The Cashmere Newsletter https://www.cashmere.money/ 2026-10-13T00:00:00.000Z Cashmere https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/cpf-and-your-fire-date/ 2026-09-22T06:00:00.000Z 2026-10-13T00:00:00.000Z

A couple aged 48 have $1.2 million, but $800,000 of it is in CPF. Their other savings run out before they can withdraw any of it. Worked figures for 2026.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/emergency-fund-singapore/ 2026-10-06T00:30:00.000Z 2026-10-06T00:30:00.000Z

MoneySense suggests three to six months of expenses as an emergency fund. For a household with essential spending of $3,000 a month, that is $9,000 to $18,000. Retrenchment benefit and jobseeker support can make the fund last longer.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/absd-second-property-singapore/ 2026-09-30T00:36:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:36:00.000Z

Singapore Citizens pay 20% ABSD on a second home and 30% on a third. On a $1.2 million second property, the duties total $272,600. In a worked example, they make a buyer retire about three years later.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/hdb-flat-fire-date-singapore/ 2026-09-30T00:34:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:34:00.000Z

A 35-year-old earning $6,800 a month could retire at 55 without a flat. With a 3-room resale flat in Jurong West, she could retire at 58. With a 4-room flat there, she could retire at 60. With a 5-room flat in Choa Chu Kang, she could retire at 64.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/subscription-tracker-singapore/ 2026-09-30T00:30:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:30:00.000Z

To find recurring payments, read twelve months of statements and look for shops that charge on a regular date. In one example, $200 a month of subscriptions and $2,049 of yearly renewals add up to $4,449 a year.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/how-to-budget-singapore/ 2026-09-30T00:28:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:28:00.000Z

A household budget in Singapore starts from three months of bank and card statements. First, take out card bill payments, transfers between your own accounts, and investments. If you leave them in, you count the same spending twice.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/miles-vs-cashback-singapore/ 2026-09-30T00:26:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:26:00.000Z

To compare miles and cashback, first give each mile a value in cents. A card with 1.2 miles per dollar matches 1.5% cashback when each mile is worth 1.25 cents. If you redeem each mile for 1.8 cents, the card pays the same as 2.16% cashback.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/credit-card-combination-singapore/ 2026-09-30T00:24:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:24:00.000Z

A second credit card pays off only if its extra reward is more than its annual fee. The first card must also still reach its minimum spend. In a worked example, a second card adds $50 a year but charges a $196.20 fee.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/best-credit-card-singapore/ 2026-09-30T00:22:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:22:00.000Z

Card caps and minimum spends reset every month. So the best card for a household depends on how its spending changes from month to month. In a worked example, an estimate based on an average month gives $382, but the card paid $227.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/do-you-need-an-ilp-singapore/ 2026-09-30T00:20:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:20:00.000Z

A household needs a policy only for a loss its own savings cannot pay. It needs no life cover once its savings can pay for the family. MediShield Life covers every citizen. Cash can pay for a short illness.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/critical-illness-cover-how-much/ 2026-09-30T00:18:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:18:00.000Z

To size critical illness cover, add the income lost while recovering and the treatment costs above MediSave. Then take away the cash already saved. For a worker earning $96,000 a year ($8,000 a month) with $60,000 in cash, the gap is $46,000 for one year off work and $430,000 for five years.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/integrated-shield-plans-by-ward-class/ 2026-09-30T00:16:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:16:00.000Z

Singapore's 38 Integrated Shield plans sort into five ward classes. According to MOH's June 2026 comparison, lifetime premiums run from $41,100 to $72,300 for Standard plans and from $255,700 to $392,000 for private hospital plans.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/term-vs-whole-life-singapore/ 2026-09-30T00:14:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:14:00.000Z

compareFIRST quoted premiums in September 2026 for a 35-year-old male non-smoker. Over 25 years, $400,000 of term cover costs $8,025 to $62,900. Whole life plans paid over the same 25 years cost $131,000 to $280,000.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/how-much-life-insurance-singapore/ 2026-09-30T00:12:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:12:00.000Z

A household needs enough life cover to pay its spending until its savings can take over. Add its debts, then take away its savings. For a 35-year-old's family that spends the Singapore average, the need starts at about $1.57 million and falls to zero at 50.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/singapore-reits-yield/ 2026-09-30T00:10:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:10:00.000Z

A REIT's distribution yield is its distribution per unit divided by its price. The yield does not show how much the REIT has borrowed. It also does not show what its new loans will cost or how many new units it will issue.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/first-etf-portfolio-singapore/ 2026-09-30T00:08:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:08:00.000Z

An STI ETF holds 30 Singapore companies. Its Singapore dividends are not taxed. A world ETF holds thousands of companies in many countries, but part of its US dividends goes to US tax. Many first portfolios hold both.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/srs-investment-options/ 2026-09-30T00:06:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:06:00.000Z

SRS money can buy T-bills, Savings Bonds, fixed deposits, shares, ETFs, unit trusts and some insurance. It cannot buy property. Someone who pays in $15,300 a year ($1,275 a month) for 20 years and leaves it as cash ends with little more than the $306,000 they paid in.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/t-bills-with-cpf-oa/ 2026-09-30T00:04:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:04:00.000Z

CPF members can buy T-bills with Ordinary Account savings above $20,000. Because of how CPF counts interest, they lose seven or eight months of the 2.5% OA rate on a 6-month bill. The bill needs a cut-off yield of about 2.9% to 3.3% to earn more.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/ssb-vs-t-bills-vs-fixed-deposits/ 2026-09-30T00:02:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:02:00.000Z

A T-bill pays one fixed rate for six months or a year. A Savings Bond's rate rises each year for up to ten years, and it can be cashed in any month. SDIC insures a fixed deposit up to $100,000 per bank.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/how-to-buy-t-bills-singapore/ 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z

MAS sells Singapore Treasury bills at auctions, from $1,000. You can pay with cash, SRS or CPF Ordinary Account savings. A non-competitive bid gets the cut-off yield. You receive it as a discount on the face value.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/4-percent-rule-singapore/ 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z

The 4% rule comes from studies of American retirements that lasted 30 years. A longer retirement needs a lower rate: about 3.5% for 50 years and 3.4% for 60. A household that spends $60,000 a year needs about $265,000 more.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/coast-fire-singapore/ 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z

Coast FIRE means investing a large sum early, then stopping. The investments keep growing until retirement. For a Singapore employee, CPF contributions continue while they coast. In a worked example, this cuts the sum needed to retire at 60 by more than half.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/fire-number-singapore/ 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z

The FIRE number is yearly spending divided by a safe withdrawal rate. The rate depends on how long the money must last. A 10-year retirement needs 12.5 times yearly spending. A 60-year retirement needs about 29.4 times.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/how-much-to-retire-singapore/ 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z

A 35-year-old earns $7,500 a month and spends $48,000 a year ($4,000 a month). He reaches the usual FIRE target at 57. A month-by-month plan counts CPF and assumes lower returns. It finds he could retire at 54.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/savings-rate-fire-singapore/ 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z

Saving more puts more money into investments and lowers spending. In a worked example with 2026 CPF rates, saving 50% of take-home pay lets a 35-year-old retire at 48 instead of 64.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/types-of-fire-singapore/ 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z

Each FIRE style is a level of spending. Based on SingStat's 2023 household spending figures, lean, standard, fat and barista FIRE need about $1.18 million to $2.67 million for a 30-year retirement. A longer retirement needs more.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/tax-on-investments-singapore/ 2026-09-22T07:10:00.000Z 2026-09-27T00:00:00.000Z

Individual investors in Singapore pay no tax on capital gains, Singapore dividends or bank interest. Rent is taxed. For many investors, the largest tax cost is tax that other countries take from dividends.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/srs-withdrawal-tax/ 2026-09-22T07:05:00.000Z 2026-09-27T00:00:00.000Z

Only 50% of an SRS withdrawal made at or after the statutory retirement age is taxed. A retiree with no other income can withdraw up to $400,000 over ten years without paying tax.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/two-earners-two-tax-bills/ 2026-09-22T07:00:00.000Z 2026-09-27T00:00:00.000Z

Married couples in Singapore cannot file their tax together. Each spouse pays tax on their own chargeable income. Parents can split some child and parent reliefs between them.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/the-31-december-tax-deadline/ 2026-09-22T06:55:00.000Z 2026-09-27T00:00:00.000Z

SRS contributions and CPF cash top-ups count for a year only if they are made by 31 December. A $15,300 SRS contribution saves $456 to $3,060 in tax, depending on chargeable income.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/srs-or-cpf-top-up/ 2026-09-22T06:50:00.000Z 2026-09-27T00:00:00.000Z

SRS contributions and CPF cash top-ups both cut chargeable income dollar for dollar if made by 31 December. They save the same tax for each dollar. But only SRS money can be withdrawn early, at a cost.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/singapore-tax-reliefs-and-the-cap/ 2026-09-22T06:45:00.000Z 2026-09-27T00:00:00.000Z

Singapore tax residents can claim reliefs for their family, their CPF and SRS contributions and their National Service. Each relief has its own limit. All reliefs together are capped at $80,000 a year.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/singapore-income-tax-rates/ 2026-09-22T06:40:00.000Z 2026-09-27T00:00:00.000Z

Singapore tax residents pay income tax at rates from 0% to 24%, and the rate rises with income. A resident with $100,000 of chargeable income pays $5,650, which is 5.65% of that income.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/cpfis-investing-cpf-savings/ 2026-09-22T05:00:00.000Z 2026-09-27T00:00:00.000Z

CPFIS lets members invest Ordinary Account savings above $20,000 and Special Account savings above $40,000. The Ordinary Account pays 2.5%. After fees, an investment must earn more than that.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/cpf-in-your-net-worth/ 2026-09-22T04:00:00.000Z 2026-09-27T00:00:00.000Z

CPF savings are part of a household's net worth. But most CPF money cannot pay for spending before 55. How to split a CPF balance into four kinds of money, with 2026 figures.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/cpf-cash-top-up-worth-it/ 2026-09-22T03:00:00.000Z 2026-09-27T00:00:00.000Z

A CPF member who puts $8,000 of cash into their own CPF account saves between $280 and $1,600 in tax, depending on income. The money earns at least 4% a year until 2027. It stays in CPF to pay a monthly income in retirement.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/cpf-life-payouts/ 2026-09-22T02:00:00.000Z 2026-09-27T00:00:00.000Z

CPF LIFE pays members a monthly income from 65 for the rest of their life. A member who turns 55 in 2026 with the Full Retirement Sum can expect about $1,780 a month on the Standard Plan.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/cpf-withdrawal-at-55/ 2026-09-22T01:00:00.000Z 2026-09-27T00:00:00.000Z

From 55, CPF members can withdraw at least $5,000. A member who has set aside the 2026 Full Retirement Sum of $220,400 can also withdraw the rest of their Ordinary Account savings.

https://www.cashmere.money/newsletter/cpf-accounts-explained/ 2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z 2026-09-27T00:00:00.000Z

CPF savings are kept in up to four accounts. Each account has its own interest rate and its own rules on how the money can be used. A guide to the OA, SA, MediSave and RA, with the 2026 rates.