🕊️ Financial Planning

CPF and CPF LIFE: how your retirement payout works

CPF splits your pay across the Ordinary, Special and MediSave accounts. At 55 a Retirement Account is formed; from 65 CPF LIFE pays a monthly income for life. How the contributions, the retirement sums and the payout work.

Emergency fund: how much do you need?

An emergency fund of 3-6 months of expenses protects you from unexpected costs without expensive debt. Singapore has no unemployment benefit, so it matters even more. How to work out your figure and build it.

Financial independence: how to calculate your number

Financial independence means your investment returns cover your spending. How to use the 4% rule, how much your savings rate matters, and how to account for the (light) tax, inflation and CPF LIFE.

How income tax and CPF work on your Singapore salary

Resident income tax runs 0% to 24% with the first S$20,000 free — no capital gains, dividend or interest tax. CPF takes 20% of your wage. An overview of what comes out and what you can claim.

Buying an HDB flat: CPF, home loans and stamp duty

Around 80% of Singaporeans live in an HDB flat. How the HDB concessionary loan compares with a bank loan, how CPF pays for it, and the Buyer's Stamp Duty, ABSD, TDSR and MSR rules.

What happens if you lose your job in Singapore

Singapore has no broad unemployment insurance. What the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme pays, what retrenchment benefit to expect, and why an emergency fund is the main safety net.