Lippo Malls Indo Retail Trust (LMIR) & Current Holdings

I'm happy to add Lippo Malls Indo Retail Trust (LMIR) to my portfolio very recently with a dividend yield slightly above 7%. I bought the shares on weakness after LMIR went ex-dividend & the price dropped more than expected (more than dividend payout amount). As Indonesia continues to grow & expand (much faster than SG), I'm pretty sure there will be a steady increase in the number of middle-class who expect higher & better standards of living. These middle class will also possess more spending power which is one of the reasons why I'm venturing into this REIT that's exposed to the Indonesian market.

"LMIR Trust is a Singapore-based real estate investment trust established with the principal investment objective of owning and investing on a long-term basis in a diversified portfolio of income-producing real estate in Indonesia that are primarily used for retail and/or retail-related purposes, and real estate related assets in connection with the foregoing purposes. The Properties are strategically located in major cities of Indonesia with large population catchment areas and are accessible via major transportation routes and highways." -SGX (14aug'13)


Current holdings as of 14 August 2013

Dollar Cost Averaging (POSB Invest-Saver & OCBC BCIP)

Recently, 2 banks in Singapore have presented 2 new investment vehicles for individuals keen on investing in Singapore Blue Chip stocks with small amount of capital outlay monthly.

POSB Invest-Saver & OCBC BCIP (Blue Chip Investment Plan) allow individuals to have access to blue chip stocks from as low as $100/month. Dollar cost averaging is one of the methods of investing & those who are unfamiliar with it, you can look it up on Investopedia (Dollar Cost Averaging). For those who are already saving diligently every month & have no intention of utilizing the cash for the next few years might wish to consider signing up for this. POSB Invest-Saver helps you to invest in Nikko AM Singapore STI ETF as does OCBC BCIP but OCBC BCIP have the option of allowing you to invest solely in any of the 30 individual stocks that make up the Nikko AM Singapore STI ETF. I would recommend going with the STI ETF instead of choosing an individual stock as it's definitely more diversified with possibly lower volatility and risk ( Dollar Cost Averaging with ETFs. ) The STI ETF has been giving investors a compounded rate of return of about 5-7% annually for the past few decades (excluding 2-3% dividends) with principal amount usually intact.

Personally, I'm setting aside approximately 20% of my future income for this method. Instead of "timing the market", a bit of cash into "time in the market" might help keep my overall portfolio a tad bit healthier. I hope this post will help those who are new to investing. It doesn't require an individual to have a trading or a CDP account hence, this is very friendly to new investors.

Both banks charge differently on commission for each monthly transaction. For amount less than $500, i would suggest going with POSB Invest-Saver. Any amount above $500, going with OCBC BCIP will be better. Do look up the different commission rates on the respective bank websites.