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 for women in Hong Kong who are interested to start investing. First, build an emergency fund using deposits or money market funds with higher liquidity. Thereafter, carefully consider your risk tolerance and personal investment goals, and identify low-cost, efficient digital investment tools before establishing a suitable investment portfolio.

Steffanie Yuen, Endowus’ Head of Hong Kong, shared her experience with managing money in the past and highlighted the importance for women to start investing their wealth as soon as possible. With longer life expectancies, women in Hong Kong need to be well-prepared for their retirement years. Women are encouraged to identify their risk tolerance early and diversify their investments while staying invested to grow their wealth in the long term.

Samuel Rhee, Chairman and CIO of Endowus, was on Bloomberg Daybreak Asia to comment on investor sentiments in global markets. There is strong interest in global and US technology markets, and increasingly positive sentiments in Japanese markets. However, confidence remains low in China markets, and ongoing geopolitical tensions pose various macroeconomic challenges for the European market.

Steffanie Yuen, Endowus’ Head of Hong Kong shared her plans for Endowus to participate in Hong Kong’s Cross-boundary Wealth Management Connect Scheme 2.0, only available to institutions licensed by the Hong Kong Securities Regulatory Commission. The firm runs on a zero-commission, fee-based model which offers 100% trailer fee rebates as direct cashback to clients. Endowus’ AUM is expected to reach approximately US$10 billion in the next 1 to 2 years.

(From 16:30) Samuel Rhee, Chairman and CIO of Endowus, commented on global market performance and investor interest in China and Japan markets. Despite China’s market rebound, surprising growth rates are unlikely. The Chinese government will need to send a strong message, either through a fiscal or monetary stimulus or a strong growth target, to address negative sentiment. Amid positive growth and consumer recovery in the Japanese economy, successful wage negotiations will be key for the Bank of Japan to sustain growth.

In this commentary piece, 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. Investors are encouraged to keep it simple by setting up regular savings and investment plans regardless of market conditions. Staying invested for the long term and developing ongoing good investing habits is the only way to better prepare for volatile markets.

Digital wealth management platform, Endowus has formed a strategic partnership with The Executive Centre (TEC). Through this collaboration, Endowus will host a series of FinLit in-person and online seminars at TEC’s office spaces in the territory. Topics to be covered include holistic wealth management, retirement and Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) investing, financial planning, and female investing.

According to the Endowus Wealth Insights Report 2023, nearly 70% of Hong Kong female investors expressed interest to invest more. To serve client needs better, Endowus has formed a strategic partnership with The Executive Centre (TEC) to promote Financial Literacy (FinLit) efforts in Hong Kong.

Singapore's budding private credit industry is helping to grow its Asia-specific offerings to attract investors in the region. However, Gregory Van, CEO of Endowus, notes that a lot of strategies are US dollar-denominated and investors here are trying to earn a return in US dollars. If the strategies were Asia-based, investors would be required to hedge currencies as well.

Steffanie Yuen, Head of Hong Kong at Endowus shared tips for investors looking to buy into specific funds. Instead of assuming a fund’s allocation and industry positioning based on its name, investors should also take into account its underlying performance and investment strategy, to ensure that it is aligned with their personal investment goals. One should also note that a fund’s past investment performance is not indicative of future returns and investing in a globally diversified portfolio is recommended to manage risk while ensuring stable long-term returns.

Steffanie Yuen, Endowus’ Head of Hong Kong, encourages individuals to start building their retirement nest egg as soon as possible. Additionally, investing in a long-term diversified portfolio helps to grow their wealth meaningfully while reaping the rewards of compounding interests.