How much have I earned and lost in 2015?

For a change, I channeled more time to read and invest in 2015. The 2015 new year resolution was to invest a little more to build a passive income to work towards a target of $12,000/year passive income.

STI in 2015

I spent some money from Nov 2014 through Jan 2015, probably around $30k. When the STI peaked in Apr at 3,550, my portfolio looked superb with 15% paper profit. However, when the STI dropped to 2,800 in Aug, my portfolio was -20%, a paper loss. I poured in another $20k/month between Aug to Oct and felt very poor after that.

The dividends for the new shares purchased in the later half of the year haven't realised, but it's looks set to be realised next year, barring any further market corrections or economic downturns. For the whole of 2015, I managed to squeeze out $8k of earnings from various sources. I keep cash in OCBC 360 and UOB One account that pays an average of 2% p.a. for balances up to 60k and 50k respectively. Those alone will yield $200/month. (I also spend a lot of time budgeting my expenditure and maximising credit card payment options to make sure that I spend just enough to meet the minimum $500 credit card spending I need with each bank.) I put my excess cash in Singapore Savings Bonds (SSB) which is expected to pay me 1% to 3% p.a. gradually stepped up over 10 years.

2015 earnings with projected 2016 earnings

Overall, 2016 should get me nearer to my target of $12k passive income. The $10k estimate has already factored in a margin of losses, i.e. I assume that the yield from shares will be 5%. However my current portfolio of stocks is already giving me a 7% yield. If I really get 7% yield, I will reach my $12k target. So my "new year resolution" is to save money to "recover" from my spending spree in 2015. If the STI hits new lows, I am likely to be spending again. If the STI hits new highs, I will cash out about 20% of my positions to return some money to my warchest.

Note: the Aug market was unexpected and capitalising to buy when everyone is dumping shares would not have been possible if I didn't have a warchest that I had not touched for 2 years. Luck + preparation enabled me to stock up shares in 2015, at yields higher than average.