Month: September 2021

All about Tiger Brokers

On By RistrettzIn Alternative Investments, Deals, Personal Finance SeriesLeave a comment

I may have been a latecomer in the free stock game here but there’s always a opportunity or rather opportunity cost. Regardless of the time and period, if there’s something to gain or benefit from recommending certain products. I don’t see why we can’t do that. There have been a recent trend in growing a trading platform of late and in doing so, offering too good to refuse perks such as free “1” shares of popular and big capitalisation US equity companies.

Before I begin, I need to say that I’m working with Tiger Brokers on this sponsored content. Personally, I have used them and cost wise, it has been one of the more effective trading apps I’ve used as compared to traditional brokerage.

Tiger Brokers Perks

Tiger has a professional trading platform with easy-to-navigate design, quick online account opening, and funding. Tiger support trading global markets that include US, HK, Singapore stocks, and more. Tiger is offering every client benefit below when you do an initial funding of 2000SGD or estimate 1550USD:

1. Registration: 500 Tiger Coins
2. Account Opening:
Stock: 60 commission-free trades within 180 days for stocks of U.S., H.K., Singapore & Australia
Future: 5 commission-free trades for Futures within 30 days
3. First Deposit ≥ SGD 2,000：
Stock: 1 free Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) share

I just want to qualify for you to take note that you can’t send in a test transfer like initial $1 and the balance $1999 on the second transfer.

Due to some system related constraints, these are the issues that came up. I know that end of the day, what’s the difference as long as it makes up the whole sum. I have feedbacked to them and we shall see what they say.

In Summary, you have to complete an initial transfer of the full amount to the Tiger Broker Designated account that was opened in your name to be eligible for the promotion and free stock.

Read the updated Terms and Conditions here: https://www.tigerbrokers.com.sg/welcomerulesg?lang=en_US&contentId=153

Updated to be correct until 30 September 2021.

To apply directly, click here to use my link: Tiger Broker Account Opening Link

Thank you all in advance. I may give you a little extra if you use my link to sign up. Just drop me a private note once you have done so and funded the account.

Disclaimer

This is not a sponsored post. This is purely my own opinion after using their service and/or products. If you like what you are seeing, do remember to check they out and do your diligence. There is no one size fits all investment strategy. Just take note to use this code to get your Tiger Perks – “WELCOME321“

Now, if what I am sharing does resonates with you, do use my referral codes here at Referral and Recommendations

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes for other services at https://atomic-temporary-178675883.wpcomstaging.com/contact/

The pictures were taken from Tiger Brokers website for this article.

A New Singlife Grow & Referral Scheme

On By RistrettzIn Alternative Income, Deals, Personal Finance Series, Wealth & HealthLeave a comment

Singlife is offering up to $35 when you sign up for Singlife Account and their Singlife Grow. I’ve been following them for a while now and I realised that they have been promoting their GROW ILP account. I’m not sure if it took off well but given how there is marketing dollars to promote seems like it is encouraging a higher take up rate.  To get the $30 from grow, it takes very little effort. If you are an existing Singlife Account, you will still qualify for the Singlife Grow reward as long as you have never applied for Grow portfolio before. Just take note to use the code to get your credits – “ki02dAhi”

The new scheme and promotion

There isn’t a lock-in period for your funds, and you can withdraw without penalty but it seems like there is a cap at S$20,000 per account per day so do take note.

The interest mechanic

On top of the sign-up gift, you also get 0.5% p.a. additional returns for your Singlife Account when you set up your Grow portfolio which is a nice cherry on top of the sign-up bonus. This gives you 1.5% p.a. on your Singlife Account for the first $10,000.

Not to mention that if you complete the $500 spending per month, you get an additional 0.5% p.a. and that makes it 2.0% p.a. on your Singlife Account for the first $10,000.

The Additional Perks

As all promotion goes, do some form of diligence and check out the Terms and Conditions to understand what you are putting your money into. Read it here: Terms and Conditions

The Cash Mechanic goes like this.

a. If you are not an account holder, sign up using this code ki02dAhi + order and activate the Singlife debit card to get a S$5 sign up bonus

b. If you are an existing customer then check GROW out.

  • Sign and apply for your first GROW policy using this code ki02dAhi + Fund your first GROW policy with a minimum of S$1000 to get a $30 sign up bonus.

In short, if you are a new customer, your max benefits will be S$35 and if you are an existing customer, your max benefits will be S$30.

The Real Deal, GROW ILP (Investment Linked Plan-ILP)

Without doubt, I scrutinise at the term ILP. Personally, I have terminated 2 ILPs that I bought some time back without knowing what I was going into.

Singlife Grow is primarily an investment ILP with very minimal insurance. You don’t have to pay high upfront commissions nor high assurance charges, and no lock-in period for your funds. However, I’m not quite sure if there is a fund switch function and what the bid-offer spreads are like.

Singlife Grow is more of a hybrid robo-insurtech /advisor perhaps and I can’t really classify them under any sorts but for sure they are in the Insurance industry so hence the term ILPs. They are not the typical ILP which loads the consumer even before the investing starts so that’s a plus.

However, do take note of the investment risks so it can go both ways and there’s no guaranteed returns.

  • I understand that the fund managers who will be managing your funds will be from Aberdeen Standard investments
  • There will be three different class of investing, namely (Conservative, Balanced and Dynamic). Allocations can be found here: Grow Factsheet and the investment breakdown
  • They are also under ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) which is a big thing these days as people approach sustainable investing.
  • Coverage will be 101% of Net premium or Account value (In the event it has gone up much higher)
  • Fees will be 0.25% per quarter of the account value. (Management Charge)
  • No Cost of Insurance (Excellent)

Some important information to note:

Singlife Launches Member Get Member Programme, Rewarding New and Existing Customers S$35 for Every Referral

Benefit

  • All referrers and referees receive S$30 when the referee signs up for Grow, and S$5 when the referee creates a Singlife Account and activates their Singlife Visa Debit Card. With no limits to the number of referrals, customers can continue to refer and receive more rewards.

The Grow ILP – Investment Linked Plan

  • Singlife’s Grow is an Investment-Linked Policy (ILP) with portfolios managed by Aberdeen Standard Investments. Accessed through the Singlife App, customers can manage, save and invest simply through a single interconnected platform with absolutely no lock-ins. For more information on Grow, visit https://singlife.com/grow/.

The Flexibility

  • The Singlife Account continues offering the same flexibility customers desire with no lock-ins or withdrawal fees, and better peace of mind. For more information about the Singlife Account, visit https://singlife.com/manage/.  However last I tried, there is a cap of S$20,000 limit of transfer out per account per day so do take note.

The physical card

  • The Singlife Account is Singlife’s flagship everyday insurance savings plan that comes with a free Visa Debit Card, carrying no FX fees for foreign currency transactions.

The protection by SDIC

  • The Singlife Account and Grow are protected up to specified limits by Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation (SDIC).

Disclaimer

This is not a sponsored post. This is purely my own opinion after using their service and/or products. If you like what you are seeing, do remember to check they out and do your diligence. There is no one size fits all investment strategy. Just take note to use this code to get your credits – “ki02dAhi“

Now, if what I am sharing does resonates with you, do use my referral codes here at Referral and Recommendations

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes for other services at https://atomic-temporary-178675883.wpcomstaging.com/contact/

The pictures were taken from Singlife website for this article.

Series 3: Starting your journey on Crypto on Defi with Cake DFI tokens

On By RistrettzIn Cryptocurrency, Deals, Personal Finance SeriesLeave a comment

I was lured by the high yields of CakeDefi which is roughly around 80% or at point of writing. This is accounted for in APY (Annual Percentage Yield) by staking. I signed up about 3 months ago but failed to take any action on this. Given how cash interest rates is just no longer interesting, I’ve been looking to invest my cash.

You can find out more here: CakeDeli Link

The crypto space is really intriguing. I’ve been reading trying my best to keep up with the crypto world but it is extremely dynamic but I do see use and real world cases which we can tap on and try to make a deal out of these new coins/system.

I decided to put in SGD$100 into Cakedefi as an experiment to see what rewards I’ll get in the next three months or so as a regular monthly updates similar to what I have been doing for my own robo advisors accounts.

If you are keen to join Cakedefi, here’s how to do it online:

Registration

  • Head to my referral link below (QR code or referral code) to set up your Cakedefi account. 
    • Rewards: Get a total of US$30 worth of DFI ($20 worth of DFI when you sign up and make a deposit of $50 or more + $10 referral reward)
  • KYC applies – you’d need to standby a pic of you with your IC (and writing date and the stuff that you are applying for – their website will guide you), and upload proof of your addresses through your banking statement or utilities bill.
  • KYC approval time is fast so you can do this rather quickly.
I’m only trying out the staking on DFI and not farming for other stuff. I have yet to be convinced by CakeDefi so I will only play small money here.
 
 
How do we begin? To make the CAKE, you’d need the main ingredient: DeFi coin.
  1. First, transfer BTC from Gemini to your Cake wallet at here 
    • I chose Gemini because of their 10 free withdrawal per month
    • I chose BTC because there’s no deposit fee 
    • There are also many ways to do it. However take note that buying BTC with cash on Gemini is a $4 charge per transaction.
  2. Transfer from Gemini to Cake is pretty fast as well:
    • Email from Gemini: Your Bitcoin withdrawal has been confirmed
    • Email from Cake: Your deposit is being processed. You will receive another email when your deposit is successful.
  3. Once you have BTC in your Cake wallet, click on “Swap” at DeFi column
  4. OR, head to staking page  where you can swap + stake in one page.
I received 11.4 ish DeFi coins which works out to be around USD$2.63 per coin.

Referral Reward

Upon deposit of US$50 coins and above, I received notification of the bonus DFI:

The bonus DFI that is worth USD 30 is frozen for the next 180 days and is already working for you. Currently you get paid the base APY plus a little bonus %.

 
Free money to take but take note that the bonus will be locked for 180 days.
 
As most would caution, maybe these will turn into ZERO so only do it if you are comfortable.
 
If you already intend to stake with CakeDefi, pls use my referral link here where you’d get a total of US$30 worth of DFI ($20 worth of DFI when you sign up and make a deposit of $50 or more + $10 referral reward)
 

Disclaimer

This is not a sponsored post. This is purely my own opinion after using their service and/or products. If you like what you are seeing, do remember to check they out and do your diligence. There is no one size fits all investment strategy. Please use my referral code if you would like to try CakeDefi:  786793

Now, if what I am sharing does resonates with you, do use my referral codes here at Referral and Recommendations

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes for other services at https://atomic-temporary-178675883.wpcomstaging.com/contact/

The pictures were taken from CakeDefi website for this article.

Series 2: Starting your journey on Crypto with the Revolut Card

On By RistrettzIn Cryptocurrency, Deals, Personal Finance SeriesLeave a comment
There is a little frenzy about crypto credit/debit cards these days. They have these multi-currency features, money transfer options and split billing which kind of attracts me to these functions. Revolut is one of those cards other than crypto.com which give a cashback but it set themselves apart by being a money manager as well. It is less of crypto trading but a simple was to get into the things of crypto. Again, this is just getting to start on the crypto journey. They are proving time and again that this is going be a force to be reckon with as compared to fiat (Normal cash and currency)

The Revolut Credit Card

Revolut is a digital banking app and card that focuses on technology, low fees and premium features. It’s designed for those who travel frequently and offers ways to spend abroad, including international money transfers with no hidden fees. There is only one physical card and limited services if you take on the free service. However, if you wish to upgrade to a more premium tier. You can always do so later on so no worries about those first until you try them out Some of the more interesting local context is that Revolut tries hard to bring in new partnerships such as 20% cashback on public transport by using the card and so on. Brands such as Nike.sg, Lazada, Decathlon and iHerb is already on their cashback programme. I find that these cashback returns are pretty decent and you can redirect your funds to purchasing cryptocurrency if you wish to. Otherwise, you can just leave that as cash.  

Some features

With Revolut, you can do the following:
  • Use it as a debiting account. You can set up recurring payments, transfer or request for funds and withdraw cash at international ATMs. You’ll be able to view your balance on an analytics screen.
  • Make international payments. The app lets you transfer money to 150 countries, fee-free, at the interbank exchange rate.
  • Spend globally fee-free. All spending abroad is also charged at the interbank rate.
  • Hold different currencies in your account. You can hold a balance or make an exchange in the app in 28 currencies.
  • Pay friends or request payments. You’re able to pay other people, request for payments, or use the split-bill feature to divide a group spend with ease.
  • View spending habits. Using analytics, your can view your spending and track them like a money manager
  • Control your card and account. You can lock and unlock your card in the Revolut app as well as set monthly spending limits.
  • Save money. They have a vault feature let you build up funds for a specific funding goal. This is not a bank account so you do not earn any interest. This kinds of reminds me of what Hugo Wealth Card can do.
  • Rewards. Benefit from personalised cashback and discounts when you spend at Revolut’s partner merchants, including Amazon, Lazada, Nike and Zalora.
  • Instant balance top-up. Reload funds from your bank account to your Revolut account fast and conveniently.
  • Customer service available 24/7. Get in touch with customer service directly through Revolut’s app. Paid accounts are also entitled to concierge service and priority customer support.
  • No credit check. You do not need to show a salary or paycheck to get a limit as this is as good as a debit card.

Promotion and perks for signing up:

Sign up with my link and get 25 SGD after you order a card and complete 3 purchases all before the 5th October 2021. While you await the physical card you can use a virtual card as all actions must be completed before the deadline. https://revolut.com/referral/paulbo2uw!SEP1AGG Read more about the Terms and Conditions here at Terms & Conditions

Revolut Junior

On top of what is offered, you can still create and order a Junior card if your kid is above 15 years old and it is a good time to teach about personal finance and budgeting. I think this is pretty cool for an added value option.

Disclaimer

This is not a sponsored post. This is purely my own opinion after using their service and/or products. If you like what you are seeing, do remember to check they out and do your diligence. There is no one size fits all investment strategy. Please use my referral code if you would like to try this card out. (This is a limited offer only until 5 Oct 2021) Referral Code

Now, if what I am sharing does resonates with you, do use my referral codes here at Referral and Recommendations

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes for other services at https://atomic-temporary-178675883.wpcomstaging.com/contact/

The pictures were taken from Revolut website for this article.

Series 1: Starting your Cryptocurrency journey with Crypto.com

On By RistrettzIn Alternative Income, Cryptocurrency, Interest Rates, New Ideas, Performance, Personal Finance SeriesLeave a comment

Crypto.com (CRO mainnet & https://crypto.com) has been around for some time now. I have not seen any utility crypto company who has delivered what they want to deliver to consumers over the last few years. They are as similar if not the same as any other company with a physical product that works. While I have my concerns, I do feel that they offer a little bit of everything which new users can learn about and existing users can complement with their existing knowledge.

Cryptocurrency

To a certain extent, sometimes just jumping on the bandwagon allows one to commit and understand how the crypto world works. Once you have committed some money, one will take the effort to find out more and discover the traits of the crypto world and what it entails. Crypto is a highly aggressive alternative investment and everyone should be careful. This article just talks more about what I feel so do your own diligence before jumping onto something.

Meanwhile, given that Binance International is going through some regulatory and compliance issues in Singapore. Crypto.com is a good way to explore your options. To explain further about the perks on opening a crypto.com account:

Sign-up promo (SGD100 + NFT) & USD25 Referral promo

 
By signing up, you will get SGD 100 and an exclusive NFT. Of course, you would need to be the first 100,o00 users to do so. To find out more read here: Mid-Autumn Crypto.com Promotion
 
Plus, I’d get my very first NFT “Lion Mooncake”. Curious to know how it looks like!
 
To maximise your rewards, you can choose to stake SGD $500 CRO so that I can unlock the referral bonus of US$25 (Referral Bonus)
 
To redeem NFT, you will need to sign up the NFT account that Crypto.com has at Crypto.com NFT Account
How to connect your Crypto.com/NFT and Crypto.com App accounts (Taken from their website):
    1. Sign in or create an account on Crypto.com/NFT.
    2. Go to Account Activity and select Connect to App.
    3. Enter the email address that’s associated with your Crypto.com App account and send a connection request to your inbox.
    4. Open the authorisation email, click Connect, enter your Crypto.com App passcode, and click Authorise & launch NFT.
If you would like to give Crypto.com a try do remember to use my referral code: 1JIC-91CM

Crypto.com Eco-system

 

I understand that by now, most would be a little confused with so many accounts. What Crypto.com can do is a lot of stuff. Listing it down and in summary:
 
a. https://crypto.com – This is their main app which allows you to swap cryptocurrency and also to setup your Metal VISA card. The Visa Card gives you the perks of cashback and using CRO to pay for specific vouchers (Special cashback discounts as well) – [APP only]
 
b. https://crypto.com/exchange – This is the trading account which allow you to set limits and trade with other pairs that they allow on the exchange (You can treat this as a brokerage account. The perks of opening the exchange account can be found here: Exchange Perks [Website & APP]
 
c. https://crypto.com/NFT – This is the marketplace for NFTs and also known as non-fungible Token. This is also what many know as digital art. [Website & APP]
 
d. https://crypto.com/defi-wallet – With the Crypto.com DeFi Wallet (a non-custodial wallet), you can send crypto to anyone around the world at your preferred confirmation speed and the network fee. With this you can also store and earn interest Crypto.com DeFi Wallet is a decentralized wallet, which means you own your private keys. During wallet creation, you will have to write down your recovery phrase which when needed, you will be able to restore your funds. (This is very important)
 
From here you can have the option to choose among the whitelisted validators for staking and redelegation (change delegation from existing validator to another validator). This will give you additional interest. Read more about it here: Defi-Wallet Earn

Some simple benefits for sign up

1. Supercharger

Other than putting approved coins to earn interest on the APP. You can also join in the syndication on the Exchange or the Supercharger event on the Crypto.com APP itself. You can stake your CRO and treat it as a way to farm for other coins that crypto.com has a promotion or link with. More information can be found here: Supercharger Event.

2. Metal Card Cashback

 
The Metal Card Cashback works like a credit card cashback account. The only thing that functions differently is that it is a debit card. You will need to pre-load it with cash before transacting with spends. Like any other card, they have to abide by MAS PSA. The card also credits cashback based on the MCC spends. More details can be found here: Cashback eligibility under their CRO cashback rewards program
 
Not to mention that if you take on the higher tier cards, you can get rebates for Spotify, Netflix and ever prime plus other perks which can be found here at https://crypto.com/sg/cards

3. Additional Promotion and Discounts

More perks and discount will be added over time and the updated ones until 30 Sep 2021 can be found here at User Exclusives and Promotions. If you have any queries, drop me a note and I will try my best to answer your questions. It can be daunting at first but eventually, you will get a hang of it.

Disclaimer

This is not a sponsored post. This is purely my own opinion after using their service and/or products. If you like what you are seeing, do remember to check they out and do your diligence. There is no one size fits all investment strategy. If you would like to give Crypto.com a try do remember to use my referral code: 1JIC-91CM

Now, if what I am sharing does resonates with you, do use my referral codes here at Referral and Recommendations

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes for other services at https://atomic-temporary-178675883.wpcomstaging.com/contact/

The pictures were taken from Crypto.com website for this article.

 

MoneyOwl Performance to date – August 2021

On By RistrettzIn Alternative Income, New Ideas, Robo AdvisorsLeave a comment

I have been investing regularly into my MoneyOwl portfolio monthly for some time now. While the amount is nothing to be shout about. It is just regularly fixing something so that I can save and invest at the same time.

I think that given the amount of time I am left with for the next month, I would likely blog lesser than before. I just have not much time on my hand but I will still squeeze in deals and new information and I have some content to share. I’ll need more time to read up and understand more about the product first before I pen it all down.

Who is Money Owl?

MoneyOwl is an initative from NTUC Social Enterprise. They are sort of a Robo-advisor coupled with a suite of wealth planning tools such as will writing and insurance solutions. What really attracted me is their rather simple way of investing and using Dimension Funds as part of their portfolio construction. I believed back then I was comparing them versus StashAway. It was only when I found out about Endowus that I went full on robo-advisors.

As a retail investor, you will most likely not be able to access such funds. When the market tanked sometime in Feb 2020, I picked a few Robo-advisor to invest into and look into performance a few months later. Almost 18 months has passed now and I will most likely show some of the performance in my later posts but I must say, by doing nothing much, all advisors reported positive returns as compared to my own stock picking.

One of the reasons I went into MoneyOwl and Endowus initially was because of the Dimensional Fund. These are not readily available to retail investors but the investing landscape has changed. Retail has as much power as one UHNW investor if combined as a whole. Of course, you can still argue that doing 1 ticket size is better than doing one million ticket size.

Summary

My MoneyOwl Portfolio is one that does not hold a lot and it is through regular S$100 crediting. It’s not a lot but as it isn’t my main Robo Portfolio, I am less inclined to put more cash into investments. At the same time, for folk who have just started the investment journey, S$100 is definitely doable for a long long term portfolio. The whole idea of this blog is to also show that it does not take a lot to start building your own retirement pot.

Recently, we also purchased a bigger apartment  and had our  second child. Funds are relatively being used up quicker and outflows have been on a hectic level. Our own portfolio would definitely be used up for the new renovations and purchase as well as childcare in the next 1.5 years. So, personal finance also have to revolve around each individual condition and understand the situation will determine what is required.

On top of the asset that we acquire, there is a need to tweak the insurance coverage due to a new child and an increased mortgage. Should there be any issues that happen to any one of us, at least the full liabilities are covered.

August 2021 performance (Since Day One Deposit)

In portfolio terms, it is up +18.30% on 2 Sep 2021 since inception in June 2020. The portfolio size isn’t something great. Just a net deposit of 2,400. I kept the regular investing of $100 per month and it’s looking rather slow. I shall decide if I would want to up that amount soon given that I have quite a bit of commitment in the coming months. August was a positive month again by +0.1%

If we look at Time Weighted Returns, it is the more accurate to account of deposit and withdrawals at +31.38% (which is 1.0% compared to July 2021) Again, this returns is just for reference. At the end of the day, what you originally invest in and the final amount will be the absolute profit.

In terms of the portfolio allocation, there is no change and it is at 60% equities and 40% fixed income. The portfolio consists of 4 different funds. Everything will be on Dimensional Funds. I kind of wished that I had a small cap fund in there. But I guess, as long as my main robo has that exposure that would be good as well on an overall basis.

Personally, I like the allocation % because it is just widely diversified for equities and widely disperse in terms of investment grade.

In the details on the profit and loss sheet:

a. The Global Core Equity Fund will be the largest allocation and makes up most of the returns to date and continues to do well.

b. The Emerging Market Large Cap Fund will be the lowest allocation and makes the least of the returns to date. I don’t mind some EM exposure at this point in time.

c. The Global Core Fixed Income Fund will be my main steady income Fund and finally.

d. The Global Short Term Fixed Income Fund will be the last stabiliser in my portfolio.

e. The government bonds remains to be on the downside which is expected though it recovered a little as compared to the previous month. The impact is negligible.

MoneyOwl fees

A few months ago, MoneyOwl announced that they have lowered their investment advisory fees as well as absorbing the platform fees due to the pandemic.

a. For asset under management S$10,000 and below, there will not be any fees charged through 31 December 2021. This amount will be rebated back in the portfolio. So take note that only Cash investments are eligible for this rebate. The cash management accounts do not have these in place and your total portfolio value has to be above S$50.

b. There is an introduction fee of S$99 which is worth about S$535 for a comprehensive Financial Planning. Money Owl’s advisors will sit down with you to review your portfolio. The review is expected to contain detailed report and recommendations (It is estimated to be around 2 hours). I do think there are some discounts if you use some linked services of sorts such as Ohm Energy (You get a S$20 off)

c. Additionally, they are introducing free financial resilience workshops to focus on cash flow management and debt management. Likely through Webinars and anyone can join in.

It is nice to see that as a partner to our national social enterprise, they are making moves to help Singaporeans. The reduced fees on investments which is one of the key points in long term investments. The more fees you pay, the more it affects your long term goals.

If you would like to give MoneyOwl a try do remember to use my referral code: 1JIC-91CM

Both of us with get S$20 worth of GrabFood Vouchers for every product or service that you sign up so that means that both of us will get up to S$60 worth of GrabFood Vouchers. (Total of 3 services/products)

Disclaimer

This is not a sponsored post. This is purely my own opinion after using their service and/or products. If you like what you are seeing, do remember to check they out and do your diligence. There is no one size fits all investment strategy.

If you would like to give MoneyOwl a try do remember to use my referral code: 1JIC-91CM

Now, if what I am sharing does resonates with you, do use my referral codes here at Referral and Recommendations

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes for other services at https://atomic-temporary-178675883.wpcomstaging.com/contact/

The pictures were taken from Money Owl’s website for this article.

Syfe – Performance Aug 2021

On By RistrettzIn Performance, Personal Finance Series, Robo AdvisorsLeave a comment

Here is yet another robo advisor that I get on my portfolio since the start of 2020. It has been okay I feel. Ever since 2020, it has been a year and till today – I’m not exactly convinced though.

I am caught in both minds. I like reits but yet I don’t quite like Singapore equities in general. Dividend paying equities are definitely good but yet I have more appetite for a growth company. It is just not that sustainable over the long term I feel. Where are the money coming from to build more creativity and expand their business.

Why Syfe?

When the markets were down during March 2020, it was quite exciting times because those were the kind of period which I actually will put money into investments. To a certain extent, I have also put money into other robo advisors such as Endowus and StashAway. While those are more of a “global diversification”, Syfe is more of a local bias for it’s Reits+ Portfolio and truth be told I then took the plunge for a small amount just to try it out a non-DIY approach to Reits investing.

Next, what I struggled with then over the period is that there were quite a discount off many equity tickers and I didn’t really know what to buy or what to expect since the market was in a downtrend. As with every investment, making a rational or emotional decision can only be determined after the event has passed. Reits has since risen, dropped and risen yet again. Frankly, I’ve been busy to keep looking into my own portfolio.

I haven’t got around to increase the investment funds so it is only a very small initial amount. Partly, my mind tells me to do dollar cost averaging for my other investments so we still have to see how things go.

Performance (August 2021)

 

12 months has gone by and +28.65% is pretty insane in my opinion. The last time I looked at this was 6 months ago in March 2021 and it has increased by slightly more than 5%. Then again, the base that I started out with is quite a fantastic benchmark so maybe that isn’t too fair. From here, there isn’t fresh funds invested as I am think more about my overall portfolio. I do think I have enough of the local investments and typically Singapore equities are rather slow and neutral in performance. Even the STI isn’t that exciting in my opinion. If you really look at a 50 year and beyond horizon for S&P 500, it is an amazing uptrend with good returns.

Do use my referral code to get some benefits when you sign up a new account with Syfe. Referral Code: SRPTSMQ5J

You will get (Find our more about their referral scheme here Syfe Signup) :

a. S$10 bonus if you invest S$500

b. S$50 bonus if you invest S$10,000

c. S$100 bonus if you invest S$20,000

Disclaimer

This is not a sponsored post. This is purely my own opinion after using their service and/or products. If you like what you are seeing, do remember to check they out and do your diligence. There is no one size fits all investment strategy.

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes here at Referral and Recommendations

The pictures were taken from Syfe website for this article.

StashAway Performance – August 2021

On By RistrettzIn Performance, Personal Finance Series, Robo AdvisorsLeave a comment

September is here. Summer is over and fall is coming once more. The festive season is coming but for some it might be a stressful period. The pandemic situation has not taken a turn or twist. It’s not going to be any better going forward. Things will change too.

StashAway has been rather stagnant but considering the environment, I think it is holding out well. SA seems to try to take a bet around China and their recovery by doing a rebalancing. Now, is that system or human driven I question. Shouldn’t it be systematic driven for a robo advisor instead of attempting to drive better returns. With an ERAA approach, these actions seems rather active. Only time will tell.

Repeating to myself that if Mr Market decides to go either way, it would matter that much to me. Why is that so? If Mr Market drops, then I will add on more to the portfolios. If you have not taken the first step, action early so that you can start doing this early and learn from any mistakes along the way. By now, I would have decide on the main Robo to stake my money with. SA is not quite the one but let’s see how it goes. The competition remains strong.

Retirement Portfolio A (risk-14%)

To be a little honest, I am quite bored of the returns for StashAway.  This portfolio is my longest term portfolio for retirement. I felt that it could have done a lot better but I shall not look back and will pop in a little more when i contribute to my SRS account. The SRS account since first day deposit is currently at +4.33% as on 2 Sep 2021 (Time-weighted return). Oh well just +0.3% from July 2021. Performance wise, I think i is okay and also this is a super long term portfolio – I would say close to 25 years horizon so I’ll just leave it there.

 

In USD performance, that’s about +7.80% YTD (Time-weighted return). That’s quite a bit of FX i am losing out here. It increased by 0.9% from July last month and -0.8% from June. Then again, I wouldn’t sweat on the exchange rates since I am going to stay invested and into these portfolios. They are just a mean of reference as I look back at the performance. So, still high risk high returns? I think it’s more like, higher risk commensurate the higher returns but there is no guarantee.

 

Education Portfolio B (risk-16%)

This portfolio B is set out to be on a 15-18 year investment horizon. It is at +9.34% YTD on 2 Sep 2021 and It’s steady. It’s the same as the last time i measured during Dec 2020. I have been averaging in whenever there are market dips. The risk index is at 16% and I will adjust those risk levels as and when I feel that there is a risk on or off. For just a 2% risk increase, I see a better performance already. This month versus the last was +0.6%. Nothing to shout about really.

 

In USD, I’m looking at double digits +13.27% (Time-weighted returns). Again on the Forex rate as reference. This has increase by 1.2% month as compared to July.

Education Portfolio C (risk-20%)

For this portfolio, I look at this at shorter horizon of 12-15 years so I feel that I need to take on some risk to achieve my goals. This SA risk index is currently at 20% and will take on to be one of my riskiest portfolio. Return is at +16.78% YTD (Time-weighted return) since day one as at 2 Sep 2021. As compared to the last month, it is up by 1.2% but this is just a note to self and measure the monthly performance. Over time, more funds will be added to achieve the targeted invested goals. Two consecutive drop in performance for this portfolio In June and July while it is up for August.

 

In USD terms, we are looking at +20.98% (Time-weighted return). Looking great as usual. Although I feel that this isn’t exactly the year to take on higher risk for better returns. This has increased by 1.2% as compared to the previous month.

 

Conclusion

It is now more than one year since I started using StashAway. I still think that it has been a great supplement as a robo advisor. After using a few robo-advisors, I find that SA will play second fiddle to my Endowus Portfolio and true enough that fits exactly into how I plan it to be. Recent months, i’ve been thinking and I did not add on any regular monthly investing amount as I’m beginning to think twice about their strategy and if they have grown to a level where institutional belief is starting to take over instead of that pure robo fintech as compared to what they were in 2020.

StashAway does have their own advantages. They do hedge their portfolios against huge crashes and take a stand on some positions which I do like because a lot asset managers don’t and even though they talk big about macro. The gold move was bold but it protects the portfolio. Again, Rome wasn’t built in a day so I guess you need to safeguard some of your monies to future proof it.

To find out more about the pros and cons of using StashAway, do refer to my previous posts.

To sign up or try out Stash Away, visit the website and use my referral code at Stash Away Referral

We’ll both get up to $10,000 SGD managed for free for 6 months which is a good deal.

Disclaimer

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes for other services at Referral and Recommendations

The pictures were taken from the Stash Away website for this article.

Endowus Performance Review – Aug 2021

On By RistrettzIn Performance, Personal Finance Series, Robo AdvisorsLeave a comment

We are into the 8th month of 2021 and it is time for Aug monthly review again. Last month was flat as usual but this is very little impact on the portfolio as performance has been stellar since inception. For performance in Aug 2021, I’m seeing new index highs but yet careful on what is going to show in the near future. The whole portfolio seem to be steady and going on a good long term growth. I am quite positive on US equities throughout the rest of 2021 for some reason despite the constant word around hyper inflation news.

Like any other month, I trust Endowus and I would actually recommend them to anyone I know. I know that my investments will be safe with them.  I also read in their newsletter that traditional banks and investing firms are starting to put in monies in the company as part of the drive to stay relevant. The paradigm shift is happening faster than expected.

Whatever it is, they have been quite reasonable about everything. Another plus point is that they have also given me a lot of comfort in the way they allow investors to reduce their initial investing sum. Minimum sum should not be the way to investing. Overall, I feel that I take more pride in knowing who is holding my money and how they do it. Lowering the bar also allows people who are younger to start early in this long-term process. The other point is what many people are talking about which is the fees. They are probably the only one in the market to rebate trailer fees. I like that bold big move as compared to the other advisors. I will slowly shift my funds over to them. Everyone is different so, you have to try them out first before you decide.

There’s something else which I like about them and that is how they use the power of retail investors to put money into institutional class funds. These funds are accessible only to people with the money and volume to purchase. Yet, they are now available to retail investors.

Cash Fund Ultra Portfolio

I started the ultra portfolio since July 2021 which claims to be around 1.9-2.1% (Changed upwards of 0.1% for now) because I can’t find anything that yields more than 1% interests.

Not sure how this might work out but over the long run, it should be fine. Portfolio is up now by +0.33% after a week of negative. This should be fine pretty decent going forward.

 

ESG Portfolio

I started this ESG Portfolio during March 2021 and I have some high hopes for this fund to do pretty well. This segment would serve me well for a long term portfolio because I do see the value in investing in sustainable companies an practices. After all, we are trying to make a difference for our little ones. So, a little step goes a long way.

 

This is at +13.28% since inception some time in Mid March 2021. (and +2.5plus% since July 2021) This is moving in a good direction to date. The allocation is a 80%/20% Equity/Bond portfolio allocation so there will be more movement on the equity side. This is long term so, just leave it in there. You do good and it brings you sustainable returns. It is for the future and the next generation. I can’t explain more. My only regret was I did not put in more.

SRS Portfolio

Overall, portfolio is up +26.10% since May 2020 in SGD. As usual, in USD terms, due to no FX impact as the portfolio is USD ETFs, the performance will definitely be better especially when USD becomes stronger. Of course, the reference will be SGD since I use SGD. This is the SRS/Cash portfolio which consists of my favourite Dimension Funds in a 40% bonds/60% equity. Overall from May 2020 to 02 Sep 2021, it is a +26.10% increase in absolute terms – Fantastic once more. This is for the long run. I’m just going to keep it simple to report it overall as I have less time on my hand these days. But do try it out and put out your own performance and tell everyone about the experience. Unless, you nitpick aggressively – I think you will be fine.

On the YTD front, I’m looking at +13.48% in 2021. Great news for me.

CPF Portfolio

For the CPF portfolio, it is looking at +17.41% since inception in May 2020. That’s approximately 0.80% increase from the previous month in July 2021. This portfolio is beating my CPF returns every month.

 

Similar to the previous months, interest rates for cash has been dropping like crazy. That’s pretty expected and the trend is to follow.

On the YTD front, it is yielding +7.14% in 2021. Nice.

Fund Smart Portfolio

I started this semi medium term Fund Smart portfolio this month in May 2021. I tried to build a balance portfolio. I’m not exactly sure but I will go in via RSP monthly as I wasn’t sure but I do want to deploy some of my cash. I have put in just a little during the correction and it is at +1.78% to date. This is done monthly on RSP until end of the year. As compared to July 2021, the portfolio is slightly up by +0.1%. I tried to run a mini thematic fund around this fund and diversification is key. Of course, if I had just dumped these into the ESG portfolio from the start, performance would have been much better now.

Overall: 52% Equity and 48% Fixed Income

a. 15% in Multi Asset Fund (1 Fund)

b. 45% in Equity Funds (2 Funds)

i. Focus into China Play [10%]

ii. Global equity with dividend accumulation (Re-invest) [20%]

iii. Small Cap equity play (For the Alpha) [15%]

c. 40% in Bond Funds (3 Funds)

i. Climate Bond Fund Play [20%]

ii. Core Fixed Income Play [20%]

Retirement Portfolio

So last month, I got down into building a portfolio of unallocated funds to the institution Pimco GIS Income Fund. 0.55% will be the fees annually so that’s going to be start of the accumulation of the coupons from the funds. I will add on 2 or 3 tranches of the same should the time allows. Otherwise I would look at the Lion Global fund that matches the S&P 500 Index for a long-term portfolio. Since inception, it is up +1.01% (reinvest) on 2 Sep 2021. We shall see where we are heading towards. I put in another S$10k into the fund in July 2021 and the accumulation is slowly taking place.

I really do need to deploy some cash as I can’t get 2% on cash solutions.

The reason for Endowus

Like a broken recorder, the pros once more:

  • Endowus is the first and only robo-advisor to be approved by the CPF board.
  • 100% trailer fees back to the consumer, not the fund management fee. This is really one of a kind I’ve seen so far.
  • They do have a decent team who makes sense when introducing their platform in my personal opinion.
  • I believe all retail investor should try them out because of how they are trying to disrupt investing and make investing work for everyone.

Thank you all in advance for using my referral code.

Last point is to do your own diligence. What works for me may not work for you. Investing in traditional portfolios is about risk management.

Disclaimer

If you decide to sign up with Endowus, do remember to use my referral code: https://endowus.com/invite?code=EDZ8M

If you like what I am sharing or if it resonates with you, do use my referral codes for other services at Referral and Recommendations

These pictures were taken off Endowus website for reference.