September 2026 Updates

If I have to use one word to describe September, it would be "busy" - for personal, work and investing.

 

Whatever pockets of time I have recently are spent trying to find suitable accommodations for our upcoming family trips in November and December.

 

We have planned for a trip to Johor in November and Phu Quoc in December. While accommodations for the former are not an issue, we are having a hard time finding for Phu Quoc.

 

All our original shortlisted hotels have been fully booked though the trip is still three months away.

 

Lesson learnt: Book them early if you are going to Phu Quoc during the Christmas period! 

 

Work-wise, recently took on a few projects with overlapping schedules. Just got notified another project is going to be confirmed too. Will be kept busy till at least end of calendar year. 

My side line as a PT is also getting hectic. Took on a number of new clients to fill up those slots left vacant by couple of previous clients who have relocated back to their countries. That's the downside for having ang mohs as 80% of my clientele. Almost all my weekday morning slots are full now. 

Another side line as adjunct lecturer will take a break now. Most likely would not be teaching in the upcoming semester.

September is another bountiful month for dividends. Dividends received include:

MIT @ $279.90

Ascendas @ $597.12

Venture @ $150

MLT @ $296.01

Cent Accom REIT @ $143.46 (maiden contribution)

CICT @ $214.20

Total: $1,680.69

With these contributions, total dividend crossed the five figure mark with a quarter of year to spare. Based on the trajectory final figure should surpass last year's as well. 

In last month's post I mentioned August funds have been rolled over to add on to September funds and I hope this accumulated amount can be deployed soon.

In September the wish came true.

This month is a relatively busy month for me in terms of number of trades done. When opportunities present, we should not give them a miss. Six trades done:

1) Added CICT @ $2.32 and 2.27

2) Added Netlink Trust @ $0.965

3) Added Cent Accom REIT @ $1.06

4) Added ABVX @ $108.37 and $98.7

All purchases are for counters already in my portfolio. No new counters added for this month. 

SGD portfolio value for September closing:

Hope to cross $300k soon for a mini milestone.

Looking forward to more buys in the coming months.

Summary of September 2024

Investment

 

$1,904.02 collected in dividends from Ascendas Reit, MIT, MLT, CLCT and CICT. Lol all the acronyms. 

Also collected 200 scrips from MLT and 1,800 rights + excess from the recent CICT PO.

For MLT, I elected to receive partial scrips with partial cash. The scrip price of $1.276 is attractive and more so given the expected rise in share prices as a result of Fed's rate cut. Partial cash is for avoidance of odd lots.

For CICT, it was an average up for me. I elected to subscribe for the rights and apply for excess for a total of 1,800 units. I received the full allocation today. While the rights price of $2.007 is quite high relative to my average price, it was attractive in comparison to the market price with a view of impending rise in share price.

With the averaging up from this addition, my average price for CICT now stands at $1.80 which is still yielding a good 5.8% in yearly income.

These are the only additions to my portfolio for this month. There are still some bullets left which are ready to be fired anytime when a target pop up.

Highlight of my portfolio for this month must be SingTel which is finally reaping the rewards after the strategic reset. Of course the banks and Reits are also outstanding. 

Meanwhile my investment in BABA is finally turning green. Glad I stayed with my conviction. 

Actually Alibaba reminded me of SingTel. They are not bad fundamentally speaking. Just some wrong moves over the years which were corrected or are in the process of correcting. Look at SingTel. After Mr Yuen rectified the issues brought about by his predecessor, the market rewarded SingTel accordingly. 

Overall September is good month for me and I believe, for most investors as well. 

However as we approach year end we should keep in mind the customary window dressing and look out for opportunities to add.

Also not to forget the tensions in Middle East. Iran just fired about 200 missiles at Israel this morning. This is a reminder of how dynamic the world is today. 

Business

 

Another good month for my side hustle as a freelance personal trainer. Apart from the clients allocated from my gym, I have started to train a client outside of the gym. This is a referral from word of mouth and since this is my own client, I am able to charge more per session.

My main business in the environmental management sector is also keeping me busy. Jobs are coming but the project value is low.

The new growth driver that I mentioned in previous posts is gearing up well. Just had a second meeting with a local university on the co-development of this technology. 

I am rather excited by this. 

 

Family

We have found a new school for our son for the next three months before he goes to Kindergarten next year.

We have pulled him out of his previous nursery as we suspected he has been traumatised by an assistant teacher there. We have decided to bring this up with ECDA. 

Summary of April 2024

April is a month of mixed feelings in terms of investment.

At the closing today, my CLCT officially lost half of its value with capital loss of 50.35%. No thanks to the double blow of the new asset class performance and Forex effect. 

Silver lining is the dividends collected over the years that help soften the blow.

Will hold on and ride through this while continuing the dividend collections to lessen the blow.

On the other hand, my DBS and OCBC achieved capital gains of ~59% and ~61% respectively. 

Overall portfolio is still staring at 4.52% loss YTD excluding dividends.

For this month I have added 1,100 units of Ascendas Reit @ $2.66.

Will continue my strategy of making monthly purchase whenever possible.

On the US side, my BABA is at a loss of ~33%. This is somewhat compensated by my AAPL and MSFT which have gains of ~38% and ~59% respectively.

TLDR version: position sizing is important.

On the work front, it is a busy period for me this month with project executions and plenty of paperwork such as quotations to be done.

On my sideline as a personal trainer, I am getting more clients onboard as well so moving forward this income stream is expected to be more significant. 

All in all, fulfilling at work. 

Family time is still my most treasured component. Top all the above to be frank.

Kids are getting fine though their cough has been ongoing for about a month already which is starting to make me worry.

Didi just gave wifey and I a pleasant surprise on Sunday. 

I have just finished ordering our meals with the waiter when Didi suddenly tapped the waiter uncle's hand and said: "and a french fries too".

Both wifey and I laughed instantly. 

When the dishes are served subsequently sans the fries, Didi actually told the waiter uncle "the french fries please".

What a joy to hear that. That initiative to place his order and subsequently reminded the waiter of his order all on his own accord, is incredible to me because Didi is only 3 years old. 

I hope both he and his sister grow up healthy and happy.