Have you grabbed POSB's low hanging fruits?

I thought I'll just share this again, in case you missed my informative story "It would have to do". It's about the POSB national day celebration, where they will give you an extra 1.5% per annum for 3 months if you register after you've deposited in a sum (up to 10k max) in your savings account and not touch it till 30th November 2014. Do remember to register here after you've put in your money. The dateline for this exercise is...

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The girl who picks up snail

He was just 22, when he met a beautiful girl bending over a pavement, while it pours like pearl With her brown and beady eyes, she pointed to a snail crawling along the pavement, leaving a moist and slimy trail. With slow and gentle hands, she plucked it off the ground and placed it just beside, a soft and grassy mound. Puzzled, he asked the girl, "Why change the snail's locale?" Beaming, she answered back, "This is my rationale," "This...

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OCBC rights issue (Part 2)

I was thinking whether there's a way to make the best out of this rights issue...seems bleak. For those who haven't read, do read my first post on this rights exercise: OCBC rights issue (Part 1) first. I thought of a few ways. Let's just assume that the buy in price is $10.20, just to make a comparison. Commission is not included in all calculations, unless otherwise stated. Theoretical ex rights price (TERP) based on $10.20 is $9.92 1. Buy...

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OCBC rights issue (Part 1)

I'm always very interested in rights issue. There's a new kid on the block just announced today. That's for OCBC. They bought into WingHang bank listed in HK, maybe even over paying for it. The big idea is that they can raise the funds for the purchase by doing private placements (Boo!), borrow money and increasing their debts (not too good, in the light of ever increasing capital requirements by central banks worldwide), and issuing rights. I...

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A Great Loss

"A Great Loss" I knew I was unimportant. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life I am invisible to her eyes. Nah – she nary cast a glance at me, and even if she did, I must say the look is never affirmative. Usually it ranges from glowering distaste to say the least, and glaring disgust at the worst. “Why are you here? Why don’t you go away?” She mutters maliciously. But I did stay. I did not go. Despite the lack of cordiality and the constant...

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A clip from the past

Recently I chanced upon this site on NLB that has clips of Straits times in the past. It's very interesting to read about the past. Things were so different then. This was the headlines of the day when I was born. President of the US is Jimmy Carter. There's still USSR back in those days. The local police are hunting a con person who swindled an ex-teacher. 2 years later, in 1980, this was the advertisements found in the papers. Citibank...

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My Father

When I was a kid at 5, I never liked my father. He wasn't there when I needed him, to teach me how to bike. Each night I want a kiss from him, before tucking me to bed. Wasn't there to comfort me, as I cry myself in bed. When I grow up as a man, I don't want to be like him. When I was a teen at 15, I seldom see my father. He was sleeping when I leave at dawn, at work when I sleep at night. Two persons with the same surname, a stranger inside my...

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Kindle paper white

I thought I would never get another kindle, but I was proven wrong. This time, it's the 6.7 inches kindle paperwhite. What's so special about this compared to my 9.7 inches old graphite DX? First of all, there's a back lit for the kindle paperwhite. This makes reading possible when there's no natural light. The brightness level is easily accessible by two touches, so you can adjust the settings on the go. I usually keep it lesser than...

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The secrets of the millionaire dwarfs

"Bwahahaa! Those are yer good ol' times, ain't ye?", bellowed Drurim Drumsbearer as he gulped down his fifth pint of Heineken. The good dwarf had long ago hung his battle-worn oaken shield that had been passed down from his bloodline and exchanged his trusty old battleaxe for his Louis Vuitton's leather briefcase, perfectly tailored pinstripe suit and a pair of brown, calf leather oxford. Drurim wasn't supposed to drink, but of course, Heineken...

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It Would Have To Do

I'm on a roll. I must say this new development of dispensing financial information through the use of short stories is making me excited about blogging on personal finance again. It keeps me thinking of imaginary characters making imaginary conversations. Actually they are not so imaginary. It's always based on fragments on some real aspects of my life, or on the life of others around me. If you will, it's more like my own brand of mixing facts...

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An Empty House

Financial bloggers always use rationality to convince readers. I think there's another tool that is seldom used to persuade, and that is through story telling. I can blog out an article with 5 pointers, complete with reasons and supporting evidence, but it will not tug at the heart strings of my readers. It's emotionally dead and will reside in my blog as one of those useful but useless advice that is repeated ad nauseam. Let me try a different...

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