Endowus’ Samuel Rhee sat down with Ignites Asia for a personal chat reflecting on his life and what the future could hold. He expounded on his personal goals of proliferating the conflict-free, fee-only wealth management movement in the Asia Pacific region with Endowus. In the future, his role might shift to focus more on mentoring and raising leaders. He also shared some trends in the wealth management industry, including the need for more options and availability of investments in the pension systems across Asia.

Steffanie Yuen, Head of Hong Kong at Endowus, shared tips to help investors evaluate if their financial advisor or platform is suited for their investment goals. Investors should understand the business’ pricing model and fee structure, and ensure recommended products are rigorously screened and aligned with their long-term interests.

Gregory Van, CEO of Endowus, shared key findings from our Endowus Private Wealth Insights report and how high-net-worth investors can better diversify their portfolios. Before making any investment decisions, investors should objectively evaluate the investment product or platform, and ensure that it is aligned with your wealth goals.

Hugh Chung, Endowus’ Chief Investment Advisory Officer, pointed out that alleged or proven insider trading in the past has had limited impact on the overall appetite and investor confidence in hedge funds. According to the Endowus Private Wealth Insights Report 2024, 60% of HNW investors in Hong Kong are planning to increase allocations to private market strategies and hedge funds.

Hugh Chung, Chief Investment Advisory Officer at Endowus, discussed the risks of investing in safe-haven assets, such as gold and oil, during times of uncertainty. Depending on the time these assets were purchased, the returns (and losses) of such assets can vary by a large margin. Investors should practise dollar cost-averaging to help them stay disciplined and on track towards their wealth goals.

(From 1:09:10) Steffanie Yuen, Endowus Head of Hong Kong was on Bloomberg TV to discuss the inaugural Endowus Private Wealth Insights report. Hong Kong HNW respondents concerned about portfolio diversification are looking to private market strategies and hedge funds as a starting point. Investors can consider evergreen funds as a flexible alternative to traditional closed-end funds to address worries about lock-up periods and illiquidity.

Surveying over 500 high-net-worth individuals, the inaugural Endowus Private Wealth Insights report found that 20% of respondents in Hong Kong and Singapore are willing to take some risks for higher returns, favouring private market strategies and hedge funds for diversification. Steffanie Yuen, Head of Hong Kong at Endowus, noted that these assets can further diversify risks and are expected to yield better long-term returns.

The 2024 Endowus Private Wealth Insights report found that 62% of high-net-worth individuals in Hong Kong intend to increase asset allocations to private market strategies and hedge funds. The report further revealed that the majority of respondents in Hong Kong and Singapore respondents are dissatisfied with returns from their existing portfolios.

Endowus’ inaugural Private Wealth Insights report revealed that nearly 90% of Hong Kong respondents plan to increase their alternative-asset allocations in pursuit of greater diversification. Gregory Van, CEO of Endowus highlights that these investors are concerned with lock-up periods and restricted access as the study has shown, thus “evergreen structures” are becoming popular among private market investors.

The 2024 Endowus Private Wealth Insights report revealed that HNW respondents in Singapore and Hong Kong are dissatisfied with existing portfolio returns, and want to allocate more to private markets and financial alternatives for capital growth. Digital investment platforms are also the preferred way to invest in private market strategies and hedge funds, surpassing online services of private banks or priority banking, and relationship managers.

Gregory Van, Endowus’ CEO, discussed the risks of investing in “safe-haven” assets, which may not perform the way we expect during periods of volatility and geopolitical uncertainty. Investors should not try to predict market downfalls and instead, adhere to the same disciplined, goal-based, long-term plan regardless of economic conditions.

This article discussed the differing performance between direct bonds and bond funds. Samuel Rhee, Endowus’ CIO, highlighted that fund redemptions are out of investors' control, one can choose to sell before or during the fall and lessen their losses. In contrast, single bonds often do not have any liquidity and have to be sold through private banks with heavy discounts and commissions.