The Ledger
Money in Singapore, explained plainly: cards, accounts, rates, CPF, bonds, tax and insurance, every figure dated and sourced.
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Is This Firm Licensed? Using MAS’s Directory and Investor Alert List Before You Invest
Before you hand money to any investment firm or adviser, look it up in MAS’s Financial Institutions Directory, check the person in the representatives…
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Buying Shares on SGX: CDP Accounts, Board Lots and Brokerage Fees
To buy SGX shares you need a brokerage account, and you choose whether shares sit in your own CDP account or with the broker…
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Fixed Deposits in Singapore: How They Work, and What Breaking One Early Costs
A fixed deposit locks your money with a bank or finance company for a set tenor at a set rate, and Singapore-dollar deposits are…
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The Free-Look Period: How to Cancel a New Insurance Policy and Get Your Money Back
In Singapore, new life policies come with a 14-day free-look period: cancel in writing within that window and the insurer refunds your premiums, less…
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Term, Whole Life or Investment-Linked: How Life Insurance Policies Differ
Term insurance covers you for a fixed period at the lowest premium and builds no cash value; whole life covers you for life and…
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Income Tax for Freelancers and the Self-Employed: Form B, Expenses and MediSave
Freelancers and sole proprietors in Singapore declare their business income on Form B, e-filed by 18 April, and are taxed on revenue minus allowable…
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In Debt? Credit Counselling Singapore and the Debt Repayment Scheme
If unsecured debt is overwhelming you, Credit Counselling Singapore can assess your situation and, if you owe $10,000 or more to two or more…
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The Lasting Power of Attorney: What It Is, Who Needs One and the Fees
A Lasting Power of Attorney lets you, at 21 or older, choose who makes decisions about your welfare and money if you lose mental…
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CareShield Life and ElderShield: What Long-Term Care Insurance Pays If You’re Severely Disabled
CareShield Life pays a monthly cash payout for life, S$689 a month for a claim made in 2026 at the base rate, if you…
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CPF Nominations: What Happens to Your CPF Savings When You Die
Your CPF savings are not covered by your will: with a CPF nomination they are paid in cash to the people you name, and…
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Making a Will in Singapore: What It Needs, What It Costs, and What Happens Without One
A valid will in Singapore must be made by someone aged 21 or over, in writing, signed at the end and witnessed by two…
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MediSave Explained: What It Pays For, the Withdrawal Limits and the Basic Healthcare Sum
MediSave is the CPF account that pays for hospital bills, approved outpatient treatments and health insurance premiums, but each use has a withdrawal limit,…
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Withdrawing Your CPF at 55 and 65: What You Can Take Out, and What Stays
At 55 you can withdraw at least S$5,000, plus anything left after setting aside the Full Retirement Sum (S$220,400 for those turning 55 in…
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CPF LIFE Explained: Standard, Basic or Escalating Plan, and When Payouts Start
CPF LIFE turns your Retirement Account into a monthly payout for life, starting any time from 65 to 70, and each year you defer…
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The Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS): Tax Relief, Withdrawals and the 5% Penalty
The SRS lets you put up to S$15,300 a year (S$35,700 for foreigners) into a bank-run account and deduct it from your taxable income.…
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MediShield Life and Integrated Shield Plans: What Your Hospital Cover Pays
Every Singapore citizen and PR has MediShield Life, sized for B2 and C wards in public hospitals and paying up to S$200,000 a year.…
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Singapore Savings Bonds and T-Bills: How They Work and How to Apply
Both are backed by the Singapore Government, and both start from a few hundred dollars. Savings Bonds pay rising interest over ten years and…
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Income Tax in Singapore: The Resident Rates, the Reliefs and the 18 April Deadline
Singapore taxes residents from 0% on the first S$20,000 to 24% above S$1 million, after reliefs capped at S$80,000 a year. The full rate…
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CPF Contribution Rates in 2026: What You and Your Employer Pay at Every Age
Up to 55, you pay 20% of your salary into CPF and your employer adds 17%, on wages up to S$8,000 a month. The…
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CPF Accounts Explained: Ordinary, Special, MediSave and Retirement, and What Each Pays
Your CPF is four accounts, not one. The Ordinary Account pays 2.5% and buys your home; the Special, MediSave and Retirement Accounts pay at…
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Bank Account Fees in Singapore: Fall-Below Fees, Early Closure and Basic Accounts
Most Singapore savings accounts charge S$2 or S$5 a month if your balance falls below S$1,000 to S$3,000, and many charge about S$30 to…
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Inflation in Singapore: What Core Inflation and the CPI Measure, and Where They Stand
Singapore’s core inflation rose to 2.2% in August 2026, its highest since September 2024. What headline and core inflation measure, why MAS watches core,…
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Silver Support and the Majulah Package: What Older Singaporeans Get
Silver Support pays low-income seniors aged 65 and above up to S$1,080 a quarter, depending on flat type and household income. The Majulah Package’s…
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SkillsFuture Credit in 2026: What You Still Have, What Expired and the S$4,000 at 40
The S$500 top-up from 2020 expired on 31 December 2025, but the original S$500 and the S$4,000 mid-career credit have no expiry. What each…
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Workfare Income Supplement: Who Gets It, How Much, and How It’s Paid
Workfare tops up the pay of Singaporean workers aged 30 and over earning up to S$3,000 a month: up to S$4,900 a year, paid…
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Dormant Bank Accounts and Unclaimed Money in Singapore: How to Get It Back
About S$300 million sits in bank accounts untouched for at least 15 years. The money doesn’t vanish: you, or a deceased relative’s representative, can…
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Child LifeSG Credits, Baby Bonus and the New SG Child Support Package: What Families Get
S$500 Child LifeSG Credits per child in 2026, the current Baby Bonus of up to S$38,000, and the SG Child Support Package announced at…
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Money Lock and Anti-Scam Features: How to Lock Your Savings at Your Bank
Singapore’s banks let you lock savings so they can’t be moved digitally, even if a scammer gets into your app. How DBS digiVault, OCBC…
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Borrowing From a Licensed Moneylender: The Legal Caps on Interest and Fees
Licensed moneylenders in Singapore can charge at most 4% a month, a 10% admin fee and S$60 a month in late fees, and total…
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Credit Card Late Fees and Interest: What Missing a Payment Really Costs
Pay less than the full bill and interest of about 27.8% a year runs from the day you bought, not the due date. Miss…
