Hugh Chung, Chief Investment Advisory Officer at Endowus, encourages individuals to consider their near-term cash needs as premature SRS withdrawals may result in greater penalties and taxes than intended. Upon making SRS contributions, one should also look to invest in a globally diversified portfolio of equities and fixed income products to help beat inflation.
Gregory Van, CEO of Endowus and Hugh Chung, Chief Investment Advisory Officer of Endowus, advise investors to consider their life goals before mapping out their asset allocation, which may or may not include alternative assets. Investing in private markets offers higher incremental returns and a significant information advantage, but it’s also important to understand the trade-offs.
Endowus conducted a series of financial literacy courses on personal finance and investing for foodpanda delivery partners, as part of its Endowus Empower initiative to support the underserved platform worker community with the right financial knowledge. The physical sessions and webinars, tailored towards their unique financial needs, have reached over 300 riders in total.
Gregory Van, CEO of Endowus, shared his entrepreneurial journey, Endowus’ mission, and differences between the Hong Kong and Singapore markets. Endowus was founded to solve investors’ pain points by bringing greater access to high-quality diversified solutions across asset classes at a low, fair cost.
Samuel Rhee, co-founder and CIO at Endowus was on Bloomberg Markets Asia to comment on the US, China, and Japan markets. Liquidity has remained strong and earnings are stronger than anticipated, with a good flow of money going into specific sectors like IT, the US, and Japan markets. This is in contrast to China where supply is oversized and demand has yet to pick up. Japan’s robust consumer demand has created a stable trajectory for the Japanese economy and the stock market has become attractive for investors.
Since Endowus’ acquisition of Carret Private in 2022, Carret continues to operate independently, while allowing clients access to the Endowus platform. Both firms continue to share resources such as investment strategies and opportunities, bringing centralised CIO office benefits, as well as greater access to private market solutions. Gregory Van, CEO of Endowus, highlighted that Endowus’ priority is to grow on both ends and collaborate, as there are tailwinds for both firms to reach a very broad audience.
In this Science of Wealth commentary, Samuel Rhee, chairman and CIO of Endowus, discussed the importance of staying invested for the long term, especially when we cannot control the market direction. Market forecasts cannot be predicted, and timing the market is even more difficult to get right than the direction of markets. Investors are encouraged to keep it simple by setting up regular savings and investment plans regardless of the market conditions. Staying invested for the long term and developing ongoing good investing habits is the only way to better prepare for volatile markets.
Hugh Chung, Chief Investment Advisory Officer at Endowus, was on Money Hacks to share insights about expected market profitability and performance in 2024. As the market is still uncertain of the fight against inflation and economic growth, it is likely to shift unpredictably, and increasing volatility will pose a potential challenge for investors in 2024. Healthcare and biotech sectors are emerging and poised for growth as they are essential businesses that will remain resilient towards recession in 2024.
Demand for investments in CPF & SRS accounts is expected to increase towards year-end . Hugh Chung, Chief Investment Advisory Officer of Endowus, shared that more than one-third of Endowus' clients use SRS funds to invest and that he expects a surge in demand in December, as investors usually deposit their money in SRS at the end of the year to receive tax deductions. It was also noted that the number of Endowus clients using SRS funds to invest in Dec 2022 has doubled from Nov 2022.
As public markets are expected to be more volatile in 2024, Samuel Rhee, co-founder and CIO of Endowus, shared that accredited investors, HNWIs, and UNHWIs are diversifying and putting greater emphasis on private and alternative assets. Regardless of the environment, investors are advised to consider adopting a dollar-cost averaging (DCA) strategy as a passive investment approach to remove any emotional mistakes and minimise market timing risk.
Hugh Chung, Endowus Chief Investment Advisory Officer, noted that alternatives could potentially optimise overall portfolio risk and returns if they were introduced into the SRS product range. Inflation-adjusted returns on SRS cash at 0.05% are negative and it would be more prudent to invest idle cash in diversified portfolios to potentially earn higher returns. Younger SRS investors should consider investing in higher-risk asset classes such as equities, and shift their investments into lower-risk products such as T-bills and SSBs closer to SRS withdrawal age.
Endowus' partnership with Brookfield Oaktree Wealth Solutions expands alternative offerings for clients on its private markets platform. Accredited individuals and family office clients in Singapore and Hong Kong can gain access to Brookfield Oaktree's private credit platform and semi-liquid funds. The collaboration reinforces Endowus' commitment to offering a holistic range of investment opportunities to professional and accredited investors.
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