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!

Kopi Money Series Part 2: Toluna

Cryptic coffee and notebook photo. 

Back with another post on ‘How to make Kopi Money’. It seems that the previous article on Milieu Surveys was quite popular. I hope I can make this into a mini-series and give you all tips and tricks to make such kopi lui. As I said in my earlier post, participating in these will not make you extremely rich and it is most definitely not a get-rich-quick scheme.

Today’s post will be on Toluna. This website/app is similar to Milieu in the sense that it is a survey platform. By completing surveys, you receive points that can then be used to exchange for different types of rewards.

I personally use Toluna as well but not as frequently as compared to Milieu. I would say it is easier to reach the rewards threshold on Toluna as the points payout per survey is typically quite high. On average, you should be able to redeem some form of reward upon completing 6-8 surveys. The downside to Toluna is that their surveys can be quite long and after completing a certain percentage of a survey you may be found unsuitable or not the target demographic, which can be a little discouraging. But this is all part of the ‘game’ and you just got to be a little persistent sometimes.

Nevertheless, I think if you have some time to spare, Toluna is able to serve its purpose of exchanging your free time for some kopi lui.

In similar fashion, I have included some of the rewards that are available for redemption. My personal ‘favorites’ are PayPal and the Takashimaya vouchers *no expiry woohoo!*

If any of you are interested, you can use the link here to register for an account.

Let me know if you enjoy such content and I will try and see what other tips and tricks I can share with you all!

Share with me your thoughts and comments on if you have used such survey platforms! 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.

Thank You! An Appreciation Note

Wow! This blog has reached more than 10,000 views and it still amazes me. I just want to take this time to thank and appreciate everyone who has ever viewed this blog. For taking that few minutes out of your busy day and reading the bits of content that I put out. Also, thank you to everyone for has ever commented or provided feedback in one way or another. I started this blog to record my family’s journey towards Financial Independence and I see all the comments and interactions as a learning opportunity to better myself. 

Maintaining this blog is definitely not easy and I really salute all the bigger sites on the Singapore Financial arena who constantly push out knowledgeable and relevant content. This requires as much discipline as maintaining one’s savings and doing investments. 

The past 8-9 months blogging has mostly been enjoyable and I will continue to improve myself and the content that is published. I’m am also eagerly looking forward to the next milestone and the experience in between.

Share with me any thoughts and comments that you may have! 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

My Experience Flipping Collectible Cards

 

        A totally irrelevant example of flipping. 

I rekindled a childhood hobby this year after a few months of lurking and watching fellow hobbyists open packs of Pokémon cards. Pokémon cards has been all the rage recently and some of them even sell for 6-figure sums. 

When I told the Mrs that I would like to go back into this hobby, she had a simple condition for me: an annual spending cap of $200. In the back of my mind I was going ‘Siao liao, I can’t buy anything noteworthy or nice.’ 

I did my research and watched a few videos reviewing some upcoming sets. The hype and demand for these were insatiable and a plan was hatched. 

A buddy of mine accompanied me on launch day to queue and purchase boxes at retail. (The queue was insane and also indicated to me that there was pent up demand for this product). I sold those that I didn’t need at a marked up price and used this proceeds to fund my own collection. This may not be the healthiest way to go about in this hobby and I’m not promoting scalping. But when demand far outstrips supply, the market reacts this way. 

I was willing and able to do this because my collection is focused. I wasn’t crazy about opening packs or doing box breaks. I knew what I wanted and worked towards it. All this were a means to an end. Some collectors may or may not agree with my approach. 

Another plan I had was to conduct some sales of cards over Facebook groups or platforms like Carousell for cards which I didn’t need in my collection. And this further added some much required funds for my collection.

My personal experience so far has been positive and I will continue to see how I can best manage this hobby within this spending cap. The people in Singapore's Pokémon community are mostly friendly and approachable. 

Share your thoughts and comments with me if you collect Pokémon cards or other collectibles! 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.

How I Earn Some Kopi Money

Ang moh way of depicting Kopi Lui (money)

This post is not about a get-rich quick scheme. Instead, it is actually quite the opposite. I have been using Milieu Surveys for around 6 months now and it is a simple way to accumulate some kopi lui in your free time. Simply do the (almost) daily surveys to get the points required. The reason why I prefer Milieu to other platforms is that the platform is easy to use and I usually don't waste 5 minutes filling up some biometric form only to find out that I am not the target audience they are looking for. Surveys on Milieu typically can be completed within 5mins or less. The downside is that you need to be patient to accumulate enough points to exchange for your rewards.

Simple and fuss-free User interface. When there is a survey, a notification is usually sent. I just check the app in my pockets of time to see if there are any updates.

Upon accumulating a certain number of points, you get rewarded in tiers for points boost. So, quicker accumulation for everyone!

There are many different types of rewards available for redemption. For those feeling altruistic, there are a few charities that you can donate to through the app. For myself, I have just redeemed $20 CASH from 18,000pts through PayNow. It takes a few days for the reward to be credited to you. But hey, I am not complaining.

This isn't a sponsored post (*Milieu if you see this, hit me up idm*). I decided to share this as some people may have pockets of time here and there that they can utilise to earn some money. Like I said earlier, this is not going to make you rich. But it sure beats being idle.

Download the Milieu Surveys mobile app:

App Store here - https://apple.co/2MmnprL

Google PlayStore here - https://goo.gl/eTHTya

When you sign up key in the referral code REgCwGS. This way you get an additional 500 points after completing 7 surveys.

Share with me your thoughts and comments on if you have used such survey platforms! 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.

StashAway Report Feb 2021

Been abit lazy updating this section of StashAway reports the past couple of months as some other things and activities were prioritized. However, I'm back in the swing of things and looking forward to the opportunities in the year ahead.

We continued our DCA strategy with StashAway and have not stopped despite my lack of updates the last few months. StashAway has provided us with some solid returns amidst all the uncertainty in the backdrop of the global pandemic and other global happenings.*Not sponsored but if StashAway is interested, hit us up!*

I have been using StashAway since 2017 but the contribution has been on and off then. More recently, we have made it a critical component of our portfolio as it provides us exposure to the overseas market. We have 5 portfolios across 2 accounts as we like to set different goals with different timelines.

Statement as of 28 Feb 2021:

Our portfolio thus far is valued at $15,343.53. Downward movement likely due to the correction experienced in many markets.

If you are interested in getting started with StashAway, you can check out my link here to sign up. We both get up to $10,000 SGD managed for free for 6 months. Win-win! 

Share with me your thoughts and comments on if you have robo-advisors as part of your portfolio! 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.