Why 3 Bank Accounts Are Better Than 1

Singapore Bank ATMs

When it comes to saving, most consumers prefer simplicity as the best approach – that is to put their money in the bank account that offers the best interest rate. However, if you want to save money fast, it is best to have more than one bank account. No, you don’t get three times more interest, you are just separating your needs and your wants and to stay on track with your budgeting plan.

1. Die-die-must-spend account (The Needs)

Unfortunately, i don’t think you can survive a month in Singapore by not spending a dime. Assuming you are a full grown adult, some costs such as transportation and food is unavoidable. With an iPhone or Samsung phone on your hand, you can’t escape from paying your phone bill either. Since these costs are compulsory and belong to your needs, consider creating a primary account for such expenses.

Since you will be spending the money here often, we recommend you to check out the 3 main banks in Singapore: DBS/POSB, UOB & OCBC as they have the most number of ATMs in Singapore. Convenience is the key.

2. Indulgence account (The Wants)

After a long week of work, most people look forward to Friday. TGIF! As a pat on your back, you reward yourself by catching the latest blockbuster or dine in your favourite restaurant. These are wants that are often guilty of wiping out your month of hard work.

It is therefore important to separate your needs and your wants.

The approach here is to allocate a fixed amount of your salary to your wants and spend within the limits. Anything more than 10 percent is extravagant. While you may enjoy your current lifestyle, you may end up slogging a few more years before you can retire.

For your indulgence needs, look out for the bank that offers the best rewards or rebates for debit/credit cards as banks usually have some tie-up with cinemas, restaurants and entertainment outlets. If you decide to take up a credit card, make sure you pay your dues in full promptly.

READ ALSO: Want to pay less to watch a movie? Here’s how to get cheap movie tickets.

3. Forget-about-it account (Retirement/Long Term)

As the name suggests: you create, allocate and literally forget that you have this account. This account is created for the purpose of saving for the long term or retirement.  By long term, we mean your bank book ages till it turns yellow or at least been kept for a couple of decades.

While we don’t recommend putting all your savings in a bank as it yield paltry interest that gets eroded by inflation, you want your emergency funds to be guaranteed. Also make sure at the same time you have another pot of money that is working as hard as you do.

We recommend that you choose the bank that offers the highest interest rate. (and the one with the least number of ATMs in Singapore) Keep the ATM card out of your wallet and let it collects dust.

READ ALSO: Best bank accounts in Singapore

But how easy is it to keep separate accounts? Easy-peasy. Set up automatic transfer to divert the funds the moment you receive your monthly salary. This way you can spend with a piece of mind and at the same time you are sure your retirement funds is in place.

Unless you have the discipline, having 3 separate accounts prevent impulsive splurge and help you save money faster – without you even knowing it.

 

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5 Free Money Management Apps to Increase your Savings

Money Tracker App

In order to decide on how much you shall save, first you must be aware of how much you are spending.

Expenses can be categorized as either fixed or variable. Fixed expenses remain the same every month or year due to Singapore’s laws and Company service-provider terms (e.g. Hand Phone Plan, or HDB Rent). Variable expenses include food, entertainment, clothing, and other expenses that may change every month or year. The challenge now is for you to choose on which expenses you can reduce.

Recording all your expenses, no matter how big or small they may be, can help you plan your budget wisely. This is why; here are the 5 Money Management Apps for all your devices. Best of all? These are handy and FREE!

  1. EXPENSIFY
    (Available on IPhone, IPad, Android, and Blackberry)

    Expensify app helps you record your daily transactions, hourly rate, mileage, and generate expense reports. Its SmartScan feature allows you to upload photos or capture your receipts for easy bookkeeping. It also helps you minimize information errors that you may encounter when writing everything down.

    expensify

    Photo Credit: Expensify App via TechTudo

  2. EXPENSE MANAGER
    (Available on Android)

    Another top rated money tracker in Google Play store is the Expense Manager app. It is raved to be simplistic and very easy to use. You may record the type of purchase, the type of payment, the purchasing price, the company the item was purchased from, and the date. The app also allows you to manage multiple accounts in various currencies, to email account activities, and to save it on your SD card.
  3. MONEYWISE
    (Available on Android)

    MoneyWise app combines minimalist design with powerful functionality. It may seem minimal but it can do a lot! It allows you to generate charts or graphs, track budgets or spending, and create regular account backups. Conveniently, you may export data in CSV or HTML formats that you may send to others via email.
  4. POCKET EXPENSE PERSONAL FINANCE
    (Available on IPhone and IPad)

    Pocket Expense Personal Finance app combines all your financial accounts together so it can track all your bills and set your budgets. This app lets you categorize your transactions through its calendar view. It is the perfect way to organize your income and expense because of its user-friendly and simplistic interface. But most importantly, it is password protected.
  5. MINT
    (Available on IPhone, IPad, and Android)

    Mint app manages your personal finance accounts (credit cards, loan and investment) on one place through your fingertips. With Mint, you can track your spending, develop a monthly budget, receive bill reminders, and save more money. It is also accessible online through its website. What’s more? It sends online alerts if you’ve gone over your budget.

    With all these awesome money management Apps, the power to budget and save money is in your fingertips! Make wise money tracking a habit! You won’t regret it. 

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Best bank accounts in Singapore

Best Bank Account in Singapore

Hey folks, it’s time to wake your money up!

If you have come to this page looking for the best bank accounts in Singapore that offers the highest interest rate, look no further.

In a low interest rate environment, everyone should aim to put their savings where their money works the hardest. No doubt it cannot beat inflation, but beside being risk-free, it beats putting your money in a biscuit tin or an account that offers a paltry 0.01%.

There are 8 saving and current accounts that make it to the list. Let’s see how they match up.

1. OCBC 360 Account

One of the most popular choice among Singaporean would be the OCBC 360 Account as it offers up to 3.05% interest on your saving account.

There is a base interest of 0.05% and an additional of 3% if you fulfil 3 requirements every month: crediting your salary to the account, pay any 3 bills and spend at least $400 on OCBC credit cards.

OCBC-360-Account

2. Citibank InterestPlus Account

For individuals who are planning to insure and invest can look at Citibank’s InterestPlus Savings account. You can get up to 2.5% bonus interest if you meet the following criteria:

    1. Insure yourself with a monthly premium of $250 for 12months or a single premium of $25,000
    2. Spend $25 on Citibank Credit Card
    3. Invest $250 monthly for 12 months in a Regular Saving Plan or set away $25,000 in Unit Trusts.

Citibank-InterestPlus

 

3. DBS Multiplier Account

Our local bank DBS has introduced a multiplier account that rewards up to 2.08% interest. This is a multi tier programme where you get higher interest after meeting the minimum required amount for regular banking. Regular banking refers to crediting your salary, shopping with their debit and credit cards, monthly installments of home loans and crediting your investment dividends from your CDP account.

For the different tiers, refer to the screengrab.

DBS Multiplier

 

4. Standard Chartered Bonus$aver Account

With Bonus$aver account, you can get interest of 1.88% p.a when you charge $500 a month to your Bonus$aver Credit/Debit card. For those who spend at least $500 a month can consider charging them to these cards to enjoy the interest rate. Take note that the interest is only on savings up to $25,000. Any amount more than $25,000 will get 0.1% interest – the same rate applies if you cannot meet the $500 a month spending.

SCB BonusSaver

5. Standard Chartered e$aver Account

Currently with a limited time promotion until 31 January 2015, you are eligible for an interest rate of up to 1.35%, subject to terms and condition.

SCB-eaver-Accounts-Promotion

Bonus interest is awarded on the incremental average daily balance from October’s average daily balance.

6. Maybank iSAVvy Savings Account

Maybank has a similar promotion as SCB and you can get up to 1.3% interest.

Maybank-iSAVvy-Savings-Account-Promotion

For Maybank, there is a min deposit of $5,000 for incremental average daily balance to be eligible for the bonus interest rate.

7. CIMB StarSaver Accounts

CIMB offers an attractive 0.8% interest rate on their saving accounts. Min deposit is $1,000 and to be eligible for 0.8%, you just need to deposit at least $100/month. If not you will be entitled to 0.5% interest rate – not too bad.

CIMB-StarSaver-Account

8. ANZ Progress Saver Account

ANZ Progress Saver Account is the next on list. Customers can enjoy up to 0.70% interest rate.

Minimum initial deposit is $5,000 and to be eligible for the bonus interest, just deposit at least $500 a month.

ANZ-Progress-Saver-Account

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