Portfolio review - Breaks $10 000! and dividends received in March 2019

March review is here! March is a special month for me as it is my birthday and also my mum's birthday month.

Read more: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!


Of course, this march also marks a special occasion as my total investment portfolio breaks $10 000.



Since I have a regular savings plan set up, a portion of my income goes to building up my portfolio in terms of Nikko AM STI ETF.

I keep money on the side for other stocks that I would like to have in my portfolio while waiting for the right price before getting in.

So for March, another 60 units of Nikko AM STI ETF was added to my portfolio at a price of 3.277.

I do find that the price of it not as attractive as when you buy it yourself but i set it up to ensure that some automation is being implemented.



This is because work has really taken up a lot of my time and I dont really have the time to key in my orders. I OT on average about 3-4 days per week.

Here is the breakdown of my portfolio:



For the month of March, I have received dividends from Far East HTrust, $18 and CapitaRetail China Trust, $33.81.

The dividends received so far in 2019:

2019
Month	Dividends Collected
January	52.87
February	64.5
March	51.81
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Total Dividends

That's all for the month of March. I have also set up a FSMone account so as to expose myself to buying overseas stocks.

Read more: Planning to diversify my portfolio to overseas stocks 
 
I am still in the midst of finding out more and would have a post soon on the process of setting the account up!

My mum resigned from her job, whats gonna happen next?

So my mum just tendered her resignation last Friday. To be honest, I never expected her to resign so soon.

I think the stress building from her new boss and change of working style has really gotten to her.

Read more: Losing a fellow comrade at work

She still doesn't have a concrete plan as to what she will be doing but as she turns 60 years old this year, she wants to take a break and have good rest.



Of course, if possible, I like her to enjoy her time but for now, with my amount of pay, it is not really enough for us and her savings to be honest is not as sufficiently as I feel it should be.

So she might have to find a part-time job or a temporary job after this year.

Before she tendered her resignation, my mum told me not to worry too much and that she just wants a break from her work as recently, it has taken a toll on her body.




Like for example she isn't able to get to sleep at night and also in office, she is under quite an amount of stress.

I do feel for her and with my younger brother still studying and me with a contract job, I am kinda worried but I guess we will have to see how it goes from here.

Read more on how I split my pay: Getting my first pay - How am I splitting it up?
 
Moving forward, my mum would also say that in terms of expenses, we would also need to budget and weekends would not always consist of us going out for good food as well.

Overall, I think it would still be manageable except that my mum would need to do less shopping on her side. HAHA.

Being a contract worker - Know your entitlement

Being a contract worker means that you are not able to enjoy the full benefits of the company.

Also, you lose on bonuses as only a completion bonus might be paid for contract workers.



So when I became a contract worker, I was actually also confused as to what I am entitled to and what should I be fighting for if it wasn’t given to me.

Read more: Gotten a new job but it's a contract job - Are contract jobs inferior to full-time jobs?


It is also confusing for contract workers as the work period can range from just a few months to a few years and the calculations can be pretty messy.

I came across this article recently and I think it is really helpful for people who are planning to get into a contract job to know at least what you should be getting.



So there are a few points being mentioned:

1. YOUR LEAVE BENEFITS

According to MOM, if you have worked for at least 3 months with a company, you should be entitled to leave.

Your leave should also be pro-rated if you work less than a year.

It is also mentioned that 7 days of annual leave is the bare minimum you should get.

2. CONTINUATION OF CONTRACTS

So because you will need to work at least 3 months before being eligible for leave and so some companies would give you a 3 months contract after which to give you another once the first one ends.

However, if the company gives you a new contract after your old contract within a month, it should be treated as one continuous contract and you would entitled to leave.



BEING A CONTRACT WORKER

It's different being a contract worker as the benefits you get is not the full package like the permanent staff and of course, you do feel like you are losing out.

With that being said, there are really a huge number of contract jobs nowadays as companies look to employing staff on a short term basis.




I do wonder when I would be able to get a permanent job. Because as a contract worker, it really does cast a huge uncertainty in your future especially when your contract is about to end and your boss doesn't say anything about extending your service.

As for now, I would just work hard on the current job and gain more experience.