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Are Dividend-Paying, Low-Volume Stocks Worth Investing In?

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Lately with the volatility in the markets, be it in US stocks, SG stocks and even commodities like gold and silver, I found a different performance in a selective group of stocks, some of which are in my portfolio.  This group refers to the dividend paying stocks with low average trading volume.  Their somewhat stable performance (largely due to low trading liquidity) is a total opposite of the all time highs and corrections the overall markets have been experiencing recently.  This makes me wonder, are dividend-paying stocks with low trading volume good for long-term investors? On the surface, they somewhat appear attractive with steady dividends, conservative management, and valuations that seem cheaper than the popular blue chips.  However beneath the calm surface, the lack of liquidity and market interest can hide some uncomfortable truths. First and foremost, by “low trading activity”, I am referring to stocks that trade below SGD 1 million in average daily tr...
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My Second Trip To China With My Mum One Year Later

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This is my third trip travelling out of ASEAN region, where I have to plan every bit of the itinerary myself (the first was back in May 2024 where me and my mum travelled together to  Japan , and the second was back in November 2024 where me and my mum travelled together to Hangzhou and Suzhou in China ).  With the prior experience from the China trip, I am less concerned and worried about what to plan for our itinerary this time round, as I would have roughly known what my mum would like to experience, and hence what to include and what to exclude in the planning.  In addition, I have learnt how to use Alipay and Amap one year ago, so all in all, this trip is less intimidating for me.  However, as we are going to the mountainous region this time, what worries me more is the weather conditions and the temperature differences between the morning, noon and evening time.  Being unpredictable, I could only overpack, as it is better to be over-prepared than under....
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My 3 Phases Of Barista FIRE Before Regular FIRE

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This post is to document my plan for my Barista FIRE journey.  This may not be applicable for everyone, as this plan is drawn up based on my income, my needs, my expenses and my portfolio.  I am splitting my Barista FIRE journey into 4 phases, to enable myself to slowly transit to full retirement in time to come, but with the flexibility of part time active income that will cover any inadequacies in passive income during my journey.  The percentages shown below are just for illustration purposes, and subjected to change at different phases, but for me, it provides a guide on how I intended my Barista FIRE journey to be. Some definition of terms to make my projection clearer: a)     Monthly Total Expense (MTE): Total spending projected monthly, currently standing at SGD 4K. b)     Dividend For Expenses (DFE): The amount of dividends I intend to use for spending monthly, currently targeted at SGD 1.5K per month initially. c)     ...
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Portfolio Update for November 2025

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This will be a relatively short post, just to update on the transactions for the month. For the month of November, it was once again a volatile month for my portfolio.  In the first half of the month, the market sentiment was filled with positivity even with the shutdown of the US government.  However, at the mid of the month when the US government reopens, the fear of Artificial Intelligence (AI) bubble popping starts to spread throughout the market and volatility returned.  For the next few days, the big US Tech faced a small correction.  This is exacerbated with Jerome Powell signaling that the FED is intending not to cut interest rates in December.  This is reflected in FedWatch tool which showed that the probability of the FED cutting rates by 5 basis points is less than 50%.  I do not know is this a temporary retracement of the share prices, to allow the Christmas year end window dressing effect to take place nearer the date and share prices propel t...
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Take Control Of Finances: Trimming Your Lifestyle for Financial Freedom (Part 2)

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Do you ever feel like your money disappears as soon as it hits your bank account?  You are not alone, because I definitely feel the same way.  In a world of constant advertising and subscription services, it is easy to let spending run on autopilot, pushing our long-term dreams further and further away.  However what if you could turn the situation around?  What if you could tell your money exactly where to go, ensuring that every dollar is working towards the life you truly want?  The secret lies in two powerful steps: creating a realistic budget and strategically trimming your lifestyle expenses.  In the previous post, we discussed why and how to create a personal budget.  In this post, we can look at how to trim down expenses in our journey to financial freedom. I know many people will take the word "cutting expenses" with a negative connotation, as it seems like restricting one's spending till one has no opportunity to enjoy the little luxuries in...
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