Aug 2016 Portfolio

Recently, DBS got scarred by Swiber bonds when it filed for bankruptcy. This incidents opened up a can of worms, it seems that DBS are doing leveraged Swiber 7% bond sale for its wealthy customers. Eg it allows 50% loan for its customers who buy Swiber high dividend bond if they buy at least $250k worth of bond and DBS will lend them another $250k, total $500k to buy Swiber bonds. Customers will then earn dividends on the leveraged bond. Pretty good idea right? But of course the unexpected happened when oil price sinked and Swiber wind up. DBS had a 6% dent in its profit and this caused its share price to drop below $15. Then I see it as a good opportunity to buy DBS! haha crazy right? This is my first bank stock and I think that this Swiber incident will just be a scratch to DBS and it will recover in the long term.


STI vs my portfolio

My portfolio is still hovering in the negative region :( but good news is that I beat STI at least a consolation prize :)

Period	STI	My Portfolio (Realised)	Verdict
Jan 2016	-20.78%	-15.15%	I win
Feb 2016	-18.98%	-12.11%	I win
Mar 2016	-13%	-8.28%	I win
Apr 2016	-13.55%	-6.50%	I win
May 2016	-14.46%	-6.27%	I win
Jun 2016	-12.95%	-5.18%	I win
Jul 2016	-13.25%	-4.07%	I win
Aug 2016	-13.86%	-4.27%	I win

Total 23 stocks in portfolio



Aug is the 2nd best month to collect dividends after May. This month I got quite a handful of dividends from my portfolio.



Checkout my Dividend history

Dividend Stock Tracker
I keep track of good SGX dividend stocks such as 10 years consistent SGX dividend stocks, REITs, Business Trusts, etc with real time information update. Checkout the link below:
Checkout my Dividend Tracker

Singapore's First Olympic Champion

My daughter and I was watching the news about Singapore sending a small team to compete in the Olympic Games. My daughter mentioned why send our Singapore team there when there's really no chance of winning. I replied in a diplomatic way that well, we still need to try and gain experience from it. Maybe one day, Singapore might win a gold medal back.

Then, when I knew Joseph Schooling got 1st in the 100m men's butterfly semi-finals and beat Micheal Phelps who came in 2nd. I said OMG, this could be it. There's a chance Singapore might get a gold medal in this Olympic Games! Dont have to wait for any more 4 years.

That Saturday morning, I woke up early and witnessed the history! First time we got a gold medal and first time that our National Anthem was played live in the Olympic Games! Hooray! Congrats Joseph Schooling!

During the recent SEA games hosted by Singapore I wrote a post about Gold Silver Bronze medalist who is the happiest?. Well, this time, there is only 1 happiest person in the world and 3 unhappy silver medalists :)

Then I happened to watch a short video about Joseph Schooling on how he got a scholarship in University of Texas training as a swimmer and having to attend classes and swim hard in the day time and then to study and revise his studies till late night. It certainly wasnt an easy path to be a Olympic Champion.

It certainty will not be a easy path to achieve our golden financial freedom but through hard work and perseverance I can do it too :) I can be the happiest person in the world too :)

Grace Groner: US Secret Millionaire with US$7 Million Fortune

What if I tell you to just buy 1 solid dividend blue chip when you start working and keep on buying and reinvesting your dividend into it and you will end up a millionaire when you retired? Could you believe it?

Well a lady, Grace Groner from Illinois did it, along with other ingredients.

1. A bit of luck. Its a single stock investment which expose you to concentration risk. Luckily the only stock she had was Abbott Laboratories and not Enron, we know that Enron went bankrupt.

2. Live till ripe old age to allow your investment to compound and multiply. She lived up to 100 years old.

3. Stay employed for as long as possible. She worked at Abbott Laboratories for 43 years. This is her active income in which she kept investing in Abbott.

4. Frugal. Lead a very simple life, wore secondhand clothes, didn't own a car and lived in a modest one bedroom cottage with no children or grand children.

The US$7 million was donated to Lake Forest University earning $300,000 a year in interest alone will provide for the students with scholarships and internship. Very noble and meaningful indeed.