Do you have S$9k in your Medisave?

If you have, then you most probably have enough to last to pay for an "as-charged" private medical insurance plan (approved by Ministry of Health) til age 65. This is calculated on the following basis:-

a) that CPF interest rates for Medisave account remains about 4% p.a for the next few decades;
b) that premiums for the private medical insurance plans do not increase substantially as a result of "claim experience";

Similiarly, I calculated the NPV of the rider plans and plotted them on the following chart:

For reference, please refer to my previous article:-
http://www.waynekoh.com/2007/11/as-charged-medical-plan-takes-load-off.html

To have an exact calculation of your very own, simply email the following to waynekohwg@gmail.com: -

a) Subject heading: Shield Cal
b) Name:
c) Date of birth:
d) Marital status:
e) Number of kid(s) you have:

OR fill out this online form

and I'll email a one-page "shield cal" to you. FOC. See sample below.

Yes, I deserve better!

The latest marketing campaign by MobileOne Limited, "udeservebetter.sg" has not come at a better time than now, which is most suitable for my feelings now, "PISSED". Yes, definitely I deserve better than be PISSED.

"....27 April2008- M1's CEO Neil Montefiore, led some 40 M1 employees on a street survey to collect feedback from shoppers and visitors on Orchard Road..... "

If I were to be approached by him, I would say I am very PISSED with M1 + Nokia.

Let's recollect my anger journey:-

- Nov 2007, I bought a Nokia E51 from M1 shop; Price: $238
- In less than 8 weeks, I saw M1's advert on the papers that published "$98" or "$88" (can't recall now) for the exact same model!. --PISSED #1
- The $98 / $88 advert went on another few weeks, felt ripped off -- PISSED #2
- About 2-3 weeks ago, my E51 went blank and did not respond to any resuscitation whatsoever --PISSED #3
- Went without a fully-functional phone for a week, (by now, my definition of a fully-functional phone goes by: reading Avantgo, listening to podcast and MP3, downloading gmails, surfing websites wirelessly) --PISSED #4
- Went to collect the "repaired" phone a week later. (Only happy for next 2 days)
- On the third morning after getting the "repaired" phone, my E51 suddenly couldn't "find network" for more than an hour; I got more than 10 missed call alert (SMS) after I switched the SIM card to a low-tech phone.-- PISSED#5
- Last Friday, the M1 Mobile Broadband that I got a couple of months ago decided to go on strike. I was out of connection for more than 70 minutes, and all I accomplished during that 70 minutes was send out ONE miserable email. I was in urgent need to send some quotations to my clients then. --PISSED#6
- I went to www.m1.com.sg to log in my unhappiness :-( going through tons & tons of online forms (To M1: can you simplify the questioning process?)
- I received a few emails from "cussvc@m1.com.sg" (automated reply) --PISSED #7
- I was asked to provide information about the incident, so I said "ok", and went to the link provided, http://csfeedback.m1.com.sg/jsp/email.jsp
- To my horror, I had to go through the same "questioning" I suffered last friday!-- SUPER PISSED#8
- I closed the link and decided to write on my blog instead at 2.00am.

M1, please be more human in your customer service, I deserve to be served by a human being and not some online "questioning" or rather "interrogation". This is the last time I am filling out such "LO-SO" forms on your website.

CNG food?

No, it's not the CNG you think it is.
Amid the recent high food inflation and record prices of rice, it is a relief to find some businesses in Singapore that do not raise prices but attempt to sell more in place of thinning profits. (薄利多销）。


Today I came across the Straits Times and saw an article on the launch of a community website, www.ekampong.com.sg ; in particular, the article zooms in on the "cheap and good" food people can have access to in Bedok, see www.ekampong.com.sg/cngfood.htm
(note: the file is named "cngfood.htm", which I supposed means "Cheap and Good Food". :-)

Good for the folks at Bedok!
Info on Bedok, Singapore: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedok
And yes, you can type "bedok" and locate it in Google Earth!

Quotes (017-2008)

".....People are happier if they don't look at their portfolios too often, because there are always missed opportunities."

----- IAIN EWING,
in an interview with Sunday Times Apr2008 -----

Try out new ways.....upd (chart)

Try out new ways.....upd 20Apr2008

Date Start: 1Jan2008 (re-based)
NAV = $4621.32 as of date 20Apr2008
Returns annualized = -23.0%
Returns to-date (since 1Jan2008) = -7.57%

The Ten Big Investment Themes for 2008 - Credit Suisse 15Apr2008

Theme One: Frontier Markets

Theme Two: Asian Currencies

Theme Three: US Presidential Elections

Theme Four: Inflation-Linked Bonds

Theme Five: Chinese Brand Names

Theme Six: Climate Change

Theme Seven: Commodities

Theme Eight: Community Investment

Theme Nine: Cheap Distressed Assets

Theme 10: Quality Credits

Click here for full article.

Income tax and SRS

Click to enlarge

Did some income tax calculation and developed this chart as a result, something which I think would be good to share.

Some numbers, in particular, the SRS contribution amount for chart above:-

For chargeable income above $31,475, the SRS contribution amount is $11,475 (cap)

For chargeable income within the range of $20,001 - $31,474.90, the SRS contribution amount is in the range of $1 -$11,474.90 respectively.

For more writings on SRS, please see http://www.waynekoh.com/search/label/Supplementary-Retirement-Scheme-SRS

Ultra High Inflation

Try out new ways.....upd 6Apr2008

Date Start: 1Jan2008 (re-based)
NAV = $4566.00 as of date 6Apr2008
Returns annualized = -29.2%
Returns to-date (since 1Jan2008) = -8.68%

Quotes (016-2008)

"........I could, of course, tell you their names. But then I would have to kill you."

----- A pinch of humor from Warren Buffett's
2006 annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders -----

MMF update

This is a follow-up to MMF rtn vs Bank deposit rates which I will post on a monthly basis from now.
Remarks: $1,000 parked in MMF would have yielded $3.83 more than savings rates YTD since 1st Jan2008. Other figures as shown above. 谢谢。

Quotes (015-2008)

"The enemy of a good plan is the quest for a perfect plan because the quest for a perfect plan is an endless journey. The minutiae bog people down. They start to suffer from analysis paralysis, and nothing gets accomplished. Fight the urge to be perfect...."

----- Richard A. Ferri, CFA, Author of "ALL ABOUT ASSET ALLOCATION" -----