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What's Real and What Isn't in the Silver Surge

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Silver has been on a tear in 2025, grabbing headlines with record prices and stirring a fear of missing out (FOMO) sentiment among precious metal (PM) investors and collectors. The metal’s price is up roughly 164% year-to-date, climbing from the low US$30s to around US$77 per ounce, outpacing gold’s 72% climb over the same period. The surge has been fueled by a convergence of factors, from shifting monetary policy expectations to a deep physical supply squeeze. There is also an emerging narrative that claims silver is transforming into a new “reserve asset”, with central banks supposedly stockpiling it alongside gold. This blog post aims to cut through the hype and misconceptions. We’ll examine the fundamental nature of silver as both an industrial commodity and a monetary metal, analyse the real drivers of the 2025 price surge (particularly, structural supply/demand imbalances and booming industrial use) and debunk the idea that silver is becoming an official reserve asset . Our goal ...
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Using ChatGPT to Spot the Gaps in My Financial Plan

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I've always believed in taking charge of my own finances. I track my spending, plan for the long term and make deliberate investment choices. But even with a plan I'm confident in, it's easy to overlook blind spots, especially when you're too close to your own numbers. That's why I decided to run my financial plan through ChatGPT. I wanted a second opinion, something that could point out potential weaknesses without the bias of someone trying to sell a product. My goal was to see how AI would approach analyzing real-life financial plan, given all the details I could provide. Would it validate my strategy? Would it flag risks I hadn't considered? Most importantly, could it help fine-tune my path to financial independence (FI)? What was provided to  ChatGPT To make this review meaningful, I shared a full picture of my finances: Age: 35 Income from work: XX Annual expenses: XX Assets and liabilities: HDB flat valued at 650k, with 415k outstanding loan CPF: 33k (OA)...
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Reflecting on 2024

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2024 marked a year packed with personal milestones, from moving into my own house, celebrating my wedding, to crossing the coveted $1 million net worth mark. There were also difficult decisions to make, like overhauling my investment portfolio, investing when markets were at all-time highs and grappling with rising insurance premiums. Here's a brief recap that shaped my year: Major Expenses The largest expense this year was the renovation and furnishing of my new home which cost close to $90,000, slightly exceeding my initial budget. Being our first time going through this process, we were keenly aware of the many horror stories about renovation nightmares - be it unreliable contractors, hidden costs, or shoddy workmanship. While we thoroughly researched the contractors and IDs, there was always an element of luck. Fortunately, we managed to engage one that we were quite satisfied with. To manage costs, we opted to work with a main contractor instead of an ID. While this saved up ...
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The 4 Keys to Becoming a Successful Investor

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Many people believe success in investing hinges on timing the market or spotting undervalued stocks before anyone else. However, decades of data across numerous markets show that achieving this consistently is incredibly difficult, if not impossible. The path to successful investing lies in building the right mindset and strengthening your financial literacy. By focusing on long-term principles and developing habits that improve resilience and decision-making, you will be better equipped to navigate the ups and downs of the market and build wealth over time. 1. Conviction in Your Market and Long-Term Vision To succeed in any market, you must have conviction in the assets you invest in. Long-term success isn’t about quick wins—it’s about letting your investments grow, sometimes over years or decades. This means genuinely believing in the long-term growth potential of your investment. Conviction keeps you anchored when things get tough. For instance, during periods of high volatility or ...
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Networth Update 3Q 2024

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It's been a while since I last updated my finances. With the completion of my flat renovation and our wedding banquet successfully hosted, I have put these significant expenses behind me. I can now focus once again on building my wealth. I took this opportunity to consolidate my investments. I liquidated my positions in Stashaway and sold the cash-funded investments in my Endowus account. My funds were redeployed into an All World ETF (ISAC) and a US small-cap value ETF (USSC) through IBKR. This shift not only simplifies my portfolio but also helps reduce recurring fees. Going forward, I plan to DCA based on the following allocation: $3,000 in ISAC, monthly via IBKR $1,000 in CSPX, monthly via IBKR $1,500 in USSC, quarterly via IBKR $1,500 (SRS) in Dimensional US Core, monthly via Endowus $1,000 (CPF) in Amundi World, monthly via Endowus With these, I'm looking at a roughly 80% US 20% international portfolio with a slight tilt towards small-cap and value factors.
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Net worth Update 3Q 2023

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CPF: $304,500 (-$79,000) The large drop in CPF was due to a downpayment for my  resale   HDB flat. Cash: $264,800  (+ $300 ) Consists of a combination of: Cash in UOB One, OCBC360 and DBS Multiplier Money market fund in robo cash management A small amount in SRS, awaiting allocation into Endowus ETFs: $111,100 (-$2,400) Both CSPX and QQQM moderated in 3Q23. Endowus: $130,800 (+17,300) My DCA portfolio for international exposure and tilt toward small cap, value, profitability and momentum. The portfolio consists Dimensional US Core Equity (25% of DCA amount) Global Core Equity  (25%) Global Targeted Value  (17%) Emerging Market Large Cap  (8%) Pacific Basin  (8%) Endowus 80% Equity 20% Bond managed portfolio (17%) Gain consists of capital injection of $18K and capital loss of $700 SG Stocks: 54,800  (-$1,900) Individual stocks with focus on dividend-paying companies. Most were purchased during my early foray into investing. Will reduce my exposure ...
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