Q1 2017 Portfolio Update

Time flies. With a blink of an eye, the first quarter of 2017 has ended. How has my portfolio fared for the first three months of 2017? Decently, I guess? I think I should let the two charts do the talking.

At one glance, Q1 2017 seems waaaaayyy horrible than Q1 2016. The huge bump in dividend in Q1 2016 was attributed to Saizen REIT.

Portfolio-wise, I have been decreasing my reliance on REITs for income. I have initiated new non-REIT positions to reduce the proportion that REITs play in my portfolio. In fact, there is a slight departure in the way that I usually invest. I initiated a new position in United Industrial Corporation as an asset play in January. We shall see how this turns out.

Meanwhile, monthly DCA-ing into the Nikko AM STI ETF via the POSB Invest Saver continues in the background.

Apart from Dairy Farm's USD-denominated dividends, I have also started receiving USD dividends from the other US counters I am vested in. I am going slow here. The US market is at an all-time high. Still, there are some occasional bargains in the consumer staples sector which I find delectable.

The USD dividends can barely pay for one meal, but I've gotta start somewhere, right?

Work
Work is amazing. I am very grateful for the series of blessings I have received. First, my office shifted to a place nearer to home, cutting down my travel time by half. Next, I had a very huge pay raise a couple of weeks back. I had trouble wiping off the perpetually cheerful demeanour on my face (must be discreet mah!)

Third, I am going to be involved in another research project as a participant. Let's just say the cash incentives for participation is quite good.

Fourth, I just received my bonus today. I totally did not expect it. You see, temp jobs as a social science researcher normally does not come with medical/dental benefits, flexible benefits, group insurance, and bonuses. For this, I am real grateful.

School
I'm halfway done with my 1-year academic programme. I still remember pulling my hair out in frustration sometime in January when one of my teammates left the course and another social-loafed through the group projects. By then, I had resigned to fate that my grades are gone liao. Come results release day, I got perfect GPA. Must be the bell curve god at work here since I know I did not do well for certain assessment components.

I'll need to put in more effort and, if I pull it off correctly, I can graduate with a perfect GPA for real and tick a life goal off my list.

Never the zhuo bo guy, I have signed up for the CMFAS Module 9 (Life Insurance and Investment-Linked Policies) course during the semester break. I will be sitting for the paper before my official school term commences again.

Social
I have met Mister High-Flyer, Rolf, twice over this quarter. Thanks for the great conversation and the dinner treat!

That's all for now.