubscribed.

I blogged about my interest in buying some Singapore Savings Bond which offered 3.32% p.a. in 10 year average yield.

It seems that many more people have the same idea.

The results are out.

The SSB was oversubscribed.

Fortunately, for smaller applications like mine, we had 100% of our applications filled.

This SSB partially replaces planned voluntary contributions to my CPF account in 2024, the year I turn 54 years of age.

If this continues, it looks like I won't be making further voluntary contributions to my CPF account.

The plan was, of course, to continue making voluntary contributions till I turn 55.

With interest rates being so low for so long, the plan was to continue making voluntary contributions to my CPF account even after I turn 55.

The idea was to use the CPF as a high interest rate savings account beyond age 55.

However, with interest rates likely to stay higher for longer now, that plan has become less attractive.

Some might even say the plan is now obsolete.

I could get higher interest rates simply by putting money in fixed deposits, for example.

The only drawback of the SSB is that it does not compound interest earned.

Still, at my age, with the resources that I have and the kind of financial obligations that I have, I think that is almost a non-issue.

This is just me talking to myself, of course.

We have to do what makes sense for us.

If AK can do it, so can you!

Topping up my CPF Medisave Account. Again?

So, I did a top up to my CPF Medisave Account. 

Wait a minute.

Didn't AK say his CPF MA already hit the Basic Healthcare Sum which means no top up is allowed?

Yes, I did.

However, NTUC Income does a deduction yearly to pay for my private shield plan.

I try to remember to top up my CPF MA whenever this happens.

Still, I would forget sometimes.

The CPF MA pays 4% p.a.

Risk free and volatility free, it is too good to miss.

Don't have to do the top up immediately.

Just have to do the top up a few days before the end of the month since CPF only considers the lowest balance in the month when calculating interest to be paid for the month.

Of course, by doing this, it ensures we earn more interest in the CPF MA. 

And interest earned in the CPF MA will overflow into the SA in the new year for those who have yet to hit the Full Retirement Sum.

The CPF SA also pays 4% p.a.

This will help grow our CPF savings faster.

Oops. I should have said 4.04% p.a.

Huat ah!

I am looking forward to topping up my CPF MA again in the new year if they increase the Basic Healthcare Sum.

This is probably going to be $3,000 or so, if it happens.

Don't look down on 4% or 4.04% p.a.

Even if we have yet to hit the Basic Healthcare Sum, with $50,000 in the CPF MA, we are still getting $2,000 in interest income per year, for example.

That would be enough to pay for most people's  yearly medical insurance policies.

Of course, I first blogged about this in 2013, and I have talked to myself about this from time to time since then.

If AK can do it, so can you!

References:
1. Do you want free medical insurance?
2. Free medical insurance in our old age?

T-bill's 3.87% p.a. cut-off yield and only 79% allotted.

After the 4.07% p.a. cut-off yield in the prior T-bill auction, I was looking forward to a possibly higher cut-off yield for this auction.

Unfortunately, the possibility of a much higher cut-off yield attracted many low-ballers, and that crushed all hopes of a higher yield.

If we look at the average yield for this auction and the auction that took place on 28 Sep, it is quite clear what happened.

This auction's average yield is 3.37% p.a.

28 Sep's average yield was 3.51% p.a.

There were people bidding much lower than 3.37% p.a. to secure the T-bills in this auction.

As low as 2.37% p.a.

That is just asinine.

That is even lower than what the CPF-OA pays!

The amount of interest in this auction shot through the roof as only 79% of non-competitive bids were allotted.

I hope the low-ballers are happy now that everyone ends up with a lower cut-off yield.

Reference:
4.07% p.a. T-bill.

Increasing bond exposure on higher yields.

In my last blog post, I shared how much passive income I received in the first 9 months of 2023.

My investment portfolio is still bringing home the bacon.

However, there is more variety to the bacon now.

Why do I say this?

Over the years, I have been very consistent in saying that I want to maintain a meaningful percentage of investment grade bond in my portfolio.

For a long time, I said that I treat my CPF savings as the investment grade bond component of my portfolio.

Risk free and volatility free, there really isn't a better option for a person like me.

I have a blog post titled "Unless we are very rich, CPF is all we need" to share my perspective on the matter.

This is the link to that blog post: HERE.

Of course, I share my CPF numbers at the start of every year, showing how much interest income is paid to me.

This interest income is not included in my quarterly passive income update.

Why?

The CPF interest generated is not immediately available for withdrawal to be used in any way we like.

We will be allowed to withdraw any CPF savings in excess of the Full Retirement Sum and the Basic Healthcare Sum when we turn 55 and not earlier.

My quarterly passive income report has always been about income generated by my investments in the stock market.

This year, however, my investment portfolio also includes bonds.

In the last one year or so, with bond yields much higher, I have also been buying Singapore Savings Bonds and T-bills.

So, my quarterly passive income report this year has another flavor.

A sprinkling of fixed income.

With bonds being much more rewarding now than 1 year ago, I am going to continue strengthening my T-bill ladder and, hence, enlarge the bond component of my portfolio.

I am a lazy fellow and would always go for low hanging fruits first.

Taking advantage of the CPF-SA and the CPF-MA was an easy decision so many years ago.

Taking advantage of the higher bond yields now is another easy decision for me.

To be sure, the coupons received from bonds will not make an earth shattering difference to me even as they nudge my quarterly passive income a little higher.

However, if we focus on this difference, we are missing the point.

What's the point then?

This is risk free and volatility free.

There is assurance that we will get paid during good and bad times.

This is very comforting to me.

Having such a component in my investment portfolio helps to smooth out rough patches which are bound to appear from time to time.

All else being equal, I will continue to increase exposure to this asset class in 2024.

If AK can do it, so can you!

2023 passive income. Banks & REITs.

I keep a written record of my passive income.

It isn't an Excel sheet as I still very much enjoy using pen and paper.

I spend so much time on the computer daily that spending some time writing on paper is a nice break from staring at the computer screen.

Anyway, I recently published my passive income figure for 3Q 2023.

That came in some 12% higher compared to a year ago.

Thus far, passive income this year has come in relatively strong.

I have said that increasing exposure to the banks since 2016 has been a good move.

For readers who do not follow me on YouTube, I produced some videos recently on investing in banks and REITs.

Here are the links:

Should I invest in REITs now?

This REIT is a MUST BUY but...

Key RISK for Singapore banks!

Remember that AK is not a guru and I am just talking to myself as usual.

All of us have our own beliefs and circumstances.

We should have our own plan.

Do what we are able and willing to do.

As long as we are moving in the right direction, we should do alright.

At our own pace and all in good time.

I am just here to inspire.

I am not here to instruct.

Having said this, I decided to see how much passive income I have received so far in 2023 from my investment portfolio.

$206,645.75

This is slightly higher than full year 2022's passive income received which came in at 

$205,999.73

So, even if I do not receive any passive income in 4Q 2023, I will be OK.

I remind myself that as an investor for income, I should aim for reliable and meaningful passive income generation.

Preferably, income generating tools should generate predictable passive income too.

Always be prudent and stay pragmatic.

This was a recent video on reducing risk without reducing income:

Respect what we don't know!

Not everyone is rich but everyone can be richer.

If AK can do it, so can you!

3Q 2023 passive income: Stronger yet again!

For readers who have been following my blog consistently, the title of this blog post might invoke a feeling of deja vu.

It is rather similar to the title of my blog post 3 months ago in which I shared my 2Q 2023 results.

That said "Stronger again!"

This says "Stronger yet again!"

AK is so creative!

Well, jokes aside, I really couldn't think of anything more impactful and accurate at the same time.

For those who follow my YouTube channel, this video might look familiar:

Yes, for the first time in a long time, I shared some numbers before the quarter was up.

With that kind of number after only 2 months into the quarter, I could tell that 3Q 2023 would probably beat my passive income received in 2Q 2023.

In the third month of 3Q 2023, income distributions from my investments in many REITs came in.

Although there was a decline in income received from REITs as a whole which was not unexpected given that three of my largest investments in S-REITs paid less, overall passive income for 3Q 2023 still came in higher.

This is thanks in a large part to the much higher dividends paid out by DBS, OCBC and UOB which are all in my list of largest investments in my portfolio.

Decision to increase exposure to OCBC and UOB from time to time since the pandemic has been very rewarding while the decision to stay invested in IREIT Global has not been as rewarding.

Still, I am of the opinion that IREIT Global has room to grow its revenue and that the REIT is in the process of transformation.

There could be some bumps ahead and investors might want to buckle up.

IREIT Global is undervalued if the 6 months lease extension at a 45% higher asking rent for its Berlin asset is anything to go by.

Unlike some REITs like Manulife US REIT, IREIT Global is not in distress even though its unit price suggests that it could be so.

Unfortunately, the aggressive and rapid hikes in interest rates are not friendly to REITs, especially with the "higher for longer" narrative gaining traction.

Still, with a relatively strong balance sheet, substantial sponsor interest and a capable management, I am willing to wait while I am being paid.

This will be short blog post as I do not want to rehash stuff I have said about my investments before.

Oops.

I almost forgot.

So, what is my 3Q 2023 passive income?

In the video I shared at the beginning of this blog post, I said that 3Q 2023 passive income would probably exceed $80,000.

The actual number is:

S$ 84,942.36

This is almost 12% higher than the $75,989.50 in 3Q 2022.

I think I have beaten inflation in 3Q 2023.

Back in 3Q 2022, I said I was stunned like vegetable, and I feel the same way one year later.

What am I doing, going forward?

The next 6 months will see much lower passive income being received without contributions from OCBC, UOB and many other investments.

So, I am going to be extra careful with money.

What about the investment front?

I am staying invested because I cannot tell if the market is going up or down.

Staying invested in bona fide income producing assets means being paid while I wait.

Filling up my war chest for when Mr. Market becomes depressed again.

This is even as my war chest will grow much slower than before as more of my passive income will be consumed from this year on.

I cannot predict but I can most certainly prepare.

If AK can do it, so can you!

References:
1. 2Q 2023 passive income.
2. 3Q 2022 passive income.

SSB 3.32% p.a.: Higher for longer!

When I blogged about last month's SSB which offered 3.16% p.a. 10 year average yield, I said I would probably be buying some.

And I did.

Just a modest sum of money as I was "borrowing" the money from 2025.

It was money which I would otherwise have earmarked for voluntary contribution to my CPF account in 2025.

2025 would be the year I turn 54 years of age.

Now, I see this month's SSB offering 3.32% p.a.

What am I doing?

I will be buying again, I suppose.

Again, it would be a modest sum of money.

Although I am sticking to my strategy of growing the investment grade bond component of my investment portfolio, there might no longer be a hurry to lock in higher yields for the longer term now.

I recently produced two YouTube videos on the likelihood of interest rates staying higher for longer.

This is the current day narrative and it seems to have gained traction.

This is probably why the last T-bill auction surprised us with a cut-off yield of 4.07% p.a. too.

Much higher than many expected.

If you have not watched the YouTube videos yet, here are the links:

1. This could be BAD! Why look at bond yields?

2. Reason why it could be a lot WORSE!

The yield curve is still very inverted with the shorter durations being more rewarding.

So, strengthening my T-bill ladder would be more rewarding.

Still, reinvestment risk exists with the T-bill ladder.

I tell myself not to complicate things and simply stick to my plan.

1. Maintain and strengthen T-bill ladder for another source of recurring income.

2. T-bill ladder can be dismantled gradually to buy stocks during a recession.

3. Buy SSBs with money meant for VCs to the CPF as long as SSBs' 10 year average yield is higher than 3% p.a.

There is no way I am going to make all the money in the world.

If AK can talk to himself, so can you!

"Don't sacrifice your own retirement and financial health!"

I produced a YouTube video recently on how much money do seniors need in Singapore monthly to cover basic needs.

The video got many comments and some of them were pretty shocking when it comes to providing financial support for parents.

I am archiving some of these in my blog as a reminder to myself that not everybody thinks like me and how things might be very different now.

@deschua76 said,

30 years ago when I was still a kid, I told my parents that I won’t give them a single cent when they retired and because of that the fear drove them to become financially free now! 

That should be the way! Do or die! No excuses!!!! my parents constantly thank me for what I did. For your information and dissemination please.. #ToughLove 

And someone agreed with this comment. 

 @user-pi6mn9wj8n said, 

This is what ALL children should tell their parents. Why shld children hv to pay parents who hv no responsibility to take care their own financial health. 

The young hv it far harder than their parents did - with things like student debt and much higher housing costs. 

It is PARENTS that should be helping children at this juncture. DONT sacrifice your own retirement and financial health because u hv deadbeat parents who want/need handouts. 

To this, AK said, 

"Like that, children become forever liabilities.😱 Better don't have children."

In case you are interested in that YouTube video and the comments it generated, here is the link:

How much money do seniors need in Singapore in 2023?

Gurmit Singh's song is in my head now. 

"Things different already."

4.08% FD replaced by 4.07% T-bill! Huat ah!

The latest 6 months T-bill gives us a cut-off yield of 4.07% p.a.

Yes, AK stunned like vegetable!

I was expecting 3.75% p.a. thereabouts!

Pleasantly surprised!

The narrative that interest rates will stay higher for longer might be true, after all.

Don't know how much longer this situation is going to last but I will just make hay while the Sun shines.

To be sure, I am also doing this while waiting for Mr. Market to go into a depression.

It is bound to happen.

So, it is not going to be if Mr. Market goes into a depression but when Mr. Market goes into a depression.

I want to be prepared when that happens.

It could happen next year or the year after that or it could happen before this year ends.

There are so many different opinions from so many experts that I have decided to stop listening a long time ago.

All I know is that if I am prepared, I will do OK.

With my OCBC fixed deposits which paid 4.08% p.a. maturing this month and next month, I am rolling most of the funds into new fixed deposits with with CIMB.

Not as high as 4.08% p.a. but higher than the 2.7% p.a. offered by OCBC.

I am using a portion of the funds to strengthen my T-bill ladder too which will pay me every 2 weeks.

Fortunately, I did that for the recent T-bill auction too.

My non-competitve bids were fully allotted!

4.07% p.a.

AK is giddy with joy!

Always ready, surely, it is good to be paid while I wait.

If AK can do it, so can you!

Layers of financial protection that matter.

I produced a couple of videos on the CPF MA recently.

I was wondering if I should do it because people are less interested in the CPF these days.

Also, many people think CPF MA is money trapped while CPF SA is money they would get to use in retirement.

I went ahead and did it anyway because I wanted to remind myself of the importance of the CPF MA.

As expected, only a small number of viewers were interested in the videos.

However, they did get some interesting comments.

Someone asked me why didn't I talk about Careshield or Eldershield in the videos.

Well, I really don't care much for Careshield and I only got Eldershield because a friend convinced me that I would be doing my part to bring down the cost of the group insurance by taking part.

AK likes helping if it is not too costly.

I don't need Eldershield and I have blogged about this before.

Why?

Regular readers might remember that I blogged about how passive income is the best insurance in life.

Meaningful passive income.

After so many years, I believe that my passive income stream has become a river.

I should have no trouble with meeting day to day expenses even if I should become physically challenged.

However, I do worry about big financial bombs.

A constant stream of passive income is good at dealing with day to day expenses.

It isn't going to be able to cope with atomic bomb events.

This is why I keep an emergency fund.

A large emergency fund.

This is why I supplement Medishield Life with Incomeshield.

I shield myself from huge medical bills which could one shot my bank account.

When working on the blueprint for retirement adequacy, I was very much aware of my limitations.

Some things we need and some things we don't.

Must be judicious.

I want to be sure to have layers of financial protection which matter, and not anything superfluous or unnecessary through being more than enough.

If AK can do it, so can you!

Money keeps flowing into my pockets.

Following my last three blog posts, I checked three accounts today.

My bank account.

My SRS account.

My CPF account.

Why?

To see how much pocket money I am getting from the recent T-bill auction, the one that took place on 14 September.

People sometimes look down on small sums of money, especially in today's environment of high inflation.

"Walao! $2 only you also calculate!"

$2 is also money.

Small sums of money add up to big sums of money.

Being careful with small sums of money can only help in our journey towards financial freedom.

Don't kick a pup because when the pup grows up, it will come back to bite you.

OK, this is true for regular folks like AK.

For "jin satki" people or high-flyers who make hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars per year, please stop reading.

You have come to the wrong blog.

Still here?

OK, shocking numbers up next.

Anyway, here is the breakdown:

$186 from $10,000 cash.

$148.80 from $8,000 SRS money

$216.16 more in interest income from $52,000 CPF OA money.

So, $186 goes into my current day pocket. 

$148.80 goes into my pocket which can only be unzipped 10 years later from age 62.

$216.16 goes into my pocket which can only be unzipped 3 years later from age 55.

Shocking, right?

Some people might be wondering why "rich" AK bought so little T-bills.

AK is just a regular guy and not "rich".

Why some people don't believe me?

Sigh.

T-bills are risk free and volatility free.

Not a bad way to make sure I have more pocket money now and in the future.

However, I am very aware of re-investment risk as high interest rates might not be around for long.

I will continue to wait for better opportunities to invest for dividend income.

While waiting, there is nothing wrong with getting relatively attractive risk free returns.

If AK can do it, so can you!

T-bill or DBS, OCBC and UOB? 3.7% or 6% p.a.?

I received an SMS from CPF that went:

"You have a CPFIS investment deduction from your Ordinary Account."

I suppose this means that my competitive bid (using CPF-OA money) for the last 6 months T-bill auction that took place on 14 September was successful.

A quick check revealed that the cut-off yield was 3.73% p.a. and this is still relatively attractive.

This is relatively attractive when our local banks are offering much lower interest rates for 6 months fixed deposits.

Definitely, it is more attractive than the 2.5% p.a. offered by CPF-OA even when accounting for a loss of 7 months worth of interest income which would have been paid by CPF.

Why 7 months?

This is due to how CPF calculates and pays interest on our CPF savings, taking only the month-end balance into consideration.

So, all three of my applications using cash on hand, SRS and CPF-OA money were successful.

I find it strange that there seems to be less interest in 6 months T-bill now. 

It seems to be weaker compared to a year ago, for example.

I remember non-competitive bids being so plentiful that my offer to buy was only partially filled at times.

Could it be that more people are buying the common stocks of DBS, OCBC and UOB instead, given the higher level of public awareness of how attractive their dividends are?

After all, a 6% dividend yield beats 3.73% p.a. return hands down.

Could AK be doing something wrong?

OMG!

I can feel an anxiety attack coming.

Time to go sink some enemy warships to calm myself down.

Related post:
Must buy T-bill? 
(How to transfer from CPF-IA to CPF-OA?)

How to transfer from CPF-IA to CPF-OA? Must buy T-bill?

In my last blog post, I made a passing mention about a 6 month T-bill which I bought using money in my CPF-OA maturing in the same week.

I made a request to transfer the money back to my CPF-OA when I saw the funds sitting in my CPF-IA a day later.

It was all rather easy with DBS online banking.

I simply logged in and went to the "Invest" tab and selected "More investment services."

Then, I chose "Refund to CPF Board."

Clicked on "Refund Full Amount", and it was basically done after clicking "Next" and "Submit."

Today, I checked my CPF account and found that the funds are back in my CPF-OA.

Now, I am wondering whether I should buy another 6 months T-bill with the money.

To be quite honest, I am not as enthusiastic as before because the cut-off yield has reduced so much since the start of the year for 6 months T-bills.

In January, it was as high as 4.2% p.a.

The T-bill that matured last week had a cut-off yield of 3.93% p.a.

I am hazarding a guess that the cut-off yield for this week's auction is probably going to be around 3.7% p.a. or similar to what we got in the last auction.

For a sum of $50,000, we are looking at an additional interest income of less than $200 compared to what the CPF-OA would pay for a 7 months period.

Nothing to write home about.

Anyway, with CPF-OA money, I will not go the path of non-competitive bids just in case the unthinkable happens.

I will put in a competitive bid of 3.5% p.a. because I don't think I am interested in anything lower than that.

If the cut-off yield should come in at 3.5% p.a., the difference in interest income is going to be less than $120.

The cut-off yields for 6 months T-bills are declining but the CPF-OA still pays 2.5% p.a.

So, the difference is shrinking and it is really not a big deal.

There is quite a bit of talk in social media that we should all use our CPF-OA money to buy T-bills.

To be honest, unless the sum of money is relatively large, it isn't anything to worry about.

If we do not have a large amount of money sitting in our CPF-OA, we really are not missing out on any meaningful passive income.

I think some people would say don't sweat the small stuff.

Of course, I am just talking to myself.

If AK can talk to himself, so can you!

3.16% p.a. SSB, T-bills, CPF, fixed deposits! My plan!

I have been doing yearly voluntary contributions (VC) to my CPF account even though I retired from work 8 years ago.

I simply took some of the passive income I got from my investments and maxed out the yearly VC.

However, I did not do VC this year and I won't be doing VC next year either although the original plan was to do this until I hit 55 years of age.

Why?

I treat the CPF as the risk free and volatility free investment grade bond component of my portfolio.

So, I don't use it to invest in equities or to buy properties, for that matter.

This is my ultimate safety net for if everything else goes horribly wrong.

However, I did use the CPF OA funds to buy T-bills as they belong to the same basket of investments.

Risk free and volatility free.

So, I bought T-bills which paid more than the 2.5% p.a. paid by CPF OA in the last one year or so.

In fact, I have a T-bill bought with CPF OA funds maturing this week.

Must remember to transfer the money from CPF IA back into the CPF OA.

The Singapore Savings Bond (SSB) is another risk free and volatility free investment available to me.

In an earlier blog, I said that if the SSB is able to offer a higher than 3% p.a. coupon, I would buy SSB instead of doing VC to my CPF account.

This is because the average yield for VC I do is about 3% per annum.

Take note that this is for my age bracket and also the fact that my MA has already hit the Basic Healthcare Sum which means my VC goes only to my OA and SA.

I have already bought SSBs using funds which would otherwise have been used to do VC to my CPF account this year and in the next year.

That means no VC to my CPF account in my 52nd and 53rd year on planet Earth.

Now, with the latest SSB offering a 3.16% p.a 10 year average yield, I am thinking of "borrowing" money to buy some.

Borrowing?

Has AK gone to the dark side?

Well, if I were to buy this SSB, I would be using funds which would otherwise have been used to do VC to my CPF account in 2025!

That is 2 years away!

That would be the year I turn 54 years old.

As I have locked up quite a bit of cash in 8 months fixed deposits back in January when OCBC was offering 4.08% p.a. interest, I will have the funds to do this.

Some might think that continuing to do VC to my CPF account is a better idea as I could use the CPF OA funds to buy T-bills in the meantime.

Well,  if interest rates are really going down sometime in 2024 or 2025, reinvestment risk is very real for short term fixed income instruments like T-bills and fixed deposits.

So, locking in a higher 10 year average yield now doesn't seem like a horrible idea.

Buying $38,000 of SSBs yearly might seem excessive to some but, for me, it really is just moving money meant for my CPF account.

It is something in my yearly budget.

What might be considered "excessive" is "borrowing" funds from next year which would have been earmarked for CPF VC in 2025 to buy the SSB now.

I might just do it.

Reference:
CPF or SSB?

Passive income gone! Not growing portfolio!

Today, we cast our votes for the next President of Singapore.

However, my mind was somewhere else and it has been somewhere else for a few days now.

I have been thinking about some money issues.

Regular readers know that I am a worrier.

I used to worry a lot about the possibility of growing old and destitute.

Although my situation has improved over the years, I could not help but continue to worry.

Black swans do exist, after all.

So, over the years, even as my situation improved, I kept trying to grow my passive income.

To be fair, in recent years, I have become much more laid back.

I became less tight fisted with money.

Over the last 10 years, I increasingly spent more money on myself.

Over the last 10 years, I gave my parents more and more financial support.

I did these as I continued to invest more money in businesses which would generate income for me.

I have also been consistently socking away some money in the CPF and, more recently, T-bills and SSBs.

Of course, I did this in the last 8 years while lacking an earned income.

In recent years, I have been publishing blogs on how much passive income I needed yearly to do all the things I wanted to do.

I have always found writing to be helpful in crystalizing my thoughts.

It is also useful if I ever need to remind myself of why I did things the way I did.

Blogging allows anyone who might be interested to eavesdrop to do so, and it could generate meaningful discussions.

In my most recent blog on the topic, I said I needed on a yearly basis:

1. $48,000 for myself.

2. $48,000 for parental support.

3. $38,000 for CPF VC.

Of course, that $38,000 has been diverted into SSBs this year.

With a passive income of $206,000 last year as a guide, I would have an excess of $72,000 each year, all else being equal.

The plan was to continue investing for income with this sum of money yearly.

This would grow my passive income.

Then, why did I say my passive income is all gone in the title of this blog?

Well, the plan has changed.

1. I have decided to increase financial support for my parents again.

My parents are even older than Ng Kok Song or Tan Kin Lian.

No matter how optimistic I am, my parents probably have only 10 to 20 years left to live.

I want them to be able to enjoy their retirement without having to worry about money.

I will give them much larger red packets on their birthdays, Father's Day and Mother's Day.

I will continue to help by paying for some large recurring expenses.

2. I have decided to increase my annual gifts to my siblings.

This will be in the form of larger red packets on their birthdays.

I make more money than my siblings even though I am retired and they are working.

If I can help them to prepare for a financially secure retirement, why not?

3. I am not a Christian but I like the spirit of giving.

So, I will be giving red packets to my family on Christmas.

I started doing this last year, but I will increase the amount of money significantly in the red packets from this year on.

In the spirit of giving, I will also make larger donations to the list of charities I have been supporting.

There are many unfortunate people in this world.

Although we cannot possibly help all of them, if we can help some of them, why not?

It is about doing what we can to make the world a better place.

4. Passive income all gone!

These are the reasons for the title of this blog.

OK, probably not all my passive income is gone but it will be mostly gone.

Consumed.

So, you can imagine that I won't have very much passive income left to increase the size of my investment portfolio meaningfully henceforth.

Having said this, I will continue to making VC to my CPF account or buy SSBs yearly.

This will not change as I believe having some risk free and volatility free investments for income is simply being prudent.

So, how do I feel now that I have decided on all these?

I feel good.

Really good.

It is like a lightbulb switching on in my mind.

In a recent blog, I said early retiree AK still needed $136,000 yearly.

Would I be growing richer or poorer?

That provided the seed for this blog post.

We only need so much money in life and the rest is for showing off.

Reference:
F.I.R.E. AK still needs $136,000 annually.

High yields to stay? T-bills paid 3.73% to 4.2% p.a. so far.

The next 6 months T-bill's auction is happening this Thursday.

So, if we are building or maintaining a T-bill ladder, don't forget to put in a bid.

I will be putting in a non-competitive bid again.

No reason to agonize over how much to bid for in a competitive bid when chances are any cut-off yield is likely to be higher than offers from the banks for a 6 months fixed deposit for now.

I just produced a video on a 3.6% per annum offer for a fixed deposit but that is for a 9 months tenure.

This is the link to the video for readers who do not follow me on YouTube:

Locking in 3.6% per annum for the next 9 months.

Cut-off yields for 6 months T-bill so far have stayed above 3.7% per annum.

However, it seems to be declining.

In January, we saw a 4.2% cut-off yield.

This month, we saw 3.73% which was the lowest cut-off yield this year.

Like I said in a podcast, interest rates are higher now but they are unlikely to stay high forever.

As investors for income, I did not get to where I am by relying on fixed income to grow my wealth.

However, I am not going to reject relatively attractive risk free and volatility free returns while they stick around.

If AK can do it, so can you!