Where should I park my SA of 146K for a year to carry out CPF SA shielding hack?

Hi anon,

I really wanted to answer your question but didn't manage to find time to do so till now.

Just park it in a bond fund. You can buy-in on a zero fee platform such as POEMS; no need to go through an insurance agent. Make sure to pass your CPF Self Awareness Questionnaire first at (https://www.cpf.gov.sg/eSvc/Web/Schemes/CPFISSe...)

For shielding purpose, just buy in around 2 weeks before you turn 55 to provide some buffer and ensure that you have time to fix anything that might go wrong. After you turn 55, and your RA is formed, ensure that if you wish to have ERS instead of FRS, do so first, and ensure that if you wish to withdraw any remaining balance from OA and SA, do so first. Then you can sell the bond fund and return the funds to SA. Typical liquidation timeline is around 7 working days.

I don't recommend buying SGS or T-Bills as liquidity is typically poor. A bond fund has more liquidity; consider UOB United SGD Fund CL A (Acc) or Nikko AM Shenton Short Term bond fund. Remember, you just need to park it for 2 weeks or so before selling off.

Based on your preferences, a DIY into money market fund provides relatively high safety, with a lot of liquidity without much cost.

Alternatively, if you've not set up brokerages before, you can also look to visit one of the 3 local banks to purchase a Singapore Govt Treasury Bill for a tenor of 6-12months (https://www.mas.gov.sg/bonds-and-bills/Singapor...).