Around the world, high inflation dominates concerns today. In Singapore, core inflation surged to 5.1% in August from a year ago — the highest in almost 14 years.

Meanwhile, Singapore regulators on 30 Sept 2022 introduced new property cooling measures, which included tighter maximum loan quantum limits for housing loans to ensure prudent borrowing and avoid future difficulties in servicing home loans.

It’s no surprise then that the high cost of living in Singapore is a top concern for 9 out of 10 Singaporeans, according to the latest study by Milieu Insights.

What can be useful is to take a hard look at the big-ticket expenses that you have right now. Here are some hacks that may help to lighten the load. 

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Death and taxes — and SRS

The Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) is an attractive tax deferment scheme in Singapore that more Singaporeans and foreigners living in Singapore should take advantage of. 

SRS is meant to motivate Singaporeans and foreigners working here to save for their retirement. Firstly, the scheme allows you to postpone how much you should pay on your tax bill now. Secondly, it allows you to pay less tax later in your retirement years. If you manage how much you withdraw from the SRS account each month for your spending needs at retirement, you can even withdraw without paying taxes on these sums annually.

The scheme may seem complicated at first glance, but let’s break down the mechanics.

Learn more here.

Dealing with rising mortgage rates, new cooling measures in Singapore

“Have you fixed your mortgage yet?”

Chances are, you would have heard this question making its rounds at dinner conversations these days. The concern comes as mortgage rates have spiked dramatically this year, in line with aggressive Fed rate hikes. 

Meanwhile, Singapore regulators on 30 Sept 2022 introduced new property cooling measures, which included tighter maximum loan quantum limits for housing loans to ensure prudent borrowing and avoid future difficulties in servicing home loans.

With the dramatic shift to sharply higher borrowing costs today, what are some options to manage your mortgage payments in this rising rate environment?

Find out more here.

Say no to trailer fees and high investing costs

There are hidden fees behind your unit trust investments, and they are eating into your returns. Amid high inflation, it’s time to take a closer look at how much you’re paying to invest. 

By the end of June 2022, the tally of fees saved by clients investing through Endowus, since it offered retail services, had crossed $3 million. That’s all the money that traditional fund distributors would earn if they had sold the same funds to our clients. 

Learn why you’ve been overpaying all this while without Endowus, and how this digital wealth platform is fighting for lower costs while aligning with customers’ interests. The mission is clear: we want clients to have the best odds of success in building returns for a more secure future — raging inflation be damned. 

Understand more about our mission and how it benefits you from here.