I am a working salaried professional reaching 40s. Just like most Singaporeans, I worked long office working hours, often trying very hard to find some work life balance.
The Sweet Retirement Blog was created to share my journey towards achieving a comfortable retirement life. I aim to build a stock portfolio consisting of good companies and REITs to generate a healthy stream of passive income to fund my retirement years. I believe we cannot simply rely solely on our Central Provident Fund savings when reaching old age. Neither can we rely solely on our bank savings as we all know the interest rates cannot beat inflation.
I am a strong believer that an early and comfortable retirement can be achieved by value investing and accumulation of passive income through stocks that pays stable and consistent dividends.
If I am lucky, I hope to reach financial independence and financial freedom before the age of 55!
I started investing in stocks in 2008, thinking of getting rich overnight by speculating in stocks on the Singapore Stock Exchange and Hong Kong Exchange without knowing what the company business is about. I made more losses than profits.
When I had made enough losses, I started to ponder where did I go wrong? That was when I realized that I need to invest in financial knowledge first before investing into stocks. Through the years of self reading books and learning from other financial bloggers, I started to do my own personal analysis of companies listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange. That was when I started to be able to identify good quality companies that can pay me a good stream of dividends for many years ahead.
Stock market crash? I am not worried because I believe good companies can ride through the storm. When the market recovers, that is when the continuous stream of dividends start to come back.
Hi there, it’s good that you have a goal for financial independence before 55. However, I’m just wondering why you are finding your work so stressful? It is really not possible work enjoy your work, find meaning in your work, and do it for the challenge, satisfaction and stimulation? Why wait until financial independence to “do what you choose” ?
Hi Siak Lim,
It is difficult to describe how I felt about office jobs. The demands from the company just make the job stressful. (E.g. after office hour support, long working hours, office politics, profit and loss). The working hours are also very inflexible. Housing loans, car loan, child school fees all make up for the stress in my life.
By achieving financial independence, this means I can wake up anytime I want, go wherever I wish, do whatever I want to.
Best Regards
My Sweet Retirement
Hi (sorry don’t know your name),
perhaps I’ve left the corporate world many years ago, and beginning to forget the corporate politics, demanding bosses and long working hours issues. I’m in a self employed arrangement now, so I have to worry about real business issues, but no politics and corporate ladder to climb and promotion to fight for…. My result is purely based on my ability and effort, which is a fair deal I feel.
Anyway, nice chatting with you and I wish you can achieve your financial independence before 55! Jia you! 🙂
Hi
Good day, I am in mid 30s and I found that we have some mindset about the office work and only depend hard work it wont enough for retirement even I am still single now. I am newbie in investment , I am still learning and my budget for investment is limited. Do you have any good tips to starting up as a new beginner in buying share or blue chips. I paid off my study loan I have little cash on hands , but CPF still have money to play around. But it is good to read you blogs that give me inspirations.
Best regards
Frank Lee
Hi Frank, I am quoting AK from SSI. I am a strong believer of “CPF is meant for retirement, not investment”.
If you have little cash, you can start off with ETF whereby a small amount allows you to diversify into many stocks. A good one is STI ETF.
Hi,
I am also in mid 30s, planning for financial independence by 50. Hope we can keep in touch for more sharing to achieve goal together.
Hi KK, let us invest hard and hope to achieve our dream of financial independence by 50.
Somehow I found myself back to this site after more than 2 years! Quite unbelievable.
So many financial bloggers dream about being financially independent. I’m not sure it’s really the right model. Most successful people we know don’t dream of that, they just do what they are passionate about first , become very good at it, and consequently make a lot of money and become rich, but they continue to do what they do without thinking of Retirement, even when they don’t need the money.
This model sounds more correct to me. Working in a job that you hate then dream about financial independence sounds quite terrible way of living your life.
how many childs u have? wife working or not?
Hi, I have 2 kids. Both my wife and myself are working.
Hi,
i came across your blog and enjoyed reading it.
i am now 48 yrs old. i started living prudently since 27 yrs old after learning about personal finance the hard way. Frugal and simple lifestyle if you might call it. However i come to realise that this is the lifestyle that give me the maximum happiness compared to spending more on “wants”. ( i fall for the credit card trap at 25 yrs old but managed to cleared it by 27.)
i have manage to amass S$1.8 mil in net worth now deployed in assets that derive passive income. (Assets in CPF not included). HDB apartment and car fully paid and is in zero debt.
i am a ordinary HDB heartland guy and manage to put my savings to work by compounding and returns from property windfall.
We share the same mindset and i believe you can do it.
All the way!!!
P.S.
Retirement means able to choose from having to work for money for survival or working for interest for personal satisfaction. It does not mean sit back do nothing and waiting to die.
Hi Francis, thank you for the kind comments and I am glad you enjoyed reading my blog. I definitely agree with you “Retirement means able to choose from having to work for money for survival or working for interest for personal satisfaction. It does not mean sit back do nothing and waiting to die.“
Thank You so much for the Fruitful Sharing.. Really admired Young people like you so focus..I am 62, enjoying my work and grandchildren, running a Happy Social Enterprise. Thanks to property.
Blessed Day
Hi Grace, thank you for reading my blog. Glad at 62, you are still enjoying your work as seldom people can do that nowadays. Property prices are no longer cheap like olden days. Stocks and REITs are my best bet now towards a sweet retirement.
Hi,
Chance upon your blog since you had one of the REITs that long disposed of but yet I’m still keeping till date (i.e. SoilBuild Business Space REITs). Really enjoy reading your blog and analysis.
I’m 57 years old and currently still in the rat race, having a job that isn’t passionate about and feeling the anxiety and pressure despite already pass the benchmark 55th. I’m not good in investing but saving prudently and working hard, having a bit of equities in CASH, CPF, SRS. Yet the worst performance are those parked in SRS, guess it’s more than 50% lost. The psychologically not willing to let go, couple with the emotional fear of further losing, had since been holding me back from reshuffle the portfolio.
Appreciate any advice you can share.
Hi Aubrey,
My advice here. I hope that helps!
57 Years Old and Currently Still in The Rat Race
Thank you for your advice and sharing. Appreciate!
Hey there,
Just happened on your site today. I’m 40 this year, and like you, hope to achieve financial independence before 50! Let’s all work toward the same goal!
Hi Richard,
I am happy we have the same goal to reach financial independence and not work till the official retirement age.
Thanks for visiting my blog!
Chanced upon your very well written blog while searching up dividend stocks.
Great articles and i am building a REIT/passive income stream too like you have! Multiple streams are always better than just 1..
Hi Stuart,
Thank you for your kind comments. I am glad you like my posts.
Hi,
Could you please advised which Reits/ passive income should I start from?
Retirement is currently the key concern for aging people. with the growing of standard of living, the amount required for retirement can potentially on the up.
in today, we should consider putting some investment, so as our retirement can be more “risk free”
Happened to chance upon your well written and inspirational blog while searching up for stocks and retirement.
Great collection of very informative articles. Hope i can too build up passive income investment like you. Will continue support your articles.
Great sharing!!!
Came across your informative blog while exploring reit. Impressive stocks portfolio you have.
Currently holding some Mapletree Commercial Trust and Sheng Siong too. Working toward building something like you have for passive income. 🙂
Good articles you have in this website. Agree with you CPF and cash in not sufficient for retirement. Stocks is a good stream of passive income. Will be following your website closely 🙂
I’ve been financially enlightened just a few years ago, and I realized that the journey onward is going to be a challenging one…
Being 27 years old this year, any tips on what I can do to catch up right away?
I feel you, I am trapped in a career which I do not have any passion in it. I had wanted to pursue disciplines in Arts but had to choose Engineering instead for practical reasons. I had thought my life was finished, living like a zombie through the years in a industry which I had no heart for it purely for the sake of putting a bowl of rice on table.
But I came across the ideas of achieving financial independence and it shows me that it is possible to pursue my passion field if i could achieve that goal. 12 years had passed, and I still believe it is possible no matter how long it takes.
Life is too short to have too many regrets, lets us all try to clear as many dreams as possible.