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Personal finance; saving accounts; bonuses; financial planning

Singapore Savings Bonds SSB
personal financePersonal finance; saving accounts; bonuses; financial planning

Singapore Savings Bonds (SSB) Interest Rates Hit 14-Month High

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One man’s poison is another’s meat. For yield-hungry retail investors in Singapore who have watched fixed deposit promotion rates razed to the ground and bank high-yield accounts slashing saving interest rates over the past few years, the latest announcement from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on Singapore Savings Bonds (SSB) should make investors sit up.

The October 2026 Singapore Savings Bond (SBOCT26) issue has officially broken out of its multi-month slumber, offering a 10-year average return of 2.32% p.a. and a first-year rate of 1.65% p.a. This marks a 14-month high for SSB yields, reaching levels not seen since August 2025.

Singapore Savings Bonds SSB

Using my Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) account, I have bought SSB every year since 2022. My last entry was in 2025 when the average 10-year interest rate was 2.97%. Overall, my average 10-year interest rate for my SSBs portfolio stands at 3.07%. Though the October interest rates is at 14-month high, it is still not attractive for me to buy but I am monitoring the situation closely.

For cash-flow-conscious investors and retirees looking for a safe harbor to park emergency funds in Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS), this sudden comeback of SSB rates presents a compelling proposition. But before you rush to click “Apply” on your DBS/POSB, OCBC, or UOB internet banking portals, it is critical to step back, analyze the underlying macroeconomic forces driving this spike, and evaluate how this asset fits into your broader wealth preservation strategy.

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Personal finance; saving accounts; bonuses; financial planning

The most financially challenging period of my life

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On 8th of April, I became a father for the second time! My little bundle of joy came slightly earlier than expected and my wife and I were a bit unprepared because incidentally, my elder daughter happened to fall sick during this period. But thank goodness, my mother-in-law and mum were around to help out. I really appreciate for what they did.

Everyone has the right to procreate and pass on his legacy. Nobody can take this right away from him. But I think most Singaporeans have the wrong mindset about raising kids in Singapore. They always associate money and the high cost of living as two key factors that deter them from having babies. Most Singaporeans want to establish their careers first before having children. Of course money is important, and we need good incomes to support family needs. But then again, how much is considered enough and when is the right age to be considered financially stable to have babies? Before they knew it, many Singaporeans could be well past their child-bearing age in no time and would regret not conceiving when young and healthy.

For the past three years, my daughter had brought us so much love, joy, tears, laughter, anger and frustrations.

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investment linked policy
Personal finance; saving accounts; bonuses; financial planning

Year-end bonuses

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It is that time of the year when employees look forward to collecting their year-end bonuses. Last week, the government declared the 13th month and 1.1 month annual variable bonuses for all civil servants.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry has forecast Singapore’s economic growth to be about 3.5% – 4% for 2013. Growth is expected to be supported by externally-oriented sectors such as manufacturing and wholesale trade, in line with the slight pickup in the global economy, as well as domestically-oriented sectors like construction and business services which are expected to remain resilient.
With the world economy still in unstable mode, I believe most Singapore workers’ year end bonuses would be modest, in view of the moderated growth for Singapore economy.
This will be the 8th time I am collecting year-end bonuses. In my previous blog entry last year, I made a resolution last year to purchase an endowment plan for my baby daughter. This is to plan for her future tertiary education expenses. Hence, we bought an endowment plan in July.
For this year, I am setting aside some of the bonuses for next January’s Chinese New Year. I budgeted about $2500 to 3000 for the overall Chinese New Year expenses, which include red packets monies, new year clothing for my family and other miscellaneous expenses.
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