Singapore Financial Planners

The financial advisory scene in Singapore is not as simple as it seems. The most common differentiating point for consumers when choosing a financial advisor (FA) is to decide whether to engage a tied advisor or an independent financial advisor. However, there’s another level of thought that you should put into when deciding to engage a financial advisor – how they’re being paid. There are currently 3 main ways FAs are paid in Singapore – commission-based, fee-only, and fee-based. In this article, we talk about the pros and cons of each type of financial advisor, and how you can decide on which type is suited for you.   Types of Fees Before we begin diving into the differences between these financial advisors, you first need to have an understanding of the types of fees you can be expecting between them. There are usually 2 types of fees – consultation fees and investment fees. Consultation fees are well… you guessed it, consultations. These fees cover, and are not limited t...

China Life offers a range of 3 different retirement plans. In this article, we will be collating and summarising each product in each category.     China Life Retire Easy Plan The China Life Retire Easy Plan is a retirement plan that provides guaranteed annual income after your preferred payout age. The best thing about this plan is that the yearly income will increase by 4% each year. The premium payment terms are available for 5, 10, or 15 years with 100% capital guarantee after the 8th, 9th, and 14th policy year respectively. You can select your desired payout age at either 55, 60, 65, or 70 years of age. The China Life Retire Easy Plan will mature on your 99th birthday where you will receive a maturity lump sum payout. You also get protection against death at the higher of 108% of your total premiums paid or the total account value. Hence, you can be assured that your loved ones will have something to rely on financially. Features: Choose from 3 premium payment ...

NTUC Income offers a range of 4 different investment-linked policies. In this article, we will be collating and summarising each product in each category.     NTUC Income VivaLink NTUC Income’s VivaLink is a well-structured investment-linked policy offering you to stay insured while growing your investments. VivaLink offers flexibility to customise a plan suited to your needs. From as low as S$100 a month, you can choose your death and total and permanent disability (TPD) coverage amount with guaranteed issuance for the first 10 policy years. If death and TPD is caused due to an accident, you receive up to an additional 100% of the sum assured or $100,000 (whichever is lower). Your monthly premiums are also used to purchase unit funds to grow in value. Through this plan, regular investing helps you benefit from dollar-cost averaging, making it smoother for potential market fluctuations. The NTUC Income VivaLink allows you to change your monthly investment amount, make...

You may have read from various forums, Facebook groups, or even heard your friends saying that getting an investment-linked policy in Singapore is bad. Well, it could be bad if you get the wrong type. However, if you take your time to properly look for the right one, it is possible to get a policy that provides returns that are comparable to other self-managed investment tools. But before you get “convinced” by financial advisors that investment-linked policies are actually good for you, it’s best to understand how investment-linked policies work so that you can make an educated decision.   What is an investment-linked policy? An investment-linked policy or investment-linked insurance policies (ILP) are a two-way financial product offered in Singapore. The premiums you make meets both your insurance and investment needs. The investment part of an ILP covers both the insurance and returns aspects of your policy. The hybrid nature of this policy is what makes it relatively more...

With the various investment tools you can use to grow your money, an endowment plan is one of the lowest risk options for you to choose from. This is if you get a policy that provides 100% capital guarantee. Apart from using endowment plans to invest, it also acts as a forced savings account, and the returns would minimally allow you to counteract the effects of inflation.   What is an Endowment Plan? The simple definition is that it is a life insurance policy. Besides covering the policyholder’s life, it also helps them save regularly over the years. The savings accrue to a lump sum amount that they can claim once the policy matures. It differs from investments that do not offer any insurance coverage in the event of the investor’s death. Endowment plans come to the rescue for various reasons. It could be saving for your child’s education, a vacation, or retirement. They all add to our personal financial goals – be it short-term, medium-term, or long-term.   How Does ...

AXA offers a range of 4 different investment-linked policies. In this article, we collate and summarise each product from each category.     AXA Wealth Accelerate The AXA Wealth Accelerate is an investment-linked policy offering up to 200% Startup Bonus, depending on the premium payment term you choose. There are 5 premium payment term options for you to choose from – 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 years. There are also Power-Up and Loyalty bonuses given to you if you were to invest through this policy. With access to at least 90 sub-funds, you can choose them per your risk profile and make investments in either SGD or USD. It also offers up to 60 months of premium holiday allowed (meaning you can choose to stop investing for up to 5 years). The AXA Wealth Accelerate gives you the option to add a recurring single premium and/or lump sum top-ups to your investment at any time with free partial withdrawals of up to 5 times after 5 years of premium payments. There is a life rep...

AXA offers 2 different retirement plans. In this article, we collate and summarise each product from each category.     AXA Retire Happy Plus (II) Who doesn’t want a comfortable, peaceful, and secure retirement? The AXA Retire Happy Plus (II) is a retirement plan that could help you achieve that. First, the plan guarantees a 100% return of your capital amount at the end of the payment period while offering guaranteed returns of up to 2.67% per annum. With both the guaranteed and non-guaranteed income portion, your total retirement income can be boosted up to 4.79% per annum upon maturity. There are 6 options for your premium payment term – Single, 5, 10, 15, 20, or 25 years with a payout period of 15 years, 20 years, or a lifetime. Payouts start at your selected retirement age of either 50, 55, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, or 70 There is an inflated payout option to receive an increasing retirement income at 3.5% p.a. The AXA Retire Happy Plus (II) offers coverage of 5 t...