Insurance Today

Ever since OCBC changed their payment terms for their 360 account, I've been moping about the reduction in interest payments I get from them each month, as the maximum capped interest is now only 3.05% and includes a lot more work to get that level of interest rate. The UOB One was a good welcome, BUT I eventually moved back to OCBC 360 (partly out of habit) as the requirements were a little difficult for me to meet in my current lifestyle. While a $500 spending on my UOB One card, I didn't set up 3 GIRO payments (no recurring bills except my monthly telco) and felt bad about asking my HR to switch the salary crediting account after slightly over a year. Some of the other financial bloggers have signed up with Bank of China SmartSaver, so I decided to take a look at it to see if it would be worth the effort switching. At first glance, it does remind me a lot of the old OCBC 360, which I sorely miss. BOC SmartSaver gives the opportunity to earn up to 3.55% per annum, so for t ho...

The recent Swiber bond debacle has sparked off a new debate as to whether the Singapore government should save "accredited investors" - individuals who have at least S$2 million in assets. Because they have more money than the average man, these "not-so-wealthy" individuals are being given more choices in investment products, including those that are deemed as more exotic, riskier or too complicated for laymen to understand. But does being rich necessarily equate to being smart about your money? Sadly, no. This is a tough lesson in personal finance to  those who invested in Swiber bonds, who have each lost at least $200,000 or more, now that the company has defaulted on its bond repayments.   It is unlikely that these investors will get their money back. As a result of this saga, people are crying out for the government to protect these accredited investors. Bloomberg reported on this piece with the headline of "How Singapore's Not-Really-Rich Have Been Bur...

Rickmers Maritime note holders are not happy with their latest debt refinancing proposal, but they don't really have much of a choice but to go along now, do they? In January this year, a 14.3% high-yielding dividend stock caught my eye - Rickmers Maritime. I was tempted to buy it, but decided not to after spending some time studying the company and its business. While the yield was indeed attractive, there were too many red flags that I didn't feel comfortable with. It then inspired me to write down my thoughts in this article, where I specifically explained why I decided to stay away from Rickmers  (as well as other high-dividend yielding stocks). Other than looking at dividend yield, we also need to question if the dividend yield is sustainable.  In the case of Rickmers, I highly doubted that they would have enough money to continue such payouts. Well, I was proven right when Rickmers suspended dividends shortly after. But in April this year, the stock rebounded spectacular...

If you're thinking of flying with Cebu Pacific for an international flight, I'd recommend you to spend a little more on a better airline. I generally like to go with budget airlines whenever I travel. Our local budget carriers - Scoot, Tiger, JetStar and AirAsia - have generally given me fairly good experiences so far, especially whenever I fly Scoot. They usually reach their destinations on time, and the prices paid for the service and smooth flight has always been very value-for-money to me. Over the years, I've also found various ways to  get more out of budget airlines (read here) , and almost always recommend flying with them so that you can use the money you saved to spend on other travel expenses instead (food, accommodation, etc). So I was expecting the same standard (or at least not comparably worse) from Cebu Pacific when I picked them for a flight to the Philippines this week. Especially given the Philippines' reputation for great service. Unfortunately, the ...

Follow my journey to the biggest day of my life (my wedding) on Dayre here!  Having a headache planning your wedding? Not sure where to start? I can totally relate, now that I’m in the midst of planning my own (happening next year). Given that we all hope to only get married once, it is inevitable that most of us would be clueless on what to do!  There are basically 3 easy options for couples at this stage: Sign up for wedding packages which take care of various aspects of your wedding for you. (Most expensive) DIY, but spend hours researching and coordinating. Potentially an administrative headache. (Most affordable / within your control) Hire a wedding planner to DIY your wedding for you. (Cheaper than 1, but more expensive than 2) With wedding costs in Singapore at an all-time high today, the pressure is real for couples who are trying to keep costs low while still achieving their dream wedding. If you’re lost, here’s my 10-step battle plan that I’m using to get my wedding ...