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Business Times
7 days ago
- General
- Business Times
When an ex-wife fights to control her stroke-stricken ex-hubby's assets
MANY people have the misconception that the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is for seniors to make, but the reality is that no one knows when we may become mentally incapacitated, or – in the case of a will – when our time will be up. This was what happened to David Tan (not his real name) who did not make an LPA and a will. David – now aged 50 – lost mental capacity after he suffered a stroke in March 2023. He has two sons, aged 13 and 15, who are under his ex-wife's custody after he filed for a divorce against her in 2018. Being mentally incapacitated means, in the LPA context, you cannot make decisions for yourself on matters relating to your property, finances and welfare. Such a situation could well result in you being in a state of limbo, as your next-of-kin may not be able to deal with matters relating to your properties, access bank accounts or make decisions on your behalf. This is unless an application to the court is made by an interested party to be appointed as the mentally incapacitated patient's deputy to manage his property, welfare and affairs, and to make decisions on his behalf. In an unexpected twist, David's ex-wife Lisa Lim (not her real name) applied to be his deputy under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), which governs applications to be made for deputyship of a mentally incapacitated person's estate. In doing so, Lisa locked horns with David's only sibling Diane Tan (not her real name), in a legal dispute that lasted more than two years. David's parents are deceased. His assets are believed to include a private apartment, a car, insurance policies, bank accounts and Central Provident Fund savings. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up It would seem that an altruistic ex-spouse could be entrusted with the responsibility of acting in David's best interests. However, there is also the invidious possibility that lurking behind that altruism is an agenda of wanting to preserve and ring-fence assets – such as property and insurance plans – that she feels should be kept for the children. Ultimately, the cardinal question that the court needs to satisfy itself is, who is the better person to appoint to look after David and his property, welfare and affairs in the absence of a valid LPA. How the court decided After careful deliberation, the Family Justice Court dismissed Lisa's application and allowed Diane's cross-application to be appointed her brother's sole deputy. The judge cited several reasons: Consistency of care: Diane had consistently shown long-term commitment, including regular visits to her brother David, and carried out detailed planning for his eventual care in a nursing home. This is despite his former wife's declaration that she has the better care plan in converting her rented apartment to cater for his accommodation, as it was more ideal if he was brought to her home to be close to his loved ones, which include his two sons. Just before the court made its decision, a check with the nursing home confirmed that Lisa and her children had not visited David for well over six months after the application was filed. Questionable conduct: Upon Diane's lawyer's scrutiny of the extensive WhatsApp messages produced by Lisa, it was discovered that the latter had, on multiple occasions, taken control of David's belongings and disposed of his car, without applying to court for permission to do so. Potential conflict of interest: The presiding judge also noted that Lisa's sons stood to inherit his assets upon his death in accordance with the Intestate Succession Act, as he did not have a valid will prepared. Diane, in contrast, has no stake in David's estate upon his death. Stability and credibility: Diane's proposals to keep her brother at a nursing home would enable him to receive 24/7 professional medical and nursing care. The court deemed this plan more viable and sustainable than to place him under the care of Lisa, who is staying in a rented apartment with other occupants including her child born out of wedlock – something she did not disclose until confronted with facts presented by Diane's lawyer. Given the inconsistencies of the position taken by Lisa, including the past conduct involving concealment, her unilateral actions and the fact that David had formally divorced her, the judge could not say that he was comfortable with the idea of appointing Lisa as David's deputy. Get your LPA early An LPA is drawn up to appoint people (donees) to look after you (the donor) and make decisions on your behalf, at a time when you lose mental capacity. Caregiving has two aspects – personal welfare, and property and financial affairs, including managing the donor's CPF matters. If you lose mental capacity and have not done up an LPA, there is no automatic 'right' for your family or loved ones to make legal decisions on your behalf or manage your affairs, even if they have your best interests at heart. In such a scenario, family members may face difficulties in making care arrangements, managing bank accounts and properties, and deciding how to use your financial resources for your daily needs. Your bank accounts and insurance benefits/proceeds may be frozen, and your family may not be able to access your funds to pay for your hospital bills, mortgage and so on, until a court order is obtained. Your family or loved ones will need to apply to the court to be appointed as your deputy. This process is initiated when a person loses mental capacity and does not have an LPA, for a trusted person to make decisions on his behalf. It can be a costly and time-consuming process, particularly if there is disagreement on who should be the deputy. What happened to David – the unnecessary and costly legal tussle between his sister and ex-wife – could have been averted if he had made an LPA before he lost mental capacity. There would have been more clarity on his preferred caregiver as he would have appointed responsible and competent individuals, who could be his loved ones or professional deputies. A deputy, appointed by the court, can make decisions on your behalf, similar to what a donee can do under an LPA, but the process of obtaining a deputyship order is more complex and costlier. In David's case, his sister chalked up more than S$100,000 in legal fees. An LPA also helps to protect your estate from being squandered away by irresponsible caregivers if you suffer from mental capacity. As such, it goes hand in hand with setting up a will which takes effect upon death. For an LPA to be valid, it must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). Do note that the OPG has extended the LPA Form 1 application fee (S$75) waiver for Singapore citizens to Mar 31, 2026. This is to encourage more Singaporeans to plan ahead and apply for an LPA. That is why estate planning is for everyone, not just seniors or the wealthy. After all, estate planning is about setting out how you want your estate (or assets) to be managed and distributed. Besides an LPA, do consider making a will, CPF nomination, insurance nomination, trust (if needed) and an advance care plan for a more complete and sound estate plan. 'David Tan' is a relative of the writer, who is head of financial planning literacy at DBS, and author of bestsellers Retire Smart and Money Smart
Business Times
11-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Should you invest your CPF OA and SA savings?
[SINGAPORE] For all the time I spend obsessing over my savings apps and investment portfolios, I'll admit that I rarely think about my Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts. After all, it kind of feels like money I don't often get to touch, locked away for a future home, healthcare bills and retirement decades down the road. That is, until I inevitably come across an advertisement or a finfluencer encouraging people to invest their CPF money. Suddenly, I start wondering if I should be doing something twitch mine too. But unlike putting your spare cash to work, investing your CPF money is a bit more complicated. Here's what you need to know before making that decision. 🚿 A quick refresher on CPF Every month, a portion of your salary is channelled into your CPF, which is split into three accounts: The Ordinary Account (OA) , which can be used to pay for housing, basic insurance and tuition fees. It earns a guaranteed 2.5 per cent interest per year. The Special Account (SA) , which is reserved for retirement and has a higher interest rate of 4 per cent. Medisave, which covers healthcare expenses. This also earns 4 per cent interest per year. For most young adults, the OA is the account they'll interact with the most, whether it's to pay for their first HDB downpayment or monthly mortgage repayments. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 3 pm Thrive Money, career and life hacks to help young adults stay ahead of the curve. Sign Up Sign Up When you turn 18 years old, you'll be able to invest money that's in your OA and SA, but there are some criteria to meet: To invest money in your OA, you'll need to first set aside S$20,000 in your account To invest your SA, you'll need to set aside S$40,000 The restrictions make sense because CPF members below 55 receive an extra 1 per cent on the first S$60,000 of their combined CPF balances (capped at S$20,000 for OA). You'll also need to pass a quiz on the CPF investment scheme before you can start investing. Specifically for investing your OA, you'll also need to open a CPF investment account with one of the three local banks – DBS, OCBC or UOB. 📈 Why some choose to invest Tan Chin Yu, advisory lead at fee-only wealth advisory Providend, said he typically does not recommend clients invest their SA funds. 'With its 4 per cent risk-free return, CPF SA offers one of the best guaranteed rates available, and it rarely makes sense to take on market risk for only marginal potential gains,' he tells thrive. As for your OA, the argument for investing your funds is that the 2.5 per cent interest it offers may not be able to beat inflation. From 1965 to 2024, Singapore's average rate of inflation was 2.61 per cent. That means that the value of your OA funds would have declined on average over those years if left alone. Investing those funds would help you not just keep up with inflation, but grow your retirement nest egg, advocates argue. Plus, since you can't withdraw your CPF OA until you're 55 anyway, it's a great way to invest in assets such as stocks, which have historically returned about 7 to 10 per cent on average over the long term, they add. 🤔 Should you do it? Whether it makes sense to invest your CPF OA also comes down to some practical considerations. If you plan to buy a home soon, it's wise to keep OA funds untouched. You'll need them for your down payment and mortgage repayments. Investing this money in long-term assets could mean having to sell at a loss during a market dip if you need to free up cash quickly. If you have little investment experience, leaving your OA funds to grow at 2.5 per cent might actually be the smarter move. It's risk-free and frees you from the anxiety of market swings. CPF's own data from previous years showed that half of CPF investors ended up earning lower returns than if they had simply left their funds in their OA. A common pitfall, particularly for young adults, is viewing CPF investing as a shortcut to grow wealth, says Tan. 'In reality, those in their 20s would benefit more from focusing on building strong financial habits,' he says. These include spending below their means, setting aside an emergency fund, ensuring adequate insurance coverage, increasing their income, and preparing for major upcoming expenses. Before deciding to invest your CPF, consider using cash first – especially if your cash is not earning you interest that can beat the guaranteed 2.5 per cent the OA offers. Some investors also treat their CPF savings as the 'bond' component of their portfolio, allowing them to maximise the potential returns of investments made with cash. For all the talk about making your CPF 'work harder', it's also worth appreciating CPF savings as what they are – a safety net that gives a guaranteed return with no volatility. In that way, the CPF forms the foundation of your retirement plan, providing stable returns regardless of market conditions, says Tan. Your cash savings and investments can then be layered on top to grow your wealth, with the assurance that your basic retirement needs are covered. When structured well, these two buckets can complement each other to build a more resilient and long term financial strategy. TL;DR
Straits Times
07-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
CPF at 70: A success story built on self-reliance and constant adaptation
The following is an edited abridged version of a speech by Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the launch of the Central Provident Fund's 70th anniversary commemorative book on July 5. The CPF story is, at its heart, the Singapore story – one of self-reliance, ingenuity, and constant adaptation. The Central Provident Fund is older than independent Singapore itself. It was born in 1955, in a very different Singapore. We were much poorer then. Most workers lived from payday to payday. Retirement was a distant luxury, yet an eventual reality that needed to be provided for. The colonial government had a simple and practical idea: If workers could save just a small share of their wages every month, matched by their employers, then over time, they could build up significant savings for when they eventually stopped working. Thus, the CPF was created. It started off as a simple retirement savings scheme. Along the way, we enhanced and developed it to achieve other related objectives. In particular: To enable home ownership. To help Singaporeans cover some of their medical expenses. And from time to time, when economic circumstances demanded, as an instrument to trim business costs and restore our cost competitiveness. Retirement adequacy remained the key aim. But even purely from the retirement adequacy point of view, specific CPF policies needed constant adjustment. As the economy grew, incomes rose dramatically. Equally significantly, so did life expectancies. That meant that we had to continually adjust the CPF rules and schemes − sometimes drastically − to ensure retirement adequacy for Singaporeans. This called for some very tough choices. I once met the late Lord Paul Myners, a British financial expert and UK city minister. He had done a comprehensive review of the institutional investments made by UK insurance companies and pension funds. He explained to me bluntly that with people living longer, there were basically only three ways for them to still have enough for retirement: one, save more while working; two, spend less every month, to make their retirement savings last longer; or three, work longer and retire later. There is no other painless way out. All countries are confronted with this trilemma. Neither can Singapore escape these choices. But that does not mean there is no way forward. It is still possible to make balanced, practical and politically workable arrangements in these three dimensions, to ensure Singaporeans' retirement adequacy. But we have to design and implement the right schemes and evolve them as circumstances change. And we must bring the public along − get them to understand how these schemes work in their best interests and win their support. That has been the essence of the CPF journey over the past 70 years. I have been involved in much of this journey, ever since I entered politics, which is more than half of these 70 years. Today, let me share a little on each of these three aspects. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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But at the same time, firms, workers and the economy must be able to afford paying these rates. Firms must still break even, families must still live and put food on the table, and the country must still remain competitive. So how do we balance that? When the CPF scheme first started in 1955, the total contribution rate was only 10 per cent − 5 per cent each from employees and employers. That was all we could afford. From the late 1960s, as Singapore's economy took off and incomes rose rapidly year after year, the Government seized the opportunity to progressively raise contributions rates for both employers and employees. So that Singaporeans could set aside more for their housing and retirement needs, and later on for their medical needs. But it was not a straight-line process. Sometimes we went too far, and we had to cut back the contribution rates when we had overshot or the economic conditions changed drastically. The first time this happened was in 1985. By then, we had raised the total CPF contribution rate to 50 per cent – 25 per cent from employees; 25 per cent from employers. This proved too high to sustain. The economy suddenly dived into a severe recession. After resisting the decision for many months, we finally concluded that we had to cut the CPF employer's contribution rates, and we decided to do it sharply − 15 percentage points cut from employers. Their contribution rates went from 25 per cent to 10 per cent. I can tell you it was a very painful decision. Effectively, it was a 15 per cent pay cut for workers. It was the only quick way to restore our cost competitiveness and revive our economy. Fortunately, the unions and workers supported the move. The rate cuts worked, and the economy recovered strongly. In the ensuing years, we gradually and carefully raised the CPF contribution rates. But we had to repeat this process twice more, and cut rates twice more. Once during the Asian financial crisis in 1997/1998, and again in the early 2000s after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It took us until 2015, just 10 years ago, before we finally reached our desired total contribution rate of 37 per cent (now 20 per cent from employees, 17 per cent from employers), which we think is about the right level for the long term. But this is provided we get the other two strategic decisions in retirement planning right too. Withdrawal arrangements This leads to the second key question: How to manage the disbursement of CPF savings during retirement? This is a delicate matter − because people view their CPF savings as their own hard-earned money. They will always prefer more flexibility on what they can spend it on, and when they can get hold of it. At first, members could withdraw all their CPF savings in one lump sum, once they reached 55. This was not unreasonable for an era when life expectancy was only around 60. But as life expectancies lengthened, members who withdrew all their CPF savings at 55 could expect to live for another 20 years or more, into their 70s or 80s. Those who did not carefully husband this lump sum could easily exhaust their CPF savings early, when they still had many more years to live. Withdrawing everything at 55 no longer made sense. Something had to be done. In 1984, Mr Howe Yoon Chong, who was then the Minister for Health, delved into the matter, and published a report which proposed to raise the CPF withdrawal age from 55 to 60. This triggered an intense public reaction. The Government decided it should take this negative reaction into account, and did not implement the proposal. But the problem did not go away, and we had to continue to look for solutions to the problem. Eventually, Professor S. Jayakumar, who was then Minister for Labour, proposed the concept of a CPF 'Minimum Sum', which was introduced eventually three years later. When members reached 55, they would keep a 'Minimum Sum' in their CPF, to be spread out in monthly payouts over a period of years. The excess, if any, they could withdraw but the Minimum Sum they have to keep. And then it would be paid out progressively... so much per month, for as long as it lasted. The balance of their savings after putting aside the Minimum Sum and MediSave, they could immediately withdraw at the age of 55. This was a major change, but it was essential to ensure retirement adequacy for CPF members. We continued to tinker with the arrangements for retirement payouts over the years. The Minimum Sum became the Retirement Sum. Now there are three Retirement Sums – the Basic, Full and Enhanced. We raised the Retirement Sum regularly to keep pace with rising incomes and cost of living. We also pushed the withdrawals later, to better reflect longer working lives and higher retirement needs. But we still allowed a small part of the CPF savings to be taken out at 55 and also at 65. In 2009, we took another radical step – we introduced CPF Life, which is Lifelong Income For the Elderly, that converted members' CPF savings into annuities. CPF Life uses risk-pooling to provide members with retirement payouts for life – however long they may live. This was another major improvement to the scheme. In 10 years' time, we expect almost all CPF members turning 65 then to be automatically enrolled on CPF Life. Retirement and re-employment ages But after dealing with the retirement disbursements, there was a third piece we had to deal with: How to get people to work longer? This is a vexed subject in many countries, especially those with state-funded pension schemes. Because there, retirement payouts usually start at the national retirement age. You work, you pay social security. It goes into the pot where other people benefit − the older ones. The moment you retire, you stop paying, you start receiving. So you want to retire early, and receive early. When the government has to push that back – retire later and start receiving later – there is an enormous pushback, huge resistance, sometimes demonstrations, occasionally riots. We encountered similar pushback when we were pushing for people to work longer and simultaneously delaying the bulk of their CPF payouts. Because to retire at 55, in effect, was too early. And at 55, to withdraw was too early. We had to push both back. It is your own money, but you still wanted it sooner rather than later. Delaying the payouts did not short-change you − the money is there, it is safe, it is earning good CPF interest, but you want to touch it. And so we had a lot of resistance. But with a lot of hard political work, we did get it accepted. We passed the legislation, we created a national statutory retirement age. At that time, retiring at 55 was not by law; it was just by practice. But we made a statutory retirement age by law, which was 60, and then later on, we raised that to 62. And when we raised it to 62, we also introduced a statutory re-employment age of 65. So in effect, many people now work until they are 65 years old. And in parallel, we shifted the bulk of CPF payouts to start from 65, to align with the re-employment age. But as we raised the retirement and re-employment ages beyond 65, we decided not to correspondingly delay CPF payments further. Because by now, we had in place the Retirement Sum Schemes − the Basic, Full and Enhanced Retirement Sums − and we also had the CPF Life scheme. This ensured a baseline of retirement adequacy for everyone. We could afford to give Singaporeans more choice and control over their retirement arrangements. This delinking of the CPF withdrawal arrangement from the retirement age has made it much easier for us to raise our retirement and re-employment ages further, and to encourage workers to work longer. Today, the national retirement age is 63, but many choose to continue working, perhaps in a lighter job, well beyond that. And we are on track to raise the retirement age to 65, and the re-employment age to 70, by 2030. Key points about CPF system So, this is how we have, in many complex ways, managed to get Singaporeans to save more while working; managed to re-arrange and pace out their retirement finances in a measured and prudent way; and managed to get people to stay employed longer, achieving both social and economic objectives. Several key points on this journey are worth highlighting. First , the CPF's central philosophy of self-reliance remains as pertinent as ever. What you take out depends on what you put in yourself − each person. So in Singapore, each generation funds its own retirement needs. We avoid burdening younger generations with the retirement needs of older generations. The ethos of fairness and personal responsibility fosters the right attitudes towards work, retirement and active ageing. This is in sharp contrast to countries which have adopted tax-based 'Pay-As-You-Go' pension systems. Because in these systems, retirement benefits are entitlements, paid for not by themselves, but by the next generation of taxpayers. While self-reliance works for the majority of the population, we recognise its limits for lower-income workers and for those who have not been in the workforce, such as housewives. Hence the Government complements members' own savings with targeted state support for those who need it more. We have built this into structural components of our social safety nets, such as the Workfare Income Supplement scheme, Silver Support Scheme, and tax incentives to encourage voluntary CPF contributions from family members. The Government also provides additional support − discretionary, but substantial − through generous packages for the Pioneer, Merdeka and Majulah generations, and through periodic CPF top-ups in the annual Budgets whenever the economy does well. But the basic principle remains: You must try your best to provide for your own future needs. If that is still not enough, the Government will be there to help you. But you must try your best. Second , each decision and change to the CPF system must be carefully thought through, because it affects the lives and plans of millions of people. The Government must take care to design good schemes that will work for Singaporeans. It must patiently and clearly explain these to Singaporeans, to win their support. In the end, for the whole CPF system to function and to endure, Singaporeans must have faith that the system is sound, and that the rules ultimately serve their best interests. I am glad that today, public trust in the CPF is very high. People faithfully make their contributions month after month. Many members also voluntarily top up their own and their family members' CPF accounts with cash. Last year, members made 875,000 such tops-ups,totalling nearly $5 billion. Even when members reach 65, a significant minority do not make any withdrawals. They just leave their money in the CPF's good hands. In fact, sometimes people ask, 'Can I add more money into the CPF?', treating it like a savings bank. It took us a long time to build this trust; we must never take it for granted. Last lesson learnt: T here is no perfect CPF system. We are in a generally good state now. But as circumstances change – as society's needs and working patterns change, and life expectancies lengthen further − we will have to revisit the topic again and again, to adapt and update the CPF scheme to keep it fit-for-purpose for new generations. This will be a perpetual process of innovation and adaptation. But that is the nature of many public policy issues. The CPF story is one such government policy. But the same can be said of so many others − housing, healthcare, education, security, and many more. Collectively, these tell the Singapore story too – one of self-reliance, ingenuity, and constant adaptation.
AsiaOne
06-07-2025
- Business
- AsiaOne
Retirement, home purchase and health insurance planner: CPF's new platform to help members make better decisions, Singapore News
Central Provident Fund (CPF) members can now use a new online tool to make better-informed decisions about their housing, retirement savings, and health insurance plans. Launched on Friday (July 5) at CPF's 70th anniversary commemorative book launch event, the initiative titled PLAN (Plan Life Ahead, Now!) offers members a centralised online platform where they can understand how their CPF savings can be allocated across major life needs and how one financial decision may impact another. Through a dynamic dashboard tailored to each user's life stage, members can estimate their retirement savings and payouts, determine how much they can afford to spend on a home, and evaluate the cost of health insurance premiums. Speaking at the launch event, CPF Board chief executive Melissa Khoo said the new tool reflects the Board's commitment to empowering members to take charge of their financial health, reported The Straits Times. She highlighted CPF's vital role in Singapore's social security system and reaffirmed its commitment to ongoing innovation in support of its members. "As retirement aspirations become more diverse and with healthier longevity, I believe these values will continue to steer us in meeting future needs," she said. The planner integrates three planning tools in one --- a retirement planner, home purchase planner, and health insurance planner. The retirement planner helps users map out payout goals and explore ways to meet them, such as through top-ups, while the home purchase planner feature shows how housing choices may affect future payouts by providing insight into budget and loan options. Meanwhile, the health insurance planner allows members to compare premiums and features across different Integrated Shield Plans to make more informed decisions about healthcare coverage. Beyond planning tools, the platform includes educational resources on financial planning and a financial fitness questionnaire. Developed with MoneySense, Singapore's national financial education programme, the quiz prompts users with questions such as "How much savings do you have available in case of an emergency?" and offers advice based on their responses. As part of the anniversary milestone, CPF has also released a commemorative book titled Save & Sound: 70 Years of CPF, which highlights the organisation's evolution over the decades. It features stories from former ministers, leaders, and members of the CPF Board and reflections on how CPF has impacted their lives. The book is available digitally at Singaporeans can also explore CPF's history and try out the new planning platform at an exhibition at Our Tampines Hub, open until July 10. Talks on housing, retirement, and healthcare planning was held on July 5 and will also be held on July 6. [[nid:715886]]
Business Times
05-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
CPF members can make housing, retirement and health insurance plans with new digital platform
[SINGAPORE] The Central Provident Fund (CPF) has rolled out a new digital platform that gives members access to financial planning tools, to make better use of their savings. With the 'Plan Life Ahead, Now!' (PLAN) platform, which is available on the CPF app and website, members can project their retirement savings and payout, calculate their home purchase budget, and assess the affordability of health insurance premiums. Members using the platform will see a personalised dashboard, with content and resources tailored to their current life stage. The platform was rolled out on Jul 5 during CPF's 70th anniversary commemorative book launch event. CPF Board CEO Melissa Khoo said PLAN is being rolled out to empower members to take charge of their financial health. With the retirement payout planner, members can map out their payout goals, and explore ways to leverage CPF to achieve their goals, such as through top-ups. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The home purchase planner shows CPF members their home purchase budget, loan options and how their housing decisions can impact their retirement payouts. With the health insurance planner, members can compare premiums and key features across different Integrated Shield Plans and make informed decisions about their healthcare coverage, CPF said. The platform also provides educational resources on financial planning, and a financial fitness questionnaire that allows users to assess their overall financial health beyond CPF matters. Developed in collaboration with national financial education programme MoneySense, it asks questions such as: 'How much savings do you have available in case of an emergency?', and provides relevant tips. In her speech, Khoo said CPF has a deep sense of purpose in being a cornerstone of Singapore's social security system, adding that the fund will continue to innovate as part of a commitment to its members. She said: 'As retirement aspirations become more diverse and with healthier longevity, I believe these values will continue to steer us in meeting future needs.' To commemorate its 70th anniversary, CPF Board on Jul 5 launched the 'Save & Sound: 70 Years of CPF' book which chronicles the organisation's journey through the years. PLAN with CPF features a personalised dashboard for CPF members to explore retirement payout, home purchase and health insurance planners, among other functions. PHOTO: CPF BOARD It includes behind-the-scenes perspectives from current and former Ministers, leaders and staff of CPF Board, and stories from people of how CPF impacted their lives. The book is not for sale. A digital copy is available at Members of the public can visit an exhibition about CPF's history at Our Tampines Hub till Jul 10, where they can also try 'PLAN with CPF'. Talks on housing, healthcare and retirement will be available on Jul 5 and 6. THE STRAITS TIMES
