~~Towards Barista FIRE~~

Recently, I have been struck by two things I watched that felt uncomfortably close to home.  One was a video by The Joyful Investors , where Chief Corporate Officer from HRNetGroup shared that hiring demand today is strong at two ends of the spectrum: ground staff earning below SGD 5K, and C-suite executives above SGD 15K.  However the mid-level employees, those in the SGD 5K to 15K range, are increasingly being squeezed out.  The other was a video by  CNA Insider , which highlighted that workers in their late 30s and early 40s are now more prone to retrenchment compared to other age groups. Hearing both points together made me pause.  I am in my early 40s now, which means I fall right into that shrinking middle.  Is the middle class disappearing and is the middle age groups facing some form of employability crisis?  Even though I am self-employed, does that also mean that inevitably with time, my job (as a tutor) will also be replaced by AI?  Is...

This will be a relatively short post, just to update on the transactions for the month. For the month of August, it was a jittery month.  For a large part of the month, the markets were anticipating the FED to cut interest rates in September, and the probability of it materializing was near 100%.  However, markets were thrown with a set of much hotter than expected PPI numbers, which meant that the tariffs-linked inflation is creeping in.   However, even with such unfavourable news, the US market decided to largely ignore it, and continue with its slow and steady uptrend.  It seems cautiously optimistic, but at the same time, the jitters and uneasiness may mean that cracks are happening beneath the rise. I do not really know what to make out of the numbers, as all these reports and numbers were out of my control.  I can only do what I could, which is to remain invested and hope for the best.  My US Portfolio, although small in percentage terms, remain...

One would have probably heard the saying before - “Compounding is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it.  He who does not, pays it.”  This quote has been repeated endlessly in the personal finance world, and for good reason. But here is the truth.  Compounding is not a get-rich-quick strategy.  In fact, in the early years, it can feel like watching paint dry- boring, slow and unmotivating.  You put in the effort, you save diligently, you reinvest your dividends, and for the longest time, it seems like nothing much is happening.  I have written a similar, but simpler post when I first started blogging back in 2022, where I noted 3 main factors affecting the compounding effects, namely time, yield and capital. The Key Factors That Influence Compounding’s Power 1)     Time This is the biggest multiplier.  The longer your money stays invested, the more time each dollar has to grow on top of previous growth.  ...

Recently I came across a YouTube video titled " How to Bankrupt the Middle Class in One Day ", and it definitely caught my attention.  After viewing this video (in Chinese), I see many learning points I can incorporate into my financial journey, and hence I decided to write this post as a record for myself.  To do this better, I went to look for the summary of the classic literature, "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant.  Summary of "The Necklace" For those unfamiliar, the story follows Mathilde Loisel, a middle-class woman unhappy with her modest life.  She dreams of wealth, glamour, and admiration.  When she gets invited to a high-society ball, her joy turns into distress because she lacks a fancy dress and jewelry.  Her husband sacrifices his savings to buy her a dress, and she borrows a glittering necklace from a wealthy friend.  The ball is everything she dreamed of, until disaster strikes.  She loses the necklace.  Instead of confessing...

As a dividend income investor, my investment focus has always been directed towards sustainable and reliable dividend income.  I am not in this game for flashy short-term capital gains or speculative plays.  I invest in dividend-paying stocks because I want to build a consistent income stream that grows over time and supports my financial goals, especially as I inch closer to Barista FIRE. That is why dividend yield plays a central role in my stock selection, and just as importantly, in my sell decisions.   ** Before I get any objections, I would like to highlight that dividend yield is just one of the factors that help me decide whether to sell or not.  There are other very important factors like payout ratio, profitability of the business, dividend growth and other metrices like price to earnings and price to book ratios.  However for the purpose of this write up, I will only be discussing how dividend yield impacted my investing decisions. ** ...

Back in June 2023, I wrote a blog post titled " Which Is More Essential in Personal Finance – Cash or Cashflow? ", where I explored the age-old debate between the value of having cash on hand versus the importance of generating cashflow.  At the time, I concluded that both cash and cashflow are equally important, but still leaned slightly towards the security that cashflow provides, especially amid market volatility and rising uncertainty. Two years have passed since then.  Along the way, my investment journey has matured slightly, my financial goals became clearer, and most importantly, I found a firmer footing on the path toward Barista FIRE, which is aiming to begin my progressive semi-retirement in phases starting next year with a part-time income and a more robust investment portfolio generating passive income.  Now, as I reflect and prepare for this next life phase, I have a stronger conviction: cashflow is more important than cash, especially for someone approachi...

This will be a relatively short post, just to update on the transactions for the month. For the month of August, it was a month of joy ride.  Although the US markets faced slight volatility due to Trump's threat to fire Jerome Powell time and time again, but markets probably got tired of it and resumed its uptrend, with S&P 500 continuing to hit new all time highs.  However, the mega-news this month should come locally from Singapore.  On 21st July, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) allocated the first SGD 1.1 billion to three asset managers (Avanda, JP Morgan and Fullerton) under its SGD 5 billion Equity Market Development Programme (EQDP) aimed at reviving SGX by driving institutional investment in small and mid-cap stocks.  This news gradually brought about a broad-based rally in the Singapore markets.  This is evident in the last 2 weeks of July, where many stocks not included in the Straits Times Index (STI) gaining steam and started their rall...

Over the past year, Singapore Technologies Engineering (STE) has had an incredible run.  Compared to just 12 months ago, the share price has risen by almost 100%.  That is a significant rally, especially for a traditionally defensive counter like this.  While I am glad to see one of my core dividend holdings performing so well, the sharp price appreciation has also changed the dynamics of the stock, particularly the yield, which has now been compressed to below 2.5%.  That is a little too low for my liking, especially considering my dividend investing goals. STE has benefited from several positive tailwinds over the past year.  Its aerospace division recovered strongly with global air travel rebounding, and its defense and smart city solutions continued to see robust demand.  The company also announced multiple new contract wins, both locally and globally, which boosted investor confidence.  More importantly, to dividend investors like myself, STE int...

Earlier this year, I made two new additions to my dividend portfolio, namely Riverstone and Kimly, as part of my ongoing effort to diversify my income stream with consistent dividend payers.  Recently, I am adding a new name to that list: HRNet Group (SGX: CHZ). This decision came after careful thought, and more importantly, as a tactical reallocation of funds.  I recently did a partial divestment of Singapore Technologies Engineering (STE), a strong blue-chip stock that I still like and hold.  However, with its share price shooting up significantly this year, the allocation based on market value to STE is growing too large for my comfort, and the dividend yield has already compressed to below 2.4% at one point, which no longer justifies a full position for someone like me who prioritizes dividend yield as part of my Barista FIRE journey. Why I Sold Part of STE I did not sell out of STE completely.  It remains a core holding in my portfolio, and still the largest ...

This is a relatively short post, and I just want to share my personal thoughts (to myself) and record it down as a constant reminder to myself in my dividend investing journey. This post is inspired by a conversation in the Dividend Investing Telegram Group.  How will one feel financially if one day, an investor is paid SGD 250 daily, rain or shine, not through active income, but through dividends?  Sounds too good to be true?  Maybe.  But let me churn the numbers to see if it is achievable. To Achieve SGD 250 Per Day: Annual Dividends required = SGD 250 * 365 days = SGD 91,250 Assuming 5% Dividend Yield, Portfolio Value Required = SGD 91,250 / 0.05 = SGD 1.825M As shown above, the capital required is quite massive (for me), and its not easy to achieve, especially when one is just earning a median income in Singapore.  However, dividend investing is never a one hit wonder nor a "get-rich-quick" scheme.  It is a journey, a lengthy, but in my personal opinion...

3rd July 2025 marks a historic moment for Singapore’s stock market.  The Straits Times Index (STI) has finally broken past its long-standing ceiling and closed at a new all-time high of 4019.57 points.  For years, the STI has lagged behind other global indices, frequently described as "boring", "defensive", or "undervalued", often trapped between 3000 and 3400.  Some others even nicknamed it the "Super Terrible Index".  However now, after what feels like a long, frustrating wait, I have finally witnessed a psychological and technical breakthrough and it feels both exciting and oddly sobering. As someone who has been building a dividend-oriented portfolio in Singapore for years, this moment is more than just a number.  It feels like validation, a recognition that Singapore-listed companies are not stagnant, and that patience can eventually be rewarded.  It is a reminder that value and yield still matter in the long run.  I have been collecting di...

This month marks the end of the 2nd quarter of 2025.  Thus it's definitely a good time for me to record the performance of my portfolio to track how it has been. To recap, I started my SG Dividends Portfolio in late 2017, and I began tracking the dividends and all reinvestment done starting 2018.  To date, my SG Dividends Portfolio consist of banks, REITs and defense technology.  On the other hand, I only started the US Growth Portfolio in late December 2021.  Currently, my US Growth Portfolio consist of mainly big tech names, bank and exchange traded funds (ETFs). Being a relatively conservative investor, I prefer to dollar cost average (DCA) into the market to slowly build up my portfolio.  The advantages of using Interactive Brokers to buy the US shares via DCA are undoubtedly the low fees and ability to buy fractional shares of mega-cap technology shares like Alphabet and Tesla.  This month is marked by many events which heightened the volatility of t...

Just for heads up, I think this post may ruffle some feathers, but I want to say that I am not targeting any specific person.  I am just sharing my thoughts through a general post.  Most of the following points are my personal opinions while some are thoughts share by my friends during casual discussions.  I am not against any individuals following the recommendations by gurus and performing the investment transactions on their own.  Instead, what is baffling me is why individuals pass their monies to gurus who will "invest" on their behalf. In today’s financial world, it has never been easier for individuals to start investing.  With low-cost Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), robo-advisors, and a mountain of free educational resources from books, YouTube videos and blogs, anyone with a smartphone and internet connection can begin building their own portfolio in just minutes.  Yet, despite this transformation in the investing world towards simplification, many...

Two and a half months ago, I shared a post titled " Handling Challenges With Positivity: Improving Health When There Is Less Work ", where I opened up about the struggles I was facing and the mindset I hoped to adopt to navigate them.  Today, as I look back on that chapter, I am filled with a deep sense of gratitude and renewed clarity.  Life has not become perfect, but I have changed, improved and adapted, and that in itself has made a world of difference for myself. Better in Body, Mind, and Spirit Since November 2024, I have lost 9% of my body weight.  That milestone did not come overnight, instead it came through consistent effort, healthier habits, and a shift in priorities.  More importantly, my latest health checkup confirmed that every one of my health metrics has either improved or stayed at a good level since February 2025.  This validation from within (my own body) means more to me than any external affirmation.  It is a reminder that progress ...