Responsible LIVING

SCAM - IRAS

2017-04-19T09:56:00.002+08:00

Personal Income Tax filing season is just over. Deadline for e-filing was 18th April. Be careful of the following SCAM requesting payment:

FTSE - Singapore Dividend Yield

2017-04-10T17:26:00.002+08:00

FTSE-SG Yield compared to the regions:

FTSE Constituents:

Wishing You Happy 2017!

2016-12-28T11:08:00.001+08:00

Welcome 2017! Wishing You a Spectacular 2017 filled with Abundance of Hope, Wellness, Happiness & Prosperity!

USD strengthens against SGD

2016-12-21T11:21:00.002+08:00

USD/SGD chart looking interesting...
USD is strengthening against SGD

Binary Trading Scam!

2016-12-14T22:57:00.000+08:00

"Encouraged by initial profits and promises made by the platform staff about financial advice, more bonuses and attractive rewards, most of the investors found it difficult to stop at one small investment and will put in more money," the news release said.

"In these cases, the investors either lost all their monies or could not withdraw the balances in their accounts. Some also had unauthorised withdrawals made in their debit/credit cards after they had handed over their card details for payment."

While binary options trading is attractive as it sounds simple and there are often promises of high, quick and safe returns, the police warned that binary options are in fact speculative and risky.

Many online platforms offering such trading are also fraudulent."

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/police-warn-of-rise-in-online-scams-involving-binary-options-over-1-million

Which "guru" predicted 2016 correctly?

2016-11-27T09:19:00.000+08:00

So, 2016 is coming to an end. Which "guru"'s prediction came true?

http://wangel2210.blogspot.sg/2015/12/prediction-for-2016.html

Still waiting for Kiyosaki's "BIG BUST" in 2016, 1 more month to go...haha ;-)

SUPER Congrats!

2016-11-07T15:09:00.002+08:00

CONGRATS to SUPER Group holders! Know the business, know the products, seldom wrong! Don't just trade blindly without fundamentals :)

http://wangel2210.blogspot.sg/2015/10/super-group-sgx-stock.html

Money Issues and Anger

2016-09-11T12:06:00.001+08:00

What do you feel when you:

1. Don't have enough Money
2. Lose Money in Investment
3. Don't have enough saving
4. Can't get a raise
5. Can't close a deal
6. Customers delay payment

that despite you trying your very best, putting in a lot of effort, yet money is still a problem.

Do you feel ANGRY or Frustrated? Does it spill into other areas of your life? Which eventually affects negatively your relationships with other people.

Or Do you simply feel angry with life sometimes because you tried so hard and still things don't go the way you want?

I used to feel like this too, for the longest time. From a scale of 1 (cool) to 10 (hot), my anger level was probably 9/10. I would get upset and angry over the slightest thing. Nobody likes to be around an angry person. So slowly people move away...slowly but surely.

Glad to say that today, after so many years, I've learnt to understand, manage AND control, or even transform my ANGER which is a form of ENERGY into better use. My scale has dropped to probably a cool 3/10. As long as we are still human, we will still feel angry. The key is in managing it well.

If you have problem with ANGER, know that it can be damaging you and your loved ones. It will also negatively affect you, your health, your well-being and your career. Feel free to drop me a note if you need help.

Real Life Story - Danger of Gambling Addiction

2016-08-22T18:52:00.001+08:00

The danger of Gambling Addictions.

Wang Lei's Real life Story:

The danger can come in many forms, whatever name it is called: trading, professional trading, "system" trading, "systematic" trading, as long as it is short-term speculation, it is GAMBLING.
It is better for us to be honest with ourselves, only then we can solve the problem of gambling addiction before it gets worse and hurt your family.

https://youtu.be/A-NqtNbNdC0

"Make More Money So You Can Help More People". REALLY??

2016-06-05T17:35:00.002+08:00

Have you seen how sales & marketing people like to use:
"MAKE MORE MONEY SO YOU CAN HELP MORE PEOPLE" idea when they market to you their products?

I would like to debunk this myth today because:
1. It is NOT TRUE that we need more money to help more people
2. It is DANGEROUS to subscribe to this idea. It subconsciously makes us believe that we need MORE Money in order to be a good, kind and helpful person.

* It is NOT TRUE that we need more money to help more people:
What we need is MORE COMPASSION, TIME AND ACTION to help more people. For example when there was an accident at traffic junction, a young school boy did not need money to help the victims in the car to get out of the car or call an ambulance while others were busy taking photo/video. He just needs a compassionate heart and a phone, which most of us have, some have more than 1 phone.
(http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/12-year-old-boy-rushes-to-aid-of-car-accident-victims-in-yishun)

We do NOT need MORE money to help MORE people. Nowadays, in this era of technological advances, when we see people in need and we do not have the money to help, we can always write a story, post a picture of their plight in the social media and share it with others who can help. All it takes is a compassionate heart and willingness.

** Having MORE Money will NOT change a person's character and values. A stingy person will NOT become generous when he has MORE money, nor a generous person will become stingy when he has LESS money.
We all know some stingy rich people, don't we? In fact, I am sure we all know how some rich people are even more stingy the richer they get. And how poor people are always willing to share with others the little they have. I know and have seen plenty of people like that.
Think about the time when we were a student. Were we more generous, more willing to volunteer, to give to the less fortunate than now as working adults? We know the truth for ourselves.

*** The TRUTH is we Don't need MORE Money. We just need ENOUGH Money. Yes, we just need ENOUGH money. The constant chasing after monetary gains and the pursuit after more and more of monetary rewards is TIRING. It is EXHAUSTING and will leave us high and dry. It will draw us further and further away from true happiness which is found in peace and contentment, kindness and compassion.

Think about this for a while, when we are so busy chasing after money, when all we can think of is how to close another sales, another deadlines, another promotion, do we have the time to slow down and even think of helping others?

I hope the two points above are sufficient enough to make you think deeper and reject the fallacy that we need more money to help more people and to realize that what we truly need is more COMPASSION if we want to help more people.

The key to real security in life is not to feed our FEAR nor our GREED. It is to plan, to budget, to live in such a way that we just have ENOUGH money, so that we can have enough time and energy for things that are more important for the cultivation of our true happiness. The best way is really to live SIMPLY yet happily by being contented (vs being drawn into excessive consumerism). Not to always compare ourselves with others. To just do the best we can instead of being obsessed about money.

Lastly,we must trust in the process of life, no matter what happens, we will be alright. That our parents will be alright, that our children will be alright. That everyone will be alright. Think back into your own life, isn't that true? That no matter how bad a situation is, we are still ok, life still goes on. And life will continue to go on, regardless whether we are happy or not, regardless whether we are peaceful or worried with life, life will still go on. So choose wisely. Choose what we feed into our mind wisely. Say NO to fear, to greed, to endless, mindless pursuit of money. Know that Enough is Enough.

Wishing you peace and happiness always...

SingPost

2016-04-07T09:27:00.002+08:00

So to recap the happenings in Singapore Post management team for the past 1 year:

CFO & Corporate Secretary left in July 2015, followed by CEO resignation in Dec 2015 and now the Chairman also threw in the towel.

What do you think is happening inside the company?

Would Warren Buffet invest in such company?

Would YOU invest in such company?

Trading for a Living? Really?

2016-03-27T09:05:00.003+08:00

"As we explained earlier, day-trading is one of the dumbest jobs there is: According to one academic study, 4 out of 5 people who do it lose money and only 1 in 100 do it well enough to be described as "predictably profitable."

Most of the folks who do it, in other words, would be far better off working at Burger King."

Most Wall Street traders have skills, information, and tools that day-traders can only dream of. Trading is a zero-sum game: Market moves aside, every dollar won by one trader comes out of the pocket of another trader. Day traders competing against Wall Streeters is the equivalent of a college football team (or Pee Wee team, depending on the day-trader's skill) competing against a pro team. Is it possible to win? Yes. But it's highly unlikely (1 in 100). Wall Street's winnings do have to come from somewhere, though, so Wall Street thanks the day traders for playing.

PLEASE READ the FULL article here:
http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-heres-what-day-traders-dont-get-2010-3?IR=T&r=US&IR=T

Beware of Con-men

2016-03-26T11:30:00.003+08:00

Beware of smooth-talking con-men. Some were ex-criminals i.e caught and jailed for cheating. Surprised??!

It is extremely important to do your homework properly. Some will say they have changed/repented and tell you sob-stories, please don't be manipulated emotionally, use your intelligence to think rationally. Just say "Thank You" and QUICKLY WALK AWAY.

If you wish to part with your $, there are many other charities that are more worthy of your monetary contribution, don't be conned.

So, are you a PROFESSIONAL TRADER?

2016-03-21T13:52:00.004+08:00

The usual cycle is like this:
1. Some Tom, Dick, Harry try their hands on being a PROFESSIONAL TRADER because of the lure of irresponsible marketing by so-called "PROFESSIONAL TRADER"
2. Paid thousands of $$$ to learn to be a "PROFESSIONAL TRADER"
3. Fail badly and lose a lot of money
4. Out of desperation, they brand themselves a "PROFESSIONAL TRADER" and sell the thousands of $$$ of TRADING COURSES teaching other suckers on how to be a "PROFESSIONAL TRADER"
5. Others go back to work
6. The cycle continues.

Moral of story: Don't be the next sucker. Statistically proven, your chances of success in being a "PROFESSIONAL TRADER" is negligible. Your chances of losing $ is guaranteed. Don't waste your hard-earned $. Be responsible to yourself and your loved ones.

US$34million "exotic" forex trades LOSS

2016-03-08T09:43:00.004+08:00

Another name for FOREX is GAMBLE.

Why would anyone want to gamble away his hard-earned money unless he is a tycoon with too much money to throw. I hope my readers are wiser than this. Forex is meant for hedging, typically used in commercial arrangements. It is NOT meant for speculative aka gambling tools (for individuals).

Tycoon Oei Hong Leong is pursuing his case against banking giant Goldman Sachs over "exotic" currency trades that resulted in losses of US$34 million (S$47 million).

The saga dates back to 2013, when Mr Oei entered into leveraged trades with the US bank involving the Brazilian real and the yen.

Mr Oei said that although he is a sophisticated investor, he was not familiar with the Brazilian currency. However, he was told that the real was stable as it is anchored to the US dollar like the Hong Kong dollar.

Goldman Sachs also allegedly said that real-yen trades were liquid and could be executed and unwound at any time, and that they behaved very like US dollar-yen trades.

Rather than falling as Mr Oei had expected, the yen strengthened against the real after then-US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke raised the possibility on May 22, 2013, that the central bank's money-printing programme would be scaled back. The news led to a flight of capital out of emerging markets.

On June 17, Mr Oei closed the trades, suffering a loss of 4.231 billion yen. After deducting the 1.055 billion yen received as premiums on the trades, he was left in in the red to the tune of 3.175 billion yen. This is the equivalent of the US$34 million that he was claiming.

Mr Oei said he would not have entered into these trades if the risks had been highlighted correctly. He had filed suits both in Singapore's High Court and New York's Supreme Court against the bank's parent, Goldman Sachs Group. These suits are no longer active.

Full story: http://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/tycoon-oei-hong-leong-lodges-case-against-goldman-sachs?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&link_time=1457398644#xtor=CS1-10

SingPost analysis

2016-02-13T13:55:00.003+08:00

My favourite stock - SINGPOST

There are some ratios that I use when I choose a stock but I won't go through it here. What I want to show readers here is how to do a very simple analysis just using 2 numbers on Income Statement to quickly gauge the health of a company business operation. You don't need to be a CFA or CPA or whatever A to do a simple analysis like this on a company operation. So start today and do a better due diligence before you invest in a co.

Looking at SingPost's the business operations from 2011 till 2015:

Will it become SINKPOST??

SingPost Annual Report 2015: http://infopub.sgx.com/FileOpen/AR201415.ashx?App=Announcement&FileID=356132

SG online crime rate in 2015!

2016-02-12T10:59:00.000+08:00

"A total of 33,608 cases were recorded last year, up from 32,315 cases in 2014. Online commercial crimes rose to 3,759 cases, up from 1,929 cases in 2014."

WOW, how much increase of online commercial crimes is that??!!

SPIKE IN ONLINE SCAMS

The number of commercial crimes surged 46.5 per cent to 8,329 cases, compared to 5,687 cases in 2014. Within this type of crime, online crimes saw the largest increase, the police said.

Cheating involving e-commerce rose 30.5 per cent to 2,173 cases last year, compared to 1,665 cases in 2014. The total sum cheated was about S$1.76 million, with the largest amount at approximately S$50,000.

Full story: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-s-crime-rate-up/2509028.html?cid=FBSG

Growth HYPE!!

2016-02-11T10:18:00.004+08:00

Everybody loves GROWTH stories right? But be careful! Some are HYPE!

Almost all the Value Investing "Gurus" in SG were recommending this stock last year and even this year still. But those who really know about business and business model know this is a HYPE!!! Look at the COLLAPSE in price when things are unveiling. "Timely" departure of the CEO too by the way. I have warned AGAINST buying this stock since last year. When I attended a "VALUE INVESTING" seminar preview (which likes all such previews, was really just a sales talk) few months ago (before price collapse), this stock is still being recommended! *gulp*
There is no short-cut to expertise. To be good in one thing, we have to pay the price and the price is called EXPERIENCE. There is really no other way to get a REAL deal.

What to do in Bad times? Some tips for investors

2016-02-10T22:15:00.004+08:00

" I don't care what Citibank is forecasting... in the end it won't make any difference. I have never in anyway had an investment decision that has been affected in one iota by any view about what the world is going to do or some macro view... We don't discuss the world economy or what may happen...."

Happy Lunar New Year 2016

2016-02-07T13:29:00.002+08:00

Wishing You and You loved ones the Best of 2016!

5 Timeless Strategies for Successful Investor

2016-01-25T09:38:00.003+08:00

1. Accept That Uncertainty is the Rule, Not the Exception.

When building long-term wealth, periods of uncertainty are the rule, not the exception. But, despite the uncertainties, it is important to understand that the long-term movement of the stock market is always upwards.

2. Focus on What is Important and Knowable.

Since uncertainty is the rule, not the exception, it is important to focus on what is important and knowable instead of important and unknowable.
Such an investment approach can help uncover investment opportunities during many different market, economic and political conditions.

3. Be Patient

Buy and Hold is the best way to build long-term wealth. Such approach also filters out the noise and allow the power of compounding to help build wealth.

4. Expect Periods of Disappointment

Even the best investor or fund manager in the world will go through periods of disappointing performance. It is normal part of investing cycle. Accepting this fact will reduce the likelihood of engaging in unhealthy investing behaviour of making unnecessary modifications and adjustments to your long-term investment strategy.

5. Historically, Period of Low Returns for Stocks Have Been Followed by Periods of Higher Returns

Therefore invest when prices are low. This requires no further elaboration :-)

Tiger Airways

2016-01-22T21:11:00.002+08:00

TOTALLY PANNED OUT AS I PREDICTED in NOV'2015 where I wrote:

"While on one hand, Tiger is still not showing profits, they are definitely narrowing on the losses.....I am confident (as SIA is too) that Tiger will be able to show profit in the near future. So there is no better timing to offer a buyout as now."

Latest profit announcement by Tiger Airways:

SINGAPORE: Budget carrier Tiger Airways on Friday (Jan 22) posted a net profit of S$6.8 million for the three months to Dec 31, 2015, in a sign that business is turning around.

The net profit for the fiscal third quarter was a marked improvement over the S$2.2 million earned a year ago. It also marked a reversal of the S$12.8 million net loss reported for the second quarter ended Sep 30.

Full story: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/tiger-airways-continues/2448486.html

Keppel Corp & Crude Oil prices

2016-01-14T13:44:00.002+08:00

Keppel Corp monthly price chart:

Crude Oil monthly price chart:

SIA increases TigerAir offer!

2016-01-04T21:19:00.002+08:00

SIA increases offer from $0.41 to $0.45 for Tigerair share

SINGAPORE - Singapore Airlines has increased its offer price for Tigerair shares from $0.41 a share to $0.45.

In an announcement on Monday, SIA said its offer is final.

This comes after the airline said on Dec 29 that it owns, controls or has agreed to acquire about 74.5 per cent of the budget carrier's shares - short of the 90 per cent required for the move to succeed.

My previous post on the offer here

Happy 2016!

2015-12-31T17:15:00.003+08:00

WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST in 2016! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016!