Maybank has a fresh funds promotion under their iSAVvy savings account. 2.0% pa interest on savings account. No necessity to lock-up your funds at all. I personally use this to get 2.0% pa interest on my “war chest”.


Stanchart has something similar under their eSaver account. But will only pay 2.0% pa for $200k and above. I have not used this.

Lastly, HSBC also has something similar under their Everyday Global Account. Used this before but my experience with HSBC is not good hence switched back to Maybank.

There are also a variety of high yield account out there by DBS, UOB and OCBC. I personally use the DBS Multiplier account where I get an effective interest rate of 3.65% pa on a maximum limit of $100k per account. Managed to open 2 such accounts under my name and my wife ‘s name. I also use the UOB One account that pays me an effective interest rate of 2.44% pa on a maximum of $75k per account. Again, managed to open 2 such accounts under my wife and I to maximise the amount getting the high interest.

None of the accounts I mentioned above require you to lock in your funds, unlike a fixed deposit. I want to keep my funds liquid for investment opportunities and earn a higher rate of interest whilst waiting for such opportunities to unfold.

Lazy to type it out here all over again but I have a thread on it at another forum “Money Mind” if you are interested to find out more.

https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/money-mind-210/optimising-interest-income-via-high-yield-bank-accounts-6038782.html

ycpang:

HWA CHONG 2015 PW RESULTS


86.7% - A
99.9% - A&B
100% - A,B&C

ACJC 2015 PW Results

54.1% - A

This was a drop compared to 2014, in which 70% scored As.

zeemimi:

whizzard:

[quote=\"jtoh\"]You've got your promo results already, whizzard? Which JC is your son in? No break yet. Busy preparing for PW.

My son's in ACJC.

Yes, he is also preparing for his PW submission now but I think he is quite relaxed about it. Don't really see him being harried over it ..... should I be worried?

Maybe different schools have different deadlines?[/quote]If I am not mistaken, his submission deadline is Mon, 20 Oct.

Hmm ..... I better check with him how is it coming along. If I don't ask, I don't get any answers .....

jtoh:

You've got your promo results already, whizzard? Which JC is your son in? No break yet. Busy preparing for PW.

My son's in ACJC.

Yes, he is also preparing for his PW submission now but I think he is quite relaxed about it. Don't really see him being harried over it ..... should I be worried?

With a breath of relief, the JC1 promo is finally over. My son has passed all his subjects and will be promoted to JC2. He improved on some of his subjects but did less well in some other subjects. More importantly, I think the process has made its point … that the subjects he studied hard for, he did well and those which he cramped, he did not do as well.


What are the holiday plans for your JC1 kids now that the promo exams are over and done with?

A long nice holiday to take a break from the stress of adjusting to JC workload? CIP project? Revision classes?

We are going for a nice family holiday to de-stress … I don’t know whether it is for him or for us parents!! I hope to use the "captive time" together during the holiday to motivate and pump him up for the tough and arduous journey next year.

UncleLim:

I was once told never to mix insurance with savings or investments. ; )

I agree with this.

Insurance is for risk transference i.e. a mechanism for me to transfer risk that I don't want to others in exchange for a premium.

The objective of investment on the other hand is to give you the highest return at the lowest volatility. Of course, you can always specify your own objectives e.g. maximise cash flow or maximise returns, etc.

By separating the two, it frees one up to look for the \"best\" insurance cover and the \"best\" investment manager instead of being tied to one for both. Can we find one who is good at both ..... maybe but I think rarely!

phankao:

whizzard:

[quote=\"phankao\"]

Whizzard - not even \"mediocre\" grades. S & U grades basically mean fail at A-level standard. On the flipside, my other child who is now in JC1 but went through the IP programme (no O-levels) got fairly decent grades at Mid-year, including A grades. And he isn't even one of those top students who went thru IP but is in the programme bc of DSA (PSLE score below school COP). So...... is there something in the IP curriculum that prepares them better? Sigh - apart from accelerating them too lah.

Hi phankao: I hope it didn't cause you unnecessary worry then but it's water under the bridge for you now. :boogie:

I just hope they see it as a challenge, persevere and believe in themselves rather than be disillusioned. Of course as a parent, I also get worried but am checking myself not to push my son too much ..... unless he is not building momentum on his own. :spank:

Whizzard - it was somewhat worrying but can't help it. Esp when the percentile was low too, and definitely NOT in top JC !!! My child found it somewhat of a bad experience - being in JC. But went to JC simply bc couldn't decide what to do in Poly. So going to JC was just like the next logical step. With such bad experience in JC, eventual plan was that, if actual A-level results cannot make it to the Univ, then would go to Poly, do a course that has a Degree option or simply that we'd send overseas for additional degree year(s). So that was the plan.[/quote]I am in the same boat now ..... I think I worry more than my son worries and I am not the one preparing and eventually taking the A level exams ..... though I know I would have to help him deal with the consequences of not doing well if that happens, which I am doing my best to prevent it from happening.

I learnt a few lessons myself:-
(1) That I have to adjust my own expectations for his transition from O to A levels;
(2) That my son's perception about A levels is not always accurate and it needs to be corrected;
(3) That I need to be more hands-on in advising and guiding him for his preparations unlike the O levels.

At the end of the day, whatever resources we provide for our children, an A grade has to be earned from their own sheer hard work and determination.

Whatever the case, I hope he does well enough for his promos and I will need to review with him the year that has gone by and set the stage for the year that will be coming up.

gjooheng:

I am a JC H2 math tutor. A level math is so much easier than the questions in JC.


Analogy: to get A in A level, one need to clear a height of 1m in high jump.

Some schools set questions at 1.2 m high, some set at 1.4 m especially the top JCs. Hence, getting lousy grades in JC does not mean lousy performance in A level.

Try the A level questions and see whether your son can do it. That's the actual standard required. In fact, 50% of students score distinction in A level math.

The high standards set by JCs prepare students well for universities, where only the top 10 to 20% get A grades.

Hmm ..... I do not necessarily doubt that some of the JCs may set tougher questions than the A levels to raise their students' standards but isn't the A level grades moderated into a bell curve such that the percentage of students scoring an A would remain more or less the same in each cohort?

Just that the marks for scoring an A may differ from year to year depending on the quality of the cohort and the difficulty of the paper.

phankao:

Whizzard - not even \"mediocre\" grades. S & U grades basically mean fail at A-level standard. On the flipside, my other child who is now in JC1 but went through the IP programme (no O-levels) got fairly decent grades at Mid-year, including A grades. And he isn't even one of those top students who went thru IP but is in the programme bc of DSA (PSLE score below school COP). So...... is there something in the IP curriculum that prepares them better? Sigh - apart from accelerating them too lah.

Hi phankao: I hope it didn't cause you unnecessary worry then but it's water under the bridge for you now. :boogie:

I just hope they see it as a challenge, persevere and believe in themselves rather than be disillusioned. Of course as a parent, I also get worried but am checking myself not to push my son too much ..... unless he is not building momentum on his own. :spank:

phankao:

Annabelle21:

Thank you for all your advice & views. We'll wait for his promos results to be out & will talk to him. Yes, indeed, he has to really buck up & knows exactly what he wants/ whether to pursue uni studies.

Of late, he has been diligently preparing for his exams & hopefully, he has actually woken up from his mid-yr grades.
Thank you once again, everyone !!

Mine only got S&U grades in mid-year. And finally at JC1 promos, barely scrapped through with the minimum requirement to go on to JC2 without needing to take \"re-exam\". Again in JC2, got only S&U grades throughout the year, but finally at A-levels, got a decent number of A grades. Now already in 2nd year in NUS.

Guess what, at PTM, the JC teachers even reviewed the grades and said \"erm, this grade? Not so bad. At actual A-levels probably can get at least a \"B\" grade\". Wah... we really scratch head. The Schools in SG are just happily OVER-Testing!!!! So it's more of a training of who is the most mentally and emotionally fittest! You'll survive if you don't get disheartened by the end of JC2! :siao:

Yeah, I gave a similar feedback from a friend of mine whose daughter was studying at CJC. She was getting mediocre grades throughout JC and when the A level results were announced, she scored almost all As. She is now studying Accountancy in NTU.

I guess it is hard not to be discouraged by mediocre grades during JC but hopefully they don't give up, look at it as a challenge and continue to persevere. My son is in JC1 this year (patchy results but did well in Econs) and I have been pushing him to study more consistently but boys being boys, they always leave it to the last minute - which is not good :rant:

In any case, the workload in JC is well known to be challenging hence the students will need to pace themselves out for the duration of the course. Hopefully, the JC1s will see their seniors taking the A levels and get serious about preparing themselves for it when their turn comes.