稳稳的幸福

陳奕迅 

穩穩的幸福

有一天　我發現自憐資格都已沒有

只剩下不知疲倦的肩膀

擔負著簡單的滿足

有一天　開始從平淡日子感受快樂

看到了明明白白的遠方

我要的幸福

我要穩穩的幸福

能抵擋末日的殘酷

在不安的深夜

能有個歸宿

我要穩穩的幸福

能用雙手去碰觸

每次伸手入懷中

有你的溫度

我要穩穩的幸福

能抵擋失落的痛楚

一個人的路途

也不會孤獨

我要穩穩的幸福

能用生命做長度

無論我身在何處

都不會迷途

我要穩穩的幸福

這是我想要的幸福

小房子

Stages of death according to buddhism

Following death, according to Tibetan Buddhism, the spirit of the departed goes through a process lasting forty-nine days that is divided into three stages called "bardos." At the conclusion of the bardo, the person either enters nirvana or returns to Earth for rebirth.

 

It is imperative that the dying individual remain fully aware for as long as possible because the thoughts one has while passing over into death heavily influence the nature of both the after-death experience and, if one fails to achieve nirvana, the state of one's next incarnation.

 

Stage one of the Bardo (called the "Chikai" Bardo), the bardo of dying, begins at death and extends from half a day to four days. This is the period of time necessary for the departed to realize that they have dropped the body. The consciousness of the departed has an ecstatic experience of the primary "Clear White Light" at the death moment. Everyone gets at least a fleeting glimpse of the light. The more spiritually developed see it longer, and are able to go beyond it to a higher level of reality. The average person, however, drops into the lesser state of the secondary "clear light."

 

In stage two (called the "Chonyid" Bardo), the bardo of Luminous Mind, the departed encounters the hallucinations resulting from the karma created during life. Unless highly developed, the individual will feel that they are still in the body. The departed then encounters various apparitions, the "peaceful" and "wrathful" deities, that are actually personifications of human feelings and that, to successfully achieve nirvana, the deceased must encounter unflinchingly. Only the most evolved individuals can skip the bardo experience altogether and transit directly into a paradise realm. Stage three (called the "Sidpa" Bardo), the bardo of rebirth, is the process of reincarnation.

Communication Board

Emergency Fund

Investment moats article on Emergency funds have some good tips.

A good set of emergency fund target can be as such:

• $500: Your initial sum of emergency funds. This helps you resolve budgeting problems when you spend too much, mostly due to yourself still learning the right level to allocate to various categories
• $1000: This sum should cover a sizeable portion of your expenses and much monthly emergencies. This should be built up before paying down your debts, so that in the event of emergencies you do not need to borrow again.
• 1 month living expenses: This is where you would like to reach, where you can effectively live on your last month’s income. So you will spend last month’s income, then this month’s income will be use to buffer this month’s spending, with majority of your income allocated to next month’s spending
• 3 months living expenses: By the time you reach this stage, you have achieve what the text books have recommended. This should take care of smaller unemployment, usually during an unsatisfactory job position in a good job market.
• 6 months of living expenses or 3 months of disposable income: This level  should buffer you against a prolong unemployment in a down market. However, in certain countries, it may be more difficult to find a job within this time frame.
• 1 year worth of living expenses: By this point you will have ample buffer to take most emergency within your stride even some of those living expenses and relative emergency hospitalization. At this point you might even be able to simulate whether your family can quit your job and live off your income generated by investments

Emergency funds is important, but even when the sum is small, they can be vital in helping you organize your financial situation well. Its important not to give up even if its difficult to build up to 1 month of living expenses.

However, I have some recommendations.

For the first month when you start work, or when you want to get your house in order, don’t pay off the majority of your debt. Pay the minimum. At the same time, don’t put any amount to wealth building.

The rationale is that, it does not make much of a difference if you delay your wealth building or paying off debts by 1 month (unless your debts is from loan shark and the interest is 20% per month!). However, you gain a notable magnitude of flexibility if you manage to build up a small emergency fund.

To buy into this personal finance helps reshape you world and to improve your life, you have to stick to it, and I see this emergency fund to be integral to it.

Imagine you overspend, makes some mistakes in the early stage of your budgeting, the only way you can gain flexibility is through credit card borrowing.

This is going to put a dent to your confidence.

1. Cut your expenses,pay minimum on your debt financing, take on a little bit more jobs to free up $500 for your first emergency fund.
2. For the next 1 year, put away $40 per month, to build up another $500 so that your emergency funds grow to $1000. Target is to clear your debts by channelling more to pay down your debts.
3. When it comes time to collect your bonus, before spending, look to see if you can free up another $1000-$2000 to emergency funds, or even 1 month of your normal monthly salary. We cannot find a better opportunity to gain a sizable amount of money without affecting your monthly expenses constraint
4. Look to see if you can up the monthly build up of emergency fund to $80 per month

In this way it is possible to build up roughly $6000 or 3-4 months of your expenses as emergency funds.After this you can continue to fund $80 per month so that yearly your emergency fund will slowly build up to $10,000 at least in 10 years.

Stock Market Sentiment

(胡立阳)

10 yr treasury yield. 2.17% means higher price with a lot of liquidity. Switching between bond n stock mkt.

If hit 3.0% then mkt likely crashed....means interest rise.

Big boys are more informed 

than us. So if yield hit 3%... Interest likely up. 

May be 1-2 yr later.

(Bear mkt set in if:)

If mth chart down 12% or more

3 black mth candle in a row

Indx down from peak for >20% 

(Possible QE?)

Dar wong -

Wont be by next year. Credit rating will drop. However, if necessary, 2nd half of 2016. Because 2017 obama exit.

Daniel Loh -

Unlikely now. Unemployed down. Econ ok. Fomc member say if mkt crashed. 

Hu -

May or may not.

No lack of lidquidity.

QE unlikely. Its a bad thing.

Feb/march 2015 likely rate hike 

(Interest rate hike.)

Daniel -

Fomc has been transparent.  When int up a bit...ok... Until such a level that ppl cant service their loan.

Up to  Mid 2016 should be safe.

Hu -

Diff to trade mkt 2015(??)...int up how much?

It will go up slowly until such a level it will crash. 

When local FD int rate hit 3%.. dangerous level.

Dar wong -

0.125% rate rise typical. U$ index go up to to 86% ... Push up int indirectly.

Int rate stay unchange but U$ idx is a more reliable means to gauge d mkt trrnd.

Daniel - 

2015 mkt. Up n down.

200 day ma trending upward...still up trend.

(¥ vs U$ exchange rate.)

Dar wong -

Us vs china. 

if fluctuate around 6, its ok.

But china cant control if it become internationalized. Long term trend is uptrend.

Hu -

Europe not important. 5%.

Japan 1%.

Most important, U$.

QE hurts lay man. Low int n high inflation.

In 2-3 years time int rate will be back to normal. Stick mkt, property mkt will be pushed back to normal level.

Daniel - 

Cheap bargain in 1-2 week bottoming.

Dar wong - 

3 wave.. a-b-c wave.

Now Wave A...

C wave down early 2015... Tgt? Not sure

Next april-may.....depends on US..china interest trend.

From now until mid 2015... Likely down trend.

Sabana Sukuk

Sabana, the world’s biggest Islamic REIT, has sold S$270 million of Shariah-compliant notes since 2012, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The trust’s shares have declined 6 percent this year to S$1.02, following 2013’s 5.3 percent drop. Singapore’s Straits Times Index has climbed 2.4 percent in 2014.

Bad news for Sabana reits shareholders who bought at a high price.

Aspirin to prevent cancer?

"We came to the conclusion that most people between the ages of 50 and 65 would benefit from a daily aspirin," said lead researcher Jack Cuzick, head of the Center for Cancer Prevention at Queen Mary, University of London.

"It looks like if everyone took a daily aspirin, there would be less cancer, and that would far outweigh any side effects," added Cuzick.

Studio Ghibli Final Collection

TCM in toa payoh - 张磊

Rainbow diet to beat cancer

In Chris Woollams´ book for CANCERactive, The Rainbow Diet and how it can help you beat cancer, he tells you what foods have been shown in research to be Protective and Corrective. The fact is the pigment in many foods is the bioactive natural compound that has strong anti-cancer properties. Across the week you should eat a rainbow of colours: So base your diet around foods like -

Fresh garlic, leeks, onions, spring onions, radishes - for example, garlic is known to contain a number of anti-cancer agents and is believed to help stop cancer spreading and blood supplies forming to new tumours.

Pulses - for thousands of years we have eaten broad beans, peas and pulses providing phytoestrogens (plant oestrogens that are far, far weaker than human oestrogens) to protect us especially against the spread of hormonally driven cancers.

Glycoproteins and polysaccharides - Four Nobel Prizes for medicine in the last dozen years have been won for discoveries on these natural compounds which help cells communicate -good for your immune system´s ability to see friends and foes. Foods include aloe vera, echinacea, turmeric, pectins (e.g. apples and pears), arabinogalactans (e.g. in oats, psyllium, coconut, tomatoes, carrots, brown rice). Even red wine and mother´s milk contain these important protective factors that encourage better messaging between cells. In the US they are now called "Super carbs" or monosaccharides but are actually neither. Probably the best studied are Medicinal Mushrooms like Reishi, Maitake, Cordyceps which are beta-glucan polysaccharides. (see below).

Dark Red foods - like beetroot, dark plums, aubergines, red grapes, blueberries etc which provide anthocyanins, known to kill cancer cells, and/or polyphenols such as resveratrol and quercitin which both have anti-cancer effects.

Bright colours - for example, red and yellow peppers, peaches, apricots, watermelon, for carotenoids, known to restrict cancers like breast cancer.

Greens - Kale, spinach, broccoli, cabbage for vitamin K, phytoestrogens and indole 3 carbinol.

Sprouting seeds - for sulphoraphanes, which have strong anti-cancer activity.

Nuts and seeds try a breakfast of a little organic muesli, boosted by organic pumpkin and sunflower seeds and crushed flaxseed/linseeds. Great for B vitamins like folic acid and biotin to help protect DNA, cellular oxygenation and detoxifying lignans.

Bitter foods - like watercress, gooseberries, cranberries, blackberries, wild strawberries. Or almonds, cashew nuts, millet, buckwheat and apricot kernels all of which contain fibre and a variety of natural compounds (yes, including B-17, which people like Dr Contreras at the Oasis of Hope calls ´nature´s chemotherapy´).

Notable additions - Green tea, olive oil, fennel, oregano, turmeric/curcumin to boost your immune system and kill yeasts.

Switch out of cows´ dairy - to a little goats´ cheese, soya and rice milk. Swap red meat for game and oily fish (although research shows eating oily fish comes second to taking a supplement of fish oils everyday).

Eat more mushrooms, apples, organic brown rice, Manuka Honey (grade 12) and onions. We could go on. There is research on everything from the benefits of quercitin against cancer to the ability of medicinal mushrooms to cut oestrogen and boost the immune system. It is all in The Rainbow Diet and how it can help you beat cancer. Importantly, avoid fried food or burning on the grill and eat more raw foods. Avoid beers and spirits, although the occasional red wine seems (from research, you understand!) to help.

Dividends received for August and September 2014

Summary of dividends received for August and September 2014:

1. Rickmers Maritime - 300 (25Aug payable on 10Sep)

2. Cambridge Ind Trust  - 62.55 (31Jul payable on 10Sep)

I bought 2lots of Sembcorp Marine at 13Aug at 3.97. The price for Sembcorp Marine fell in September to as low as 3.88. 

Group outings precautions

Clarence Yeo from Killiney Family and Wellness Clinic said precautions should be taken for group outings.

"In large group outings, the leader or organiser of the group should make the necessary preparations, and any member who may feel unwell should opt out of the activity," he said.

Dr Yeo added that the leader also needs to be aware of the areas where they can get quick medical attention in an emergency.

On how to deal with a case of sudden fainting, he said: "The person should first be taken to a safe place out of the way of traffic.

"If the victim is in a stable condition, he or she can be put into a recovery position."

Once this is done, call for further medical assistance.

Ebola Outbreak Alert

Dear All,   

 

There is currently an Ebola outbreak putting all of us at risk. 

 

What is EBOLA?

 

It's a virus that attacks a person blood system:

 

Ebola is what scientists call a hemorrhagic fever - it operates by making its victims bleed from almost anywhere on their body.

Usually victims bleed to

death.

 

Ebola is highly contagious;

Being transmitted via

contact with body fluids

such as blood, sweat, saliva,

semen or other body discharges.

 

Ebola is however NOT AN AIRBORNE VIRUS!

 

EXTREMELY deadly:

About 90% of people that

catch Ebola will die from it.

It's one of the deadliest

diseases in the world,

killing in just a few weeks.

 

Untreatable(no cure):

Ebola has no known treatment or cure.

Victims are usually treated for symptoms with the faint hope that they recover.

 

❓How Do I Know Someone has Ebola?

 

•Fever

•Headache

•Diarrhoea

•Vomiting

•Weakness

•Joint & Muscle pains

•Stomach Pain

•Lack of Appetite

 

Protect Yourself:

•Wash Your Hands

with Soap

Do this a lot. You can

also use a good hand

sanitizer. Avoid

unnecessary physical contact with people.

 

■Restrict yourself to food you prepared yourself.

 

■Disinfect Your Surroundings

The virus cannot

survive disinfectants,heat, direct sunlight,detergents and soaps.

 

Clean up!:

•Fumigate If you have Pests.

•Rodents can be carriers of Ebola.

•Fumigate your environment & dispose off the carcasses properly!

•Dead bodies CAN still

transmit Ebola.

•Don't touch them without

protective gear or better yet avoid them altogether.

 

Protect Yourself:

•Use protective gear if you

must care or go near

someone you suspect has

Ebola.

 

Report:

•Report any suspicious

symptoms in yourself or

anyone else IMMEDIATELY.

 

Do not delay!

 

Educate Everyone:

•Tell your neighbours,

colleagues and domestic

staff (anyone really). Basically you're safer when everyone is educated.

Buddha says

Gas Leak explosions in Taiwan, Kaohsiung

Blood Test to detect someone may attempt suicide

LONDON — A blood test that can predict whether someone may attempt suicide has been developed by scientists in a breakthrough which could prevent hundreds of deaths.

American researchers have found that variations in a single gene can be used to predict if someone is likely to take their own life. Those mutations can be spotted through a simple blood test which could allow therapists or doctors to intervene before it is too late.

Researchers at John Hopkins University, in Baltimore, Maryland, found that the gene SKA2 stopped functioning correctly in people at risk of suicide. The gene, found in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, is responsible for keeping levels of cortisol – the stress hormone — under control. It is also involved in preventing negative thoughts and controlling impulsive behaviour.

If there isn’t enough SKA2, or it is altered in some way, the body cannot control levels of cortisol. Previous research has shown that people who attempt suicide or who take their own lives have large amounts of cortisol in their systems.

“Suicide is a major preventable public health problem, but we have been stymied in our prevention efforts because we have no consistent way to predict those who are at increased risk of killing themselves,” said study leader Dr Zachary Kaminsky, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences. “With a test like ours, we may be able to stem suicide rates by identifying those people and intervening early enough to head off a catastrophe.”

The blood test managed to predict those with the most severe risk of suicide with 90 per cent accuracy.

The scientists could also spot if someone had already attempted suicide with 96 per cent accuracy, simply by looking at the levels of SKA2.

A test could allow doctors or psychologists to place patients on ‘suicide watch’ and restrict their access to drugs or equipment which they could use to end their own life. Dr Kaminsky said it could also help doctors know whether to give medications which are linked to suicidal thoughts.

“We have found a gene that we think could be really important for consistently identifying a range of behaviours from suicidal thoughts to attempts to completions,” Dr Kaminsky said. “We need to study this in a larger sample but we believe that we might be able to monitor the blood to identify those at risk of suicide.”

Pledge property for CPF minimum sum

Pledging your property

Your property, which you had purchased using your CPF savings, was automatically pledged for part of your Minimum Sum when you reached 55 if you were not able to set aside the required Minimum Sum in cash. 

You may pledge your property up to 50% of the MS after you have obtained the consent from all other co-owners to do so.

The amount that you can pledge depends on

• HDB’s quarterly median resale prices for HDB flats or valuation price for private properties;
  
• Outstanding housing loan amount (including non-housing loan for private properties); 
  
• Co-owner’s CPF usage (for joint-ownership cases); and
  
• Your share of the property.

Upon the sale of the property, you will need to refund the principal CPF amount withdrawn towards the property plus the accrued interest as well as the pledged amount.

Examples illustrating the amounts that can be pledged:

EXAMPLE 1

Where the co-owner’s CPF usage is less than 50% of the residual value of the property
HDB’s average valuation price	:$300,000
Less outstanding HDB loan	:$100,000
Residual value :	:$200,000
Co-owner's CPF usage :	:$ 40,000
Member's share :	:$ 100,000

In example 1 above, as the co-owner's CPF usage is less than 50% of the residual value, the member’s share of the property would be based on 50% (assuming that the property has only two owners with 50% share each) of the residual value. He can pledge the property up to the maximum limit of $77,500 if his MS is $155,000 and he has fully set aside this amount in his RA.

EXAMPLE 2

Where the co-owner’s CPF usage is more than 50% of the residual value of the property
HDB’s average valuation price	:$300,000
Less outstanding HDB loan	:$200,000
Residual value :	:$100,000
Co-owner's CPF usage :	:$ 80,000
Member's share :	:$ 20,000

In example 2 above, as the co-owner's CPF usage is greater than 50% of the residual value, the member's share of the property would be the residual value less the co-owner's CPF usage. The member can only pledge an amount of $20,000(i.e. $100,000 less $80,000).

EXAMPLE 3

Where the co-owner did not use his CPF for the property and has 50% share ownership
HDB’s average valuation price	:$300,000
Less outstanding HDB loan	:$250,000
Residual value :	:$ 50,000
Co-owner's CPF usage :	:$          0
Member's share :	:$ 25,000

In example 3 above, as the co-owner did not use his CPF for the property and the member has 50% share of the property, the amount that the member can pledge is $25,000 only.

Underweight call on sabana reit

Innotek disposable of The 15,000,000 units in Sabana REITs would be disposed of over a period of time and a financial institution has been appointed to invest the proceeds from the sale into other financial instruments including dividend stocks, bonds and different sectors of REITs. 

Frasier hospitality trust IPO

The public portion of its IPO, aimed at ordinary retail investors, will comprise 45.5 million stapled securities priced at S$0.88 apiece.

The public offer opens at 9am on Tuesday and closes at 12pm on July 10, Frasers Hospitality said. The stapled securities will begin trading on the Singapore Exchange on July 14.

HK Food review - Chung Kee Dessert

I tried the fixed fruit shaved ice and the coffee pudding at Chung Kee Dessert near Jordon Station exit C2. The dessert is okay, not as fascinating as some bloggers have recommended. The shaved ice is not as fine as the one I tried at dessert stall in Chinatown Singapore. However I like the generous serving of mango sauce they put onto the shaved ice..nice..

Food review - Sufood

I went to Sufood at Raffles City #02-19 today to try out the food. It was a Taiwanese vegetarian restaurant. They had express lunch at 18SGD. It consisted of appetizer, soup or salad, main course, drinks, dessert.

I had pasta, cabbage soup, chrysanthemum jelly and yuzu chamomile drink. The food was good and the service was excellent. The waiter and waitress came over to recommend dishes and to ask us whether the food was good to our liking.

I enjoyed my lunch very much. 

Primary One registration comes again

SINGAPORE — The registration of children for admission to Primary One (P1) classes next year will open from July 3 to Aug 28, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced today (June 19).

All primary schools will open for registration from 8am to 11am and from 2.30pm to 4.30pm from Mondays to Fridays during the registration period, the MOE said.

All children born between Jan 2, 2008 and Jan 1, 2009 are required to attend primary school according to the Compulsory Education Act. The cohort size for next year is similar to that of this year. There will be sufficient school places for all eligible P1 students on a regional and nationwide basis, the ministry said.

Dividends received for July 2014

Summary of dividends received for July 2014:

1. UMS - 100 (11July)

2. Sabana - 55.80 (22July)

In June, I bought 5lots of ums at 0.725 and 5lots at 0.54. There was massive selling of shares by UMS CEO and by SSH AMAT that led to plunge in share price. I seemed to have caught a falling knife. I should have waited for few weeks after XB before deciding to purchase UMS again.

I sold 2 lots of Sembcorp Marine in June at 4.12, making a small profit of 181.53. The share price did not fly as I expected although the company was awarded contracts.

I subscribed 3 lots of frasier hospitality trust at 0.88 but was awarded only 1 lot. I sold it at 0.905 on trading day 14July.

In July, I bought 5 lots of cambridge industrial trust at 0.755.

CPF minimum sum increased to SGD155,000

CPF minimum sum SGD155,000

Medisave minimum sum SGD43,500

Medisave contribution ceiling SGD48,500

A question to ponder, how many middle-class and lower-class uncles and aunties have this amount in their CPF account when they turn 55.

The estimated lifelong payout is 1200SGD per month. Based on first payout at age 65, 10 years of payout till age 75 will be 144,000SGD. If the person can live till 80, it will be 216,000SGD which is more than minimum sum 155,000SGD. A safer margin will be to live till age 76, where 11 years of payout will be 158,400SGD>155,000SGD.

However to keep in mind minimum sum is gradually increasing in July every year, the sums will need to be reworked every year.

Dividends received for April and May 2014

Summary of dividends received for April 2014:

1. First state dividend advantage (unit trust) - 97.48 (16Apr)

2. Sembcorp Marine - 80 (14 May)

3. Sabana - 56.40 (30 May)

In March, I bought 4lots of ums at 0.795 and sold them in April at 0.845. I made a small profit of 143.16.

In April, I sold 3lots of Far East h trust at 0.85. I made a small profit of 63.96.

Both ums and Far East h trust share price continue to be uptrend after I sold the shares. 

I sold all my first state dividend advantage units for 9800SGD in April because I was not happy with the service provided by Maybank financial services officer.  

This means I need to find a stock to park 9800SGD equivalent amount to earn about 98SGD or more in dividends/cash payout per quarter. I have decided to invest in 1 lot of Sembcorp Marine at 4.00SGD.

I have also sold all my hph trust shares in May at 0.72USD per share. I am still looking at which stock to invest in.

In May, I bought 1 lot of TIH at 1.405. I made a mistake of not waiting for a few weeks before deciding to purchase TIH again.

Changing Jobs is good for you

“As a rule you need to be moving jobs at least every five years,” says Michael Moran at careers consulting service 10Eighty. “Generally, you will learn a lot but contribute nothing for the first 18 months and you will pay back that learning time in the next 18 months. After that, if you’re not learning anything new you must move on.

“If you’ve worked for one company for 15 years, there are two things I can guarantee you of,” adds Moran ominously. “Firstly, you will be paid 10-15% less than the market rate. Secondly, you will be less employable than if you’ve worked for a selection of firms. People will have more respect for you if you’ve worked for the competition. And if you’ve worked for three companies your network will be far bigger than if you’ve only worked for one.”

Heather McGregor, an ex-banker and director of search firm Taylor Bennett, says changing jobs too often is a bad thing, as is changing jobs too infrequently. “If you move between several jobs after less than two years in each one, you will lose credibility,” she says. “However, if you’ve been in a job for more than seven years you should be regularly challenging yourself. – Are you still learning? Are you still making progress?”

Women have a particular tendency to cling to the same job for years and years, says McGregor: “The longer you work somewhere, the easier it is to do your job – you know where things are and women tend to have more extraneous demands upon their time.”

Fundamentally, you should never get too comfortable. The real tragedy is that people in banking spend 20 years working for the same firm and then get ejected in their mid-40s, says Moran. At that point, it can be very hard to find anything new. “If a company’s getting rid of you because you don’t have the skills it wants, the chances are that the rest of the market won’t want you either,” Moran adds. “If you’ve worked for two to three companies, you’re far more likely to be up to date.”

Divorce matters on HDB

If there are no children from the marriage, the divorced party (flat owner) may retain the flat under the Single Singapore Citizen (SSC) Scheme, provided:

he / she is a Singapore citizen

he / she is at least 35 years old

the matrimonial flat must be a resale flat purchased from the open market without the CPF Housing Grant for Family.

Alternatively, the divorced party may include another person to retain the flat, subject to the prevailing eligibility criteria and eligibility scheme regardless of the occupation period.

If the divorced owners wish to resell their flat in the open market, they must have completed the MOP for the flat, as at the date of divorce completion. If the divorce is within the MOP and none of the owners is eligible to retain the flat, the owners may have to return the flat to HDB, subject to HDB's approval. The compensation for the return of flat will be determined by HDB.

Human Capital Analysis

Your human capital does not go on forever:

1. After the age of 25 your brain starts slowing down. What becomes easy when you are 24 years old becomes difficult at the age of 40 years old
2. You become very expensive, and add to that, your health risks, low energy makes you look an attractive retrenchment proposition versus the vibrant 30 year old
3. Globalization have made your job harsher, competitive and somewhat unstable

You are the most important asset, and it is your job to make sure you enhance and preserve this asset:

1. Certifications and courses to enhance and retain competency
2. Get an MBA
3. Network extensively
4. Develop a good EQ, maintain good communications with your peers, bosses and customers
5. Learn to negotiate well

Do it well and you enhance that 3% increment to 7% or 10%.

If you progress to make $60,000 per year,  the next 10 years you will accumulate $687,000.

If you concentrate on building wealth but failed to progress enhancing your human capital, you lose out on substantial and predictable “capital gains”. Your investmentsmight or might not generate the desired returns, but your pay compensation have a higher degree of predictability.

Financial assistance to convert to digital TV

SINGAPORE: The government is expected to provide financial assistance for up to 170,000 households to make the transition to digital TV.

Communications & Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said on Tuesday that low-income households will be assisted with nearly all of the cost of migrating to digital TV.

Two more estates in Singapore - Ang Mo Kio and Jurong East - can also now receive digital TV signal for free-to-air programmes.

The service made its debut in Bukit Batok last December.

The THK Seniors Activity Centre@Ang Mo Kio is one of the first in the estate to receive digital TV signals with a new set-top box installed.

The centre had trouble receiving analogue TV signal previously.

Lin Yau Yeng, manager at THK Seniors Activity Centre@Ang Mo Kio, explained: "The analogue signal wasn't as robust and we were not able to receive the TV signal clearly. Now, with the digital signal, that has helped. The residents are able to come down and enjoy the TV at our centre, rather than staying at home alone."

Those who subscribe to pay-TV are already enjoying digital TV at home, regardless of where they live.

However, for those living in Bukit Batok, Ang Mo Kio and Jurong East, they can now enjoy digital TV for free-to-air programmes even without a pay-TV subscription.

To do so, they need either an Integrated Digital TV (IDTV) - a TV with a built-in digital tuner - or a set-top box which retails at around S$129.

To help low-income families join the digital bandwagon, the government is planning to roll out an assistance scheme for them, said Dr Yaacob.

He said: "We're working out the details at the moment, but by and large, based on the criteria that we have developed together with MOF (Ministry of Finance), we think 160,000 to 170,000 households will benefit."

Details of the scheme are expected to be announced at the Committee of Supply debate next month.

Singapore most expensive city to live

SINGAPORE — Singapore has topped the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) list of the world’s most expensive cities to live in, according to the 2014 list released yesterday (this morning, March 4, Singapore time).

Congrats Singapore!

UMS giving good results

UMS will pay a final dividend of SGD0.035 per share, bringing full-year
dividends to SGD0.065 per share and a yield of around 10%. 

Cash flow remained healthy, though slightly lower due to increased working capital caused by higher business volume. 

Given its healthy cash flow and
increased profitability, we expect FY14 dividends to hit SGD0.07 or a
10.7% yield. 

As UMS pays quarterly dividends, this makes it an attractive dividend proxy to AMAT and the recovering semiconductor industry.

Dividends received as at end March 2014

For first quarter of 2014, my stocks remain having no capital growth. However, I will still be receiving dividends.

Summary of dividends received by first quarter 2014:

1. First state dividend advantage (unit trust) - 98.17

2. Sabana reits - 65.70

3. Cache logistic - 64.11

4. Rickmers maritime - 304

5. HPH trust - 435

6. Far East h trust - 42.60

Total = 1009.58

In March, I bought 3lots of ums at 0.64 and sold them at 0.72. I made a small profit of 184.

In March, I accidentally sold 3lots of Cache logistic trust at a loss of 191.92. Must remind myself to be careful next time.

In March, I bought 1lot of Sembmarine at 4SGD. I should be keeping it for more than 1 year.

CapitalMall Trust 7-year bonds

CapitalMall Trust (CMT) is offering S$200 million in retail bonds as part of its S$2.5 billion retail-bond programme.

The seven-year bonds will pay a fixed interest of 3.08 percent per year, with payments made every six months – on 20 February and 20 August each year until 2021.

CMT said up to S$150 million of the retail bonds will be offered to the public, while the rest will be offered to institutional and other investors.

Should the public offer and placement be oversubscribed, the trust's manager, CMT Management, may increase the issue size to up to S$350 million.

Subscriptions under the public offer will be subject to balloting once the total subscriptions exceed the available amount. The minimum investment amount is S$2,000, with incremental multiples of S$1,000.

The public offer is open for subscription until 18 February.

Second Chance selling 45 properties

Second chance stock: They are selling "all 45 properties in its portfolio to REIT manager Celestine Management Pte Ltd for $175.4 million with the intention of listing the property fund as a REIT."

SMRT share too expensive

If Maybank Kim Eng is right, SMRT's stock is now only worth $0.60 a share and they arrived at that target price using a PE ratio of 14x. So, even at $0.985 a share which is another support level, SMRT's stock is way too expensive. 

Yikes!

iPad addiction for kids "checklist"

Dr Graham has previously published a checklist to allow parents to gauge if a child may be developing a technology addiction. It includes five key indicators: showing a lack of interest in other activities, constantly talking about technology, displaying mood swings, withdrawal symptoms and devious behaviour.

Investors flee US stock market

The financial markets have taken a look at 2014 and aren't liking what they are seeing. "We're getting slapped around here a little bit," says Andrew Brooks, vice president and head of U.S. equity trading at Baltimore-based T. Rowe Price. "The world is a little nervous."

And how. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 326.05 points Monday, a 2.08% decline, bringing its 2014 loss to 7.3%.

Fear is in the air.

Is the Bear coming to stay?

As if trying to get out smoothly of the Fed's now-$65 billion monthly bond-buying stimulus isn't enough trouble, some think that the transition of the Fed Chairman's job from Ben Bernanke to Janet Yellen will likely lead to a fall in stock prices over the coming months.

First State Dividend Advantage 1st quarter 2014 payout

Hope for women who suffers recurrent miscarriages

Kelly Moseley, from Birmingham, endured 11 miscarriages each at about eight weeks before she contacted a miscarriage expert she had seen on television.

Hassan Shehata discovered that Kelly's pregnancies were being attacked by "natural killer cells" present in her body and decided to treat her with hydroxychloroquine.

Initially, Kelly continued to miscarry - including losing two babies at five months - before one year of taking the drug, she found out she was pregnant and Tyler was born in April 2013. He is now nine months old.

Kelly had been trying for a baby since 2002 when she married her husband Alan.

Even though all her family and friends begged her to stop trying after so many heart-breaking miscarriages, she refused to give up.

When she saw Mr Shehata interviewed about his work helping women who had experienced recurrent miscarriages, she was encouraged and made contact with him.

Eventually she was referred to the consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist's clinic at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust in Surrey.

Killer cells

Mr Shehata and his colleagues had spent many years researching why some women's bodies reject pregnancies and their work was focused on natural killer cells which are present in everyone's white blood cells.

He said: "We found that some women's natural killer cells are so aggressive they attack the pregnancy, thinking the foetus is a foreign body - and that's what was happening to Kelly.

Kelly is preparing a big party to celebrate Tyler's first birthday

"Natural killer cells can be lowered by giving some women steroids - but for Kelly this didn't work so we tried an anti-malaria treatment which also lowers the immune system."

Mr Shehata said Kelly was the first patient to receive this treatment, in tablet form, of the immune modulator drug hydroxychloroquine.

Finally, she became pregnant with Tyler and although the pregnancy was complicated by pre-eclampsia, he was safely delivered at 28-29 weeks weighing just under 3lbs.

No 'holy grail'

"I still can't believe Tyler is here," Kelly says.

"I just refused to give up hope and I hope our story encourages other women out there too.

"I will never forget the babies I've lost but having Tyler makes it all worthwhile."

Mr Shehata told BBC Radio 5 Live that he has since treated 10 to 15 women with the drug and found it had a 70% success rate.

"It's important to say that it's not the holy grail, it's not for treating everyone.

"But hydroxychloroquine has been shown to be very safe in pregnancy."

Tyler spent a lot of time in a special baby care unit in Birmingham before he was allowed to come home, but he is now preparing to celebrate his first birthday in April surrounded by the whole family.

A spokesperson from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said it was "interested" to hear that this drug could help women who suffer recurrent miscarriages, who tend to have problems with their immune system, but that it wasn't "standard practice".

Cache logistics trust financial results as at 21Jan2014

CACHE LOGISTICS TRUST?S FULL YEAR 2013 DISTRIBUTABLE 
INCOME INCREASED 14.1% TO S$65.6 MILLION 

- Net Property Income up 11.1% year-on-year to S$76.8 million in 2013 

- Full Year 2013 Distribution per Unit of 8.644 Singapore cents 

- 100% occupied portfolio with only 3% of its leased area up for renewal in 2014 
- Strong Balance Sheet with low aggregate leverage of 29.1% 

News as at 21/1/14. CD coming. 7.68% yield. Don't miss it!

Credit card data in South Korea has been leaked

The credit card information of 20 million South Koreans has been leaked, state regulators reported on January 19. In a country of 50 million, this marks one of the country’s most devastating security breaches ever. The perpetrator? Allegedly, a single engineer.

An employee of Korea Credit Bureau has been arrested for stealing the names, social security numbers, phone numbers, and credit card information of 20 million cardholders. Agence France-Presse reports that the employee then sold the data to multiple phone marketing companies, the managers of which have also been arrested.

None of the data have circulated, but all 27 top executives from KB Financial Group, one of the affected credit card companies, have offered to resign, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Boy dies in school during PE class

Case 1:

SINGAPORE: Police are investigating the death of a 16-year-old boy on Monday in his school.

The secondary four student of Tanglin Secondary School had fainted on Monday when he was jogging during a physical education (PE) class.

The school's principal told Channel NewsAsia the boy was attended to immediately by the staff.

He was unconscious when he was sent to the National University Hospital, and was later pronounced dead.

Case 2:

Thursday, Jan 16, 2014

The Straits Times

A 13-year-old student from Temasek Junior College died on Wednesday during a physical education (PE) lesson, after he reportedly had an asthma attack.

Bubble popping Singapore?

According to one recent article by Forbes, Singapore has a wealth bubble, a population bubble, a credit bubble, a property bubble, a construction bubble and our sovereign wealth funds are at risk. 

Put all these together and we have horror movie on "bubble popping Singapore"..

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jessecolombo/2014/01/13/why-singapores-economy-is-heading-for-an-iceland-style-meltdown/5/

Sabana Reits in first quarter 2014

Analysis of Sabana REIT

Current Price on 3rd January 2014 = $1.075

• Current Yield = 8.86%  
• Price-to-book Ratio = 0.993
• Assets per unit = $1.165
• Debt per unit = $0.369 (including current liabilities)
• Gearing = 38.7%

I am still suffering from capital loss from my sabana reits. Sigh!

Five Stars Tour Agency Closed Down

Its shock closure could not have come at a worse time.

Potentially hundreds, if not thousands, of travellers have been left in the lurch after popular coach and travel agency Five Stars Tour abruptly closed all eight of its branches across Singapore on Wednesday. 

As of 11.15am on Thursday, the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) received 102 complaints against the tour agency. 

News of the travel agency's closure was first reported by Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao. In its report, it said Five Stars Tour had applied for a liquidation notice with the police.  

When this reporter visited its main branch at People's Park Complex on Thursday morning, a notice at its entrance read that the agency "has closed for business and stop providing services with immediate effect. We will be returning all passports to customers through registered article in the next few days".

It also said customers with unfulfilled trips can make claims through travel insurance or file claims through the Small Claims Tribunal or CASE.

Reply from NTUC fairprice on abandoned trolleys

Thank you for your feedback. 

We recognise that  abandoned trolleys is an industry-wide and persistent problem that needs sustained public education and we will continue to educate the public on the need to be considerate when using trolleys for grocery shopping.

 

With the majority of shoppers doing

the right thing and influencing and encouraging others to do so as well, we can create an even more pleasant shopping experience for everyone. 

Please call our Customer Relations hotline at 65522722 or email to general.feedback@fairprice.com.sg for any feedback on abandoned trolleys.