Financial Freedom

Mark Cuban - "Live like a Student"

Mark Cuban and his Broadcast.com founders sold their company to Yahoo for $5.7 billion in 1999.

But he did not upgrade his lifestyle.

He said the wisest advice he got was to "live like a student".

So he kept his house, car and furniture.

The only thing he splurged on was a private jet (a Gulfstream V business jet) for $40 million. And the reason for doing so was because he valued time as the most important asset and this bought him time.

Mark Cuban is an American entrepreneur who has a networth of $4.5 billion according to Forbes.

He has also been expanding his investments in the blockchain space. In 2021, it was reported that he invested in Indian crypto firm Polygon(MATIC). Sandeep Nailwal is the co-founder of Polygon.

Was reading one of my old post:

I know that my financial freedom goal is to achieve a passive income of $2800 per month by the year 2022 (FUTURE). NOW, I am achieving slightly above $200 per month in passive income.
Since now is the year 2009, I have set the goal of achieving $400 per month in passive income by the end of this year. How I set out to achieve this goal is to reduce my expenditure and increase my sources of passive income.

2022 is here already!! Can't believe it has been 13 years since I wrote that post.

Have I achieved what I set out to do? Stay tuned to find out more.

Bank Savings Account Interest Rates and Singapore Savings Bond

The interest rates for the flagship savings account of the 3 local banks have gone up. As of 1 November 2022, the interest rates are as follows:

UOB One Account- 3.6%

DBS Multiplier Account- 4.1%

OCBC 360 - 4.65%

Meanwhile, Singapore Savings Bond (SSB) 10 year average interest rate of the December tranche = 3.47%

Which one is more attractive?

I think the SSBs are a good long term holding. While the interest rate seems less, you don't really have to jump through any hoops or fulfill any spend/save/salary kind of criteria to earn the higher interest rates.

Given how the SSBs were oversubscribed in the last tranche, I think I will opt for a 10k sum for this tranche.

MHA officers to receive 3-10% pay increase

It was reported in ChannelNewsAsia that about 22,000 MHA officers will receive a 3-10% increase in their gross monthly salaries starting 1 January 2023.

MHA said on 31 October 2022 that officers on the Home Affairs Uniformed Services, Home Affairs Services, Home Team Specialist Scheme and Commercial Affairs Scheme will receive the salary adjustments.

Earlier in June, the PSD had also announced a salary increase of 5-14% for about 23,000 civil servants. This took effect from 1 August 2022 and applied to the Civil Service generic schemes.

PSD also announced in September another pay raise of 5-12% for administrative officers, judicial officers and statutory appointment holders. Around 300 administrative officers and 30 judicial officers amd statutory appointment holders benefited from the pay increase.

The salary adjustments were to keep pace with the market amd ensure that pay remains competitive.

6 month Treasury Bills Hit 4.19%

6 month Treasury Bills yield have reached 4.19%. This is up from 3.77% reported for 6 month bills last week.

This is compared to Singapore Savings Bond last tranche average of 3.21% over 10 years

CPF and Singapore Savings Bond - Risk Free Component of Portfolio

Have been making regular voluntary contributions or top-ups to my CPF ever since I started working. This is on top of the "mandatory" contributions and it has been tough at times to force myself to top-up especially when cashflow might be tight and there are so many other investment opportunities out there that are screaming a "Buy!".

However, the CPF really forms a solid foundation for anyone's retirement plan. Having been inspired by other blogs in my younger days, I stuck to the habit of making regular contributions to my CPF Special Account and Medisave Account since this was earning an interest rate of 4%. This was much higher than any fixed deposit rates out there in the past 10 years (ignoring this year of course where fixed deposit rates have climbed up).

At times, I will also refund my CPF housing loan component which I had utilised to buy my home. This has not been the priority recently since there are other instruments such as the Singapore Savings Bonds which now provides an interest rate or return of more than 2.6%. Thus, it makes sense to buy into these instruments using my spare cash instead of returning money to my CPF OA which only earns 2.5%.

The CPF now forms a significant amount of my portfolio as it is equivalent to the risk free or "bond-like" component of my portfolio. I am essentially investing in a risk free asset and this should form the base of my retirement portfolio.

The Complete Guide to Buying a Home in Singapore

Introduction: Why Buy a Condo?

The idea of owning a condo is appealing to many people. And the reasons for this are many. For starters, condos are relatively affordable, and they offer a lot of great facilities like pools, gyms, and playgrounds.

A condo is an ideal choice for people who want to live in a place where they can have a sense of community with other residents. Condos are also great for those who want to enjoy all the facilities that come with living in a condo.

Condominiums are typically more expensive than apartments because they offer more amenities and facilities. This is why condos are usually the first choice for people who want to live in Singapore, especially if they have children or pets.

Things You Must Know About Your Housing Options In Singapore

There are various housing options in Singapore. For people looking to own our buy a property, you can select from a variety of choices.

This includes:

1. HDB flats (in various shapes and sizes)

2. Apartments

3. Condominiums

4 . Landed property

Renting a place is also possible though most landlords will typically rent out their places for a minimum of 12 months. The typical lease period will be 24 months or 2 years.

Where Can I Find the Best Deals on Buying Property In Singapore?

PROPERTYGURU is the leading real estate portal in Singapore. They offer a wide range of listings for properties, from condominiums to bungalows and everything in between.

PROPERTYGURU is the leading real estate portal in Singapore. They offer a wide range of listings for properties, from condominiums to bungalows and everything in between. They are open 24/7 so you can find your dream home anytime, day or night.

The website also includes detailed information about each property such as location, size, price and amenities so you can make an informed decision before making an offer on your dream home.

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ENJOY THIS OTHER POSTS BELOW

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
What are REITs?
Buy Property or Invest in REITs?
Why Invest in REITs?
Singapore REITs - History and Regulations
Income Investing - REITs
REITs trading below Net Asset Value

Commodities/Gold/Silver
Buy Silver in Singapore
Is Gold and Silver Still a Buy?

Insurance
Cheapest Insurance in Singapore?
Can You Trust Your Financial Planner?

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How Much Does a Tesla Cost in Singapore

Tesla, a company that manufactures electric cars and energy storage systems, is an American multinational corporation. Tesla’s products are electric and use lithium ion battery technology.

Tesla was founded in 2003 by Elon Musk with the goal of creating a sustainable transportation system. The company's first vehicle was the Tesla Roadster, which was the first production EV car to use lithium-ion battery cells and to be able to travel 200 miles on a single charge.

Tesla has been in business for more than 15 years now. They have had their fair share of ups and downs, but they are still one of the most innovative car companies in the world today.

Have been seeing lots of Teslas around Singapore lately. So how much does a Tesla cost in Singpaore?

Tesla's Model Y is available in Singapore.

Based on article in Jul 2022 - Model Y without COE:

$142,471 for rear-wheel drive version
$190,195 for all-wheel-drive Performance version

Model 3 without COE:

$114,655 for rear-wheel drive
$164,398 for all-wheel-drive