Retirement

COVID-19 has upended the entire global economy and caused millions of people to lose their jobs. Over in Singapore, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) projected the GDP growth for 2020 to be -7.0 to -4.0 per cent. This is certainly a very frightening period of time in the modern day history. Against this backdrop, is it even possible for a retiree to preserve wealth amid COVID-19?

A retiree who is in his twilight years has a short runway and limited timeframe to build wealth. So at this phase of his life cycle, the strategy should be to preserve wealth instead  growing wealth through the stock market. The recent sharp corrections in the stock market should be a stark warning on how risky the stock market can be, especially for the seniors.

Furthermore, with no active income, it will be a challenge for a retiree to do capital injections into his investment portfolio. So when you reach retirement, it is important to protect your money and preserve wealth. This means that the seniors must look beyond the stock market to preserve wealth and ensure they have enough money to sustain till the end of life journey.

Maybank 2.05% Fixed Deposit

It seems that COVID-19 pandemic has rolled back the time. Once again, the US Federal Reserve has slashed interest rates to near zero, similar to what it did in 2008 in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis. Over in Singapore, banks have followed the trend and cut interest rates for saving deposits. Although “cash is king” during such uncertain time, parking all the cash in the bank may not be the best way to preserve wealth for the retirees.

Currently, Maybank Singapore is offering 2.05% per annum for three-year fixed deposit. This is one of the best …

Sign up for only $19.99! Recently, my mom wanted to do up a Will for herself and suggested that we seek the aid of a legal firm. Incidentally, the following day, one of my readers requested me to do a topic on legacy planning. Henceforth, in this article, I will pen down my thoughts and insights on legacy planning. I also hope that readers will benefit from my research on this topic.

Most people tend to procrastinate on legacy planning. Indeed, in life, there are many priorities that take up our time and resources. But you should note that death is an inevitable part of our life journey. If you don’t do a proper legacy planning, your loved ones could be at a loss of what to do if you suffered from an unfortunate event. Just imagine the emotional turmoil and the prospect of navigating through the financial maze when family disaster strikes.

Legacy planning involves more than just crafting a Will. A proper legacy planning also need to factor in retirement planning and the potential event of total incapacitation. A Will is only effective upon the Will-maker’s death while Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) operates after the donor loses his mental capacity. Basically legacy planning is a financial strategy on how you would want your wealth to be distributed among your loved ones in the event of an unfortunate event.

At the age of 40, legacy planning become more and more important for my family as my assets and liabilities grow. I always tell myself if I don’t manage legacy planning properly, my spouse and children will be facing great distress in the event of my sudden departure. Over the years, I have written a number of articles on legacy planning. Below the list of premium articles on this …

During the National Day Rally 2019, Singapore government announced that retirement age will be raised to 65 by 2030. In addition, it was also announced that the proposed adjustments will not affect CPF withdrawal policies or age. The adjustments are necessary due to Singapore ageing workforce and the need to ensure that Singaporeans will be financially independent in their twilight years. Nonetheless, the increase in retirement age will impact the Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) withdrawal age as it is pegged to the statutory retirement age.

In this article, I will share my view on how the increase in statutory retirement age will impact the SRS withdrawal. As usual, this article is not meant to be a form of financial advice. Please consult a financial advisor if you have doubts. I am writing this article because I am planning to open an SRS account and is sharing my research with readers. If there is any mistake contained within this article, please let me know.

10-year SRS withdrawal period

Although both CPF and SRS serve to provide the retirement needs, there are major differences between the two schemes. CPF focused primarily in housing, medical, education and retirement needs. CPF monthly contribution is also compulsory. On the other hand, SRS contribution is voluntary and provides tax relief. Most importantly, there is more flexibility when it comes to SRS withdrawal.

Unlike CPF withdrawal, you can make SRS withdrawal anytime. However, if the SRS withdrawal is made before the statutory retirement age prevailing at the time of the first contribution, 100% of the sum withdrawn will be subject to tax. A 5% penalty for premature withdrawal will also be imposed.

But according to Inland Revenue of Singapore (IRAS), an interesting feature of SRS withdrawal is “If you have already opened an SRS account and made …

Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) is part of Singapore government’s effort to address the retirement needs of Singaporeans and is meant to complement Central Provident Fund (CPF).

Over the years, SRS had grown in popularity in Singapore as contributions surged from $0.16billion in 2001 to an explosive $8billion in 2017. During this period, the number of account holders also increased 10 fold, surging from 11,890 to 140,695. Given that so many people had jumped into the bandwagon, it is worthwhile to examine the merits of the supplementary retirement scheme.

While both SRS and CPF are retirement schemes, they work differently and address different financial needs. CPF focuses on housing, healthcare and retirement needs while SRS is a scheme that provides tax relief, investment and saving opportunities.

Generally speaking, SRS is a scheme that Singaporeans and foreigners should consider in the early years of their careers because it comes with many benefits and flexibility. In this article, I will share my strategies and insights on how to leverage SRS to boost your retirement income. I would also highlight the best possible way to exit the fund.

SRS for retrenchment hedge

Firstly, contributions to CPF is mandatory while SRS is purely voluntary. You can choose to contribute to your SRS anytime and as often as you like. For Singaporeans, you may choose to contribute up to $15,300 to your SRS account while the maximum limit for foreigners is $35,700. In addition, contributions to SRS qualify you for dollar-for-dollar tax relief. But note that there is a $80,000 personal income tax relief. So if the total personal income tax relief have already exceeded this cap limit, your contributions would not entitle you to more tax relief.

Unlike CPF, one of the best things about SRS is its flexibility. You can only withdraw …

Singapore Savings Bond is a new type of government bond that was launched by the Monetary Authority of Singapore in 2015. The bond is considered to be a safe and flexible product that allows Singaporeans to meet their savings and investment needs.

However, demand for Singapore Savings Bonds had been lacklustre in the initial years, presumably because products like OCBC 360, had been giving it a run for its money (literally). Nonetheless, recent developments had caused Singapore Savings Bond to be very attractive. And that led to a change in my view of this bond.

In my previous article on Astrea IV bonds, I shared that I am not ready for fixed income at this stage of my life yet. My stance has not changed. Basically, my family is looking at a safe financial product to store our emergency fund. Thus, we are looking at Singapore Savings Bond from the perspective of wealth protection, rather than wealth building.

In this article, I will share my insights on how Singapore Savings Bond can play a part in strengthening your wealth portfolio through passive income and how it fair in comparison to the popular OCBC 360 account.

Locked-in Interest rates

The first criteria for my family is safety when it comes to managing our emergency fund. Conventional government bonds fulfil this requirement but the yield is pretty low and the volatility of the interest rates would impact the bond price in the secondary market. In 2014, OCBC bank launched the OCBC 360 account which offers an incredible 3.05% (upon meeting certain criteria like salary credit, online payment and spending), we were sold.

Rated as one of the strongest banks in the world by Bloomberg in 2015, we are also convinced that our savings are safe with OCBC 360.

However, good things don’t …

Sometimes, you really have to hand it to the policymakers for coming out with an acronym like CPF LIFE, which stands for Lifelong Income for Elderly. As the name aptly suggests, CPF LIFE provides you with a lifetime monthly pay outs.

Introduced in 2009 by the Singapore government, this annuity scheme ensures that Singaporeans do not outlive their CPF savings.

There is a marked difference between the previous scheme, CPF Retirement Sum, and the current CPF LIFE. It is important that Singaporeans understand how this improved system works so that they can plan their retirement needs appropriately. It should also be noted that the old scheme, CPF Retirement Sum, has not been phased out because there are many Singaporeans who may not qualify for CPF LIFE.

Another unique aspect of CPF LIFE is that it allows you to decide how much you wish to set aside for your loved ones upon your death while balancing the amount of monthly payouts. Thus, I feel that the CPF Advisory Panel [This is a premium article. The rest of the content is blocked and can be accessible by SG Wealth Builder Members only. To read the full content, please sign up as member.]

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55 is a milestone age for many Singaporeans as we all look forward to cashing out our hard-earned CPF savings accumulated through decades of hard work. But before you rejoice, it is important to understand the CPF Retirement Sum Scheme.

This is because the amount of cash you can take out may be vastly different from what you had been dreaming of all along. There might be heart pain. There could be disappointment, or even bitterness.

To put things into perspective, Central Provident Fund (CPF) is Singapore’s social security system and over the years, it has evolved to cover not just our retirement needs, but also housing, medical and education purposes. Despite these, the central tenet of CPF is still to ensure that Singaporeans save enough for retirement.

Since the CPF Retirement Sum Scheme is so important, have you ever really sit down and figure out what is it all about?

I was curious about CPF Retirement Sum Scheme and recently tried to gain a better understanding of the retirement policy. Boy, I was nearly blown away! The framework was indeed complicated. No, I am not exaggerating because if you read carefully and make the effort to think deeply, you would realize that the CPF Retirement Sum Scheme is actually not as simple as you thought it should be.

CPF Retirement Account

When you reached 55, your Ordinary Account will be combined with Special Account to form a newly created Retirement Account (RA), up to the Full Retirement Sum (FRS). What does this mean? [This is a premium article. The rest of the content is blocked and can be accessible by SG Wealth Builder Members only. To read the full content, please sign up as member.]

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It is everyone’s dream to achieve financial freedom and escape from the rat race as young as possible.  Like everyone else, I share the same aspiration. That is primarily one of the reasons for founding this wealth blog. In recent years, many local financial bloggers shared that they have attained semi-retirement status and left the corporate world for good. In this article, I will share my retirement strategy and how I aim to reach my goals.

According to BlackRock’s Global Investor Pulse Survey 2017, it was revealed that Singaporeans worry about outliving their retirement savings but not doing enough to prepare for retirement. Results showed 64% of Singaporeans worry about running out of money in retirement, the highest proportion in Asia-Pacific. Nearly nine out of 10 Singaporeans (87%) believe they are responsible for their own retirement income.

Everyone has their pathway in life and one should not compare their financial status with others. My retirement strategy is very simple – I plan not to retire at all. This statement may come across as oxymoron but simply put, I hope to extend my career shelf life as long as possible. I don’t relish the idea of idling around and being seen as not contributing to the progress of the society.

Life is all about challenges and experiences. At the end of the day, I may not have accumulated sufficient wealth to have a comfortable retirement, but I certainly hope to lead an enriching life.

For those who hate working for money, ask earnestly whether you have a purpose that justify retiring without a job. Chances are, you would struggle to find other meaningful purposes or activities that can keep you occupied or active on a day-to-day basis for the rest of your life. You would find that time slow down when …

For many football fans, the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone” is synonymous with English football club, Liverpool. The song is the anthem of Liverpool and has inspired many great comebacks for the football club. Although glory days are clearly over for Liverpool, many fans still adore the club because of its great tradition and core values.

Indeed, values define who we are and guide us through good times and bad times. The Central Provident Fund (CPF) was implemented in 1955 by the British authorities with the aim of abolishing the pension schemes in Singapore and introducing a national saving scheme. The scheme requires employers and employees to contribute a portion of the employee’s monthly salary into their CPF accounts.

The intent of the CPF scheme was to instill among Singaporeans the value of hard work and saving for retirement. Each of us is responsible for growing our wealth and save for rainy days.

Over the years, the CPF scheme had gone through significant changes, especially during the eighties, when the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew was at the peak of his power. These changes were needed to cater for the growing aspirations of Singaporeans. As a result, CPF was expanded to include healthcare, housing and investment purposes. Because of these changes, many Singaporeans tend to forget the main function of CPF, which is basically to provide for our retirement needs.

Perhaps a victim of its own success, the CPF scheme has become so entrenched and pervasive in our lives that many of us take it for granted. Some have even argued that because of CPF, many Singaporeans are not willing to take the entrepreneurship risks. If you think about it, this reasoning is not exactly flawed. After all, the monthly current employer’s contribution rate is 17% and employee’s contribution rate …

As a wealth builder, it is important to start compounding your CPF savings as early as possible when you are in your prime. This is because if you start early, the compound interests can work wonders for your retirement sum. When you reach 55 years old, your Special and/or Ordinary Accounts savings will be transferred to your Retirement Account to form your retirement sum. Your retirement sum can be used to join CPF LIFE or the Retirement Sum Scheme which provides you with a monthly payout of about 20 years.

After setting aside both the Full Retirement Sum or Basic Retirement Sum with sufficient property charge/pledge and the current MMS of $43,500, you can choose to withdraw​ the remaining cash balances in your Ordinary and Special Accounts, or continue to keep your savings in CPF to earn attractive interest.

For myself, I would be placed on the CPF LIFE scheme but when I saw the monthly payout for the Basic Retirement Sum (BRS), I almost fell off the chair. I mean what can you do with $700 per month? Thirty years down the road, with the onset of inflation, the diminishing purchasing power of money would mean that $700 would be equivalent to today’s $200. In today’s context, you definitely cannot survive in Singapore with a $200 monthly payout. Thus, in my point of view, this scheme is definitely not attractive for me. However, from January 2016, we will have one more option to choose from – Enhanced Retirement Sum.

A few weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a letter from MINDEF informing me that I was eligible for the 3^rd milestone of the NS HOME Awards and that they would credit $5000 into my CPF accounts ($3000 into my Ordinary account and $2000 into my Medisave account). Even more surprising was that due to the award, I have reached the Medisave Contribution Ceiling (MCC), which is currently $48,500. This caused the excess of the MCC to be transferred to my Special Account.

Many Singaporeans, including my wife, are clueless on what will happen to their Medisave accounts when the ceiling is reached. Many people also cannot appreciate the difference between the Medisave Minimum Sum (MMS) and MCC. Ignorance is certainly not blissful when it comes to managing your CPF retirement fund because if you are not given the right information, you may be misled by bloggers trying to stir up negative sentiments.

Before proceeding further, I think it is important to highlight the CPF schemes, especially for those who just started working. Every month, you and your employer will contribute to your CPF accounts which consist of Ordinary Account, Special Account and Medisave Account.

The current contribution rate totals 37%, with 20% deducted from your gross salary and 17% from your employer. Below diagram illustrates the functions of each CPF account:

Source: http://www.areyouready.sg

Medisave

In this article, I will focus more on Medisave and how it can play a part in our healthcare needs as well as retirement fund. Firstly, there is a maxi​​mum amount you can keep in your Medisave account and it is revised periodically to take inflation into account and expansions in the usage of Medisave. This limit (MCC) can be easily reached by mid-thirties if you have been gainfully employed for …