Dividends for Apr 2026 - Towards 5k a month

Here are my dividends for Apr 2026:

                                    

So I collected $870.78 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: $134,680

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

There are only 4 data points 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 $37.9 from my side hustle - GrabFood delivery. 

All in, I made $1,186 this month from dividends, interest, and food delivery.

Onwards!    

    

Portfolio Returns for Apr 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. 

For the Robo-Advisors, all recovered from last month.

                                            

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: 

• US and Iran are in ceasefire and in talks to end the war
• Iran declared the Straits of Hormuz open, but the US blockade is still in effect
• Ships started passing through the Straits of Hormuz

 

Chasing 5Fs of Success

A while back, this article appeared in CNA:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/5cs-new-singapore-dream-cash-condo-car-credit-card-country-club-forward-sg-3909151 

Clearly, the 5C's of yesteryear are outdated. Nobody chases country clubs and credit cards anymore. Condo and car still yes, but I think more and more people realize there are other things more important.

I propose to replace this with the 5Fs:

The 5F Pyramid

1) Financial Freedom

The foundation.

Goal: Money works for you instead of you working for money.

• Build investment income
• Remove bad debt
• Increase savings rate
• Own productive assets
• Target FIRE milestone

Question: Does this decision increase future freedom?

---

2) Freedom of Time

The outcome of wealth.

Goal: Control your calendar and energy.

• Design ideal work schedule
• Buy back time through systems
• Reduce low-value obligations
• Focus on deep work and family time

Question: Am I spending time on what matters most?

---

3) Fitness

The engine.

Goal: Build the body and mind that can enjoy freedom.

• Strength and calisthenics
• Cardio and mobility
• Healthy body fat range
• Quality sleep
• Mental sharpness

Question: Will my future self be stronger because of today?

---

4) Family

The heart.

Goal: Convert success into shared security, love, and legacy.

• Presence with spouse and children
• Financial protection
• Education planning
• Family experiences
• Values and character

Question: Will this strengthen the people I love?

---

5) Fulfilment

The summit.

Goal: Live with meaning, contribution, and inner peace.

• Purpose-driven work
• Mentoring others
• Spiritual growth
• Creative projects
• Service and contribution

Question: Why does this matter beyond myself?

I don't know about you, but after a stroke of epiphany, I realize the above 5Fs are what I have been chasing for all this time. 

14 Pots of Gold for Financial Independence - Progress and Updates

In my previous article, I set up my 14 pots of gold together with ChatGPT and Claude.

You can check out the previous article here:
https://financeopti.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-14-pots-of-gold-for-financial.html

Here is my status as of today:

 I have only completed 2 out of the 14 pots.

If I invest 12k a month, I will be able to complete all 14 pots in 2 years time (2028).

There is a new pot for VHYD (high dividend ETF), which I need to set up. 

Enjoy the journey!

Onwards!

My 14 Pots of Gold for Financial Independence

In my last article, I talked about 10 pots of Gold for Financial Independence to derive 5k a month in dividends - https://financeopti.blogspot.com/2026/02/my-10-pots-of-gold-for-financial.html

I realized it is better to run through this plan with Claude and ChatGPT to evaluate how sound this plan is.

After several iterations and asking the AIs to double-check each other, here is the latest result:

This takes into account:

• My current age
• The amount of income I can earn roughly from part-time work

Some advice from Claude:

Treat the part-time income as "portable ballast"

As long as you're working, your effective ballast is higher than the 22% shown. If you stop working at, say, 55, you should proactively shift toward the 27% ballast version of the plan. Build a rule: "If part-time income drops below S$15k/year for two consecutive years, rebalance toward the FIRED-at-45 defensive plan."

Consider when work income becomes unreliable

Part-time work at 45 is easy to sustain. Part-time work at 60+ often isn't — health, industry changes, or just not wanting to anymore. The ballast sleeve should be sized assuming work income ends in your early 60s, not "for as long as possible." That's why I kept ballast at 22% rather than dropping to 18% — it gives you the glide path into full retirement without needing another major restructure.

Income Funds at S$100k is still the weak link

Even with part-time income cushioning, I'd keep the Income Funds allocation trimmed. Over 40 years, NAV erosion is still the biggest hidden risk. Monitor annually.

Additionally, I asked Claude to explain the differences between Ballast, Income and Growth:

Why all three matter together

A portfolio with only income assets looks great until:

• Dividends get cut in a recession (your S$5k/month becomes S$3.5k/month)
• Inflation erodes the real value over 20 years
• No growth means the portfolio slowly loses purchasing power

A portfolio with only growth assets looks great until:

• A bear market hits in year 1 of retirement and you're forced to sell at the bottom
• You need monthly cash flow that equity appreciation doesn't provide
• You can't psychologically handle a 40% drawdown while living off the portfolio

A portfolio with only ballast looks safe until:

• 3% inflation eats the 3% yield, giving you zero real return
• Over 40 years, purchasing power is cut in half
• You run out of money because the portfolio didn't grow

The three sleeves aren't redundant — they each protect against a different failure mode.

I must say the analysis is very detailed.

It is even able to tell me I need to invest 12k per month to hit the desired allocation targets in 2 years time, considering portfolio growth and all.

This is likely not the final final, but may be subject to further revisions. At least it provides a roadmap to aim for.

Onwards!

Dividends for Mar 2026 - Towards 5k a month

Here are my dividends for Mar 2026:

                                    

So I collected $5,256.76 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: $133,809

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

There are only 3 data points 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 $5,448.71 this month from dividends, interest, and food delivery.

Onwards!    

    

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!