BCIP 2018 - Singtel, Capitamall trust

I started building my child's college fund when she was 6 months old. All her 红包's are channeled straight into this OCBC account, and I registered for their Blue Chip Investment Plan (BCIP). It's a monthly investment scheme into a blue chip stock of choice. Both Ms EOR and myself contribute monthly to this BCIP account, which is an excellent way to force us to invest.

I invest in 2 stocks at any given month, with Singtel being the base investment and the other being a cyclical.

Singtel
Telco's are considered a defensive sector, with a relatively stable income stream. What I like about Singtel is that they are the market leader in Singapore, and also derive 50% of their profits from investments in other country telcos, thereby reducing the country risk. They are trading at around their 52 week lows in 1H 2018, hence the dividend rate is 5+%, but I see the sustainable rate to be about 4+%. I'm doing dollar cost averaging, so it doesn't matter that much.

Capitamall Trust
They say the online revolution will kill the malls. However when I visit the various Capitamalls, they are still crowded with people buying stuff. Even I buy stuff! The heartland malls tend to be more crowded as they service the residents in the area, while the ones in orchard service mainly tourists and town go-ers. Good thing the capmall management is revamping their tenant portfolio to cater to changing needs, and incorporating online to offline experiences in their malls. I will still patronize their malls, as they suit my family's needs in terms of F&B, and shops.

I'll review this portfolio every year.

Comments

Hotel Review: Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok

As I travel quite often for work, I’m going to keep a record of all the hotels I’ve stayed in, to serve as a reminder of what works and what doesn’t. It’ll make future bookings much easier. Location: Right at the Asok BTS, across from Terminal 21 and the Westin. I think traffic in this area is too jammed, and will likely avoid in the future. Room: The bed is very comfortable, but the decor is quite old school. The room feels like parts of it has been modernized, but parts of it are still the same as when the hotel was built. The whole scheme doesn't gel. The bathroom is also dated and in need of upgrade. Who uses small tiles like this in bathrooms nowadays? This is so 1990s. Gym: It has a couple ellipticals and a couple treadmills. Not much selection of weight machines and the space is rather crammed. The decor is seriously old school 1990s, but I think all Sheratons are like this. Breakfast: The selectio...

Hotel Review: Novotel Halong Bay

As I travel quite often for work, I’m going to keep a record of all the hotels I’ve stayed in, to serve as a reminder of what works and what doesn’t. It’ll make future bookings much easier. Unfortunately there was no SPG/Marriott hotel in Halong Bay area, so i ended up with Novotel. Location: Along the western side of Halong, right across some ongoing construction. Room: Decor is dark wooden, taking a spin on modern Chinese. Wood flooring and a huge king size bed that's abit hard and uncomfortable. I like the decor though. Gym: This has got to be the saddest hotel gym i've ever seen. I decided to run outside instead. Breakfast: The selection is so limited, and it's not even that good. Nice decor though. Would I return? Definitely not to this 4 star hotel. Thankfully I was only here for 1 night. Although the place is filled with Korean tourists, you can eat some basic Korean breakfast here, but that's not my preference.

Max out your Medisave account in Jan

Effective Jan 1, 2019 the Basic Healthcare Sum (BHS) has increased from S$54,500 to S$57,200. Funds in the Medisave Account (MA) and Special Account (SA) earns 4% p.a, while funds in the Ordinary Account (OA) earns 2.5% p.a. Assuming you have hit the $54,500 limit in 2018, we can take the opportunity to top up $2700 to our Medisave Account by this month using cash to leverage on the following benefits: Tax deductions if you use cash to top up your MA. Note the $7000 annual cap on CPF deductions, so the SA top up in FY2019 will be $4300. When your MA has been maxed out, your monthly CPF contribution from your salary and employer will flow over to your SA. This account also earns you an interest of 5% p.a. Once your SA has met the met the Full Retirement Sum (FRS), the funds will flow over to your Ordinary Account, which earns you a 3.5% interest rate p.a. In summary, whenever the government increases the Basic Healthcare Sum, quickly max out your MA i...

Eyes On Retirement

Search This Blog