The Singapore dream, The 5 Cs

Aug 8, 2010, STRAITS TIMES


Chasing the SINGAPORE DREAM

Follow these investment rules to achieve 5Cs responsibly and wisely

By Lorna Tan, Senior Correspondent
GRAMMAR

We all know the five Cs that many Singaporeans see as signs that they have made it - cash, credit cards, condo, car and country club membership - but escalating prices are pushing the dream away from many.

But they can still be 1. ________(attain) responsibly and wisely if you follow some sound investment rules, as The Sunday Times highlights.

1 Cash

One misconception many people 2. __________(be) is that getting rich is primarily an outcome of investing, noted Mr Christopher Tan, chief executive of wealth management company Providend.

He 3. _________(belief) that the road to wealth does not start from investing but from earning a good income, 4. ________(set) aside an amount for savings every month and keeping expenses low by living within your means so you can have a surplus for investment.

It all takes discipline.

Ask yourself: Do you spend first, then save or save first, then spend? It helps if you inculcate the habit of paying yourself first, said financial experts like Mr Ben Fok, chief executive of Grandtag Financial Consultancy, and Mr Dennis Ng, author of Mastering Your Personal Finance.

One way is to arrange for automatic 5. ________(month) deductions out of your pay to a special savings account.

Mr Ng believes that most people make the mistake of having all their money in one account, which makes it 6. _________(tempt) to spend it all.

'Have at least two bank accounts, one for common trans-actions and another just for the 'pay yourself first' purpose,' he said.

It 7. _____________(recommend) that you save at least 10 per cent of your salary each month, excluding Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions.

Mr Tan said 8. __________(be) a good budget will help and once you get it going, you should stick with it, even if you receive an unexpected sum like a bonus.

In addition, you should set aside an emergency fund that can take care of three to six months of your expenses.

2 Credit cards

These can be double-edged swords. You can benefit from the cash rebates and reward points they bring, but they can also make you poorer and even bankrupt in some cases.

It is prudent to use credit cards for their convenience, to earn reward points and as a tool to

leverage on your cash flow because you can take advantage of the

interest-free period of about 55 days. The golden rule is always to pay off your credit card bill in full every month.

And do not fall into the habit of 9. ________(roll) over balances, said Mr Ng.

This 10. ________(attract) a 2 per cent monthly interest or a 24 per cent interest per year.

'There is no way you can get a return higher than 24 per cent by investing your money, so if you owe a credit card debt, you're heading towards financial disaster and further and further away from financial freedom,' he said.

Mr Patrick Lim, associate director at financial advice firm PromiseLand Independent, also warns that consumers should never allow themselves to be lulled into signing up for any interest-free instalment scheme.

This is because there is a risk that the supplier will not be able to continue delivering the services. A recent example was the closure of several spas, leaving customers stranded.

And the longer the period for the interest-free payments to be fully paid off, the higher the risk of not being able to pay the monthly instalments should you lose your job.

If you lack the discipline, a safer alternative is a debit card. It looks and works like a credit card in that you have the same convenience of cashless payment, but minus the reward points and you are not spending future money.

You can use your debit card only up to the amount you have in your account.

It can also be used as an ATM card and for Nets transactions.

3 Condos

This is a big-ticket item, so you have to be very clear on why you want one and whether you can afford it. Don't chase the condo dream just because others are doing so, said Mr Tan.

The prudent way to buy a condo or any home, said Mr Fok, is to pay at least 20 per cent downpayment. The higher the downpayment, the better to buffer you against a decline in home prices, mortgage rates creeping up or the loss of a job.

This will prevent you going into negative equity - a situation where you owe more than the property is worth. If that happens, the bank may force you to reduce your loan by coughing up cash.

Before signing the mortgage agreement, calculate your debt service ratio. This is the percentage of your monthly income needed to service long-term liabilities and it should not exceed 35 per cent.

Another yardstick is your debt-to-asset ratio, which should be less than 50 per cent.

Mr Ng said that if not for status or security reasons, buying an HDB flat might help one become richer because of the lower costs compared with living in a condo.

And you get more square feet of space for every dollar you pay. For the same size, condos could be 30 per cent to over 200 per cent more expensive than HDB flats, depending on the location.

'It is not exactly 'upgrading' one's lifestyle if one sells a five-room HDB flat that is 1,100 sq ft to move to an 800 sq ft condo,' said Mr Ng.

4 Cars

Cars depreciate in value over time, so they should not be considered an asset. Mr Tan noted that on average, you need to set aside $1,000 to $1,500 per month just to pay off the loan of a car, pay for petrol, parking, maintenance and so on. This may not leave enough surplus cash to invest towards your future.

If you really want to own a car, buy one that is reliable enough and that you will continue to like for about five years.

'This is because the first few years of a car's life experience the highest depreciation. So if you sell a car just one to two years into your purchase, the depreciation and the bank loan repayment will cost you quite a bit,' said Mr Tan.

Bear in mind that the effective interest rate of a car loan is about 5 per cent, said Mr Ng.

So if you take a car loan, you suffer both ways in terms of a falling asset value and paying higher interest over time.

In fact, some financial experts question if you really need a car given Singapore's efficient public transport system.

Taking public transport is definitely cheaper if you live near your workplace. For instance, Mr Ng travels by taxi 90 per cent of the time and spends about $800 a month on transport.

This is a saving of $700 a month assuming the cost of owning a car is $1,500. Grow this at 5 per cent and at the end of 10 years, you will have $109,150.

5 Country club membership

Before signing up, ask yourself how likely you are to use the club facilities.

Mr Tan recalled buying his first country club membership when he was in his 20s just because he wanted to make a good impression on his friends.

The club's car decal looked impressive on his car windscreen but he is not a golfer, prefers running outdoors than in a gym, and the club was far from his home. He ended up not visiting it and sold his membership a few years later, $15,000 poorer from his decision.

Mr Fok advises people to be mindful of the other costs associated with clubs, such as paying a service fee every month and a transfer fee when you sell.

'I don't see country club membership as an investment and I do not advocate borrowing money to buy the membership. In fact, this is my last priority out of the 5Cs,' he added.

But if you do need the facilities, there are more affordable club memberships, like the NUS/NTU Alumni Club, where membership costs $10,000 and comes with low monthly fees of around $50



VOCABULARY ONE – Choose the correct word.

Aug 8, 2010

SM Goh recasts the 5 Cs

Don't gripe; focus on career, comfort, children, consideration and charity, he says

By Zakir Hussain

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong last night called on Singaporeans to 1. ( gripe/ roll/ spin) their own Singapore Dream and live it, rather than focus on what he termed the Singapore Gripe.

While gripes about current 2. ( outcomes/ interests/ concerns) such as floods, high home prices, crowded trains and distance-based bus fares were understandable, he urged people to not lose sight of the many more things which are going well for Singapore.

'For instance, we have rebounded with a vengeance from last year's recession. Take a walk along Marina Bay and soak in the beauty and 3. (vibrancy/ juiciness/ trend).

'Look at the 4. (bright / dull/ grey)side of things and live your dreams. This is far healthier than to live the Singapore Gripe and drone on like vuvuzelas,' he told more than 1,000 residents at a National Day dinner in his Marine Parade ward.

Today, many young Singaporeans are well educated and have a good chance of 5. ( receiving/ stretching/ attaining) the five Cs of cash, credit cards, car, 6. ( HDB flat/ bungalow/ condominium) and country club membership, provided there was good economic growth and they worked hard, he said.

But Mr Goh challenged them to go further, to dream larger not only for themselves but also for their 7. ( neighbourhood/ constituency/ community).

'At this stage of Singapore's development, should we still be spinning this same dream of five Cs? Should we not rethink our priorities? Should our young not aim at something different, something more meaningful, a life more fulfilling?

'I am not suggesting that material goods are not important or that there is anything wrong with chasing after the five Cs. But the five Cs should not be our end goals.'

Many Generation Y Singaporeans have begun seeking more rounded lives, he observed, which 8. ( include/ embrace/ exclude) sports, the arts and a good work-life balance.

Some left well-paying jobs to 9. ( delete/ pursue/ give up) their passions. Others were active in non-governmental organisations, such as those involved in humanitarian and green issues.

While happy about the trend, Mr Goh said he worried that along the way, many had dropped family from their dreams.

'In my view, having a family is a vital part of a fulfilling life. It should be at the 10. ( root/ core / centre)of every Singapore dream,' he said.



He also proposed his version of the Singapore dream, where the five Cs would stand for career, comfort, children, consideration and charity.

Career means striving to be better in one's 11. ( given/ ordained/ chosen) field and to realise one's full potential.

Comfort encompasses both material and emotional comfort, while children are key to 'home and family and a new 12. ( bicycle/ cycle/ carriage) of life'.

The last two Cs, consideration and charity, are essential to living harmoniously, especially in a place like Singapore with potential divisions inherent within society, between different races and religions, locals and foreigners, and the young and the old.

Mr Goh said that the Government, on its part, would create the fertile soil Singaporeans need to sow and grow their dreams, by growing the 13. (people/ plants/economy) and providing a quality education system that would reach out to every Singaporean and at every level.

The Government would also 'always put Singaporeans first', even as it welcomed workers of all 14. ( races/ creed/nationalities) and backgrounds to be present, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said in his National Day speech in Tampines.

With the entry of large numbers of new citizens, 15. ( resident/permanent/ temporal) residents and foreign workers, Singaporeans are understandably concerned about competition for jobs, housing, schools and even seats on buses and trains.

But the Government's policies, whether in housing, health care or education, would always put Singaporeans first, he said.

Mr Mah urged Singaporeans to welcome foreigners who 'want to join us and play for Singapore'.

He also urged newcomers to 'join the rest of Singapore, learn our languages, our cultures and traditions, and become integrated with us'.

VOCABULARY TWO

Match the following words with the correct word in the passage

1. merged , combined with other things _______________

2. initial deposit _______________

3. rising prices _____________

4. complaining _____________

5. fulfilling two objectives with the same action __________

6. the way to achieve an objective ______________

7. expenditure _______________

8. fall in value of money, a property or an asset ______________

9. strongly persuaded _______________

10 important, essential _______________

11. an expense object ___________

12. balanced lifestyle ______________

13. recovered greatly from a setback _______________



___________________________________________________________________________

ANSWERS

Grammar – 1. attained 2. have 3. believes 4. setting 5. monthly 6. tempting 7. is recommended 8. having 9. rolling 10. will attract

Vocabulary One- 1. spin 2. concerns 3. vibrancy 4. bright 5. attaining 6. condominium 7. community 8. embrace 9. pursuit 10. core 11. chosen 12. cycle 13. economy 14. nationalities 15. permanent

Vocabulary Two - 1. integrated 2. downpayment 3. escalating 4. gripe 5. double-edged 6. the road 7. expenses 8. depreciation 9. urged 10. vital 11. a big ticket item 12. rounded lives 13. rebounded with a vengeance