*Official* Shiny Things club

[hyperbole]

Say I have 70k cash and 30k cpf to start with and I want to achieve 70:30 equities/bond allocation.

If I were to consider CPF as my bond portfolio, I would just use the entire 70k cash on equities.

If I were to ignore cpf, I have to use 30% of the 70k for bonds with the balance in equities. Wouldn't that cause an effective underweight in equities allocation?

Anyway it's just how I see my portfolio. Different people different strokes.

well, my cpf OA + SA is nearly as much as my cash, if i consider it my bonds component, i would be severely overweight on bonds. even if i were to buy ES3 with it, there's a fair amount of cpf funds can't be used to buy equities. there are too many ever changing rules surrounding the cpf. i'm not comfortable considering it my bond component.

 

[koreanlover]

Excel? Google docs for price quotes

=GOOGLEFINANCE("LON:IWDA", "price")

I tried this but I'm getting Invalid Name Error ?
I'm using Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013.

 

[lala81]

me too. too much in SG now due to averaging down the past month. now it's another new low at 3.06?

It's a sea of red now lol.
3.01 today.

US stocks down 2%.

 

[master_chief117]

The only life insurance policy anyone needs is term life insurance to age 65, and you don't need to buy it until you have people depending on you (like kids). You don't need critical-illness coverage - that's what your hospital cover is for.

Hi Shiny Things,

Why don't we need CI? Correct me if i'm wrong, but when you mean hospital cover, do you mean the private hospitalization plans that we pay partially by CPF?
Doesn't it just cover hospitalization expenses and not treatment expenses, if a person would be down with CI?

Thanks alot in advance!

 

[limster]

I tried this but I'm getting Invalid Name Error ?
I'm using Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013.

What I meant is that you need to use Google Docs if you want to insert price quotes. The formula will work inside Google Docs only.

To use Yahoo, Google finance info in Excel, more complicated, you need to install some add-on/macros. Google to find out more. I still prefer to use Google Docs than to run 3rd party add-on/macros in my MSOffice...

 

[koreanlover]

What I meant is that you need to use Google Docs if you want to insert price quotes. The formula will work inside Google Docs only.

To use Yahoo, Google finance info in Excel, more complicated, you need to install some add-on/macros. Google to find out more. I still prefer to use Google Docs than to run 3rd party add-on/macros in my MSOffice...

Ok thanks. I give it a try.

 

[allan_nalla]

I tried this but I'm getting Invalid Name Error ?
I'm using Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013.

The code is supposed to work only on Google Documents, not Microsoft.


On a side note, what's the opinion about the unprecedented level of surge in Money Supply caused by the latest QE?

The increment of approximately 75% in the past 5 years since recession sure looks worrisome to me.

 

[newjersey]

I think Shiny's policy and viewpoint on insurance is very clear.

1. buy term insurance & hospitalisation insurance

&

2. invest the rest.

In this day & age, where we live amongst mlm-sters, evangelist, talibans, ISIS, commies, gun-lovers, crazed gun-lovers who love to go to the public to spray lead & plead insanity...

let's all agree to disagree, as Shiny has stated his views / opinions, and we don't have to evangelise to him, if your views on it are different. ( anyway, my view is buy term insurance and invest the rest too ).

Hope we can steer back the crux of this thread back to investments on ETFs, folks. ( since Shiny has also said, he isn't big on stock-picks... if you want, you can always start a thread on stock-picks discussion and attract your own crowd there ).

 

[limster]

Hi,
As an adviser, I do not agree with Shiny Things. Hospital cover does not cover everything. CI coverage is a lump sum payment to you when CI strikes you usually minimum $100k.

Hospital cover like your medishield plans coverage covers surgical cost, room stay, doctor fees etc. Usually when CI strikes for example cancer, you still need $$$ to sustain your consultation fees, injections etc. Also, for example cancer, only standards drugs are covered in chemotherapy. If your case required to use specialized drugs to kill the cells, it is not covered.

All in all, CI coverage is still very important.

So you are saying that when the integrated plans put Cancer treatment "as charged" they are not telling the truth?

Anyway this is the typical agent-talk. Focus on the extremely low probability events in order to sell more insurance.

Since the integrated plans say cancer treatment as charged, the 'special' drug you are talking about must be so exceptional or unusual that it is not covered by the plan.

So, how often does cancer treatment need this 'special drug.' CI coverage effectively doubles the cost of term insurance, so if you are just doubling the cost just to cover the possibility that not only do you get cancer, you get a cancer that is so unusual that you need special drugs not covered by the policy.....

And if I understand correctly, a lot of cancer is detected at the Stage I, and cancer detected at Stage I is not claimable as CI? So instead of spending lots of money on CI coverage which doesn't cover cancer and other serious illness detected early, why not go for regular checkup so that you can detect and treat illness early before they qualify for CI coverage? I never understand why agents don't advise that?

Integrated plans also have post-hospitalisation treatment as charged for X number of days, eg 120 days, 180 days. Again focusing on a low-probability event that your post-hospitalisation treatment lasts for more than 100 days.

 

[w1rbelw1nd]

So you are saying that when the integrated plans put Cancer treatment "as charged" they are not telling the truth?

Anyway this is the typical agent-talk. Focus on the extremely low probability events in order to sell more insurance.

Since the integrated plans say cancer treatment as charged, the 'special' drug you are talking about must be so exceptional or unusual that it is not covered by the plan.

So, how often does cancer treatment need this 'special drug.' CI coverage effectively doubles the cost of term insurance, so if you are just doubling the cost just to cover the possibility that not only do you get cancer, you get a cancer that is so unusual that you need special drugs not covered by the policy.....

And if I understand correctly, a lot of cancer is detected at the Stage I, and cancer detected at Stage I is not claimable as CI? So instead of spending lots of money on CI coverage which doesn't cover cancer and other serious illness detected early, why not go for regular checkup so that you can detect and treat illness early before they qualify for CI coverage? I never understand why agents don't advise that?

Integrated plans also have post-hospitalisation treatment as charged for X number of days, eg 120 days, 180 days. Again focusing on a low-probability event that your post-hospitalisation treatment lasts for more than 100 days.

Sometimes I sympathise these advisers.... They got "specialised training" from their "experts" in the insurance firms, which led to their conviction that all policies are good.

 

[limster]

Sometimes I sympathise these advisers.... They got "specialised training" from their "experts" in the insurance firms, which led to their conviction that all policies are good.

This week I was having tea and my table was next to a 'senior'
insurance agent ''teaching" his juniors. All the juniors all looking awestruck and serious and paying careful attention. Maybe the senior was some million dollar round table super agent or something. I tried my best not to pay attention but he was talking so loudly...

So I do not believe that agents are crooks or out to cheat you. As many genuinely believe in what they are doing and that their products are good. I also believe that such policies are suitable for certain people, eg: people who do not take care of their health, don't go for medical checkups.

 

[newjersey]

This week I was having tea and my table was next to a 'senior'
insurance agent ''teaching" his juniors. All the juniors all looking awestruck and serious and paying careful attention. Maybe the senior was some million dollar round table super agent or something. I tried my best not to pay attention but he was talking so loudly...

it's all about cultish... when u are in a full-commission "job".

my friend who pulled me into the line, was not allowed to talk to me, can u believe that?

the agency actually controlled who u can talk to, etc.

not all are like that, but yes, it's all quite funny thinking about it.

my friend, who pulled me in, I shun him like plague even after all these years.

he has also left his agency to another agency, where he shun his previous director like plague.

now, the question, what happens to the policy holders? they would try to brainwash the policy holders to follow them to the next insurance company that they pebble their wares for.

haha... quite waka waka...

CAN WE SHIFT THE FOCUS BACK TO INVESTMENTS THAN INSURANCE, PLEASE ?

 

[-Clot-]

As much as I love the idea of BTIR, but i am seriously tied between purchasing a Whole Life Insurance and a term policy till 65.
The reason why I am considering a WL insurance is because I am currently 25YO, how can someone invest the rest if they are struck with a CI and is unable to generate their only source of income, which is through their job.

Would anyone be able to share some of their view in regards to the point I mentioned above?

*Edit: coverage for Life + CI cost more or less the same as a whole life policy

 

[chuanz]

Insurance please direct to one of the many insurance threads around

 

[Perisher]

Actually I'm the one who encouraged the guy with insurance question to ask outside of insurance thread because in insurance thread, all are agents who will only advise him to buy buy and buy more insurance...

 

[master_chief117]

Actually I'm the one who encouraged the guy with insurance question to ask outside of insurance thread because in insurance thread, all are agents who will only advise him to buy buy and buy more insurance...

QFT. Newbies going into insurance threads most likely kena influenced and advised to buy by the threadstarters who are agents themselves of course they would only tell you the pros of insurance etc.

So for people who are seeking alternative opinions, threads like this which actually offer solid alternative advice i.e. BTIR are really helpful. just my 2cs worth.

 

[newjersey]

hmm, do u know CI doesn't pay out immediately, that's why there's another form of CI insurance, which is an early CI insurance, which means you get earlier payouts.

thinking about Shiny Things' thoughts, I have come to re-examined if what I learnt was a mistake instead.

basically, you can overpay for your desires and you end up with nothing for investments.

what is the % of your monthly income that u assign to insurance & why?

when I was with AIA, it was pegged @ 20%, but we are not allowed to question why.

I believe it's because the director doesn't know nor do most really care to question, in the typical east asian mindset of compliance.

basically, I don't agree.

apportion an amount that is comfortable for your protection, such that if you lose your job, u can maintain the payment for 24 months. I assume you take less than 24 months to get back a job that pays u similar or lower paying one.

I think basically, if you aren't comfortable with the sort of commitment that you got to pay for protection, it's too much.

But get some kind of coverage, so that if u die in an unfortunate event, your family benefit from it, like a 4D come true.

Can we really protect ourselves from illness such as cancer, spending sg$1-2m, only to still die from it?

Let's not kid ourselves.

& I guess it's in this light that Shiny recommends to just focus on term insurance & a hospitalisation / medical insurance plan.

 

[newjersey]

It's a sea of red now lol.
3.01 today.

US stocks down 2%.

hi Shiny,

is it a good idea for noobs like me to buy a short ETA ?

( as it seems that we are going to enter a short period of correction ).

 

[bluetwinkle]

When buying ES3 and A35 using dollar cost averaging method in the "110 minus your age" proportion, do we have to go through the process of sell high and buy low or do we just continue to hold regardless of the price, collect the dividend and sell only when we really need the money?

 

[Perisher]

When buying ES3 and A35 using dollar cost averaging method in the "110 minus your age" proportion, do we have to go through the process of sell high and buy low or do we just continue to hold regardless of the price, collect the dividend and sell only when we really need the money?

When you rebalance to the proportion, you sell/buy.