Top 5 Personal Finance Blog Articles

As the year draws to a close, it is timely to review how you have fared financially for 2017. Are your personal finances in order and did you grow your wealth? In this article, I will share my journey for the past one year and also the top 5 personal finance blog articles (in terms of traffic).

This year has been an exciting one for my family as we have finally moved into our new home. The motivation to upgrade from a 3-room HDB flat to an executive condominium was not purely a financial reason. Sure, the potential to “cash out” after the Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) is tempting. After all, ECs are sold at subsidized prices and home owners stand to make handsome profit after selling their homes. But the case for my family is different. We wanted our children to grow up in a better environment and forge a better future.

Due to the upgrade, I have done extensive research relating to home ownership, property taxes, home loans and financial matters relating to CPF. The analysis and strategies were subsequently shared in this blog. Many readers had feedback that they found the articles useful and insightful. Their comments had been heartening, so I have compiled the list to benefit those who may have missed out these gems. Now, I am ready to share these important articles which could be game-changing to your wealth journey.

To access the exclusive articles, you must register and be a member of SG Wealth Builder. There is a need for me to look after the welfare of paying members who have supported my blog and believe in this project. Therefore if you wanted to grow, come and be part of the community.

Rank #1: The thin fine line between “Joint Tenancy” and “Tenancy-in-Common” (15,000 page views)

In 2015, I wrote this article as my family was considering whether to upgrade or buy a second property. Because of this, I researched and blogged about the difference between “joint tenancy” and “tenancy-in-common”. Little did I expect that this article turned out to be the most popular in my blog. On hindsight, the reason for its popularity could be because the information enables Singaporeans to leverage on “99-to-1 Tenancy-in-Common” and avoid Additional Buyer Stamp Duty (ABSD).

What is exactly joint tenancy and why is it important for you to know? How can you leverage on this knowledge to avoid paying more taxes and build wealth with property? Check out this enlightening article through the link below. Don’t be in the dark as ignorance is not bliss when it comes to building wealth.

HDB: The thin fine line between “Joint Tenancy” and “Tenancy-in-Common”

Rank #2: Devastating HDB Loan and CPF Accrued Interest (12,500 page views)

This is another article that is related to my new home. There was a lot of financial planning in the course of selling my previous HDB flat, redeeming my HDB home loan, getting the best home loan for my EC and calculating the amount of monies to be refunded back to our CPF accounts. All these activities had an impact on our household cash flow. As a result, I had written this article to document down the lessons learned and how readers can avoid the pitfalls.

This article garnered much interests among readers. There are those who agreed with my opinions while there are those who didn’t. Nevertheless, I am glad that this article generated healthy discussions and created awareness. Aspiring home owners or those planning to upgrade should check out the article below:

Devastating HDB Loan and CPF Accrued Interest

Rank #3: Biggest Myths about CPF Nomination (11,000 page views)

For the longest time, I have procrastinated doing it. Well, after much research, I have finally made my CPF nomination successfully. In the process, I realized that the framework is not as simple as what many Singaporeans thought. In addition, I have debunked the biggest myths about CPF nomination.

I am glad to have made the choice of nominating my CPF monies. In doing so, I have played my part in passing my legacy to my loved ones. This article stands out because it dispelled many misconceptions about CPF monies. Don’t miss out the important messages contained in the article.

Biggest Myths about CPF Nomination

Rank #4: $500 profits from UOB Gold Savings Account (7,500 page views)

To be frank, I am surprised that this article got into this list because many Singaporeans prefer investing in stocks to buying gold. Perhaps, in view of the geo-political tensions in recent years, wealth builders scrambled to buy gold which is traditionally viewed as a safe haven. In this article, I shared my journey with gold and my strategies on building wealth with gold bullion.

Another reason for the popularity of this article could be because many Singaporeans may not be aware of where to buy gold bars in Singapore. Check out this article to find out how to buy gold in Singapore.

$500 profits from UOB Gold Savings Account

Rank #5: The Dark Side of CPF Withdrawal Limit (5,800 page views)

If you think that you can use all your CPF Ordinary Account monies to finance your housing loan, then you could be in for a huge shock. In the course of buying my new home, I realized the limit that I could withdraw from my CPF differed from what I had expected it to be. The information had been crucial to enable my family to strategize the financing of my EC.

Many readers wonder the difference between bank loan and HDB loan. Beyond the interest rates, there are indeed significant differences that could potentially change the game for you. Don’t be in the dark. Find out the unknowns in the following article.

The Dark Side of CPF Withdrawal Limit

SG Wealth Builder Membership

I hope readers find the above article useful. Over in SG Wealth Builder, I have been trying to build a community of investors. It is in this spirit that I recently launched a beta version of SG Wealth Builder Membership. My aim is to share knowledge on the proper way to build wealth.

Although there are still a lot of technical bugs to be resolved, responses from readers had been encouraging. Going forward, I will be locking up all the personal finance articles in this blog and make them exclusive for members only. Henceforth, I hope readers can continue to show support for this project by subscribing as members through the following plans:

Monthly Payment, Recurring Plan For less than $1.00 a day, members get to access all the articles by paying monthly fee of $19.99.

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Magically yours,

SG Wealth Builder