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The cash is real. But it doesn’t mean you should be in cash too.  You may have seen a claim doing the rounds again.  Berkshire Hathaway is sitting on a record US$397.4 billion in cash, [...]

At Providend, our advisory process begins with ikigai, the Japanese concept of a life worth living. Rather than the four-circle Venn diagram that has spread widely online, we work with the [...]

A seatbelt reduces your risk of dying in a car accident dramatically. A full racing harness reduces it further. A reinforced cage around the driver reduces it further still. At some point the [...]

As Singaporeans celebrate National Day on 9 August, let’s take more than a moment to look back at our history with a sense of pride and gratitude for all that the founding generations have [...]

“It’s not just words. Action expresses priorities.” – Mahatma Gandhi Most prospective clients do not come to Providend with all their money in cash. Instead, they usually come to us with a [...]

As wealth advisers, we are always searching for new ways to communicate well-established ideas in a way that helps clients visualise, understand, and internalise important concepts. Metaphors, I [...]

Have you ever been to the doctor and not followed their advice? Perhaps they told you to quit smoking, avoid certain foods, or take up a new exercise regimen. Perhaps you tried to follow their [...]

On a recent episode of Providend’s Money Wisdom Podcast, I was asked a bonus question about retirement strategies that plan for a drawdown of one’s capital versus perpetuities. I shared that for [...]

I was recently listening to an episode of the “Rational Reminder” podcast in which Rick Ferri’s “four stages of an index investor’s education” were mentioned. (Note: if you like podcasts please [...]

Academics from as early as the 1930s and 1940s have suggested that predicting stock prices is incredibly challenging, and a vast body of empirical research published since has continued to add [...]

Investing has been a particularly scary activity this year. Compared to the positive double-digit returns of stocks in the last two years, the performance of the general stock market, and even [...]

Choosing the right amount of life insurance is an important part of creating a sound wealth plan that takes care of your dependents even if the worse should happen. Arriving at the right number [...]

As I write this, I am currently on a short break from the usual work that we do here at Providend. Chris and the management team have decided to give us some time to rest, relax and spend time [...]

When you read or hear the words “wealth planning”, what first comes to mind? Most likely, at some point, many of us have thought of wealth planning as being about investing, growing our money, [...]

Before I attempt to summarise just how to build a good wealth plan in a single post, it may be helpful to first answer the question: What is a good wealth plan? At Providend, we like to say that [...]

It is quite a common occurrence to hear from people that they are into purchasing blue-chip stocks. In fact, I started that way myself by buying a few DBS shares here and a handful of Singtel [...]

The Brand Team once asked me what I thought was one of the luckiest things that has happened to me—they were looking for a piece of interesting trivia for my adviser profile page. After some [...]

Earlier this month, I celebrated my work anniversary at Providend. Since joining the firm as an Associate Adviser in 2019, I have had a wonderful experience and one through which I have learnt an [...]

Two years ago, after a few months of research, thinking and hesitation, I surrendered a whole life insurance policy that I had purchased and replaced it with a term insurance policy. As it was [...]

It has always been of particular interest to me how people make decisions in different situations and how it can sometimes be explained by economic and psychological factors. In many ways, I feel [...]

I have been racing sailboats since I was in primary school. I took a break from it in junior college, and then started again when I was at university. Now, when I can find the time and the [...]

Are you a pessimist or an optimist? Is your cup half empty, or half full? What about the financial markets? Is it a good time to invest? I ask because I know some people (and I am sure you know [...]

Just four months ago, I was sitting at home, a freshly minted Master of Counselling graduate, applying for jobs when during a break I decided to type “Providend” into my search bar for what must [...]