Portfolio Returns for Mar 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 most significant drop is Crypto.

For the Robo-Advisors, all also dropped from all-time highs. 

                                            

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 most significant event is that the US and Israel attacked Iran, which has huge implications for the world
• US killed the Iranian Supreme Leader via missile strikes on 28th Feb 2026
• Iran retaliated and launched missile strikes on US bases in the neighboring GCC countries
• Israel also attacked Iranian oil fields, which resulted in Iran attacking Qatar's oil fields
• Qatar has said the oil fields could take years to recover, which may result in a shortage of oil supply for years

   

Dividends for Feb 2026 - Towards 5k a month

Here are my dividends for Feb 2026:

                                    

So I collected $1,733.17 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 6 years:

Oops! My dividends for Jan 2026 is lower than previous year's. I think this is because I sold off 2 chunks of my STI ETF, as well as some other stocks to collect more dry powder for a downturn anticipated this year. Time will tell whether this was the right decision.

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

                          

My total dividends collected from 2019 till now: $128,553

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

There is only 1 data point for 2026 so far, and the avg 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 $0 from my side hustle - GrabFood delivery. 

All in, I made $2,139.33 this month from dividends, interest, and food delivery.

Onwards!    

   

Lump Sum vs. DCA vs. Crash Buying??

I came across this very interesting debate by a few YouTube finfluencers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZK9vA756LA&t=2467s

In terms of academic discourse, I give this debate 100/100.

I think we need more of these debates to really dive deep into all these strategies: lump sum, DCA, crash buying.

Financial education has really increased by leaps and bounds since I first started investing 20 years ago.

Utimately these debates are not about who wins, but to get to the ultimate source of truth.

This is really the Socratic method: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_method

The debate can get quite technical at times, so here's a summary:

Overview of Lump Sum, DCA, Crash Buying

Lump Sum Investing

• Definition: This method involves investing a sizable amount of money all at once the moment it is available, rather than waiting for specific market conditions or timing.
• Practicality: The experts suggest that "pure" lump sum investing rarely exists in real life for most people, as they typically don't have frequent large windfalls (like an inheritance). Instead, most people save up money over time, which begins to resemble a series of smaller lump sums or Dollar Cost Averaging.
• Performance: Statistically, lump sum investing tends to outperform crash buying about two-thirds of the time because the market is on an upward trend approximately 70% of the time.

Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA)

• Definition: DCA is the practice of breaking a larger sum into smaller amounts and investing them at regular intervals.
• Strategy: The goal is to maximize time in the market rather than attempting to time the market's ups and downs.
• Benefits: It is often considered executionally easier because it can be automated, which helps investors avoid "chickening out" during periods of high volatility. It also helps younger investors build "stamina" for market fluctuations by keeping them constantly engaged in the market.
• Drawback: While it often yields higher returns than crash buying by avoiding "cash drag," it can lead to bloodier drawdowns (larger paper losses) if the market crashes after a period of regular buying.

Crash Buying

• Definition: This strategy involves holding "dry powder" (cash) and waiting for the market to drop by a specific threshold (e.g., 10%, 20%, or 30%) before deploying capital.
• Methodology: Mr. Loo describes a "two-bucket" system where Method 1 involves deploying smaller amounts at tiered drop levels, while Bucket 2 is reserved for what is identified as the market "bottom".
• Philosophy: It prioritizes managing emotional risk and minimizing drawdowns over maximizing total returns. It is often preferred by older investors who may not have the time or temperament to stomach significant portfolio drops.
• Requirements: To be successful, it requires a powerful financial safety net (such as CPF) and intense preparation to ensure the investor has the "balls of steel" to buy when the news is most terrifying.
• Criticism: The primary risk is cash drag—the loss of potential gains while cash sits on the sidelines waiting for a crash that may not happen for years.

On why Lump Sum does not exist

• Lack of Frequent Windfalls: He notes that most people do not have the privilege of receiving large, sizable amounts of money (like an inheritance or massive windfall) on a regular basis. While some might get a significant bonus once a year, this is an infrequent event for the average person.
• The Saving Process: For the vast majority of investors, a "lump sum" is actually the result of saving money over a period of time. He argues that this process of accumulation is not far from crash buying or dollar-cost averaging because it takes time to build up the capital before it is deployed.
• Gravitation Toward DCA: Mr. Loo explains that because people typically save and invest from their monthly income, the strategy naturally resembles Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA) rather than a true lump sum. He clarifies that "lump sum investing does not exist in real life but abstractly speaking is actually gravitating towards dollar cost averaging".
• Theoretical vs. Practical: He concludes that while lump sum exists as an abstract financial concept, it is nearly impossible to execute in its "purest form"—investing a massive chunk of cash the moment it is available without any timing—because that cash is rarely available all at once without a prior period of saving.

These YouTube finfluencers definitely have a role to play in financial education. 

Keep up the fantastic work!

 

My 10 Pots of Gold for Financial Independence - Completed 5 Pots!

Back in Aug 2024, I explained my strategy for 8 Pots of Gold for Perpetual Income:

https://financeopti.blogspot.com/2024/08/update-on-my-5-pots-of-gold-for.html

Now, it is timely to provide my progress on this strategy.

Here is how full each pot is as of Feb 2025:

As of 25 Feb 2025.

Here is what the pots look like now:

 

As of 22 Feb 2026

Still some way to go, but I completed one more pot this year - the pot of 'SP500 ETF'. 

Also, I added one more pot - the pot of 'Income Funds'. I added this so that my monthly dividends can be increased to 5k a month.

Also made progress in topping up the other pots. 

I am getting there, 6 more pots left...onwards!

Portfolio Returns for Feb 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. Crypto continues to crash. Will it crash to zero? I don't know, only time will tell. Fortunately, it is only about 1% of my total portfolio.

Keep in mind the 3 rules of investing:

1. Diversify

2. Diversify

3. (Still) Diversify

For the Robo-Advisors, all reached new all-time highs. This is the 7th positive month for Syfe Reit+ after a long wait.

                                            

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: 

• Gold surges above $5,060 on stagflation fears and geopolitical tensions - all-time highs
• Bitcoin trades at $68,023, suffering a 25% year-to-date decline. Analysts warn quantum computing threats could pressure Bitcoin toward $30,000 by next year unless the network advances quantum-resistant upgrades
• US Supreme Court overturns Trump tariffs, leading to a stock market rise yesterday
• On 12 February 2026, the STI crossed 5,000 for the first time, touching about 5,004 intraday, signalling positive momentum and strong sentiment

  

Dividends for Jan 2026 - Towards 5k a month

Here are my dividends for Jan 2026:

                                    

So I collected $3,970.20 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 6 years:

Oops! My dividends for Jan 2026 is lower than previous year's. I think this is because I sold off 2 chunks of my STI ETF, as well as some other stocks to collect more dry powder for a downturn anticipated this year. Time will tell whether this was the right decision.

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

                          

My total dividends collected from 2019 till now: $126,819.83.

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

There is only 1 data point for 2026 so far, and the avg 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 $31.77 from my side hustle - GrabFood delivery. 

All in, I made $4,408.13 this month from dividends, interest, and food delivery.

Onwards!    

  

Portfolio Returns for Jan 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. Crypto recovered a bit, not sure if it can recover to its previous highs. 

                             

For the Robo-Advisors, all reached new all-time highs. This is the 6th positive month for Syfe Reit+ after a long wait.

                                            

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

Market trends from the last 30 days: 

• There was no Christmas rally this year

• US captured the President of Venezuela Nicholas Maduro under the charge of narco-terrorism. This had little impact on the stock market.
• On the local front, STI reached new all-time highs at 4,849.
• There is increasing noise of a market crash in 2026, one of which is this one: https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/next-global-rebalancing-likely-dwarf-2008-financial-crisis-george-yeo
• Only time will tell whether there is a market crash or not

 

Dividends for Dec 2025 - Towards 5k a Month

Here are my dividends for Dec 2025:

                                    

So I collected $3,720.57 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 6 years:

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

                          

My total dividends collected from 2019 till now: $122,849.63.

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

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 $84.48 from my side hustle - GrabFood delivery. 

All in, I made $4,325.29 this month from dividends, interest, and food delivery.

Onwards!    

 

How much do I have in Stocks? | Financial Snapshot - Dec 2025

This is a snapshot of my finances at the end of 2025.

Naturally, I do not want to disclose too many details or my net worth, the amount I have in banks, etc., so I will just share the following:

Breakdown of stocks and bonds over the years.

Not included in the above are bank savings, insurance policies, CPF, SRS, etc. The above is just the amount of stocks and cash in my stock brokerage accounts, the stocks in my BCIP, SRS, and Robo-advisor accounts, and the current bonds I am holding. Since I have worked in the US before, I have also added my 401K investments to the above. Cryptocurrencies are NOT included in the Stocks portfolio.

For 2025, my stocks increased 3.47% from the previous year. I think this is partly because I rotated some of my stocks into bonds (note my Bonds increased 48.83% YOY). Also, I no longer have extra cash to pump into Stocks.

Here's a visualization of the Stocks (SGD) and Bonds (SGD) over the years: 

Combined stocks and bonds view in a stacked bar chart:

Onwards!