The best investment is not always the one with the best return.
I know. Strange thing for a stock market guy to say. 😄
But that was one thought I came away with after World Financial Planning Day today.
We spend a lot of time talking about returns, yields and what to buy next.
But financial planning starts somewhere else.
What are we investing for? And what risk are we taking to get there?
I had the opportunity to join Bernice Tan, Wei Chin Kang from SGX, @Ellain and Darius Lee on the panel, “Building a Resilient Portfolio: Diversification and Regular Investing with SGX ETFs and SDRs.”
One point I shared was that ETFs can be the core, the satellite, or simply fill the gaps.
I don't start with the ETF. I start with what's missing from the portfolio.
If someone already owns banks, REITs and plenty of Singapore stocks, perhaps what is missing is global equities, bonds, gold or another market.
We also talked about something Singapore investors love. Yield. 😄
But when I see a high yield, my first question is usually not, “How much can I earn?”
It's “Why is the yield so high?”
Because yield is not free money.
A 7% yield doesn't feel quite as good if the investment falls 20%.
So don't just ask what the yield is. Ask what risk you're taking to get that yield.
We touched briefly on SDRs too, another way for investors to access overseas companies through SGX.
A big thank you to PhillipCapital for putting together such an educational, insightful and purposeful event. And especially Esther Tien and team for all the good work behind the scenes.
Also, a special thanks to Me Ling, Justin Tan and the Partnership team for the support. Really appreciate it. 🙏
Really enjoyed the conversations today, both on and off the stage.
Because at the end of the day, investing isn't just about making more money.
It's about making sure the money we work so hard for eventually helps us live the life we are working so hard for.
That, I think, is the bigger plan. 😊
#WorldFinancialPlanningDay2026 #ETF #Investing #TradeSGX #PhillipCapital #danccs
Financial Planning is about making sure the money we work so hard for eventually helps us live the life we are working so hard for.
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