New Year, New Post, New Goals

 

Happy New Year Everyone!
(even though I'm a couple of days late)

What a whirlwind 2021 has been. Singapore went through so many phases of Covid measures that I lost count. Nevertheless, 2021 was an eventful and meaningful year. The LO turned one and she's expected to start Playgroup in a few weeks time. We also started dabbling a little into stablecoins to gain some yield there. I got back into the hobby of collecting shiny cardboard and for those interested you can check out my IG through the link at the bottom. I initially set out to get 1oz of gold and ~30oz of silver last year but i didn't quite hit the mark on gold, so let's see if we can do that this year.

I definitely have been away from this page for awhile. IIRC, my last post was sometime in Aug 2020 and I just did not have the motivation to look at our numbers and crunch out some post. Honestly, everything felt too routine and kind of a drag. Well, I'm back from a break and I hope that I can gather some momentum for this year.

Looking back at 2022, we aimed to get $2400 in dividends/passive income. Based on my last check on stocks.cafe (which I use to track our portfolio), we earned ~$2,500 in dividends in 2021. This excludes our other passive income streams such as bank interests and crypto yields. This kinda exceeded my expectation as I thought we could only hit this target if we included our other streams of passive income. Going forward, I think we will only be tracking our dividends closely or I might go crazy sieving through all our different accounts 😂

So what's next in 2022? 

First off, I would like to write more consistently. Some people say 'Consistency is key' so my target for 2022 is to write at least two posts a month. This should be manageable given our current schedule and work demands and if I'm feeling it, I may write more and if I do that's a bonus.

We are also going to continue our DCA strategy into our current holdings. I think given our background and schedule, we can only do what we can to stay in the market and reduce our risks where possible. So far, this method has been stable enough for us and kinda survived the Covid-19 test.

One thing that we did not execute enough on was entering more positions into growth stocks and some ETFs that we wanted to. We are going to work to try and change this and increase our exposure in these positions.

We are also targeting $3,600 in dividends this year which will translate to ~50% increase from 2021. Currently, all the dividends received are reinvested. Hopefully this will pay off in the long run.

Next, we are going to continue to increase our exposure in crypto and physical precious metals. In my mind, these two are hedges in the bigger picture of growing the value of our portfolio.

Last but not least, it is to make time for more healthy activities like exercise and 'excursions' with the LO. As we are entering our 30s, gotta keep the weight down as our metabolism slows down and get in a couple of sessions of exercise per week to ensure we are healthy enough when we are older to enjoy the fruits of our labour.

If you have read till here, THANK YOU! On a lighter note, I want to collect more Shiny Cardboard and I may post some pictures of what I have in my Personal Collection (PC).

Share with me your New Year's Resolutions and Goals! Remember to stay safe everyone!

On a separate note, I have started a YouTube Channel showcasing my hobbies. If you are interested, you can watch my latest video here! Any feedback, subscriptions or comments is deeply appreciated!

My YouTube Channel: LINK HERE!

My Instagram: LINK HERE!

Check out my other stuff: LINK HERE!

SG FI Dad, out.

WE ARE ONE! Our Site is One Year Old!

WE ARE 1!

Wow, time flies. A year ago on 10 June, I decided to publish the first article on this site. The idea behind creating a blog/website has always been in and around my mind as it allows me a space to pen down my thoughts and occasionally receive comments and feedback from the community. 37 posts later and here we are. A lot has changed in 1 year! Our daughter is now almost 14 months old and starting to take her first steps. We are also looking around and planning for our LO to attend playgroup in about a year’s time. COVID-19 also happened and the current Phase 2 Heightened Alert status just shows how volatile the situation can be if we let our guard down. 

Overall, the journey thus far has been meaningful and I am always thankful for the comments and connections made. Looking back at the older posts also allows for some reflection seeing how far we have come as a family in our financial status. No crazy gains like what some others have had, but we are taking things slow and steady. 

Given our current status, CoastFI or BaristaFI is our eventual goal whereby we can have that bit of financial security and at the same time have the ability to know that we can pursue something we really want down the line. The amount needed for this with our LO currently is definitely substantial. If and when we do have a second child, this amount will increase further. The current target amount is definitely >$1M but I will delve into the breakdown in a subsequent post.

We have also continued to be disciplined in our monthly investments thus far and this has contributed to the gradual increase in our portfolio. You can check out some of the older posts here to see our progression. I am looking to expand and dabble into the DeFi space to potentially increase some yield. 

So what can we look forward to in the coming year? I am looking into the possibility of getting a custom domain and custom website done. If you have any lobang or plugs for either of this, comment below or shoot me an email and let’s talk about it! I am also going to continue shooting videos for my YouTube channel and hopefully we hit 100 subscribers by the end of the year! Do check my channel out if time allows and I appreciate any feedback! We should also be on track for our portfolio to go from 5-figure to 6-figure by the end of the year or early next year. 

In other news, we are expecting to receive our BTO by mid-2022. Exciting times ahead as we start to plan for our own home and renovation. I'm not sure if readers would like to follow our renovation planning and execution journey but I will take notes along the way and hopefully this info will be helpful to some people down the line. Maybe I will do a video series on this as well heh.

As someone who is constantly distracted, I find myself constantly looking around for the latest trends and new sources of income. I think the lesson learnt thus far in this journey is not to hesitate or procrastinate. Sometimes, I find dipping my feet in for the experience helps me understand the situation better and allows me to be more decisive. That said, I am always thankful for the support around me and we are doing this to avoid being the next 'sandwich generation'.

So, if you have read till here, THANK YOU! I appreciate each and everyone of you for taking some time out of your busy schedule to stop by and have a peek into my thoughts. If you have any comments or feedback on what else you would like to read or watch on, let me know below!

Watch my latest video here! 

My YouTube Channel: LINK HERE!

My Instagram: LINK HERE!

Check out my other stuff: LINK HERE!

SG FI Dad, out.

Our One Year Journey as Parents

For most, 2020 was a year when the world turned upside down. LITERALLY. This was mainly contributed by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, volatility in the market, economy and job security. For the Mrs and I, 2020 was the year we welcomed our LO into the world. One of my close friends even joked that she was a Circuit Breaker (CB) baby. I think Singaporeans will get that pun. Time has flown so quickly that our resume now also reads ‘One year experience in parenting’. 

Babies really grow very quickly. Our LO constantly looked different as the weeks went by and she was always hitting new developmental milestones. Our optimistic takeaway from Covid-19 was the time we got to spend with family and seeing our LO’s development. 

As a year old parent, I must say it is not easy. Expenses will rise (I will cover this in-depth in another post) and you probably won’t have any free time for yourself. This is all worth it when you see your LO’s smile and they crawl/stumble up towards you demanding a hug. 

As a husband and a first time father, I tried my best to help out in whatever I could. Doing the chores around the house, preparing meals etc. Most importantly, looking after the Mrs. ‘It takes a village to raise a child’, and I think we are fortunate enough to be living with my parents and there are extra pairs of eyes and hands to help take care of our LO. With that in mind, I always told the Mrs that my priority was to take care of her and nurse her back to health after (a supposed worry-free) pregnancy. Always be ready to listen and try and understand your partner’s rationale/worries. 

I think the Mrs has also influenced me during this period in a positive way. I had the thought that bringing the LO to places of attractions etc were a waste of money because she probably will not remember anything. But over some time, I understood that we are experiencing new things with our LO and this little exposure aids in her development in so many different ways. So have an open mind as parents. 

This one year journey has had its ups and downs. There were times when our LO was wailing at 2-3am and refused to be placed in bed. There were also times when we saw her stand up unassisted or pull her favourite storybook and plop herself on our lap demanding to be read to. I think the Mrs and I are looking forward to the year ahead with our LO and seeing what tricks she is going to pull. Nonetheless, if you are a young parent and read until here, I just want to give you a word of encouragement and do not give up. All your efforts are worth it. 

Share with me any thoughts or comments that you may have on parenting! Stay safe everyone!

On a separate note, I have started a YouTube Channel showcasing my hobbies. If you are interested, you can watch my latest video here! Any feedback, subscriptions or comments is deeply appreciated!

My YouTube Channel: LINK HERE!

My Instagram: LINK HERE!

SG FI Dad, out

SGFIDAD’s 1Q2021 Review

The first quarter of 2021 has passed and it is time to take a step back and review our progress thus far. With the COVID-19 situation being more or less controlled here in Singapore and workplace arrangements gradually returning to normal, I foresee myself being more busy and possibly having less time to constantly review and upkeep our portfolio. I think maintaining a quarterly review hits the sweet spot and it will be good to periodically remind ourselves where we are now and what is needed to reach our goals.

For those who are new here (hi there and thanks for stopping by!), our investment approach is relatively hands-off. This means we generally just DCA into selected counters at a fixed period every month. 

The US market has been relatively volatile the last few weeks and I think I was disappointed that I did not take that opportunity to enter some of the ETF counters that I have been monitoring. Nonetheless, we will be more ‘active’ on that front as we have decided that we will be slightly more aggressive this year.

On the cryptocurrency front, I have decided to carve out a small amount every month or two to enter the crypto space. I will highlight more details on this in a future post. Personally, this hasn’t been my first foray into cryptocurrency but I will tell this story another time. Currently, crypto takes up less than 1% of our portfolio.

In total, we received $477.38 from our dividends and interests for the first 3 months of 2021. That works out to just under $160 per month. As mentioned in our earlier post, this is definitely under our goal of $200 per month from alternate income. Based on our monitoring and projections, we understand where our shortfall is and will look to supplement them in the coming months.

Career wise, I’m glad to see that the Mrs continues to do well in her appraisal and performance. On my end, I’m trying to improve my skill sets and maybe take a couple of upgrading courses to better understand data and visual analytics. I’m pretty certain that these are going to be the basic requirements in the future and it’s going to be beneficial to learn these asap.

Hobby wise, I am thankful that the wife continues to be supportive and allows me the time and space to pursue these. I have continued to put out a couple of videos per week taking a break whenever I need to. Flipping of cards has been quite the experience and I will detail my account in a future post as this has been too recent. If any of you are interested, check out the links below and I welcome any feedback!

Share with me any thoughts or comments that you may have! Stay safe everyone!

I have started a YouTube Channel showcasing my hobbies. If you are interested, you can watch my latest video here! Any feedback, subscriptions or comments is deeply appreciated!

My YouTube Channel: LINK HERE!

My Instagram: LINK HERE!

Alternate Income Report: Mar 2021

The first quarter of 2021 has passed so quickly. We went for a staycation last week and used up our SingapoRediscover Vouchers to offset most of the cost. Quite surprised to see that a substantial amount of vouchers have not been utilised. We were impressed with Carlton Hotel's service and location (*not sponsored in anyway). Anytime we were peckish or needed to head out for a walk, there were plenty of options for us and the LO. I must say it was a much needed break and 'getaway'. And as we enter into April, the wife and I have started preparing for our LO's 1st birthday! 

For Mar 2021, we received $91.30 from interests and dividend returns. Not quite there yet at $200 per month that we are aiming for. This month’s alternate income is almost 50% less than each of the preceding months. Upon examining our projected dividends for the year, Mar and Nov appear to be our 'dry spells'. This means given we maintain our current stock holdings, we can expect that our alternate income inflow will take a dip during this period every year. Understanding the highs and lows in such projections is important for us as we plan to use our alternate income to supplement our daily lives. 

As we enter the second quarter of 2021, we are constantly striving towards this target that we set for ourselves. One positive step we took in March was applying for and being allocated some of the Astrea VI PE Bonds. We are confident that we will reach our goal of $200 per month in alternate income for 2021 with our continuous DCA entry into the market.

On a separate note, I have started a YouTube Channel showcasing my hobbies. If you are interested, you can watch my latest video here! Any feedback, subscriptions or comments is deeply appreciated!

My YouTube Channel: LINK HERE!

My Instagram: LINK HERE!