Early retirement in JB

Agree with all above!

My plans would be:
- 1 hr yoga and meditation in morning (preferably on an unobstructed balcony facing sunrise) followed by leisurely breakfast
- 1 hr exercise in evening (alternate between swim, jog/walk or gym) - a carefully chosen estate with good lifestyle amenities is important for these simple activities
- social work (if you belong to a religion, your church, temple, mosque etc will definitely have something you can do to chip in; I intend to volunteer with a hospice or at the SSVP at my church)
- occasional road trips to neighbouring towns, kampungs, districts and states to discover, learn and explore (food included of course) with or without stayovers. These can be undertaken without the hassle, delays and stresses of causeway jams!
- occasional holidays further afield within SE Asia (this region is so diverse and rich in diversity, often under-rated and reasonably priced) - the proximity of Iskandar to Changi airport and its connectivity is a boon.
- if I do still feel restless, I'll consider free-lance work or a part-time business.

I am inspired with all the inputs. In short, pay up both housing in sg and Johor, rent out the housing in sg and use the money to supplement life in Johor with occasional visit to sg to collect rent, visit friends and relatives, do admin, etc.

As for life in Johor, take it easy and leisurely, find meaningful stuff like social work or part time work to do and still contribute to the society as a whole to make it a better place to live for people who come after us.

What is the ideal age to do this? 45 ? 50 ? I would think 50 is good.

RedsYNWA said:

Haha yes, should try to fix 1 hour for morning walk/jog and 1 hour for evening swim every day. Get a dog/cat, buy an internet tv box, and your day will have been pretty occupied liao.

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But if u r used to fill ur days busy with activities i feel ur mind will atrophy and not be as sharp if u do things that is the opposite. Cos we humans are creatures of routine right?

freedom said:

Was asking my hubby to do that like start an online business but unsure if allowed in Malaysia...or can we set it up in Sg and access in Malaysia?
For me, I will spend my time with kids, do housework and gardening, swim, go spa, do church volunteering and mission work...if bored or need more money, do some locum work in Sg....

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First step is start that web site....then come make it popular with regular update....and then come make it profitable.......i would not care about legal or rules until it's really profitable....

Frodo: Thanks for sharing!

freedom: GEP is Gifted Education Program? Looking at how you've progressed, I say you and your family really planned well!

I have doctor friends working in public hospitals. It's ridiculous how much they are paying them. An assoc consultant in his mid to late 30's with 5 years UK training earns merely $10-12 a month. He has just left the hospital in frustration to work in a private center. And many other docs are doing the same. We are losing a lot of good and talented doctors to the private sector.

I think timing is very important in property investment. Some people I've met told me Don't worry. There will surely be another chance to invest in Singapore properties (for commoners, not as wealthy people). I am quite doubtful whenever I hear this sort of statement. I think one of the best times was early 2000, and perhaps 2009-10. Those who are in their '60s and '70s now will remember the early 1990's was also a fantastic time, if you were born that early, that is.

I don't think the cooling measures will end any time soon. There are just too many rich immigrants (now Singaporeans) that the SG government has admitted here for them to remove it. I discovered many of the rich Singaporeans who were foreigners or PRs not long ago actually bought HDB flats costing $600k and above with pure cash!

Unless maybe there is another super large scale economic crisis. Even with COEs so expensive, I'm always amazed at how people are continually buying cars. So I guess it's the same with properties. Relax the cooling measures and I think we will see an immediate property bubble.

larky28: I think you put many people to shame with your diligent brute force saving! You have proven it's not about how much one earns that determines if he or she will necessarily be rich eventually or can retire comfortably. It's the habit.

sgcount said:

Frodo: Thanks for sharing!

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You are most welcome! Just sharing how, for cash poor people like me, with a low cash upfront you can put yourself in good position to own a JB property in 4 years time if you go for those condo projects with big rebates and lots of legal freebies and fully furnished. All the best!

In the earlier days of Nusajaya's development (2011 and earlier), bank loans were easy to get. 5k SGD salary can get you 2 loans of 80% LTV. So to answer someone who asked how to afford: simple, just have enough spare cash to pay up for the 20%, foreign levy and misc charge. YMMV but you get the idea.

As Milan Doshi once said, one of the greatest advantage young people have is their borrowing power, and most people may not realize it until later on in life.

Aisanbo said:

Was trying to calculate living expenses in JB.
Below estimation is for two pax.
I know everybody may have different needs especially for entertainment and food, etc....but averagely speaking .....is it realistic ?
Did I miss out any major expenses ?

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Don't you have any fixed costs in Singapore e.g. other life insurances that you have taken on earlier etc?

Manhattan said:

I am inspired with all the inputs. In short, pay up both housing in sg and Johor, rent out the housing in sg and use the money to supplement life in Johor with occasional visit to sg to collect rent, visit friends and relatives, do admin, etc.

As for life in Johor, take it easy and leisurely, find meaningful stuff like social work or part time work to do and still contribute to the society as a whole to make it a better place to live for people who come after us.

What is the ideal age to do this? 45 ? 50 ? I would think 50 is good.

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I'm in the 40s.. And I'm beginning to feel that S'pore is no longer belongs to the S'porean..
In the near future.. My son will be risking his life serving the NS.. just to protect the foreigners who's having a good life & earning strong S$ here

ComingToJB said:

I'm in the 40s.. And I'm beginning to feel that S'pore is no longer belongs to the S'porean..
In the near future.. My son will be risking his life serving the NS.. just to protect the foreigners who's having a good life & earning strong S$ here

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Yeah, feel uncomfortable with so many foreigners too. I see more foreigners than locals when I locum in clinics compared to a few years ago....beginning to feel more at home in Malaysia as I am comfortable with Malaysian Chinese as most of my relatives r from Malaysia....

Wish my sons dun have to serve NS too...

freedom said:

Yeah, feel uncomfortable with so many foreigners too. I see more foreigners than locals when I locum in clinics compared to a few years ago....beginning to feel more at home in Malaysia as I am comfortable with Malaysian Chinese as most of my relatives r from Malaysia....

Wish my sons dun have to serve NS too...

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I disagree. what is wrong with serving NS? Although it is tough, but it can build character, I feel that I hav gain more than I have lost in term of time. I am very happy that my son will serve NS. Nowadays, young people are too pampered and if they do not take this opportunity to toughen themselves during NS, they Will never be able to survive in the real world.

BigMouse said:

I disagree. what is wrong with serving NS? Although it is tough, but it can build character, I feel that I hav gain more than I have lost in term of time. I am very happy that my son will serve NS. Nowadays, young people are too pampered and if they do not take this opportunity to toughen themselves during NS, they Will never be able to survive in the real world.

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During the 70 or 80s. YES. If now NO. For obvious reason.

Nothing wrong with serving NS to protect your brothers and sisters I agree.

But something is wrong when you are spending 2 years of your time + some cycles to protect your neighbours and their sons, who are staying in your own house with all the benefits as locals. I never regret downgrading myself during NS time. In fact, NS is the only time I am forever looking to downgrade myself.

BigMouse said:

I disagree. what is wrong with serving NS? Although it is tough, but it can build character, I feel that I hav gain more than I have lost in term of time. I am very happy that my son will serve NS. Nowadays, young people are too pampered and if they do not take this opportunity to toughen themselves during NS, they Will never be able to survive in the real world.

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nitecrawllerr said:

During the 70 or 80s. YES. If now NO. For obvious reason.

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YES! That was the real tough training to turn boys to men.. During that time, we wanted to serve wholeheartedly to protect our country and all the S'porean
I was in the elite force and always pushed myself to the limit.. knowing every drop of blood & sweat is very worth it..

Nowadays, army is too pampered, and I dun think by serving NS now will help them to survive in the real world..

singapore now belongs to the "imported".

sigh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Serving N ass is a privilege.

potter said:

Serving N ass is a privilege.

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Haha yah......I am dying to be called up 1 last time, so that I can receive my final CPF payout of S$5k, of which S$3k can be used to partly pay for my housing loan.... hehe....

Seriously, I was always using my NS free times to work part-time outside. Jobs such as delivery driver, protection officers, welders, aircon repair all come in handy in my future job of a property investor. Now I can service my own aircons and polish my toilet marble tiles. Ironically I learned all these during my 2 years of NS duration BUT not within army camps ) Those were the times when FTs were rare. Now with the flood gate opened I seriously wonder why is there a need for NS.

That time Hokkien Peng all 2 years that time. So upon looking back, 2 years of my time is spent on cracking my brain planning how to schedule my appointment outside within a tight time frame and have extremely limited access to public phone to call up my prospects.

Thanks to NS. It does come in handy in my current job now.

ComingToJB said:

YES! That was the real tough training to turn boys to men.. During that time, we wanted to serve wholeheartedly to protect our country and all the S'porean
I was in the elite force and always pushed myself to the limit.. knowing every drop of blood & sweat is very worth it..

Nowadays, army is too pampered, and I dun think by serving NS now will help them to survive in the real world..

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PuteriWorld said:

Those were the times when FTs were rare. Now with the flood gate opened I seriously wonder why is there a need for NS.

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Airborne troopers for the Pappies company.

As rightly said, serving NS back in the '80s and '90s was seen as the "right thing to do". Our guys didn't really complain much. They went thru it, like a rite of passage.

But now, things are so different. I think people are not happy there are so many foreigners here who don't need to serve NS and they get their citizenship so easily.

Is NS a waste of time? I think during the 2 or 2.5 years, yes, things can be learnt or gained sometimes. Though I think 50% of it is still waste time or dealing with silly people inside (the regular sergeants or incompetent officers ordering the NSFs to do stuffs) They say just endure the rubbish treatment inside and after that, the NS guys are free birds! But I disagree.

I think it's worse during the reservist callups. Many of my colleagues related stories about how they slept during their NS callups, idled doing nothing... all these are taxpayers' $$$. What is frustrating is sometimes, we have very important seminars or courses to attend. It's very difficult to get excused from the waste time NS training. It's not as if it will help you any more in your life. Your career outside is 1000x more important!

Anyway, nowadays are you sure NS is good, as in it can teach or toughen up your son? Duffle bags that can be pulled on the ground (my friend teased them and said they looked like air stewardesses!), no need area cleaning (contracted out to private companies), hardly any toilet washing, food prepared by suppliers, travel on air-com buses for their firing range practice, etc etc. I can understand why some are so unhappy in today's context. Imagine your kid spending 2 years of his life serving NS while that foreigner given citizenship do not need to serve. Then after that, your son will be called up countless times for NS training (2,3 or 4 weeks is not uncommon in a year!) for at least 10 times.

While on the bus or train feeling sweaty and tired, the NSman on his way back to camp sees the foreign born Singaporeans enjoying a good laugh with their families going to somewhere nice. His own wife got to look after the kids at home. That's the disparity "pure bred" Singaporeans are unhappy about. It's not that we should not aceept foreigners here and give them citizenship, but I think the SG government has gone way overboard in their enthusiasm to make $$$$, thus this explains the high costs of even public housing and constantly overcrowded MRT trains and buses.