~~Towards Barista FIRE~~

My Central Provident Fund (CPF) is one of the less exciting parts of my financial journey is also one of the most important. While many investors spend countless hours searching for the next winning stock, the next high-yield REIT, or the next investment opportunity, my CPF simply sits quietly in the background, doing what it has always done - compounding steadily year after year.  I have never invested a single cent of my CPF monies. As of today, my CPF OA and SA combined are still below SGD150,000.  It is slightly above the Basic Retirement Sum (BRS), but still a long way from the Full Retirement Sum (FRS).  Yet I have no intention of using CPFIS or trying to squeeze out a higher return from these funds.  Instead, I treat my CPF as the bond portion of my portfolio.  For me, CPF is not a tool for maximizing returns.  It is a tool for managing risk. Building Stability While Taking Risk Elsewhere My investment portfolio already provides enough excitement...

A few days ago, while scrolling through social media, I came across the story of Colin Lau , a Singaporean who achieved Financial Independence and retired at the age of 35.  Like many others, I was curious.  It was not just because he retired so young.  What intrigued me was the way he chose to live afterwards. From the interviews and articles I read, Colin has intentionally embraced a minimalist lifestyle.  He keeps his personal spending low, values freedom over material possessions, and has spoken openly about using part of his time and resources to support charitable causes and underprivileged communities.  I genuinely respect the conviction it takes to live according to one's principles.  As I finished reading his story, I found myself reflecting on my own FIRE journey.  Not because I wanted to copy his lifestyle, but because it reminded me that Financial Independence does not have a single definition. Every one of us is trying to reach the same ...

One of the longest-running debates in the investing world is whether retirees should live entirely on dividends or adopt the Safe Withdrawal Rate (SWR), where a small percentage of the investment portfolio is sold every year to fund retirement expenses. From a mathematical perspective, the Safe Withdrawal Rate is difficult to argue against.  For decades, researchers have studied historical market returns across different countries and time periods.  The conclusion has remained surprisingly consistent.  A diversified portfolio invested primarily in equities has historically been able to support annual withdrawals of around 4% over long retirement periods while maintaining a high probability that the portfolio continues growing over time. I understand the mathematics.  I accept the research.  In fact, I believe the Safe Withdrawal Rate is a perfectly valid retirement strategy.  Yet if I am being completely honest, I still find myself naturally gravitating t...

**This is a special edition post for Singapore's National Day, and a personal reflective post on what Singapore's National Day meant for me. Every year, when Singapore's National Day comes around, I find myself thinking about Singapore.  Not just Singapore as a country, but Singapore as a part of my life.  And perhaps more importantly, I think about my parents, and the decisions they made for me when I was too young to understand what those decisions would eventually mean. Looking back now, I realise that much of the life I have today started with a decision my parents made when I was just a young child.  They decided to send me to Singapore to study, even though at that time, I wished to attend the same primary school in Johor together with my friends in kindergarten. I started going to school in Singapore from Primary 1.  For the next ten years, from Primary 1 all the way to Secondary 4, I travelled between Johor Bahru and Singapore every school day.  That m...