The Unnecessary Job

When I told a colleague that I was prepared to work all weekends in March as long as the firm was paying for them, she shot me a look of pity. "That's sad," she said, judgmentally. "Such a sell out," she then followed, derisively. I must say I do not quite understand. I mean sure, the firm is not paying us double (or even 1.5 times) our usual day rates for working weekends and public holidays. But honestly, extra income is extra income is extra income. There is no reason not to do it, especially if you were a high income earner and commanded a reasonably lucrative day rate. I worked it out; the additional income I expect to receive for basically working four weeks straight without a rest day was sufficient to pay three months rent.  To me, this is a no brainer. If the opportunity arises to do it again the next end-of-quarter, you can bet your last dollar that I'll do it. If that is selling out, then so be it.  I am a sell-out. But then again, are...

Being the browser equivalent of the Internet Explorer (sorry Bill),  I have only started reading the Tree of Prosperity blog by Chris. I highly encourage it for those who have not yet read his work. Very entertaining and, of course, insightful. Chris recently got a JD from SMU (post-retirement) at a not-paltry cost of S$70,000. Not something I would do when I attain FI - hits much too close to what I am currently doing.  But see that's the fucking beauty of FI. You got all the time in the world to do whatever shit you fancy. Chances are, plans will change, goals will shift, interests will wane, and new hobbies will arise.  Fluidity and flexibility is the essence of FI. Which is my standard reply to those who constantly ask "what are you going to do after retirement?" Yes, because finding something to do purely out of your own volition is the worst thing that could happen. Really. Surprisingly, it seems difficult for the average Singaporean to fathom an existence tha...

According to my FUMS, 2018 is a critical year for me. I termed it "the Litmus Year".  In particular, 2018 may (or may not) be the year in which I finally breach the 7-digit mark net worth.  *Fingers crossed* Since my RI days, I had always dreamed of making my first million bucks at age 35.  I am a bit behind schedule clearly. I have another 7 months before I say bye bye to my 35-year-old self.  And I certainly hope, whether by sheer hard work or insane luck, I am able to fulfill the promise I made to myself when I was still a naive secondary school kid. PORTFOLIO Mar 2018 No. of shares Last Traded Value AIMSAMP Cap Reit 81000 1.37 $110,970.00 Ascendas-hTrust 170000 0.855 $145,350.00 Cache Log Trust 13600 0.845 $11,492.00 Ezion 19500 0.197 $3,841.50 Frasers L&I Tr 170000 1.1 $187,000.00 SingTel 36000 3.49 $125,640.00 StarhillGbl Reit 20000 0.725 $14,500.00 (Co whom shall not be named) 14620 3.48 $52,403.93 Warchest $16,595.00 Visioncrest equi...

For about three years now, I have been tracking the total dividends received annually. The idea is that once I manage to hit a "magic" six-figure sum as passive income, it would be time to hang up the gloves, so to speak. The first year of doing so was utterly demoralizing. It was the January of 2015, and I was in a bad shape financially. I had emptied most of my savings on a down-payment for a condominium and burnt through another 30k on a wedding (which did not materialize by the way, don't ask). It was at this ultra low point of my life when I decided I needed a formalized plan for financial freedom. Merely talking about it is not enough. Taking haphazard steps towards it is not enough. Making some progress without a benchmark is not enough. I needed a real, solid plan. One with valid assumptions, credible modelling, and multiple checkpoints to properly monitor my progress. Enter the FUM Spreadsheet (FUMS). Or known as the Fuck-You-Money Spreads...