$$$ KPO and CZM $$$

Monday, May 3, 2021

Futu's moomoo Attractive Sign-Up Bonus Has Been Extended!

I blogged about this previously - Futu's moomoo Attractive Sign-Up Bonus - One Free Apple Share! and I am glad to share that Futu SG has decided to extend the promotion with a more generous offer! Fun fact - Futu is the pronunciation of the Chinese characters 富途 which means the path to wealth. How apt. In my opinion, that 1-2% interest from a savings account is not going to make one rich, one got to invest to grow their wealth.


Anyway, from 1st May 2021 to 31st May 2021, 1500hr SGT, sign up using our referral link here and deposit SGD 2,700, USD 2,000, or HKD 16,000 for the following benefits:
1. One free AAPL share (S$2,700 deposit must be made within 30 days from account opening)
2. Unlimited Commission-free trading in the US, HK, and SG markets for 180 days
3. Free level 2 Market Data for US market 
4. Free SGX Securities Level 1 real-time market data
5. Refer your friends to get up to 20 TWTR shares

Similarly, there is no cap/limit to the number of sign up. As long as the account is open before 31st May 2021, 1500hr SGT through our referral link and the deposit is made within 30 days from your account opening, you will be eligible for all the bonus above including the Apple share which is trading at around USD 130 (at the time of writing). After you have an account, refer your friends to get those Twitter shares (they would need to make the same deposit within 30 days from their account opening too).

In addition, unlimited commission-free trading in the 3 markets (US, HK, and SG) has been increased from 90 days to 180 days! That's half a year of trading without having to pay commission regardless of the number of trades made! That also means a longer period of time to evaluate the trading platform. I do not believe there is any other broker providing such a promotion. Although Futu SG has removed the SG$30 cash coupon, I feel that the free SGX Securities Lvl 1 real-time market data provides a lot more value because most of the existing/traditional brokers are providing delayed data of ~15 minutes by default and one will have to pay/subscribe for real-time data (recurring cost).

Let's try to address some of the common questions I get:
How reliable is moomoo powered by Futu?
Futu Holding Limited has 35 licenses globally in key financial hubs such as the United States, Hong Kong SAR, Singapore and others. In Singapore, capital markets products and services on moomoo are offered by Futu SG and it is licensed and regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) (License No. CM101000). In addition, Futu Holding Limited are backed by world-class strategic investors including venture capital affiliates of Tencent, Sequoia Capital and Matrix Partners. 

CDP vs Custodian
Shares purchase through moomoo powered by Futu will be held in a custodian. If you really want your shares to be in CDP, then you will have to go through the traditional banks/brokers with a minimum commission of ~$20 and above. Those less than $20 are also custodian account.

In my opinion, unless you are retired and have the time to attend AGM and vote, then go for CDP. Otherwise, investing through a custodian account is good enough as long as you look out for the hidden fees. Some charges custodian fees (e.g. Saxo is charging 0.12% annual custody fee, charged monthly) and corporate actions fees (e.g. POEMS SGD 10.70 for corporate action) which moomoo powered by Futu doesn't so it is really cost-effective.

It is showing margin accounts, should I be concerned?
According to the help center (https://support.futusg.com/en-us/topic50?from_platform=3), as long as your account is funded with sufficient cash/deposit, the stock you are going to purchase will be through your cash/deposit.

Do I need to complete x number of trades to get the sign-up bonus?
Nope, it will be as per what I have shared in my article - As long as the account is open before 31st May 2021, 1500hr SGT through our link and the deposit is made within 30 days from the account opening, you will be eligible for all the bonus above including the Apple share.

Why is platform fee being charged?
As explained on their site with regards to the fee breakdown - Thank you for using moomoo. Platform fees are charged to enable Futu to continue investing in better technologies to improve our platform to serve our users better.

I would rather pay the platform fee than a high minimum commission. Think about it, at the end of the day, they are a listed company that has to generate profit for their shareholders too. Alternatively, buy their share and you can think of paying yourself indirectly. lol. Regardless, the platform fee they are charging is also one of the lowest in the industry - 0.03% * transaction amount, minimum SGD 1.50. Some examples, FSMOne is charging 0.0875% per quarter for AUM < SGD 300k (recurring) and Tiger is charging 0.04% of trade value. 

In my opinion, this is a very attractive promotion you should not miss. No other banks/brokerages are going to be giving you free share for signing up with them. Besides, moomoo is also charging the lowest commission in Singapore and is definitely worth taking a look at.

If you are interested in Futu's moomoo app, do use our referral link for our readers to get the above benefits!

For more information, please contact the customer service team directly at clientservice@futusg.com or you can also call them at +65-6439 1100.

Do like any of the following for the latest update/post!
1. FB Page - KPO and CZM
2. Twitter - KPO and CZM
3. Click here to subscribe using email :)
4. Instagram - KPO_and_CZM (Did you see those delicious food photos to the right --> Unfortunately, you can't see it on mobile.)

Saturday, May 1, 2021

DeFIRE - FIRE using DeFi

Traditionally, in order to retire, one will need a relatively large investment where one can either live off the dividends or sell the investment based on an x% withdrawal rate. For example, if I need SG$5k per month for retirement, I will need SG$60k per year and depending on whether I lived off a 5% dividend portfolio or a 4% withdrawal rate, I would need SG$1.2 million or SG$1.5 million. That's a lot of money and most people would rather not think about it, YOLO and enjoy life.

What if I tell you now that there is a much faster way to generate the same amount of money with a much smaller capital/investment? Yes, it is in the crypto space and I am mindblown by it. The world we lived in currently is different from the world our parents/grandparents lived in. 

Screenshot taken from macrotrends

Back then bond yield was much higher so there will be a place for it in everyone's portfolio. Now bonds can barely keep up with inflation and I personally don't see any value in owning it. Back then there was no ABSD and our parents' generation could invest in multiple properties. If you ever wonder why didn't your parents buy multiple properties when they could, in the future, your children will probably wonder why didn't you invest in crypto when you could too. lol. 

This word DeFIRE came from this YouTuber - The Defiant (I am not so creative) and it simply means using DeFi to FIRE. Disclaimer, I am still pretty noob and new to this space but I do see the potential/feasibility of generating passive income through DeFi. Before I dived into the details/strategy, let me share explain the difference between APR and APY which is very important! Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is what we are all familiar with e.g. bank interest (1% APR), REITs dividends (5% APR). Annual Percentage Yield (APY) will always be higher than APR because it includes the effect of compounding. We have been trained/conditioned in such a manner that the default compounding period is monthly but in the world of crypto, the default compounding period is daily which makes thing even crazier!

Let's just discuss this strategy using the safest coins in the crypto world - the stablecoins

Screenshot taken from https://app.beefy.finance/

If I put my money in this liquidity pool, the APY would be 75.99%. 


Using a simple converter, we can see that the APR is 56.57%. If we take 56.57% divide by 365 days, we will arrive at the daily yield of 0.15%. Assuming I need SG$5k or US$3.7k (but let's use US$4k to simplify the maths), I will need just ~US$89k of capital (US$4,000 / (0.15% x 30 days)) to do that. Compare this to the million-dollar investment/portfolio required in the traditional world in order to achieve the same objective, this is so much less daunting!

Screenshot taken from https://app.alpacafinance.org/farm

If one is willing to take on even more risk by using leverage, the APY can go as high as 144.99% or an APR of 89.71% for stablecoins pair. This will further lower the capital required to ~US$54k (US$4,000 / (89.71% / 365 x 30 days)). You might be thinking that the yield is crazy high but I can assure you it is not. If I were to look at non-stablecoins, the APR can go even higher!

Screenshot taken from https://pancakebunny.finance/pool

This is my personal favourite - CAKE and where most of my money is currently in. The CAKE pool has an APY of 248.38% or 125% APR. The capital required would be ~US$39k (US$4,000 / (125% / 365 x 30 days)). It is a lot more complicated because the price of CAKE plays a part too unlike in stablecoins pair/pool where each coin is around US$1. All these are not without their risks and you should read up and research more on your own if you are planning to invest/throw your money into the crypto world.

I tried explaining to CZM how interesting it is to farm CAKE and with a capital of SG$5k, I am able to generate around US$20+ daily. Guess what's her response? She asked me to give her SG$5k and every day, she will give me SG$50 written down on a piece of note and said my CAKE is similar to that piece of note - worthless until I am able to encash them to buy a real cake to eat -.-" 

There is this saying in the crypto world to people not in crypto - have fun staying poor. Personally, I find that pretty rude and I will not use it in my article when I share about crypto. After all, we all have a very different risk appetite and of course, you are free to be as sceptical as CZM :)

Anyway, I have blogged about different ways to leverage crypto to build wealth for people with different risk appetites:
The safer approach using stablecoins
Risky approach but more hassle-free
Highest risk and you are on your own
- DeFi apps such as PancakeSwap and PancakeBunny
- DeFIRE with DeFi

Huat ah!

On a side note, Futu's moomoo app attractive sign-up bonus (one free Apple Share besides other benefits) has been extended to 31st May 2021 (1500hr SGT)! Find out what has changed here.

Do like any of the following for the latest update/post!
1. FB Page - KPO and CZM
2. Twitter - KPO and CZM
3. Click here to subscribe using email :)
4. Instagram - KPO_and_CZM (Did you see those delicious food photos to the right --> Unfortunately, you can't see it on mobile.)

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Endowus - March 2021

Endowus has recently raised S$23 million in Series A funding which is a piece of big news! So much information was actually revealed in the article. Some of the key points are as follows:
- This is one of the largest amounts raised in Series A funding for a Singapore-based fintech firm
- Endowus has plans to expand in Asia, starting with Hong Kong
- It is on track to hit S$1 billion in assets under advice by the second quarter in Singapore

In comparison, StashAway raised USD $5.3 million in Series A, USD $12 million in Series B, and USD $16 million in Series C. Having said that, we do not have visibility into the shares/equity that were traded for the funding. Besides that, they have also launched Cash Smart Ultra (1.8%-2%) and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) portfolios. Judging by all these, Endowus is doing pretty well and we do not have to worry about it closing down like Smartly.

ESG portfolios are interesting but unfortunately only available for cash investment. Although Cash Smart Ultra is probably offering one of the higher interest in the market currently, it still feels meh to me. If you are considering/looking at cash management account. You might want to consider my way of cash management. US$53.78 was my interest for just 1 week with a deposit of US$30k. 

Most importantly, Endowus has finally decided to lower the minimum investment amount to $1,000, making investing more "affordable" to everyone!

Risk Profile
Goal type: General wealth accumulation
Risk tolerance: Maximise returns (loss tolerance -60%)
Monthly investment using SRS: $638


I have modified my monthly investment in order to max out my SRS contribution for the year.

Account Summary


Capital: $13,064.00
Current: $15,484.29 (18.57%)

There are quite a few differences as compared to StashAway. Firstly, all the cash has been invested while StashAway keeps 1% of the portfolio in cash. Secondly, the fees are not deducted on a monthly basis. The Access Fee charged by Endowus will be deducted at the end of each quarter as stated in their FAQ.

As of 20 April 2021, the portfolio value is $16,001.19 (+22.55%).


For the last few weeks, Endowus portfolio was like on steroids. This is the first time it overtook my SRS investment with StashAway given that both portfolios had the same capital/deposit.


Asset Allocation


This shows that the number of shares for each fund that I owned:
- Dimensional Global Core Equity Fund (201.0180)
- Infinity US 500 Stock Index Fund (2,404.0200)
- Dimensional Emerging Markets Large Cap Core Equity Fund (80.7250)
- Dimensional Pacific Basin Small Companies Fund (74.5680)

It will be great if they actually showed my average price vs the current market price. Anyway, the Feb SRS investment was not captured in the same month, hence the above looks identical to last month and you will see that there are no transactions below.

Transactions


Given that Feb was a shorter month, the investment made in Feb spilled over to Mar.

That's all! Overall, I think the statement is pretty straightforward and easy to read. On a side note, StocksCafe does not has the ability to track funds, hence unable to do any form of comparison/benchmark.

Speaking of which, Endowus has finally launched a mobile app:
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.endowus.mobileapp

If you are interested in Endowus, do use our referral link for our readers! You will get S$10,000 managed free for 6 months ($20 equivalent) and we will get $20 too! 

On a side note, Futu's moomoo app attractive sign-up bonus (one free Apple Share besides other benefits) has been extended to 30th April 2021 (1500hr SGT)! Take a look at our review here.

You might be interested in the previous monthly update too:
Endowus - December 2020 - $12,466.20
Endowus - January 2021 - $13,080.35
- Endowus - March 2021 - $15,484.29

Do like any of the following for the latest update/post!
1. FB Page - KPO and CZM
2. Twitter - KPO and CZM
3. Click here to subscribe using email :)
4. Instagram - KPO_and_CZM (Did you see those delicious food photos to the right --> Unfortunately, you can't see it on mobile.)