Welcome to this week’s digest of BBCWatcher’s insights from 29 Oct – 05 Nov 2024. This summary compiles key discussions and analysis from the HardwareZone forum. Key Insights and Discussions SSBs and Retirement Schemes BBCWatcher advises against piling into SSBs excessively, given their lower interest rates (2.66%-2.81% p.a.) compared to the Retirement Account (RA) floor […]

🔑 Key Highlights: Integrated Shield plan premiums generally remain the same for both Singaporean citizens and Permanent Residents (PRs) MediShield Life premiums, however, are often lower for citizens Affordability for Integrated Shield plans with public hospital B1 ward coverage ranges from SGD 700 to over SGD 3,000 per year, depending on the plan and provider […]

🔑 Key Highlights: Resale levy for HDB BTO flats can be substantial, with one forum member’s aunt facing a levy of $89.5K. The resale levy is calculated based on the original purchase price of the BTO flat and accumulates interest over time. The interest rate is 10% per annum, and interest is calculated from the […]

🔑 Key Highlights: Local banks are offering competitive mortgage rates, with OCBC and UOB being the most competitive. The lowest 2-year fixed rate is 2.5%, while the lowest 3-year fixed rate is 2.4% for bigger loan amounts. Some banks are offering free conversion after 1 year or 2 years, which can be beneficial for those […]

🔑 Key Highlights: Singaporeans are discussing insurance options for newborns, focusing on Early Critical Illness (ECI) coverage and term life insurance. Financial calculations suggest that investing premiums in a term plan might not be sufficient to cover early CI payouts, leading to interest in standalone ECI policies or ECI riders attached to term life insurance. […]

🔑 Key Highlights:– Singapore Airlines is offering a sale for 2025 holidays until November 7, or while tickets last.– The reminder is especially relevant for those with a family history of short lifespan, such as the forum member who recently lost a 57-year-old family member.– It highlights the importance of planning for one’s retirement and […]

🔑 Key Highlights: Singaporeans who invested in T-Bills using their CPF Income Scheme (CPFIS) Ordinary Account (OA) should have received their maturity proceeds by now. Maturity proceeds are typically credited back to the investor’s CPFIA account, and they need to manually transfer the funds back to their CPF OA to qualify for OA interest for […]

🔑 Key Highlights: The recent MAS Singapore Government Securities (SGS) bond sale (GX24110N) garnered a total application amount of S$99.6 million, with S$92.2 million allotted within individual allotment limits. This represents a relatively low demand, with approximately 15% of applicants exceeding their allotted limits. On the other hand, the upcoming December bond sale (GX24120F) boasts […]

🔑 Key Highlights:– Several banks in Singapore have updated their fixed deposit (FD) rates, with some offering competitive rates for short-term placements.– Maybank has revised its rates, with the 6-month FD rate decreasing from 3.45% to 3.25% and the 12-month FD rate remaining unchanged at 2.95%.– Some users are exploring alternative options, such as Maribank’s […]