June 2015

7 tips to start stacking Silver coins or bars

June 23, 2015 sgwealthbuilder 499 Views 0 Comments

Below is a piece of editorial from Gold Silver City, a bullion dealer based in Singapore which exempted investment grade precious metals from the goods and services tax (GST). Just like Gold Silver City, one of the the goals of SG Wealth Builder is to educate Singaporeans on the merits of owning gold and silver bullion as a means of wealth preservation.

If you are new to stacking and don’t have a clear concept on how to start, here are some tips here. I am no expert, there are many more experts out there preaching their advice. Be cautious though, as many advice can be confusing and not suitable for newbies. I learnt this the hardway. I started some years ago and learnt through the school of trials and errors:-

start stacking silver — The joy of seeing your wealth grow

Start stacking silver with a clear budget. Know what amount of your disposable income you can afford to start stacking. Only use spare cash that you can afford, for example, how about reducing your entertainment expenses like that weekly drinking session? Or cut down on that expensive daily starbucks? Those small bills can pile up to be a good silver stack.
Do not get carried away and over-stack.

Career management

How to be successful in your career

June 21, 2015June 10, 2017 sgwealthbuilder 206 Views 0 Comments

Throughout my career, I have always heard people claiming that they should have certain level of salaries or pay increments to justify the cost of living in Singapore. My stance is that to we should first and foremost prove our values or worth to the organization in order to make that sort of demand to your employers. Simply telling your bosses that the inflation rate is much higher than your pay increment is not a valid reason for a higher pay check. Today, during lunchtime, my boss shared with me his insights on how to achieve career success.

Why do some people succeed in life?

Have you ever wondered why do some people able to achieve career success despite them having mediocre academic qualifications? Apparently, there are unique traits that make them stand out from the rest of the crowd and that is the ability to see challenges differently. Successful people would strive to prove their merits to their bosses before demanding his desired pay package. Most importantly, they view challenges as opportunities, rather than obstacles. This trait spurs them to achieve goals and drive them to career success. When faced with challenges or setbacks, instead of whining, they remain resilient and bounce back from failures.

Gold Property investment;

Release of second half 2015 Government Land Sales (GLS) Programme

June 17, 2015 sgwealthbuilder 219 Views 0 Comments

On 11 June 2015, the Singapore Government announced the second half 2015 (2H2015) Government Land Sales (GLS) Programme, which comprises 4 Confirmed List sites and 13 Reserve List sites. These sites can yield up to 7,825 private residential units, including 1,340 Executive Condominium (EC) units, and 277,580 sqm gross floor area (GFA) of commercial space.

Among the Confirmed List sites, Alexandra, Clementi and Siglap are expected to generate the most interest since they are located in matured estates. The Siglap site alone will generates about 750 units. Overall, the Confirmed List comprises 4 private residential sites (including 1 EC site) which can yield about 2,130 private residential units (including 520 EC units).

For the Reserve List, the Stirling site is bound to attract competitive bids from developers as it is located at the popular Queenstown area. The site can accomodate more than 1110 units. The Bedok South Avenue 3 site is also expected to generate interests among buyers as it is located near the Tanah Merah MRT and Bedok Town Centre. The Reserve List comprises 8 private residential sites (including 1 EC site), 2 commercial & residential sites, 2 commercial sites and 1 White site. These sites can yield about 5,695 private residential units as well as 275,580 sqm GFA of commercial space, mostly for office use.

Gold; silver

Texas building gold depository

June 17, 2015 sgwealthbuilder 142 Views 0 Comments

Below is a piece of editorial from BullionStar, a bullion dealer based in Singapore which exempted investment grade precious metals from the goods and services tax (GST). Just like BullionStar, one of the the goals of SG Wealth Builder is to educate Singaporeans on the merits of owning gold and silver bullion as a means of wealth preservation.

I found this article about Texas building a state owned gold vault making the gold in it “non-confiscatable” very interesting.

To summarize, the US state of Texas signed a bill into law 12 June that will allow Texas to build a gold and silver bullion depository. Texas is furthermore planning to repatriate USD 1 billion worth of bullion from the Federal Reserve in New York upon completion of the depository.

It thus looks like the state government in Texas are losing faith in the ability of the Federal government and central bank to safekeep bullion.

The law specifically includes a provision stating that a purported confiscation, requisition, seizure or other attempt to control the ownership is void and of no force or effect!

It’s perhaps not strange that Texas politicians are concerned about the financial health of the federal government.

Property investment; Singapore market;

SG Wealth Builder Email Interview with Co-Founder of FirstPropInvest.com

June 16, 2015June 16, 2015 sgwealthbuilder 177 Views 0 Comments

SG Wealth Builder is pleased to conduct an email interview with Myles Clement, co-founder of FirstPropInvest.com, a property platform that connects Singapore investors to the UK property developers.

1) Congratulations on the launch of FirstPropInvest.com! Can you share with the readers what gap or problem is the platform addressing?

Thank you! Firstpropinvest.com was created to give Singaporean investors CHOICE when looking to invest in the UK. We saw there is a gap in the market to create a clear, simple, impartial, platform that brings investors the latest UK properties directly, with no heavy sales tactics as we are not agents. Currently only the medium to large developers can afford to market their developments out here at great cost. Why not allow everyone to be able to market to the Far East market, bringing greater transparency, more choice, and hopefully better value to the investor, as opposed to being sold what is launched on any given weekend. We feel investors aren’t being given the best options available to them within their budgets. You have worked hard to buy that investment property in the UK why not have a choice.

2) Who is the target customers?
FirstPropInvest.com targets anyone who is interested in investing in property based in SE Asia, from the first time investor, to the professional investor with large portfolios already.

Property investment; Singapore market; private housing prices

Mortgage Interest Rates– Key Factors That Impacts it

June 13, 2015 sgwealthbuilder 201 Views 0 Comments

Interest Rate
Interest rate charged is the reward for taking the risk on the capital. Interest rate is often referred to as the “cost of funds” or hurdle rate.

Risk to Capital
If the lender perceives a higher default risk on capital lent out, the higher the interest demanded. The causes to credit risks can come from shocks to the financial system from within the country or beyond. As the world’s financial systems are increasingly interlinked, any credit event far away can increase potential default risk.

Demand for funds
The increased demand for funds when it outstrips the supply will also cause interest rates to rise. Genuine demand of funds comes from the industry’s need for investment. Industry will borrow money for investments if they think their investments returns can better the interest rate. This type of capital demand can help a country increase its productive capacity. The other types of demand are for household consumption such as housing mortgages, car loans, renovation loans or personal consumption.

Supply of funds
The supply of funds varies in each country. The supply of funds can come in local currency or
foreign currency. The supply of funds generally comes from the banks. The banks in turn receive
their funds from equity and depositor’s funds.

Gold; currency

BullionStar: Storage of Coins

June 2, 2015 sgwealthbuilder 178 Views 0 Comments

A common question that our customers ask us is, “How do I keep my precious metals such that its’ condition will be immaculate forever?” The short answer is that for silver, it is not possible since silver tarnishing is a natural process, as discussed in another editorial by my colleague Gustav. However, there are ways in which we can delay the process for as long as possible so that your precious metals are still beautiful to look at.

1.Keeping your precious metals in a cool and dry place

For collectors who are beginning their collection, it would be good to invest in a good storage solution in order to protect the coins. One could consider large air-tite boxes or even camera cabinets that allows for the adjustment of humidity. Do take care to keep the boxes in a place where it would not be exposed to high temperatures or light.