Our New Finanical Home!

Our new home @ www.chewhockbeng.com

Hi, I appreciate your support all this while and I would like to take this opportunity to announce that OptimiŹe Assèts has a new home @ www.chewhockbeng.com with immediate effect.

Thank you and I wish you a Merry Merry Merry Christmas 

and may all your wishes come true!

The Market Accumulation Portfolio - MAP 2012

Yes we are back again after we had acquired a good track record for the MRP (Market Recovery Portfolio) in late 2008. The MRP adopted a 10-month Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA) strategy to ride on the recovery market trend.

Now, for similar approach we have the Market Accumulation Portfolio (MAP) to help you to accumulate your wealth based on the current market condition.

Refer below for more information. (For iPad user, you might want to use Chrome)




Alternatively, contact us for more information.

As much as we would like to achieve extraordinary performance, I would like to bring to your attention that past performance of the portfolio mentioned might not be an indication for future performance. Moreover, the portfolio selected is based upon your risk profile, your attained age, your current financial situation, your ability and willingness to accept calculated risk. Risk is something you need to understand and to consider before committed to any investment program. Please take note that by doing nothing itself is also considered taking one form of risk. Thus it is important to know how risk and return interact and to understand what type of investments might suit your risk appetites. So contact us to find out which invested assets could help you to achieve your financial goals!


Please click on the printer icon to have a clearer view.

Contribute to your SRS* account for 2012

SRS* is also known as the 

Supplementary Retirement Scheme*. 

The SRS is part of the Singapore government’s multi-pronged strategy 

to address the financial needs of a greying population by helping 

Singaporeans to save more for their old age.

And at the same time, you could get to enjoy some tax savings.

However, this scheme is NOT for everyone!

I've attached a self-assessment to check if you are qualified for this amazing scheme.

Link to self assessment.

Alternatively, you could contact Chew Hock Beng @ +65 9389 7195 to explain how 

you could benefit from this scheme, 

based on your financial needs and your objectives.

Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS)

* For more information, you could refer to the link @ Ministry of Finance @ SRS.

The structure of our Fee Advisory Model (Coming Soon!)

We will be publishing the type of financial services you be expecting to receive from our independence financial advisory services. 

At that moment, we will also announce the cost that you are required to pay us for the arduous work we are going to work for you. There will be a list of services available that is relevant to your current financial situation. Various wealth management options are available accordingly to suit your financial welfare.

The basis of our fee structure is based on Transparency, Equity and Reasonableness. We practice Good Faith, Full Disclosure and Relevance Advice while serving our clientele to achieve their financial objectives.

Want to know more, stay tune to our Fee Advisory Model. Announcing Soon. 

We will be looking forward to serve you better. Thank you.

Our very First Initiative... Seminar/Workshop Just for You.

The training room was packed with our financial consultants who are excited with the new initiatives. It's going to be a treat for our client. As illustrated by the brochure above, we will be launching a series of Retirement Seminar together with the Will Writing Services. In addition, we have launched some exclusive products with you in mind.  Check with me for more details.

AT the same time, 

we would be running a series of financial literacy workshop.

Some available topics of interest....

[1] Let's Retire Rich - Happy, Healthy & Wealthy

[2] Know your financial numbers 

[3] Insured the Under-insured,

[4] Divest to Invest

[5] Ways to improve your financial advisory practice

[6] Wealth Succession & Distribution

[7] Smart Kids need Smart Parents.....etc.

Do check out the various link for more information.

If you have a group of family members, friends &/or colleagues (>10 pax), 

we could arrange to conduct the workshop at mutual convenience.

Should you have any specific topic in mind, we will do my best to match your request.

For more details, please conduct Chew Hock Beng @ +65 9389 7195.

It's time for celebration!

We are celebrating our 10th Anniversary!

A Decade of Distinction

We are not celebrating just with our fellow consultants and business partners, 

but we are celebrating together with our clients. 

Do stay tune to this blog, 

as I will will be keeping you updates what's in-store for you!

Navigating your financial future with Financial Alliance is our Mission!

How about a "miniature" family office?

FAMILY OFFICE might be relativley new here in Singapore, however, at the rate we are moving, more family offices could be setting up here in Singapore due to our favourable economic environment.

Briefly, Family Office is not for everyone. It is targeted mainly for the Ultra-High Net Worth (UHNW) whereby a team of dedicated financial specialists would be managing an expecting assets of $100,000,000. We need good and quality people to manage the fund and making sure that wealth is maintained and transferred generation after generation. Besides expertise in their fields, fiduciary duties need to be uphold too. So it is not for the planners-on-the-street. 

While searching for information in this area recently, I've found the discussion group at LinkedIN is really a great way to search for relevant topics to hear views from different perspective.  

Here is the as follow:
http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=852417&item=ANET%3AS%3A169714863&trk=NUS_RITM-title
and the respective article for discussion

http://aafmindia.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/what-is-family-office/?goback=%2Egde_852417_member_169714863

IN this article, the writer has mentioned many benefits of setting up a family office. In addition, the 2 main types of family office could be modelled. As Investopedia explains, "There are two types of family offices, single family offices and multi-family offices sometimes referred to as MFOs."

Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/family-offices.asp#ixzz28II7S5op 

PERSONALLY, 

"I feel that the Family Office is not just managed by a group of financial specialists, it is also managed by other non-financial experts. Besides the concierge services & financial services provided, there is medical and healthcare services that could further value-add to the family. I feel that no single talent specific be able to make the necessary decisions, instead a credible board of specialists in various field should come together to work for the common goal for the family. Best is to engaged the next generation to be trained and groom them into the respective office bearers. This might be the best proposition where they have the best interest at "heart"."

HOWEVER, I believed that I, rather we, have the solution for this UHNW. At the current firm that I working with, we do have the essential and necessary resources to set up a decent "miniature" family office. We could start small. "The journey of thousand miles begins with a single steps - Lao Tzu."

For such office to be set up, the appointment of chairperson would naturally be one of the business owners. He would be tasked to appoint the financial specialists to work out the financial objectives based on time and needs and what do they want to achieve. Besides profit making for their business, these Business Owners would be thinking how are they going to pass on their business to their successor so that they could get to enjoy their retired years. It is not just about building wealth and wealth enhancement, searching for the most appropriate and efficient way to transfer this wealth to their respective heirs and beneficiaries. Of course, at times things might not go on as planned. Situation changed. Hence, risk management or contingent plan need to be in place. 

You might want to refer to 2 of my earlier blogs on funded succession plan as follows:

http://chewhockbeng.blogspot.sg/2012/09/business-owners-have-you-funded-your.html

http://chewhockbeng.blogspot.sg/2012/09/what-do-you-want-to-happen-to-your.html

IN addition, at the end of the day, we are not passing on the financial wealth to their heirs or successors, but also the wealth of values they have received from their pre-successors. A finale note, food for thoughts: "Is the money be safe with our children or will our children be safe with the money?" What's your take?

Acronym explained in my blog....

ACRONYM Explained...

Terminology in Financial Planning at times can be quite confusing at times, and I could like to attempt to explain some of the common acronym used in my daily financial planning practice, training and coaching.

7CAPITAL - stands for 7 aspects of financial planning which I've developed and the financial planning terms associated with. They are Creation, Accumulation, Protection, Investment, Tax-effective Transfer, Annualized (Retirement), Leverage. The following link further explained my concept on 7capital: http://chewhockbeng.blogspot.sg/2012/08/the-building-block-of-7capital.html  

DOME - Diagnosis, Objective, Method & Evaluation. DOME is the building block of the financial planning practice of 7capitalist, just like one has define their Mission, Vision and Goal. DOME sets the foundation of our financial advisory model. In each of these letter, it is further defined.

Firstly, "Diagnosis before prognosis is malpractice" which define D. 

Follow by O which represents Objective and we set SMART goal. As the old adage, nobody plan to fail, but fail to plan. So we decided to plan with "End in mind". 

Next, M represents the Method in financial planning. To be precise, it is a procedure, the process we follow to assist our clientele to achieve their financial goals. I call it HEARD. In financial advisory, we understand that our client want to feel that they have been heard regards to their concerns and issues, and definitely do not want to be "hurt" while making these important financial decisions. Based on client's perspective, H is the first step in the financial planning process which I call it "homework". The homework defines the client's current financial status, concerns, and their  desired goals. As for our "homework", it defines our financial planning experiences, the credential and our professions. E is the financial planning interviews which is Engaged constructively by both parties, i.e. client-adviser relationship. After the interview engagement, we need to Analyse the information gathered to come up with appropriate Recommendations for the plan to be implemented. Of course, the whole process will be Documented so that the financial plan would be the basis for monitoring the financial well-being on a on-going concern. Once, I heard it from someone who says "Never underestimate how much people just want to feel that they have been heard; once you have given that chance, they will hear you." Impactful? isn't it?

The last letter, E, of DOME is Evaluation. We can only inspect what we expect. No surprises and we seek to be transparent and upfront in our dealing to deliver "WYSIWYG" - What you Seek is what you Gain, in our financial planning approaches.

I've a simple ppt to share with here @ http://chewhockbeng.blogspot.sg/2012/07/how-ifa-be-trained.html

SMART - stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound. 

The link might be helpful @ http://chewhockbeng.blogspot.sg/2010/11/be-smart-in-setting-your-financial.html

SABO - is another acronym which I have created to help our client to understand their plan implementation. S is the solution we have created for the client and the Advantage of the plan being recommended. And the many Benefits that associated with, should the plan be implemented. Of course, all this will be pointing to the Objective of the plan being discussed when we set the SMART goal during our interview and engagement.    

iFAćè -  It aims to equip financial consultant with the investment and insurance know-hows and to create a unique service deliverables for their clientele base. It is a 8-12 weeks skill-based program. More information could be found @ http://chewhockbeng.blogspot.sg/2012/08/iface-independence-financial-advisory.html

PIE - it is not an expressway. It means 3Ps, 3Is & 3Es. Here how it goes; we are seeking responsible well-being to earn a decent Income to fund for their Insurance plan so that thereafter we can create wealth through Investment planning. With Premium payment, we can ensure Protection plan is in force so that any extra money available can create wealth to generate Profit. All these are made possible with our combined years of Experience and financial Education training to help our client to generate Earning in their financial plan. And we strongly believe that good business comes with good Ethics!

Finally, CbFC - it is not any financial designation. It is just something which I aspired to be for our clientele. I call it the "Certified Behavior Financial Coach".  The True Wealth Concept is built upon on 4 important values, i.e. Clarity, Balance, Focus & Confidence. More details could be found here @ http://chewhockbeng.blogspot.sg/2012/07/trained-to-be-financial-consultant-with.html

I hope these 7 (rather 8) concepts have heighten your understanding towards the acronym used in my blog. Thank you.

Insured the under-insured

Are we financially secure?

Are we prepared for the unforeseen?

Are we adequately covered?

Let's explore together.

Insured the under-insured. on Prezi

If you are unsure about your insurance program, let's have our first non-obligatory meeting to discuss further.

To ensure certainty is my mission.

Let's optimize assets!

Let's Retire Rich, Happy, Healthy & Wealthy

Are we going to enjoy our retirement or retired from our enjoyment?

It's a decision make now and a choice we can control.

Let's Retire Rich. on Prezi

If this is what you want to achieve, contact us for more information.

Some useful references.

Committee of Supply (Speech 1) by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Finance & Minister for Manpower, 05 March 2012, 1.30pm, Parliament 

http://www.mom.gov.sg/newsroom/Pages/SpeechesDetail.aspx?listid=372

Sarah Harper. 2010, Demographic challenges and social security, Societal challenges and the capacity to adapt; Social Security in an ageing world.

http://www.ageing.ox.ac.uk/people/sarah-harper;

http://www.issa.int/Resources/Conference-Reports/Demographic-challenges-and-social-security/%28language%29/eng-GB;

http://www.issa.int/News-Events/Videos/Population-ageing-and-social-security-Interview-with-Sarah-Harper/%28language%29/eng-GB

Speech by Mr Tan Chuan-Jin,Minister of State (Manpower and National Development) At The Retirement Conference “Improving Retirement Security in Singapore” At Hilton Hotel, Singapore On 12 April 2012 At 9:15 am

http://mycpf.cpf.gov.sg/CPF/News/News-Release/N_12Apr2012_MOS.htm

IPS-TSAO Foundation Conference on SUCCESSFUL AGEING IN SINGAPORE : OLDER MEN AND WOMEN IN A SOCIETY OF LONGEVITY on 24 October 2008.

http://www.spp.nus.edu.sg/ips/Synopsis_Ageing_In_Singapore_241008.aspx;

http://www.spp.nus.edu.sg/ips/docs/events/conf/P1_Desmond%20Chew_website.pdf;

http://www.spp.nus.edu.sg/ips/docs/events/conf/P2_Chia%20Ngee%20Choon_website.pdf

Unleash The Power Within!

A great wise man once told me about the 4 important physical law, i.e. the law of force.... and the power within....

The power within.... Unleash It! on Prezi

Smart Kids need Smart Parents

Tertiary Education Funding on Prezi

Yes, indeed, smart kids need smart parents.

University Funding Analysis

The competition for places at institutions of higher learning has become more intense over the last decade. The costs have also gone up. Increasingly, the answer for many parents is to start saving and investing early so that they will be able to get the lump sum needed to finance their children's education. The benefits are clear. Saving early and often will help you to put aside less every month. Moreover by investing early, you will see your investments outpace inflation and increasing education costs, as illustrated above.

Saving part of our current income seems to be the only way to provide the education fund. The only problem is that we must have enough time to earn. Should our time run out earlier than expected, we can only count on whatever that's accumulated, plus some interests. Thankfully, we could use a "special account" that guantee the desired funds even if your time runs outs. All you need to do is to transfer your regular savings into our account, and see it grow.

Some useful references

Singapore to get its 5th and 6th universities

http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/singapore-get-its-5th-and-6th-universities-20120826

"The schools were chosen because they work closely with industry and focus on applied degrees" - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced at the National Day Rally on Sunday night that both the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and UniSIM would become universities. SIT will expand places and begin awarding degrees while UniSIM will add full-time programmes.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Room for more graduates

"By 2020, as much as 50 per cent of each cohort will enter university."

http://www.todayonline.com/Hotnews/EDC120829-0000061/Room-for-more-graduates

What do you want to happen to your business when you die or retire?

Now that we know the importance of setting up the funded succession plan, (Business Succession Planning) I believe that many business owners would very much prefer to have a proper plan drafted so that they are guaranteed of their effort they have put in. Security and stability are two important pillars in a succession plan.

Many years back, while I was attending the LUTC certification, I attempted an assigned action project in the Business Continuity Module. In that project, I had interviewed with a few business owners and informed them the intention of the meeting. Not too bad, I managed to secure a few appointments.

"Dear Business Owners, what do you want to happen to your business due to your retirement or upon your early demise?"

That was what I asked. They were taken aback. They are too busy making money. They are experts in making money. They didn't really think about these issues at all. They wasn't really aware of it too. So I shared with them what I've learned during the course; explaining the possible outcomes which might not be desirable. And I got to explain the 3 common options available:

Keep the business. One option is to keep the business in the family. Is that a possibility? Would you want to keep the business in the family? Which family members would you like to have own your share of the business? Who would run the business on a day-to-day basis in your place? Have you talked to him or her about it? Is he or she willing? Able to run the business? Are heirs and surviving owners compatible? How much annual profit or loss do you estimate over the next five years? Would you want to guarantee these profits to your family? For how long? Would your death cause other outstanding monetary needs?

Sell the business. Another option, a popular one, is to sell the business as a going concern. Would you want to sell your share of the business to the other owners, and have them buy out your family members?  To whom would you to sell your share? Are they willing to buy? Do they want to buy? What would the price and terms of payment be?  How will it be funded? Would the buyout be a legally enforceable agreement?

Liquidate the business. The third option is to close down the business and sell the assets for cash. How does that sound to you?  How much would you sell the business for today?  How much would the company lose in a forced liquidation  versus what it would have sold for as a going business? Do you have any other business-related debts?  Do you want to pass them along to your heir at your death?  What arrangements have you made to see that your objectives are carried out?

With these three options, it has helps me to assist business owners to build, to protect and to grow their legacy. In business, just like fighting a war, we need both the shield (the protection arm) and the sword (the investment arm) to protect and grow our fort! By engaging financial planner, their immediate role as an adviser to assit business owners to protect and to build their business "empire"!

Business Owners, have you funded your Succession Plan?

As business grows, it’s quite common for closely-held business owners to channel the profits to be reinvested into their business to fund growth. Hence, a significant part of their total asset portfolio is invested in the business. So much so that often business owners see their value in the business as their “default CPF” which they assume will be available on retirement.

Personally, there is a likely risk involved in this strategy as that investment is vulnerable to “break up”, whether for a voluntary reason, i.e. retirement, or for an involuntary reason, i.e. upon their untimely death or their disability to continue in running the business due to contracting a critical illness and long-term injury.

When there is no business succession plan in place, the business break up can cause confusion, conflicts and potentially put significantly assets at risk. All business relationship will inevitably come to an end.

So what is business succession planning about?

Briefly, business succession involves planning for the smooth transfer and succession of the business interests of business owners for both voluntary and involuntary situation, as mentioned. It is advisable to work with your financial planner to identify the possibilities and plan for the desired outcome. Putting legal agreements and funding in place before they are needed is simply good planning to protect what can often be a very large investment and a significant portion of the total assets.

There are two legal agreements available to cater for these departure possibilities. An Exit Agreement covers the issues surrounding a voluntary departure, e.g. retirement, while a Buy/Sell Agreement covers off involuntary departures caused by death, total and permanent disablement or critical illness.

When a partner voluntarily leaves, the Exit Agreement stipulates terms such as the valuation method, perhaps a discount to that because of the early departure and the payment terms e.g. the agreed amount is paid down over three years. With Exit Agreement this payment is funded by the remaining partner, and is often structured so that it is equivalent to the extra profit retained.

However, when someone’s departure is caused by death or disablement, the funding is usually via insurance. This is where the financial planner has a vital role to play, and to put protection in place for those involuntary exits.

What would happen to the business if one of the partners could never work again? How long would they be prepared to support each other if one of them became critically ill? Would they be happy to work with their partner’s spouse if their partner could no longer work in the business? These are the common issues that business owners would ponder and funding a Buy/Sell agreement would be an excellent foresight.

What is the Buy/Sell Agreement?

The Buy/Sell Agreement is a devise used commonly for purposes of business succession to provide smooth transfer of business interests to the surviving business partners upon a “trigger” event. The agreement will state the terms and conditions for the sales and purchase of business interests upon the trigger event of a co-owner’s death, disability, retirement, withdrawal from the business or other events. The main objective of such an agreement is to ensure that the business continues with good standing and the outgoing owner’s beneficiaries receive the fair market price for the sale or the transferred of the business interest.

How does the Buy/Sell agreement work?

In most cases, the Buy/Sell agreement comes into effect on the payment of an insurance claim for death, total and permanent disablement (TPD) or critical illness to one of the owners. And the agreement would enforce the transfer of their share to the other co-owners or surviving partners.

To illustrate my point: Harry and Barry have a buy/sell agreement that stipulates if one of them dies or becomes TPD, the other receives their share of the business. In this instance, Harry dies and the buy/sell agreement is triggered by the payment of the insurance proceeds. Harry’s life policy is paid out to his estate, and Barry in turn receives Harry’s 50% share of the business, at no cost!

Now it may sound odd that Barry receives the shares for no cost, but keep in mind that both parties are in equal position when the agreement is drawn up. It could happen to either one of them. The critical element is the insurance proceeds. This helps ensure the ‘departing’ partner and his or her family receives an amount equal to the value of the business, as desired and planned.

Imagine if there is no agreement or no insurance in the first place.

How to fund the agreement?

Self-ownership is one preferred option for a number of reasons. If a partner dies, his estate receives the insurance proceeds, tax free. With a Buy/Sell agreement in place, his share in the business then transfers to the remaining partner(s). Such an instance becomes a timely investment – money is available when it is needed most. It is straight forward approach and simple to understand, so it’s easy for business owners to act.

Next, with a properly drafted Buy/Sell agreement it is also possible to combine an individual’s different insurance needs into the one policy e.g. business funding, debts owed to the business, family needs, etc. Under these self-owned policy would reduce the cost for the client.

Self-owned policies also reduce the risk of a bankruptcy or insolvency soaking up the insurance. With cross-owned or company owned policies there is always a risk that if the other partner is bankrupt or the business is insolvent at the time, the proceeds would be directed straight to creditors and the estate or partner could miss out.

Having a trust is another option although this needs to be treated with caution. This is where a special purpose trust is established to own the insurance policies, with the trustee’s only duty being to pass on assets to the appropriate beneficiaries. These are sometimes used where there are a large number of partners, and there is a chance that over time, one or more will depart and other will join. Rather than having to amend the buy/sell agreement every time a change in ownership occurs, these changes are managed via a register attached to the Trust, where the change in owners and policies can be noted. It also reduces the cost as an individual’s different needs, as mentioned above, can be combines into one policy, reducing policy fees.

The Trust need to be properly drafted with the business purpose in mind to ensure that the trustee performs no other duty other than pass on the insurance proceeds to the appropriate beneficiaries. Other issues to be considered include the potential annual fees associated with a third party acting as a trustee and possibly taking a percentage of the proceeds.

What if the insurance funding is prohibited?

Sometimes, financial planner can’t get insurance for one of the partners or the loading is prohibitive due to health reasons. This is where an Exit Agreement has an additional role to play.

Let’s say there are three partners – Anne, Bob and Chris. They can all get life cover but Bob can’t get TPD cover. The life cover can be implemented for all three partners, to be supported with a buy/sell agreement to ensure the shares are transferred in the event if one of them dying. A TPD payment can also be included as trigger event however it will obviously not be applicable in the event of Bob suffering a total and permanent disablement. In this instance, the Exit Agreement can be used to cover Bob suffering a total and permanent disablement. If Bob can no longer work due to stroke as an example, Anne and Chris can force him to transfer his shares to them and he in turn will need to receive a payment from them. Obviously that won’t be funded by insurance but terms payments and possibly a discount to a value can be written into the contract to make it easier for the remaining partners.

While this might not be as ideal as insurance funding, it does provide the other business owners with some comfort that should Bob suffer a total and permanent disablement that they have an agreement in place to deal with it.

It’s critical that business partners implement business succession plans to protect what often represents a large proportion of their total wealth. More often than not a large number of businesses might not have such plans in place.

So, business owners would engaged financial planner who understand their business to facilitate this business succession planning, to provide a funding solution via insurance in the event of the death, total and permanent disablement or critical illness of the partners. Without proper planning, business owners are not guaranteed of their effort they have put in. Lastly, to the business owners, what do you really want to happen to your business due to your retirement or early demise?

财经追击 Money Week, 理财101 (解答理财疑问) on 1 Sep 2012 @ Channel U

Money Week Episode 21 @ 1 Sep 2012

I was featured in this episode for <<财经追击 Money Week>>. So how was it started? I recalled....

One morning, I think it's about 3 weeks ago, while we are having our usual breakfast session, Ms. Michelle Ee, our Insurance Director, asked me to address the following financial situation w.r.t. debt management. And that's how I got "famous".

Nevertheless, I enjoy the shooting and got to know new friends and appreciate the importance of Business Mandarin. I must take this opportunity to thank Mr. Liu Zhipeng and his team for being so patient with me during the shoot. Also Mr. Eg Yi Fan, a brilliant gentleman and an amazing listener who is able to understand my explanation on the tedious loan calculation during our tele-conversation.  

So what was the question?

Audience : Let's address him as X

Subject: Tuition Fee Loan

"I just graduated from a local university with a interest-free tuition fee loan when I was a full-time student. However, my loan which is about S$50,000 will be interest-bearing from 1st August 2012.

The interest rate will be at prime lending rate (board rate) at 4.75% per annum.

I can choose to pay a minimum amount of S$100 monthly for a maximum of 5 years.

I can also choose to defer payment till August 2014, which means I can start to pay S$100 monthly from 1st August 2014, but interest will still be incurred during the 2 years when I didn't make any monthly payment. (But of course I cannot choose to pay minimum of S$100 as this amount is not sufficient to fully repay everything within 5 years) Currently, I have a total liquid assets of S$100,000 including:

S$35,000 cash

S$15,000 fixed deposit (matured in July 2013)

S$50,000 of stocks (most of them are blue chips, high-yield such as Singtel, Starhub, SPH, Singpost and REITS which are now all above at least 10% above the price I had bought) I would like to ask if I should pay all the S$50,000 before the interest commence, or should I do otherwise? Thanks!"

So about 20 minutes later, I got it written on my ipad and send her the draft.

"Hi Michelle,

As spoken, if X want to be debt free, then I would suggest he fully paid off his loan.

This is one of the options.

Next, he could paid off his loan over the next five years, if he want to feel "cash-asset".

So with this available cash at hand, he could invest his money to get a better return, subject to his risk appetite. Five years is a reasonable horizon to get his money invested. 

However, first thing first.

Debt is not an issue, it is managing the debt that might post a potential issue.

So first question is to find out whether he can afford to pay the $100 monthly repayment.

If he can, then the next question is how comfortable is he to pay the extra on his monthly repayment? Meaning to say, have a higher monthly repayment, say $200 per month. This will shorten the loan tenure.

If he preferred to be debt free, my answer is obvious as mentioned earlier.

Second question is the debt is manageable, then it's a question of what is his attitude towards investment risk?

Cash in one hand, loan on the other. Then he need to ascertain his target rate of return for his money to work for him. In this case, the loan rate is 4.75%, so if he is targeting to get that extra 20%, then his targeted rate of return shall be at least 5.7%. (4.75% x 120%)

He can't get these type of returns without taking any risk!

Michelle, I must say you have set me thinking. Thank you.

Sent from my iPad, Chew Hock Beng @ 93897195 @ LinkedIn @ Google+ @ Twitter"

After that I got my helpful colleguae, Ms. Angela Dou, to translate it to Mandarin.

"如果 X 不想有债务在身，我建议他一次性付清他的贷款，这是其中一个选择。

如果他想持有现金资产，那他可以选择在5年内还清贷款。

当手上持有现金资产时， 他可以根据自身的风险偏好，用这笔现金进行适当的投资，来取得更好的投资回报。我认为5年的时间是一个合理的投资期。

然而，首先要了解的是：

债务本身不是问题，问题是如何管理债务，不当的管理会带来潜在的问题。

所以，首先要了解，X 是否可以承担每个月100块的分期付款债务。如果他可以，那么接下来就是要了解，他是否愿意增加每月还款额，比如说，每个月还200块，这样可以缩短他的贷款期限。

如果他不想有债务在身，正如我 之前所讲的，他可以选择一次性付清贷款。

债务是可以管理的，问题是他在面对投资风险时的态度和承受能力。

如果他既有现金资产，又有贷款，在进行投资时，他需要确定一个目标投资回报率。在这个案例中，贷款利率是 5.00% (4.75%)，如果他想获得格外的20%的回报，那么他的目标投资回报率至少要在 6.00% (5.7%) 以上。要想获得投资回报，不要承担风险是不可能的。"

So the shooting starts.... And I landed myself featured on the show 
<<财经追击 Money Week, 理财101 (解答理财疑问)>> at Channel U on 1 Sep 2012 @ 7 p.m.,
or catch me at xinmsn video.

Dear Business Owner, what do you want to happen to your business when you die or retire?

Let's see how this poll could cast an insight on the type of planning do the business owners have done for themselves.

I'm be looking forward to the results, do you not?
I will be drafting an article on business succession planning.
Stay tune for more.

What do you do with your CPF?

The Central Provident Fund (CPF) is a comprehensive social security savings plan that has provided many working Singaporeans with a sense of security and confidence in managing their finance. There are 5 main areas which listed in the poll where you could make full use of your CPF to create, protect, enhance, preserve & distribute your CPF.

The objective of this particular poll is to find out which area of planning is your main concern based on your current life stage. 

Do you know what is the current amount for CPF MSS?

In the first place, what is CPF MSS?

It is the Central Provident Fund Minimum Sum Scheme.
The objective is to provide a basic standard of living for the CPF members in Singapore to be able to receive a constant stream of income from their CPF fund when they reach age 65 (currently the retirement age).

So what is the current CPF Minimum Sum?
I will encourage you to take part in the LinkedIn Polls and make a guess. Let's find out how many will get the correct answer. Meanwhile, I will be sharing more on this scheme and how we are going to handle certain issues on retirement planning. Feel free to ask and comment.

How it could benefit us when we get to enjoy our retired years.
Or are we going to retired from our enjoyment altogether?

Position available: Financial Consultant (Independent Financial Adviser Representative)

I'm sourcing for dedicated people who want to serve the financial needs of the community. I will be selecting and providing our training system to the 10 suitable candidates to be equipped with financial knowledge and relevant skill to be competent Financial Consultant (Independent Financial Adviser Representative, a.k.a. IFA).

If you are highly-motivated, goal-oriented, and have a strong desire to serve the community, please don't hesitate to contact me. I believe that you would be the right person to be in this financial advisory profession.

Job Description

• To profile clients’ needs and provide them with purposeful financial consulting services.
• To acquire new clients through your own means or through our dynamic range of business development and sales activities.
• Actively promote and cross-sell a wide range of wealth management products - such as Structured Investment, Life Insurance, Personal and Commercial Insurance, Unit Trusts and Alternative Investment etc.
• Engage in business development activities, including client presentations, demos, proposal writing, and meetings.

Desired Skills & Experience

• Self-motivated, with a strong will to excel in a competitive environment.
• Diploma's holder, Bachelor’s degree or equivalent 2 years of marketing / sales experience. Accreditation in CMFAS Module 5, 8, 8A, 9, 9A & HI is highly preferred.
• Ability to effectively interact and communicate with a broad range of people.
• Able to take initiative and work well in a team environment.
• Pleasant personality and good learning attitude.
• Applicable to Singaporean or Singapore PR age 21 years and above ONLY. 

Company Description

Financial Alliance is a leading and award-winningIndependent Financial Advisory Firm in Singapore. We are a one-stop centre offering one of the widest ranges of wealth management - including Islamic Wealth Management - and financial planning solutions available in the market to benefit our individual and corporate clients. We achieve this only by building our systems and infusing our people with a pro-client attitude, working with world class partners and insisting on a high level of competence and professionalism from our entire team.

Being one of the largest Independent Financial Advisory firms in Singapore, we have over 40,000 clients who reap tremendous value from the unbiased nature of our financial advice - that is, advice aligned to their specific needs and goals.

Additional Information

Type: Full-time

Experience: Entry level / Fresh Graduates, Experienced Bankers, Relationships Managers, Mortgage Officer,  Financial Advisers, Career Switch.

Functions: Financial Advisory, Planning & Consulting.

Industries: Financial Planning, Investment Management, Risk Management, Insurance & Protection Planning, Financial Services Advisory. 

Compensation: Revenue Sharing plus Productivity Bonus