Happy Chinese New Year And Some Quick Updates

Happy Lunar New Year to all readers!

It has been almost 4 months since my last post so hopefully there remains a couple of hundred of yr still hanging around this blog…

1. Owning 2 HDB Flats

We bought a resale 5-room flat in Punggol in November and have been owners of 2 HDB flats for the past 3 months. Yes, paying for two mortgages so that has been a huge cash drain.

Thankfully, if there are no hiccups, we should be able to officially sell our current 5-room flat in Punggol by March.

And yes, you did not read wrongly, it is one 5-room flat in Punggol for another 5-room flat in Punggol. We paid an extra $100k more for a slightly newer flat, slightly higher floor, and slightly better location. Probably have to allocate another $100k for renovations and furnishing.

But I believe it is all going to be worth it when we move into our new place in May.

2. No More STI ETF

We had to sell some investments in order to cover for the downpayment of the second flat and besides taking some profits on the US tech stocks (bad decision on hindsight), I sold all our STI ETF holdings.

The STI ETF has not been a great hold for the past decade and it was a huge drag on the 15HWW Permanent Portfolio. The subconscious desire to stick to the portfolio’s genesis was irrational since it made me very resistant to cutting it. In the end, it was a relief to be finally rid of it.

Probably also helps explain why I have not been providing updates of that portfolio on the blog.

3. Life Stage And Parenting

We are in our late thirties. Our wealth (especially relative to income) and runway to FI/retirement means we share common grounds with folks in their late forties or even fifties. However, the fact that we have a young toddler puts us in the category of new parents, a community mostly filled by young adults in their late twenties or early thirties.

Quite interesting to traverse between the two.

Honestly, I have found parenting to be quite challenging. Fulfilling, yes, but my energy can be sapped very quickly by my boy, especially with regards to fretting over him.

He displays some atypical behaviour and is facing developmental delays/challenges. Therefore, we have placed his well-being and learning needs above almost everything else, mostly at the expense of our already meagre social lives. To those who feel shut out, I sincerely apologise.

With our best efforts, I am optimistic that he will turn out ok.

Thank you for reading.

Now that I have kickstarted the engine again, should be able to delve deeper into each of the above topics over the next few weeks. Stay tuned.