How to Bag Yourself a Top Insurance Agent in Singapore (Version 2.0)
With Consultants dropping out of your life like flies, this could be a useful guide to nailing a good one.
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- Sep 12, 2019
- 6 min
How to Choose a Participating Fund (and a good savings, retirement or insurance plan)
If you're going to compare around, do it right.
1,868 views0 comments
- Sep 12, 2019
- 5 min
Why I Got a Savings Plan For My Niece's Education Instead of Investing It
The most painfully honest financial planner you've ever met.
2,147 views0 comments
- Sep 12, 2019
- 5 min
Clearing debts early for a "Peace of Mind" is Overrated - Here's why
A huge range of opportunities open up once you're willing to step out of your comfort zone. There's this line that's been bothering me a lot for the last two years. When I first joined Seedly, one of the questions that came up was from someone who was paying off a low-interest loan. I think it was under 2%. The majority of answers gave this line 'Pay off the debt first, for peace of mind.' I would nod my head upon seeing this answer. Yes, this seems like good, logical advice.
189 views0 comments
- Sep 12, 2019
- 6 min
Response to Budget Babe's Open Letter: Probably kinda sorta right...
So. Budget Babe recently released an open letter to insurance agents. It was about as well-received as you can expect; she’s a much better business and marketing person than people think. Whether you liked it, disliked it, agreed, disagreed – it certainly got attention. You can read about it here. Of course, me being me - I would respond. But people hoping for an evisceration will be kind of disappointed, because I largely agreed. Largely. As such, I’m not going to spend time
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- Sep 12, 2019
- 3 min
#FinancialFriday - Do you actually know why you are getting insurance?
How many insurance policies do you have? I've met many different types of clients throughout my career as a Financial Advisor (FA). One type whom I'm sure many of you can relate to is the "Everything also buy because better protect my precious kid". I do not mean to say that such efforts are useless, but I am of the opinion that an insurance plan is something you get because you genuinely need it, and not because you think you need it. That is a mentality the more ambitious F
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- Sep 12, 2019
- 4 min
Ditch the Efficient Market Hypothesis if you want to Beat the Market
The EMH stands for the Efficient Market Hypothesis (aka Efficient Market Theory) and it's an investment theory about how share prices reflect all the information available on those shares. Shares are always traded at their fair value and it is therefore impossible to buy undervalued or sell overpriced stocks. In English, it suggests that the market can't be beaten. There is strong support for this theory (e.g. index funds tend to do a lot better than mutual funds in efficient
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- Sep 12, 2019
- 3 min
A Beginner Approach to Saving for Retirement, While Paying for a House
CNA published a commentary on how 'Singaporeans were saving too little and too late'. Young adults planned to retire between 55 and 65 with an income of $3,500 yet they only start planning for said retirement once they hit the big 4-0. Many Singaporeans rely only on their CPF for retirement - but given the small amount of interest and the short time that most people start actively saving for retirement, it's highly unrealistic that your CPF will be enough. Let's skip the part
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- Sep 12, 2019
- 2 min
#FinancialFriday - If not the STI ETF, then What?
Two days ago, I published an article about how the STI ETF is not suitable as a beginner investment. They might be convenient to buy into, but convenience does not solve its inherent problems. People start investing because they want to grow their wealth stably into the future. While the STI invests in a market you are familiar with - Singapore's - its 30-company nature is not particularly reassuring. Poor diversification means a minor dip in the financial industry can cause
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- Sep 12, 2019
- 4 min
The STI ETF is NOT for beginners... No matter what the Internet says
The Straits Times Index Exchange-Traded Fund (STI ETF) is often touted as a 'low-cost, low-risk' investment decision suitable for beginners. To some extent, this is true. It is low-cost and easy to buy into either the SPDR STI ETF (SGX: ES3) or the Nikko AM Singapore STI ETF (SGX: G3B). Buying into the STI ETF can be a good investment to have for a couple of reasons. STI companies are all blue-chip, meaning that they are well-known, well-established and well-secured. The Sing
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