Your 5Cs Singaporean Dream? Outdated. 
 Forget the typical 5Cs (car, cash, credit card, condominium and country club membership) that were commonly used to determine how successful Singaporeans were in life. 
 Allow me to present to you the cold hard truth. 
 The new Singaporean Dream is…  TO SURVIVE ! 
 Source: Giphy 
 With  crazy car prices , expensive property prices (don’t even need to look at condos), rising food prices… 
 A Singaporean’s evolved goal in life is to  generate enough passive income and retire early. 
 How? 
 One of the many ways is to build a  dividend income portfolio  and take one step closer to achieving financial freedom! 
 
 TL;DR: How Much Do You Need to Invest to Have a Sustainable Dividend Income Portfolio? 
 
 
 What Is a Dividend Income Portfolio? 
 What exactly is a dividend income portfolio, and what is all the hype about? 
 Dividend stocks are stocks that give dividend payouts based on their profits over the year. Should an investor invest in a dividend stock, he receives income in the form of dividends given out by the stock. 
 Source: Giphy 
 Imagine this: Your stocks portfolio gives you enough every year to a point where you no longer have to depend on your salary for your expenses. 
 That is the goal of every investor, and this is how you can build a dividend income portfolio: 
 
 Certain stocks give dividend payouts based on their profits over the year. 
 Investors can use their prefered method to identify and screen out solid stocks and investment instruments to invest in. 
 From there, investors will build their investment portfolios. 
 The objective is to build an investment portfolio which can cover your expenses. 
 Once that objective is achieved,  financial freedom  may not be too far away! 
 
 
 Dividend Investing – How Much Should You Be Investing? 
 Before you start building your portfolio, it’s important to understand what exactly  dividend investing  is all about. 
 And you’ll need to identify how much you want your investment portfolio to fetch you every month. 
 Here are some of the numbers we used for better estimation of the amount needed: 
 
 Basic monthly expenses for Singaporeans after retirement is at  $1,200 per month . 
 Median gross monthly income of a typical Singaporean worker at  $4,680 per month . 
 The average household spend on goods and services in Singapore is  $4,906 per month  (based on a 2018 survey). 
 The median household income per month in Singapore is  $8,220 per month . 
 
 
 
 
 Monthly Dividend Total dividend required per year 
 
 
 
 
 $500 $6,000 
 
 
 $1,000 $12,000 
 
 
 $1,200 
(Monthly expenses for Singaporeans after retirement) $14,400 
 
 
 $2,000 $24,000 
 
 
 $4,680 
(Median gross monthly income) $56,160 
 
 
 $4,906 
(Average household spend per month) $58,872 
 
 
 $8,220 
(Median household income per month) $98,640 
 
 
 $10,000 $120,000 
 
 
 $12,000 $144,000  
 
 
 

 With the total dividend we aim to achieve annually in mind, we worked backwards to find out the percentage of dividend yield and the size of the portfolio needed. 
 What is the Dividend Yield? 
 The  dividend yield  is the percentage of a company’s dividend compared to its share price. 
 It can be calculated using: 
 Dividend Yield = (Annual Dividend)/ Share Price  * 100% 
 How Much Does Your Portfolio Need to Be? 
 For better illustration, we’re looking at a dividend yield of at least 3%. 
 Anything below the interest rate of the  Singapore Savings Bond (SSB)  makes no sense for the risk that you will be taking. 
 
 
 
 Total dividend required per year Portfolio size with X% dividend yield 
 
 
 
 
 3% 5% 6% 7% 8% 
 
 
 $6,000 $200,000 $120,000 $100,000 $85,714.29 $75,000 
 
 
 $12,000 $400,000 $240,000 $200,000 $171,428.57 $150,000 
 
 
 $14,400 $480,000 $288,000 $240,000 $205,714.29 $180,000 
 
 
 $24,000 $800,000 $480,000 $400,000 $342,857.14 $300,000 
 
 
 $56,160 
(Median gross monthly income) $1,872,000 $1,123,200 $936,000 $802,285.71 $702,000 
 
 
 $58,872 
(Average household spend) $1,962,400 $1,177,440 $981,200 $841,028.57 $735,900 
 
 
 $98,640 
(Median household income) $3,288,000 $1,972,800 $1,644,000 $1,409,142.86 $1,233,000 
 
 
 $120,000 $4,000,000 $2,400,000 $2,000,000 $1,714,285.71 $1,500,000 
 
 
 $144,000 $4,800,000 $2,880,000 $2,400,000 $2,057,142.86 $1,800,000 
 
 
 

 Few things to take note of, when it comes to dividend investing: 
 
 A company with the highest dividend yield may not necessarily mean that it is the safest investment. 
 The above demonstrates that to achieve that amount of dividend, you need to have a good amount of savings first. 
 You’ll have to take into account the effects of  inflation  on your future expenditure, which has been rising rapidly in recent months. 
 The faster you manage to achieve the above where your dividend yield income exceeds your expenses, the sooner you will achieve financial freedom! 
 
 Seriously, we cannot emphasise enough on the importance of starting early and making use of the  power of compounding  to achieve financial freedom faster. 
 
 However, do not chase  dividend yields  as it alone is  not the best indicator  of whether you should add a particular stock or share counter to your portfolio. 
 Not all high dividend-paying stocks are good investments. 
 It is important to understand why they are able to pay such high dividends, and whether these dividends are sustainable for the companies as well. 
 As with any form of investment, you need to do your due diligence before putting your hard-earned money in. 
 Once you’ve done your homework, you’ll then be able to start building your portfolio to give yourself a headstart towards  early retirement . 
 Some Examples of Share Counters and Their Dividend Yields 
 The total dividend yield of your portfolio depends on the amount one invests in each stock and the dividend yield of these stocks. 
 To list down some of the stocks and their dividend yield. 
 Note: data is correct as of 13 June 2022. 
 For stocks in SGX with a dividend yield of 3-4%: 
 
 
 
 Company Name Trading Code P/E Yield (%) 
 
 
 
 
 Aedge Group XVG - 3.77 
 
 
 Ascott Trust HMN 12.18 3.7 
 
 
 Asia Vets 5RE - 3.08 
 
 
 Avarga U09 3.03 3.5 
 
 
 BHG Retail Reit BMGU 37.57 3.95 
 
 
 Brook Crompton AWC 8.26 3.23 
 
 
 CapitaLandInvest 9CI 8.22 3.15 
 
 
 CapLand IntCom T C38U 13.44 3.89 
 
 
 Civmec P9D 7.9 3.08 
 
 
 Don Agro GRQ 3.64 3.41 
 
 
 F & N F99 16.15 3.68 
 
 
 Far East HTrust Q5T 9.89 3.36 
 
 
 First Resources EB5 14.77 3.02 
 
 
 Food Empire F03 10.59 3.06 
 
 
 Frencken E28 8.38 3.59 
 
 
 GKE 595 8.88 3.96 
 
 
 Great Eastern G07 8.56 3.23 
 
 
 GuocoLand F17 9.52 3.82 
 
 
 Ho Bee Land H13 5.57 3.61 
 
 
 Hosen 5EV 7.54 3.57 
 
 
 InnoTek M14 10.28 3.92 
 
 
 ISEC 40T 21.78 3.39 
 
 
 Jardine C&C C07 12.57 3.7 
 
 
 JB Foods BEW 7.86 3 
 
 
 JMH USD J36 8.3 3.76 
 
 
 Kimly 1D0 11.51 3.68 
 
 
 Micro-Mechanics 5DD 23.02 3.87 
 
 
 Nordic MR7 11.19 3.47 
 
 
 OKP 5CF 37.53 3.78 
 
 
 Old Chang Kee 5ML 13.52 3.01 
 
 
 OTS Holdings OTS 46.28 3.04 
 
 
 PanUnited P52 15.34 3.9 
 
 
 Penguin Intl BTM 10.51 3.72 
 
 
 SGX S68 25.07 3.31 
 
 
 Sing Paincare FRQ 9.01 3.75 
 
 
 ST Engineering S63 22.04 3.49 
 
 
 TCIL HK$ T15 10.12 3.42 
 
 
 Tosei S2D 7.3 3.39 
 
 
 VICOM Ltd WJP 29.18 3.08 
 
 
 Wilmar Intl F34 9.89 3.76 
 
 
 

 For stocks in SGX with a dividend yield of 4-5%: 
 
 
 
 Company Name Trading Code P/E Yield (%) 
 
 
 
 
 Ascendas Reit A17U 11.85 4.94 
 
 
 Asia Enterprises A55 15.02 4.88 
 
 
 Asian Healthcare 1J3 16.72 4.46 
 
 
 Boustead F9D 4.13 4.69 
 
 
 BRC Asia BEC 6.46 4.73 
 
 
 Bumitama Agri P8Z 8.03 5 
 
 
 Chip Eng Seng C29 - 4.76 
 
 
 Chuan Hup C33 37.63 4.55 
 
 
 DBS D05 11.82 4.47 
 
 
 Delfi P34 11.17 4.23 
 
 
 Frasers Cpt Tr J69U 20.76 4.41 
 
 
 Hock Lian Seng J2T 5.4 4.72 
 
 
 Hong Leong Fin S41 12.78 4.96 
 
 
 HongkongLand USD H78 - 4.67 
 
 
 HRnetGroup CHZ 10.8 4.26 
 
 
 IFS Capital I49 8.89 4.15 
 
 
 IREIT Global SGD UD1U 3.26 4.7 
 
 
 Jason Marine 5PF 4.39 
 
 
 Keppel Corp BN4 12.07 4.9 
 
 
 Keppel Reit K71U 18.57 4.5 
 
 
 LHT BEI 8.54 4.26 
 
 
 Low Keng Huat F1E 16.88 4.21 
 
 
 Lum Chang L19 19.88 4.49 
 
 
 Mapletree Com Tr N2IU 17.32 4.24 
 
 
 Mapletree Ind Tr ME8U 14.68 4.88 
 
 
 Mapletree NAC Tr RW0U 233.92 4.17 
 
 
 MegaChem 5DS 7.73 4.44 
 
 
 MeGroup SJY - 4.14 
 
 
 MoneyMax Fin 5WJ 4.47 4.75 
 
 
 Nam Lee Metal G0I 5.47 4.23 
 
 
 Natural Cool 5IF - 4.67 
 
 
 Nomura Yen1k N33 10.51 4.6 
 
 
 OCBC Bank O39 10.87 4.56 
 
 
 PEC IX2 6.27 4.27 
 
 
 Sheng Siong OV8 16.77 4.08 
 
 
 Spindex Ind 564 5.79 4.37 
 
 
 Suntec Reit T82U 10.97 4.52 
 
 
 SUTL Enterprise BHU 8.12 4.3 
 
 
 TalkMed 5G3 20.34 4.16 
 
 
 TIH T55 5.17 4.26 
 
 
 TTJ K1Q 21.42 4.73 
 
 
 UMS 558 14.44 4.17 
 
 
 Uni-Asia Grp CHJ 3.66 4.24 
 
 
 UOB U11 11.97 4.21 
 
 
 Venture V03 16.12 4.35 
 
 
 Wong Fong Ind 1A1 12.01 4.71 
 
 
 

 For stocks in SGX with a dividend yield of 5-6%: 
 
 
 
 Company Name Trading Code P/E Yield (%) 
 
 
 
 
 AIMS APAC Reit O5RU 10.81 5.98 
 
 
 AP Oil 5AU 10.32 5.81 
 
 
 Audience 1AZ - 5.04 
 
 
 AVJennings A$ A05 9.51 5.8 
 
 
 Aztech Gbl 8AZ 8.56 5.88 
 
 
 Ban Leong B26 5.86 5.68 
 
 
 Broadway Ind B69 5.7 5.38 
 
 
 Bund Center BTE 31.12 5.88 
 
 
 Captii AWV 1.66 5.32 
 
 
 CDW BXE 20.21 5.76 
 
 
 Challenger 573 10.95 5.09 
 
 
 Choo Chiang 42E 8.85 5.48 
 
 
 CosmoSteel B9S 18.2 5.07 
 
 
 CSE Global 544 16.17 5.85 
 
 
 Figtree 5F4 - 5.26 
 
 
 Frasers L&C Tr BUOU 5.45 5.58 
 
 
 Global Inv B73 16.4 5.26 
 
 
 Golden Agri-Res E5H 5.27 5.84 
 
 
 Japan Foods 5OI 42.7 5.42 
 
 
 KSH ER0 18.91 5.88 
 
 
 Lendlease Reit JYEU 27.78 5.36 
 
 
 LHN 41O 4.46 5.16 
 
 
 Mapletree Log Tr M44U 9.7 5.09 
 
 
 Multi-Chem AWZ 6.71 5.97 
 
 
 NeraTel N01 - 5.68 
 
 
 NetLink NBN Tr CJLU 42.7 5.13 
 
 
 NSL N02 64.52 5.95 
 
 
 OUE Com Reit TS0U 64.97 5.83 
 
 
 Overseas Edu RQ1 15.08 5.65 
 
 
 QAF Q01 22.01 5.88 
 
 
 Sabana Reit M1GU 9.73 5.63 
 
 
 Secura 43B 11.15 5.88 
 
 
 Serial System S69 7.12 5.45 
 
 
 Sing Inv & Fin S35 7.27 5.52 
 
 
 Singapore O&G 1D8 15.96 5.54 
 
 
 StarhillGbl Reit P40U 21.32 5.68 
 
 
 StarHub CC3 15.19 5.2 
 
 
 Tai Sin Electric 500 23.12 5.84 
 
 
 Tat Seng Pkg T12 4.85 5.56 
 
 
 UOB Kay Hian U10 8.37 5.87 
 
 
 ValueMax T6I 5.42 5.45 
 
 
 YZJ Shipbldg SGD BS6 4.51 5.62 
 
 
 

 For stocks in SGX with a dividend yield of 6-7%: 
 
 
 
 Company Name Trading Code P/E Yield (%) 
 
 
 
 
 Ascendas-iTrust CY6U 6.77 6.9 
 
 
 Casa C04 6.68 6.67 
 
 
 Combine Will N0Z 3.55 6.29 
 
 
 Fu Yu F13 11.13 6.35 
 
 
 Kep Infra Tr A7RU 83.84 6.81 
 
 
 Lippo Malls Tr D5IU - 6.67 
 
 
 Medinex OTX 7.59 7 
 
 
 PNE Industries BDA - 6.29 
 
 
 Q&M Dental QC7 17.12 6.47 
 
 
 Sarine Tech U77 6.88 6.24 
 
 
 Thakral AWI 4.78 6.35 
 
 
 Transit Concrete 570 5.36 6.9 
 
 
 Valuetronics BN2 6.95 6.49 
 
 
 Yanlord Land Z25 3.81 6.3 
 
 
 

 For stocks in SGX with a dividend yield of 7-8%: 
 
 
 
 Trading Name Trading Code P/E Yield (%) 
 
 
 
 
 AnnAik A52 8.38 7.78 
 
 
 Asian Pay Tv Tr S7OU 9.67 7.52 
 
 
 Aspial A30 - 7.5 
 
 
 CapLand China T AU8U 16.76 7.79 
 
 
 China Everbright U9E 3.96 7.46 
 
 
 Hafary 5VS 7.43 7.5 
 
 
 New Toyo N08 10.34 7.85 
 
 
 PropNex OYY 10.51 7.44 
 
 
 Shopper360 1F0 8.43 7.76 
 
 
 SIIC Environment BHK 3.55 7.32 
 
 
 Soilbuild Const S7P - 7.35 
 
 
 Stamford Tyres S29 29.31 7.14 
 
 
 Sysma 5UO 8.75 7.83 
 
 
 World Precision B49 9.53 7.25 
 
 
 YHI Intl BPF 6.72 7.35 
 
 
 

 If you’re wondering how we got the above information, we used the Singapore Exchange Limited’s Stock Screener and sorted the information with the ‘Dividend Yield’ filter. 
 
 
 Have some tips on tricks to building your own dividend income portfolio? Head over to the  Seedly Community  to discuss! 
 

https://blog.seedly.sg/dividend-investing-how-much-you-need-to-invest-passive-income/