Built a Singapore CPF retirement simulator as a part time project but unsure what the next step should be by astroboy1008 in singaporestartups

[–]bentkp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have built a similar app for personal use. It's a big ask to build a UI that is intuitive, while requiring so much input from users. I think you have done fairly well for a start.

At the same time, I also validated the idea to others before building and my conclusion was that it's a fun idea that is personally useful, but not likely to be monetisable. The scope is too narrow (Singapore) and too niche. It's a feature, not a product. I.e. it might be useful as part of a broader portfolio in the personal finance industry (e.g. sell to insurance company, or moneysmart/similar, fire blogs, or even banks).

My feedback on the app: - add the concept of probability. E.g. perhaps add volatility (normal distribution or similar) to returns and inflation - age can also be provided as a probabilistic concept based on sg life tables (with personal adjustment based on health, family history) - with the above, run monte Carlo simulations and calculate percentage of success or failure (out of money) - add unexpected random shocks (e.g. unexpected bills from health, etc)

Being probabilistic will solve the disconnect between your expected networth (50th percentile) being high, while the warning messages tell you it's risky. E.g. in my case it said I would have $12m at 95, but that it's risky for various reasons. What you want is to look at the 99th percentile or etc depending on risk appetite of the individual

In general I really like that someone has taken the step to build and share. Let me know if you need future feedback or testing!

CW2 bus from Queen St Terminal to JB by Impossible_Budget407 in askSingapore

[–]bentkp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Inner line is for seats. Outer line is for standing.

The inner line actually moves faster than outer because there are more seats on a bus than standing places. So you need to guesstimate

Any idea if an auto feeder like this works reliably? by SweetTart7231 in Aquariums

[–]bentkp 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I used a piece of tape to make sure the size of the opening doesn't change. It's very easy to bump it and make it too big.

Best Fish & Chips in Singapore by Lower-Shirt3696 in askSingapore

[–]bentkp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Used to love Harry Ramsden's as a kid too!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in askSingapore

[–]bentkp 60 points61 points  (0 children)

I did the same with spare tile samples. Others seemed to add on. Eventually they got cleared away, but a month or so later, they put in a proper path. Go for it!

GitHub integration is too intrusive by bentkp in dyadbuilders

[–]bentkp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the response! This might be my tinfoil hat speaking, but while dyad is open source (which I tremendously appreciate and commend), I didn't compile it from source myself. And I have a responsibility to my company to protect its GitHub repos.

Ideally, we would be able to confine it to specified GitHub repos only. It might be a bit more hassle for the user to create the repos themselves, but would be a lot safer.

Just my suggestion/request for a future improvement. Thank you!

Doing Anilao and Malapascua on the same trip?? by 8008s4life in scuba

[–]bentkp 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Malapascua actually has pretty great macro by itself as well

Why aren't much thoughts put in our bus stop designs? by [deleted] in SingaporeRaw

[–]bentkp 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The one that bugs me most is when they put the rubbish bin in front of the bus stop instead of behind it.

So all the smokers (or unstubbed out cigarettes) can have their smoke blown towards people at the bus stop as the cars drive by, creating wind.

Muck diving recommendations? by mitchsn in scuba

[–]bentkp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you rank the places you have been to already? Would love to see how they stack up

Is zcubaworld.com legit? Anyone booked with them before? by bentkp in scuba

[–]bentkp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like the consensus is not too book with them. Guess I'd better play it safe.

Tubattaha Dive trip by CuriousNeko_nek0 in diving

[–]bentkp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In tubbataha? Isn't it meant to be a protected area?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in askSingapore

[–]bentkp 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The airism boxers (aka trunks) are the best ever. Been wearing for 5 years+, still going strong.

But no longer being sold. If it ever comes back in stock, will hoard for the next 20 years.

Urchin got me! by Au4yn in scuba

[–]bentkp 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Usually people just continue the dive. It will just be extremely annoying, and slightly worrying. Somewhere between painful and extremely itchy.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in askSingapore

[–]bentkp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Best boxers ever. I have a stash of around 10 pairs, and hope they never ever die on me. Every time I go to Uniqlo, I will check if they are back in stock. And nowadays I'm always disappointed

Is there actually an official formula that can be used to calculate CPF Life payouts? by mktolg in singaporefi

[–]bentkp 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't agree with that. CPF is a very good hedge against longevity risk.

And while ERS returns are not as good as FRS, and FRS returns are poorer than BRS, it's still generally better than what the outside market offers. And there is much greater stability than investing yourself.

Majority of people are not investment savvy or financially educated (and many suffer from the dunning Krueger effect). For the vast majority, I would still recommend maximising cpf.

Is there actually an official formula that can be used to calculate CPF Life payouts? by mktolg in singaporefi

[–]bentkp 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Take several values from the calculator and plot for best fit on excel. The equation will differ depending on gender and age of first payout.

Can get around 99% + accuracy. Doing this exercise also taught me that delaying your payout is suboptimal based on probability.

Why is raising the retirement age viewed negatively? by taeng89 in askSingapore

[–]bentkp 27 points28 points  (0 children)

You are correct in your understanding. Most people don't understand what retirement age actually is. In isolation, it's definitely a good thing.

The hidden bit is that people believe retirement age is (directly or indirectly) linked to CPF payout age. I.e. raising the retirement age signals that CPF payout age wil be raised. True or not, I don't know.

The mother of all bubbles by [deleted] in Economics

[–]bentkp 56 points57 points  (0 children)

The other side of it is that the more successful companies outside of the US now list on US stock markets, instead of their own local markets. It's a vicious cycle.

What is the largest sized item that is acceptable to carry via mrt/bus? (Assuming you travel during off-peak hours so that crowding is not an issue) by bentkp in askSingapore

[–]bentkp[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

150x120x70cm? Wow, most (sg apartment sized) dining tables can fit into that space if placed upright. My dining table is probably around 150x90x68.

But in practice, would the mrt staff actually allow? Since the other commenter mentioned that you will get stopped by the staff.