You do know that to get 200K p.a dividend, would most probably requires him to have ~4M exposure in the dividend counters (assuming 5% DY). Definitely he also have to have higher income previously in order to achieve this. Singapore stocks only recently get more excitement compare previously. No matter how B40 you want to live like, the income must be higher in order to achieve this.

How long have you been in the market? Do you like start 5 years back?

Still the same since at that amount of dividend collected, most probably he will need to perform DCA or averaging up assuming from 1 stock itself. I don't think he will go all in when it was the lowest. So in your case of Maybank most probably the average buy price will be somewhere above RM8 or RM9.


I still think eventually the DY is the div collected over the amount invested. I know previously some stocks can give as high as 10%, but eventually after I averaging up, the DY for the particular counter drop. Eventually I'm seeing the DY closer to the current DY or slightly higher. Thus, I'm using the 5% since some of the Singapore stocks actually giving > 5%

This post has been edited by jasontoh: Sep 24 2025, 03:11 PM

I'm trying to build my cash reserve to a better ratio, but recently not so easy as market on rampage. I did ask Ramjade about his cash holding, since he is able to churn out cash from options. I was hoping to be able to be at least 30% in cash holdings but it might take a while since my options exposure not that high.

You are right, thus the strategy to deploy the cash holding is quite important also. I think reasonably good companies would most probably survive the storm, but I'm comfortable if market crashed and stocks drop to 50%; for US stocks I'll just turn on the DRIP, but for Malaysia and Singapore most probably have to be done manually. For new holdings sometimes drop 20% I'll start to dip into it. Regardless on selling, I do have stocks that have no intention of selling, these are the counters that I don't even sell call options. There are counters that I'll still sell either via selling call options or directly selling it if it is reaching my TP.


Yeah, this is what I thought so as well although I think the expectation is when market recover the net worth would be up.
But then again not only net worth, in fact I think the options premium would have been lowered as well.

This post has been edited by jasontoh: Sep 24 2025, 11:09 PM

I don't cheer for crashed, but I have the backup plan should everything turn sour.

You don't. But it should not stop you from giving or cherish your loved one with better livelihood. To me I don't see myself working and saving so hard just to see my networth zeroes growing. I want my family members to have better livelihood. So occasionally we will still go for overseas holiday, in fact, I even bring my newborn oversea holiday just for the sake of experience - and you won't even believe how excited and joyful he look throughout the holiday.

To me, at least to me, I plan for Plan B, C, D if anything goes wrong, but I will still try to reward my family with better livelihood. True I want to FIRE, but I'll be very selfish if I skimp all these just for the sake of my own FIRE goal. Your money won't be able to buy back time, like how you will be able to have family travel experience as long as they are still around (and I mean with own parents), but once times up, the balance in your IBKR account will just be viewing pleasure.

Yes, they will not, but you will have the experience and able to feel their joy at that age. You can however still have this memories stored as video compilation and photo album and showed them once they are older. They will not always age 0. I'm not making him becoming a rich brat, I cannot even afford to do so even if I wanted to, but preparing his education + education fund and exposure is the least a parent can do (if we are able to afford).


Another real example from someone I know (extreme frugal) - someone I know more interested in how much zeroes he have in his account for so long (as long as we have been working), until now that he has more zeroes and can afford to bring his parents elsewhere holiday but no longer feasible, since his mother already dementia after broken her leg during one of bad fall not too long ago. So finally he still can keep his money, but to what extend has he improve the livelihood of his family? They are still staying in his father's old house.

I would say it's about the same actually. I noticed for similar stuff in Singapore and Malaysia, the difference is around 20-30% higher in Singapore after converting to RM. So if they need around 6M+ and in Malaysia thinking 5M, then I think it's about right.


I'm quite interested to know what do you mean about FIRE buying back your time. Today you are 30 years old, you parents maybe 55-60 years old. Due to your obsession to FIRE, you neglected your parents well being until you are 40 years old when FIRE is achieved. Your parents health etc will still same like 10 years back just because now you can pay more? I'm using your parents as an example as you are just going to get married, so I'm not sure when you will have kids, but eventually it will still be the same. Within these 10 years, your net worth is not the only thing that is changing.

This post has been edited by jasontoh: Oct 4 2025, 02:13 AM

You do know that most private schools have a whole lot other fees and activities which will involve a whole lot of money? Are you going to ask your children to stop all those since you are already paying their school fees? Then in the first place why enroll them into something where they cannot make friends and do activities with them?



What do you mean by the bold part?

This post has been edited by jasontoh: Oct 6 2025, 10:46 AM

While I don't think we should succumb to peer pressure, but surely the child will feel upset if he/she is always missing out on all those activities. One of the manager I've known off, maybe salary around 20-30K told me he also struggle with all the hidden "charges" enrolling his kid to the international school - even though he don't sign his kid up for all the activities.

I personally will send them to the SK. What I will do more is to educate him myself after school. I did not go to tuition last time and I don't see the need for my kid to go there (esp primary school where the foundation is build). My wife might not agree but I don't want my kid to be miserable studying meaninglessly 24/7, but rather he enjoy his childhood. As for not sending international school is because I would rather save for his oversea education in the future, if he is not getting any local uni placement. So no point burning money in primary/secondary schooling.

Do you FIRE because you wanted to or because of some circumstances? If without those circumstances will you still FIRE or continue to work?


Was wondering as well. Sometimes I try to clear AL I also not sure what to do with the extra hours away from work

This post has been edited by jasontoh: Oct 7 2025, 08:55 AM

So within 4 years get additional 1M even though FIRE?

I think this only apply to those work so hard until there is no time to do something that they like. Like I like to play video games, I'm also doing (console/phone) that after work - and I don't go like hours playing games, so a day maybe login to my PoGo to do some task, take down gym to earn some coins, play MLBB, turn on my Switch for a match FIFA etc. If I have time before sleep, I watch some series on Netflix/Prime/TvbAnywhere. Sometimes I work on some coding (now lesser due to not doing much of a freelance). I've been doing this even though I'm working. Yum cha also depends whether others are free, although I have no issue cafe hop myself. Of course I can still pick up some new skills should I FIRE, but occasionally I do question myself what I'm going to do with those free time.

I've been wanting to FIRE since young I was young thinking if put 1M to FD already get 100K, and at that time even 1K seems a lot. This is the reason why my initial investment strategy was more towards high DY counters. I have yet to reach my FIRE goal though since I'm looking to draw from EPF dividend only when I retire.

I used to be able to play games overnight, when there is a new Warcraft/expansion coming out, I played whole night just to go through all the missions. But nowadays I hardly do it, not sure is a sign of maturity or the current games not so fun. My other hobby (coding) is indeed my current job, but I also won't spend like too long on it - not because I don't like but I rather spend some time on other perspective to refresh my mind should I come to any road block on my work.

Yea, same here. Although I don't claim to love traveling, in fact I don't really like it, just go for the sake of family trip

Yeah, I think there is a balance to strike. Like your case, I'm also doing the same, I bought my wife some Coach, MK bags, and she enjoyed those - she is those frugal type who don't requires branded goods to feel happy, but still rewarding people we love with some of this. Her jewelries though, she just keep it locked worrying theft

But your target retirement is not like really doing nothing and just get money for normal expenses from maybe EPF etc etc. You are still doing options trading. My target retirement is basically do nothing, if I were to include "active trading" then I would be able to do FIRE even now, but again, it would be difficult to fill up the 16-20 hours when I'm not sleeping. My point is some of the stuff we rewarded our love ones, because I myself also won't be spending like the ultra rich on a 6-7 figures bags, or maybe even a watch which cost a year or 2 years pay.

If it were to be like a super frugal or extreme measure, don't you think you are only just prolonging your suffering from a 35-years to a lifelong suffering and extending it to all the people around you? Btw, I'm not trying to judge here. I get it you don't seems to have a happy working life thus you want to fast forward your FIRE. Not every one are happy or satisfied with our work or the pressure from work, but I think most of us here don't intend to spread our suffering to our loved ones. We will just plan on how to make our work life more enjoyable - at least that is for me, I won't say I'm truly happy with my work, I do like it because I'm doing something that I like, but there are stuff like office politics, presentation, goals that I try to avoid or not happy with it, but I do my best to have positive thinking and to make the best out of the working environment to upskill and to network more. If you are not happy with your current toxic work environment, you can always move elsewhere.

You don't like KPI, I also don't like, but the reality of life is KPI is everywhere, in business this is to see whether you are really working or lazying around. Even after you retire, you have your KPI - which is the target earnings from your tradings.

This post has been edited by jasontoh: Nov 5 2025, 09:14 AM

How do you live the FIRE life when you have yet to retire and achieved financial independence. If you are aiming 20K per month from dividend alone, you will need 24M assuming 1% DY. Even now with your options trading, you will need 100 years barring all the noises and variables.

I'm a bit confuse now actually. I thought you are still working, no? And the salary is on the lower range which is why many here advising you to change job since you don't like the toxic environment and bosses, no? So it's like someone getting >100K in div not necessarily equal to a 6 months bonus because his/her pay would already be touching 30-50K.