Half the year is over! And phase 2 now allows us to go out to dine and also a little more activities have been allowed like visiting your family members though not in big numbers. Another big thing is the general elections, in which it will be my first time voting if I am able to.
For my portfolio this month, same RSP addition was done with 46.7958 units of TRACKER FUND (2800) purchased at a price of HKD 25.42 and 2.691 units of Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (VT) at a price of USD 77.6399 each.
I also bought 1 Tesla stock at USD 989.80 inclusive of fees.
With that, this is my current portfolio allocation.
Dividends received this month from Amara, First REIT and OCBC so about $50 was received.
I have also made a portfolio update video on my YouTube channel which you can take a look below.
My friends are really good at saving, I always hear them saying that they have money in their bank accounts but they are not sure where to spend it on. A number of them will always tell me they are not sure where to spend their money at.
For me, I always find that I need more money because I have stocks that I want to buy and if possible, I like to increase my RSP amount monthly. So in a way, I dont find myself having lots of money saved up in my bank account and not knowing where to spend them.
1. Spend it on yourself
Courses now are readily available online and physically examples like SkillsFuture courses or online platforms like coursera. If you are really interested in something, it is good to go in-depth and deep dive into it to find out more.
This definitely takes a bit of commitment but if you do spend some money on the courses, you will naturally want to turn up for lessons to make it worth it.
If not, you can spend some money on books or something that can enrich you with more knowledge. Although there are also many free resources that you can leverage on
2. Spend it on experiences
Travelling is a great way though now it is very much restricted due to the virus but travelling definitely opens you up to many new experiences. Every time I travel, I am also curious about the people and how they love life differently.
The different environment and surroundings make it seem like our lives are all so different even though we are in the same world.
It keeps you thinking and allows you to reflect, be grateful for things you have. It might even inspire you to do something through the experiences that you gather.
3. Spend it for future income
Spend it buying stocks, haha. Yes, many of my friends do not really invest as they feel that it is a really risky place to put you money in and definitely, I have made some investing mistake and money was lost but I believe that in the long term, I would be in a better position. Though I cannot be 100% sure that in the long term, I will not lose money on my investments, but I am being proactive in managing and making sure my money does not erode to inflation which is going to be what makes saving money in your bank account useless.
You can also spend some money creating your own website or YouTube channel and do something you love.
Overall, not advocating that you need to definitely spend your money, saving it up is also good and if you can save more than why not, but remember that your money is only so much unless you put it to good use.
No rush to spend it all but you can start thinking of where you like to put your money at.
Started using FSMone ETF RSP in Dec 2019 and have since been using it. Like to have a portion of my investments automated in buying the index so that I can leave out the manual work. This tutorial video shows how to roughly navigate and also the interface of the FSMone app.
01:09 Main page of FSMone app
01:44 Checking your cash balance in your account
02:06 Overview of my investments in the app
02:58 Applying for an ETF RSP
04:51 Buying an individual stock 06:04 Setting price alerts
My voice currently still sounds muffled as I have only been using my iPhone to record my voice. Will explore on how best to record without having any interference.
Will invest in a proper microphone when I feel it is the right time. Including the different sections of my video as above for easy navigation! Hope you guys enjoy the video, subscribe or give me a like:)
So an article on Straits Times was recently released on top 5 essential jobs and top 5 non-essential jobs. I have to say that there were lots of commotion especially among my friends as I see them on Instagram sharing their thoughts.
Firstly, let's have an understanding of essential and non-essential business. Essential businesses are ones that the public rely on in their day-to-day life. This includes banks, hospitals, supermarkets and pharmacies. They carry supplies necessary for survival, both in the long and short-term. In contrast, non-essential businesses are those that people frequent for pleasure, like gyms, bars, restaurants, movie theaters, museums, and concert halls, among others.
Do note that the above are defining BUSINESSES, NOT JOBS. This can defer for individuals whether or not they are essential as we place importance on different things that we want.
In the poll, the top essential jobs are doctors and nurses while the top non-essential job is an artist. They are deemed to be a non-essential job as the entertainment business is for pleasure usually. However, to be honest, how are we able to deem if they are essential or non-essential. Artists covers a large spectrum of the entertainment industry and entertainment has been what's keeping us sane during this period.
Many jobs have been created due to a surge in demand or due to technology advances for example 15 years ago, no one thought being a YouTuber or social media influencer was going to be a profitable job.
Of course, we can see that the top 3 jobs that Singaporeans do not want to do are very labour-intensive. And in that sense, we know that they are not well-paid as well.
This sentence mentioned in the article by Nominated MP Walter Theseira really got me thinking
"He cited examples of how prices for professional services, such as fees for doctors, lawyers and teachers, have risen over time although their productivity has not risen proportionately."
This was in response to tying wages to productivity (completion of tasks).
It is very difficult to pay a person based on the number of completed tasks as different job entails varying degrees of tasks.
Overall, the pandemic has brought to our attention jobs that are definitely essential during times of crisi however they have not been well-compensated.
I take some jobs for granted like the cleaner who cleans our estate, the construction worker who builds our home and roads. I believe that their jobs are definitely essential and should not be forgotten. I do feel that some jobs deserve a higher pay than they are currently having as there is value that they bring to the community.
I heard of these 3 stocks from Chicken Genius on YouTube and was particularly interested in them including Tesla which he has a huge portion of his portfolio.
***Disclaimer: I have no position in any of the stocks mentioned in this
post and I am not advocating any buy positions for anyone. I am writing and listing information to understand more about them. Do your own due diligence
before initiating any positions.***
So I like to do some simple analysis to compare them and see how they are with Square (SQ) being the first.
SQUARE (SQ)
Business Model
Square is an American financial service, mobile payment and provides ability to business to accept debit or credit card payments. The company is named Square as the payment device created is a square sized card reader.
So you can use their services to accept payments or appointments physically and online where they provide different services.
They also have a cash app which allows businesses to easily move their money around for payments ot transfers, the app is also to support bitcoin trading. There are no monthly fees and Square provides its magnetic stripe card readers to users for free. The Square app can also be downloaded free from App and Google play store.
They charge different amounts for card-present payments, Square gets 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction and for card not present payments (online), Square gets 3.5% + 15¢ and 2.9% + 30¢ if there is a invoice or through Square online app.
Square was co-founded by Jack Dorsey, Jim McKelvey and Tristan O’Tierney. They have done a number of acquisitions and also received a number of funding and GIC has also provided funding to them.
Financials
For 2020 so far, Square has had a net income loss of 106 million. It should be noted that the income lossincluded a significant increase in reserves for transaction and loan losses. They also bought over Caviar, a startup that delivers high end restaurant meals.
Total net revenue and gross profit for them has been increasing year on year. Cash app has been a huge revenue for them, due to the virus situation, in-person payments was down but supplemented by online payments and egift cards.
Overall outlook for business
More online stores popping up and payments is definitely one of the essential set up. I like Square as their business covers many aspects in terms of payment, covering both physical and online presence. Besides being in the payment space, they have also branched out to provide business solutions and services.
They are working to be an all-rounder covering every aspect that a business owner will face regarding their transactions and it is a very good coverage.
Below shows the performance of S&P 500 versus the performance of Square.
An emergency fund is a financial safety net for future mishaps and/or unexpected expenses. After you have a set amount that you are comfortable with putting aside each month, automating it can really work wonders as it just reduces the brain power that you will need to use.
Working will drain you out so having things automated can take a load off your shoulders especially so when you have a family and kids to spend time with.
Starting young can mean that you can continue saving the same amount but as it is compounded, you will end up with much more than what you put in.
Of course, not all banks give 1% per annum and usually only on the first $10,000 then maybe you can consider SSB, fixed deposits or saving plans that can yield more than 1%.
Have you ever wondered how much you need to earn annually to be happy? $100,000? $1,000,000? NOPE, according to experts cited in a 2010 study, $75,000 is the amount after which, your happiness plateaus.
This is because satisfying the basic needs like having a roof over your head, sufficient food and meeting your basic needs will make you happier after which more money than $75,000 will not necessarily make you happier.
The amount might vary a little depending on where you live but happiness experts say they don't vary too far off from $75,000.
$75,000 works out to be about $6250 a month, I am sure many people are earning this amount in Singapore and are they happy? The video also mentioned that people rarely get satisfied with the amount of money they are earning and usually quotes a higher amount than what they actually need.
MADE TO THINK THAT MORE STUFF = MORE HAPPINESS
Americans have a fantasy that the more things we own means more happiness and so everyone is made to want more things so then this brings up the issue of higher salary = more happiness.
Social comparison was mentioned in which we want exactly what our neighbours, friends or celebraties have. And so advertisements are also wired in a way to show that you will be happier with the items.
GOLDEN HANDCUFFS
This means that the person is trapped in a job that is paying them a certain salary and they are not able to leave it because they could have bought a more expensive house or car.
SO INSTEAD OF MONEY, WHAT ELSE CAN BE AN INDICATOR OF HAPPINESS
Humility or whether your job fit your values and allow you to use your strengths can be used as an indicator. Money can indeed reduce your mental stress as you do not need to think about your essentials for example after paying for rent, insurance and necessities, how much do you have left and how much can you put aside.
One example was Gravity payments where the CEO took a million dollar paycut and the employees all had a bump up in their salaries with one staff earning $32,000 to $70,000 annually.
It was also mentioned that how you use your money can also affect your happiness as you should not spend it too much on material but instead on experiences or connection with others.
Earning more definitely means more responsibilities and more stress. The CEO from Gravity payment also mentioned that being at the top is lonely.
So this video summarized that your happiness is definitely much more than your paycheck. There are definitely many other factors involved.
For me, there was a period when I felt that money was the solution to everything especially when I was young and my parents divorced.
It made me feel that money would have solved all their issues and allowed them to be happy but as I grew up, I came to know more and definitely money was just a small component that caused my parent's divorce, there were bigger things involved other than money and I think even if there was lots of money at that time, they would still end up being divorced.
Even now, I do envy those people with a big paycheck but I understand the stress and responsibilities they hold. I am happy and definitely I can grow much more because my annual salary is not at the optimum $75,000 yet, HAHA.
What are your thoughts on this? Does your salary affect your happiness?
Hi! Due to the extended time spent at home, I have created a YouTube channel to add more on visuals.
It will be more of a personal finance, my experiences and maybe about some stocks that I am interested in. I am currently still navigating how should my channel be and if you have any feedback, you can let me know!
Meanwhile, hope you enjoy my videos. I will try to upload weekly if I have ideas. This week, I uploaded a video on the breakdown of my monthly salary and types of accounts I hold my money in.
Previously, I had an article on this too, click on it to read it!
