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Is your CPF enough for retirement? i like one caller said ... since the panel suggests that the onus lies on the cpf holder to manage their finances and be prudence in order to have enough money for retirement then return cpf money to us ... let us manage our own money .... no point to have cpf ... since cpf is not enough for retirement ... lolz anyway, i support cpf scheme which is a national scheme to "force" people to save up but the return generated in cpf is too low to offset the rise of cost of living and not to mention the OA is almost depleted for housing. final vote result

http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/middle-income-family-hopes-more-help-budget-2018 Really not enough?

My 10 year old car has a lot of scratches around the door handle area, probably caused by fingernails. I'm changing car this year so I was wondering how to avoid that again. Nowadays I heard there is a nano-coating treatment that forms a protective layer around the paint. Is that enough to protect against these kind of scratches, or still need to install the transparent laminate film?

This thread is for Soccer Manager, the totally pointless game we love to hate. Currently we are mass orgy-ing in World Championship 6223 - Game world ID 28826World Championship 9191 - Game world ID 50548MCF Premier League - Game World ID 60665 (by application only) Register yourself and pit yourself against some of the brightest brains in the world of footy management. Square up against the legendary White One (not so legendary lately), the irrepressible Little Prince (press harder babe!) or the mercurial Lclub (mercurial = blardy inconsistant). Tear your hair out by drawing with the most tedious bus driver or lose all your dignity being trashed by a pussy. Find out that Takumi can beat you in driving and managing and Tarzan yells command at his players while swinging from stand to stand. We will eat you for breakfast,lunch and dinner. 3 times a day.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-03/made-in-china-lexus-could-take-decades-as-toyota-frets-quality

In light of the post, of an FT claiming that our authorities are 'hindering' him to get hitched here becos he was earning about $1700 per month... Who says if you are earning $1800 to $2000 per month, you are financially able to get hitched here( at present living standard and inflationary rate )...with the fact that you have... 1) NO housing... 2) Parents to support...siblings too... 3) Kids coming along the way, with not much increase in your foreseeable salary structure?

Not likely to happen here anytime soon I guess... Any MDA MCFers here? Not enough Canadian porn on adult TV: regulator Published on Mar 07, 2014 3:14 AM OTTAWA (AFP) - Canada's broadcasting regulator wants to see more locally-made porn on Canadian television, judging by a notice on its website that accuses three channels of failing to meet licensing requirements. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) said three Toronto-based adult channels have failed to provide a minimum of 35 per cent Canadian content. The rules require a portion of programming to be at least partly written, produced or presented by persons in Canada, in order to bolster the local industry and showcase Canadian content. A hearing has been scheduled for April 28 to decide whether the broadcasting licenses of AOV Adult Movie Channel, XXX Action Clips and Maleflixxx should be renewed. (source: http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/world/story/not-enough-canadian-porn-adult-tv-regulator-20140307)

from Yahoo: Dr Mahathir regrets Internet freedom The Malaysian Insider

Enough is enough! Do you want to spend your life protecting your fame and possessions? Do you want to give your life away to the pursuit of wealth? Do those who have more, really have more? Or do they have less? They have to devote time and life to getting and protecting. Do they have time to let go, to see the truth? The natural way is to do only what is called for, by the present moment. Enough is enough is living simply.

Does a bread and butter car suffice for daily travelling with 4 adults inside?

SINGAPORE: National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said he has asked the Housing and Development Board (HDB) to study the use of high-rise mechanised parking systems for older HDB estates. In his latest blog entry, Mr Khaw said former MP Ang Mong Seng has strongly recommended such systems after returning from a trip to China where he went to study the mechanised systems. Mr Khaw said the HDB has been tasked to evaluate the different technologies available, work through implementation issues such as waiting time for car retrieval, breakdowns and public acceptance. Mr Khaw said the problem of car park shortages was mostly felt in older HDB flats which were built under old car park provision norms. For example, for estates with four-room flats, 560 car park lots were planned per 1,000 flats. Mr Khaw said the equivalent norm now was 710 car park lots per 1,000 flats. He said with the new norms, new HDB flats will come with adequate car parks. But the problem was with older HDB estates. Of the 1,800 HDB car parks island-wide, about 220 faced what he termed "localised shortages". Mr Khaw said HDB is building more car parks wherever it can find land to do so. It has added 3,400 lots in the last two years and will add another 1,600 lots next year at a cost of S$66 million. Mr Khaw said Singapore has 900,000 HDB flats and 557,000 car park lots. -CNA/ac http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin...1173017/1/.html Since he knows the problem, can he ask the parking attendant to stop summon? even though i can get it waived off everytime, but still i need to send an email each time...

ok now this is uncalled for <_< this old man losing his mind

No need to save cash from your monthly disposable income for retirement anymore...woohoo govt say wan no need multiple income streams, investment etc life is so simple i got it wrong all this while... better start spending since CPF can provide me 71% of my pre retirement income even after paying for housing YOUNG Singaporeans starting work today will have enough savings in their Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts to retire comfortably in their golden years, says a study commissioned by the Manpower ministry. They would have accumulated CPF savings that will give them a comfortable level of income in retirement - a level equal to a large part of their pre-retirement earnings, it says. Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, giving a preview of the findings, said, however, that the CPF balances of older workers will be inadequate, although most of these individuals would have gained from the rise in the value of their homes, courtesy of government subsidies, earlier withdrawal of CPF savings and economic growth. "Our strategy is to help them monetise the values of their homes in retirement if they wish to," said Mr Tharman, who is also Finance minister. He was delivering a keynote address at the opening of the Singapore Human Capital Summit conference. The study he was referring to was done by National University of Singapore professors Chia Ngee Choon and Albert Tsui. In their study into whether the CPF system adequately meets retirement needs, the professors computed what economists call the income replacement rate (IRR), which is the ratio of retirement income to pre-retirement earnings. Using all CPF savings acccumulated by a worker up to the age of 65, including savings above the CPF Minimum Sum which the worker can withdraw at age 55, they found an IRR of 71 per cent for a median male worker who starts working today. The female median worker's IRR is 63 per cent. These IRRs factor in only the cash savings in the CPF; they exclude the benefits the worker gets from owning a home. "These IRRs are within the recommended range by the World Bank, which is between 53 per cent and 78 per cent," Mr Tharman said. "They are also comparable to those seen in pension systems in many developed countries." The equivalent IRR in the median country in the OECD, the league of rich nations, is 66 per cent of pre-retirement earnings, while the average among the OECD countries is 72 per cent. Mr Tharman pointed out that Singapore's IRR is even higher when its near-universal home ownership - under which homes are fully paid by the time workers hit retirement age - is taken into account. "By not having to pay for rent, cash is freed up for other living expenses in (the workers') old age," he said. With workers who are already older, however, he acknowledged that their CPF balances will be insufficient for three reasons: their wages were much lower in the past; they were required to set aside less in their CPF retirement account; and the fact they could use much of their CPF savings for housing. The study found the IRR to be lower for higher-middle earners because, as Mr Tharman pointed out, the CPF system is designed to meet the retirement needs of workers in the middle- and lower-income groups. High-income earners have private savings. Workers in the lower income group, in fact, have an IRR of 81 per cent of pre-retirement income. If the supplements of their wages through the Workfare programme are included, the IRR is even higher - 93 per cent. Mr Tharman said: "The results of the study are an important validation of the CPF system. The refinements we have made to it over the years have ensured that the vast majority of young Singaporeans will receive adequate payouts in retirement." He pointed out, though, that it still falls to individuals to take responsibility and save, and for employers to take the responsibility of providing good jobs, sharing productivity gains fairly and keeping older workers employed. The fifth edition of the Human Capital Summit is hosted by the Human Capital Leadership Institute, the Ministry of Manpower and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency. At the conference yesterday, Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin presented this year's Asian Human Capital Award to digital-security specialist Gemalto and global supply chain manager for agricultural products Olam International for their people-management practices. MTR Corporation, Tata Consultancy Services and Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation were named Special Commendation Prize Winners.

Read full story here

After so many topics on cyclist vs driver, should keep a safe distance or not, y not lets take a break? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtCu34Tq94I

CNA reported : Some 1,800 arrested for drink-driving in H1 Posted: 15 August 2012 1820 hrs SINGAPORE: The number of people arrested for drink-driving in the first six months of this year has gone up. Some 1,800 drivers were arrested compared to about 1,700 arrested in the same period last year. In its latest clampdown on drink-driving early Wednesday morning, the Traffic Police arrested 19 motorists. The 17 male and two female drivers who failed the breathalyser test were between 23 and 69 years old. The three-hour anti-drink-driving operation was conducted at locations such as Balestier Road, Clemenceau Avenue, Sims Avenue and Outram Road. Motorists convicted of drink-driving will be disqualified from driving for at least 12 months. They will lose their driving licence and have to retake the theory and practical driving tests in order to obtain their driving licence again. In addition, first-time offenders can be fined between S$1,000 and S$5,000, or jailed up to six months. Repeat offenders may be punished with a maximum fine of S$30,000 and a mandatory jail term of up to three years. They may also receive up to six strokes of the cane if they should cause serious injury or death. - CNA/cc Look like the Law or Charges against Drink Driving are not deterent enough to prevent many from driving after drinking session... Instead of incidents going down with so many spot checkes by TP, it actually went up in 1st half of the year. Do away with the 1 year suspension of driving licence, make it 3 years ... .. This might deter them....

Wasted never invent one foldable bike... at 2.2k... maybe bikes have COE now also... http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/...704-357117.html RELATED STORIES Are NParks' $2,200 bikes too costly? Mr Khaw wrote in a blog post on Wednesday that he had asked NParks for the rationale for the purchase. He said NParks cited staff productivity as the main reason for the purchase: "Providing staff with bikes was thought to be a simple and effective way to raise staff productivity as it enables the officer to cover more ground and do more inspections within the same time." NParks officers in the Park Connector Division cover between 30 to 40km in their daily rounds. Mr Khaw added that a foldable bicycle was chosen because such bicycles "would eliminate the need for an office van to transport the bikes and the staff to the areas of their daily rounds". The NParks staff would also be able to carry them onto buses and trains where necessary. He also said that Brompton was picked because only one vendor responded to the tender with a bid price lower than the listed retail price of the same bicycle. While a Brompton bike costs more than foldable bicycles with similar specifications, Mr Khaw said cyclists told him the bike was durable and would require less maintenance after heavy usage. He concluded: "It looks like NParks has bought the right equipment. However, it also looks like NParks might have gotten a better deal if there was greater participation in this quotation." According to the Lianhe Zaobao report where the NParks purchase was first reported, a police officer's bicycle costs about $1,000 while Singapore Post's postmen use bicycles which cost about $500.

explanation for low supply Khaw Boon Wan, Minister for National Development, said in his latest blog post that the data is 'reassuring', as "the application rates suggest that our policies are responding well to the diverse needs of our flat buyers." epic explanation.

Lives are lost, the MIW have spoken, help is given to Cabby's family from all walks of life, even Shanmugam promised assistance; Chinese embassy even issued a statement to remind its citizens of their conduct. You could say that Shanmugam is wayang and what's not. No matter what MIW do, there will always be cynics questioning their motives. But I don't think this is the main issue. I think the issue is whether are these xenophobia/anti-PRC bashing way overboard or justified? thanks to social media, especially Temasek Times and Temasek Review which paint a very negative impression that Singapore is anti-PRC. Are we Singaporeans really that xenophobic? Temasek Review is seeking for US$50,000 donations again. So are we going to donate to them to help propagate xenophobia? On retrospect, are all the PRC in Singapore you have encountered, pests? Hey, I think the McDonald counter staff, a PRC is polite and serves with a great smile!

This image provided by Time magazine shows the cover of the May 21, 2012 issue with a photograph of Jamie Lynne Grumet, 26, breastfeeding her 3-year-old son for a story on "attachment parenting." Grumet, a stay-at-home mom in Los Angeles who says her mother breastfed her until she was 6 years old, told the magazine in an interview that she's given up reasoning with strangers who see her son nursing and threaten

What do you think of people who keep bring in the 60.1% argument whenever things go wrong or do not go the way they like it? Just a while ago, some acquaintance of mine blame the 60.1% for an incident where a Pinoy new citizen criticized a NSman. Of course, I don't approve of such actions, but isn't it a bit far fetched to blame the voters for this? In general, people who keep echoing this 'blame the 60.1%' mantra just come across as whiny, narrow minded individuals who can't look at the big picture and THINK first before they start blaming. You are blaming your fellow citizens, mind you. These could be your close family members and friends. And just because things do not turn out your way, you blame them for not sharing your political viewpoint and stand. First, these people should just look at the big picture and THINK first for the plight they are in. Surely, you might not like the incumbent for everything they say or do, but how can you be so sure things will be any better or even worse if your 60% became 30%? Second, THINK again. If by echoing the 60.1% thing, you think you appear to be heroic, hell no. It just reflects the depth of your thinking capability. Case in point, blaming the immigrant policy for rude new citizens is far fetched. You don't need a rocket scientist to tell you that there will still be such people around even if the policy was severely tightened and entry requirements made more stringent. Don't blame others for what is happening if you can't reason it and just want to point fingers to make yourself seem righteous. Rant over.

Of course the more the merrier. But depending on one's situation, life stages and ability....realistically how much monthly pay is consider adequate for you to maintain a lifestyle acceptable and somewhat desired by you?

The sun is up, & I will be out for some 'suntan'. Need more sun, if not I can be cast of Twilight vamp without makeup. In the main time, I hope you enjoy this clip as much as I do. ....Of course because I am a fan of James. , or yap, there is a car somewhere in the clip as well.

By the fact that the cost of living in SG here has shot up so rapidly, and looking ahead I must say that it will just go higher and higher. Some family incomes had marginally met Ends meet in the past are now facing great challenges. Costs of living are rising and yet I would say that incomes/salaries are not rising in pace with it IF they are rising at all. Lets find out what are the measures and considerations of people here in respect with the notion. It will be good to share positive good ideas on adjusting our financial predicament. (i.e. to save cost/spend less, to earn more get a freelance/part time job...etc. etc.) Getting the ball rolling. My current monthly income is enough to keep me going. I have a mixed incomes from Employment as well as self employment. However, thinking of growing incomes from both wings or either wing seems inevitable in order to plan for retirement. I am constantly looking into the 3rd Wing to my incomes thus. JJ_JJ