Why are investors afraid of losing money and how can they overcome the fears that hinder them from investing? Hugh Chung, Chief Investment Advisory Officer, shared that not utilising risk capacity effectively would lead to wasted investment potential and the best way to overcome this fear is to commit to long-term investing and reap the benefits sustainably. Investors are encouraged to diversify stocks and it is an effective measure to prepare for unexpected circumstances while eliminating the fear of short-term losses.

Endowus’ co-founder and chairman, Samuel Rhee, shared with Nasdaq TradeTalks how investor access can be solved through the digitisation of wealth management. Endowus focuses on empowering individuals by equipping them with the right investment opportunities while building financial literacy among investors to familiarise them with the various asset classes and how they can adjust risk to achieve better returns. Endowus is working with larger financial players to provide greater access to a broader suite of investments to retail investors at lower minimums and lower costs.

Should AI be integrated into your investment portfolio or wealth management plans? In this radio broadcast, Samuel Rhee, co-founder and CIO of Endowus discussed the impacts of AI on future investments. Before investing in AI, investors should note that AI stocks are volatile and may not suit all investors’ portfolios. AI also cannot help us beat the market but instead make investors more efficient in the way they study markets and invest. Investors are encouraged to invest long-term and take advantage of diversified exposure to the tech market to optimise investment outcomes.

Endowus' partnership with Carta aims to provide greater transparency and liquidity for Endowus employees and minority shareholders of their startup equity holdings on the Carta platform. To foster a collective sense of responsibility and ownership among employees, the majority of the company is owned by employees through direct investments and the Employee Stock Ownership Programme (ESOP). The partnership helps to facilitate regular secondary transactions, addressing challenges associated with owning private securities, such as limited liquidity and access.

Following Endowus' partnership with EQT to provide its clients with access to EQT funds, Hugh Chung, Endowus’ Chief Investment Advisory Officer, together with Sueann Yeo, Head of APAC Private Wealth Client Relations & Capital Raising at EQT, shared more on the benefits of private market funds in offering higher return potentials and greater diversification from traditional portfolios. Capital that is invested in private companies tends to be longer-term and hence investors can demand better terms, driving higher returns. At the same time, private investors get marked to market less frequently hence reducing the volatility of their investments.

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.

Gregory Van, Endowus’ CEO, shared more on the company's growth in Asia after the company’s US$35m fundraiser. In addition to supporting growth, Endowus is raising brand awareness and investing in AI while keeping an eye on acquisition opportunities, with a focus on building its Hong Kong business. With a growing clientele, Endowus has also debuted an AI-powered chatbot meant to guide clients through operational queries Endowus' advisers currently handle.

Lianhe Zaobao discusses how individuals may fully utilise their SRS account while maximising their savings. Besides reducing taxable income by the same amount contributed to their SRS account, one could also maximise their wealth by investing their SRS funds. Hugh Chung, Endowus Chief Investment Advisory Officer, advises investors to have a clear understanding of the pros and cons of each financial instrument, as they often come with trade-offs involving yield, lock-ups, duration, minimum or maximum investment amounts, and transaction fees.

The 2023 Endowus WealthTech Conference was graced by Guest of Honour, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who discussed trends about the macroeconomic trends in Singapore and Asia. He emphasised that Singapore needs to continue to invest in AI and resources in tackling climate change to remain competitive and capture growth opportunities in the global shift towards net zero. While trends continue to evolve, investors need to be mindful of high interest rates and elevated inflation in the current environment.

The total financial assets of the wealth market in Asia Pacific is expected to hit $81 trillion by 2027, according to McKinsey’s WealthTech in Asia-Pacific report. Chairman and CIO of Endowus, Samuel Rhee, shared his insights on the evolving wealthtech landscape in Asia in a joint interview with McKinsey on CNA TV. He highlights that Singapore is well-placed in the long-term trajectory of growth in the wealth industry. As the nation is strategically well located, cross-border wealth is something that Singapore can consider tapping into.

On a panel discussion at the Hubbis Investment Forum, Kenny Ho, Managing Partner and Founder of Carret Private Capital, shared about the evolution of private wealth management in Asia. Singapore has made more headway in the evolution of independent wealth management in recent years than Hong Kong, where clients tend to stick to the brand name banks. Asian clients are also increasingly inclined to diversify their custody across both Asian and European institutions. Endowus has become one of the largest independent wealth managers in the region, with assets under management of over USD 5 billion after the acquisition of Carret Private.

Endowus is one of the two platforms that allows Singapore’s consumers to access the latest 10 M&G Investments funds that have been made available on the local retail market. Among them, four of the funds available to Singapore retail investors are equity funds, three fixed-income funds, and the remaining three are multi-asset funds. The funds were previously available only to private banking and certain institutional clients in Singapore.