~~Towards Barista FIRE~~

This will be a relatively short post, just to update on the transactions for the month. For the month of May, it was a rather muted month compared to April.  The old adage of “Sell in May and Go Away” seemed to be missing this year, especially when the US markets have rebounded strongly back towards the high, as Trump continues to reach tariff deals of some sort with various countries.  How long will this last before Trump changes again is anyone's guess, and probably only Trump himself knows.  The only triggering event this month is the downgrade of US credit rating by Moody's from AAA to AA1.  Moody's is the last rating agency to 'kick' US out of the triple A ratings club, with Fitch Rating last downgraded US back in 2023. Another event that triggered me from making many moves this month is the further weakening of the USD.  Back in April, USD : SGD has weakened from 1 : 1.35 to 1 : 1.31.  In May, the exchange rate has dropped below 1.30.  So probab...

With the popularity of AI currently, I heard of many folks asking AI how well their portfolio is, and what be done to further improve their personal portfolio.  To join in the fun, I decided to the same, and asked ChatGPT the following questions: 1)     How does my current portfolio compare to the All Weather Portfolio (AWP)? 2)     Is my current portfolio sustainable for preserving and growing wealth? 3)     Can my portfolio reliably support living off dividends within 4 years (when I retire in JB)? The following are all the responses and analysis generated by AI. 1)      How does my current portfolio compare to the All Weather Portfolio (AWP)? Asset Allocation vs. All Weather Portfolio Key Differences: a)     Still very equity-heavy (73% vs. 30%) – more volatile and growth-prone, but riskier in downturns. b)     Low allocation to hard assets like gold/commodities. c)     ...

This is going to be a relatively short post as it is just going to serve as a reminder and reflection for my personal investing journey.  Nothing discussed here should be treated as financial advice of any sorts, it is just my personal thoughts and actions. In my previous post , I mentioned that I have the intention to liquidate part of my US Growth Portfolio to either further diversify into the Malaysia stock market, or to channel the funds back to the Singapore market.  The purpose for doing this is to further prop up my dividend portfolio, to increase my dividend income for the years ahead.  At the same time, I would probably focus solely on growing my US Portfolio via ETFs like VOO, VTV and FXI in my portfolio moving forward, instead of individual shares.  At the start of May, the currency movements were worrisome as the US Dollar started weakening rapidly against major currencies as well as all ASEAN currencies.  In addition, Singapore Dollar has also weake...

This month, I added 2 companies into my SG Dividend Portfolio, namely Kimly and Riverstone.  In this post, I will document my reasons for choosing these 2 specific stocks and some of the pros and cons of owning their shares.  Currently it is just a small addition, and they only take up less than 1% allocation in my overall portfolio.  However do note that this is not financial advice.  I am not recommending anyone to buy or sell these shares.  All that is written below is for my personal perusal and a record of my investing journey.  If any of the numbers provided below are wrongly stated, I would like to apologize in advance and kindly highlight to me to do the necessary amendment. Why I Decided to Buy Kimly Shares Kimly is a Singapore-based Food & Beverage (F&B) operator, and one of the largest traditional coffee shop operators in Singapore.  Its business is divided into Coffee Shop (Outlet Management), Food Retail (e.g. food courts, mixed ri...

This is going to be a relatively short post as it is just going to serve as a reminder and reflection for my personal investing journey.  Nothing discussed here should be treated as financial advice of any sorts, it is just my personal thoughts. It has been 88 months since January 2018 till April 2025, and I think it is a good time (and an auspicious number) for me to start looking back and reflecting on my investing journey thus far.  January 2018 is the time when I started recording and tabulating my investing journey with a concrete plan in mind.  I had decided to invest for the long term and accumulate shares of good companies for the long time, with dividend play in mind. Initially, portfolio growth was mainly due to capital injection and any growth was slow.  However, I understand this is how dividend investing is going to be.  No rocket to the moon, no exciting multi-baggers, just slow and steady compounding in play, and I am fine with it.  This is b...

As 2025 unfolds, savvy investors in Singapore are watching closely as a combination of macro-economic shifts unfolds: T-bills' interests are softening, the Singapore Savings Bonds (SSB) are offering declining yields, high-yield savings accounts like UOB One and OCBC 360 are trimming their headline rates, and the much-loved Central Provident Fund (CPF) Special Account (SA) for individuals aged 55 and above has officially closed. With these traditionally safe, fixed-income options becoming less attractive or obsolete, the big question on my mind is "will this wave of capital now turn towards the Singapore stock market, particularly into high-dividend plays like REITs and bank stocks, and push their prices higher"? Why I Think More Liquidity May Enter the Market And Boost Dividend Stocks 1)      The Income Substitution Effect With the erosion of “safe” passive income options like T-bills, SSBs, and high-yield savings accounts, income-seeking investors, especially retir...