Invest in Gold in Singapore

Now that gold prices are near 28 year highs driven by depreciation in the US dollar, economic uncertainty and actual demand by growing economies India and China, folks may be interested to invest in gold. Here are some of the ways:

1. Exchange Traded Fund or ETF of gold - Street Tracks Gold Fund (Stock code on Singapore stock exchange is 087 and the End of Day price as of 16 October is S$75.60. Alternatively folks who have US brokerage accounts like InteractiveBrokers can buy 'GLD' which is the stock code of the same fund listed in NYSE.

2. Unit trusts of gold mining companies and proxies - These may not be good proxies of gold price because there are many factors to consider including sale of fund commission, management fees, fundamentals of the component stocks in the fund etc. Unit trusts can be bought from Fundsupermart or asset management companies like UOB Asset Management.

3. Gold savings - many banks offer gold saving accounts. Its quite cute because you get literally a savings booklet that has a shiny gold cover. You can buy gold in grams and the amount you own will be recorded. There are monthly holding fees though.

4. Gold bullion - Gold bullion offers good alternatives because you own the physical stuff. They are better deal than gold jewellery because the latter's price usually includes worksmanship fee and its not pure. Gold bullion can be bought at local banks but only at the head offices. For example, there is a special counter at UOB main bank at Battery Road where you can buy bullion. Some things to note:

• Bring your IC because the bank will keep a record


• The gold they sell you may not be freshly minted (they are afterall tradeable and therefore could be 'secondhand') so you need to make sure they are not chipped or scratched


• Keep the receipt for the purchase because you can sell the bullion back to the bank but they will ask for the receipt and the bullion must be in good condition


• All of us cannot resist taking the bullion out to touch but for goodness sake don't drop it on the floor. That's because pure gold is very soft and will get scratched or dented. The bank may not accept back.


• If you really need to sell your bullion but the bank does not accept, then try another bank or go to a goldsmith.

Let us have a choice

I say NO to compulsory annuities.

Star Wars Parody

What are annuities?

"A financial product sold by financial institutions that is designed to accept and grow funds from an individual and then, upon annuitization, pay out a stream of payments to the individual at a later point in time. Annuities are primarily used as a means of securing a steady cash flow for an individual during their retirement years. "

A definition of annuities is provided in Investopedia.com.

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/annuity.asp


Look also at Life Annuity which is an annuity with a particular set of terms and conditions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_annuity

Government may make buying annuity compulsory: Lim Boon Heng

By Julia Ng, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 14 August 2007 1745 hrs

SINGAPORE : The government may make buying annuity compulsory, said Mr Lim Boon Heng, Minister-in-Charge of ageing issues.

Speaking to reporters after a National Day Observance ceremony at the Mitsuboshi Overseas Headquarters on Tuesday, Mr Lim said the government is looking to build the annuity component into Singapore's plan for the ageing population.

With longer life expectancy, Singaporeans will have to work longer, beyond the present retirement age of 62.

The government is considering a law on re-employment, to get employers to guarantee their employees a job once they reach 62.

But it may not necessarily be the same job or the same salary.

Mr Lim urged employers and employees to start preparing for the re-employment law as soon as possible.

This is because the law would provide only a framework and not spell out how re-employment should be done.

Besides working longer, another way to prepare for old age is to have a form of insurance that caters to a longer lifespan.

And one way to do this is by buying an annuity.

Said Mr Lim: "If you have a full minimum sum in CPF, when you withdraw the CPF, CPF will pay you $700 over a month. But it's for 20 years. At the end of 20 years, you'll have nothing to withdraw.

"If you buy an annuity, the insurance company will pay you less - $500 a month. But the insurance company will have to pay you for as long as you live. And if you live to 100 (years old), they'll have to continue paying you till you're 100. Therefore it's a lesser monthly sum but you're insured a little longer.

"We may have to make it compulsory for everyone, but I think for now, we should explain to people what annuities are and how people can benefit, to get people to understand it." - CNA /ls

REIT data for SGX and Bursa Malaysia listed reits

I am very interested to have found this extremely useful resource.

Most helpful with a glance at yield and gearing information.
SGX and Bursa-listed reits as well as high yield stock information by KK.

Profit from a trending market.

Wills and testament; Estate Planning

Here's a website where information on estate planning, writing wills and testaments.
It's a Malaysian company.

http://www.mywill.com.my/index.asp

An excellent monthly mortgage calculator and amortization table

http://mortgages.interest.com/content/calculators/monthly-payment.asp