StashAway Performance – May 2021

On By RistrettzIn Performance, Personal Finance SeriesLeave a comment

The first five months of 2021 has gone by and with the pandemic, time seems to pass slowly. At the same time, it does seems like it has also passed rather quickly. It is the time of the month again to look at the monthly performance of StashAway.

Now that everything has been setup, it doesn’t matter if the market decides to go up or plunge. 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.

Retirement Portfolio A (risk-14%)

I still quite sad about my timing on this as this was invested before the pandemic outbreak came out. I 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 +3.13% as on 3 June 2021 (Time-weighted return). Paltry. 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 to monitor on the progress.

In USD performance, that’s about +7.91% YTD (Time-weighted return). That’s quite a bit of FX i am losing out here. 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.

Education Portfolio B (risk-16%)

This portfolio B is set out to be on a 15-18 year investment horizon. It is at +8.87% YTD on 5 June 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.

In USD, I’m looking at double digits +14.22% (Time-weighted returns). Again on the Forex rate as reference

 

 

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 +15.87% YTD (Time-weighted return) since day one as at 5 June 2021 Not much of it has changed or rather it has dropped slightly 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.

In USD terms, we are looking at +21.57% (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.

 

 

Conclusion

So far StashAway 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.

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 – May 2021

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

It is the time of the month again to reflect on the monthly performance of Endowus. In the month of May 2021, it seems like market retraced a little and positive signs are showing at the start of June 2021. The main SRS portfolio seems to be unaffected though.

I kind of trust Endowus for a while now. I feel that their corporate story sells to me. Frankly, I would actually recommend them to anyone I know. I know that my investments will be safe with them.  To me, it is always a plus point when the founders want to keep their company stock value because they see value in their own company. There are people who are passionate about building a business.

Whatever it is, they have been quite reasonable about everything. They seem to mean business but I just feel that maybe not everyone is suited to present via online. The accent and over zealousness is quite a turn off. It isn’t something I will walk away from but I just feel that some of them need to work on that aspect of presentation.

ESG Portfolio

I started this during March 2021 and I do know that ESG have performed relatively well in the European zone for the longest time possible. 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 saving this earth for our next generation – a little step goes a long way.

 

This is at +4.82% since inception some time in Mid March 2021. I like what I am seeing. Of course this 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. I like it even better now. You do good and it brings you sustainable returns. It is for the future and the next generation.

SRS Portfolio

Overall, portfolio is up +21.16% 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 5 Apr 2021, it is a +21.16% increase in absolute terms – Fantastic. For YTD performance, the fund was stable and at + 7.58% for 2021. Sweet. Long term guys, long term view.

CPF Portfolio

For the CPF portfolio, it is looking at +13.38% since inception in May 2020.

In Terms of YTD returns in 2021, I’m looking at +2.82%. about 0.50% increase from the previous month.

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

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 +0.97% to date.

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%]

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.

Just to touch briefly on cryptocurrency. It is super high risk = Potentially Super high returns. Just remember that = Potentially Super high decrease in portfolio as well.

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.

Singlife Reopens with new Marketing Strategy

On By RistrettzIn Alternative Income, Interest Rates, New IdeasLeave a comment

I like how Singlife uses the community to spread information. It is definitely a cheap way to spend money. It gives me content to publish while it provides Singlife with multiple arms to disseminate information. However, there isn’t any referral scheme with this re-open. Instead, I guess that to stay sustainable, they have to reduce the interest rates for the first S$10k.

I received the email from their Marketing Communications team and it reads:

The Central Banks continue to keep interest rates low, Singlife has introduced a new way to be rewarded for spending and investing, earning up to 2.0% p.a. return on the first S$10,000 through the following campaigns:

  • The Save, Spend, Earn Campaign and,

  • The Grow 0.5% p.a. Bonus Return Campaign.

The catch here is up to 2.0% p.a. return. Beginning 1 July 2021, the Singlife Account will offer up to 2.0% p.a. return on the first S$10,000. The base crediting rates will be revised to 1.0% p.a. on the first S$10,000 and 0.5% p.a. return on the next S$90,000, customers will still have the opportunity to enjoy up to 1.0% p.a. bonus return.

So, sustainability of the business is a way forward. I’ll say that the interest rate has been semi-nerfed for valid reasons. On top of that, you can still gain 0.5% more by spending and another 0.5% if you invest with GROW. Personally, I wouldn’t put money with GROW but I will spend to make the interest up to 1.5% for the first S$10k.

Disclaimer

This is not a sponsored post. This is purely my own opinion. 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

In this article, the pictures were taken from websites for illustration only. Stay Safe!

S$280 from SCB Bonus$aver Account

On By RistrettzIn Deals, Personal Finance SeriesLeave a comment

For cash solutions, there are plenty of those around on robo-advisors. Cash solutions actually mean as good as cash. They can also be termed as money market solutions. In terms of allocation, they can be considered riskier than holding cash and less risky compared to bonds. Generally, the risk is lower as compared to any investments.

Cash Solutions/Management

Most of the solutions are termed as cash management. It may sound complicated, it is just another term or a financial description.

i. It can be a series of money market funds combined to get a yield.

ii. Some of these cash solutions also be cash backed by loans/mortgage/cheap loans.

iii. When there are deals or directive from a company, there can be a combination of marketing dollars and promotions. These benefits the consumers usually.

There are multiple creative fiduciary ways to get a better yield however not all are covered under SDIC. This means that if there is a bank run – Your first S$75k in the bank covered by SDIC is secure.

The SCB Bonus Saver account

Standard Chartered Bank is running an interesting promotion for customers who currently do not have a Bonus Saver Account. The clause is that you need to transfer fresh funds (Not from Standard Chartered Bank) to the newly opened Bonus Saver account.

As a result from using SingPass to apply online, you will get an additional S$30. (Total: $208 via Bonus Saver + S$30 via SingPass) Hang on there. If you sign up via SingSaver, you get a little more!

a. The first condition is to fund SGD 50,000 into the Bonus$aver account until the end of the next month. This means that if you opened the account in May, you have to keep the cash in there until end of June)

b. The second condition is to take note of the promotion end date. That will be 31 May 2021. There is still 10 days to go from today 21 May 2021. The account opening is almost instantaneous.

If you apply the Bonus Saver account via SingSaver here at SingSaver Bonus Saver Promotion

Option wise, you can choose to get a set of Apple AirPods Pro (worth S$379) or S$250 cash when you make a min. fresh funds deposit of S$50,000 + S$30 cash upon account opening. Validity will be till 2 Jun 2021.

(Total: $250 via Bonus Saver + S$30 via SingPass) Sweet.

Take note of the charges

  • After you receive your payout take note of the – Fall below fee (fee incurred if you fail to meet the minimum average daily balance of S$3,000): S$5 per month [This is the item you need to take note of]
  • Early account closure fee: S$30 (within 6 months of opening) [Close it after 6 months if you do not require this account]
  • Cheque book fee (optional): S$10 [Not required in my opinion]
  • Debit card annual fee: S$20 [I don’t think we will get there]
  • Credit card annual fee: S$214 [I don’t think we will get there]

How to apply?

If you are looking to apply for the Bonus$aver account and Bonus$aver credit card, you will have to be between 21 to 65 years old.

Click on this link: SingSaver Bonus$aver to apply.

Terms & Conditions

Check out the T&Cs here before you apply: SCB Terms and Conditions

Just a disclaimer, I don’t get anything from this. It’s just a good deal how I see it.

Disclaimer

This is not a sponsored post. This is purely my own opinion. 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

In this article, the pictures were taken from websites for illustration only. Stay Safe!

A reward for a survey (Depends if it is worth your time) – Fully Redeemed

On By RistrettzIn Deals1 Comment

So, a friend of mine shared a link about the LTA survey here. This Link here LTA Survey. (I was informed that this is fully redeemed now)

Giving your views

Frankly, for S$10 it doesn’t really do much but again everyone is different. Some people actually think that when they save less or get a deal that isn’t the best as losing money.

So if you have some time, why not consider doing this. It will also help by giving some real thoughts and helping to build Singapore. I’m not quite sure if there will be a reward for this but if you have some time, why not then.

Disclaimer

This is not a sponsored post. This is purely my own opinion. 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 relevant website for this article. Stay Safe!

Portfolios Test – Baptism of Fire (Robos, Cryptos, Value Investors & more)

On By RistrettzIn Macroeconomic, Performance, Personal Finance Series, PsychologyLeave a comment

Portfolio Drawdowns

In the year 2020, almost anything that you buy in any asset class will make you some money. Going into the year 2021, it is going to be a tough year. As I mentioned many times, portfolios will go through their baptism of fire. Perhaps it is the month of May. As the saying goes, sell in May and go away? It is going to be a trying year. This year, we will most likely see portfolios taking a hit. This is the time to put all those concepts to use.

Equity markets are pricing in the real leverage, over trading and over optimism with inflation risks and other factors to concerning investors. What are the other reasons? Frankly no one will know. Risky assets are always risky and they reward you with the rewards if you are spot on.

It is always hindsight

No one has any crystal ball so stop looking for gurus. As emotional as many people out there, I see green with envy for others who make the one hit wonder and 1000x their portfolio. The truth is, I doubt that I will even go into that kind of trade. However, it doesn’t stop me from trying stuff out. You never know which one might hit the jackpot.

Cryptocurrency – The way?

Dreaming of 100 BTC at USD 10? If it ever gets there again, will you buy a 100 of those? This is a question only every individual can answer on their own. To put things to perspective, d not look at what others have. Instead, look at your own portfolio and see what make sense of it. What does it serve and what is your target?

There are plenty of blogs out there who have different styles and objective. Their aim is not yours. We are all unique in nature. Learning to cope with drawdowns are key to the investment journey. Don’t panic, keep calm and keep buying. Just continue to do what you are doing consistently, results will show for itself when the time comes.

Disclaimer

This is not a sponsored post. This is purely my own opinion. 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 relevant website for this article. Stay Safe!

Endowus Performance – April 2021 + New Fund Smart Portfolio

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

Equities have retraced and between Tech and Cyclical equities, it seems to sway from side to side – With Tech equities taking a big hit currently. There isn’t seem to be any clear signs for any particular trend. It just seems tough out there for the hottest equity star in 2020

I’ve been talking about Endowus for a while now. I feel that their corporate story sells to me. I would actually recommend them to anyone I know to be honest and I know that my investments will be safe with them.  To me, it is always a plus point when the founders want to keep their company stock value because they see value in their own company. There are people who are passionate about building a business.

I feel that at least they are genuine and passionate about their work coming from big financial names. I came from finance with a little experience from work and I never liked the way bank works with revenue and hard selling. Having a charismatic leader doesn’t mean that they can play with their words and make glory with their decision making. However, who am I to say that. I just feel that the culture is toxic and it doesn’t mean that they don’t acknowledge it. The money is just too good for them to walk away.

ESG Portfolio

I started this last month and I do know that ESG have performed relatively well in the European zone for the longest time possible. 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 saving this earth for our next generation – a little step goes a long way.

 

This is at +4.80% since inception some time in Mid March 2021. I like what I am seeing. Of course this 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. I like it even better now. You do good and it brings you sustainable returns.

SRS Portfolio

Overall, portfolio is up +20.85% 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 5 Apr 2021, it is a +20.85% increase in absolute terms – Fantastic. For YTD performance, the fund was stable and at + 7.31% for 2021. Sweet. Long term guys, long term view.

 

CPF Portfolio

For the CPF portfolio, it is looking at +13.07% since inception in May 2020.

 

In Terms of YTD returns in 2021, I’m looking at +2.54%. This is quite expected so not much of a surprise. I have no requirement to login daily to view my portfolio performance. Just a monthly review will be sufficient.

 

Similar to the previous months, cash management accounts have started to report a decline. This is also expected since LOW interest rate environment is here to stay for the long term.

Fund Smart Portfolio

Finally, I setup my 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 because It has been lingering around for 6 months already.

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%]

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, it isn’t Cryptocurrency. Super high risk = Potentially Super high returns. Fair enough in economic terms. Just remember that = Potentially Super high decrease in portfolio as well.

I’m not ruling cryptocurrency as an asset class here because I do trade this asset class as well. What I do see is that they will be a disrupter in traditional currency in the future. What I am saying is traditional investments brings stable, slow and disciplined returns. I do have a portion of my funds in cryptocurrency and the latest trend of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). I deal with these two investments separately and realistically.

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.