Financial Freedom

Investing in Silver

Silver is a metal that has been known and used since the beginning of the civilization. Its use increased remarkably for the past 200 years in various fields that had contributed to the development of our society. The reason for its vast use is because it is the best conductor of electricity and heat, smooth reflector of light and has various health benefits. Silver is an important industrial material combined with both strength and softness and the ability to get stretched. It is wear resistant, has a high tensile strength, reflects light and reduces friction. It has great unique properties.

This strategic metal has infinite uses. The silver alloys are used to manufacture the disposable and rechargeable batteries. More than millions of silver zinc oxide batteries are manufactured worldwide annually, that include very small batteries for cameras, watches and other electronic devices. The high purity silver for electroplating steel bearings have great load carrying strength and capacity for heavy duty work. The bearings coated with silver provide great durability and safety in jet engines. The use of silver solders helps to join materials and makes leak tight, smooth and corrosion free joints. The silver alloys are used in refrigeration, air conditioners, power distribution, aerospace and automobiles. Silver membrane switches are used in most keyboards of laptop and desktop computers. Due to their durability and wide use, the market of silver-contact membrane switch is a multi billion industry in America.

The Silver demand hit about 880 million ounces last year, and the worldwide mining production contributed only 670 million ounces creating a deficit of 210 million ounce. A lot of people are unaware that the silver is the most used commodity in industry after oil. One of the best investments at this point of time is Silver. If you are looking for a profitable investment then you might want to consider investing in Silver.

If you are thinking of investing in silver, then the Silver bullion produced in America is a good option with the American Silver Eagle of one ounce. This coin is known all around the world and traded in various countries. They can be bought in a combination of 20 stacks or in a Monster box of 500 pieces. The second option will be 100% silver bars that are made in various sizes, designs and weights ranging from bars of 1 ounce, 5 ounce and 10 ounce. The two popular silver refiners producing bars in different sizes are Johnson-Matthey and Englehard.

You might also be interested in reading the recent article on Investing in Gold or How Silver is Made.

[This article is a guest post. Investors should carry out their due diligence prior to making any investment decisions]

Anchor Point and FCT

I visit Anchor Point from time to time and have always wondered whether I should be investing in Frasers Centrepoint Trust. OCBC recently maintained a buy rating on FCT. On one hand, I am tempted to buy but on the other, I am a little skeptical since many of FCT's assets are in suburban areas. Having witnessed the shoppers and traffic flow at Anchor Point, I am not so certain whether tenants there are profitable or not. Have also seen the bookshop change hands a few times over the past years. The crowd on weekends are good but nothing fantastic.

Will probably just continue to monitor this before making any decision. Not vested yet.

3 Monthly Dividend Stocks I Am Watching Right Now

There are 3 Monthly Dividend Stocks that I am watching right now. The reason I am watching them is simply because I am bullish on resources and also because I like the fact that this stocks pay monthly dividends. Of course, the stocks listed here are highly risky and might not be suitable for many investors.

1. Gamco Global Gold and Natural Resources Trust (GGN)

Well, GGN used to be called "Gabelli..." and then there was a name change to "Gamco...". But GGN's dividend history since 2005 has been pretty neat to me. To invest in this stock, you need access to the US market which should be readily available through most of the brokerages in Singapore. Do note that there is a withholding tax of 30% for foreign investors so that means you have to deduct whatever dividends you are supposed to receive by 30%. Do add in another few dollars for the processing/admin charges and you will realise that you actually need a sizeable investment for the yield to justify itself since there are so many REITs listed in Singapore that might give a better yield. Nevertheless, as I am bullish on resources (especially Gold), I am thus thinking of accumulating more of this stock.

2. Armour Residential REIT

If the above stock is risky, Armour Residential REIT I believe falls into the "super don't ever touch it " kind of risky. It is frankly speaking not a REIT like one would expect it to be. It is a mortgage REIT so there are many risks involved associated with interest rates and stuff. Still, it pays out a neat dividend.

3. Enerplus Resources

After divesting my canroys when there were all the tax changes and stuff, I am starting to zoom in again on "energy plays". Enerplus Resources is one of those stocks that still pays monthly dividends. It is an independent North American energy company with a diversified asset base of oil and gas properties across a variety of resource plays. The monthly dividends for this are still good though they seem to have reduced recently.

[Note: This post should not be read as an invitation/recommendation/advice to invest in the stocks listed above. The writer is vested in both GGN and Armour Residential REIT.]

GGN - Gamco Global Gold Trust Dividend History

GGN's (Gamco Global Gold & Natural Resources Trusts) dividend history is listed below. They have been paying stable dividends over the past few years. Though of course, past history is not indicative of future performance. Vested.

Ex Dividend Date Dividends

Jun 13, 2012

$0.14
May 14, 2012

$0.14

Apr 12, 2012

$0.14
Mar 14, 2012

$0.14
Feb 10, 2012

$0.14
Jan 12, 2012

$0.14
Dec 09, 2011

$0.14
Nov 10, 2011

$0.14
Oct 13, 2011

$0.14
Sep 14, 2011

$0.14
Aug 15, 2011

$0.14
Jul 13, 2011

$0.14
Jun 14, 2011

$0.14
May 12, 2011

$0.14
Apr 12, 2011

$0.14
Mar 15, 2011

$0.14
Feb 09, 2011

$0.14
Jan 12, 2011

$0.14
Dec 10, 2010

$0.14
Nov 10, 2010

$0.14
Oct 13, 2010

$0.14
Sep 14, 2010

$0.14
Aug 13, 2010

$0.14
Jul 14, 2010

$0.14
Jun 14, 2010

$0.14
May 13, 2010

$0.14
Apr 14, 2010

$0.14
Mar 15, 2010

$0.14
Feb 09, 2010

$0.14
Jan 12, 2010

$0.14
Dec 10, 2009

$0.14
Nov 10, 2009

$0.14
Oct 14, 2009

$0.14
Sep 14, 2009

$0.14
Aug 13, 2009

$0.14
Jul 15, 2009

$0.14
Jun 12, 2009

$0.14
May 12, 2009

$0.14
Apr 14, 2009

$0.14
Mar 13, 2009

$0.14
Feb 10, 2009

$0.14
Jan 13, 2009

$0.14
Dec 10, 2008

$0.14
Nov 10, 2008

$0.14
Oct 15, 2008

$0.14
Sep 12, 2008

$0.14
Aug 13, 2008

$0.14
Jul 15, 2008

$0.14
Jun 12, 2008

$0.14
May 13, 2008

$0.14
Apr 14, 2008

$0.14
Mar 13, 2008

$0.14
Feb 12, 2008

$0.14
Jan 14, 2008

$0.14
Dec 27, 2007

$0.25
Dec 10, 2007

$0.14
Nov 13, 2007

$0.14
Oct 15, 2007

$0.14
Sep 12, 2007

$0.14
Aug 15, 2007

$0.14
Jul 13, 2007

$0.14
Jun 13, 2007

$0.14
May 14, 2007

$0.14
Apr 12, 2007

$0.14
Mar 14, 2007

$0.14
Feb 09, 2007

$0.14
Jan 12, 2007

$0.14
Dec 27, 2006

$0.06
Dec 11, 2006

$0.14
Nov 13, 2006

$0.14
Oct 13, 2006

$0.14
Sep 13, 2006

$0.14
Aug 15, 2006

$0.14
Jul 13, 2006

$0.14
Jun 14, 2006

$0.14
May 12, 2006

$0.14
Apr 11, 2006

$0.14
Mar 15, 2006

$0.14
Feb 09, 2006

$0.14
Jan 12, 2006

$0.14
Dec 28, 2005

$0.18
Dec 13, 2005

$0.14
Nov 10, 2005

$0.14
Oct 13, 2005

$0.14
Sep 14, 2005

$0.14
Aug 15, 2005

$0.14
Jul 13, 2005

$0.14
Jun 14, 2005

$0.14

Crossed 300,000 Pageviews

Phew! This blog has crossed 300,000 pageviews. While other blogs easily cross that mark in a matter of months, it has taken this blog a solid few years to cross that mark. Or either that, Google must have tweaked something to reset my pageviews to zero when I started to notice my pageviews this year. Anyway, it has taken only less than half a year in the year 2012 to climb from 200,000 pageviews to 250,000 pageviews to finally over 300,000 pageviews.

I guess the next challenge will be to cross the half a million pageviews mark. At the rate things are going, I should cross that mark mid-2013. That will be amazing for me just as a personal achievement.

SAF Group Term Life Insurance Gives Rebates

Just received a letter not long ago from Aviva. It is basically a cash rebate of over $120 for my term insurance coverage under the SAF Group Term Life Plan. I really do enjoy getting this rebates as it reminds me again that this is probably one of the cheapest term insurance plans available to most Singaporeans.

Considering that my monthly premium is around $50, it means that I have gotten almost 2 months of free coverage! Insurance is a cost at the end of the day and where possible, it is always best to keep the cost as low as possible.

Query from Reader - $20K to Invest

I don't usually do this but I got a query from a reader recently asking me what safe instruments one could invest in that will provide a better return than fixed deposits (FD). Based on the sketchy information provided, here are the following facts that I got from the very brief email:

$20K cash
"Invest on something safe"
Earn more than FD (which I assume stands for fixed deposits).

Firstly, I think the reader must ask himself whether the $20K in cash is really spare cash. Has he/she set up an emergency fund of 6 months expenditure (or for the kiasu ones - 6 months income). Without questioning too much, I assume that he/she has already set aside money for an emergency fund and this is really SPARE cash to invest.

Secondly, I deduce that the reader is probably risk adverse. Capital protection is probably key to him/her. Stocks with their high volatility are perhaps not suited for everyone (even though I strongly recommend it to most people).

One of the few options I can think of is to invest in SGS bonds. That will give a better return than FD. However, at the same time, the returns from bonds are not spectacular at all (at least to me). Personally, I don't invest much in bonds (not directly anyway).

Any thoughts from other readers?

One Stock that Pays Monthly Dividends

Have been holding on to this stock that pays monthly dividends for a few months now. The stock is Gamco Global Gold & Natural Resources Trust (GGN). It pays a dividend of US$0.14 every month and is currently trading at US$13.69. After accounting for withholding tax rate of 30% (since I am not a US citizen), the dividends is slightly less. There are of course exchange rate fluctuations to account for too.

I just bought another 200 shares recently bringing my total holdings to 500 shares.

GGN is a close ended fund (CEF). The fund's objective is as follows:

The GAMCO Global Gold, Natural Resources & Income Trust by Gabelli is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company that seeks to provide a high level of current income. The Fund's secondary investment objective is to seek capital appreciation consistent with the Fund's strategy and its primary objective.

Under normal market conditions, the Fund will attempt to achieve its objectives by investing at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of companies principally engaged in the gold industry and the natural resources industries. The Fund will invest at least 25% of its assets in the equity securities of companies principally engaged in the exploration, mining, fabrication, processing, distribution or trading of gold or the financing, managing, controlling or operating of companies engaged in "gold-related" activities. In addition, the Fund will invest at least 25% of its assets in the equity securities of companies principally engaged in the exploration, production or distribution of natural resources, such as gas, oil, paper, food and agriculture, forestry products, metals and minerals as well as related transportation companies and equipment manufacturers

The dividends declaration for July, August and September 2012 also remains at US$0.14.

The distribution for July 2012 will be payable on July 24, 2012 to common shareholders of record on July 17, 2012.
The distribution for August 2012 will be payable on August 24, 2012 to common shareholders of record on August 17, 2012.
The distribution for September 2012 will be payable on September 21, 2012 to common shareholders of record on September 14, 2012.

Voltaire's Thoughts About Labour

Labour holds off three great evils: tedium, vice and poverty.

True?

Work as boring as it seems wards off tedium or boredom. Boredom can drive people mad. Imagine having no purpose in life and having absolutely nothing to do. So yes it does ward off tedium. But work can sometimes be boring too after a while.

Of vice, it does ward off to a certain extent. After all, it is during idleness that the children start disturbing the cats.

And with work, rightly should come some form of income. Thus one who works ought not to be poor.

Armour Residential REIT

Have bought 500 shares of ARMOUR Residential REIT (ARR). ARR pays out US$0.10 per month in dividends. Its current share price is around US$7.00

Harvard Classics - Herodotus and Book of Job

I must have done at least 6 hours of pure reading yesterday. And I sure covered a lot of ground though some of my reading was outside the "canon" of the Harvard Classics. I spent most of time reading the Book of Job though I spent a greater part of the time wondering why this had been placed under the History of Civilizations section since the Book of Job was clearly a book that discusses about suffering (or in particular, why do good people suffer). I guess it was helpful to see what the wisdom was about why suffering occurs and how some times, human wisdom has its limitations.

Reading Herodotus' Histories is tiring. In the harvard classics, it is his second book that is inside and it gives an account of Egypt. Or should I say ancient Egypt. As much as I love history, the way it is told is actually a bit too detailed for my liking.

Harvard Classics - Five Foot Shelf of Books

I have started into my reading habit once again. And what better way to start by doing it in a structured manner rather than the current haphazard way in which I conduct my reading. Have been reading Harvard's Classics, which is supposed to be the "Western Canon" of books worth reading in order to attain "a liberal frame of mind or way of thinking". I was tempted to try Adler's Great Books but then decided to start with the original so-called "canon" first before I proceed on.

This whole exercise is just a way of educating myself for free. Almost like obtaining a liberal arts education except without the need to attend lectures/tutorials/etc And besides, I love to read.. (Oh gosh, how much I miss school).

Well, it will certainly be a challenge as there are a total of 50 volumes worth of books. You can find all the books online (which means you save lots of money too) in this link: http://archive.org/details/harvardclassics

I am getting started on the section regarding History of Civilization (refer to Volume 50 for the introduction to the Readers Guide). I guess it sure beats reading from Vol 1 to Vol 51.

If anyone else is interested in getting started on reading the Harvard Classics too, feel free to comment!

Investing in things I use - Mapletree Commercial Trust and Breadtalk

It is always good to have some insider insight to stocks that one will like to invest in. One simple way to do that is to invest in retail REITs. There are many REITs in the retail/commercial sector and many of them own shopping malls in Singapore. Just take a walk at one of the malls and it might give you a good sense of how business might actually be doing for the REIT, whether there is potential for rent increase, whether asset enhancement initiatives are ongoing, etc, etc. It is almost like an insider's view of the business.

Mapletree Commercial Trust

One of the properties owned by Mapletree Commercial Trust (listed on the Singapore stock exchange) is Vivocity. To those who are not familiar with Vivocity (or Singapore), it is one of the largest malls around located at the southern tip of Singapore just at the entrance to Sentosa (where one of the integrated resorts - Resorts World - is located at).

Vivocity has 1,038,000 sq ft of net lettable area and 2,179 carpark lots. The occupancy rate stands at slightly above 98% and has 300 over tenants. More recently in the news, PageOne bookshop closed citing high rental costs. When PageOne moved out, the space was quickly taken up by two other retail outlets - Franc Franc and Cotton On.

Just walking around Vivocity, you will be quite amazed at the shoppers who are there. Families, teenagers, tourists, office workers, etc. One would expect it to be less crowded during the weekdays but it is not. Sited just beside harbourfront, tourists from cruise ships often go there to shop. Not to mention that Sentosa is just conveniently located by a monorail from Vivocity to Resorts World.

The shops are also wide and varied. There is Giant and Cold Storage (supermarkets) for those who want to do grocery shopping, a cinema, many food outlets and restaurants and lots of retail shops. The shops cater to a wide mix of shoppers whether they are shopping for electronic products, home furniture, clothes, luxury goods, etc, etc

I think Vivocity will continue to do well but I am not certain what the impact of the new cruise terminal at Marina will have on the business it gets from tourists. Nevertheless, since it is conveniently located at the doorstep of Sentosa, I am certain it will continue to get lots of business from travellers who are staying at Sentosa.

BreadTalk

Well, it is easy to analyse a business if you can see how many customers there are. Breadtalk is one of those business that has been expanding abroad. While I am not too certain how the overseas outlets are doing, I can say that the outlets in Singapore are doing pretty well. Breadtalk sells bread and together with many of the Breadtalk shops are Toast Box (basically a cafe like shop that rivals another famous Singapore brand Ya Kun).

Anyway, let us focus on Breadtalk first. Many of its outlets are conveniently located where there are office crowds. Just walk into a Breadtalk outlet in the morning and you will be surprised to see the number of people queuing up to buy breakfast back to eat in office. I figure that a typical Breadtalk shop can easily have more than 200 customers just during a one-hour window in the morning peak hour where office workers are streaming to the office and need to grab some food to eat. Each customer probably spends $3 to $4 on their breakfast. Many of them are repeat customers.

Conclusion

So there you have it. Two businesses that are listed in the Singapore stock exchange that you can easily observe to determine how well they are doing. At my writing, Mapletree Commercial Trust was trading at S$0.965 and Breadtalk was trading at S$0.50.

Michael Vincent Performs on Penn and Teller Fool Us

Michael Vincent performs wonderful sleight of hand techniques on Penn and Teller's show "Fool Us". Unfortunately, it is classical magic and there is no way Penn and Teller will get fooled by it. Entertaining nonetheless. Teller even kisses Vincent's hand at the end to show how much respect he has for him

Canadian Royalty Trusts Post 2011

During the mid-2000s, Canadian Royalty Trusts (or Canroys) grabbed the minds and attentions of many retiree investors with their double-digit dividend yields. Structured as trusts, they were exempt from federal tax as long as they paid out dividends to their shareholders.

All this changed in 2011 when a new law was passed that these trusts would also be taxed like normal corporations and taxed at the corporate tax rate. I wrote about this sometime back in the post "Future of Canroys". This new law made little sense for the trusts and many of them converted to corporations, merged with other companies or chose the easy way out of liquidation. The dividends of most of these Canroys have also declined sharply as they no longer enjoyed the tax exempt status. Likewise, share prices also dropped.

Today, most of these canroys trade at only around 10% yield. Pengrowth Energy Corporation (PGH) now trades at around US$7 but pays only a monthly dividend of Canadian $0.07. That puts Pengrowth at a nearly 11-12% yield. Still pretty decent for a monthly dividend stock or if one's purpose of investing is for income. However, there have been recent talks that even Pengrowth might have to follow the path of Enerplus which cut its dividends by 50% recently. Enerplus shares have taken a beating since.

Canroys will probably face challenging times ahead.

Life is So Much More Interesting

Life will be a whole lot more interesting if we take ourselves less seriously and start dreaming. Unfortunately, due to pressures from friends,family,society, etc, we often stop dreaming.

Buy Which REIT?

There are actually quite a few REITs now listed in the Singapore stock exchange. Have been thinking of investing a bit of my money again since there is some spare cash sitting around. There are really so many options to choose from: industrial, retail, office, hospitality, etc etc.

I am having a difficult time deciding what to buy. Have been thinking that maybe I should get a handful of Saizen REIT, Sabana REIT and Starhill Global REIT. What do you all think?

What a Toilet!

New Look for This Blog

After contemplating for some time, I decided that it was time to shed the "bluish" look that has stuck with this blog for the past 1 to 2 years. So I am trying out something new and sticking to a really clean look which I hope readers will actually find more soothing to the eyes. I am not a design kind of person so do bare with me. I remember that there were some offers to help me design the blog (for a fee of course), but I could not afford it. Anyway, the look is new but the content remains the same.

I must admit that I am guilty of not pushing out enough posts to satisfy my readers. There is always this fear that I am boring readers to death and that there is really nothing interesting I can write about.

Okay, question of the day: Will Greece default on their debts?

If so, how can we profit from it?

Good Stuff to Share

Just an old posting that I will like to share => we are powerful beyond measure. Really good a reminder whenever I feel low or suffer from a bout of low esteem.

Another good stuff that I will like to share => Two Ideas that Every Investor Should Know. Just plain old wisdom from plain old me.

Anyway, the month of April and May were bountiful in terms of the dividends that I received. April dividends was $700plus while month of May was around $1400plus. Good stuff if you ask me. The money is already being spent or at least I am thinking of investing it again. Stock prices are low but I bet that they will go lower.

Dividends and Passive Income for May 2012

The month of May 2012 was a bonus month for me as I received quite a bit of dividends/passive income. The main contributor came from some of my small cap stocks.

Total dividends/passive income for May 2012 is $1483.26

Probably one of the better months for me thus far.

Investing in Consumer Staples

Read a book recently about investing in consumer staples. I think the ideas presented were fairly new to me as I have never ever thought of investing in consumer staples before. I guess there are not many consumer staples kind of stocks in Singapore other than the telcos and the transportation companies.

Well, if one has access to the US market, one could invest in stocks like Colgate-Palmolive, Proctor and Gamble, Coke, etc. These are really defensive play stocks and the businesses should do reasonably well even if the economy tanks. Afterall, people still need to brush their teeth and wash their hair even if the economy is bad.

Cambridge Industrial Trust - I could Do With Some

Bought 5 lots of Cambridge Industrial Trust today at $0.515. Have been eyeing it for some time and decided that I couldn't wait any longer. So clicked a few buttons, it was in the queue list, and after that, got it. Just part of my effort to diversify my holdings in reits to cover office, residential/hospitality and industrial.

Bill Ng Rangers Bid

Glad to read in the newspaper about a Singaporean, Bill Ng, who made a bid for Rangers football club and is now in the running again to buy the club despite earlier suggestions that he was out of the race. Reminds me of Peter Lim, the billionaire who was also bidding for Liverpool football club sometime back.

Bill Ng apparently does not love football. He came to the game for the love of his two sons who had to teach him the offside rule. Not new to purchasing football clubs, Mr Ng had also purchase Hougang United and Tiong Bahru United in 2010 and 2005 respectively. Both these football clubs are in the S-League (Singapore's version of the English Premier League).

Now that Bill Ng is back in the running to buy the Rangers, let's wish him luck. May he do Singapore proud.

Why I Write

I was sad to discover that a fellow blogger had stopped writing. He gave his farewell posting a few months back and I chanced upon it while I was just surfing around. I am happy for him that he has decided that there are more important things to tend to.

Anyway, it got me questioning myself on why I even write this blog. I have better things to do. I have in fact too many things to do. But writing is a form of relaxation for me. A way to express myself. A way to converse since I am not really gifted in talking (and there is nobody to talk to me in the real world). Writing is my form of escape. It is my way of voicing my thoughts.

Sometimes, it is good to just get something off my chest. To know that I have voiced out my opinion on a matter and that somebody (whoever it is) is reading it. And though I don't often reply to the comments that are left (sometimes, I just have no time to reply), I treasure each one deeply even as I read the encouraging words and thoughtful remarks that are left on this blog.

In a sense, this blog is like a living organism that has grown with me. It contains memories and words that people have left, captured eternally on this faceless internet page. And at the very same time, it is as if this blog reaches out to people and some how, probably in some small way, makes a positive impact on somebody's life. I don't know. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. But the idea that such a thing can happen even without me meeting the person face to face is surreal. It is like making a deposit in somebody's life. Loving a person without actually knowing him or meeting him.

So I hope that you the reader knows why I write.

Drop me a comment. Will love to hear from you.

GAMCO Global Gold and Natural Resources Income Trust (GGN)

Just bought another 200 shares of Gamco Global Gold and Natural Resources Income Trust.(GGN). GGN pays out a monthly dividend of US$0.14. The dividends have been paid out steadily over the years so I thought I should just load up more of it when the market is down. Bought 200 shares at US$14.60 which is slightly lower than my previous purchase price.

Dividends and Passive Income for April 2012

Dividends and passive income for April 2012 was close to $600. This was contributed mainly from selling off my Pacific Andes rights and collecting the dividends that were also paid out by Pacific Andes. Pacific Andes is a stock that I have been holding for some time now but I just did not feel comfortable taking a bigger position so I did not subscribe to the rights issue.

The rest of the money actually comes from the monthly dividends that I receive from Gamco Global Gold and Natural Resources Trust (previously called Gabelli but now re-named as Gamco). GGN (the stock ticker symbol) provides me with $30+ dollars per month. That is after the 30% withholding tax deduction which is quite huge if you ask me.

Nevertheless, I am satisfied with April 2012's dividends and passive income received. May 2012 should also be a good month for me.

[17 May 2012 Update: Actual dividends for April was actually above $700. Realised that I underestimated the dividends and sale of rights arising from Pac Andes]

Innotek Dividends and Ex Dividend Share Price

I have been holding Innotek for a few years now and am pleased that it had recently announced that it would be paying out 5 cents in dividends per share again for this year. Innotek has been paying out dividends consistently over the past few years that I have owned this stock. Anyway, Innotek was trading at around 49 cents cum dividend but once it wend ex dividend (XD) yesterday, the share price fell by almost 7.5 cents to 41.5 cents. This shows that it will be hard to apply any dividend capture strategy.

The Death of Reading

Reading is slowly becoming a dying hobby. I am not surprised that many bookshops around Singapore have closed down. First it was Borders at Wheelock, followed by PageOne at Vivocity and also Harris in Great World. Will bookshops become a thing of the past? Why are these bookshops not profitable?

These are questions that I ask myself. And I have come to this slow realisation that people actually might be reading a lot less than in the past. When I refer to reading, I mean the reading of physical books. On the other hand, they are actually now reading more through sources like the internet which has become so accessible.

People are willing to pay hundreds of dollars for the latest handphone, but might not even spend that same amount on books. They might love reading, but they simply do not see the need to buy physical books to read. Even a person like me who quite enjoys reading seldom buy any books. Even if I do, my monthly budget or money spent on books is only around $20 to $50. That is almost peanuts when compared to the amount I spend on food, transport, and other so-called necessities in life. So I am not surprised in a certain way that the bookshops have closed down. If even a book lover like myself is spending so little on books, how much money can these bookshops even make?

I also realised that time passes, I have set aside less and less time to read. Work, the internet, distractions prevent me from reading a book in peace. The latest book I bought still lies half read on my bedside drawer. And yet, I have plenty of time to surf the net, eat, sleep and do so many other things. Do I like reading? Yes. But I simply cannot afford the luxury of sitting down and reading like in the past.

The Street Light

Composed this recently when I was feeling poetic.

The Street Light
The quiet street lies dead ahead,
And everyone is fast asleep.
The street lights shine up my bed,
blinds half shut, I'm wide awake.
Still eyes shut, he sleeps.
Dreams of tomorrow,
what joys it might give or grave sorrows, who knows?
And the light still assails, still shining.
Does the light come in or does it go out?
And makes the bedroom bare for all to ponder.
That someone is fast asleep at night,
dreaming, hoping, thinking.
Still the street light shines ahead,
and everyone is fast asleep,
but everyone is fast asleep.

Britains Got Talent - Susan Boyle

Everyone loves an underdog story. Just sharing some of my favourite youtube videos. This videos shows Susan Boyle in her auditions where she declares that she wants to be like Elaine Page (to the sniggers of the audience). The next video shows her singing a duet with Elaine Paige.

First REIT - Sold Off Again

I bought First REIT just recently. After the share price rose by more than 10 cents in the last month or so, I decided that it was a good time to lock in some profits or more than a thousand dollars. Just sold off the 10 lots that I owned at 89.5 cents a share. Most of the time, First REIT trades at sub-80 cents level and I guess that is where the price is probably headed to. If so, I will probably pick it up again when it reaches my desired buy price.

Top 5 Regrets of the Dying

Certain that many people have read this article before but guess it is always good to re-visit this article. Tamworth-based writer and blogger Bronnie Ware shared from her experience as a palliative care nurse the various main life lessons from hours spent with the dying. These are the top 5 regrets and it is something worth reflecting upon.

I wish:

1. I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. This was the most common response.

2. I hadn't worked so hard. "They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

3. I'd had the courage to express my feelings

4. I had stayed in touch with my friends

5. That I had let myself be happier.

You can see that the one regret people don't have is that they should have spent more time on their work or in office.

Long Weekend

Wishing all Christian readers a most blessed Good Friday and Easter. Hope you all enjoy the long weekend and find rest. It has been a restful weekend thus far for me and I hope all readers find the same rest that I have been having.

Just lounging around and doing nothing much.

Silver Bullion and Coin Collection

Have been slowly building up my coin collection of silver including a few bullion. As of today, I have the Canadian Maple Leaf, American Eagle, Austrian Philharmonic, Buffalo coins and some Scottsdale Silver bars. Many of them are mainly 1 troy oz and some of them are sealed in airtight containers.

The coins are nice to look at, but I seriously regretted using my bare hands to touch some of them as they now have a whittish tarnish on them which can't be removed.

Crossed the 250,000 Page Views

Not too long ago, I shared that this blog has crossed the 210,000 pageview mark. I am happy to say that this site has surprisingly and beyond my wildest expectations crossed the 250,000 page view milestone earlier this week. Thank you readers for your support, advice, comfort, jokes that you have shared with me along this journey. I cannot thank you enough for how you all have contribute to this site and to me personally in one way or another.

Hopefully, this site will remain relevant for all. It is challenging to generate content. Very difficult considering that I do not have much free time to sit down, think and write. Many of the posts are either written in the wee hours of the night when I would really love to be sleeping rather than writing, and also when my brain really stops functioning normally.

Just a sampling of some of the posts of this blog to get the newcomer started.

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?

Popular Reads
How Much to Give for Chinese Weddings
How Much to Give for Church Weddings
A Brutally Honest Post

Dividends and Rights Issue

Being a very analytical sort of person, I cannot really understand why listed companies will have a rights issue while also declaring dividends at almost the same time. My simple mind tells me that rights issue is to access capital while issuing dividends is almost akin to giving away money. So why ask for more money when you are giving away money at the same time?

Anyone cares to explain? Speaking about Pacific Andes here.

Don't Write When You Have Nothing To Write About

Well, that's the mentality I have been taking nowadays. I haven't felt a strong urge to write about anything and that perhaps explains the irregularity in posting any new articles. I don't feel like there is anything new in terms of knowledge that I can contribute at the moment, and so I stopped writing for a while.

In terms of investments, I haven't made any new investments just yet. I have been toying around with the idea of investing in CitySpring Infrastructure Trust or one of the industrial REITs but couldn't decide between the both and so am just sitting still right now and not doing anything. I know that is probably not a good thing to do since I tend to procrastinate for way too long and sometimes, it just seems so much better to act first and then analyse later.

Well, CitySpring Infrastructure Trust seems like a real safe and defensive bet considering that it owns infrastructure that are what I would call "recession proof". However, I think there was just a rights issue not too long back and I do have some concerns over its ability to grow its distribution. On the other hand, industrial REITs also provide an equivalent yield and might be likely to make yield accretive acquisitions. Of course, considering that the economic situation is still not that stable, there might be a likelihood that rental rates might drop. So that is another risk to consider. Not too mention that industrial REITs tenant base are also not as diverse as compared to a retail REIT ,etc.

Salary of Fresh Graduates

Survey results are out on the starting salary for fresh grads:

SMU

Leads the charts. Class of 2011 earns average of $3,388. Top 20 per cent of the cohort earned gross monthly salary of $5,039. Graduates from Information Systems Management earned an average of $3,637 per month.

Those with GPA 3.40 to 3.59 earned an average of $4,294 per month.

NUS
Law graduates earned average of $5,037. Medicine earned an average of $4,016

NTU
Computer engineering earned average of $3,577 while engineering grads earned $3,489 per month.

What do you think of the latest survey results?

Losing Grip on Time

I feel like I am losing grip on time, and time is just literally, slipping me by. Every week, I can't help but exclaim, that another week has passed. It is simply way too amazing for me to fathom. It seems like one moment I am brushing my teeth, getting ready to go to work. And then the next moment, I am brushing my teeth, getting ready to go to sleep. It is something like groundhog's day but totally different. Rather than time repeating itself over and over, I am sort of losing grip on it and it seems to be slipping faster and faster and faster. And I can't seem to hit the "Pause" button. Before I know it, the week is over. And it scares me..really.

Day by day passes by. Week after week. It is so scary sometimes I shiver when I think about the number of days or weeks that have passed since I last ate at a particular restaurant or met up with a friend. And when I try to recall the last time I did something or visited some place, it scares me to realise that the last time I did that thing or visited the place was maybe one to two years back. And it just seems like it happened yesterday.

I am not sure my words have really described the feelings that I feel inside. But I truly feel like I am living in a movie that is on "fast forward" mode, hurtling right to the end. And I know that there is no way I can hit the "rewind" button and that there is no way I can ever go back in time to smile at my loved ones, to hold them, and to tell them that I love them. I seem to be trapped in this time tunnel where every thing is moving so fast. And I am here begging, please slow it down a bit for me God. Life is too beautiful and it is passing me by just too quickly.

Tarnish on Silver

Tarnish has appeared on some of my silver bullion. I bought some candian silver maple leaf some time back and used my bare hands to handle them. I thought that the oils on my finger ruining the coin was just superstition by those crazy coin collectors. After all, we handle coins everyday and I don't see the normal 10 cent or 20 cent coins getting spoilt.

To my horror, I discovered some white stains on my silver coins which were very clearly in the pattern of my fingerprints. Tried wiping them off with a cloth but to no avail. They don't see to come off. Now my shiny coins are "stained" by the white marks.

Anyone has any idea how to remove them without spoiling the silver?

Minimum Wage Move for Malaysia?

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister said that the government had reached an agreement with the private sector on the need for a minimum wage policy. Based on a certain website, it was rumored that the Cabinet had agreed to set a minimum wage of below RM1,000 for the 3.2million workers in the private sector, with a RM100 difference between states in the peninsula and East Malaysia.

The opposition has however said that the minimum wage should be set higher at between RM1,000 and RM1,200. The Democratic Action Party's (DAP) Charles Santiago said, "A higher increase in minimum wage will increase productivity and innovation."

I am not sure how a higher minimum wage increases productivity and innovation. Anyone has any idea?

How Bad Do You It (Success)?

Giavanni Ruffin with the inspirational speech by Eric Thomas (a.k.a the hip hop preacher). Enjoy.

"And when you get to the point when all you want to do is be successful as bad as you want to breath, then you will be successful." - Eric Thomas

Dividends from Suntec REIT and First REIT

Received dividends of $24.79 from Suntec REIT and $193 from First REIT. Not a bad month in terms of dividends considering that I also collected some dividends from Ascott REIT and Gamco just a few days back.

Dividends from Ascott REIT and Gamco Global

Received dividends of $609.45 from Ascott REIT and $31.59 from Gamco Global Gold & Natural Resources Trust. Not bad for the month of February.

Will probably be looking at reinvesting the dividends into some other REIT. There are quite a few REITs and I am thinking of diversifying across the various sectors (e.g. industrial, commercial, residential, hospitals, hospitality , etc).

Will probably need to give it further thought.

GoodBye PageOne, You Will Be Missed

PageOne closes down. So another bookshop closes. First it was Borders at Wheelock, then it was PageOne at Vivocity and now Harris at Great World is also closing down.

It just seems that bookshops are not able to be profitable nowadays. Or is it simply the case that Singaporeans don't really read anymore? I mean there are so many things online for us to read that we don't want to fork out the money to buy a book. I think very little people actually spend more than $100 a month buying books. We could easily spend that amount in a single day on a good meal. But not on books. Sadly.

And so the bookshops all around us are closing down. High rent is one factor. But I think most bookshops probably have very low profits. And it doesn't help that people are also buying books online nowadays.

Bye bye PageOne. You will be missed.

Maximum Number of Posts for Blog on Blogspot or Blogger

Just found out that Google does not limit the maximum number of posts once can have for a blog. That's right! The maximum number of posts for a blog on blogspot or blogger is infinity. One is entitled to an unlimited amount of posts though there is a limit of 100 blogs per user.

That gets me wondering. Is it possible to really have 10,000 or even 100,000 posts on a blog. What kind of blog will that look like? Is there even such a blog around today (like a world record for most number of posts on a blog)?

I really really wonder.

Fortune REIT

Bought Fortune REIT some days back. Cannot remember when. First time I have entered into this . I like the brand name behind the REIT that's all. The exposure to retail malls in Hong Kong was also a factor. Just wanted to diversify out of my Ascott REIT, First REIT, etc holdings that I have. Well, Li Ka Shing owns Cheung Kong which listed Fortune REIT. So that is a plus point for just owning a small investment in Fortune REIT.

Also collected my first cheque for Gamco Global Gold Trust. After deducting withholding tax and stuff, I only pocketed slightly over S$30. Bleah..

My Day

Personal thoughts. My day. Ride the MRT. Go to work. Eat lunch. Work work work. Eat dinner. Bath. Surf the net. Do a bit of reading. Reflection. Sleep.

Wow. Each day of my life passes by so fast. Simply amazing.

Yeah, this is an entirely lame post =) But I haven't done such a lame thing for a long long time. I wonder if I blog like that for the next 3 months, will people still visit this blog and bother to read it.. Maybe i shd give it a try.

Hatched@Evans Road

I am not much of a foodie. But I do appreciate good breakfasts and am always game for some nice breakfast food whether it is at the hawker centers in Singapore or at the hip and cool cafes scattered around little obscure corners in Singapore. Over the weekend, had my breakfast at Hatched which is located at Evans Road just near to Botanical Gardens and opposite the School of Physical Education (or is it now NUS?).

Carparking was a breeze as there was space in the open air carpark where a lone mango tree and a jackfruit tree was growing. It isn't your typical carparking in Singapore so I enjoyed the way it was quite quaint and peaceful.

Verdict on the Food.

Nothing special and nothing especially bad. The mocha was a bit too sweet. Tried the Usual Suspect which was basically eggs, sausages, baked potatoes and baked beans. It also came with a slice of toast and a cup of coffee. Nothing fantastic really but nothing that will make me complain about it. For $15, I will think the price is slightly on the high side but that is the kind of price you pay for a "Big Breakfast kind of meal" in Singapore cafes. I like the ambience. But I think there are better breakfast places around in Singapore. Of course, unless I want an unassuming place to eat my breakfast. Hatched basically strikes me as an unassuming place. It is not an uppety-class kind of cafe. Down to earth. Nice place.

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