CFP at a glance by Etiqa Insurance (as of Aug 2025)

 

100% stocks maximize long-term wealth, while a 60/40 stock-bond mix reduces volatility but greatly limits returns ($33,033 vs. $4,200).

From Adam Khoo post 
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ZiixkqAo2/ 

100% invested in Equity (stocks) will maximise your returns/wealth accumulation over the long run. A mix of stocks and bonds (60%/40%) will lower volatility during recessions but you sacrifice a large part of your potential gains. $4,200 versus $33,033. There is no right or wrong way to invest. Would you rather get lower returns with lower volatility or higher returns with higher volatility?

Top 8 ETFs to buy for Singapore Investors in 2025

Top 8 ETFs to buy for Singapore Investors in 2025 (by Financial Horse)

ETF comparison

 

https://indexes.nasdaqomx.com/docs/fs_ndx.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R80FtG2kX9o

  US-Domiciled : 30% dividend tax
Irish-Domiciled : 15% dividend tax

U.S.-domiciled vs Ireland-domiciled ETF estate tax comparison:

---

Criteria	U.S.-Domiciled ETF	Ireland-Domiciled ETF (UCITS)
Estate Tax Exposure	Yes – considered U.S.-situs property; subject to U.S. estate tax.	No – Irish-domiciled, not U.S.-situs; not subject to U.S. estate tax.
Exemption Threshold	Only US$60,000 exemption; above this, U.S. estate tax up to 40% applies.	Not applicable; no U.S. estate tax filing required.
Dividend Withholding Tax	30% on U.S. dividends for Singapore investors (non-treaty country).	15% effective rate via U.S.–Ireland tax treaty inside the fund.
Singapore Context	Singapore has no estate duty – U.S. estate tax is the main risk.	Same – but Ireland domicile avoids the U.S. estate tax risk entirely.
Community / Expert View	Generally discouraged by global investors due to estate tax trap and higher dividend tax.	Widely recommended for non-U.S. investors (e.g. CSPX, VWRA, VUAA) to avoid U.S. estate tax.

---

Quick notes (context you may find useful):

• Singapore currently has no estate duty, so the key exposure here is the U.S. estate tax if you hold U.S.-situs assets directly (including U.S.-domiciled ETFs). (IRS)

• Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs also tend to be dividend-efficient for U.S. stocks (15% treaty rate inside the fund vs 30% if you hold U.S.-domiciled ETFs directly as a Singapore tax resident), but that’s a dividend withholding point, not estate tax. (No Money Lah)

	S&P 500 ETF (e.g., SPY, VOO)	NASDAQ ETF (e.g., QQQ, QQQM)
Index Tracked	S&P 500 (500 large US companies)	NASDAQ-100 (100 largest non-financial companies on NASDAQ)
Sector Exposure	Broad: Tech, Healthcare, Financials, Industrials, etc.	Tech-heavy: Apple, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Amazon, etc.
Diversification	More diversified	More concentrated (especially in tech)
Volatility	Lower	Higher
Dividend Yield	Typically higher (~1.3–1.6%)	Lower (~0.5–0.8%)
Growth Potential	Slower, more stable	Faster, more aggressive growth

Historical Performance (approximate annualized 10-year return)

• S&P 500 ETF (VOO, SPY): ~11–12%

• NASDAQ ETF (QQQ): ~14–16%

Suggested Strategy

• Balanced approach: Some investors split 60% S&P 500 and 40% NASDAQ to balance stability with growth.

• Dollar-cost averaging: Invest over time to reduce timing risk.

Index / ETF	Annualized Return (20-Year)	Notes
S&P 500 (e.g., VOO, SPY)	~9.5% – 10.0%	Includes broad US market exposure
NASDAQ-100 (e.g., QQQ)	~12.5% – 13.5%	Strong tech-driven performance

 

Comparing S&P500 ETF (Irish-domiciled), SPYL vs CSPX

Feature	SPYL	CSPX
Full Name	SPDR S&P 500 UCITS ETF (Acc)	iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF (Acc)
Ticker Symbol	SPYL	CSPX
Domicile	Ireland (UCITS)	Ireland (UCITS)
Index Tracked	S&P 500 Index	S&P 500 Index
Structure	Accumulating (dividends reinvested)	Accumulating (dividends reinvested)
Launch Date	31 Oct 2023 (newer fund)	19 May 2010 (long track record)
Assets Under Management (AUM)	~€9.9 bn	~€106 bn
Expense Ratio (TER)	0.03% p.a. (cheapest UCITS S&P 500)	0.07% p.a.
Replication Method	Physical (optimised sampling)	Physical (optimised sampling)
Liquidity / Trading Volume	Growing, but lower than CSPX	Very high, extremely liquid
Popularity	Gaining traction, attractive due to low fees	Most popular UCITS S&P 500 ETF, widely used in SG/EU
Best For	Cost-sensitive investors who want the cheapest fee	Investors wanting liquidity, proven history, tight spreads

• SPYL = lowest fee, but newer and smaller.

• CSPX = more expensive, but highly liquid with a 15-year proven track record.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmGSbLgLpJ0

Good rotation + Delay the PULL

Good rotation
Don't rush the PULL 
Avoid these 3 mistakes

How to Fix Your Freestyle Stroke – 5 Easy Changes That Work (Today)

If Apple Built a Stock Brokerage, It’d Look Like Longbridge

 If Apple Built a Stock Brokerage, It’d Look Like Longbridge

1. Poor Body Position

• Your head or hips may be too high or too low.

• If your head lifts to breathe or if your kick pushes your chest upward, it causes your body to seesaw—hips drop, chest rises, and vice versa.

2. Inconsistent Kick Timing

• An unsteady or overly powerful kick can create upward and downward thrust rather than driving you forward.

• If you’re “bicycle kicking” or not using a compact flutter kick, it adds vertical motion.

3. Pressing Down with the Hand

• During the catch, if you press down on the water instead of pressing back, your upper body lifts.

• This throws off balance and rhythm.

4. Core Not Engaged

• A soft or loose core can’t hold a stable, horizontal line in the water.

• You end up flopping or bouncing instead of gliding.

5. Breathing Mistakes

• Lifting your head to breathe instead of rotating your body causes a spike in vertical motion.

• You might also “pause” your stroke to breathe, which creates a stop-start rhythm that looks like bouncing

GENIUS Framework

The GENIUS Framework
G – Grind Fast
Move fast. Launch fast. Learn fast.
Instead of overplanning, get something out and improve quickly.

E – Eliminate Bureaucracy
Flatten hierarchies. Kill approval chains.
Empower engineers to make decisions on the ground.

N – Normalize Failure
Mistakes aren’t shameful - they’re feedback.
Celebrate what went wrong if you learn from it faster than others.

I – Iterate Relentlessly
Don’t wait months to make changes.
Use every test, every failure, every micro-feedback to build version 2.0 - fast.

U – Understand the Core Problem
Musk always asks: “What is the fundamental problem we’re solving?”
Go beyond surface fixes. Break the problem down to its physics and rebuild from first principles.

S – Speed of Innovation > Size of Company
Big teams don’t win. Fast-learning teams do.

5 mistakes to FIX in Freestyle

Time for another update - AK71

 https://singaporeanstocksinvestor.blogspot.com/ 

I am going for the Enhanced Retirement Sum which would generate $3,400 in monthly income for me when I turn 65.

And the rest of the money in my CPF OA would generate about $20,000 annually in interest income which I can withdraw from age 55.

HONESTY, INTEGRITY, TRANSPARENCY

 

POSITION MATTERS

THIS Is Why It's So Hard To Get A High Elbow Catch!

 

1 of common mistake from swimmer

 

Freestyle Swimming: Arm Movement.

Complete Arm Movement


Correct Arm Pulling under water

Arm position while inhaling and recovery phase in Freestyle

Body Rotation

Body Rotation

 

Lift your chin + Rotate with your shoulder

Lift your chin

Freestyle - Soft hand, 1 min, better head position and body rotation

 

Use your Lat

 

Smoot-Hawley Act

The Smoot-Hawley Act, officially known as the Tariff Act of 1930, was a U.S. law that raised tariffs (taxes) on over 20,000 imported goods to historically high levels. It was signed into law on June 17, 1930, by President Herbert Hoover. The act was sponsored by Senator Reed Smoot of Utah and Representative Willis C. Hawley of Oregon, both Republicans, with the intention of protecting American farmers and industries from foreign competition during the early stages of the Great Depression.

The main effects of the Smoot-Hawley Act were:

1. Increased Tariffs: It raised the average tariff on dutiable imports from about 38% to over 45%, with some rates going much higher. For example, tariffs on agricultural products like butter and wool were significantly increased.
2. Global Trade Retaliation: Other countries responded by imposing their own tariffs on U.S. goods, leading to a sharp decline in international trade. Canada, a major U.S. trading partner, retaliated almost immediately, and European nations followed suit.
3. Economic Impact: Historians and economists debate its role in worsening the Great Depression. While it didn’t cause the Depression (which began in 1929), it likely deepened it by choking off global trade. U.S. imports dropped by about 40% between 1930 and 1932, and exports fell similarly.
4. Political Fallout: The act became a symbol of protectionism gone wrong. It was widely criticized, even at the time—over 1,000 economists signed a petition urging Hoover to veto it. It’s often cited as a lesson in how trade wars can backfire.

The Smoot-Hawley Act was eventually scaled back in the 1930s and 1940s as the U.S. shifted toward freer trade policies under the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934. Today, it’s remembered as a cautionary tale about the dangers of excessive protectionism.

Tariffs: 1930 Versus 2025

How To Stay In A Streamline Position While Breathing

Make sure to start the next stroke when your leading hand is fully extended in front

 

How to use your lats when you swim

Why U.S. ETFs may be costing you more than you think—and how to fix it

Great article from The Fifth Person
https://fifthperson.com/us-etfs-costing-you-how-to-fix-it/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly-newsletters&utm_content=us-etfs-costing-you-how-to-fix-it&he=slimth00%40yahoo.com.sg&el=email&inf_contact_key=45eb9633473f98eb7cf8bfaefb1b4256680f8914173f9191b1c0223e68310bb1

Freestyle Arm position

 

To better and smoother Freestyle

Only Singaporeans get it "SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SGX:S27)"

 Good write up from 

Summary of the key points from the  article:

1. Many Singaporeans invest in the S&P 500 via SPY or VOO ETFs listed in the US, unaware of better options locally.
2. Investing in US-listed ETFs exposes Singaporeans to additional costs: custodian fees, dividend withholding tax (30%), and US estate taxes.
3. CSPX (UCITS) offers tax advantages but still incurs custodian fees.
4. Robo-advisors like EndowUs offer access to the S&P 500 using CPF/SRS, but fees can add up.
5. SGX-listed SPDR S&P 500 ETF (S27) avoids custodian fees and allows SRS and CDP investing.

          https://stockanalysis.com/quote/sgx/S27/holdings/