CFP at a glance by Etiqa Insurance (as of Aug 2025)

 

100% stocks maximize long-term wealth, while a 60/40 stock-bond mix reduces volatility but greatly limits returns ($33,033 vs. $4,200).

From Adam Khoo post 
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ZiixkqAo2/ 

100% invested in Equity (stocks) will maximise your returns/wealth accumulation over the long run. A mix of stocks and bonds (60%/40%) will lower volatility during recessions but you sacrifice a large part of your potential gains. $4,200 versus $33,033. There is no right or wrong way to invest. Would you rather get lower returns with lower volatility or higher returns with higher volatility?

Top 8 ETFs to buy for Singapore Investors in 2025

Top 8 ETFs to buy for Singapore Investors in 2025 (by Financial Horse)

ETF comparison

 

https://indexes.nasdaqomx.com/docs/fs_ndx.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R80FtG2kX9o

  US-Domiciled : 30% dividend tax
Irish-Domiciled : 15% dividend tax

U.S.-domiciled vs Ireland-domiciled ETF estate tax comparison:

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Criteria	U.S.-Domiciled ETF	Ireland-Domiciled ETF (UCITS)
Estate Tax Exposure	Yes – considered U.S.-situs property; subject to U.S. estate tax.	No – Irish-domiciled, not U.S.-situs; not subject to U.S. estate tax.
Exemption Threshold	Only US$60,000 exemption; above this, U.S. estate tax up to 40% applies.	Not applicable; no U.S. estate tax filing required.
Dividend Withholding Tax	30% on U.S. dividends for Singapore investors (non-treaty country).	15% effective rate via U.S.–Ireland tax treaty inside the fund.
Singapore Context	Singapore has no estate duty – U.S. estate tax is the main risk.	Same – but Ireland domicile avoids the U.S. estate tax risk entirely.
Community / Expert View	Generally discouraged by global investors due to estate tax trap and higher dividend tax.	Widely recommended for non-U.S. investors (e.g. CSPX, VWRA, VUAA) to avoid U.S. estate tax.

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Quick notes (context you may find useful):

• Singapore currently has no estate duty, so the key exposure here is the U.S. estate tax if you hold U.S.-situs assets directly (including U.S.-domiciled ETFs). (IRS)

• Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs also tend to be dividend-efficient for U.S. stocks (15% treaty rate inside the fund vs 30% if you hold U.S.-domiciled ETFs directly as a Singapore tax resident), but that’s a dividend withholding point, not estate tax. (No Money Lah)

	S&P 500 ETF (e.g., SPY, VOO)	NASDAQ ETF (e.g., QQQ, QQQM)
Index Tracked	S&P 500 (500 large US companies)	NASDAQ-100 (100 largest non-financial companies on NASDAQ)
Sector Exposure	Broad: Tech, Healthcare, Financials, Industrials, etc.	Tech-heavy: Apple, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Amazon, etc.
Diversification	More diversified	More concentrated (especially in tech)
Volatility	Lower	Higher
Dividend Yield	Typically higher (~1.3–1.6%)	Lower (~0.5–0.8%)
Growth Potential	Slower, more stable	Faster, more aggressive growth

Historical Performance (approximate annualized 10-year return)

• S&P 500 ETF (VOO, SPY): ~11–12%

• NASDAQ ETF (QQQ): ~14–16%

Suggested Strategy

• Balanced approach: Some investors split 60% S&P 500 and 40% NASDAQ to balance stability with growth.

• Dollar-cost averaging: Invest over time to reduce timing risk.

Index / ETF	Annualized Return (20-Year)	Notes
S&P 500 (e.g., VOO, SPY)	~9.5% – 10.0%	Includes broad US market exposure
NASDAQ-100 (e.g., QQQ)	~12.5% – 13.5%	Strong tech-driven performance

 

Comparing S&P500 ETF (Irish-domiciled), SPYL vs CSPX

Feature	SPYL	CSPX
Full Name	SPDR S&P 500 UCITS ETF (Acc)	iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF (Acc)
Ticker Symbol	SPYL	CSPX
Domicile	Ireland (UCITS)	Ireland (UCITS)
Index Tracked	S&P 500 Index	S&P 500 Index
Structure	Accumulating (dividends reinvested)	Accumulating (dividends reinvested)
Launch Date	31 Oct 2023 (newer fund)	19 May 2010 (long track record)
Assets Under Management (AUM)	~€9.9 bn	~€106 bn
Expense Ratio (TER)	0.03% p.a. (cheapest UCITS S&P 500)	0.07% p.a.
Replication Method	Physical (optimised sampling)	Physical (optimised sampling)
Liquidity / Trading Volume	Growing, but lower than CSPX	Very high, extremely liquid
Popularity	Gaining traction, attractive due to low fees	Most popular UCITS S&P 500 ETF, widely used in SG/EU
Best For	Cost-sensitive investors who want the cheapest fee	Investors wanting liquidity, proven history, tight spreads

• SPYL = lowest fee, but newer and smaller.

• CSPX = more expensive, but highly liquid with a 15-year proven track record.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmGSbLgLpJ0

Good rotation + Delay the PULL

Good rotation
Don't rush the PULL 
Avoid these 3 mistakes

How to Fix Your Freestyle Stroke – 5 Easy Changes That Work (Today)

If Apple Built a Stock Brokerage, It’d Look Like Longbridge

 If Apple Built a Stock Brokerage, It’d Look Like Longbridge

1. Poor Body Position

• Your head or hips may be too high or too low.

• If your head lifts to breathe or if your kick pushes your chest upward, it causes your body to seesaw—hips drop, chest rises, and vice versa.

2. Inconsistent Kick Timing

• An unsteady or overly powerful kick can create upward and downward thrust rather than driving you forward.

• If you’re “bicycle kicking” or not using a compact flutter kick, it adds vertical motion.

3. Pressing Down with the Hand

• During the catch, if you press down on the water instead of pressing back, your upper body lifts.

• This throws off balance and rhythm.

4. Core Not Engaged

• A soft or loose core can’t hold a stable, horizontal line in the water.

• You end up flopping or bouncing instead of gliding.

5. Breathing Mistakes

• Lifting your head to breathe instead of rotating your body causes a spike in vertical motion.

• You might also “pause” your stroke to breathe, which creates a stop-start rhythm that looks like bouncing

GENIUS Framework

The GENIUS Framework
G – Grind Fast
Move fast. Launch fast. Learn fast.
Instead of overplanning, get something out and improve quickly.

E – Eliminate Bureaucracy
Flatten hierarchies. Kill approval chains.
Empower engineers to make decisions on the ground.

N – Normalize Failure
Mistakes aren’t shameful - they’re feedback.
Celebrate what went wrong if you learn from it faster than others.

I – Iterate Relentlessly
Don’t wait months to make changes.
Use every test, every failure, every micro-feedback to build version 2.0 - fast.

U – Understand the Core Problem
Musk always asks: “What is the fundamental problem we’re solving?”
Go beyond surface fixes. Break the problem down to its physics and rebuild from first principles.

S – Speed of Innovation > Size of Company
Big teams don’t win. Fast-learning teams do.

5 mistakes to FIX in Freestyle

Time for another update - AK71

 https://singaporeanstocksinvestor.blogspot.com/ 

I am going for the Enhanced Retirement Sum which would generate $3,400 in monthly income for me when I turn 65.

And the rest of the money in my CPF OA would generate about $20,000 annually in interest income which I can withdraw from age 55.