So recently in the news, it came out that in the United States, someone bought a winning ticket to US 1.6 billion dollars as the prize.
WOW, I wonder how the person would feel when he/she realizes that he has the winning ticket. He would be panicking or maybe scared.
My mum has been an avid fan of the lottery over here in Singapore as well, as like many other Singaporeans. She used to buy 4D quite frequently but nowadays she just buys TOTO and to be honest some times the amount she buys can be a little high for me.
But she tells me that she has the winning ticket dreams, every time she has difficulty falling asleep, she would start think like she has a million dollars what would she get and how she would allocated her money and most of the time, she would fall sleep before finishing allocating. HAHA, what a way to fall asleep.
So for the lottery in US, there are two options that you can choose, either to have $904 million straight up right now or to have $1.6 billion given to you over the spread of 29 years. Which do you think is a better option?
For me, if you feel like you can't handle such a huge sum of money, $1.6 billion over 29 years would be better. But to be honest, 29 years is a long time so maybe getting the $904 million straight up would be a much better option:)
Sunday 28 October 2018
Thursday 25 October 2018
Finished School, What's Next?
I have just ended my final exams of my university life today. I mean I have been looking forward to this day since the time I started university. HAHA, sounds crazy but I think it's only after you have lost something, do you miss it and wish it didn't end. I came across this really interesting barchart the other day.
Before I started university, everyone was telling me a degree is essentially in today's world to advance onto greater things so I did see myself as wanting to get a degree. After enrolling, I enjoyed my time in school and I came across many other things which made me who I am today.
Like I took up investing and also started this blog, gave part-time tuition to 2 students for 2 years, I mean I have never imagined myself being able to do all these when I was in polytechnic. However, now that it has all ended, a new chapter awaits for me which is to look for a job.
I have been contacted for a few interviews so far and to be honest, I don't think I did or will do very well. One of my friends mentioned today that when she gets home, she will feel so aimless like there is nowhere for her to go to.
I guess we always had something waiting for us when we end something and that gives us a sense of assurance. For now, I hope to be able to get a job soon:)
Before I started university, everyone was telling me a degree is essentially in today's world to advance onto greater things so I did see myself as wanting to get a degree. After enrolling, I enjoyed my time in school and I came across many other things which made me who I am today.
Like I took up investing and also started this blog, gave part-time tuition to 2 students for 2 years, I mean I have never imagined myself being able to do all these when I was in polytechnic. However, now that it has all ended, a new chapter awaits for me which is to look for a job.
I have been contacted for a few interviews so far and to be honest, I don't think I did or will do very well. One of my friends mentioned today that when she gets home, she will feel so aimless like there is nowhere for her to go to.
I guess we always had something waiting for us when we end something and that gives us a sense of assurance. For now, I hope to be able to get a job soon:)
Sunday 14 October 2018
Is a Recession Heading our Way, Updates on My Life as well.
So I was having dinner recently with my aunt and uncles, then the topic came up about money in the stock market.
My aunt who frequently buys stocks started telling us that a recession will be coming soon.
I was thinking in my head wow, what a thing to say.
Maybe to people who have gone through it before, they do know when it's coming. But to me, I don't really know how to tell if a recession is coming. (Time for more reading up)
I will be graduating unofficially this November, I started my job search awhile back but haven't gotten any replies back except for one or two interviews which I think I didn't make it.
It's pretty depressing, I mean having dinner halfway and your aunt from across the table starts asking if you have found a job and all my cousins are currently working, with only me hanging.
Your mood just drops...I feel like it's not gonna be easy finding a job right now. Will have to brush up on my interview skills and hopefully things will get better.
My aunt who frequently buys stocks started telling us that a recession will be coming soon.
I was thinking in my head wow, what a thing to say.
Maybe to people who have gone through it before, they do know when it's coming. But to me, I don't really know how to tell if a recession is coming. (Time for more reading up)
I will be graduating unofficially this November, I started my job search awhile back but haven't gotten any replies back except for one or two interviews which I think I didn't make it.
It's pretty depressing, I mean having dinner halfway and your aunt from across the table starts asking if you have found a job and all my cousins are currently working, with only me hanging.
Your mood just drops...I feel like it's not gonna be easy finding a job right now. Will have to brush up on my interview skills and hopefully things will get better.
Thursday 11 October 2018
Crazy Crazy Day - STI ETF dropping to $3.09
Today is a crazy day indeed, when I saw the prices of the various stocks last night, I was like ,"Exciting day ahead tomorrow....."
Well, it has been a crazy day indeed, I started investing only last year in 2017 so to be honest, this is the worse my portfolio has been looking.
I do know that there are definitely up and downs in buying stocks and that I need to not be so affected by it.
But wow, every counter is in red, I mean there have been times when counters are red but not all at the same time.
I did panic and thought of maybe selling all my counters? The stock market is really not for the faint hearted. HAHA
Of course, STI ETF dropping to $3.09 is nothing much as I remember in 2016, it's price was at $2.80. So, we shall see how it pans out. In the meantime, sit tight and get ready for the ride.
Well, it has been a crazy day indeed, I started investing only last year in 2017 so to be honest, this is the worse my portfolio has been looking.
I do know that there are definitely up and downs in buying stocks and that I need to not be so affected by it.
But wow, every counter is in red, I mean there have been times when counters are red but not all at the same time.
I did panic and thought of maybe selling all my counters? The stock market is really not for the faint hearted. HAHA
Of course, STI ETF dropping to $3.09 is nothing much as I remember in 2016, it's price was at $2.80. So, we shall see how it pans out. In the meantime, sit tight and get ready for the ride.
Sunday 7 October 2018
Income Inequality and Education Causing a Divide in Singapore?
There has been a video going around and it has been gaining a lot of attention among Singaporeans especially during this period of exams where PSLE and O levels are around the corner.
If you haven't seen the video yet, here it is.
In the video, it starts with interviews of young kids of around 9-11 years of age. One girl mentioned that if you owned 'branded items' like smiggle bags and smiggle pencil cases, you would be the most popular kid.
When I was young in primary school, I kinda felt it as well, from OP bags to converse school shoes, we did have a kid who would own all these items but she wouldn't be the popular kid unless she was fun to be around.
I can really feel the pressure for kids nowadays who want to match up to their popular friends, my tutee who is 12 years old, have also told me that she hated that she has a Lenovo phone and not an iPhone. All her friends has iPhone and that it is cool to own one.
She also mentioned to me that they went to Starbucks after school and it was really cool of her friend to have a gift card which she really wanted. Wow, when I was in primary school, I still didn't know what Starbucks was.
But the real highlight in the video is when the interviewees were aged 15-17 as this is the age where they have been 'categorized' by their PSLE score and would soon be 'categorized' by their A, O and N level scores as well.
There was a obvious difference between the interviewees when the second question of 'what expectations do you have for yourself?' was being asked. From then on, there was a clear divide among the students in the Integrated programme (IP) than the rest.
For me, I went to a government secondary school, Saint Anthony's Canossian Secondary and I wasn't performing that well. To be honest, my mum actually just wanted me to pass all my subjects and if possible, get into a course in Polytechnic which I managed to.
To be honest, I have always been poor performing in my family, with cousins who all went to JCs, like VJC and ACJC, I was intimidated at every family gathering when aunts and cousins would ask me about my choices.
It definitely did cause a divide between me and my cousins as the common subjects we could talk about was limited.
Even my brother did pretty well for O levels as well. However, when he got into the elite JC that he always wanted, in the first year, he went to the principal to request for a change of class to another where some of his friends were in as he felt that the class he was in was too competitive and everyone was so 'on' about studying.
When he was talking to his dean about it, his dean told him that changing his class would prove to be a wrong choice as he was dropping out of the good class.
Well, he didn't end up too bad and also obtained a scholarship in the end to study overseas. He told me that many of his friends who went to other JCs like Temasek, Tampines and Meridian actually did very well and some even better than him but because of the way the school operates, many of his friends were not aware of scholarships and overseas opportunities that they could have gotten.
Between me and my brother, I am not very good at even general knowledge and sometimes he do get baffled that I am not aware of certain information which according to him is general knowledge but I believe that because my brother and I come from a low-middle income family, friendship is not really based on money and results and we can empathize more. I do feel that the divide between high income Singaporeans and low income Singaporeans is getting wider and it is not an easy problem to deal with.
If you like what you are reading, give me a like on facebook: SingaporeanTalksMoney
If you haven't seen the video yet, here it is.
In the video, it starts with interviews of young kids of around 9-11 years of age. One girl mentioned that if you owned 'branded items' like smiggle bags and smiggle pencil cases, you would be the most popular kid.
When I was young in primary school, I kinda felt it as well, from OP bags to converse school shoes, we did have a kid who would own all these items but she wouldn't be the popular kid unless she was fun to be around.
I can really feel the pressure for kids nowadays who want to match up to their popular friends, my tutee who is 12 years old, have also told me that she hated that she has a Lenovo phone and not an iPhone. All her friends has iPhone and that it is cool to own one.
She also mentioned to me that they went to Starbucks after school and it was really cool of her friend to have a gift card which she really wanted. Wow, when I was in primary school, I still didn't know what Starbucks was.
But the real highlight in the video is when the interviewees were aged 15-17 as this is the age where they have been 'categorized' by their PSLE score and would soon be 'categorized' by their A, O and N level scores as well.
There was a obvious difference between the interviewees when the second question of 'what expectations do you have for yourself?' was being asked. From then on, there was a clear divide among the students in the Integrated programme (IP) than the rest.
For me, I went to a government secondary school, Saint Anthony's Canossian Secondary and I wasn't performing that well. To be honest, my mum actually just wanted me to pass all my subjects and if possible, get into a course in Polytechnic which I managed to.
To be honest, I have always been poor performing in my family, with cousins who all went to JCs, like VJC and ACJC, I was intimidated at every family gathering when aunts and cousins would ask me about my choices.
It definitely did cause a divide between me and my cousins as the common subjects we could talk about was limited.
Even my brother did pretty well for O levels as well. However, when he got into the elite JC that he always wanted, in the first year, he went to the principal to request for a change of class to another where some of his friends were in as he felt that the class he was in was too competitive and everyone was so 'on' about studying.
When he was talking to his dean about it, his dean told him that changing his class would prove to be a wrong choice as he was dropping out of the good class.
Well, he didn't end up too bad and also obtained a scholarship in the end to study overseas. He told me that many of his friends who went to other JCs like Temasek, Tampines and Meridian actually did very well and some even better than him but because of the way the school operates, many of his friends were not aware of scholarships and overseas opportunities that they could have gotten.
Between me and my brother, I am not very good at even general knowledge and sometimes he do get baffled that I am not aware of certain information which according to him is general knowledge but I believe that because my brother and I come from a low-middle income family, friendship is not really based on money and results and we can empathize more. I do feel that the divide between high income Singaporeans and low income Singaporeans is getting wider and it is not an easy problem to deal with.
If you like what you are reading, give me a like on facebook: SingaporeanTalksMoney
Thursday 4 October 2018
Portfolio updates for Sep 2018
I bought a new REIT counter into my portfolio. I bought 700 shares of Capitaland Retail China Trust (SGX: AU8U) at a price of $1.43 each. I actually was eyeing this stock for awhile and it did go down to $1.40 but I bought it at $1.43.
I like that it has a price to book ratio of 0.848 which is lower than 1 and a gearing of 32.1%.
Capitaland Retail China Trust portfolio includes 10 properties in China.
I have been wanting to include more REITs into my portfolio in an attempt to increase my dividends. My overall portfolio now as seen below:
I like that it has a price to book ratio of 0.848 which is lower than 1 and a gearing of 32.1%.
Capitaland Retail China Trust portfolio includes 10 properties in China.
STI ETF is currently my biggest proportion followed by Singtel. Design Studio was actually a significant proportion of my portfolio as well but due to its drop in price, it has a reduced proportion in my portfolio currently. I hope to continue to build up my portfolio in the years to come.
Give me a like if you like what you are reading or want to know more: SingaporeanTalksMoney
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