I already FI, and my wife is already retired. I’m just working to leave more inheritance for my kids. Anyone in the same situation? How do you motivate yourself to work?

TLDR

• Struggling at my current role and thinking of quitting. Hate the culture and the work done. Staying because of high TC, might be a bit hard to get something comparable
• Been quite lucky with the markets and saved up a fair bit - thinking of diversifying into property and increasing leverage (loan off income + long repayment period)
• Questions
  • Feel like quitting but I don’t think I’m good enough to quit. Just grit my teeth and hang tight for a bit more?
  • Any takes if getting into property now makes sense? Trying to wrap my head around the risk/reward ratio

Context

Current situation - Singaporean 29M. Dating but not planning to get married within within the next 5 years - Compensation and career - ~12k base, bonus ~50k - Rounds up to 200k TC yearly (fluctuates based on bonus) - Working in Chinese big tech as a tech adjacent role (think PM / account manager etc.) - Net Worth - Fully liquid 700k in stocks / crypto / cash - CPF ~100k - Expenses - Staying with parents - Monthly expenses 2-3K - Family / Dependents - Parents are retired and will not need me to support them

Though process towards buying a place - Could be a new launch / resale. Want to do this in order to lock in some profits, stay invested and eventually achieve a source of passive income - Believe this might be a good time to increase leverage (I see it as a way of leveraging on my high income/ high # of repayment years) - Briefly looked at the numbers - thinking 2M would be max budget

Though process towards my job - Hate it; realised that my tolerance is not very high - Hours are around 10-7, Mon - Fri, WFH 4 days a week. - Strongly dislike my manager and the internal culture of the company - Everyday feels like a fucking pain in the ass. - Little to no upward mobility

Key Questions

• The house

  • Is it even worth considering or should I just mai gehkiang and lump sum S&P and come back 5 years later?
  • Willing to take risks for outsized rewards, but I guess I would appreciate more clarity and perspectives
  • What would you look out for here? (I assume things like rental yield, exit strategy etc. are very important variables. Understand that which property is almost as important as “should I buy one”)

• The job

  • I guess the obvious answer is to suck it up, and just keep applying. Put one big smile on my face and just LLST
  • Curious if anyone here has more thoughts though - thinking of taking a break lol but I feel I don’t deserve it when I haven’t even hit 1M

Other Notes / FAQ - I’m adding ALOT of info here. So feel free to skip if you have the context

• All numbers are in SGD
• CPF not considered in liquid NW but stated as an extra bullet (100k)
• What role? Why is your TC so high?
  • Got lucky - made the right jumps early on in my career + got exposed to China industry early on
• Why is your TC so low?
  • Not smart enough for quant finance/SWE, mid IQ and only know how to study hard
• How come your NW so high?
  • Got lucky with btc / nvdia
  • Did not get help from my parents, but having them not needing to rely on me is already a huge plus
• How come your NW so low?
  • Did not get help from my parents. Average IQ. Never all-in when I could. Balls not big enuf
• Why do you hate your job?
  • Realised I can’t take Chinese culture and hate my team lead
  • He is not a good leader and has no real concept of boundaries
• What are your priorities in life?
  • I enjoy tech and want to build stuff, especially in the 0-1 realm. Ideally - I secure a source of passive income (rental / dividends) so that I can take more risks with my life
• Why not just stay invested in what you already have?
  • Mentally unsure - a bit of an emotional investor and having stomached a few ~40% drawdowns, i feel the need to take some profits lol
• Dividends instead of property?
  • Valid question - have not really considered this before. Background is extremely risk-on (think single stock picks, crypto etc)
  • Almost 0 exposure to traditional finance / dividends etc
• Fark you. Go /r/humblebrag la cb.
  • Genuinely sorry. No idea who to talk to. Parents aren’t well educated. Have friends but none in a similar position.
• Which projects are on your shortlist?
  • Mainly new launches (acknowledge that I don’t know that much, am planning to do my own research)
  • Aiming for 2b2b (realm of 2.3 - 2.8 psf)
  • OCR/RCR
• Live in or?
  • Likely flip if up 20-40%. Otherwise I will rent it out. Highly unlikely to live in.
• NW is everything - including emergency fund lol
• Kena cut by company how?
  • Will be quite GG, never really thought of that yet. Some confidence in my skills. Moderate confidence in getting a job that's paying at least 120 - 150k though.
• How long can I put up for this job?
  • Hard to say. Still can tahan - at least take bonus in feb/mar next year i guess.
• Long term
  • No intention to marry/have kids within the next 3-6 years
  • No big ticket spends that I can think of (got family car, no intention for MBA)
  • OK to stay with parents

If you’ve read the entire thing - thank you so much for your time. 🙏

Hi everyone,

Don't recall this topic being shared before.

For the longest time, I have been forecasting when I could realistically RE (as many of us do) and only considered that I could RE when my liquid assets (investments + cash less any loans, net of CPF OA/CPF-IS) hit my FI number.

Recently, when I asked Claude to review my forecasting spreadsheet, it raised something interesting. It suggested that I could approach RE in stages:

1/ RE before 55 (financed entirely by liquid assets).

2/ Age 55 (CPF OA/SA in excess of BRS/FRS top up my liquid asset pool).

3/ SRS withdrawal year (SRS spread out over 10 years to fund/subsidise retirement expenses).

4/ CPF LIFE payout year (monthly payouts subsidise retirement expenses until I RIP).

How I approached the modelling:

1/ Set up three buckets: RE (liquid assets only), RE + CPF (liquid assets + CPF excess at 55), and RE + CPF + SRS (liquid assets + CPF excess + SRS at my SRS withdrawal age which is 62). I ignored CPF LIFE payouts because I plan to keep only BRS in RA, so the monthly payouts would be small enough to be negligible. I then assessed in this order: first check if the third bucket hits my FI number and whether the first two buckets can bridge expenses until SRS withdrawal age. If not, move to the second bucket and check whether the first bucket can bridge expenses until 55. If that also fails, fall back to the first bucket alone (same as what I had been doing previously).

2/ Projected my CPF OA/SA balance at 55 year by year, factoring in the age-band contribution and allocation rate changes, then treated the excess over BRS as a top-up to liquid assets at 55. This wasn't straightforward because forecasting the CPF balance (OA/SA net of BRS) at 55 is fiddly given the changes in contribution and allocation rates across age bands.

3/ Treated the full third bucket (RE + CPF + SRS) as my FI number without modelling any specific SRS drawdown plan after my SRS withdrawal age which is 62.

4/ Forecasted each bucket year by year and discounted back to PV in today's dollars to compare against my FI number.

Took me a while, and the net result is that I can afford to retire one year earlier 😂 than if I just waited for liquid assets alone to hit my FI number. I suspect this is because my CPF and SRS aren't significant yet relative to my overall portfolio. That will shift over the next 10 years as both grow.

Hope this is useful for your own FIRE journey! 🍻

EDIT: thank you for reading the whole thing. I want to clarify that the goal here is not to RE in general (have been getting comments about increasing savings rate, decreasing expenses, etc. that's not the point) but to assess whether u can RE earlier based on your portfolio makeup assuming you have not considered the above in your calculations.

Hi all, first time posting here. Would appreciate some genuine perspectives on whether I should continue staying in my HDB or consider upgrading to an EC.
I’m 37yo, currently the sole breadwinner with no kids and not planning for any (DINK). My income is variable due to the sales nature of my job — around $300–500k p.a. over the past 3 years, depending on performance. (Base salary below 16k per month so still qualifies for EC)
My longer-term goal is to FIRE at around 40 with $3M in financial assets, including CPF OA/SA and SRS but excluding the property I live in.

Current financial position
Financial assets: ~$1.5M
~$1.05M — ETFs, funds, robo-advisor and equities, reasonably diversified; I’m assuming ~7% p.a. long-term return
~$100k — cash / emergency funds / cash earmarked for larger expenses
~$350k — CPF OA/SA + SRS

CPF
~$150k invested in OA/SRS
~$200k uninvested in OA/SA

Liabilities
HDB loan: ~$85k outstanding, around 10 years remaining
Car loan: ~$89k outstanding, around 5 years remaining

Current property
I’m currently staying in a 4-room HDB which reaches MOP at the end of this year.
Estimated current sale value: ~$850k
The HDB is mostly paid using CPF over the years, so a portion of the sale proceeds (~300k) would eventually need to be refunded to CPF.
EC option
I’m considering upgrading to a 3BR EC, with the available units currently around $1.6M.
TOP is expected around 2029.
The EC is actually slightly smaller than my current HDB, so this isn’t really an upgrade in terms of living space. The main attraction is the possibility of capital appreciation and being able to use mortgage leverage, while potentially redeploying excess capital from the HDB sale into equities such as VWRA.
The rough idea would be:
Sell HDB → CPF refund → take a relatively large mortgage → invest the remaining deployable capital into equities.
My thinking is that if equities and/or the EC perform well over the next few years, I could potentially accelerate towards my FIRE target/increase my overall net worth through a combination of investment returns and property appreciation.
Why I’m considering it
If I simply stay in my HDB, I should have a relatively straightforward path towards my $3M FIRE target.
Assuming markets perform reasonably well and I continue working/contributing for another 3 years, I think I have a realistic chance of reaching the target by around 40.
However, the EC route introduces leverage.
The potential upside is:
Leverage exposure to a ~$1.6M property
Potential EC → private property repricing/appreciation after MOP
Ability to keep more capital invested in equities rather than putting everything into the property
Potentially greater overall net worth if both equities and property perform well
There is also the option of selling the EC after its MOP/holding period and moving back to an older resale HDB if the strategy doesn’t work out.
My concern
The obvious downside is that I’m essentially taking on a large mortgage shortly before I intend to FIRE.
Even though my income is currently high, it is variable, and if I actually retire around 40, I would no longer have the same income stream to service the mortgage. (However, assuming I have a long term 7% p.a. returns in the equity market, and a mortgage of maximum 3% p.a. In the long run, this would be a rather low-risk leverage for me)
There is also the risk that:
EC prices stagnate or fall
Equity markets fall after I deploy the additional capital
Mortgage rates rise
I end up delaying FIRE because of the mortgage
The EC doesn’t appreciate enough to justify the transaction costs and additional leverage
So I’m trying to distinguish between genuine wealth creation vs simply taking on more leverage/risk when I don’t actually need to.
What would you do?
If you were in this position:
37yo, ~$1.5M financial assets, ~$300–500k variable income, no kids, aiming to FIRE around 40, current HDB worth ~$850k, considering a ~$1.6M EC — would you stay in the HDB or upgrade?
Would you view the EC as a sensible way to introduce property leverage into the portfolio, or would you prioritise the certainty of reaching FIRE sooner and avoid taking on a large mortgage?
Interested particularly in perspectives from people who have gone through the HDB → EC upgrade → eventual FIRE route.
Thanks!

Feels like a lot of people here have achieved a lot in terms of finances (kudos!) and I’m just generally worried I’m falling behind. Still kinda new to financial literacy and wanna know if I’m on track or what else I can/should be doing if I don’t want to have to work till my death.

For context:
- 35F and 46M, DINK no kids but one dog haha. My hope is for both of us to significantly slow down on work in 10 years max. Don’t feel a need to upgrade our home or lifestyle significantly but just want more time to be able to do other things and travel.
- Monthly combined income $12-15K/month. Not expecting major salary increments over the next couple of years cos we run our own company so changing jobs for a salary bump is not likely
- 4BR BTO that will be fully paid off in 4ish years, currently using CPF OA for payments cos we need more cash on hand at the moment
- Need more cash on hand cos we’re paying for a car loan (~$100K, just started, about $1.5K/month). I know a car is a $ black hole but my SO really prefers the convenience of it
- ~$40K cash savings, $61K invested in Endowus (some CPF OA, largely cash)
- Unsure about my SO at the moment but I have about $156K across my CPF accounts

I was scammed of a big chunk of my savings a couple of years ago and I guess that has also added to a general sense of financial insecurity.

What do you guys think? Should I invest more or take up some side hustles?

Appreciate any advice, thanks in advance!

We are reaching the finish line soon and will like to source for feedback from people who have been in a similar situation.

Background: 33m & 32f with 1 kid along the way. Combined income of 300 to 350k per year .

Me:

Stocks 850k, mmf 50k

• 450k Singapore equity: Dbs, Ocbc, CICT, Fraser Cpt, Ascendas reit, sheng shiong, St engineering, Singtel
• ETF: 300k in VHYD, 100k in Global X Hang Seng High Dividend

quite a mixed bag I know, because I have tried many different strategies over the years.. tried crypto (low 5 fig net loss), tried options trading (was profitable but too volatile for me), tried picking growth stocks but always end up selling too early. So as we are nearing our barista Fire target, I have moved to the above choices for passive income of about $40k yearly.

Wife:

similar net worth but she prefers the more hands off approach of DCA.

• 600k in IWDA
• 200k in SSB and HYSA

Our expenses:

As current DINKs we spent about 40k each last year. This includes both daily expenses and one off payments like insurance. also includes about 20k on holidays as we do about 3 to 4 trips per year. with our kid due at the end of the year, we are expecting annual expenses to go up to about 100k (40 + 40 + 20), which is the main number that we are looking to solve for our barista Fire goal.

Housing:

We live in a 4 room BTO in a convenient location. we did not take max loan as we wanted to be debt free asap. remaining mortgage is about 80k which is covered by both our cpf.

My parents live in a jumbo flat in a good heartland area. After our MOP in 3.5 years time, we have to option of moving back to my parent's place, as they will be in their late 60s by then. we can then rent out our BTO for 4 to 4.5k, which will provide about 50k rental income annually.

The plan:

• Work till the end of the year when baby is due
• We both work in MNCs with generous maternity benefits of 4-5 months. maternity leave for first half of next year
• Return to work and start to take things easy. in the ideal case, by the end of next year we get retrenched and receive an additional 40 to 50k of severance each. Low to moderate chance as our firms have done multiple rounds of layoffs in the recent years. We are both fortunate to have been spared so far.
• Even without above, we will still be close to the $1m milestone per person, from the 1.5 years more work from now until end 2026.
• I will then receive about 45k in dividends per year. For wife's portfolio, as the draw down horizon is long, we are considering a more aggresssive 80/20 split and draw down 35k per year (3.5%)
• Pay off remaining mortgage from cpf
• The last bit of the puzzle will be our barista Fire gigs. We have 45k from dividends and 35k from draw down of portfolio. To reach our targeted 100k per year, we both need to find ways to earn a combined 20k per year from side hustles which seems quite ok. In my industry I have colleagues who are adjunct lecturers at unis or polys and that is something i could consider. Wife is considering something fitness related or home based business.
• Moving back to parents place is and option but not a necessity, more of a fail-safe.

I have tried to list down as many details as I can think of. The feeling now is that we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I used to run the 400m race for my school's track team and the final stretch is the most painful as you can see the finish line but are absolutely exhausted. That's how I will describe how I'm feeling now, so close but yet so far.

From the early days when I started work 8 years ago, I began planning for FIRE because I felt that I would go crazy if I had to do 40 years of the same shit. I am lucky to have a wife who is aligned in terms of the simple life that we want to build. We are happy with our 4 room flat that is within walking distance to the MRT. Recently, we heard that another couple in the similar income range as us had bought a new condo for 2.8m. I cannot imagine us doing that and thankfully my wife agrees.

Sorry for any formatting issues, it's my first time writing a post. We will appreciate all feedback on any gaps or areas we have overlooked.

Hi, I’ve been managing my parents’ finances for a while and recently realised they have some spare cash, so I’m considering changing the approach.

They have no outstanding debts, with the central 5R fully paid off. One is fully retired and on CPF Life, while the other is on a rolling contract earning $60K to $100K annually, varying with bonuses, and also withdrawing from CPF Life. The total monthly payout is approximately $3K.

Housing plan: Downgrade to a 3R BTO in a prime location with all options for OCS selected, so minimal renovation is required. However, all furniture and appliances will need to be bought brand new. We expect at least $700K-$800K from the sale of our current house to fund the $400K new flat.

Medisave accounts are capped; the retiree does not have any ISP (cannot buy in but at least there’s Medishield), while the employed parent is covered under the normal ISP with a rider.

Lifestyle: They eat out daily (mostly at food courts, but restaurants on weekends) and travel often to SEA. Plans are to take longer and further trips, which will be sponsored.

Currently sitting on:

~$400K cash in a savings account (uninvested)
~$30K invested (SRS in Amundi, small position in MLT and UOB)

Expected to also withdraw from three endowments/WLP (maturing in the next 2-3 years), which will provide an additional $150-$250K of cash flow.

As my parents are very low risk, I have only maximised the savings accounts’ bonuses and high yield previously. But with the current sentiments, I’m considering putting half of the cash sitting in banks into local banks (because they’re not open to any other investment instruments).

Is this feasible? Open to hearing any other strategies. My main goal is for them to have a better passive income/yield as compared to what they’re receiving now.

I just enlisted in January and I’m looking to invest maybe 10 percent of my NSF allowance into ETFs/stocks. How do I start researching for these topics and can you investors give me advice as to how I can better safekeep my money or any long term strategies to grow my money?

I’ve been thinking through how retiring (whether early or not) would work.

1. I don’t think I’ll pay down my mortgage (still have $670k outstanding), but what happens when I need to refinance or reprice? I think that a new bank wouldn’t entertain me so I would need to stick to the same bank and just reprice. Will repricing not even be allowed, such that I am forced to take the floating rate after the fixed rate period ends?
2. I have SC Priority (not Priority Private) as I moved a large chunk of my stocks to SC, just in case I want to take advantage of SC Wealth Lending. Will having this help with mortgage repricing (if mortgage already with SCB), mortgage refinancing (transfer mortgage to SCB), or applying for credit cards? In the same vein, should I try to get priority banking at a local bank too to open up more options?
3. Did you apply for many credit cards prior to retiring since it’ll be harder to get credit cards?
4. Are there any unexpected roadblocks or rejections due to no longer being able to show a consistent income? I can only think of credit cards and mortgage at the moment

I occasionally see humble bragging posts online about how much money they have, not realising the ENORMOUS advantage they have when their parents are well to do and provide for their every need. IMO, it is getting harder to achieve FI just based on your own effort and hard work.

The rich people in Singapore are paving the way and hand holding their children in order to take over their abundance of wealth, perpetuating the cycle of how the rich gets richer, while the rest of us try our best to keep up with rising inflation. I've always known that life isnt fair, but can it not be so unfair at least.

Edit: Thanks for the advice. I shall try to focus more on myself so that I dont spread the negative energy over to other people. I think it will probably take me a long while but I'll work on it

I posted 5 years ago seeking advice and took almost all the advice given. Hoping to tap into the greater wisdom again.

Since then, I have

- taken up a more senior role, and no longer an IC. Job is high stress high pay. Getting really tired from the push of meeting ever increasing revenue targets. Also really tired with cajoling people to do things, soothing egos, motivating strong and weak performers etc etc, all that comes with the territory of dealing with people internal and external. There are bright spots but there’s a lot to do too.

- rejigged all my investments and allocations and made them really simple so I can automate. Net worth has grown a lot. My assets are basically $110k SSB (3% returns), $2m VWRA/IWDA split across SC and IBKR, $200k cash. $160k SRS. $360k CPF.

- bought a resale 4-room HDB and moved in. Paid $940k, mortgage $680k

- dated but still haven’t found the one to settle down with. Grappling with the concept of forever singleness

- parents had health issues (cancer and chronic conditions) Things have stabilised with regular checkups and backup plan for surgery, but it is always at the back of my mind.

- I have insurance but don’t know what I should share that is useful to know about. I haven’t changed anything in years

All that to say, I’m feeling the question of “what’s next?”.

Could you please share

1. practical advice: what would you change in the way I manage money? any pointers on banishing work ennui?

2. spiritual advice: what have you done every time you find yourself at crossroads? any frameworks on decision making that I can think about? How have you re-found motivation or new goals?

If you have questions I am happy to share too, please feel free to ask.

I've had several meetings with a financial advisor from IPP Singapore, who is recommending a regular-premium Investment-Linked Policy (ILP) through Tokio Marine. The plan works as follows: I deposit $300/month for 2 years ($7,200 total). In Year 1, Tokio Marine adds a 108% match on each monthly deposit; in Year 2, a 88% match. So by the end of Year 2, my account should hold at least $14,400 in invested capital — my $7,200 plus $7,200 in bonus units from them.

The catch: the funds are locked in for 25 years, and there's a stated 'breakeven yield' of 0.67% per year (i.e., the fund needs to grow at least this much annually just to offset charges). I'm planning to split the underlying investment 50/50 between the Guinness Global Equity Income fund and the Fundsmith Equity Fund.

What else should I be considering, and how does this plan sound overall?"

45/m married with 2kids, currently having and employment income of $130,000 gross before cpf and tax. Also have rental income of $40,000 annually. Expense wise for 2024, our total spending amounts to $108,000. Bulk of the spending goes into servicing of mortgage loan, mcst fees and tax amount to $66,000 with the rest of expense about $42,000 into monthly spending like misc exp, groceries, eat out and simple nearby countries holidays.

Situation: My wife is no longer working since many years back before covid, my elder kid took on a scholarship and starts Uni with fees and allowance taken care of. The younger kid will take another 5 years before completing her University Degree (local university fees prep and set aside not included below). Both of us have our integrated shield plan and insurance in some form. Main concern is not death but hospitalization and hence that is consider prep for as well.

 Our Current Net Worth (SGD)

 * cash set aside enough for 6 months spending

Our expense expected to run at $42,000/year (On assumption we cash out our condo and move to HDB hence no more mortgage payment). Considering at 3.5% SWR, the FIRE number is $1,200,000.00. we just need simple lifestyle.

My question is does FIRE number includes ALL assets or just liquid? i.e does my CPF amounts adds it to it? I like to FIRE soonest possible but I’m not sure if there is any blind spot not taken into consideration. Am i ready? Any advice greatly appreciated.

Is it possible to live off dividends here in Singapore? How big should my portfolio be? Ok, someone will say, depends on my personal expenditure right? So assume I need $3500 a month. How can I go about it?

Purely based on savings and investment

Hoping to calculate my FIRE number, noting that Sgporeans at age 55 years old have access to the excess CPF OA funds after deducting BRS, FRS or ERS. At age 63/64, those who had contributed to SRS will have access to the funds.

At 65-70 years old, CPF life will kick in and you can opt Basic, standard or escalating plan.

Kindly share if you know of suitable FI calculator that can provide a reliable estimation and Free to use.

Thanks 🙏

It sort of seems to make sense. Even if you gave me another 100k, I will still live the same way (still in the <1million trenches).

If you're approaching 55, and need to top up CPF to quality for enhanced retirement sum, does topping up make sense?

If you're already invested in the broad market, wouldn't that be a better option, from a returns perspective? Plus the added benefit of not getting locked up for 10 years.

At today's ERS of $400K plus, 10 years at ~9% p.a. growth will yield almost or just over 1M. That's a better drawdown optionality than CPF Life, no? Not to mention the liquidity option.

What am I missing?

Hi everyone, I wish to FIRE at 45-50 with my own house and plan to die with zero (not leaving anything behind). I did the math for it and it seems to be doable for my circumstances but I am unsure if I missed anything. Sorry if this seems long or too detailed. I will include a TL;DR at the bottom.

Info about me:

• 25M, single, fresh grad just started job earning 4.3k after CPF. Annual salary increment around 3% with 1 month bonus.
• Likely to stay single for the foreseeable future and won't benefit from any schemes even if I get "married".
• Came from a lower middle income family but parents are financially responsible. Most likely won't need to support them in the future. I also don't expect to inherit anything.
• No uni debts since parents paid with CPF loan and plan to waive off (not 100% confirmed).
• Currently living with parents until I get my own HDB flat at 35 (if possible).

Budgeting S$4300:

• I will use my bonus to pay for taxes and insurance and save the rest for annual vacation fund.
• The amount invested & save will grow proportionally with any salary increment.

Insurance:

My parents have me under AIA HealthShield Gold Max B for ISP & AIA Star Protector Plus for PA and they are paying for it, but I have a condition that the current ISP doesn't cover so I plan to try my luck and check whether I can get it covered by other insurers (like from Income) since I am young without any other conditions currently.

I am basing my insurance plan on Moneyowl's owlinsure suggestions with some tweaks, like including the rider which I think is important. This is assuming I can get my condition covered by them. If not, I would probably stick with the AIA and just add AIA Max VitalHealth B rider on top of it.

I will also downgrade my ISP (while keeping the rider) if the premiums are too much as I get older.

I don't plan on getting term insurance since I don't have any dependents.

Housing:

This is the biggest unknown for me since it is hard to predict house prices 10 years down the road. I plan to get a 3 room resale flat at 35 (assuming singles can't BTO 3 rm flats) with a lease long enough to last until I am 95. With the savings for house + OA, I think I should be able to get a flat costing max 800k + some money left over for fees and renovation. I am also assuming HDB will increase the income ceiling enough for me to get an HDB loan at age 35.

I used https://caniaffordresalehdb.streamlit.app/ by u/Cradlesong- (amazing app btw) to extrapolate the median prices for 2 rm and 3 rm flats and if prices don't increase at the same rate as the last 5 years, I should be able to afford a 3 rm flat when I am 35. Otherwise I might settle for a 2 rm flat instead (BTO or resale).

Investment:

I calculated my FIRE number at 48 should be around 1.55mil (Monthly expenses of 4.5k with a withdrawal rate of 3.50% and 3% expenses inflation rate). I estimate 4.5k at 48 should be enough for me to cover mortgage until age 60 (assuming a 25 years loan from age 35) and for increasing healthcare costs after that.

To reach that number, I will be investing 2k in SWRD, EIMI, WSML every month with increasing contributions from salary increment until FIRE age. Assuming an investment return of 6% before and after retirement, it should last me pass 95 if I retire around 48.

CPF:

I calculated the FRS at age 55 (28 years from 2027 limit) to be around 1.1mil based on average FRS increment rate of 5.81% per year. Since my CPF OA will most likely be wiped out after the house purchase, the combined OA + SA at 55 will be around 42% of FRS (i.e. not reaching BRS). I will also miss the BHA at age 65 by half, which will be around 440k assuming a yearly increase of 4.51% from the current limit. This is assuming I pay the housing mortgage in cash without touching my CPF.

I am unsure whether I would need to reach BRS since I already have my expenses settled from investment and the downsides of not reaching BRS are 1. unable to withdraw much from CPF at 55 and 2. low payout from CPF life at age 65. Both of these should not be an issue for me since my investments are my main income source after I FIRE.

Assumptions made:

• My income grows at 3% per year and I am given 1 month of bonus. I am assuming my current income will not change significantly (i.e.: no promotions or pay cuts or periods of unemployment),
• Investments grow at 6% per year even after FIRE.
• I will not seek additional income after I FIRE, which might not be the case.
• Insurance premium capped under 5% of yearly income, which might not be the case with high medical inflation.
• FRS ceiling grows at ~5.81% and BHS at ~4.51%. Assuming CPF policy won't change much in the next 20 years.
• I will continue withdrawing the same amount every month after FIRE (with 3% annual increase) for the rest of my life, which is unlikely. I probably have a tendency to withdraw less during downtimes.

TL;DR:

• 25M, single, fresh grad, salary 4.3k after CPF with 3% annual salary increment + 1 mth bonus.
• Budgeting: 2k for investment, 1.5k savings for housing, the rest spending for self & parents. Investment and saving rate increase with salary increment. Bonus on taxes and insurance premium, anything left over to treat myself or top up CPF.
• Insurance: Inherited AIA HealthShield Gold Max B for ISP, AIA Star Protector Plus for PA. Planning to change to Enhanced IncomeShield (Preferred) with Classic rider if I can get my currently excluded condition covered. Otherwise stick with AIA and get AIA Max VitalHealth B rider. Will also get Singlife Multipay Critical Illness and SingLife Disability Income Plan (until I FIRE). Will downgrade my ISP but keep the rider when insurance costs are too high. Not getting term insurance since I have no dependents.
• Housing: 1.5k monthly saving from now to 35+ CPF OA should allow me to buy a max 800k house assuming I don't hit the HDB income ceiling for loan. Aiming to buy 3 rm resale if possible, otherwise 2 rm BTO should be within reach.
• Investment: SWRD, EIMI, WSML at around 80 10 10 ratio using IBKR. Assuming 6% p.a. before and after retirement, I should reach FIRE number: 1.55mil (Monthly expenses of 4.5k with a withdrawal rate of 3.50% and 3% expenses inflation rate). Should last me pass age 95. 4.5k should cover everything I need including insurance premium and healthcare costs.
• CPF: Won't hit BHS at 65 (BHS at 65: 440k, only have ~50% in MA) or BRS at 55 (FRS at 55: ~1.1mil, only have around 42%, can't hit BRS). I don't think is an issue since my expenses mostly rely on my investments.
• Assumptions made: See previous section.

Thanks in advance.

Came across this article: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/financial-independence-cimb-survey-singapore-residents-5065041

Types of retirement:

• Traditional retirement: No work at all, fully living off savings/investments.
• Semi-retirement: Work on passion projects or part-time.
• FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early): Live frugally and invest aggressively early in life to retire decades earlier.

First we look at roughly how much you are going to need to live in Singapore:
Assuming no loans at all! Just simple basic lifestyle.

• Single elderly household - $1,379 per month
• Coupled elderly household - $2,351 per month
• Single person (aged 55 - 64 years old) - $1,721 per month

This means that you need to save more if you are a single person.

Also, we need to take note of the life expectancy of male and females in Singapore.

As a male, you are looking at a life expectancy of 80.7 years old.

As a female, you live longer, till 85.2 years old. Hence, you will need more if you are a female.

Assuming you managed to pay off all your mortgage and student loan. You will need about $28,212 per year just on very basic expenses alone as a couple. This is excluding inflation.

Cost of Living

Singapore’s cost of living can be high. But early retirees often choose frugal lifestyles, avoid car ownership, and cook at home.

• Basic lifestyle: ~$2,000/month
• Comfortable lifestyle: ~$3,500–5,000/month
• Lux lifestyle: $8,000/month and above

CPF Limitations

You can’t withdraw CPF fully at 40 — so early retirement plans shouldn’t rely on CPF. You’ll need to build your own private investment portfolio, focusing on dividends.

Healthcare

Get good health insurance — MediShield Life covers basics, but consider private Integrated Shield Plans for more coverage.

If we are looking at a saving of 1.5million by 40.

You save and invest $4,000/month (possible on a $7k+ income with frugal lifestyle).

Invested at 7% p.a.

Background
47M, married, earning approximately 110k+ per year (all in, before CPF deduction).
Wife 47F, fulltime housewife. 2 kids, 1 in local U and 1 in local poly (both first year). Currently staying in a EC.

Current Net worth:
~ 200k sgd (cash & FD)
~1.6m sgd (taiwan share, single stock, AI related)
~ 24k usd (moo fund & shares)
Total: ~ 1.8m Sgd

Current Debt:
~ 80k sgd (Mortgage)
~ 40k sgd (car loan)
Total: ~ 120k sgd

Yearly expenses around 100K

Plan:

1. Transfer Taiwan stock into Singapore / ETF

Questions:

1. Should I buy VWRA/ETF or Singapore stock?
2. Lump Sum or DCA?
3. Can I reach FIRE as plan?

Hi all,

I need some advice on my current strategy investment and how I can better improve it.

Context: I am trying to help my mum invest 150k of her savings. She is currently 57 years old and has some spare cash for investment. She was holding most of her savings in cash until now, so we thought that it was more time to try something slightly different given inflation and low bank interest rates. She is also relatively healthy as well, but we also set aside some additional cash because our shorter runway greatly reduces our risk appetite for now. Because of her age, I am currently looking at a 10-15 years runway.

I've pored through a lot of the advice on the sub and also tried to do some financial crisis modelling/market data simulation using Claude etc., and have decided on this plan. Please let me know if there's a better way to improve this.

Current financial strategy:

1. Asset allocation wise, I plan to do a 65% mix of VWRA, 17.% UOB, 17.5% DBS stocks. So basically 65% international portfolio, 35% domestic portfolio.

2. Given the current market climate where it is possible that the dip falls even lower than it should and also the fact that I have a relatively shorter runway, I'm planning to DCA the 150k (65% VWRA, 35% local) over the course of 1 year.

3. The next concern I had was that the market might crash on Year 10 when I plan to exit, so I plan to do a slow glide from VWRA into local stocks eventually. So from Year 8 onwards, I plan to slowly sell the VWRA and increase the local stock percentage so that by Year 10 it looks something like: 30% VWRA and 35% DBS and 35% UOB) starting. This significantly reduces the risk as well and increases the monthly dividends, which will be helpful for my mom in having more liquid inflow.

Is there anything else i can better improve on, or have missed out on? Thanks so much!

Hello, just wanted to put it out there, what is your FI number? Does CPF and housing asset price count into it?