Weekend Reading: 15-21 August 2015

To understand the genesis behind this weekly series, click here.

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The Market Is Crashing! What Should You Do?

As I am writing this article, the Straits Times Index has dipped below the critical 3,000 mark. The market has dropped close to 20% even though a high of 3540 was achieved as recent as April 2015.

Honestly, I feel the pain. With a $200,000 portfolio, it does hurt to see the value decrease by $1-$2k almost on a daily basis for the past couple of weeks.

But it really doesn’t make sense to “Buy High, Sell Low” right? In these times, instead of allowing ourselves to become emotional and sell everything to stop the pain, one should try to access his/her rational mind. Yes, I am going to do more buying than selling if this goes on.

And I believe by reading the articles below, you should be able to make sounder decisions:

Thoughts On The Market Volatility And Market Timing (BigFatPurse)

Pacing Your Buying Activities (2) & Start Actioning (Forever Financial Freedom)

The Real Life Roller Coaster (Compounding Wealth Through Sensible Investing) 

Frugality Works

About Frugal Daddy (Frugal Daddy)

I am a big fan of social mobility in Singapore. And this guy Frugal Daddy is a good example of rising through the ranks despite being born in a low income family. And unlike SG Chan Chun Sing, he isn’t academically inclined and can be regarded as a late bloomer.

However, through sheer hard work and of course frugality, Frugal Daddy has beaten the odds and amassed a tidy sum in his savings and annuities. He aims to be financially independent before the age of 40 so that he can spare more time with his daughter.

I don’t know about you, but I am impressed.

Do You Have Expensive Tastes? (Got Money Got Honey)

I hate truffle fries. I can’t stand the smell and honestly, if given a choice, I would always choose MacDonald’s fries dipped in chilli sauce over a plate of “pungent” fries. And you can easily replace “truffle fries” with wine, caviar or sea urchins without a change in the conclusion.

I am glad that I generally don’t have expensive tastes as they are not conducive to wealth-building. In his article, GMGH mentioned how all young yuppies are so into diving and that even with a genuine interest, he could shift his taste away from this “expensive hobby”.

All right, let’s see if I can have less meat the next month.

Interviews

Since there’s quite a few interviews this week and to avoid you reading just my (rather lengthy) reflections, here’s my general take on interviews:

It’s one of the most efficient way to find out the philosophy of that person and pick out their nuggets of wisdom.

Entrepreneur “Needs Wife’s Approval” For Big Purchases – Me & My Money (The Sunday Times)

Giraffe’s Coffee With Bully The Bear: Frugality, Wizard & Island (Giraffe Value)

Others

How Much Do You Need To Earn Before You Even Think Of Buying A Car In Singapore (BigFatPurse)

As COE supply gradually increases, many are anticipating car prices to drop rather significantly in the next few months. Many of my peers (late 20s, early 30s) had waited a few years for this opportunity but do they really have what it takes to afford a car comfortably?

In this comprehensive analysis where Alvin added up the costs of owning a car from the monthly installments to the servicing costs and even car washes, I was surprised to find out that even for the cheapest car in the market, the monthly cost way exceeded $1,500.

And it’s disappointing to realise that I have never earned enough to have afforded one. But well, luckily, I never really needed one so far.

How Does Living To 120 Years Old Gonna Affect Us Wealth Wise? (Investment Moats)

I think most of us estimate our longevity till age 80 or maybe even 100. How about if you knew that you would live till 120? What would you change for your financial plans?

I don’t know about you, but if I were to live till 120, I am going to max out my CPF LIFE to ensure that the stream of payouts continue for life. And yes, life insurances would start to make more sense at those ages, since term insurance (if you need it then) would become exorbitantly expensive, as indicated by Kyith.

What’s Your Real Cashback? (Got Money Got Honey)

Unlike GMGH, I use the OCBC 365 Card in conjunction with the OCBC 360 Account. I believe that most of my expenditure is on food so it makes more sense to use that instead of the Frank card.

Hey, but maybe I am wrong? I am actually surprised that I haven’t done an effective cashback rate for our household and I am inspired to find out soon. Stay tuned. Oh gosh, I have a huge backload of posts!

What Can We Learn About Stocks From Bonds? (The Boring Investor)

Ok, I admit. This article is slightly technical. But if you read through each paragraph slowly, you might be able to sieve out some nuggets of wisdom from this experienced and earnest investor to tide through this market downturn.

Bonds with lower bond maturity, higher coupon rates and less default risk are less volatile to interest rate changes. How can this knowledge be applied to sieve out resilient stocks?

Click the link above to find out more. It’s a really short article.

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