Steffanie Yuen, Endowus’ Head of Hong Kong, explained what trailer fees are and why Endowus chose to operate on a fee-only distribution model. Hong Kong is constantly ranked as one of the most expensive jurisdictions to buy funds where investors are charged various fees that eat into their returns. Endowus rebates 100% of the trailer fees received from fund houses to ensure that the firm is aligned with its clients’ interests to find the best products and the lowest cost.

Hong Kong’s wealth market is almost twice the size of Singapore’s, reaffirming its position as an important regional wealth management hub. Despite its wealth, Gregory Van, CEO of Endowus emphasised that Asia’s ongoing retirement crisis needs to be addressed. Steffanie Yuen, Endowus’ Head of Hong Kong, introduced Endowus as Hong Kong’s first fee-only, non-commission-based, conflict-free digital wealth management and fund platform to offer better advice to clients at a fairer cost.

Gregory Van, CEO of Endowus, highlights the disparity where a commission-based sales model of wealth management firms often leads to misaligned advice and Hong Kong investors paying high fees that eat into their returns. Endowus aims to address such pain points through its institutional share class access and 100% cashback on trailer commissions. To date, Endowus has saved its clients US$40m (HK$312m).

To deal with the rising costs of raising children, Steffanie Yuen, Head of Hong Kong at Endowus shared tips for aspiring parents. Couples should establish two buckets of money, one to prepare for pregnancy and postnatal costs, and another to prepare for the child’s future education needs. Parents should choose investment tools and strategies that suit their financial situation, time horizon, and risk tolerance, keeping in mind to review and adjust their investment plans regularly.

Endowus' partnership with Brookfield Oaktree Wealth Solutions expands alternative offerings for wealthy clients on its digital wealth platform. Through this, Endowus’ accredited individuals and family office clients in Singapore and Hong Kong can gain access to Brookfield Oaktree's private credit and semi-liquid funds.

Endowus partners with Brookfield Oaktree Wealth Solutions to expand its alternative offerings for clients. Endowus Private Wealth clients can now build institutional-quality portfolios through Brookfield Oaktree Wealth Solutions on the digital wealth platform. The fund applies a flexible approach across the private and public debt spectrum, allowing for dynamic allocation in response to changing market conditions.

As geopolitical tensions rise and investors become increasingly anxious, Samuel Rhee, chairman and CIO of Endowus, discussed the impact war and conflicts have on financial markets. Many wars have had minimal impact on the existing trajectory of markets, and markets have weathered more than their fair share of geopolitical events over the years. The worst thing for markets is not war but the uncertainty that creates volatility. On the bright side, the stock market normally prices in risks quickly, reassesses growth and earnings, and moves forward as it has always done.

How can women better balance their income and expenses? Steffanie Yuen, Head of Hong Kong at Endowus shared four key tips. Women should assess their monthly expenses, and cut down on non-essential expenses to avoid lifestyle creep. They can then build an emergency fund by investing in low-risk and high liquidity assets, and prepare for medium and long-term financial goals through a diversified, low-cost portfolio to reduce risk and achieve more stable profits.

Steffanie Yuen, Endowus’ Head of Hong Kong, outlined the costs associated with investing in stocks and funds. Brokerage platforms may offer ‘zero-commission’ and instead charge a fixed platform fee per transaction, amounting to large costs for investors who trade frequently. Investors also need to be aware of management fees, subscription fees, and conversion fees when investing in mutual funds.

As fixed income markets head into a third consecutive year of losses, investors should assess the likely fallout from higher-for-longer interest rates. Samuel Rhee, co-founder and CIO at Endowus, shared that it is hard to predict where interest rates are heading, and growth, as the only silver lining, is the biggest risk to future returns for equity and bond markets. Therefore, amidst the unpredictability in a growth-scarce environment, quality is what matters. Quality growth in equities and higher-quality credit in the fixed income markets have performed relatively better and are likely to continue to do so.

Endowus, Asia’s leading wealth management platform, is committed to improving the private wealth experience while remaining independent and conflict-free in serving its clients’ best interests. In an interview with Fintech Week, Steffanie Yuen, Head of Hong Kong notes that Endowus will benefit from the HKEX retail fund platform which allows distributors to provide funds to clients at lower entry fees, with greater transparency.

Steffanie Yuen, Head of Hong Kong at Endowus, shared about Hong Kong’s attractiveness as a wealth management hub, emphasising its geographical advantage and role as a gateway to clients in Mainland China. Endowus strategically expanded into Hong Kong with a focus on driving digital adoption in wealth management among family offices.