[Post 109] Event and Convention: FSM Invest Expo 2020 part 1(New Cheapest brokerage in Singapore:IFAST GLOBAL?!)

I know that this is probably a super...rrr late review, but I finally had the time to wrote about it after my exam,so...here we go!

Personally, I had never been to FSM INVEST EXPO as I had only signed up for my FSM brokerage account in 2019. So this was my first time attending FSM INVEST EXPO.

There wasn't any schedule that I was adhering to throughout the event, so it was more like "own time own target"

As usual, conventions like this were always full of people!

Layout of the event area

Schedule of the event

1) Near the stage

2)Nikko AM booth(promoting disruptive innovation Fund)


3) stock pitch

4)Game booth(LASSO THE BULLS & AVOID THE BEARS!)

5)  UOB offering tea(who doesn't like free stuff?!)

6) Shroeder offering free churros

7)Yes,i love free stuff too!

 8)And lastly,the Stage area

And of course, I did not win the lucky draw...

So that was roughly how was the event like for me, in my opinion, I think it should be held over two days instead of one like AFA as this will allow more talks to be held.

Onto the brochure!

First, of course, the most exciting news that I have encountered in FSM Invest Expo 2020...

Cheapest brokerage in Singapore!

Yes, indeed, its 8 dollars per trade on the mobile device, but is it trustable? or is there any hidden catch?

So what is IFAST GLOBAL? (P.S not sponsored by them)

• iFAST Global Markets ("iGM"), a division of 'FAST Financial Pte Ltd, was launched with the main objective of providing consumers with complete commission transparency in insurance and investment products. Our team of Investment Advisers are dedicated to the vision of providing transparent, ethical, and suitable advice to benefit investors by reducing commission bias which may be unknown to consumers. 
• As an advocate of full transparency in insurance and investment commissions, we will only recommend only product that we understand and believe in

IFast Financial Pie Ltd (Singapore) Licenses: 

• Capital Markets Services Licence and Financial Advisers Licence issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) 
• Central Provident Fund Investment Scheme (CPFIS)-registered Investment Administrator 
• CDP Depository Agent 
• a Trading Member of SGX-ST and Clearing Member of CDP 

What investment products do they offer?(Source)

UNIT TRUSTS 

• Funds invest in a diversified range of assets. A fund's diversified portfolio means risks can be better spread over the assets In the fund.* 

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 

• Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are EID investment funds that are listed and traded on a stock exchange.* 

BONDS 

• A bond is a debt security. It is a form of borrowing_ Governments and companies issue bonds to raise funds. When you invest in bonds, you are lending money to the issuer for a fixed period of time 

STOCKS 

• A company offers its shares to investors to raise money. The company may need such funds for reasons such as to grow its business, acquire new assets, or remain solvent.

DISCRETIONARY PORTFOLIOS 

• DPMS is a service by iFAST that helps investors invest via a discretionary managed portfolio.* 

INSURANCE

• Insurance is meant to protect you, youth family, and things you care about. The insurance you buy depends not only on what you want to protect but also what you can afford.* 

And finally, is there any hidden catch?

source

Yes, of course, there is a hidden catch. For the first 100k, there is a 0.28%p.a

So if u had invested with 10,000(below 100k), the charges would be $28(0.28%) annually

Assuming you are trading in SGX stock, you need to trade at least 7 times per year to breakeven when comparing with the normal FSM fees of 10 dollars per trade(Notes:All figures are estimated)

IFast GLOBAL

• Buy transaction fees: $8
• Sell transaction fees: $8
• Annual fee $28
• trade time: 7 times
• total cost: ((8+8)*7 time) + 28 =$120 

• Buy transaction fees: $8
• Sell transaction fees: $8
• Annual fee $28
• trade time: 8 times
• total cost: ((8+8)*7 time) + 28 =$156

FSM, STANDARD CHARTED, OR DBS CASH UPFRONT

• Buy transaction fees: $10
• Sell transaction fees: $10
• Annual fee: $0
• trade time: 7 times
• total cost: ((10+10)*7 time) + 0=$120

• Buy transaction fees: $10
• Sell transaction fees: $10
• Annual fee: $0
• trade time: 8 times
• total cost: ((10+10)*8 time) + 0=$160

Conclusion: In my opinion, it is definitely the brokerage you want to get if you are trading frequently in SGX stock. Unfortunately compared to another brokerage in the US such as Robinhood $0 USD per transaction, or even SAXO 4.99 USD per transaction, Singapore brokerage fees definitely still have a long way to go to hit below 5 dollars or even 0 dollar

That's all for this post, will continue with more brochures update from FSM Invest Expo 2020 in the next few post!:)

part 2 here...

[Post 108] TipforThought:Useful Singapore Finance Telegram channel

List of Singapore finance telegram channels

Updated: 21/5/2020

To be updated from time to time!Do comment below if you have any idea:)

Discussion channels(stocks and forex)

@investorsexchange  (stocks discussion telegram group)

@DividendInvestment(stocks discussion telegram group)

@FundamentalInvestors(stocks discussion telegram group)

@FinanceCafe(stocks discussion telegram group)

@sgfinancialndependence (stock discussion telegram group) 

@sgstockchat(stocks and forex discussion telegram group)



Discussion channel(crypto)

@CryptoSG: https://t.me/CryptoSG



Personal finance and blogs

@budgetbabes (budget babe telegram channel)

@Dollarandsense(Dollar and sense telegram channel)

@PersonalFinanceSg (Seedly)

@SingaporeFinanceBot(Finance bot)

@Sonicericsg (personal finance blog)

@wokesalaryman (Comics strip of personal finance)

@fipharmarcistsg(personal finance channel of an pharmacist undergraduate)

[Post 107] Zero dollar project updates:carousell,Bitcoin Faucets,Short Link,Online survey

Updates for zero dollar project

1.Carousell
2.Bitcoin faucets
3.Short link
4.Online survey

1.Carousell

My carousell:carousell.com/eric996

Did not keep track due to studies,assume NIL

2.Bitcoin faucets

Current coinpot holding

Bitcoin core: 6786 Satoshi
Bitcoin cash: 19116 bch
Dogecoin: 72.2. doge
Litecoin:  0.00253219 ltc
Dashcoin: 0.00092824 dash

3.Short link

Total earning for short link since last update:$6.58+$9.88=$16.46  (Unfortunately mar-may payout had been held back due to covid-19


4.Online survey

Current online survey on my list...(Bold mean that these survey websites have been verified for payout)

4.1 Toluna
4.2.surveyon
4.3 YouGov
4.4 mobrog
4.5 ipanelonline
4.6 viewfruit
4.7 mysurvey
4.8 millleu(App on google play store)

Survey that payout mobrog,yougov,

The total payout from last project update:$6.25+$6.25+$6.25+$6.25+$25.06=$50.06

Total earnings for lastest update of zero dollar project:$50.06+ +$16.46 =$66.52

That's all for the updates  for my zero dollar project!

[Post 106] Investment Book Summary 1:Secret of millionaire investor by Adam Khoo

For the first book review ever on my blog, I am going to summaries some key points from the book that I have just recently borrow from the library "secrets of millionaire investor " by Adam Khoo.

The book is actually quite interesting to read compared to at least 70% of investing books out there. Not a sponsor post by the way(is there even anyone that wants to sponsor me?😂).

Anyway, back to the book. The next few posts are going to be the key points from the book.

Chapter 1 is basically an introduction, so let's begin with chapter 2.

Chapter 2:The power of investing in building your wealth

1.Investing in low risk and high return

• Most investors in the world are risk-averse,(surprise surprise, Warren Buffett is one of them!)

2.A quick introduction of the US stock market

• There are three primary U.S. stock exchanges: New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, and American stock exchange 

•  The general market performance is measured by the index

• An index is a chosen stock portfolio that is used to represent the entire stock market

• One of the most common stock indexes to evaluate the U.S. market is S&P 500(now you know what it means and you can show off in small conversations with friends),

• The S&P consists of the top 500 companies in the US market and represents more than 70 percent of the US market

• The S&P 500 is calculated by taking the average price of the top 500 companies

• Another popular index is the DJI (Dow Jones industrial)index (another term to show off to friends)

• The DJI index consists of 30 largest companies in the US, similar to our STI ETF

3. Choosing the US market or the Singapore Market?

• The author recommends the US market as he makes the best return from there

4. Why the author prefers to invest in the US market?
 
A wider selection of stocks and deviation

• Over 9,000 listed companies in the US market compared to 620 companies on the Singapore market

• Easier to find a company that is able to meet the criteria to invest

• US companies have a higher potential to increase earnings and sales as the number of  US consumer is huge compare to the number of Singapore consumers

• More US companies stock have options written on them allowing us to use a wider range of trading strategies

Higher liquidity and volume

• US market has a higher volume of stock liquidity per day.

• Us market also has "market makers" who will buy the stock that you are selling even if there are no people who want to buy

Superior research data and tools at a much lower cost

• Basically, US stocks data such as financial ratio are more easily and readily available on the internet compare to Singapore Stock(totally agree with this!!, not all the financial ratio of a Singapore company may be found easily online and often one have to used paid service to analyze Singapore stocks)

• The US has cheaper brokerage fees compare to Singapore(totally agree!!)

5. Four investment strategies, from beginner to expert level as follow

Growth strategy 1:Buying Market index and Sectors

• Index such as the S&P 500 index, Dow Jones index, Sector refers to the different sector such as healthcare, financial, etc
• (>12.08% return annually)

Growth strategy 2:Value investing

• A strategy employ of Warren Buffett. In value investing, you will learn to buy high companies at a fraction of what they are worth.
• In order words, you will learn when to buy companies stock at a cheap bargain(undervalued) and sell it when the market realize its true value
• (15% -25% return annually)

Growth strategy 3:Momentum investing

• A short time frame of 3-6 months. Momentum stocks tend to be priced above their fair value.
  However, due to the optimism of the entire market about the shares potential, these stocks tend to rise significantly in value within a very brief period of time before they are overbought and fall (this is when you sell and make enormous earnings).
• (>25% return within 3 to 6 month)

Growth strategy 4:Options trading

• the art of how to make 100%-500% returns on your money from as short as one day to a maximum holding period of 3 months, pretty risky

• (100% return within 1 day - 3month)

6.The psychology & habit of a successful investor

Buy on strict rules and not emotion

• Buy and sell based on rules and not emotions, for example, many successful investors sell their stock once the stock price drop below 10-20%.

• They do not let emotion define their buy and sell.

Become an expert and Don't rely on expert

• Simply read a little everyday, Don't rely on outside tips.

When there is nothing to invest in, Don't  invest

• It is not always a good time to invest, invest only when the investment criteria are met(e.g the financial ratio is healthy)

Take 100% responsibility for your result

• Don't blame others for your mistake, learn from your mistakes

Be passionate about investing

• You must enjoy investing and not see it just as a tool for money-making(When you see shopping malls think CapitaLand, food court you think koufu, etc).

• Better yet, be passionate till you dream about investment in your sleep(just kidding!)

Reduce Risk and maximize return

• A master investor will only invest if he finds an investment with a very high probability of success, one with very high potential upside with limited downside.
•  So, only invest when with minimal risks and very high returns.

Chapter 3 has an interesting pov of why we should invest in ETF if this doesn't convince you to invest in ETF, nothing will!

Chapter 3:Buying Index and Sector

Growth strategy 1:Buying index and sector

credit

From the chart above showing the S&P 500 performance from 1950-2016, you can deduce a few things

• In the short term, the stock is volatile (goes up and down).
• In the long term, the stock will only rise higher and higher
• The stock market is always on a long-term uptrend.
• This means that each low point is higher than the previous low and each high point higher than the previous high.

S&P 500 (an index comprising the top 500 companies in the US) obtained an annual compound return of 12.08 percent with reinvested dividends.

However, this does not imply that every year the stock market increased by 12.08 percent
Some of the years, you can see the stock prices drop, and in some years, the price increase. However, the stock price is always increasing in the long term

7. Why do stock prices rise?

• Stock prices are affected by company earnings

• The greater a company's earnings, the higher its shares will be priced.

• Over time, inflation pushes greater prices of the products and services of a company

• For instance, a MacDonald meal today costs twice as much as it did ten years ago and it will be even more costly in the future

• While the world's population is growing and becoming richer (particularly in developing nations such as China and India), more and more individuals are selling their products to them.

• For businesses, higher prices at higher volumes lead to higher and higher profits/earning. This constant increase in the company profits over time help to push their stock price higher

The next part is not from the book, though I  will simplify and summarise it

Here is a ten-year performance of the US stock market from 1970-1980

As you can see, in the short-term, stock prices randomly move up and down. If you had bought stocks at one of the peaks in 1973; you would have had a massive heart attack when the market plunged the next following year (1974). If you panic and sold the stock at the bottom, you would have made huge losses.

This is exactly why most ignorant investors lose their life savings in stocks and find it extremely risky. 

However, let's say you brought at 550 points of the S&P in 1973, if you had held the stock until today, it would have increased to 2900, you would have made over 600%(without dividend reinvest)

Now let’s take a look at the actual gains and losses from the S&P 500 year-on-year(*Note: this refers to the percentage changes(or difference) of the stock price at the beginning of the year and the end of the year). Take note that these annual returns include the dividend(refer to credit)

                                                                       credit

From the table, you can see from 2000-2018, you will make a negative return in 2000,2001,2002(dot com bubble),2008(2008 financial crisis) and 2018(trade war)

But what if we put all in a 5 year period?

                                   

Average annual return of 5 year Period of the S&P500(yes, I calculate it myself)

From the table above, you can see the average annual return of 5 year period(the figure is taken and calculated from the previous picture of S&P 500, year on year) returned a positive figure.

So, what is the average annual return?

• The average used by investors to measure the performance of investments over a period of time

• It takes into account the effects of compounding interest and it is more accurate than using the simple interest formula

• The average annual return means that your money will increase 15.85% per year if you invest from 2010(see 2010-2014)

Most of the 5 year period average annual return is positive, this means that if you kept your money invested for at least five years, your chance of loss would be ‘zero’.

But as you can see in the period 1970-1974 and 2000-2004, it has a negative average annual return. To conclude, if you invest in a period of 5 years, it would decrease your chance in making a loss

However, what if we invest in a period of 10 years or more?

  The average annual return of 10 year Period of the S&P500

As you can see if you invest in a period of 10 years, the chance of loss is zero. That includes 2000 and 2008 two financial crises, dot com bubble and 2008 financial crisis). This means that your money will grow by 1.212% per year. It is not an impressive figure but it proves that investing in the stock market for a long term such 10 years,20 years, or even 30 years would ensure that the chance of loss is zero.

If you are interested to read the rest of the book, do borrow it from the library:), hope this post proves useful!

[Post 105] Learning investing/trading together part 23:Investing vs Trading

This week on learning investing/trading,we are going to compare Investing vs Trading.

credits

Overview

• Investing and trading are two a different way to profit from the market
• Investors and Traders both attempt to seek profit from the market
• Investors seek higher return buying and hold for a long period of time
• Traders seek even higher return by using various trading strategy to profit

Investing

• Build wealth slowly over an extended period of time by purchasing and maintaining a portfolio of stocks, share portfolios, mutual funds, bonds, and other investment resources.
• Investments are often held for years, or even decades, taking advantage of benefits along the way, such as interest, dividends, and share splits.
• Although markets naturally fluctuate, the investor will hold the stock when its share prices are declining, with the hope that stock prices will stabilize and any losses will eventually recover.
• Usually, investors are more concerned with market fundamentals such as price/earnings ratios and current ratio, etc
• Anyone with a CPF is investing even though they don't monitor their investments on a daily basis. Because the goal over the decades is to build a retirement account.

Trading

• Trading includes transactions that are more frequent such as buying and selling stocks etc. The goal is to achieve returns that surpass buy-and-hold investing
• Trading profits are created in a relatively short period of time by buying at a lower price and selling at a higher price. 
• It is also possible to make trading profits by selling at a higher price and purchasing to cover at a lower price (known as "selling short" or "shorting") for profit in falling markets.
• Traders usually fall into one of four categories: Position Trader: Positions are held from months to years.

1. Position Trader: Positions are held from months to years.
2. Swing Trader: Positions are held from days to weeks.
3. Day Trader: Positions are held throughout the day only with no overnight positions.
4. Scalp Trader: Positions are held for seconds to minutes with no overnight positions.

Conclusion

• If investing is a is like homework, trading is like preparation for an exam
• There are plenty more factor to take note of such as low commission rate due to regular buying and selling of share as they add up quickly
• Working hours: if you are working the regular hour of 9-6, the US market may be suitable for you as it does not clash with your working hours, otherwise you would probably have to place your stock order whether buy or sell early in the day before you go to work
• As they always say, why not a mix of both investment and trading?

[Post 104] TipforThought:What's the hardest truth of life? and What's are the biggest career mistakes to avoid

What's the hardest truth of life?(Credit to Phillip Makohliso)

credits

1. Your parents are the only people who become genuinely happy when you succeed.
2. People want to see you succeed… but not more than them.
3. A friend in need is a friend indeed. The reverse is true if you get what I mean.
4. The way you are brought up contributes about 70% to the person you grow up to be. unfortunately, we don't get to choose our parents.
5. Genuine love is rare if you stumble upon it cherish it.
6. Nobody will die for you. You are on your own so man up.
7. Life is so unfair but it is still beautiful.
8. Bad things happen to good people.
9. Growing up comes with more responsibilities, thus life gets even harder as you grow.
10. Life is a journey with an unknown destination. You only cross the bridge when you get there… sometimes you are not even sure whether the bridge is there or not. Live today tomorrow is not promised.

What's are the biggest career mistakes to avoid? (Credits to Dandan Zhu)


                                               

credit 

#1. Aiming too low. Whether it’s salary, title, or type of company, people are too intimidated by interviewers, scared of asking for what they want at every stage of the interview process, and suffer from imposter syndrome.

This is a direct result of decades of indoctrination by authoritative educational, parental, and societal institutions that tend to demolish your self-confidence in an effort to control you. This persistent lack of confidence is the #1 issue candidates suffer from when it comes to selling yourself effectively.

#2. Saying no to yourself. Because you feel that you lack the “qualifications” the job description asks for, you end up not going for the opportunity. This continued lack of self-confidence through self-discrimination, combined with the obsession of fulfilling requirements down to the last drop, handicaps good professionals from achieving career greatness.

Although job description doesn't matter, many candidates still try to play by the rules. They don’t understand that the job search is like war. The victor obtains the spoils. It’s every man and woman for themselves.

There are NO rules in job search! This is why often psychopaths and liars sometimes get the BEST jobs and offers. They understand manipulation.

Too often, the most accomplished candidates lose because they don’t know the song and dance that is the job search.

#3. Not understanding the modern job search ecosystem and process. There are 4 major hiring entities that you need to know how to manipulate, maneuver around, and negotiate with. The HR person, hiring manager, headhunter, and internal recruiter. Each person has a slightly different incentive, process, and interaction protocol. You should behave accordingly.

In addition, the process of job search is no longer: look on the web for listings, apply to jobs that you like, wait for feedback, go interview. The new process is: create your marketing documents (including your resume ), master LinkedIn networking, leverage the 4 hiring entities mentioned above, utilize the volume of interviews to your advantage, negotiate all throughout.

#4. Becoming a jack of all trades. The most dangerous problem candidates run into that seriously limits their market value and range of future career options is becoming a generalist. Corporations no longer value soldiers, willing to do any deed for pay. They want professionals, experts, and true masters of the industry and job vertical. They NEED these experts to remain viable and stay ahead of their competition.

No longer is being eager and willing to work for a firm for the next 25 years a valuable candidate trait. Firms want true market leaders. That means, specialization and experience within a niche skill are not only a good-to-have, but a MUST-HAVE to remain a relevant and desirable professional.

Lastly, #5. Having no financial plan nor power. Most professionals forget that they work largely to make a living. Since most people accumulate worse spending habits every year, people rely on their jobs more and more to fuel their lifestyle. This dependent relationship on a job quickly spirals out of control once their house of cards experiences even the smallest tremor.

Because of your deep reliance on your paycheck, your emotions run amok when experiencing any type of career turbulence.

Since your financial woes are so heavy and over-leveraged, you can’t see straight, let alone find a career you enjoy!

In most of these cases, professionals tend to work simply to chase the dollar, losing all meaning and passion for what they’re working towards outside of living the high life they buy with their post-tax dollars. They become money-mongers. Greed takes precedence. Career meaning, purpose, and ethical behavior quickly fall by the wayside when confronted by financial greed.

This is the #1 cause of corporate fraud, corruption, pollution, and general nastiness (think: Wolf of Wall Street, Enron, and Bernie Madoff). Individual greed driven by a need to keep up with the Joneses pollutes corporate cultures by attracting people who are in it just for the money.

In conclusion

Career problems aren’t simply an amalgamation of your job’s stressors. Your personal, financial, and professional problems, weaknesses, and vices will all meld together to gang up on you, if you let your guard down or stray off the righteous path of moral behavior.

Stay ahead of the game by learning, networking, and speaking with career experts, colleagues, mentors, and influencers that have the RIGHT advice to guide you.

Thanks for reading!

[Post 103] TipforThought: Building and managing your portfolio

Quick guide on building and managing your portfolio!

credit

1.Getting started and what to watch out for

• Most people save and invest because they want some money for future goal.
• If you are new to investing ,here are some step to help you get started on an investment plan.

2.Setting goals

• What are your goals?Common goals include paying off your student loan ,accumulating fund for retirement or savings for your children education
• Work out how much money you need for your goal
• Work out when you need the money for your goal.The time you have available to invest leading up to when the money is needed is known as your investment horizon.

3.How much can you afford to invest?

• How much money do you have available to invest ,after paying your  household expenses,insurance premium and debt as well as setting aside some savings?
• Can you cut back some expenses to free up more money for saving or investing?If your investment suffer a loss,will it impact your debt and other commitment ,or others goals?

• Do not commit to pay or invest more than you can possibly afford  long term.Look for a cost-effective alternative .If the product requires you to pay,what will be consequences if you do not have enough to pay.
• Do you intend to invest in one lump sum or fixed amount a regular amount ?e.g monthly,annually?
• How much time do you have/what's your age ?/do you have  time to ride out short term fluctuations or losses 

4.Know yourself and how some investing basics apply to you

5.Consolidate and priorities your goals

• After examining what you need ,when you need it,how much you can invest , and how much risk you can afford to take.
• You may need to re-prioritize your goals.You may need to settle for a smaller house or a smaller car,but it would be unwise not to build up adequate retirement savings and provide for adequate healthcare cover.

6.What's step should you take to achieve your goals?

• This could be saving up or Investing in a diversified portfolio to help you achieve what you need.Always keep the step above in mind when considering what action to take .
• Choose your investment based on how suitable it is for your needs and personal circumstances,how well you understand the product ,and how it will fit in your diversified portfolio to reach your investment objectives
• Do find out whether you can manage risk or limit losses once you are invested.Remember there are product where you can lose all your initial investment,products where you can lose more than your initial investment and products whose market values go up and down.
• With the latter,do be aware that markets could be at a downtown when you want to take out your money,so it is important to monitor your investments carefully in case you need to liquidate or take other action sooner.
• Do consider dollar cost averaging as a means to accumulating the assets you want

7.Monitoring Performance,Rebalancing and Adjusting your investments

• Investing is an on-going responsibility.Even if you can choose to be somewhat passive -Investing in unit trusts or funds that track indices - you should regularly review the performance of your investments to see if you are on track to achieving your goals .
• Keep watch over the factors which may influence the performance of your investments .You may need to take if your investment is under performing.

Thanks for reading!