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.

Samuel Rhee, Chairman and CIO of Endowus, opined that Gen AI will not be used to solve investing problems of timing the market, but instead helps improve the customer experience and operational efficiencies. Most importantly, Gen AI will provide the much-needed customisation that is important for clients within the wealth management industry.

Steffanie Yuen, Head of Hong Kong, discussed the importance of fintech firms in Hong Kong and its potential within the region. Fintechs will be re-inventing and innovating new business models, products, and services with technology, and Hong Kong's position as a key financial hub will be advantageous for these firms. Leveraging innovation, incumbents and fintech players such as Endowus should work to grow the pie together and broaden the ecosystem.

What are trailer fees? Steffanie Yuen, Head of Hong Kong at Endowus, defined common financial jargon and explained the impact of incurring trailer fees. Trailer fees are a commission paid by an investment firm to a distributor, which often leads to a conflict of interest when distributors are incentivised to sell clients products with higher trailer fees. Investors are encouraged to look out for such hidden costs in their investments.

In this op-ed, Samuel Rhee, Chairman and CIO of Endowus unpacked two key factors that prevent individuals from investing: When individuals are afraid of losing money, and when individuals feel like they already lost money due to not buying when the market was up. However, times when markets fall are fewer than people expect, and statistically, financial markets have always skewed positively. Investors are advised to stick to a regular investment plan as the markets will generate returns in the long run.

Generation X, i.e. the sandwich generation often struggle to balance their personal life and the financial needs of dependents. Steffanie Yuen, Endowus’ Head of Hong Kong, shared four key principles for Gen X individuals planning to invest. One should first establish an emergency fund that covers household expenses for 3-6 months, before reviewing their short-term financial goals for the next five years. Subsequently, adopt a core satellite allocation framework that suits one’s long-term plans before considering a more aggressive investment approach.

Why are interest rates getting higher? Steffanie Yuen, Head of Hong Kong at Endowus, defined various macroeconomic terms and shared the pros and cons of a high-interest rate environment for consumers and investors. High interest rates are beneficial for investors but one should always define their financial goals, and account for all financial obligations before making any financial decisions.

Gregory Van, CEO of Endowus, highlighted the broken wealth experience within the banking and financial industry where investors are charged high commission fees due to a conflict of interest between the distributors and clients. Endowus established the fee-only model by rebating all trailer commissions back to the client to tackle the issue and offer greater accessibility to best-in-class products as well as advisory services, to serve the best interests of clients.

Endowus, Asia’s leading wealth management firm has unveiled a partnership with global private equity giant EQT. The partnership will allow Endowus' clients in Hong Kong and Singapore access to EQT funds, broadening their access to private markets at lower minimums and with shorter lock-up periods. Samuel Rhee, co-founder and CIO of Endowus shared that the partnership allows investors to further diversify their portfolios and reduce overall risk in volatile market periods.

Digital wealth management firm Endowus has partnered with EQT to allow Endowus Private Wealth clients in Hong Kong and Singapore to access high-performing EQT funds via investment solutions offered on its platform. Samuel Rhee, co-founder and CIO expressed Endowus’ excitement in this partnership to give investors greater and well-managed access to alternative solutions.

As interest rates remain high in the US and the federal fund rate reaches a 22-year high, investors may be swayed to act on their emotions. Steffanie Yuen, Head of Hong Kong at Endowus advised investors to not be hasty and highlighted the importance of creating a personal finance checklist periodically, especially when the market is volatile. Keeping a list of annual financing considerations - expenses, debt, savings, insurance, and investment portfolio - helps to track their financial progress, and plan a suitable investment strategy for 2024.

Endowus was named one of top 10 Singapore Startups by LinkedIn in 2023. The list features the 10 best startups based on data analyses in four core areas: employee growth, jobseeker interest, member engagement within the company and its employees, and the startups' ability to attract talent from LinkedIn's Top Companies list. The companies were selected from over 950 million LinkedIn members, including three million from Singapore.