~~Towards Barista FIRE~~

This will be a relatively short post, just to update on the transactions for the month. For the month of July, it is a rather muted month.  After the release of the better than expected June CPI numbers in early July, the markets had a short burst, and it kind of fluctuate around, waiting for more directions from the earnings of the various top companies.  To start the ball rolling, JP Morgan released an impressive earnings report for the quarter that boosted it's share price to near term highs.  Last week, the big Techs also released positive earnings, especially Google, that is lagging others like Microsoft and Apple.  Generally, the earnings brought about a slight run up, with the exception of Microsoft which saw it's share price corrected after a huge rally earlier. In addition, we have to deal with another rate hike this month.  Will this really be the last, it's anyone's guess.  Personally I do hope that it is the last, as any higher interest rates in future may

In the recent video by The Fifth Person, they interviewed the famous local blogger (and budding YouTuber) AK, author of A Singaporean Stocks Investor (ASSI) .  In his blog and in this interview, AK revealed that his portfolio has compounded and delivered an annual dividends of SGD 200K in 2022!  This is definitely eye-popping, a source of envy and admiration, and an inspirational figure whom I wish to follow. That is a goal that I would can only wish to reach, but currently it is definitely far-fetched, especially when my annual dividends is just 10% of that amount, and I am already planning to Barista FIRE in 3 years time.  Personally, aiming for 20% of that amount in annual dividends sounds more realistic and achievable to me.  However reading his blog and 'listening' to what AK says to himself is an enjoyment.  He has always preached his investing philosophy of 3P's, being prudent, patient and pragmatic.  In addition, his advice for investors with the mnemonics of "

Short answer, no for me.  Independence Palace Saigon Opera House   Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office Pink Church Vietnam is a huge country compared to Singapore, and different regions provide different experience for every individual.  Being one who is most comfortable with urban living, I planned a trip to Ho Chi Minh City with my mum.  After the 4 day 3 night experience, I believe other regions like Da Nang and Hanoi may be more suitable for travel for my mum, with more places with breath-taking views, while Ho Chi Minh City is less so a traveler's destination only with certain landmarks above to appreciate the architectural beauty.  The combination makes it not my ideal kind of retirement place, based on my personal likings and experience.  Below are some of the reasons why I say so. 1)    Traffic and Transportation   Ho Chi Minh City, based on what I know, is coming up with some metro system soon, but it has yet to be operational.  Currently, based on the information that I

In June, an article in The Straits Times shook the finance blogger/ YouTuber sphere.  In the article titled " Moving from financial stability to financial abundance takes Singaporeans 32.3 years: Study ", it shares the report done by wealth manager St James's Place who did a study on 1,000 affluent Singaporeans aged between 24 to 64 with minimum annual household income from SGD 70K to above SGD 250K.  In the report they concluded that it will take about 32.3 years for Singaporeans to progress from financial stability, financial security, financial flexibility, financial freedom and finally, financial abundance.  After the release of this article, many financial bloggers and YouTubers like Kelvin Learns Investing and Josh Tan- TheAstuteParent posted their perspectives on this matter.  With respect to the study, I would like to highlight that the study is skewed to only include affluent Singaporeans and those with annual household income below SGD 70K are not included.  H

In recent times, we hear more and more locals having the intention of retiring overseas or are already doing so.  This is due to the rise in standard of living in Singapore, coupled with the shocking inflationary pressures on goods and services in recent years.  This is the 'push' factor.  The Fifth Person recently also discussed the hard truth about retiring in Singapore in this video as well.  On the other hand, with all things being equal, the strengthening of the Singapore Dollar (SGD) against other ASEAN currencies makes goods and services much more affordable in the various ASEAN countries.  This is the 'pull' factor.  The combination of these 2 factors definitely makes retiring overseas very attractive, as a smaller pot of retirement funds will last a longer duration. Let's look at how the SGD has performed against the major ASEAN currencies. Bali is a very popular retirement destination, a favourite amongst digital nomads.  Looking at the trend over the pas