Me & My Money Series (Sunday Times)

[pianist]

i also been lurking in the wallstraits corner since 2005/6 (until lately) because back then i dunno how to log an id or pw or enable myself to chat here.

this place makes me believe there is santa claus & there is g.o.d. raise your hand & hug the person next to u if u agree and believe.

[KopiKat]

Also there is a difference in sharing what we know and how exactly we go about doing things.
I.e. D.O.G is a well respected/generous contributor and shares his thoughts. Adds a lot of value to the forum.
But does he reveal what exactly he is doing and his modus operandi? Never. If he did, he's not d.o.g

If you badly want to know and are resourceful enough, it's not that difficult to find out... Or, if you read widely enough, you'll likely stumble on his identity, which'll lead you to more... But yes, you're right, for those articles, presentations, interviews,... I'd stumbled on (from links shared by others in VB, I explored other resources avaliable in those sites and found more interesting articles / links..), where that person shared his analysis on a particular stock.... he's not d.o.g., but someone else with a real life identity. Hee..

PS. I'll NOT share my findings on the above... (more fun to see how resourceful / widely read you are) and no, I didn't follow him to get vested into any of his holdings. Any similar vesting (only a couple) is purely coincidental...

[FA+TA]

short qn.

Anyone seen old forummer madam lark around in other forums?

According to Koh_52, she already up lorry liao!

Sing Holdings - P57

[pianist]

short qn.

Anyone seen old forummer madam lark around in other forums?

According to Koh_52, she already up lorry liao!

Sing Holdings - P57

how did U manage to locate it in such a short time?

[FA+TA]

short qn.

Anyone seen old forummer madam lark around in other forums?

According to Koh_52, she already up lorry liao!

Sing Holdings - P57

how did U manage to locate it in such a short time?

1. All of us, ValueBuddies cannot deny that ValueBuddies.com has an excellent search function
2. As I remembered Koh_52 talked about Lark in certain thread so I used the 2 parameters Koh_52 and Mdm Lark
3. Using elimination method

[pianist]

thanks

[kazukirai]

This week's Me & My money column.

Nothing much to say about this guy- good job, invests just like almost every upper middle Singaporean (read: property), paying too much in insurance premiums (40K a year) and got burnt by equities before.

Family man's top priority: Safety net for wife and kids

Rachel Scully
Straits Times
1 September 2013

After losing dad in his teens, Asia-Pac head of multinational firm swears by insurance

When Mr Abhijit Banerjee was just 16, he lost his father, the family's sole breadwinner who was a seaman on a merchant's ship, to illness in his native India.

The younger of two sons had to grow up fast, providing for their mother and earning badly needed money to pay their school fees. He took on part-time jobs as a data entry clerk and also did door-to-door sales promotion work for household consumer products.

As a result, Mr Banerjee, 46, feels strongly about the importance of having adequate insurance coverage to act as a safety net for his loved ones.

"My dad provided us with a very comfortable life, but he had no concept of saving or investing," recalls Mr Banerjee, who was born in Kolkata. "My only initiation to savings was putting money into a piggy bank."

He was determined not to repeat that mistake.

So when Mr Banerjee became a father at 32, the vice-president and Asia-Pacific region head of multinational technology services and solutions provider Servion Global Solutions ensured that his family was adequately insured.

Insurance-linked investments were also less risky than stocks, but offered better returns than regular savings in the bank, he said.

He now spends about $40,000 a year on life and health insurance premiums for himself, his wife Puja, 40, and two sons, as well as mortgage insurance on his properties.

He came to Singapore in 1998 with his wife, became a permanent resident here in 2000 - and hopes to take the next step soon.

"I'm the type of guy who doesn't like to be caught up in the hassle of application paperwork," he quips. "But I intend to apply for Singapore citizenship before the end of the year, and my two sons who were born here will be serving national service."

He says he is largely "Singaporean-ised" and the family enjoys hawker favourites such as laksa, chicken rice and barbecued pork slices or bak kwa.

He and his family members can switch between formal English and Singlish easily and they enjoy watching local movies such as Ah Boys To Men and Money No Enough.

Having spent about four years living in an HDB flat before renting a condominium in 2005, Mr Banerjee says his local friends influenced him to make his investments more "Singaporean-ised".

"I was looking for a safe place to channel my savings and grow my wealth," he says. "And many of my friends suggested that I take a look at property."

So when prices came down during the global financial crisis, he jumped on the bandwagon.

His wife is a homemaker and their sons Aditya, 14, and Akaash, seven, are at school.

Q: Are you a spender or a saver?

Like my Libra star sign, I'm a balanced person and this applies to my spending and savings pattern too.

However, it was fatherhood and the bag of responsibilities which came with it that made me more of a balanced spender and saver in my 30s.

Q: How much do you charge to your credit cards every month?

I use my credit cards extensively because of the convenience of going cashless and charge a four-figure sum to them monthly.

Although I have 10 credit cards, most of my spending is accounted for by three of them. One is specifically for work, and the other two are for groceries and discounts or rebates on petrol.

A benefit of going cashless is the points which I can accumulate that will come in handy when planning family vacations.

Q: What financial planning have you done for yourself?

When I first came to Singapore in 1998 and wasn't sure if this would be my permanent home, I continued to put my modest savings into India's public provident fund, the equivalent of Singapore's Central Provident Fund, because it offered double-digit interest rates.

I also had some money in short- term fixed deposits, term life insurance policies as well as equity stocks - which later turned out to be bad investments.

But after my older son came along in 1999, I started making more Singapore-focused investments. For example, my wife and I moved out of a rented apartment and bought our first five-room HDB flat, and the monthly mortgage payments on it were less than the rent I'd been paying every month.

Being the sole breadwinner, I also looked out for insurance policies which would give sufficient coverage for my family in case something happened to me.

Under the advice of my wife and Singaporean friends, it made sense to look towards property investments as a viable option.

Some time during the recent global financial crisis, I bought two condominium units.

Q: Moneywise, what were your growing up years like?

After my father died when I was 16, my older brother and I had to earn extra money to provide for my mother and finance my studies. While I took up some part-time jobs, I'm also grateful that my father's sister-in-law gave me some pocket money and paid for my college fees.

In my late teens, my monthly allowance was the equivalent of $10 in relative terms.

So when I brought home about $100 a month from my first job at 21 doing business development and IT sales, I started splurging on things I had been deprived of in the previous five years.

Q: How did you get interested in investing?

I was never an astute investor by nature. It was the good advice and direction of some friends, colleagues and my wife that made me realise the importance of investing and building my assets.

Q: What property do you own?

In 2009, I bought the three-bedder plus study unit at Costa Del Sol, which I have been living in, at less than $800 psf (per sq ft). It is now selling for about $1,300 psf.

A year later in 2010, I got a three-bedder condo unit in Yew Tee for about $600 psf which I've been renting out, and it is going at $900 psf.

I also have a condo in Kolkata, where I was born and bred, which has been fully paid for; and an inherited landed property which is vacant.

Q: What is the most extravagant thing you have bought?

It would be a BMW five-series sedan which I bought in 2011 for about $250,000.

Q: What's your retirement plan?

I'll work for as long as I need to, at least until my younger son goes to university which is another 15 years away. But I'll look towards having a healthier work-life balance and look for causes that are not driven by money.

It could be something creative and fun that I'm interested in or contributing back to society.

Q: Home is now...

A 1,600 sq ft condo at Costa Del Sol with a sea view, where I live with my wife, two sons and a full-time maid. My mother and mother-in-law take turns to visit us for about three months a year to spend time with the boys.

Q: I drive...

A black BMW five-series sedan which I use to commute to work, and which my wife uses when I'm travelling.

[kazukirai]

My apologies, one day late!

Mattress king boss is no layabout in investments

8 September 2013
Straits Times
STIMES
English
© 2013 Singapore Press Holdings Limited

27-year-old hopes to earn and save enough to be financially independent by 45

One of the most valuable lessons young businessman Tony Tan learnt from his parents was the need to be financially independent - and it is one he has taken to heart.

A desire to be self-sufficient has led him to start his own business while taking a left-field approach to property.

The Singaporean dream of home ownership has gone out the window for now and in came a 4,000 sq ft industrial space.

Mr Tan, 27, snapped up the ground-floor unit off Upper Paya Lebar Road in April last year - with some help from his father - and now uses it as the storefront of his mattress manufacturing and retailing business Tilam King.

"Tilam" is the Malay word for mattress.

"I was thinking of an investment with a five to eight-year horizon and saw the potential of an industrial and commercial space, rather than a private residential unit," he says.

"When I walked into this unit, I had that 'feel-good' intuition and knew that I wanted to set up shop here."

The one-man business is in its infancy but Mr Tan aims to hire staff next year.

His unit at 8, New Industrial Road has another attraction as well - it is in the block with the fewest storeys in the street.

"If there's a chance for a collective sale, this block is likely to get it, as the new owner has the opportunity to increase the plot per ratio, and existing unit owners would be rewarded for it," adds Mr Tan.

The youngest of three sons put in a five-figure sum as part of the 10 per cent down payment when he and his father bought the unit.

The cash flow generated by Tilam King services the loan payments for the unit, which cost in excess of $2 million.

Mr Tan aims to be as financially independent as his dad, 62, and mum, 58, by the time he is 45.

"That's about 20 years away, and hopefully Tilam King's business would have grown and I'd have spare cash flow for other investments," he said.

"Both of them were involved in running the family business, The Mattress Centre, but made it a point to save up enough for their retirement and potential health-care costs," he adds.

"They didn't want to burden my brothers and me with their bills, and that really inspired me to be as responsible as them."

The Mattress Centre is now run by one of Mr Tan's brothers.

Mr Tan admits that he does not like to lose sleep over his investments and prefers safer products such as bonds.

"This stems from my 'kiasu' (afraid to lose) and 'kiasi' (afraid to die) nature," he says with a laugh.

Q: Are you a spender or a saver?

I'm definitely more of a saver. I don't have much interest in fashion so I don't spend much on clothes.

My soft spot would probably be food, which I'm prepared to splurge on.

Q: How much do you charge to your credit cards every month?

I charge about $2,000 to two credit cards, of which a bulk is for entertaining clients and business partners of Tilam King.

The rest is spent on petrol and food.

I'm not the sort who's big on redeeming points, and would prefer cards which allow me to get instant cash rebates upon making a purchase.

Q: What financial planning have you done for yourself?

I invest in tenure bonds as they will give me a guaranteed return on the principal sum.

I also put some money into real estate investment trusts (reits). Compared with investing in a property developer's stock, the quality assets in a reit's portfolio are usually already built and operational. However, I have no control over what the developer may choose to build or venture into in future if I buy its stock.

About three weeks ago, I also started investing via OCBC's blue-chip investment plan which allows me to have a stake in multiple, less volatile stocks.

I intend to put up to $1,000 a month into it depending on my financial commitment.

Q: Moneywise, what were your growing-up years like?

My father had a large influence on my spending habits and principles about money.

He set up The Mattress Centre in the 1980s with $500 in his pocket and taught me how to run a business as I was growing up.

At 17, I started helping out in the business more actively and would accompany him during viewings for possible shopfronts and commercial spaces.

Having grown up in a frugal family, I learnt that every dollar saved is a dollar earned.

Q: How did you get interested in investing?

I saw how my dad took care of himself financially so that he didn't have to trouble my two brothers and me with his expenses post-retirement.

I want to make sure that I earn and save enough to be financially independent as well.

Q: What property do you own?

A 4,000 sq ft ground-floor unit at 8, New Industrial Road, where I operate Tilam King.

Q: What is the most extravagant thing you have bought?

It would probably be the Tilam King Luxury Series queen-size mattress I sleep on which cost $1,599.

Q: What's your retirement plan?

I intend to continue doing business by giving customers value-for-money products.

I've also been sharing ideas with budding entrepreneurs on how they can set up their businesses.

Not everyone has the privilege of growing up in an entrepreneurial environment. By sharing with them some harsh and frank realities of running a business, I hope that other start-ups can succeed in their own right.

Q: Home is now...

A 9,000 sq ft three-storey shophouse in Jalan Eunos where I live with my parents, two elder brothers and their families, my grandmother, as well as two domestic helpers.

There are 15 of us living together.

Q: I drive...

A second-hand silver Jaguar, which I use to meet clients and take them around.

My dad paid for the initial down payment while I service the monthly instalments.

rjscully@sph.com.sg

[kazukirai]

I've been abroad so forgive me for the light postings.

I feel that this guy's really lucky that he has a family business to run. Financial literacy-wise, he's terrible. Fortunately for him, as long as he's a high income earner, he's going to turn out ok.

Stocks too risky for this businessman
Rachel Scully

29 September 2013
Straits Times

You will not find businessman Adrian Han touching stocks - an investment he regards as intangible and risky.

The general manager of bathroom fixtures and accessories firm Sansei Singapura avoids dabbling in the share market after his family's bad experiences.

"My dad tried out stocks in the 1990s and got burnt during the Asian financial crisis," he recalled.

"About a decade later, my elder brother lost money too when the recent global financial crisis hit the market.

"Logic doesn't always apply to market movements as they are often driven by emotion and speculation, and I am not comfortable with putting my money into what I can't have a good grasp of."

He is, however, open to taking calculated risks when it comes to something he knows very well - growing Sansei's business.

Mr Han, 32, a mechanical engineering graduate and an avid golfer, said he was blessed that he never had to worry about his personal finances.

In the 1970s, his father, now 64, co-founded both Sansei and construction business Magnificent Seven Corp.

The companies are now helmed by Mr Han and his elder brother Christopher respectively.

An incident more than 20 years ago left a deep impression on him. "I was considered a fat kid and loved food," he said with a laugh.

"And there was once, I had spent all my allowance and had no money to buy my favourite fish cake, which cost 25 cents. That feeling of having zero financial capability made me realise the importance of saving money."

Since getting married in 2010 and becoming a father a year later, Mr Han's focus has been on investing his personal wealth in products that offer adequate protection.

Q: Are you a spender or a saver?

I'm a mix of both and make it a point to save at least 30 per cent of my income, which can come in handy during emergencies.

The bulk of my spending goes to paying premiums on the insurance policies I've taken up as well as golf - a sport which I love.

Q: How much do you charge to your credit cards every month?

I don't like carrying a lot of cash and won't have more than $300 in my wallet at any one time. So I charge between $2,000 and $3,000 a month to my cards on average.

Although I have six cards, most of my spending is charged to two of them. The rest are used for discounts on petrol, groceries or points which offset some of the premiums on my insurance-linked products.

Q: What financial planning have you done for yourself?

I ensure that I spend within my means and that discipline is an important yet simple part of financial planning.

I prefer products which offer a higher return than regular savings in a bank, and provide protection.

So I've bought an endowment policy for myself and another one for my son even before he was born. It's like Daddy and Mummy's gift to him which he can encash years later.

I also hope to grow Sansei, the bathroom products business which I'm running.

Q: Money-wise, what were your growing-up years like?

My parents often told me and my elder brother, "Money is very hard to earn", and that has resonated with us.

During the school term, I would get $2.50 a week in primary school and $10 a week in secondary school. If I failed to manage my funds and overspent on Transformers, Tamiya cars and comics, I would have to wait till the next Monday for my allowance.

But our parents would occasionally give us some extra money if we were well behaved or did well in school. But I didn't fare well in the academic department.

Q: How did you get interested in investing?

My parents first broached the subject of insurance before I entered national service. I had also heard many stories from my peers about how people were financially burdened due to hefty hospital bills.

Therefore, I value protection as it ensures that my loved ones will be well taken care of and won't have to struggle with too much debt.

Q: What property do you own?

In 2011, my wife and I bought a two-bedder condominium unit in River Valley for about $1.2 million.

We picked a ready-built project so that we could use the rental income to service the loan repayments.

We have been living with my parents in their home.

Q: What is the most extravagant thing you have bought?

A two-tone Rolex watch, which I bought earlier this year for about $13,000, as Rolex watches continue to have a healthy resale value. I bought it as a reward after my first year as Sansei's general manager.

Q: What is your retirement plan?

I haven't thought that far ahead, but I'll probably continue to work for as long as I can and keep an eye out for other entrepreneurial and business opportunities.

Q: Home is now...

My parents' 13,000 sq ft bungalow in Seletar Gardens with five bedrooms. My wife, son and I live there with my parents and elder brother's family.

Q: I drive...

A metallic-bronze C-class Mercedes which my brother passed on to me. Its loan is serviced by the company.


Home for Mr Adrian Han and his wife is his parents' 13,000 sq ft bungalow in Seletar Gardens. The couple own another property in River Valley.

Singapore Press Holdings Limited

[Temperament]

I've been abroad so forgive me for the light postings.

I feel that this guy's really lucky that he has a family business to run. Financial literacy-wise, he's terrible. Fortunately for him, as long as he's a high income earner, he's going to turn out ok.

Stocks too risky for this businessman
Rachel Scully

29 September 2013
Straits Times

You will not find businessman Adrian Han touching stocks - an investment he regards as intangible and risky.

The general manager of bathroom fixtures and accessories firm Sansei Singapura avoids dabbling in the share market after his family's bad experiences.

"My dad tried out stocks in the 1990s and got burnt during the Asian financial crisis," he recalled.

"About a decade later, my elder brother lost money too when the recent global financial crisis hit the market.

"Logic doesn't always apply to market movements as they are often driven by emotion and speculation, and I am not comfortable with putting my money into what I can't have a good grasp of."

He is, however, open to taking calculated risks when it comes to something he knows very well - growing Sansei's business.

Mr Han, 32, a mechanical engineering graduate and an avid golfer, said he was blessed that he never had to worry about his personal finances.

In the 1970s, his father, now 64, co-founded both Sansei and construction business Magnificent Seven Corp.

The companies are now helmed by Mr Han and his elder brother Christopher respectively.

An incident more than 20 years ago left a deep impression on him. "I was considered a fat kid and loved food," he said with a laugh.

"And there was once, I had spent all my allowance and had no money to buy my favourite fish cake, which cost 25 cents. That feeling of having zero financial capability made me realise the importance of saving money."

Since getting married in 2010 and becoming a father a year later, Mr Han's focus has been on investing his personal wealth in products that offer adequate protection.

Q: Are you a spender or a saver?

I'm a mix of both and make it a point to save at least 30 per cent of my income, which can come in handy during emergencies.

The bulk of my spending goes to paying premiums on the insurance policies I've taken up as well as golf - a sport which I love.

Q: How much do you charge to your credit cards every month?

I don't like carrying a lot of cash and won't have more than $300 in my wallet at any one time. So I charge between $2,000 and $3,000 a month to my cards on average.

Although I have six cards, most of my spending is charged to two of them. The rest are used for discounts on petrol, groceries or points which offset some of the premiums on my insurance-linked products.

Q: What financial planning have you done for yourself?

I ensure that I spend within my means and that discipline is an important yet simple part of financial planning.

I prefer products which offer a higher return than regular savings in a bank, and provide protection.

So I've bought an endowment policy for myself and another one for my son even before he was born. It's like Daddy and Mummy's gift to him which he can encash years later.

I also hope to grow Sansei, the bathroom products business which I'm running.

Q: Money-wise, what were your growing-up years like?

My parents often told me and my elder brother, "Money is very hard to earn", and that has resonated with us.

During the school term, I would get $2.50 a week in primary school and $10 a week in secondary school. If I failed to manage my funds and overspent on Transformers, Tamiya cars and comics, I would have to wait till the next Monday for my allowance.

But our parents would occasionally give us some extra money if we were well behaved or did well in school. But I didn't fare well in the academic department.

Q: How did you get interested in investing?

My parents first broached the subject of insurance before I entered national service. I had also heard many stories from my peers about how people were financially burdened due to hefty hospital bills.

Therefore, I value protection as it ensures that my loved ones will be well taken care of and won't have to struggle with too much debt.

Q: What property do you own?

In 2011, my wife and I bought a two-bedder condominium unit in River Valley for about $1.2 million.

We picked a ready-built project so that we could use the rental income to service the loan repayments.

We have been living with my parents in their home.

Q: What is the most extravagant thing you have bought?

A two-tone Rolex watch, which I bought earlier this year for about $13,000, as Rolex watches continue to have a healthy resale value. I bought it as a reward after my first year as Sansei's general manager.

Q: What is your retirement plan?

I haven't thought that far ahead, but I'll probably continue to work for as long as I can and keep an eye out for other entrepreneurial and business opportunities.

Q: Home is now...

My parents' 13,000 sq ft bungalow in Seletar Gardens with five bedrooms. My wife, son and I live there with my parents and elder brother's family.

Q: I drive...

A metallic-bronze C-class Mercedes which my brother passed on to me. Its loan is serviced by the company.


Home for Mr Adrian Han and his wife is his parents' 13,000 sq ft bungalow in Seletar Gardens. The couple own another property in River Valley.

Singapore Press Holdings Limited

This article is just one very good example of the stock market is not suitable for everyone.
i think especially for those who don't like or can't take the Price Volatility of the Market.

You can lose up to 50% to 60% to 100% in the "twinkle of your eyes and still can continue to hold on even buy more in this type of Market. And still can sleep at night even though not "so easily".

In fact, i think there are many more people who should not be in the Market in the first place for many other reasons. Like if you need the money for buying a house or sending your children to U, etc.....

i have friends and relatives who are not suitable for many reasons. But NO 1 reason still is.......Price volatility of the Market. IMHO.