Aries Kee Heng Bin, IBFQ’s Post

View profile for Aries Kee Heng Bin, IBFQ, graphic

Financial Services | Protection | Accumulation | Retirement Planning

Am I ready for retirement? Having spoken to so many over the course of my career, I’ve come to notice an interesting trend; a lot of us Singaporeans don’t seem to know what the difference is between the FRS and BRS, or that these components of our nationalized retirement plan even exist at all. So, I thought I’d take it upon myself to write this short post about it! Allow me to elaborate, but first, some context. Here in Singapore, retirement (at least in the eyes of the powers that be) comprise 2 key components:       -        Having a roof over your head, and   - Having a steady stream of income in your retirement years. The FRS or the Full Retirement Sum is an estimate of how much one might need to fulfill both criteria in our twilight years. Funds from our Special Account (SA) and then from the Ordinary Account (OA) will be funneled into a newly opened account called the Retirement Account (RA) when we’re 55. The amount in the RA will be capped at the prevailing FRS amount for that year, with the remaining money made available for withdrawal. As of the 1st of January 2025, the SA will then be closed, and all extra funds will go to the OA, and then the MA instead. I’ve posted below a table of current FRS rates for your reference. Sounds pretty straightforward so far, so what about the BRS? The BRS or Basic Retirement Sum is always half of the prevailing FRS. You could make an appointment with your local CPF Services Centre to opt for this instead if you own a house in Singapore with a lease that will last at least until you’re 95, thereby fulfilling the first retirement component as previously mentioned. Essentially you’re using the property to fulfill half of the FRS, and making an agreement that if you ever sell that property in the future, that that half of the FRS will go back into your RA. To give an example, let’s say you pledge your house, and your BRS is $100K. It means that when you sell the house in the future, you give back $100K to your own RA, keeping the rest. But then, why? If you opt for the BRS instead, it could mean that you avail more funds from your CPF for withdrawal. Now, the prudent thing to do would be to leave it in CPF to accrue that guaranteed interest if you have no need for the money, but my point is that you give yourself the option to do it. Sounds good? The question then becomes this: After all that’s said and done, is what I have enough for my ideal retirement lifestyle?   Can I actually buy that dream property in New Zealand? Can I treat my grandchildren to a life I never had? Can I go on that luxury cruise to celebrate the end of me working, ever? Well, as someone who helps my clients work out the kinks and smoothen the knots for their retirement planning, it’d be my pleasure to shoulder that problem for you. Let’s get you, dear reader, ready for retirement!

  • table

To view or add a comment, sign in

Explore topics