Financial Freedom SG

For the past three years, I have had a busy job that zapped my energy that all I wanted when I reached home was to rest and not do much. On top of that, I am taking a part time master program and one and a half year ago, my little kid came to the world.


So investing and the blog took a back seat as I did not have the time or the energy to put as much effort into it.

With a new job, there are new things to learn and the handphone isn’t ringing off the hook and I don’t have to run around to meet clients or suppliers. So there is time to recharge and take stock.

Through much of that which had happened, the investment income my wife and me have has gone to a higher level and we have enjoyed the dividends that came into our savings account which was sucked into expenses as a baby isn’t cheap in Singapore’s context.

We tried to save money when we could, buying 15 tins of milk power at one go as it was on offer. People were pointing and staring , but we didn’t care. We bought them late last year and my baby just finished eating the last 15th tin no long ago. We finally have a 32 inch LCD TV, courtesy of my parents who got a gleaming 39 inch LED TV free. Sure, there are scratches and it looks bulky for an LCD but it works. We could have bought one for sure, but my spouse will refuse as our CRT TV in the living room still works perfectly more than 7 years later. So it still takes pride of place in the living room as it works better than the LCD anyway which cannot be viewed clearly from the sides. So the LCD went to the bedroom.

The point is that in order to have enough to invest, your salary has to be more than your expenses.

So no frivolous and unnecessary spending.

No car, no LV handbag, no ibook (but an ipad, as the little one magically stays still during feeding session when one appears) etc.

We could afford them (at least I think so, but my wife thinks not and you must always agree if you want your ears to be free), but rather have that in OCBC shares, Berkshire shares, REITS, ETFs, index fund etc.

So we go on the daily ritual to squeeze with the rest of the Singapore population and much of the rest of the world on the MRT and buses. When it is less crowded, you can play Sugar Crush, read the free daily, read news on your handphone or do emails.

My wife prefers looking at photos of the little one, but sometimes, all you see is the back of another person’s head or armpit, depending on your relative heights.

Thanks to the new job, my aim for this month for me is to convert more of my CPF money to pay for the housing loan, so that we can free up more cash for investment.