Beware of Ponzi-like gold scams in Singapore

June 7, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 956 Views 0 Comments

Published by BullionStar Singapore

Always remember, caveat emptor (buyer beware)

It is important for each one of us to do due diligence, in whatever endeavors we undertake. When it comes to precious metals investing, for example, you could not afford to think that just because the investment is sound, it follows that you can’t go wrong.

Look at all the gold exchange-traded funds and mutual funds whose values are derived from gold futures, the physical gold of which does not even exist. If you try to have such paper gold delivered, you’ll be left with nothing. This is why we advocate buying physical gold, the type that is stored in finite supply in your residence, or in our vault.

But even within the physical gold market, we can expect scammers to spring up, finding a way to defraud investors. Here’s a tip: whenever you hear about a certain company, just search on the Web, ‘Company X scam.’ If the search results show a lot of complaining customers or court cases, stay away!

Note, however, that these companies are aware of their Google-savvy potential clientele. The company may have ‘planted’ their own positive reviews that have the search word ‘scam’ in them.

salaries

Civil Service Mid-year Payments

June 7, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 1310 Views 0 Comments

It is that time of the year in which civil servant collect mid-year bonus. For this year, it is heartening to note that the government accepted NWC’s recommendation to raise the wages of low-wage workers by at least $60. Not much though, but definitely a step in the right direction to help the low income group who struggle with rising living expenses. As the economy matures, there should be more schemes in placed to ensure that this group of Singaporeans are not left behind.

The Singapore economy grew by 0.2% in the first quarter of 2013, compared to 3.3% in the previous quarter. The Ministry of Trade and Industry forecasts GDP growth of 1% to 3% for 2013. The global economy is expected to improve gradually this year with modest growth in the US and moderate growth in Asia supported by healthy domestic demand, although the Eurozone is expected to remain in recession. Risks to the global growth outlook remain, such as a potential flare-up of the Eurozone debt crisis and fiscal uncertainties in the US. The overall unemployment rate in Singapore remained low at 1.9% in Mar 2013.

Against this backdrop, the Government has decided to pay a mid-year Annual Variable Component (AVC) of 0.4-month.

Investments

Investing in Singapore Government Securities (SGS)

June 6, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 985 Views 0 Comments

As a form of risk diversification, it is important for every investor to maintain a portfolio investment consisting of different asset classes such as equities, currency, precious metals, property and bonds. Typically, these asset classes move in opposite directions and therefore smooth out the volatility in your portfolio in different economic scenarios.

In the current low interest rate environment, it may be prudent to invest bonds. Below is some of my research on Singapore government bonds – SGS, extracted from the www.sgs.gov.sg. The information below is for sharing and not to be misconstrued as financial advice or recommendation.

What Are Singapore Government Securities (SGS)
Singapore Government Securities (SGS) are marketable debt instruments of the Government of Singapore. These debt instruments take the form of either Treasury bills (T-bills) or bonds, and are considered safe investments, as they are backed by the full faith and credit of the Singapore Government. The terms of issuance for T-bills and bonds are governed by the Local Treasury Bills Act and the Government Securities Act respectively.The Singapore Government is obliged to pay the holders of SGS a fixed sum of money on the maturity date of the securities. SGS cannot be cashed in before their maturity dates, but investors can always sell them in the SGS market.

Gold; portfolio management

BullionStar’s My Vault

June 6, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 940 Views 1 Comment

For international and domestic investors seeking a safe haven for their precious metals, BullionStar’s “My Vault Storage” offers a convenient, end-to-end solution for the purchase, sale, storage, and delivery of an assortment of bullion products.

Bullion investors assume a considerable amount of risk keeping even a moderate amount of bullion in uninsured storage solutions. Also, the fact that there is more “paper” Gold or Silver in circulation than there are backing of physical precious metals increases the risk of defaults on the commodity exchanges.

Even though Singapore is a safe country with low crime rates, gold investors should not take chances with their precious metals. If you have a substantial holding of bullion, it makes sense to store them at a secure facility run by a reputable company. In this regard, only a bullion vault should provide gold investors a form of assurance that their gold or silver bars are in safe hand.

By engaging the services of some of the top secure storage facilities in Singapore, one of the safest countries in the world, and with easy to use online system, Bullion Star is able to address these concerns with “My Vault Storage”. BullionStar provides the maximum level of security for your wealth by minimizing physical, economic and political risks to your precious metal holdings.

Stocks

Is Haw Par Corporation a dividend stock?

June 5, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 1 Views 0 Comments

Many Singaporeans can probably relate Haw Par Corp as the manufacturer of the famous Tiger Balm but how many investors know that it also owns the famous Underwater World at Sentosa? I like this company because it had been consistently giving out dividends for the past 20 years. The company is cash rich, is financially strong and is trading at below net asset value.

However, this counter has risen in value so much for the past two years that it is beyond my entry price, which is $4.00. Looks like I have to wait until the next stock market crash to load up this overlooked stock in SGX.

The original business of manufacturing and distributing through Southeast Asia pharmaceuticals under the Tiger Brand names, the best known of which is ‘Tiger Balm’, was founded at the turn of the century. This was subsequently incorporated under the name, Haw Par Brothers (Pte) Ltd and in 1969, Haw Par Brothers Intl Ltd was formed to acquire the main part of that business. The Company took on its present name, Haw Par Corporation Ltd in December 1997.

In the seventies and eighties, it has grown into a conglomerate with diversified interests. The Group’s core business in healthcare and leisure products promotes healthy lifestyles through its health products, Haw Par’s healthcare products are manufactured and marketed under its established Tiger Balm and Kwan Loong brands.

Book review; investment

Financial Independence (Getting to Point X)

June 2, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 646 Views 0 Comments

Below is a press release on Financial Independence (Getting to Point X), a personal finance book. Readers can pick up valuable tips on how to manage personal wealth.

Written by John J. Vento, an expert with decades of experience helping people of all walks of life realize their dreams of financial independence, Financial Independence (Getting to Point X): An Advisor’s Guide to Comprehensive Wealth Management (Wiley; March 2013; 978-1-118-46021-4) arms you with the knowledge and tools you need to get to your Point X—the point at which you no longer have to work for your money but where your money works for you.

Throughout our lives, we will encounter many questions and problems relating to money, but every one of them will fall, in some way, under one or more of the 10 Key Wealth Management issues addressed in this book.

No matter how you define your particular path to financial independence or “Point X,” whether it is an annual income of $25,000 or an estate of $250 million, you need to not only understand but effectively deal with 10 fundamental wealth management issues. They are:

Committing to living within your means and conscientiously saving for the future;
Understanding taxes and how to effectively minimize your tax obligation;
Realistically defining your standard of living, including your net worth and your current cash flow;
Managing debt;
Insuring yourself and your family in case of extreme illness or death;
Protecting your property;
Planning for the education of yourself and your children;
Investing intelligently and productively;
Planning for retirement; and
Preserving your estate.

Parenting

Father’s Day

June 1, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 794 Views 0 Comments

Father’s Day is approaching soon. In the past, this date has always held not much significance for me. My family would usually have a dinner celebration for Mother’s Day. But not for Father’s Day. It is not that my family don’t love my Dad or whatever. Just that it’s not my family’s style to express our appreciation for my Dad in such manner.

But this year is different because it will be the my first Father’s day without my Dad, who passed away at home a few months ago. I think I haven’t really gotten over his death because when he passed away, I was not at his bedside. I was on a business trip in India and could not make it back in time to see him for the last time.

For the past few days, I missed my Dad a lot. I reminisce my childhood times spent with my Dad. He was a hardworking man who spent a lot of time at work, so my siblings and myself don’t often get to see him at home. Once in a blue moon, when he was free, he would bring us to amusement parks. I loved those trips because I would get to ride in his 6 wheels Nissan lorry.

Stocks

Biosensors declares dividend payout of USD$0.02

May 31, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 766 Views 0 Comments

Biosensors announced a set of good results. Below is a short write-up on this SGX-listed company.

Quick Glance
1) Net Profit: US$115milliom
2) Cash and cash equivalent: US$614million
3) Net current asset: US$688million
4) Long term borrowing: US$277million
5) Net cash from operation: US$123million
6) Net asset value per share: US$0.72

Performance Summary for FY13
For the full year FY13, total revenue was US$336.2 million, a 15% increase from the fiscal year ended 31 March 2012 (FY12). Total product revenue was US$278.5 million, a 32% year-on-year increase while IVP revenue rose 35% year-on-year to US$264.9 million, primarily driven by growth in the Company’s DES sales and the consolidation of JWMS’ financial results starting from the third quarter of FY12 (Q3 FY12). CCP revenue was US$13.6 million, a 7% decrease from US$14.6 million in FY12. Licensing and royalties revenue was US$57.7 million, down US$23.1 million or 29% from US$80.8 million in FY12.

Gross margin on total product sales was 81% for FY13, a significant improvement from 73% in FY12 attributable to more favorable geographical and product mix as well as greater economies of scale.
Total operating expenses accounted for 57% of product revenue in FY13, compared to 61% for FY12.

Gold

Gold as part of your investment portfolio

May 30, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 888 Views 0 Comments

After posting several articles on BullionStar Singapore, a number of readers had emailed me to query my views on the gold market developments. Generally, I am still confident in the long term prospect of gold due to the emerging middle classes from India and China accelerating gold demand.

But more importantly, to be successful wealth builders, I believe investors should hold bullion in their investment portfolio. This is because gold prices often move in opposite direction to stocks and currency. So allocating gold in your portfolio can help to serve as a form of hedge against inflation and preserve your portfolio’s value.

Holistic view on gold investments
How do you become rich through investing in gold? The matter of fact is, investors should hold a long term view on gold and not expect quick returns from the precious metal. They should consider it as a form of diversification to lower risk for their investment portfolio.

Very often, I read articles from many bloggers in The Finance.sg sharing their own stock investments. Many of them pumped in hundred of thousands of dollars on shares, REITs and ETF. Their investment performances were impressive indeed but if the stock market plunged suddenly, large portions of their investment values would be wiped off overnight.

Stocks

Super Group Q1 Net Profit Grew 24%

May 28, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 667 Views 0 Comments

Super Group Ltd is a stock which I like very much and has been tracking for several years now. The company is a leading instant F&B with market dominance in SE Asia. It manufactures and distributes branded consumer products, primarily instant coffee, instant cereals and instant tea mixes products, for which it maintains top market positions in key markets throughout SE Asia.

1Q13 Results

Net profit increased 24% YoY to S$22.9m from S$18.5m

Sales up 9% YoY to S$132.4m from S$121.6m

Earnings per share up 25% to 3.97 cents

In line with the strategy of focusing on the Group’s core business, the Company entered into a

conditional sale and purchase agreement in May 2013 to dispose its 35.3% interest in Sun Resources Holdings Pte Ltd, an associated company engaging in property development. The total consideration amounted to $26m and will result in a gain of approximately S$16m upon completion. I viewed this as a good development because the group would then be able to focus on it core business and continue to enhance its brand.

The company has strong financial strength and coupled with its strong branding in SE Asia, I believe it can scale new heights within the next decade.

Gold

GST exemption for Gold and Silver

May 23, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 1504 Views 0 Comments

The following information is extracted from Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore’s e-Tax Guide.

With effect from 1 Oct 2012, the importation and supply of IPM in Singapore are exempt from GST. The supply of IPM which is exported continues to be zero-rated. However, only precious metals in the form of a bar, ingot, wafer and coin which meet certain criteria can qualify as IPM. To provide certainty, precious metal coins that qualify as IPM are prescribed in the GST Act. Precious metals which do not meet the criteria cannot qualify as IPM and the supply of non-IPM continues to be taxable. Examples of non-IPM are jewellery, scrap precious metals, numismatic coins and precious metals which are refined by refiners who are not on the “Good Delivery” list of the London Bullion Market Association or the London Platinum and Palladium Market.

Criteria for IPM bar, ingot and wafer
To qualify for GST exemption, the precious metal must meet all of the following criteria:
(a) It is gold of at least 99.5% purity, silver of at least 99.9% purity or platinum of at least 99% purity.
(b) It is capable of being traded on the international bullion market.
A precious metal bar, ingot or wafer refined by a refiner with the following accreditation/ endorsement is regarded as meeting this criterion:

(i) For gold and silver, a refiner in the current or former “Good Delivery” list of the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA)

(ii) For platinum, a refiner in the current or former “Good Delivery” list of the London Platinum & Palladium Market (LPPM)

(iii) A refiner who intends to be in the “Good Delivery” list of the LBMA (for gold and silver) or LPPM (for platinum) and is endorsed by the International Enterprise (IE) Singapore.

Money management; personal finance

Buying insurance

May 22, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 764 Views 2 Comments

Attached below is a comment from one of my readers in response to my post “Why I don’t believe in financial adviser”. I feel that there is a need to clarify my position and let my readers know more about my background.

I work in the aviation industry and has never worked in the financial sector before. The articles in this blog are a collection of my thoughts and personal experiences. Readers must not misconstrue the articles in this blog as financial advice.

My thinking is that you don’t have to be a qualified financial analyst in order to point out the inherent flaws in our financial industry. Any Tom, Dick and Harry can do so.

For many years, job titles like “financial advisers” or “financial consultants” have been too loosely used in Singapore by many insurance agents who are only interested in selling expensive whole-life insurance policies. Instead of educating the public on buying term and investing the rest, these FA often hard-sell unit trusts, investment-linked and whole-life insurances to customers. They often target customers’ desire to become rich and retire early.

Very often, the customers’ interest and needs are not met or aligned at all. To make matter worse, many FA are also not upfront with the commission or fees they are collecting from customers.

personal finance

Preparing for the worst through CPF nominations

May 16, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 1152 Views 0 Comments

Life is fragile and unpredictable. Many Singaporeans are so focused in making more money but they often fail to realize the importance of planning for the worst. If you think that preparing for the worst is all about buying expensive life insurance policies from your financial advisers, then you are wrong.

My dad passed away earlier this year. It was unexpected and my family was totally unprepared for his demise. Like many Singaporeans, my father did not plan his estate distribution and left without a Will. So we had some problems trying to close his bank saving accounts.

We were also initially unsure how to claim his CPF monies. Thankfully CPF Board wrote to us and informed that he had made a CPF nomination many years ago, so we were able to withdraw his CPF monies within weeks. The lesson learned out of this episode is to have a proper planning for financial matters while you are still around. It is important that you set clear directions on how you want the money which you worked hard for in your life to be distributed according to your wishes after you passed on.

Intestate Succession Act
In the absence of a will, your assets will be distributed according to the Intestate Succession law.

Stocks

Boustead’s 10 Consecutive Years of Dividend

May 15, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 885 Views 1 Comment

Not many listed companies in Singapore can claim to have more than 100 years of history. Boustead belongs to this handful group of companies.

Boustead is a progressive global Engineering Services & Geo-Spatial Technology Group offering an extensive range of specialized engineering services and geo-spatial solutions. Its suite of engineering services is geared to fulfil the demands of specialized engineering fields such as energy-related engineering (for oil & gas / petrochemicals and solid waste energy recovery), water & wastewater engineering and industrial real estate solutions.

Under its geo-spatial technology arm, the Group provides consulting services and distribute ESRI geo-spatial technology to major markets across Australia, South East Asia and South Asia.

Dividend History
Although Boustead has no formal dividend policy, it has a tradition of paying dividends linked to long-term net profit growth. Boustead has achieved respectable growth in dividends over the past ten years, with a compounded annual growth rate of 21% over that period.

Their history of annual dividend payments includes:
1)Ten consecutive years of dividend payments;
2) Growth in the ordinary dividend to 5 cents per share in FY2012 after maintaining the ordinary dividend at 4 cents per share for four consecutive years; and
3) Paying a total of 33.75 cents in cash dividends over ten consecutive years, equivalent to almost 200% of the purchase price of the Boustead share at 17 cents at the beginning of FY2003.

Gold; silver

BullionStar Singapore’s Gold & Silver Products

May 13, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 967 Views 2 Comments

BullionStar offers brand new gold bars from well-renowned LBMA certified producers. The manufacturers BullionStar works with include Heraeus and PAMP Suisse.
Renowned for 160 + years, BullionStar’s partner mint Heraeus produces gold bars from 1 gram to 1 kilogramBullionStar is also proud to offer bullion products from PAMP Suisse, one of the world’s leading bullion brands well known for its attractively designed products.

Silver Bars are available in sizes from 31,1 gram (1 troy oz) to 31,1 kg (1000 troy oz). BullionStar offers different LBMA certified brands including Heraeus, PAMP Suisse, Royal Canadian Mint & Johnson Matthey bars.
For a larger investment in silver, BullionStar offers very attractive silver bars in the sizes of 1 kg, 100 oz and 1000 oz.

Even for the astute investor, it might be worthwhile to also consider gold coins rather than only gold bars. Some of the following advantages can be attributed to gold coins compared to gold bars.
– Coins are more suitable in a scenario where precious metals return as money or means of payment.
– Small units carry higher premiums when shortages appear.
– Coins can be sold or consumed individually.

BullionStar carries a wide assortment of different gold coins in different sizes.

Gold; silver

The Silver Bull Market: Investing in the Other Gold

May 12, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 840 Views 1 Comment

In The Silver Bull Market: Investing in the Other Gold, Shayne McGuire examines the vital investment considerations about silver alongside the significant drivers of the metal’s bull market. Although silver moves closely with gold in financial markets, it differs from its sister metal in that more than half of demand is derived from multiple industrial processes.

While its significant reliance on film photography has ended, today silver’s industrial demand is driven by technological progress (brazing alloys and solders, smart phones, tablets, plasma panels and new applications like silk-screened circuit paths and radio frequency ID tags); photovoltaics (solar panels); and new medical applications (silver is both biocidal and highly conductive).

Though Warren Buffett disdains gold for its lack of utility, he regards silver differently: in the late 1990s, he purchased 130 million ounces, one-fifth of global production at the time. After outperforming virtually all other investment classes for more than a decade, gold is being reincorporated into the financial system as an asset deserving a position, large or small, in mainstream diversified portfolios. Leaving aside the metal’s rediscovered diversification benefits (it tends to go in the opposite direction when stocks go down sharply), gold has risen as a viable investment alternative in today’s environment of unhinged global government spending and monetary expansion.

Retirement

CPF adjustments

May 9, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 1055 Views 0 Comments

Below is a government press release announcing the changes in the CPF Minimum Sum and Medisave Minimum Sum. The increase in the CPF MS represented a 6.5% increase and the Medisave MS represented a 5.1% increase from 2012. Note that both rates are much higher than the core inflation rates in Singapore 2012.

Whilst I understand that the adjustments are necessary to help Singaporeans meet their retirement and healthcare needs, I question the need to peg the adjustments at a rate higher than the inflation rate.

Why is there a need to set aside so much money in our CPF Retirement and Medisave accounts? Does it really help and benefit Singaporeans? If so, why set so many restrictions for medical claims from our Medisave accounts?

The money in our Medisave Account belongs to us, so why restrict us from using it for medical costs? Obviously I am concerned as I am in my early thirties and at the rate it is going, the Minimum Sums could be half a million by the time I retire. I really hate to think that after slogging for decades, I cannot even touch or smell my hard-earned CPF monies.

CPF Minimum Sum
CPF members who turn 55 between 1 July 2013 and 30 June 2014 will need to set aside a Minimum Sum (MS) of $148,000 in their Retirement Account (RA).

Gold; portfolio management

Good time to buy physical gold?

May 8, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 804 Views 0 Comments

SG Wealth Builder is pleased to conduct another interview with BullionStar Singapore on gold investments.

Recently, gold prices has dipped quite a lot. In your view, do you think its only a correction or the start of a bear trend for bullion?

Many relate the slump in prices due to the recovering US economy and news that the Feds are easing on their QE programs. Other factors include China, being a net importer of gold, not performing as well economically as expected and Cyprus selling its gold reserves to clear its debts.

However, as investors are dumping “paper” gold in the market, we are experiencing a completely opposite environment here in the physical precious metals market. People are rushing in to buy physical precious metals to take advantage of the low prices right now to the extent that the mints/refineries are not producing enough to meet demands.

We are looking at a 6-8 weeks lead time upon ordering and premiums are increasing because of the rise in demand. With such heavy buying in the physical market, it will only be a matter of time when the investors and traders become bullish again and start to push the price of gold up.

Book review; investment

The Value Investors: Lessons from the World’s Top Fund Managers

May 6, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 726 Views 1 Comment

When I was approached to do a book review on “The Value Investors: Lessons from the World’s Top Fund Managers” last year, I was quite hesitant because I don’t believe in fund managements. As a self-style investor, I prefer a more hands on approach to investing. Even if I lose my monies, at least I learnt some lessons out of my investment mistakes. However, when I chanced upon a review by another fellow blogger, I changed my mind.

Apparently this book is an investment-biography book which features interviews of twelve value-investing legends from around the world, learning how their personal background, culture, and life experiences have shaped their investment mindset and strategy. These men, who became strong advocates of the approach despite considerable age and cultural differences, include: Mark Mobius, Irving Kahn, William Browne, Teng Ngiek Lian, V-Nee Yeh, Shuhei Abe and many more.

The book’s focus is on the investment techniques and approach of value investing. The content is engaging and unravels how these investors, each of whom has a unique value perspective, have consistently beaten the stock market over the years. The book attempts to answer some pressing questions such as “Do these value-investing legends share a trait that allows this to happen?”,

Stocks

Singapore Dividend Stocks: Making Passive Income

May 3, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 888 Views 0 Comments

Below is an article from guest blogger, Richard who works as a stock analyst and has 3 years of experience in the stock market. He likes to write articles and hope to share his experiences with investors in Singapore If you would like additional SGX Dividend Stocks data, information or screening tools, please visit website http://sg.dividendinvestor.com, a leading source for in-depth research and analysis for stock investments.

One of the best ways to diversify a dividend growth portfolio is investing internationally. Singapore is an excellent country in which investors can look for the companies that have a stable earnings and long history of dividend growth. There are several reasons behind it such as: Singapore’s companies have benefits of easy access to the world’s second largest economy, China, as well as many other growing economies in Southeast Asia, region, such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

DBS Group Holding Ltd (SGX: D05) –

DBS Group Holding Limited is an investment holding company in Singapore. The company operates through its main subsidiary DBS Bank Ltd. This bank is engages in the provision of retail, small and medium-sized enterprise, corporate and investment banking services. The company’s institutional banking provides to its institutional clients the financial services and products.

Money management; personal finance

Why I don’t believe in financial advisors

April 30, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 1265 Views 6 Comments

My impression of financial advisors has never been good. Generally, if you managed to pass a few MAS exam papers after graduating from the university, you can work in the banks or financial institutes as financial consultants, advisors or planners.

Most of these so-called financial advisors are nothing more than salesperson interested in selling you only unit trusts and expensive insurance policies. Typically, they would first calculate your retirement needs and then systematically work on your fear of having insufficient monies in your twilight years. Once they managed to convince you that you are under insured or inadequately invested, they will then hard sell you expensive financial products.

All these years, I have witnessed too many of such sales tactics. Although I will not say these tactics are unethical, what I want to point out is that too often, these financial advisors don’t add value to consumers. Instead of addressing the needs of customers, many financial advisors sold financial products in order to earn higher commissions.

Focus on value-add, not sales
Most of the financial advisors in Singapore don’t receive fixed salaries and draw their incomes based purely on commission fees. This means that they have to sell expensive financial products to clients in order to survive.

Property investment; Singapore market; private housing prices

Property investments in Singapore

April 27, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 779 Views 1 Comment

Today, The Straits Times published that a record 18,400 new homes is expected to be completed in Singapore this year. This figure surpassed the previous high of 14,600 units built in 1997, according to Urban Redevelopment Authority data. Will the avalanche of new homes cool property investment in Singapore?

Coupled with the slew of policy measures implemented by Singapore government in recent years, the red hot property market seems to cool down a bit. Although the number of transactions for resale and sub-sale transactions dropped in the last few months, private home prices still remain high. Analysts expected private home prices to post a moderate rise of about 3 – 4 per cent this year.

Investing in Singapore properties
Every market has its cycles. Gold, silver and equities have their rises and falls throughout history. Property is no exception. The current property market has been on an incredible bull run since the United States banking crisis in 2008. Hot money resulting from the Quantitative Easings had entered Asia countries and caused housing bubbles to be formed.

In HDB Singapore, prices for landed and non-landed homes have rocketed to unprecedented levels. Medium cash-over-valuation (COV) for resale HDB is now $30,000 and there were reported cases of Bishan flats being sold for a million dollars.

Uncategorized

Press release: The End of Ethics and A Way Back

April 26, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 792 Views 0 Comments

How to Fix a Fundamentally Broken Global Financial System

by Theodore Roosevelt Malloch and Jordan D. Mamorsky

SINGAPORE, April 26, 2013 – In this new book by Theodore Roosevelt Malloch, Research Professor for the Spiritual Capital Initiative at Yale University and Jordan Mamorsky, attorney and Yale University postdoctoral fellow, The End of Ethics and a Way Back makes an impassioned call for an end to corrupt and irresponsible practices and the restoration of a more virtuous, ethics-based version of capitalism. It delivers a penetrating, at times controversial analysis of the demise of virtuous capitalism, and a road map for achieving a return to ethics, virtue, and sustainable economic growth. The End of Ethics and a Way Back is a must-read for lawmakers, financial regulators, financial advisors and auditors, journalists and media commentators, and all thoughtful observers of current affairs.

The authors explore some of the most outrageous recent examples of financial vice, including the London Interbank Borrowing Rate (LIBOR) scandal, the demise of Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns, ratings agency corruption, John Corzine’s MF Global, Tyco, and Bernie Madoff’s two-decade Ponzi scheme, among others. In a series of compelling case studies, Malloch and Mamorsky chronicle how those organizations and their leaders lost their way and the havoc their reckless, often criminal activities wreaked globally, before offering a set of structural and holistic solutions for our current ethical crisis in global governance.

Career management

The most important skill you must possess

April 25, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 1032 Views 1 Comment

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned the importance of sales and emphasized the need to master the art of selling. Most of us would dismiss that the ability to sell is only for salesmen and marketing executives. But I beg to differ and I think that there is no difference between working for money or making money.

In order to excel in your trade, you must be able to sell your ideas and thoughts. If you cannot articulate well and make your colleagues buy-in your thoughts and proposals, it is difficult to progress in your career, no matter how technically competent you are. This is because if you do not know how to sell yourself, your colleagues will have no idea how good you are and very likely, you will be passed by for promotions.

Sales is King
Last week, my wife and myself went to buy groceries at Sheng Siong hypermart and saw a big crowd outside the store. We went forward and saw a man demonstrating the usefulness of a micro-fiber cloth. It was actually a simple cloth used to wipe table and kitchen top. But he managed to illustrate how stain-free it can be from dark substances like soy sauce and even showed that it can also be used to wipe mirror and sofa seats.

Gold

Gold Investment:BullionStar at a Glance

April 23, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 998 Views 1 Comment

The following article is an advertorial from BullionStar. It is for information only and readers must not miscontrue it as an offer or inducement to buy. SG Web Reviews will not be responsible for any losses made by readers as a result of any investments made by readers based on this article.

Physical Metal
The bullion you buy from BullionStar is just that – your bullion. BullionStar only offers fully allocated bullion. No paper promises, no unallocated accounts, no risky Ponzi schemes. The bullion you buy from BullionStar is YOUR bullion.

Your Metals – Your choice
BullionStar offers you a wide range of quality bullion from renowned mints and refineries. You are always in full control of your assets with BullionStar.

– Buy or sell various bars and coins at competitive rates and spreads.

– Have your bullion shipped, picked up or stored in “My Vault”.
– Trade fully allocated Vault Grams in Gold, Silver and Platinum for a low spread online.

– Control your stored bullion in My Vault online where you can buy, sell or request delivery of your physically stored bullion at all times.

We are proud of our versatile, easy-to-use online trading platform. You can place orders 24/7 to trade the bullion you need when the price and conditions are right for you.

Self improvement

Are you prepared to be rich in Singapore?

April 18, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 956 Views 0 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, I read an article about the life of a serial entrepreneur. He was lucky enough to sell off his online business more than a decade ago during the dotcom crisis and managed to land a huge windfall from the transaction. Overnight, he became a multi-millionaire and could afford not to work for the rest of his life. But he chose to become a salaried employee and stay on to manage his business for the board of directors. The reason was because he was passionate about his work and loved what he was doing very much.

Are you ready to be rich?
Many people thought that being rich can make you happy. But according to the article, being rich can only make you happy up to a certain point. Beyond this point, more money doesn’t make you happier. After a certain time, you become numb from the lavish spending and derive no joy in material well being.

In fact, being suddenly rich can even make you lose sight of your dreams and ambitions. After all, if you have more than enough money not to work a single day for the rest of your life, what is your next goal?

Stocks

Stock Investments Insights: Sold off my k1 Ventures shares

April 18, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 838 Views 3 Comments

Today, I sold off my k1 Ventures shares at $0.162. Taking into account the various dividend pay outs in the last three years and after deducting off the commission fees, the annual return rate is average 3.33%. I made about S$1000 profit. Actually all along, I had never considered my holding in k1 Ventures as a form of “investment”. This is because back in 2010, I had wanted to pull out a portion of my CPF Ordinary Account (CPF-OA) monies and parked it under a stable stock before my HDB flat purchase. The intent was to sell off the stock at a later date and slowly build up an emergency fund. Well after three years, k1 Ventures delivered and I got back my CPF OA funds.

Dividend Stock
My decision to sell off k1 Ventures is not because of the stock performance. In fact, it has always delivered consistent good corporate results because it is well managed by a team of experienced management. Since 2005, it has been giving out dividends and returning capital reductions to its investors. I stand corrected, but any investors who bought this stock in 2005 would have gotten back their principle capital.

Property investment; Singapore market;

Interview with Gerald Tay, CREi Academy Group

April 16, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 1140 Views 2 Comments

SG Wealth Builder is honored to conduct an interview with Gerald Tay of Conspiracy of Real Estate Investments (CREi) Academy Group. CREi provides property investment education tailored specifically to the ordinary investor & folk; and share time-tested, proven investment strategies which every keen ordinary investor can learn and apply with consistent success.

Growing up, how is your childhood like?

How does it shape your investment philosophies?

Unlike many, I was very fortunate to be born into a very rich family in the 1970s Singapore and learnt important wealth philosophies from my multi-millionaire grandfather. Our family were in businesses and property development, and some of these businesses were listed on the SGX Mainboard.

This particular early part of my life has laid down the foundation of real wealth and investment philosophies, which many ordinary people do not have the fortune to have access to. Their only information on growing their wealth is to rely on the media, so-called wealth ‘experts’ and other misleading sources who have only vested interests in making money out of the ignorant.

Due to unforeseen financial circumstances during my early teens, I have also experienced financial hardships and started work at the tender age of 15 years old.

Money management; personal finance

Loan shark harassment scams in Singapore

April 14, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 942 Views 0 Comments

A few days ago, Mediacorp Channel 8 reported that a number of Singaporeans were tricked by con artists into paying ten of thousands dollars. Apparently the scammers sent text messages to the victims and claimed that they owed loan sharks a sum of money and if they don’t pay up, they threatened to harass them.

Several of the victims were gullible enough to fall prey into their tricks even though they did not owed loan sharks any debts. This is because they thought that their identification cards might have been manipulated and used by strangers or tenants to borrow money from loan sharks illegally. Three days later, the culprits were caught by the police and hauled to the court.

Greed and Fear
This is not the first case of Singaporeans losing their hard-earned monies to con artists, who usually play on our greed and fear. One of the tactics most commonly used is to focus on many Singaporeans’ desire to become rich quick in Singapore. Not too long ago, many greedy Singaporeans lost several millions after investing in dubious gold buy-back schemes. The root cause for their investment losses is mainly because of their lack of understanding of gold.

Property investment; Singapore market;

What Should Property Investors do with their Money Today?

April 13, 2013 sgwealthbuilder 761 Views 0 Comments

In this article, guest blogger Gerald Tay, CREI Academy, is sharing his views on what property investors should do with their money today.

I want to share some personal thoughts and investment decisions based on the 2013Q1 URA PPI flash estimate and what it means for the property market.

The 2013Q1 estimate of 213.1 represents a 0.5% quarter-on-quarter increase, which is a moderation from the 1.8% q-o-q pace we saw in 2012Q4, but suggests that the market prices are still rising, albeit slightly, despite 7 rounds of government cooling measures.

Today, we’re at the record peak of the property cycle since 1965. It does not take a lot of common sense to tell us we need to tread extremely carefully, especially in current uncertain economic climate.

My personal predictions (I personally hate to invest on predictions), if you may, is that there might be further price increase in all segments of the property market. The residential market is still being supported by local first-time buyers (though we don’t know for long yet), while the commercial and industrial sector have continued hot money flows resulting from the severe cooling measures on the residential sector.

However, this does not mean property investors should simply rush out to buy that new launch property today and hope to cash out in the next few years.