Archive

Sgbluechip

Earn one million dollars (in 6 years time)

October 28, 2009 by Sgbluechip
A reader pointed out that it is nearly impossible to turn my $350k portfolio into $1M in 6 years time as I would need an annual compounded return of 19.1% to reach that amount. Am I being unrealistic? To be honest, I could possibly set an impossible target judging from current circumstances, as most people [...]

in Categories: Featured, Personal Finance

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Jason Marine IPO

October 18, 2009 by Sgbluechip
I seldom blog about IPO as I have never made money from it. Usually company owners who want to sell their business will weave a compelling story to entice people to invest. If I own a company that is really profitable, I would need an offer that I can’t resist before I sell it. I [...]

in Categories: Shares and Derivatives

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DBS 1% Unit Trust Sales Charge

October 12, 2009 by Sgbluechip
DBS Unit Trust Sales Charge has been publicized widely recently on papers. This is 50% cheaper compared to the 2% charge by online portals and financial advisors. Moreover, financial advisors, especially independent ones quote a wrap fee that demands their clients to pay 0.5%-2% of their asset under management (AUM) annually. This is a hefty [...]

in Categories: Investing

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The future of Starhub after losing EPL

October 6, 2009 by Sgbluechip
Starhub lost the broadcast rights of EPL, ESPN, STAR Sports and STAR Cricket last week which explains the huge plunge in its share prices. It was down from $2.16 to a low of $1.94 on Friday before rebounding to close at $2. Is there any future for Starhub? Starhub is known for paying hefty dividends [...]

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How does statistics hide facts?

September 19, 2009 by Sgbluechip
Statistics often make us believe wrong conclusion and misled us into believing silly correlations. Let me tell you a story that happened in Country Blue Chips (CBC). A freshly minted assistant professor (in statistics) “discovered” that drinking orange+apple juice makes you smarter. He runs a regression analysis after a grant by the largest manufacturer of [...]

in Categories: Featured, Investing

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Are HDBs affordable at all?

September 17, 2009 by Sgbluechip
With reference to my earlier article, I have calculated that a couple who bought a decent 3 bedroom unit at Dakota Residences will have paid about $3.3M in interest and principal. It is an awful large amount of money. I would never even dare to dream I have that kind of money! What about HDB? [...]

in Categories: Investing

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A visit to Dakota Residences

September 14, 2009 by Sgbluechip
I visited Dakota Residences over the weekend. There was no crowd, just a couple of families looking at the showflat and the architectural model. Currently Dakota has fully sold its 2 bedroom apartments and are left with few units of 3 bedroom apartments. 4 bedroom apartments are still plentiful as there are little takers. I [...]

in Categories: Featured, Investing

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Counter-intuitive and property investment

September 6, 2009 by Sgbluechip
An intuitive proposition is one that seems to be true when assessed using intuition of gut feelings. A counter-intuitive proposition is one that does not seem likely to be true when assessed using intuition or gut feelings. For example, before we proved that the world is round, many folks believed that it is “common sense” [...]

in Categories: Featured, Investing

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When ignorance is costly and not bliss

July 15, 2009 by Sgbluechip
More often than not, we hear that ignorance is bliss. However, this is not the case when it comes to finance, choosing life partners and even simple recurring purchases. Let me illustrate this with car servicing. All drivers know that we have to send our car for regular servicing every 6 months or 10,000km, whichever [...]

in Categories: Featured, Personal Finance

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Bond funds??

June 26, 2009 by Sgbluechip
I was reading an online magazine and a financial advisor from a reputable company suggested a bond fund portfolio for risk averse people. He claims that it has low risk and by having bond funds, one can invest in global fixed income and withdraw a portion of it from the bond fund periodically, funding one’s [...]

in Categories: Featured, Investing

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Marriage: A risky business

June 15, 2009 by Sgbluechip
Lately I came to know a few friends from different social circles getting married. I am not sure if you call it pre marriage jitters, but 2 different couples who have already bought HDB houses are already having 2nd, 3rd thoughts about that person they want to marry. One couple was together for 6 years, [...]

in Categories: Featured, Personal Finance

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What is the yield on housing investment (2)?

May 24, 2009 by Sgbluechip
Supposed Mr. Tan does not invest in an apartment. Instead, he invest his downpayment of $124,000 and 2 years worth housing installment of $66, 0192 into a diversified portfolio of stocks, with an investment horizon of 20 years. I am assuming here that he has prudently set aside about $190,000 before purchasing the apartment. In [...]

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What is the yield on housing investment?

May 23, 2009 by Sgbluechip
Singaporeans are obsessed with housing as an investment. Considering the large number of people scrambling to buy a house even during such times are telling signs that you can know nothing about equities, forex, commodities and derivatives, but you can never miss out on properties. “Land is scarce, so property is a sure win bet [...]

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Enjoy “free” Funds Transfer at 9%

May 12, 2009 by Sgbluechip
I am sure you have come across like a million times those fund transfer “promotions” offers where you just need to pay a “low” 3%-5% processing fee and enjoy 12-24 months of interest free installments. Let’s do some maths with the help of financial calculator to see if it is really worth it. Consider a [...]

in Categories: Personal Finance

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When facts are false

May 6, 2009 by Sgbluechip
“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” The statement refers to the persuasive power of numbers, the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments, and the tendency of people to disparage statistics that do not support their positions. Statistics is a powerful to induce people to make wrong decisions based on [...]

in Categories: Featured, Investing

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Sales talk

May 3, 2009 by Sgbluechip
My property agent called me today to promote a 500 sq ft property selling at $950/sq ft at balestier area. He claimed that the swine flu is similar to the Sars period in which after that, it is likely that properties would soar. The property is only a 15 minutes walk to Toa Payoh MRT [...]

in Categories: Featured, Personal Finance

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Stocks or residential property investment?

March 10, 2009 by Sgbluechip
Needless to say, property and stock markets are the most unlikely places you want your money to be right now. But the question is, given that you have $300,000 to invest now, do you buy a private residential property beside a MRT or a blue chip like DBS for passive income? Many would argue that [...]

in Categories: Featured, Investing

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SPH Q1 results

January 18, 2009 by Sgbluechip
SPH reported a 35% drop in 1Q net profits this week. Its share price started to price in the news 1 week prior to its results release and have been a downward trend ever since. Is there any cause for concern for investors to cut loss? Will there be a dividend cut? I would like [...]

in Categories: Featured, Investing

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