Since the COVID-19 pandemic made a widespread impact around the world with the outbreak situation worsened rapidly, Singapore too, is not spared. According to news report, Singapore is heading towards its worst-ever recession in nearly two decades as the economy continues to feel severe strain from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current situation here in Singapore amid COVID-19 times is, well, pretty grim for many of us. As essential businesses shut down and the country debates difficult years ahead, more Singaporeans have been impacted financially – furloughs, job losses and pay cuts. With no clear date of when things will return to normal and no easy prospects of finding further employment at this time, many are starting to worry about their financial situation.

Your financial health is important, just like your physical health. Doing a reality check to find out where your money is going and assessing how much you have (after scraping every option and minimizing expenses) can help you determine what adjustments you need to make in your life.

Questions like “How can I afford my bills?” and “How can I make ends meet?” are becoming all too common. With the pressure weighing heavily on you and finding yourself struggling financially, weighing your options on taking up a personal loan may not be a bad idea. Use in the right way, a personal loan can come in handy in managing your cash flow. Before taking it up, it is important to understand there are 2 situations where applying for a personal loan is not only a good idea, but might actually save you from further debt:

You are overwhelmed by high-interest debt

Credit cards are ubiquitous in our society. With the convenience of tapping into ‘future money’, it is tempting to spend as and when we want. However, when used unwisely, we will face the brunt of astronomical interest rates (up to 26% per annum!) when credit card bills are either left unpaid or only settle by minimum payment every month.

Consolidating and repaying such high-interest debt is one of the single best uses for a personal loan. The interest rate on a personal loan is far lesser than the interest rate on a credit card. By borrowing a personal loan to pay back your credit card debt, it makes more sense and relieve a lot more stress from you.

When some say comparison is the thief of joy, it is not exactly true.

For someone who is saddled with high-interest debt, he will never know how much he can save until a search for the best personal loan interest rates for 2020 at MoneySmart reveals the pleasant surprise.

Of course, you will need to make sure you have a healthy credit rating so that you can qualify for a personal loan to make the consolidation worth your time and effort.

You are in need for an emergency fund

Emergency fund gives you a much-needed buffer in the event something significant happens financially that you cannot quick come back from. Some examples include:

#1 Medical Bills

Medical emergency is one such event that can cripple your finances when a loved one, who is not sufficiently covered by insurance, is in need of medical care. The staggering healthcare costs in Singapore is something we cannot overlook and one can be prepared to shell out a lot of money for such expenses.

#2 Home Repairs

It is bad enough to be cooped up at home during the COVID-19 lockdown. Imagine spending warm and stuffy days at home plagued with air conditioner problems, it is certainly an experience you do not want to repeat. A personal loan could give you a much needed respite.

#3 Helping Out Someone in Need

Helping out your loved ones or someone floundering in deep water financially can be an event you can’t ignore. Be it for a medical reason or helping someone to tide through difficult moments in event of retrenchment could go a long way.

Getting a personal loan in Singapore is one way to meet your emergency needs – be it emergency medical bills, air conditioner repairs, or a financial misstep. With emergency funds, time is of the essence and it is always good to know there are personal loans in Singapore with the fastest approval and cash disbursement you can tap on.

A personal loan may not be for everyone

Taking on debt in the form of a personal loan comes with making a conscious decision. Before you take the leap, remember these golden rules:

Don’t borrow more than you can repay (Be certain that you have the ability to pay off the debt in full)
Don’t borrow to splurge on your ‘want’ (A want is temporal, while a need is essential)
Timely and regular repayment (Disciplined payment habit helps you to avoid late payment charges)

These pointers from MoneySmart sums up the understanding on personal loan. That being said, you should take up a personal loan only when you absolutely NEED to.

Covid-19, Investing, Moneysmart

Should you start investing?

May 25, 2020 katongkidsinc

There is no denying that Covid-19 has impacted every facet of our lives and there is so much to learn from it.

The coronavirus pandemic causing a standstill for most economies and impacting the global stock market must be on everyone’s mind now. Even if the valuation is attractive, you are probably worried that the markets are looking shaky at the moment, and would prefer to wait for the “right time” before taking the plunge. Or perhaps you think you need to grasp the “holy grail of investing” before you can actually do anything with your money that remotely resembles investing.

One thing is for sure, it is a matter of time that the economy will recover. No time is good or bad for investing, it all boils down to grabbing the opportunity. Instead of thinking about how much value stocks are losing today, think about investing in the long-term.

The pandemic has taught us one lesson about creating multiple streams of income

A picture speaks more than a thousand words. The illustration table below is akin to the principle of sowing and reaping. The sooner you put your dollars to work, the more you will benefit in the long run. In fact, what you invest can have a greater impact on the size of your nest egg than the amount you invest.

Need proof? Let’s say you start saving $12,000 a year. If you are risk averse and choose to let your savings ride it out with the bank’s mediocre rate, you would have just over $120,000 at the end of the tenth year. Now, let’s say you want to be an investor and start to chronicle your personal investment journey. All else being equal and assuming an average 5% annual return, you could potentially have about $159,000 after 10 years!

What are the investment options?

Saving money in your bank account is just the beginning of your investing journey. To stay ahead of inflation, you need to find investments that generate meaningful returns to stay ahead of inflation. There are various investment options to consider but we shall focus on the common ones such as stocks, REITS and ETFs. We will not get into the mumbo jumbo but delve straight into some salient features of these investment options.

Stocks or Equities

Equities refer to a stock of a company measured in number of shares. Shareholders earn returns when they receive dividends, which are paid out of the company’s profits. Instead of distributing their profits, some companies may choose to re-invest these gains into their business. Alternatively, when the current stock price rises above its purchase price over a period of time, shareholders can choose to sell the stock to lock in their profits.

The advantages of investing in shares include:

Capital Gain (Selling price is higher than purchase price)
Dividend Income (Share can pay us a revenue when we hold them)
Liquidity (Unlike real estate, you have the flexibility to buy and sell shares quickly and easily when we want)

It is important to do your own due diligence when it comes to investing in shares. While capital and volatility risks are inevitable, one way to hedge yourselves is to invest in blue chip stocks which are fundamentally sound and typically lower risk.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS)

How does it sound to become a landlord and collect rental income? When you invest in a REIT, you’re investing in the properties managed by that REIT. The revenues generated (primarily rental income) are normally distributed at regular intervals as dividend to REITs shareholders.

Notwithstanding the sharp sell-off of S-REITS due to Covid-19, they are generally perceived as defensive, income-generating investment that offer consistent and meaningful dividends. Investing in REITS is a good option when your motivation is planning for retirement or gaining passive income.

The broad categories of REITs you can invest in and the typical properties they own:

Commercial REITs – office buildings
Retail REITs – shopping malls
Industrial REITs – warehouses, logistics facilities and data centres
Hospitality REITs – hotels and serviced residences
Healthcare REITs – hospitals and nursing homes

Do keep in mind the risks involved which include:

Income Risk (Distributions are not guaranteed and are subject to fluctuations in the REIT’s income)
Leverage Risk (REIT needs to ensure it does not use too much debt to finance acquisition of its properties)
Land Lease Expiry Risk (The value of the REIT may be affected by the decreasing term or the expiry of the land leases, and this may result in a decline in the price of the units)

Exchange-Traded Fund

Another convenient way to diversify our investments is through Exchange Traded Funds (ETF). These are funds (or portfolios of company stock) that are bought and sold through the Singapore Exchange. ETFs are useful investment instruments for new investors who want stock diversification from relatively small outlays.

Some advantages of owning ETFs include:

Liquidity (Choose to buy and sell shares anytime you want)
Transparency (Price of the shares are made available for you to buy or sell)
Cost-Effective (Own a basket of stocks which would otherwise be expensive to buy them individually)

Your Covid-19 Survival Guide

If you have cash preserved for this crucial period and not knowing where to start off in your personal investment journey, Moneysmart’s Covid-19 Survival Guide is not just timely-introduced but also serves as a one-stop-destination to get necessary information about investing.

While browsing the MoneySmart Covid-19 Survival Guide, the website comes forth as a useful resource for new investors who had little or no clue about where to start in investing. The browsing experience has been intuitive and the articles are concise, easy to read and most importantly, offer practical suggestions.

Instead of running helter-skelter, the Covid-19 Survival Guide is a life-saver. It provides easy to navigate, current and practical suggestions before you make the conscious decision to invest. You would know which site to bookmark and make a visit the next time you need information on finances.

At MoneySmart, you may not find ALL the answers – but you can at least get some advice on how to plan your finances responsibly to get through this.

We definitely are in an unprecedented point in history but we will all get through it together.

The ideas expressed in this blog should not be construed as an enticement to buy or sell securities, commodities or assets. The accuracy or completeness of the information provided cannot be guaranteed. Readers should carry out independent verification of information provided. No warranty whatsoever is given and no liability whatsoever is accepted for any loss howsoever arising whether directly or indirectly as a result of actions taken based on ideas and information found in this blog.

Growing Up, Home Loan, Life Hacks, Moneysmart, Products, Review, Shopping, Singapore, Singapore Products

What you need to know before taking a home loan

August 25, 2018August 30, 2018 katongkidsinc

Taking out a home loan can be a nerve wracking experience, and a big deal for everyone. It is often said that home purchase involves the biggest capital outlay in a person’s life and especially in Singapore where home assets do not seem to stop appreciating, this is the hard truth that everyone has to come to terms with. However, taking on a debt in the form of a home loan, when researched carefully, can be your friend.

Before settling down in your dream home, here are the questions you should know the answer to before getting your home loan.

#1 Deciding between Fixed Rate vs. Floating Rate Home Loans

Unless you are paying in full for the property, you will be affected by changes to the interest rate. Home loans are typically offered in 2 categories:

a. Fixed Rate

Fixed rate packages maintain the same interest rate during a lock-in period of 1 to 5 years, regardless of market conditions, after which the interest rate converts into a floating rate. Should customers decide to refinance during the lock-in period, banks may impose penalties. Nonetheless, fixed-rate mortgage packages are favoured by many home buyers in view of their expectations of further interest-rate hikes and protects you from any upward interest rate movement.

b. Floating Rate

Floating rate packages have interest rates that fluctuate daily, usually pegged to the SIBOR and SOR indices. They can come with or without lock-in periods. Home buyers who opt for floating rates usually take advantage of the low interest rate environment and monthly instalment amounts. This is particularly usefil in a flat-to-declining interest rate environment.

To this end, home buyers should be mindful to choose home loan packages based on their needs instead of trying to take advantage of short-term interest rate movements.

#2 Affordability

Your current financial commitments affect your affordability. Here are some useful pointers to consider:

a. TDSR

Under the latest Government regulations in Singapore, your Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR) cannot exceed 60% of your income. If you are already taking on a car loan, personal loans or credit card debts, it may affect Approval in Principle (AIP) from your bank of choice. The trick to increase your loan application chance is to maintain zero to low debt ratio.

#3 Fees and Charges

When it comes to home loans, you may be inclined to settled on the cheapest home loan rate, but do remember to compare the fees and charges applicable to the loan. Fees and charges are levied under these circumstances:

– Processing the loan application

– Withdrawl after accepting loan offer

– Late payment

– Amending the loan tenor

– Restructuring the loan

– Processing the loan application

Those fees could add up to a few thousand dollars, so it’s worth knowing how much your banks in Singapore might charge you. The amount you can borrow will typically be the same across banks. So, you are not obligated to go with a bank just because it has pre-approved your loan. It is smart to seek pre-approval from multiple banks so you have options before making a conscious decision on a loan to take.

Regardless of whether you are planning to buy a hdb or private property, a great home loan deal always come with making smart decisions by comparing home loans and mortgage interest rates online. A good place to start is Moneysmart which serves as an effective tool for online loan comparison which you can surf at the comfort of your home or anywhere you prefer, so long as you have your smart device with you. Moneysmart has come as a good choice for loan comparison. The browsing experience has been intuitive, with the website creating user experience at the forefront of their thoughts. I find the site easy to navigate, stored with current and useful information and it is definitely a breeze when comparing the latest home loan deals. You would know which site to bookmark and make a visit the next time you need information on home loan packages to assist you.

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