Showing posts with label Annuity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Annuity. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

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.



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.




Sunday, September 9, 2012

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.



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 Harper2010, 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

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Helpful Financial Tools in our Resource Center

7CAPITAL Resource Center provides some useful spreadsheets to help you in understanding your personal finance. This mind map tool provide direction and could lead you to spreadsheets that might be applicable to your situation. Side by side, explanation notes & illustrations, which is linked within my blog, helps to explain certain financial planning concepts. Hence, this would lead you to understand your current personal financial situation so that you could arrive your ultimate financial destination "safe & sound'. The available tools would determine how you are going to achieve your financial goal. BTW, going through the financial planning process required your conscious discipline, as my coach once told me, "Hock Beng, we can't build muscles by lifting feathers."

Do come back for more as I would be updating this mind map as whenever new stuffs (tools, applications, illustrations, templates) are ready and available for your references.

I hope that this reference would truly be a helpful resource for your personal financial well-being.


Create your own mind maps at MindMeister

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

What it takes to retire well?

Everyone wants to retire. But the truth, retirement planning is often overlooked and let chance to take place. So how do we ensure the joy and the fund would last?

3 pointers to share with you.

1. When should I start preparing for my retirement?

Right now. It's always good and easier to start early. In Singapore, most would prefer to retire at an average age 54, although the "national standard" is suggested at age 65 to counteract longevity risk, i.e. the risk of living too long. Some population experts has expected the recent expectancy would last another 30 - 40 years after retirement age!

The earlier you start, the more you could have.

2. How much money will I need when I retire?

This is not too difficult exercise. Attached worksheet (Disclaimers applies) would be a useful tools for you to find out your gap. A general rule of thumb in planning for retirement income is about 2/3 of your last drawn salary just before your targeted retirement age, in order to maintain your current standard of living. The big-ticket items such as your home mortgages and your children's tertiary education fees might be reduced or finished, you need to have enough income to fund daily household expenses and medical costs before you calculate how much is needed for traveling and pursuing hobbies.

Retiring well needs good planning.


3. Isn't CPF enough for me to retire on?

Think again. Will CPF be enough after which you have serviced your mortgage loan and pay your children's tertiary education? Whether is it enough also depends on your desired retirement lifestyle needs. Usually, the CPF LIFE would provide approximately 30% of your last take home salary before retirement.

For example, based on $100,000, the "CPF LIFE Income" option would gives you S$700 (estimates) a month for during your lifetime. This is an non-refundable plan provides the highest monthly payout than the other plans but does not leave anything for your beneficiaries. To be relevant, information is available @ https://www.cpf.gov.sg/cpf_trans/ssl/financial_model/lifecal/index.html &
http://mycpf.cpf.gov.sg/Members/Gen-Info/CPF_LIFE/CPF_LIFE

Longevity risk is something that cannot be ignored too.

Knowing what you want for your expected retirement lifestyle needs, fortunately, is a choice. Engage a Certified Financial Planner who gives quality and adhere to a holistic approach. You won't want to find out that you have not enough when the time arrived.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Reality Check - What have I done so far on my personal financial plan?

Recently, there is a lot "talks" on retirement, especially on CPF LIFE, CPF Lifelong Income For Elderly. Briefly, CPF LIFE will provide their members who are Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents an income for life. It is an improvement over the current Minimum Sum Scheme (MSS) where payouts only last about 20 years. Through this new scheme, members will receive a monthly income for as long as they live, the amount depending on the cash savings they have in their Retirement Account (RA). I welcome this initialization and getting Singaporean to enjoy their retirement future is challenging.

Unlike in the past, not too long ago, when I read magazines and come across prospects who think they are going to retire in 15 or 20 years with $250,00 or less in savings. Some even feel that it's not important at all. Wait and see is the most common norm. Whoa! These are something alarming and has to address these issues with immediate action and "care".

To keep things simple, the following questions might be a good pointers on how well you have been working on your personal financial plan.

[1] Can I retire comfortably at age XX?
[2] Will I have sufficient income when I retire?
[3] Will I have to alter my lifestyle when I retire?
[4] Will I have enough income to pay my medical expenses?
[5] Will my death or the death of my spouse affect our income?
[6] Will I be able to financially assist my parents/family members?
[7] Will I be able to help with the education for my children/grandchildren?

These seven questions are important questions that require your thoughtful answers and actions. Too often, as mentioned a numerous times, people brush them aside, thinking it will all work out fine. Putting things in perspective, these important inputs are critical elements to achieved your desired output, i.e. retirement funds that required a black box to process. One function of your black box would be your certified financial planner to ensure money is there when you've arrived.

Isn't it true that the only person who can take care of the older person we will be someday is the younger person we are today? And, whether we get to enjoy in our retirement, or we could retired from our enjoyment... it's a matter of choice.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Can you afford to retire comfortably?

Many of us would stop work between age 55 and 65. If you had started working from age 20 or 25, you would have worked for 30 to 45 years. Upon retirement, your income would come to an end. However, you would want to continue enjoying your golden age, retiring in style as a reward for all these years of hard work. In order to do so, there must be proper planning; to be able to accumulate an estate to provide for your retirement.
Many people delay planning for their retirement until they are about to retire. The major pitfall is that they have less time to accumulate what they need, and will most probably have to bear higher risks in their investment in the hope of getting higher returns. They would not be able to gain from the compounding effect of interest rates from long term investment.
For example, if you start at age 35, investing $2,000 a year with an average rate of return of 6% will give you $167,603 when you reach 65. But this figure will be more than $320,000 if you start at age 25.
Starting too late, putting aside too little, and being overly cautious can be very costly.
From the statistics, the aging population is going to increase tremendously. The younger population would have a very heavy burden of supporting them. Why not make it easier for the next generation by assuring your own financial independence and your own dignity as well. Twenty or thirty years down the road, some people would be financially independent and some would not be. They did not plan to fail, it’s just they failed to plan.
Would you agree that the only person that can take care of the financial needs of the older person we will be someday is the younger person we are now?
Plan today and start building your retirement fund.