How OCBC’s Online Investment Platforms May Suit Your Investment Objective

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Do you know that OCBC has an investment platform that caters to a wide variety of investment objectives? Whether you are an investor who prefers to have your portfolio managed by professional fund managers, an investor who prefers accumulating stocks via a dollar-cost averaging approach or an investor who appreciates the discipline of algorithm-driven portfolio management, there is bound to be something suitable for you with OCBC’s 3 main investment platforms. Here is a comparison of OCBC’s Blue Chip Investment Plan (BCIP), RoboInvest and Unit Trust to show how they suit each investment profile.

Comparison of OCBC’s BCIP, RoboInvest and Unit Trust Platforms

OCBC RoboInvest

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OCBC’s RoboInvest delivers the best elements of high-end investing services to a retail audience. Besides wide-ranging portfolios invested across 6 different geographical markets with interesting investment themes such as Future World, Impact Investing, Gen Z etc., it also boasts a seamless user experience:

  • No need to open a securities or custodian account
  • Top up and withdraw your investments easily by using your OCBC deposit account anytime without fees and charges
  • Be notified on portfolio rebalancing opportunities to help maximise your returns based on changing market conditions

More sophisticated investors such as PMETs, who are attuned to financial news and the latest developments of the global economy would appreciate the chance to invest in portfolios constructed around such broad and popular investment themes like US technology or the rise of China. RoboInvest is therefore the answer for investors who are keen to invest in a wide-range of investment themes and enjoy automated portfolio management service without paying excessive management fees.

Meanwhile, new investors can take advantage of RoboInvest’s risk-based portfolios (defensive, conservative, balanced, growth, aggressive) to gain diversified exposure to various asset classes and geographical markets at relatively low cost. This can form the core of their investment portfolio, and they can build on it with time

OCBC Blue Chip Investment Plan (BCIP)

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The BCIP allows investor to gain access to dividend-yielding stocks and ETFs listed on the Singapore stock exchange. By making monthly investments from as low as S$100 per month, an investor is able to purchase shares in amounts below the standard lot size. Full-time national servicemen or young investors would find the ability to buy below the standard lot size very attractive given that they might not have accumulated sufficient capital for investment yet. By investing consistently each month via a dollar cost averaging approach, the BCIP allows investors to reduce their average cost of purchase over time. A strict monthly investment plan also reduces the risks associated with market timing risks and allow investors to accumulate stocks in a disciplined manner.

In addition, there is great flexibility since there is no lock-in period while counter selection and monthly investment amount can be easily tweaked. The BCIP is therefore most suitable for new investors keen to implement a dollar-cost averaging strategy by starting small and staying invested while retaining flexibility and control on their portfolios.

Unit Trust

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The OCBC Unit Trust Investment platform is one of ways to access the bank’s top fund ideas that have been carefully selected by its panel of investment experts.
Through actively managed unit trusts, investors can simply leverage on the expertise of professional fund managers who possess the experience, skills and resources to manage the portfolio on your behalf. The OCBC online platform allows the user to compare, buy, sell and monitor unit trusts with ease.

This is perfect for time-pressed individuals who do not have the time to monitor markets and recognise their own limitations in investing. For instance, working parents might gain greater utility and satisfaction by spending precious time with their children while leaving their investments to professionals looking after their portfolios. The Unit Trust Investment platform would most appeal to long-term investors who are keen to access a diversified portfolio in a more cost-effective manner whilst having a professional fund manager at the helm, monitoring and managing their investments through different market conditions. This may go a long way to provide a peace of mind.

Whether you are a new investor just starting out, a busy parent with no time to mull over investing, or a sophisticated investor looking to invest in the latest investment themes, OCBC’s various online investment platforms capably address these various investment objectives so that its clients are able to build a stable financial future with convenience and confidence.

Click here to find out more about the different investment products from OCBC.

Disclaimer:

All figures provided are for illustration purposes only. Actual figures may vary or differ depending on the actual circumstances.

This is for general information and does not take into account your particular investment and protection aims, financial situation or needs. You should seek advice from a financial adviser before committing to a purchase. Otherwise, you should consider the suitability of the product.

Investments are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of the principal amount invested.

This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

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Importance Of Gold In Your Portfolio And How You Can Trade Gold With No Transaction Fee

There’s probably never a better time than now to invest in gold. Gold price has been on a steady growth path not just in the past 5 years. This year alone, price of gold has increased 25% from US$1,520 to US$1,900 beginning October (Source: Goldprice.org). This shows that the average man is capable of growing their wealth by investing in gold. How gold has performed recently underlies the importance of having gold in your investment portfolio.

Portfolio Diversification

Countless academics and investment gurus have reiterated the importance of portfolio diversification. Gold serves this purpose very well as it has a historical negative correlation to stocks and other financial instruments. As recent as the last economic crisis, equities fell across the board while gold performed strongly as investors flock to safe-haven assets. Gold as an investment is not closely correlated to other financial instruments and having gold in your investment portfolio reduces overall volatility and risk.

Hedge Against Inflation

While the price of gold may be volatile in the short term, it has always maintained its value over the long term. This underlies its utility as a good store of value. Gold price tends to rise when the cost of living increases. Therefore, gold serves as a very useful hedge against inflation and erosion of major currencies. This advantage of gold is so ingrained that it is very common for gold to be passed on and wealth preserved from one generation to the next.

Buy and Sell Gold With Just A Few Clicks on Everest Gold

Image credits: Everest Gold

Having outlined the importance of having gold in your investment portfolio, you can actually start buying and selling gold with just a few clicks on Everest Gold app—a digital gold trading platform in Asia that is backed by 100% real gold. It is a ‘first-of-its-kind’ trading platform that allows retail investors to safely buy and sell gold online. Here are some of the advantages of trading gold on the Everest Gold platform:

  • Hassle-free trading. Trade anytime, anywhere at your convenience.
  • Highly accessible. The minimum to trade at only 0.01 gram.
  • Highly affordable. Investors enjoy fairer prices than gold traded in banks without paying high premiums.
  • Zero transaction fee. No hidden costs.

With no transaction fees payable and a higher buy-in price, you can massively improve your investment returns simply by trading gold on the Everest Gold platform today.

Moreover, test your skills at Everest Gold’s trading competitions and stand to win prizes worth a total of more than $37,000 CapitaVouchers! The next round of competition will be held on 23-29 October 2020. More information can be found here.

Everest Gold is available for download on Android, iOS and desktop.

For more information, visit www.everestgold.sg .

Everest Gold will be giving 300,000 reward points (worth S$40) for every new sign-up upon successful account verification. Reward points can be exchanged for gold during Gold Subscription Events. Enter referral code “EGGOLD” when you register for your Everest Gold account. Promotion valid till 31 October 2020.

 

 

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OrangeTee launches Singapore’s first online property expo; has over 10,000 listings, newly launched projects and free seminars

Find and buy the ideal property

Searching for that perfect home to buy can be long and stressful. Whether it is for your own stay or investment, you want to make sure you are making the right choice.

OrangeTee, one of Singapore’s largest real estate agency and advisory group, will be running their first Virtual Property Expo this weekend. From 17 – 18 October, the online event will walk you through with all the tips and skills for property hunting or investment.

Find your dream home with over 60 newly launched projects, 10,000 resale listings and 40 free seminars covering various topics on properties such as “The Importance Of Diversification“, “Australia – Your Safe Haven” and “How To Be A Smart And Tech Savvy Property Investor“.

Check out the itineraries below:

Join us in this one-of-a-kind event and don’t miss the chance to get the best advice on your property journey.

Visit www.orangetee.com/PropertyExpo for more details.

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Get $20 Cashback and Guaranteed Returns on your Investments

What are Guaranteed Returns on Investments

Have some idle money sitting around and hoping to invest and secure a rate of return that is higher than your usual bank interest rates? Well don’t we all? Every investment comes with different levels of risk. A guaranteed return on your investments simply means that you are promised, with some levels of certainty, that you will receive a return on your investment in any circumstances.

To learn more about guaranteed returns investments, let’s take a look at 2 effectively guaranteed returns products offered by Funding Societies, Southeast Asia’s largest Peer to Peer lending platform. Peer to Peer Lending or P2P lending is an investment concept where individuals & institutions invest in loans to SMEs and earn returns in the form of interests. Investments on the Funding Societies platform starts from S$20 with a maximum tenor of 12 months and monthly/periodic repayments to investors.

For more information on investing with Funding Societies, join their upcoming webinar on 29th Sept 2020 at 7PM. Register for free here.

How does it work

An effectively guaranteed returns product offered by Funding Societies means that you as an investor are effectively guaranteed to receive both your principal & interests on the investments regardless of the SME’s repayment status. There are currently 2 products available under this line, namely Guaranteed Returns Investments (GRI) and Guaranteed Property-backed Investments (GPI).

Guaranteed Property-backed Investments

Guaranteed Property-backed Investment (GPI) is an investment into a collateral-backed note with an additional guarantee of repayments to investors. Should the SME fail to fulfil their obligations, Funding Societies has the right to liquidate the property to recover the funds.

Key Investment Information

  • Minimum Investment Amount – $20 per investment
  • Interest rates: usually 3% – 8% per annum
  • Tenor: 6 to 12 months
  • Repayments: Monthly repayment of interest and principal at the end of tenor
  • Guarantee: Principal & interest repayments are both effectively guaranteed regardless of the SME’s status
  • Collateralised property information: Only local Singapore properties owned by the SME or it’s directors are accepted

Sign up and start investing with Funding Societies here

Guaranteed Returns Investments

Guaranteed Returns Investment is an investment into a loan given to a small business in the form of a note with a layer of security whereby the repayments are effectively guaranteed even if the SME does not pay.

These small businesses come from all walks of life and Kaca Coffee House is one of them. See their story here:

Start investing with Funding Societies now and join them on their journey to help thousands of local businesses like KACA achieve their business goals.

Key Investment Information

  • Minimum Investment Amount – $20 per investment
  • Interest rates: usually 4% – 8% per annum
  • Tenor: 1 to 12 months
  • Repayments: Usually Monthly repayment of Principal & interest
  • Guarantee – Principal and Interest are both effectively guaranteed regardless of SME status

Please invest with the knowledge that while returns are effectively guaranteed by FS Capital Pte. Ltd., there may be a chance where they might not be able to fulfil the obligations under this arrangement. To mitigate this risk, a cash reserve buffer is maintained to allow for repayments to be made on time.

Importance of investment diversification

As the saying goes, do not put all your eggs into one basket. Just as how it is important to diversify across asset classes and business types, the same goes for varying risk return investments. Diversifying your investments with guaranteed returns products can be an option to consider to balance out your portfolio.

If you have done your own due diligence and decided to invest with Funding Societies, they currently have a promotion for new investors. Sign up with promo code MONEY20 and make a total investment of S$200 by 31st Oct 2020 to get a S$20 cashback.

Terms and Conditions apply

Investors must sign up with the aforementioned promo code and make a total investment of at least S$200 by 31st Oct 2020 to be eligible for the $20 cashback. Cashback will be credited into the eligible investors’ accounts by the end of November 2020. Funding Societies’ investor T&Cs apply.

Funding Societies is the largest SME digital financing platform in Southeast Asia. It is licensed in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, and backed by Sequoia India and Softbank Ventures Asia Corp amongst many others. It provides business financing to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which is crowdfunded by individual and institutional investors. Investors can invest from as low as S$20 with a tenor of no more than 12 months. Depending on the investment product, interest rates can range between 2% to 18% per annum.

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4 Costly Investment Mistakes To Avoid During Pandemic

Investment is defined as the money committed or property owned that is acquired for future income. It has two main classes namely: fixed income (e.g., bonds or fixed deposits) and variable income (e.g., property ownership). The choices you make when investing your money can influence your future.

Most of us are unaware of the investment mistakes and other financial missteps that can affect our short-term and long-term financial goals. However, the pandemic has given us no choice but to face our financial nightmares head-on. On that note, please do your best to avoid making costly investment mistakes.

#1: SELLING OFF INVESTMENTS OUT OF FEAR

2020 hit us hard. Many people are maxing out on their credit cards and are breaking their savings to pay for rent, groceries, and other essentials. The market crash triggered a global panic as people are selling off investments, losing billions in the bear market.

Let us be honest. It is impossible to know when another market crash will happen. The market’s recovery has been based on the idea that the pandemic has become more manageable. The reality is that the COVID-19 cases continue to spike each day. The numbers may continue to get worse as the global economy reopens. In Singapore, new closures and safety restrictions have been employed by retail stores and other commercial establishments.

It is tempting to sell off your investments given the current situation. Think about it. You should not sell something due to relatively short-term market conditions. You are in this for the long-haul. Unless your investment beliefs and strategies have changed, you must consider keeping those stocks. Building an emergency fund by investing money can be a lifesaver.

#2: BELIEVING IN MARKET GURUS

Some people eagerly listen to “money gurus” that are believed to predict the market. Media gurus make their money from discussing about investments, selling their advice or charging fees to manage other people’s money. But, their followers are not all rich. If you could predict the market’s future, wouldn’t you shut your mouth and make money for yourself?

Forget about the money gurus, what will help you is to diversify your portfolio. Knowing the right companies to allocate your money to takes guts, wits, and luck.

#3: FOLLOWING YOUR PORTFOLIO ON A DAILY BASIS

The market is volatile and people are more concerned about the stock market than before. There is a lot of noise surrounding this. The noise may brew fear inside of you, which can lead to bad decisions. Try not to follow your portfolio on a daily basis.

Do not let fear consume you as many people are screaming voices of gloom and doom. As was mentioned a while ago, you are in it for the long-haul. You are not invested for today or tomorrow. Markets will fall and crash, but good companies will eventually recover as history showed us.

#4: WAITING FOR A BOTTOM TO BUY STOCKS

In theory, you can buy good stocks at a discount when the market crashes. However, it is nearly impossible to purchase something at a perfect price and a perfect time. Do not try to time the market as it can cause you to miss glistening opportunities.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

No one knows when a crash will come or where the bottom is exactly. Consider purchasing stocks from good companies at all-time highs. If you are planning to be in this journey for a long time, you can buy shares from the businesses you believe in. Just be strategic and realistic!

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