Can't Put a Finger on it.

You get your month's pay.
You take a percentage of it out.
You place that into a system.
Your palms sweat.
You don't know what you'll get in return.
No sign of a guarantee.
It's too soon to know what lands back into your hands.
You do it again.
Another month.
And another.
Still your heart races.
Your returns are a blur.
You continue doing it.
You're now 68 and have just retired.
It's time to see your returns.
..... what are they?

No, i'm not writing about betting on horses, the lottery or the stock market. It's called CPF. A scheme we have in Singapore that pretty much works like how I've described above.

It is compulsary for working Singaporeans to give 20% of their salary each month to this scheme.

Is this TAX? nope, it's called CPF not TAX. We do have our own income tax as well. That one does contain the letters T, A and X.

Is this an investment scheme? er... I don't know of any compulsary investment schemes around.

Is this a savings plan? Maybe... but you don't know how much you'll get at the end of the day. And you can't decide to take your money out. So maybe not as well.

Is this a gamble? No. Because gambling does seem to provide better odds. (but do not gamble)

Is this protection money? No. Our government does not operate like loan sharks. And furthermore, there isn't much protection from the scheme.

Well, I don't have an answer for this now but I'll continue to find out how to best describe this scheme to all you who are not Singaporeans.