Life was difficult and I wondered if Santa Claus existed.

Many things people want to have or suggest that we have in Singapore are, in my opinion, luxuries for our very small country. 

We have no natural resources and our citizen population is going to shrink in future.





We can be idealistic but I believe in being pragmatic. Maybe, it has to do with the fact that my family almost went bankrupt at one time. 

I still remember the fear I went to bed with each night after my mother told me what being bankrupt meant. I was only 12 years old.

The many years that followed, life was much more difficult for my family but we pulled through eventually. 




My parents made many sacrifices to give us children whatever we needed in life, I am sure. Outwardly, things looked pretty normal but those years were probably very stressful for them.

To my parents' credit, they were self-reliant and did not see our MP to ask for help. 

I don't think it was something they even thought of. So silly, right? 

When they found out much later in life from a friend who migrated to Australia that unemployed Australians (especially if they had children) could get lots of financial help from their government, they were amazed. 

Why would people get paid for not doing any work?

We could cite cases of Singaporean families who must be careful with every single cent they have because they need to be and not because they want to be. My family was once like that.

I believe that we should try to help these families but not to the extent that they forget how to be self-reliant. I believe that they would rather receive help so that they can be self-reliant eventually. 







Of course, there will always be those who can never be self-reliant due to severe handicap but for those who have the potential to be self reliant, living life with dignity is definitely not about getting financial aid forever.

For those who have ample resources which can never be exhausted, being idealistic doesn't hurt. For those who are not in possession of such resources, it is better to be pragmatic than idealistic.

Does Santa Claus really exist? If he did exist, could he share with us the secret to the longevity of his financial resources?

常将有日思无日，莫将无时想有时.  
In the days of plenty, think of leaner days. During leaner times, do not dream of riches but work hard to gain wealth. 
Related posts:
1. Do you want to be richer?
2. How to have a comfortable retirement?
3. How much emergency fund should we have?

A chit chat session with AK on REITs.

This was a recent chat with a reader on some aspects of REITs:

• F

  
  

  AK, i read your S-REITs postings and your aims amp reit

  
  
• 5:46pm

  
  
  

  
  
  

  but given the conservative outlook for the industrial sector

  
  

  
  
  

  it will undeniably affect them i'm sure

  
  

  
  
  

  what's your thoughts?

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
• and the decline in SG economy

• 

  6:21pm
  

  Assi AK

  
  

  
  

  Affect their unit price or affect their operations? Ask yourself.

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  What do you mean by conservative outlook for industrial sector?

  
  

  
  
  

  Decline in Singapore economy? Like how?

  
  

• 6:30pm
  

  F

  
  

  
  

  Their operations

  
  

  
  
  

  Rentals may not remain at optimum capacity

  
  

  
  
  

  The management statement in their AR

  
  
• 
  

• 

  6:35pm
  

  Assi AK

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  What is optimum capacity of rentals?

  
  

• 6:36pm
  

  F

  
  

  
  
  

  100% lo

  
  

• 

  6:36pm
  

  Assi AK

  
  

  
  

  that is maximum occupation

  
  

  
  
  

  ok, I am beginning to understand your question

  
  

• 6:37pm
  

  F

  
  

  
  

  Maximum is optimal mah

  
  

• 

  6:37pm
  

  Assi AK

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  nope

  
  

• 6:37pm
  

  F

  
  
  

  
  
  

  No?? Why would you want to have empty units?

  
  

• 

  6:38pm
  

  Assi AK

  
  

  
  

  I didn't say that either

  
  

• 6:38pm
  

  F

  
  

  
  

  Confused

  
  

• 

  6:40pm
  

  Assi AK

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  If you own a store that sells mee Siam and let us say you have a capacity to cook 1000 plates a day. And you sell out every single day because you sell at $1 a plate. Are you optimising profits when a price consumers are willing to pay is $2 a plate?

  
  

• 6:41pm
  

  F

  
  

  
  
  

  No.

  
  

• 

  6:41pm
  

  Assi AK

  
  

  
  
  

  Wouldn't it be better to sell at $2 a plate and maybe just sell 800 plates a day?

  
  

• 6:41pm
  

  F

  
  

  
  
  

  Yes

  
  

  
  
  

  But if I can sell 1k played at 2 bucks

  
  

  
  
  

  Better

  
  

• 

  6:42pm
  

  Assi AK

  
  

  
  

  Of course. smile emoticon

  
  

  
  
  

  It is never as simple as a matter of achieving full occupancy means optimum performance. That is the point I am making.

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  maximum occupancy might not mean optimum performance

  
  

• 6:45pm
  

  F

  
  

  
  

  Ok.....

  
  

  
  
  

  But management has conceded themselves that performance might be weaker in coming fY

  
  

  
  
  

  What are your thoughts

  
  

• 

  6:52pm
  

  Assi AK

  
  

  
  

  I will leave them to do their jobs. So far, they have performed very well and I hope they continue to deliver. Our job as investors is to monitor and as long as the investment performs to our satisfaction, that is good enough reason to stay invested. What is good enough will depend on what we want out of an investment.

  
  

• 

  6:53pm
  

  Assi AK

  
  

  
  
  

  If you don't feel comfortable enough to be invested, it is best to stay out.

  
  

• 6:53pm
  

  F

  
  

  
  
  

  Hmmmmmmmmmm

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  I'm just wondering if prices might go lower

  
  

  
  
  

  In light of possible decline in revenue

  
  

  
  
  

  Got value

  
  

  
  
  

  But I'm uncertain on what is a good price to enter

  
  

• 

  6:54pm
  

  Assi AK

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  I will leave the speculation to the speculators.

I don't always talk to myself, you know?

Related posts:
1. AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT: An opinion.
2. 6M 2015 passive income from S-REITs.

Should our charitable efforts not benefit foreigners?

There are causes I believe in. There are charities that I support. I also have a dream of setting up a charitable trust one day to help needy students. 

The ultimate aim is to improve the lives of the disadvantaged and their families through education. I didn't think that my efforts should benefit Singaporeans only.

In fact, we have many foreigners living amongst us who are making meaningful contributions to Singapore in many ways. We, Singaporeans, might or might not know it but we could even be calling some of them our friends.

Of course, there are bad hats, people with bad attitudes and ideas. There will always be such people. I have blogged about them. Someone from the U.K. and someone from the Philippines, for examples.

However, don't forget, some Singaporeans are bad hats too. Someone who is the namesake of a famous chocolate chip cookie brand, for example.

Many of us know that one of our more prolific hobbyist financial bloggers here in Singapore is from Indonesia and many Singaporeans follow his blog posts, I have no doubt. 

Are there anti-FTs amongst these Singaporean readers? 

Ouch. 

Yes, it should hurt.

OK, I have recently been warned to stay away from topics which are hot potatoes like this one (especially with the General Election fever running high) because there might be readers who could forget all the good I have done in almost 6 years through my blog.

Well, I can only hope that readers are more rational than that.

I am saying this earnestly.

(In case you are wondering, something that happened on Facebook today provided the catalyst for this blog post.)

Related post:
1. Another day in paradise.
2. Consider making a donation to help needy students.