The Unnecessary Job

Ah, the original FIRE anthem. Obviously the song is a little bit dated (written in 2001 I believe) and there are limits as to the FIRE lifestyle one may reasonably finance with $1M today. But it is probably not a stretch to say that, this song served as inspiration for many FIRE compatriots when they were starting out. I am 35 going on 36 in 3 months'  time.  And I am pleased to announce that, excluding any CPF funds, my total Assets Under Management (AUM) crossed the milestone 1M mark this month. June 2018 AUM AIMSAMP Cap Reit 81000 1.4 $113,400.00 Ascendas-hTrust 235000 0.78 $183,300.00 Cache Log Trust 13600 0.77 $10,472.00 Ezion 19500 0.091 $1,774.50 Frasers L&I Tr 189700 1.05 $199,185.00 SingTel 36000 3.08 $110,880.00 StarhillGbl Reit 20000 0.645 $12,900.00 Co whom shall not be named 14620 4.45 $67,010.77 Warchest $56,202.00 Property sale proceeds (cash) $245,000.00 TOTAL $1,000,124.27 Almost didn't make it due to a particularly annoying Tel...

A much-awaited, all-time high dividend income was recorded this month June 2018.  We should be looking to continually break this record in the years to come. This month's star performers are: Ascendas H Trust - $7,355.50 Frasers Logistic Trust - $ 6,137.00 AIMSAMP - $2,130.30 Total - $15,622.80 Combined with the May distributions by Cache Log Trust and Starhill Global, the TOTAL DIVIDEND INCOME for 2Q 2018 is $16,045.76. Combined with 1Q distributions, my half yearly passive income is $22,266.40, which translates into a tracking monthly income of around S$ 3,711 per month. Far from ideal. Will be looking to drastically raise this number by re-investing my capital  once I receive the proceeds from my property sale. My June earned income is also expected to be slightly more than normal due to the extra weekends worked. This is also the end of the financial year for my firm, which means performance-linked incentive bonus cash and stock payouts would be made in...

 Ong Ye Kung clearly did not receive the memo to speak plainly. To wit, Ong visited the Swiss, fawned over their education system, and suggested importing particular aspects of their system. In a three page borefest , Kelly Ng of Todayonline notes: He noted the Swiss system’s emphasis on vocational training and “alternate pathways” for nurturing talent have created a more egalitarian society — one where parents and children pick either the academic or apprenticeship route based on a child’s interests, talent and aptitudes. The Swiss society also “embraces and celebrates many forms of achievements and success”, said Mr Ong. Here we go again with that "multiple pathway to success". You know why Swiss society can celebrate "many forms of achievements and success"? Because of substantial income equality . For example a postal worker in Switzerland makes an average annual income of  S$90,335. A teacher? S$118,684.  A doctor? S$149,202. Yes, doctors an...

Starhill Global REIT Disclaimer: I am of course not a financial advisor and anything posted in this blog cannot and should not be taken to constitute financial advice of any sort. Last traded price as of 7 June 2018: $0.68 SG REIT is trading at a huge 26% discount to Net Asset Value ($0.92). Its DPU has declined consistently since FY 2015/16 from 5.11, to 4.92 and 4.57 (estimated 7% decline for FY17/18). Have we reached rock bottom for SG REIT in terms of DPU? Perhaps not, but I have a feeling we are quite close. In terms of office space, recovery appears to be on its way . SG REIT has completed its enhancement works on Plaza Arcade in Perth and its anchor tenant Uniqlo will move in by mid 2018. While we cannot predict whether the retail sector will rebound in Singapore, my gut feel is that further downside is unlikely, given the robust performance of the SG economy (up 4.3% y-o-y for Q1 2018). Because it pays to be a hum ji kia, for safety, we may assume a fu...