tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31162474069081435362026-01-11T23:41:38.099+08:00Diary of Cory: My Life and Investment Adventures (Not Financial Advise)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger664125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-15859388645919134962026-01-11T23:27:00.003+08:002026-01-11T23:41:38.057+08:00

Dec'25 seen some temporary uptick in expenses. This is after months of sloping down in expenses.The increase is more on oversea accommodation expenses. I do not expect it to be a trend on this.There is also a one-time item on Piano lessons which suppose to be paid by my partner except for Dec her credit card hit max.... .... ... and i took over for once.Next month I am expecting elevated expense

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-33090852559679723562026-01-04T01:10:00.002+08:002026-01-04T01:10:22.686+08:00

We have passed Year 2025, and it is a good time to review the portfolio returns. The final number for the year is an XIRR of 20.9%. This implies that for every 100k invested, the portfolio generated about 20.9k of return in 2025. This marks the third consecutive year of strong performance — another new record for me.Over this three-year run, the equity portfolio has grown by about 51% from the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-18864723063052156692025-12-28T10:49:00.003+08:002025-12-28T10:49:27.808+08:00

We are nearing the end of the year, when most of us start to tally our annual performance. As for me, today’s post is about my asset allocation and how it looks now as a starting point for comparison next year.Digital Gold SavingsOne of the most interesting items in this year’s pie chart is the addition of Digital Gold Savings, currently at 1%. In reality, Gold Asset is probably closer to 2% due

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-75026690839971491502025-11-29T16:52:00.007+08:002025-11-29T16:57:42.479+08:00

Throughout the year, there has been quite a bit of churn. Looking at the fee costs, they are roughly split 50–50 between the SGX and US markets. The latter is much more expensive due to the POEMS Cash Management Account. It was not supposed to involve much trading, but it ended up doing so this year. If they do not lower their fees soon, I may close this account and move to another broker. It

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-42986618704128857942025-11-26T14:57:00.006+08:002025-11-26T15:06:10.738+08:00

Why I Wrote ThisThis article began after an old friend messaged me yesterday. A bank had approached him with a Structured Investment Product (SIP) requiring a minimum investment of 200k. Like me, he retired early. Unlike me, he has substantially more wealth. Yet from the way he described the offer, it was clear he hasn’t done much planning for his retirement investments.He told me the SIP was “

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-92043136947267355262025-11-16T03:00:00.020+08:002025-11-17T12:28:17.913+08:00

Dividend Hits New RecordWith most of the major dividends now ex-dividend, this is a good time to tally how the portfolio is performing. Year-on-year, we are looking at a strong 30% increase in dividends, driven mainly by sustained growth from the banks. Part of this year's spike is due to timing effects—some counters were bought just before ex-dividend dates, while others were sold only after

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-63534012721514888152025-11-03T10:35:00.004+08:002025-11-05T16:49:35.533+08:00

1. Not Managing Your Own MoneyWhen I was young, I wasn’t strong academically, nor did I show any leadership qualities.Morally, going down the wrong path was never an option. So if I wanted to survive and succeed in this world, I had to learn how to manage my own finances.To me, this advice is obvious — you must take control of your money. That includes managing your savings accounts, bill

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-43831603534750604572025-11-01T11:39:00.000+08:002025-11-01T11:39:01.655+08:00

Yesterday marked the final day that Rui will attend the nanny's care. This change will modestly reduce our overall costs while freeing up time previously spent transporting her back and forth in-between school and home.A key clarification on our expense tracking: it excludes taxes and rental support. My assumption is that our income will comfortably cover these items, making them unlikely to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-10431327169661033972025-10-26T18:37:00.005+08:002025-10-26T18:37:48.265+08:00

In summary getting more defensive but also retain some opportunity for growth. Hits 18.7% XIRR YTD. Portfolio Value has increase by roughly 30% YTD. This is quite significant imo. Did quite an amount of re-balance to Non-Bank/Non Reit Segment in SGX. So far P/L wise nothing much to shout about except 2026 Ready ... . The key gains of the portfolio still Bank, Reit and US Big Tech in this

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-69952958939524911522025-10-12T15:17:00.003+08:002025-10-12T15:35:02.871+08:00

Net WorthAs I just hit 55, CPF FRS is Max. Currently in the process to increasing beyond from idle cash in small step. The amount into ERS is dependent on idle fund availability that I can safely inject as it will be locked for 10 years. Another alternative which I may use is VC3AC. The idea is to ensure some minimum base of monthly income at 65. So alternative is not in the card. The big

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-74442934627249763432025-10-05T14:42:00.005+08:002025-10-05T14:42:27.328+08:00

Have been watching more carefully on transportation expenses. In-addition, food take-aways continue to be managed down. On my partner side which i always assume 15% of what i computed for family expenses are not added. Feel maybe 20% additional is better figure as she spend more on "Luxury" to save time.Overall, the expense continues to trend down. The average of 5 of trailing 12 months expenses

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-18792436057138083782025-09-22T21:53:00.002+08:002025-09-23T08:51:07.161+08:00

Quick update on portfolio performance YTD so far. Gold rise is an interesting surprise because it has seen some correction when I bought some on FOMO in last high. China/Russia and probably quite a few countries knew there are not much options against USD, and Gold is one of them that can help mitigate. So my thought process is long term hold even if there is deep correction so the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-69709765840629853012025-09-21T21:59:00.003+08:002025-09-21T22:00:36.345+08:00

Just realized I made a mistake in computing my cash flow. The mistake is big enough to deserve a mention in today’s post. So, what is it? Property loans. There are two portions of a property loan: interest and principal repayment.I had correctly computed my rental income and deducted all the estimated expenses — income tax, property tax, agent fees, interest cost, and maintenance cost. What was

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-22892527005253139112025-09-04T09:53:00.005+08:002025-09-04T09:56:03.360+08:00

I have been investing in REITs for more than a decade and thought it would be a good time to pen down my personal thoughts.Generally speaking, people who invest in REITs need to understand the nature of REITs and what they truly want. For me, it is cash flow and stability. Capital gain is a bonus and should not be the primary focus but a supplementary factor. Yields typically will not be very

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-75177527298306644882025-08-23T05:35:00.004+08:002025-08-24T07:10:08.441+08:00

Have been cleaning up labels of the blog but I thought Cash Flow topic itself worth a label itself. The post gives a view on how well we managed our assets. A critical step that could help our financials.A saving of 100k of 0.2% interest is only $200 if left idle whereas in fixed deposits of 3% is $3,000. That's 15 times return difference relatively in annual perspective.Left is Asset, Right is

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-55737400863249531222025-08-21T07:24:00.000+08:002025-08-21T07:24:06.763+08:00

Today a new interesting Chart to view portfolio diversification. As you can see below, the Equity portfolio has 4 main segments namely Banks, Reits, US Big Techs, and others.Others as in the list currently in the portfolio. Do ignore the yield number in the table as is still in investigation stage.As usual, the main driver of returns are the Banks. Macro play a good part of their profitability.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-33142984730389029292025-08-16T07:33:00.002+08:002025-08-16T07:33:55.392+08:00

Inflation-Driven Earnings: What Do I Mean?Companies with a strong moat can raise prices as needed to counter various pressures, such as inflation, rising utility costs, manpower expenses, tariffs, taxes, or increased demand for their services due to supply and demand dynamics. Other factors may also apply. The essence of this moat is the ability to maintain or grow earnings, even during

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-56872220004625803012025-08-10T07:28:00.002+08:002025-08-10T07:31:14.760+08:00

The WhyWhat started the article is when tripped in recent adventure into Centurion. The earning result was down obviously since YOY there is no earning spike from re-valuation. However, Operational wise there is marked increase in returns. You would thought this is bake into the market price but not exactly and it was down by 5% and returned back my gains on this counter. And this keeps me

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-47110132379757552032025-08-04T13:22:00.003+08:002025-08-04T13:22:27.800+08:00

To start off, the portfolio was on XIRR 10.8% using 31 Dec 2025 End date about a week ago. Then we have a few news came in.Mapletree Industrial Trust performs below expectation, this is despite the CEO gives a credible AGM which shareholders reacted positively. The only thing is that I do not think they have the DCs Hyperscale blood in them. Don't get me wrong, is still a very large and stable

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-31207325010016103112025-07-26T12:17:00.008+08:002025-07-26T12:17:58.809+08:00

TariffsBeen more than a few months since I last post Net Worth. The current sentiment is Trump Tariffs are taking shape and it appears he has the last laugh. One by one countries bend to his negotiation teams. Unfortunately, I have yet hear news on Singapore side. My concern is the more we delay, the worst it gets as Trump will have a stronger hand the more countries conclude their deals.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-10575452054997747752025-07-14T19:50:00.000+08:002025-07-14T19:50:01.524+08:00

Why Your S&P 500 Investment in SGD Feels Less Rewarding Despite All-Time Highs in 2025IntroductionIf you invested 100,000 SGD in the S&P 500 at the start of 2025, you might expect a solid return by mid-year given the U.S. stock market’s strong performance and record highs. However, when you check your portfolio in Singapore dollars, the gains might feel surprisingly modest. Why is that?

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-18239185839489990342025-07-13T16:02:00.002+08:002025-07-30T00:11:36.901+08:00

What is XIRR?XIRR stands for **Extended Internal Rate of Return**. It is a financial function widely used to calculate the annualized return of a series of irregular cash flows over time. Unlike the regular IRR, which assumes all cash flows are spaced equally (like monthly or annually), XIRR handles actual dates for each cash flow — making it ideal for real-world scenarios such as investments

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-77802144576587403202025-07-07T13:27:00.000+08:002025-07-07T13:27:02.964+08:00

STI, Banks, and the Psychology of Profit: A Portfolio Chat Turned ReflectionOver the weekend, our Telegram chat lit up with reflections on the market's recent push toward the 4,000 mark — largely powered by non-banks — and the strategic return of banks to lead the charge. Some joked: “Is this the big boys’ plan? Push with non-banks first, then let banks take the wheel again?”Behind the humor, a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-87821177650972656462025-07-05T16:08:00.005+08:002025-07-05T19:14:30.699+08:00

The strategy for 2025 has more or less stabilized. There are a few key segments in tracked portfolio:1. Income-Earning Stocks (Primarily Banks)The first segment consists of income-earning stocks, mainly banks. These stocks have strong earnings and pay attractive dividends, making up more than half of the portfolio’s allocation. Currently, they are relatively cheap given the present risk levels.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116247406908143536.post-75858760090169206342025-07-04T16:50:00.002+08:002025-07-04T16:50:46.750+08:00

To see past family expense tracking, make sure you click the expense label in Desktop mode to see all related articles. The monthly expense fluctuation can varied widely so i thought this is a better tracking measure.The trend seems to stabilize around $120k on trailing annual basis which meet our expectation. If we could continue this same level of budget control, the trend will go towards $110k

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0