2024 is turning out to be a bumper year for Singapore concerts.
January saw British band Coldplay play for six nights to a sold-out crowd of 200,000 while Taylor Swift wowed around 300,000 fans over six nights earlier this month.
Unfortunately, I was not among the lucky ones to get tickets to Coldplay or Swift’s performance.
I did, however, manage to snag tickets to catch Ed Sheeran live in February. The British star performed for just one night at the National Stadium to a record crowd of 60,000.
Here’s what you may not know: I have my dividends to thank for these concert tickets.
Guilt-free spending
Let’s get real.
Concerts are hardly a necessity.
But it’s nice to be able to have extra cash to spend on what I see as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
As a music-lover myself, I will gladly fork out a good sum of money to enjoy my favourite singer’s performance.
More concerts coming up
With Singapore becoming a magnet for performers in Southeast Asia, there is much more to look forward to.
For those who are into Korean music, K-pop stars IU and Cha Eun-woo are both performing next month at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and the Star Theatre, respectively.
Tickets were sold out within hours.
Apart from these two artists, K-pop fans will be pleased to know that boy band EVNNE and girl group ITZY will also be making their way to Singapore in April.
English music fans can look forward to upcoming concerts from international star Bruno Mars and 80s pop star Debbie Gibson in April, along with classic rock act Deep Purple and ex-One Direction member Niall Horan in May 2024.
These are just some of the singers and performers who will be gracing Singapore’s shores in the next two months.
And that’s where dividends come in.
While you may be able to afford the tickets using your salary or bonus, dividends can help to add that additional layer of passive income to allow you to enjoy these concerts guilt-free.
Fill your portfolio with dividend stocks
Where can you start with dividends?
Firstly, you can look at blue-chip stalwarts on the Singapore Stock Exchange.
DBS Group (SGX: D05) is a great example.
Singapore’s largest bank just increased its quarterly dividend from S$0.48 per share in the third quarter to S$0.54 during its latest quarter.
If you annualising its quarterly payout, the lender will pay out a total dividend per share of S$2.16 per share moving forward.
Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX: S68) is another blue-chip stock that recently upped its quarterly dividend from S$0.08 to S$0.085.
What’s more, the bourse operator has committed to a mid-single-digit year on year increase in its dividend subject to earnings growth.
Elsewhere, REITs can also provide a steady stream of distributions to help to augment your earned income.
Mapletree Logistics Trust (SGX: M44U) braved the headwinds of high interest rates and inflation to post a small year-on-year increase in its distribution per unit (DPU) to S$0.06792 for the first nine months of fiscal 2024.
Parkway Life REIT (SGX: C2PU) is another steady performer, having upped its core dividend without fail since its IPO in 2007.
The healthcare REIT continued its stellar track record by posting a 2.7% year-on-year increase in its DPU for 2023 to S$0.1477.
Build and grow your dividends
Armed with a list of reliable dividend-paying stocks, you are ready to construct a portfolio that will supply you with a steady stream of dividends.
It’s not just about randomly buying a bunch of stocks and hoping for the best.
There’s an art and skill behind knowing what to buy, how much of each stock to buy, and when to buy or sell the stock.
And we demonstrate these investing concepts to our members at our flagship service, The Smart Dividend Portfolio.
Every month, we buy a Singapore dividend stock using our own money to showcase how one can build up a steady stream of passive income.. which you can then use for the next concert or perhaps your next getaway.
I have great memories of my Ed Sheeran concert, and I know that I will be using the dividends I earn to scout around for the next concert to attend.
Attention: Investors aiming for both growth and peace of mind. We’ve pinpointed 5 SGX stocks known for consistent dividends. If you want to build a retirement portfolio, but don’t want the stress of stock watching, this report is for you. Click HERE to download now.
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Disclosure: Royston Yang owns shares of DBS Group and Singapore Exchange Limited.
