Family

Hi Anon, Condolences to your mother and I wish her a speedy recovery. For the cashback of 462 I would keep it as cash for your mum's followup treatments or for items to make her life better such as cab fare like you've mentioned. Cancer is a long journey and hopefully you have implemented an ECI plan to help tide through. All the best for your mum and your family

Economies of scale. There is far more production of white rice rather than brown. As such, it becomes cheaper to manufacture. Also, the shelf rice of brown rice is shorter and it requires more resources to maintain the quality during production, transportation and storage. Nutrition-wise, it is considered a whole grain, so more nutrients are kept within, compared to white rice.

The answer is not so straightforward. It depends on what kind of stress level your family can handle and how adept at change are you. In yesteryears, Fathers were the main/sole breadwinners. They did not handle the affairs of the home too much and mums were there to raise us up. Today, the majority of the workforce is leaning towards women. This fact is reverse that 70% of investment decisions are made by men. So you see, today we are in a transition of some sorts. I don't think the expectation of women for men to provide for them will dissipate. Therefore in a Stay-at-home situation, most likely the parent will be a Stay-at-home mother. But in this transitioning workforce environment , is it still viable? Most likely, the women have an easier task to get and hold onto a job compared to a man as the trend shows. My answer reflects beyond numbers and figures, rather looking towards societal changes and trends. To have a stay-at-home parent is best for a child but the question remains, can a family bear the consequences of an untrained man from the lack of a stay-at-home father figure or a family with irregular income as jobs are now brittle rice bowls. These are the challenges we face for our children's upbringing. As a side effect of the stay-at-home issue, on the corporate level - are we breeding a generation of men that are increasingly verse at politicking at work to hold onto their jobs?

As a parent, the best convenience I can get is living near to my own parents. Daily living I can count on leaving my child (and the foreign domestic helper) with my parents. Date night? I can depend on my parents to help. So non-mature or mature, as long as it nears your parents, it's good!

Hello, Based on the facts stated here, I would not recommend you upgrading to a condo. Based on a rough estimate of a central condo and your monthly income. Some details required: Have you achieved your Minimum Occupation Period for your EC? Have you paid off your EC? If not, what are the current details with regards to your EC What size and location of the condo are you looking at? How about your current cash liquidity? Even with insufficient cash flow a centralised condo is possible with other sources of capital to supplement your income. Do get back to me so I can answer this clearer!

I think it is better to talk directly to GE agents or servicing line to get the direct bonus and surrender value. If not cash tight, maybe paying back the loan, and leaving the policy to accumulate faster is a good idea. This happened in one of my dad's policies many years ago too, we paid the policy loan as the returns from the policy is at the mature end and the policy is accumulating better returns for my dad. If cash tight, of course, surrender the policy is an option. You can also sell the policies to an old-policy dealer such as... I can't tag him here. Loh Tat Tian is one of the second-hand dealers I think.

If they are retired and not financially literate, it would be best not to be too adventurous with their money. Firstly, ensure that they have a decent amount in CPF to draw on. CPF life is a very good annuity and it will form the bedrock of their retirement. Longevity risk is mitigated as it pays for life. If CPF life has been maximized, a private annuity is another good option to increase their retirement income. Next, you can boost their income by looking at low-risk instruments such as bonds, which you mentioned. Bonds (like SSB) or even investment-grade bond funds do pay a decent dividend and can be used to supplement their income. At this point, the income sources mentioned above should be able to provide for basic expenses. Keep some liquidity in the form of cash, but you can put a portion in high interest savings account such as CIMB, or in FDs, or very short term endowments (3 years) which can help to squeeze the most of of their money. A small portion can be directed to defensive equities, but you will need to look for good timing to enter. Several shares listed on SGX have paid decent dividends over the years and are noted for raising their dividends over time, this helps to mitigate inflation. With the right mixture of asset classes, you can achieve an inflation hedge, low volatility portfolio, which will be stable even during periods of drawdown. On the risk management side, ensure they have an integrated shield plan, and long term care coverage, so that any emergency won't wipe out their savings or force you to liquidate investments to pay the bills.

Hi anon, Just reach out to us and have a word with one of us first, to find out more. Find an advisor you can click with. Do note that independent financial advisors won't be able to do GE or Prudential. After speaking with us, choose someone you are comfortable to work with and are also comfortable to provide private details to. He or she will need the details you give to plan properly for you, regardless of what the issue may be.

Hi, You will want to consider a few things, amongst them, the affordability factor. For her age, integrated shield plans covering private hospitals can be quite costly. Beyond that, look for factors such as pre and post hospitalization coverage, panel listing etc. The number of factors that you may look at can be quite extensive, and it is likely better that you speak with an independent financial advisor who can explain the pros and cons of each shield plan to you before you decide. Most plans come in 2-3 types, one for private hospitals, and one for government A ward, or B1 and below. Riders are also plentiful in their types, but the main purpose of the rider is to limit your out-of-pocket expenses. You will have to fill in an application form to declare her health. At her age, it is likely that the insurer may exercise their right to call for a medical examination for her, even if she has never been admitted to hospital.

It would be best to speak to an Independent Financial Advisor to compare options. But I do have to say that due to age and her pre-existing, it may be difficult to get a policy incepted even with exclusions. Usually for elders, I'd tend to look at Raffles Health or NTUC Income due to underwriting strictness and premiums.