Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of AFA(S) or its members.
In these challenging times, it is not uncommon to encounter individuals who exhibit no or little urgency in retirement planning. Well, “What’s the fuss about planning so early?” some may say, or “Why should I plan now when I am still young?” Meanwhile, others may simply shrug off the thought of it and opt to remain passive to the topic of retirement planning.
The Cancer Drug List (CDL) is a topic that has been gaining quite a lot of attention lately. This is not surprising as Cancer is listed as the top principal cause of death, amounting to close to 30% of all deaths in Singapore. This list is important because it would determine whether your cancer drug treatment can be claimable under MediShield Life, and whether MediSave can be used. Furthermore, Integrated Shield Plan (IP) providers are required only to cover treatments that are on the MediShield Life list and set claim limits for each cancer drug treatment.
In most countries, family businesses are the backbone of the economy. Some reports show that family businesses performed better than non-family businesses. However, family businesses face complex challenges involving business and investment decisions, ownership issues, and family relationships.
Trustees are trusted to make decisions in the beneficiary’s best interests and have a fiduciary responsibility to the trust beneficiaries. That is why a Private Wealth Adviser (PWA) will usually work in conjunction with trustees to ensure the desired outcome is achieved. However, when there is a dispute, the PWA has to be concerned about the scope of responsibilities and where the liability lies.
Singapore recorded a raise in inflation to four per cent in December 2021, and 2.4 percent in January this year. Despite that, during the Singapore Budget, the finance minister announced that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be raised from the current seven per cent to nine per cent progressively over the next two years.
How, then, will the additional increase in GST affect us, the consumer?
Financial gerontology focuses on caregiving, family relationships, health, retirement and economics to improve quality of life.
The question which is often unsaid but at the back of the minds of many is “WHY bother about life insurance – the chances are so slim of my dying before 60?”
I remember being approached by a life insurance agent when I started working. Insurance was the last thing of my concerns as I celebrated receiving the first paycheck
It depends on which type of insurance policy you buy. It depends also on when a claim is made which is allowed in the policy.
The key difference between gambling and insurance is that, gambling creates a risk of losing something which is not there before you decide to gamble, to win something bigger, whereas insurance protects you for the consequences of risks which are already there.
What is the fight about? And why the fight in the first place? And who is the referee? And who is the winner?
It is the time of the year to start tax planning. The Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) gives taxpayers a way to put additional savings away for retirement.
Some say that the best time is when you are young, when the premiums are clearly cheaper. Some say that the best time is when you get married when the protection need becomes real
A household name, Robinson’s liquidation recently came as a shock to many. It was one of the many victims of COVID-19 and consumers’ changing behavior. Being in financial services, I am asked whether insurance companies are equally vulnerable.
After a portfolio manager has worked closely with a client to document investment objectives and constraints in an investment policy statement (IPS), agreed on the strategic asset allocation that best positions the client to achieve stated objectives, and executed the strategic asset allocation through appropriate investment strategies in an ILP for each asset class segment, the manager must constantly monitor and rebalance the portfolio.
Given the poor performance of funds under the Central Provident Fund Investment Scheme in 2018, CPF members may be deterred from investing their CPF savings in CPFIS-included funds. According to data from Refinitiv, the 85 unit trusts (UTs) and 156 investment-linked policies (ILPs) under CPFIS posted an average negative return of 9% and 7.27% respectively.
CPFIS-related funds performed poorly in 2018, according to Refinitiv. Would you recommend CPF contributors to divert money out of their ordinary and special accounts to invest in CPFIS-related funds? Why?
In recent months, talk of a recession has been gradually increasing on the back of deteriorating global macroeconomic data. Given this, what should investors do and how should they position their portfolios? Below, we outline 5 things an investor should take note of as we potentially head into a recession.
Unbeknown to me, I was named an executor in a will of my family member. When the testator passed on, I was kicked into action. Here are some three things I learnt from my experience which may help you to decide if you should take up the role should anyone ask of you.
The research report on “What older people need in Singapore: A household budgets study” was released in May 2019. It has derived a budget of $1,379 per month for a single elderly to meet the basic standard of living. This generated much interest and discussions, especially on whether $1,379 per month is sufficient for one to live on during retirement.
Everyone in our industry seems to be fixated on “value”. You hear these ad nauseam – valued advice, valued proposition, value creation, value-added. Even the no longer unique phrase “unique selling proposition” is basically about the value of being uniquely different. But what exactly is “value”?
In most cases, if a person is prudent with his spending, he can achieve the first two easily. It is the third priority that is a challenge to many. How do you determine how much money you will need for retirement?
It is an asset class that can add value to any portfolio and meet life’s changing needs.
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