Adulting 101

On the first day of 2024, just like usual, I woke up early to enjoy my me-time. I opened my CPF account to check if the government's New Year's red packet (CPF interests) had been credited. However, I discovered that the system was still under maintenance. It was only after 8 AM that it could be accessed 😅. Later, I received New Year's greetings from CPF's official Telegram account along with six financial tips.

The Singapore government, often affectionately referred to as 'Government Daddy' is renowned for meticulously planning the lives of its citizens and providing a safety net for them always. From the globally well-known HDB housing policy that ensures every Singaporean has a roof over their heads, to the continually improved CPF policies that offer basic housing, medical and retirement security. There's also one aspect that often goes unnoticed: insurance coverage. It's worth studying how the Singaporean government ensures insurance coverage for every citizen; I believe it serves as a good example of insurance portfolio construction for the general population.

If I could go back from my twenties to thirties, here's how I would approach buying insurance.

Real-life lessons from two insurance agent failures: missing basic coverage, pushing policy replacements, slow claims, and lack of product knowledge.

Inspired by Howard Marks's famous book The Most Important Things, I am sharing some thoughts about brokerages, fund firms, insurance companies and banks and how to navigate through the different service providers wisely.

The greatest value of financial markets lies in the optimal allocation of resources across time and space. Here's some thoughts about agent theory, incentivisation and insurance commission rebase learnt from Coursera course - Financial Market by Yale

Four common investment mistakes: being overly conservative, single investment channels, over-focusing on passive income early, and chasing growth in retirement.

HENRY, or High Earners, Not Rich Yet, describes people with strong incomes but limited wealth. Here's where the term comes from, why luxury brands and private banks target this group, and a numbers-based comparison of the HENRY lifestyle versus the FIRE path over ten years.