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In 2007, our then Head of Client Relationship Management asked: Chris, do we make more money from clients by going through all the trouble doing this (introducing new investment portfolios to the [...]

The wealth management industry is mainly made up of 3 players: product manufacturers, distributors and you, the consumer. In this episode, I will share the relationship between the 3 industry [...]

Living a Good Life: Purpose, Faith, and Servant Leadership “A good life must have God in it, for me. Without Jesus in my life, I wouldn’t be living a good life.” In this special edition of The [...]

“You deserve quality advice. When choosing an institution to be your wealth adviser, do not choose a platform that is primarily set up for transactions rather than in-depth wealth management [...]

Two months ago, I wrote an article on this column revisiting the age-old debate on term vs whole life insurance. The conclusion was that in most situations, term insurance is the most suitable. [...]

“When clients entrust us with planning their wealth, we have to realise that it is not just how much we can make from the clients. The compensation may only last us for a while, but if we don’t [...]

“I booked a Grab car and when it came, I was pleasantly surprised that it was a Lexus. Once I got in, I began an interesting conversation with the driver. I asked him if he could make money [...]

“If you are a retiree listening to this, you are effectively in the final phase of your life. Time is short and by being clear of your life’s purpose, you will be able to focus your time on [...]

Should I get a wealth adviser to help me plan for my retirement? Chris: If you are savvy enough to design your own portfolios, execute them using suitable low-cost instruments, keep your own [...]

“You cannot possibly find another better annuity in Singapore, than CPF LIFE.” In this episode, I will share a very important role of CPF LIFE in retirement planning — to provide retirees [...]

Over the past one month, the talk in town has been on rising interest rates and yields of fixed deposits, Singapore Savings Bonds and T-bills. This is not surprising as we have not seen such high [...]

In the event of mismanagement of their retirement monies, retirees might not be able to accumulate sufficient sums for their retirement again because of their advanced age. With that in mind, I [...]

As retirement specialists, we use instruments that are low-cost and do not try to beat the markets for our clients. In this episode, I will explain why we use index funds by looking at the risks [...]

“As retirement planners, our fiduciary duty is not to make retirees rich but to keep retirees financially secure.” In this episode and the upcoming ones, I will introduce you to our proprietary [...]

“You have paid your adviser, whether a commission or a fee, to take care of your financial ‘plant’. Make sure you get what you deserve.” In this episode, I will share a list of works you should [...]

I recently did a podcast on insurance planning and was surprised by the overwhelming response. While consumers were generally thankful for the information, I was taken aback that some advisers [...]

By investing into the entire market, it is no longer a pipe dream to have all the top investors, including the better active managers in the world, work for you. In this episode, I will share the [...]

High inflation rates have renewed the interest in adding commodities as an alternative investment to hedge against inflation risk. In this episode, I will explain what fundamentally drives the [...]

Do hedge fund indices provide a true reflection of the returns of the underlying hedge fund industry? In this episode, I will share the 6 key problems with hedge fund indices and explains why [...]

Scores of data tell us that throughout recessions, geopolitical situations or natural disasters that had happened from time to time, the stock markets always rise in the long run. In this [...]

Most investors are primarily oriented toward returns and pay little attention to the risks associated with investing and how much they can potentially lose. In this episode, I will share a few [...]

Clients often come to us for legacy and estate planning as part of their comprehensive wealth plan. Sometimes, they come after speaking with other professional advisers and have been introduced [...]

Investing is not about buying the best performing or star products. It is also not just about returns. A lot of it is about managing your risk expectation. In this very important episode, I will [...]

In the last episode, I shared 5 interesting investment lessons we can learn from football. This week, I’ll share my learnings as I braved through the jungles and mountains back when I was [...]

“Don’t be discouraged by occasional losses (like now). Just like you cannot win every match in a football game, don’t expect your investments to do well all the time.” In this episode, I will [...]

“This time is different” is a common phrase I have heard over the course of my career each time when a financial crisis happens and I have gone through 4 major crises including the current one. [...]

“I have been told by many that most trustees will never take any risks during their term in office. The belief is that if they make a good investment decision, no one will thank them, but if they [...]

Can you accept the fact that your investment returns depend on how fast someone dies? The earlier they die, the higher your returns. In this episode, I will share my professional insights on [...]

TBC We are living in a world where patience is no longer a virtue. We like quick fixes and fast results. But speed comes at a price which we may not be aware of. In this episode, I reflect on how [...]

When the market crashed in 2008, many people cautioned us to move all of our portfolios to cash as they feared the worst. When we did not do so and the markets fell further, some clients were [...]