OCBC Premier Banking | Branding - Investment Ideas

Don’t leave it too late

Vasu Menon
Managing Director,
Investment Strategy,
Wealth Management Singapore,
OCBC Bank

Retirement is one of the more important financial goals, yet studies have shown that many individuals may not be sufficiently prepared for it. According to a recent survey for OCBC’s Financial Wellness Index, 46% of affluent Singaporeans said that they may not have sufficient funds to maintain their current lifestyle after retirement.

Help is available online

Retirement planning is not rocket science. There are calculators available that can help you to figure out how much you need to retire comfortably and what your shortfall is.

We offer a self-directed retirement planner on ocbc.com which is easy to use. It calculates your retirement goal amount and even simulates different investment options to help you meet your retirement goal. Of course, if you need to speak to someone, our Premier Banking Relationship Managers will be happy to assist you.

Early retirement planning is critical if you want to make sure that you have enough funds to enjoy your golden years.

Investing carefully can pay off

Ensuring that you have enough financial resources to sustain your lifestyle in your golden years is a key aspect of retirement planning.

Investing for passive income is another key component of retirement planning because having a regular source of income will help you to meet your monthly expenses and offer you peace of mind. This can be done in various ways including investing in bonds, high-yielding blue chips, multi-asset funds that offer regular pay-outs and even an annuity which can offer a steady stream of income in your golden years.

Making poor investment decisions, resulting in significant financial loss, is something else that could derail your retirement plans.

It is imperative to invest carefully and only in things that you are comfortable with and fully understand.

Avoid concentration risk by diversifying your purchases so that you are not dependent on the outcome of a few investments. Diversification can help to protect your wealth so that you do not suffer a major financial set-back if a few investments you made suffer losses.

Remember that there is a big difference between investing and speculating. When you invest you are taking a calculated risk and adopting a longer-term horizon.

Consider contributing to SRS

If you are looking to enjoy tax relief, you may wish to consider the Supplementary Retirement Scheme. Your contributions are eligible for tax relief based on your marginal income tax rate. SRS contribution makes more sense if you are on a higher income tax bracket.

You can also put your SRS funds to harder work by investing them. SRS funds can be invested in a wide variety of instruments, including unit trusts, some insurance products, bonds, shares, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and exchange traded funds (ETFs) listed on the SGX.

Important to protect your wealth

Planning for your retirement is not just about saving and investing your money to build a pool of funds for your golden years. What is often overlooked is the need to protect your wealth so that it does not get depleted by unexpected events.

Looking after your physical health is as important as looking after your financial health. This is because long term illnesses brought on by poor health habits can set you back financially in many ways.

However, sometimes even if you take the best care of your health, unfortunate and unexpected health-related events can still happen which can deplete your savings significantly unless you have enough insurance cover. Being seriously ill is not something many of us foresee.

Also, there is a greater chance of falling ill when you are at an advanced aged. Having enough medical insurance to cover unexpected and large expenses like hospitalisation and critical illnesses helps.

Legacy planning for peace of mind

Finally, for those who have not drawn up a will or made a CPF nomination, they should do so without delay to ensure that their loved ones will not run into financial difficulties if they pass on unexpectedly. A will and CPF nomination also ensure your assets can be distributed according to your wishes when you have passed on.

Legacy planning allows you peace of mind by ensuring that your loved ones are well taken care of and provided for. It ensures that your wealth is secured and preserved so that it can be passed on to your loved ones if something unfortunate happens. When planning for your legacy, it is important to consider what kind of legacy you want to leave behind, and to plan for potential unexpected events which could happen. You should consider who to leave a legacy to, and how to accomplish this goal.

As legacy planning may be complex, consulting a financial adviser could be one way to begin planning for your legacy.

A key part of legacy planning is to ensure that you leave something behind for your loved ones. Insurance is one solution which can be used for legacy planning. We offer insurance solutions which can help with this goal. With proper legacy planning, you can preserve and leave behind a legacy, enabling your loved ones to build on your success for future generations.

Act Now!

I for one, am acutely aware of the importance of financial and legacy planning because I discovered fatherhood quite late in my life and I now need to provide for my family, including my two young daughters who are aged two and four.

Thankfully I started planning many years ago. So, don’t leave it too late. Act now so that you and your family can enjoy peace of mind.

Important Information

The information provided herein is intended for general circulation and/or discussion purposes only. It does not take into account the specific investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. The information in this document is not intended to constitute research analysis or recommendation and should not be treated as such.

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