In this final instalment, I will share some
tips on how to administer your Bedokian Portfolio with the SRS funds factored
in, using the three methods that I had shared in my previous posts, namely
separate portfolios, joint portfolio and core-satellite.
Separate Portfolios
Basically this means your usually-funded
(i.e. Bedokian Portfolio funded with your disposable income) and SRS-funded
Bedokian Portfolios are treated separately and mutually exclusive (i.e. not
mixed with each other). Each has its own asset class allocation. Dividend/coupon/interest
payments from each portfolio will go back to the same portfolio, and cash injections
would be allocated between the two.
The main advantage is that you have
flexibility and control; you can dictate which portfolio is to provide you
passive income at which stage of your life. It is natural given that the usually-funded
Bedokian Portfolio could start providing you passive income at any point in
your life when you want to retire, whereas the SRS-funded one would, barring
any other circumstances, provide you once you hit the official retirement age.
The main disadvantage would be the extra
administration required on handling the two portfolios. Hence, at the get-go,
you would start the record keeping as in the transactions and holdings between
them. As a rule of thumb, it is better to have an individual counter in one
portfolio and not to straddle it between the two. This is to prevent confusion such
as trying to know how many of Company A’s shares are in which portfolio.
Joint Portfolio
For joint, your usually-funded and
SRS-funded Bedokian Portfolios come under one big happy family, which means
your asset class allocation and rebalancing would be across the two funds. The
big plus would be ease of management, since it is one single portfolio,
although you still need to know which asset class/financial instrument/individual
counter belongs to which fund.
One of the big minuses would be to “balance”
the asset class allocation between the two. It is recommended not to put one entire
asset class into one fund, say the whole REIT asset class to your SRS account, for
it is difficult to manage rebalancing and subsequent drawdown. Another minus is
on the drawdown management; unless your planned retirement coincides with the
SRS’s retirement age, you will need to liquidate your usually-funded portion in
The Bedokian Portfolio first before going into the SRS-funded part.
Again, as a rule of thumb, do not mix
shares/bonds/units/ETFs of an individual counter between the two funds.
Core-Satellite Approach
The good thing about the core-satellite
approach is that it blends the best of both the separate and joint methods. The
SRS part could be filled with ETFs, while the usually-funded part is consisted
of individual equities/REITs/bonds/commodities.
The following pie charts best illustrate
the core-satellite for separate and joint Bedokian Portfolios. The asset class
allocation used in the examples is based on the balanced Bedokian Portfolio
(i.e. 35% equities, 35% REITs, 20% bonds, 5% commodities and 5% cash).
Fig 1.1 - Separate Portfolio, using SRS funds as Core.
Fig 1.2 - Separate Portfolio, using usually-funded as
Satellite.
Fig 2 - Joint Portfolio, with Core (ETFs) using SRS
funds and Satellite (individual counters) using usually-funded.
With this core-satellite combination, you
could clearly see the potential ease of administration in terms of rebalancing
or even during drawdown. There is a clear separation of ETFs and other
individual counters, and there will be no headache in determining which cash
payout to go to which fund.
A Reminder on Tax
As stated in my previous post, do note that
withdrawals from your SRS fund are subjected to tax, so remember to look out
for and consider the latest information and news pertaining to the tax laws and
SRS regulations.
The Bedokian’s Take
I would prefer the separate portfolio
arrangement. The very nature of these two funds is different. Both have
differing objectives (SRS is meant to be withdrawn after retirement age, while
the usually-funded portfolio passive income would start once I am ready to
retire) and underlying framework (rules, regulations, or the lack of).
A concept which I am working on is the
“portfolio multiverse”. Using an analogy from astronomy and quantum physics, I
would classify every portfolio (like The Bedokian Portfolio) as a universe, and
the other portfolios (e.g. SRS-funded Bedokian Portfolio, CPF, trading
portfolio, etc.) as other universes combining into one multiverse working in the
same direction. Perhaps this may be a subject for my future posts and probably
even a new book.
