14 Pots of Gold for Perpetual Income - Progress and Updates

In my previous articles, I explained that I set up my 14 pots of gold using ChatGPT and Claude.

If I complete all 14 pots, I'll earn 5k in passive income per month.

Here is my status as of today:

I have only completed 5 out of the 14 pots. The Income Funds pot was completed before, but due to price drop, now it is only 95% full. 

Building a Dividend Portfolio That Lasts Forever

My investment portfolio is built around one simple goal: generating S$5,000 a month in passive dividend income, sustainably, for the rest of my life. No capital withdrawals. No selling down assets. Just a portfolio that quietly pays me while I sleep.

To get there, I organise every holding into one of three sleeves — Ballast, Income, and Growth.

Ballast is the foundation. These are assets that hold their value when markets fall apart — long-duration government bonds, Singapore Savings Bonds, T-bill ladders, and cash. They don't generate exciting returns, but they're not supposed to. Their job is to be there when everything else isn't. In a portfolio designed to last 40 years, surviving drawdowns matters as much as capturing upside.

Income is the engine. This is where most of the portfolio lives — Singapore REITs, dividend-paying blue chips like DBS and UOB, global income ETFs like VHYD, and infrastructure trusts. These holdings are chosen for yield quality, distribution sustainability, and diversification across sectors and geographies. The target is a blended yield high enough to generate S$5,000 a month without relying on capital gains.

Growth is the kicker. A smaller sleeve of higher-conviction, lower-yield positions — S&P 500 ETFs, Nasdaq exposure, SGX — that compound quietly in the background. These don't contribute much income today, but they protect the portfolio's real value against inflation over decades. A portfolio that generates S$5,000 a month today but doesn't grow will be worth far less in purchasing power terms by 2045.

The three sleeves work together. Ballast keeps you calm in a crisis. Income pays the bills. Growth makes sure those bills stay paid in real terms.

The ratio of Ballast to Income to Growth is 20:50:30.

Enjoy the journey!

Onwards!

 

 

Portfolio Returns for Oct 2026

I felt it would be good to track the returns of my portfolios regularly since they fluctuate frequently depending on the stock market.

Here are the movements for this month. While the USA portfolio increased upwards, the rest of the portfolios declined.

Movement for the Robo-Advisors:

                                            

Below are the time-weighted returns of the Income Funds. They continue to decline. 

Additionally, I think it will be interesting to see the breakdown of my portfolios in percentages (below). 

Market trends from the last 30 days: 

• Overall: Over the past month the S&P 500 is down about 1% (7,743 to 7,659), the Nasdaq about 3.4%, and the Russell 2000 about 4%. The Dow is slightly up.

• Early October highs: Stocks hit record highs in the first week of October after a cooler jobs report eased Fed rate-hike worries
• SP500 reached all-time highs on 6 Oct 2026 - 7844.5
• QQQ reached all-time highs on 6 Oct 2026 - 762.86

• Reversal this week: September CPI came in hot at 3.7% on October 14. Fed hike odds jumped to about 50%, and stocks fell.

• Tech selloff: On Friday 16 Oct the Nasdaq dropped 2.1% on AI debt worries and Chinese chip competition. The S&P 500 fell 1.1%, but energy stocks rose.

• Key pressures: The 10-year Treasury yield is around 5.2–5.3% and Brent crude touched $110. The next Fed meeting is October 27–28.

• Ghost of previous past - upcoming 19 Oct Monday used to be Black Monday - let's see if stocks drop further

 

 

 

 

 

Dividends for Sep 2026

Here are my dividends for Sep 2026:

                        

So I collected $3,991 in dividends for this month. 

In case you are wondering, some stocks are repeated because I have 2 brokerage accounts.

Here are my monthly dividends over the last 8 years:

                        

Here are the dividends I collected every year until the current day:

                            

My total dividends collected from 2019 till now: $157,731

Here is the progress of my average monthly dividends over the years:

                                    

There are only 9 data points for 2026 so far, and the average dividend for 2026 will likely change as the year progresses. 

I plan to first receive $2500 (achieved), then finally $5000 in dividends every month on average.

By simple projection of the above chart, I will only hit my target of 5k a month in dividends after 2027.

Additionally, I share the interest I received from the various banks for the deposits this month:

                                      

Also, in this month, I made $20.10 from my side hustle - GrabFood delivery. 

All in, I made $4,335 this month from dividends, interest, and food delivery.

Onwards!    

    

 

 

 

 

 

Portfolio Returns for Sep 2026

I felt it would be good to track the returns of my portfolios regularly since they fluctuate frequently depending on the stock market.

Here are the movements for this month. Hit some hiccups in Sep. 

Movement for the Robo-Advisors:

                                            

Below are the time-weighted returns of the Income Funds. 

Additionally, I think it will be interesting to see the breakdown of my portfolios in percentages (below). 

Market trends from the last 30 days: 

• Early September saw a sharp drop after new U.S. strikes against Iran pushed the Dow down more than 400 points and oil higher, followed by a strong rebound days later as Treasury yields retreated, with the S&P and Nasdaq both posting over 1% gains. CNBC
• A strong jobs report reignited rate-hike fears and knocked the Dow down over 260 points in early September. CNBC

• On Wednesday, September 16, the FOMC voted 12-0 to raise the federal funds rate by 25 basis points, to a target range of 3.75%-4%, its first increase since 2023. That undid one of last year's three rate cuts. CNBC

• This comes despite President Trump spending months publicly demanding lower rates — the Fed moved in the opposite direction. 

 

 

 

 

Dividends for Aug 2026: Towards 5k a month

Here are my dividends for Aug 2026:

                        

So I collected $6,800 in dividends for this month. This is the highest monthly dividend I have received.

In case you are wondering, some stocks are repeated because I have 2 brokerage accounts.

Here are my monthly dividends over the last 8 years:

                        

Here are the dividends I collected every year until the current day:

                            

My total dividends collected from 2019 till now: $153,450

Here is the progress of my average monthly dividends over the years:

There are only 8 data points for 2026 so far, and the average dividend for 2026 will likely change as the year progresses. 

I plan to first receive $2500 (achieved), then finally $5000 in dividends every month on average.

By simple projection of the above chart, I will only hit my target of 5k a month in dividends after 2027.

Additionally, I share the interest I received from the various banks for the deposits this month:

Also, in this month, I made $181.80 from my side hustle - GrabFood delivery. 

All in, I made $7,333 this month from dividends, interest, and food delivery.

Onwards!    

    

 

 

 

 

Portfolio Returns for Aug 2026

I felt it would be good to track the returns of my portfolios regularly since they fluctuate frequently depending on the stock market.

Here are the movements for this month. The general trend is up!

Movement for the Robo-Advisors:

                                            

Below are the time-weighted returns of the Income Funds. 

Additionally, I think it will be interesting to see the breakdown of my portfolios in percentages (below). 

Market trends from the last 30 days: 

• The SP500 set a fresh closing record of 7,798.99 on Aug 13, and broke a prior June record with a 1.79% surge on Aug 4, when the Dow closed above 54,000 for the first time

• The Aug 4 record was driven by strong corporate earnings, a tech rebound, and hopes for progress on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, with Palantir surging 29% after strong earnings, its best day since Feb 2024, lifting the Information Technology sector 4%.

• Fed policy remains a live debate — Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack reiterated her call for the central bank to raise rates immediately to fight inflation, having been one of three dissenters at the June meeting. 

 

 

 

Dividends for Jul 2026: Towards 5k a month

Here are my dividends for Jul 2026:

So I collected $6,495 in dividends for this month. This is the highest monthly dividend I have received.

In case you are wondering, some stocks are repeated because I have 2 brokerage accounts.

Here are my monthly dividends over the last 8 years:

Here are the dividends I collected every year until the current day:

My total dividends collected from 2019 till now: $146,649

Here is the progress of my average monthly dividends over the years:

There are only 7 data points for 2026 so far, and the average dividend for 2026 will likely change as the year progresses. 

I plan to first receive $2500 (achieved), then finally $5000 in dividends every month on average.

By simple projection of the above chart, I will only hit my target of 5k a month in dividends after 2027.

Additionally, I share the interest I received from the various banks for the deposits this month:

Also, in this month, I made $178.80 from my side hustle - GrabFood delivery. 

All in, I made $6,960 this month from dividends, interest, and food delivery.

Onwards!