Inflation erodes your CPF savings and cash

[phantom_opera]

Childcare fees increased again last year, in the steepest rise over at least eight years.

The median monthly fee for a full-day childcare programme was $830 last year, $80 higher than in 2012, statistics from the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), which oversees the pre-school sector, showed.

Before last year, the median fee had not gone up by more than $45 year on year since 2005.

While inflation and rents have been climbing, pre-school players said the spike in fees last year could be due mainly to higher staff costs.

http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/st...EE_4073785.pdf

Median montly fee:

2005 - 530
2013 - 830

Up 36% in 8y

[DC33_2008]

Garment will give more rebates to lower income and average and above average household income will pay more.

Childcare fees increased again last year, in the steepest rise over at least eight years.

The median monthly fee for a full-day childcare programme was $830 last year, $80 higher than in 2012, statistics from the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), which oversees the pre-school sector, showed.

Before last year, the median fee had not gone up by more than $45 year on year since 2005.

While inflation and rents have been climbing, pre-school players said the spike in fees last year could be due mainly to higher staff costs.

http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/st...EE_4073785.pdf

Median montly fee:

2005 - 530
2013 - 830

Up 36% in 8y

[minority]

Parents expectations on child care have also gone up. other factors also kick in. rental, labour , maintances and more content that would need to be delivered.

The other factor driving up cost is government subsidy. Don't we all recognized that when ever there are more subsidy the price seem to factor in the subsidy?

Coz there is a avg price the centers know parents are willing to pay. with more subsidy they will still maintain the quantum but give more content. so currently $830. after subsidy for middle income family is $530.

Question is parents willing to take less for less? many don't. when it comes to children parents are known to splurge. Cheap don't mean they want.

[minority]

I am starting a new thread to track inflation ... don't believe in CPI number, the actual inflation is much higher, paste price hike of any item you know in this thread.

INFLATION hit a 27-month high in January, surprising even the most bullish of economists.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 5.5 per cent in January, higher than the 4.65 per cent average expectation among private sector economists.

The bulk of the increase was due to rising private transport costs, as well as housing and food.

The last time the CPI hit 5.5 per cent was in October 2008, and the higher inflation recorded last month has prompted economists to raise expectations of a tighter monetary policy, when the Monetary Authority of Singapore releases their first of two policy statements for the year in April.

Last week, the Government unveiled a slew of policies and cash handouts to help families, especially low-income households, cope with the rising cost of living.

With the push to increase income. inflation going up is inevitable.

[phantom_opera]

electricity tariff 17c / kwH in 2005, 25c / kwH in 2014, 4.5%pa CAGR

[phantom_opera]

very nice

http://www.todayonline.com/singapore...ces-over-years

[phantom_opera]

hey hey childcare fees continue to hit record high

http://www.childcarelink.gov.sg/ccls...are(STENT).pdf

Childcare
from 2009 to Mar 14
Average full-day fees $739 $776 $809 $850 $923 $940 (+27.2% since 2009)
Median full-day fees $663 $690 $720 $750 $830 $850 (+28.2% since 2009)
Average half-day fees $538 $572 $598 $630 $691 $705
Median half-day fees $500 $525 $550 $592 $642 $650

Infant care

Average full-day fees $1,253 $1,295 $1,311 $1,325 $1,376 $1,394
Median full-day fees $1,250 $1,271 $1,271 $1,271 $1,311 $1,311
Average half-day fees $899 $906 $901 $902 $927 $937
Median half-day fees $871 $859 $828 $792 $792 $792

[phantom_opera]

SINGAPORE — Two of the largest pre-school anchor operators here — which employ a total of 9,300 staff — yesterday announced that they are raising salaries and reviewing career progression opportunities for teachers, as part of efforts to recruit and retain professionals in a sector long plagued by manpower woes.

The PAP Community Foundation (PCF), which runs 357 kindergarten and childcare centres, said it raised salaries by six to 12 per cent for qualified teachers and centre leaders last month and will undertake a year-long review of its compensation and career-progression policies for staff.

Separately, NTUC My First Campus (NFC), which operates 107 My First Skool centres, said it would make a “special adjustment” in additional to its annual increment for its principals, which could mean a raise of up to 16 per cent. For example, a principal with about three to four years of experience in the position and who holds a degree in early childhood education may earn up to S$4,400 after the adjustment.

Both operators said they would not be raising fees despite the additional manpower costs. PCF said it would bear the costs with “some funding support” from the Early Childhood Development Agency, while My First Skool would take on the costs on its own.

According to PCF, the market salary of a diploma-trained childcare teacher with three years of experience can expect to earn up to S$2,800 a month. Centre principals who possess a degree qualification and have three to four years of leadership experience may be earning up to S$4,000.

Last November, Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing launched a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Masterplan to provide professional development opportunities for preschool educators. The Government aims to add 17,000 more childcare places by 2017, which would require some 2,000 teachers.

Early childhood professionals are encouraged to undertake at least 20 hours of CPD per year, including two core courses over a period of three years. The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) aims to roll out a total of 9,000 training places this year.

From July, the NFC will add the roles of lead teacher and deputy centre lead to its teachers’ career ladder. Lead teachers will play a bigger part in mentoring newer teachers and deputy centre leads will act as a second-in-charge to support principals at large childcare centres and have a reduced teaching load.

A spokesperson also said the NFC has made significant salary adjustments for teachers in recent years — between 2009 and last year, their salaries have gone up 36 per cent.

The PCF said it would first look into reviewing the career progression pathways for its educators, such as formalising different levels with clearly-defined work scopes and responsibilities for each level. For example, a fresh graduate may start as a teacher and progress to a senior, lead or mentor teacher. He or she may also choose to take on a leadership position, starting as a supervisor of a centre and progressing to executive principal overseeing several centres

[phantom_opera]

Royal Umbrella rice 5kg pack

B4 2008 under 10
2008 10.8
now 13.8

NTUC list price 15.80

[phantom_opera]

Caltex raises petrol and diesel pump prices
CALTEX has increased the retail prices of all grades of petrol and diesel by $0.04 a litre on Wednesday.

Regular 92 is now $1.987, up from $1.947, while the new price of Regular 95 is $2.047 (previously $2.007).

RON95 $2.25 b4 discount

[phantom_opera]

was talking about US housing recovery back in 2011 ... now update

[phantom_opera]

US gas prices

[Allthepies]

wat to do? Everyone demanding for higher pay when they are essentially still doing the same thing...

[phantom_opera]

CRCT rental reversion per year ... long term about 9-10%
CMT rental reversion per year since 2003 ... about 6-7%

[Arcachon]

wat to do? Everyone demanding for higher pay when they are essentially still doing the same thing...

The mindset have to change, asking for higher pay will not answer to inflation. Should spend more time thinking of generating other source of income instead of asking for higher pay. For the last 7 years my pay stay at 44K but my asset and other income source keep growing thank to everyone effort in Singapore.

[phantom_opera]

[phantom_opera]

Gold Bless America !!!! My PUB bill keeps going up also



note the much much faster growth since y2k