In a sure sign of how much I plan ahead, Lenora’s 100-day baby shower was more or less finalised weeks before she was even delivered. This idiosyncrasy of mine might have upset the wife time and again, but I assured her that this was about taking care of all things possible before the baby came out. This meant the venue, caterer, guest list and invitation cards were all taken care of already and ... continue reading...

Getting down to some common misconceptions CPF LIFE
Several months ago, I wrote an article about my mum reaching the CPF withdrawal age of 65. As with any Central Provident Board (‘CPF’) topic, it generated plenty of interest amongst my readers. In fact, I received plenty of messages (both private and public) and I attribute this phenomenon to 2 key reasons – (1) I advised my mum on the wrong decision with her CPF LIFE and (2) CPF withdrawal age is ... continue reading...

New HDB BTO Classification Framework, What Are The Possible Consequences?
At National Day Rally (‘NDR’) 2023, Prime Minister Lee announced a seismic shift in how HDB is going to classify its flats for sale from 2H 2024. The framework of classifying estates as either mature or non-mature will be replaced by one that is either Standard, Plus or Prime. When I first heard it live during the NDR, I immediately thought of how Apple sells its iphones in similar categories too. ... continue reading...

Is GXS 3.48% Interest Rate Promotion The Shortest Ever In Singapore?
If you are plugged into the personal finance community, you would have heard by now that GXS was offering 3.48% interest rate for up to $75,000 of your savings. This move came immediately after the Monetary Authority of Singapore (‘MAS’) purportedly lifted the SGD $50 million cap imposed on digital banks. Since 19 July 2023, plenty of bloggers started to write about this offer, to the extent that ... continue reading...

At What Share Price Would I Be A Buyer Of AIMS APAC REIT?
AIMS APAC REIT (‘AA REIT’) invests in a diversified portfolio of income-producing industrial, logistics and business park investment properties across Singapore and Australia. The Manager of the REIT, AIMS APAC REIT Management Limited, is wholly-owned by the sponsor, AIMS Financial Group. Interestingly, the largest unitholder is not the sponsor but ESR Cayman, which holds 12.8% of the outstanding ... continue reading...