Some days ago I found a letter in my mailbox from Standard Chartered bank. This is not a rare occurrence, given that this bank is not able to issue e-statements for online trading and instead sends monthly statements and letters after every single transaction.
Unfortunately this time the letter contained some bad news: “a revision of minimum brokerage amount”…
After reviewing my performance for last year it is now time to create a proper investment plan for 2016! One thing is clear: it needs to be more ambitious than last year’s plan.
Read on to find out what I am planning to do different this year…
Being fat and broke used to be two of my key challenges in April 2013. I happily spent my entire paycheck each and every month and always wondered why I could not lose weight or why I was always broke at the end of the month. Curiously I tackled both problems successfully in the same way…
Yesterday I set out to hunt some vampires in my house. Not the undead, blood sucking kind featuring long fangs and strange capes, but the energy sucking type. Let me explain!
In May I embarked on quite a big project: I moved to a new apartment! Taking advantage of Singapore’s declining rental prices I upgraded from a tiny flat to a huge and swanky place for just SGD 300 more. How much did I spend in the course of moving house?
Goals 2015
New year, new goals! For 2015 I have decided to set an easily measurable goal: invest SGD 31,400 within the year. Read on for graphs and details….
Being bored in a long meeting last week I took out my notebook and started an interesting experiment. How much was I really being paid by hour?
At first this seemed like an easy undertaking: everyday I would reach the office at 8:30am and work until 6:30pm. 10 hours per day = 50 hours a week. Certainly dividing my salary by this 50 hours would yield my hourly pay? Man, was I wrong!
Do you remember your student days? I sure do remember mine! Living of a rather small salary from part time jobs I was happy and content sleeping on a mattress on the floor in my small room of the apartment I shared with two friends. All my belongings fit into 2 large boxes and things were generally good. How much did I spend per month? Probably SGD 800 including rent.
A few years later at the age of 29 things had changed…
I admit it: I am a numbers geek. I just love to track my portfolio and even though I have now started to correct my mistakes of the past and to follow an index investing strategy I am still addicted to see how the markets are moving and how much my portfolio is worth at the moment.
What are the best free tools to track your portfolio online?
Finally! Vanguard Hong Kong has launched three brand new ETFs listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange.
For those who have read my previous entries, such as getting started investing in Singapore and the guide to Singaporean ETFs know that I really like low cost index funds and investors now have three brand new choices available in Hong Kong.