Different Types of Investment Funds

I advocate investing in a large, well diversified fund with low charges. Examples are the Combined Fund from NTUC Income and the STI Exchange Traded Fund (available through the Singapore Exchange).

Some people asked for my opinion on selecting actively managed funds. There are more than 500 of these funds available for investments. These funds that are country specific (e.g. China, India) or sector specific (e.g. energy, technology, financial). They usually have high expense ratio (of 1.5% to 3% per annum).

If you wish to invest in these funds, you have to seek the advise of a financial adviser. They charge a annual wrap fee (between 0.5% to 1%) to help you pick the funds. They will monitor the funds for you. The wrap fee is on top of the fund management fee.

I am not familiar with these actively managed, narrowly focused funds. I will not be able to advise you on these funds or on how to select the adviser.

A good approach is:

a) Invest 80% of your retirement savings in diversified, low cost funds
b) Invest 20% in actively managed funds (through an adviser).

Read these FAQ:
http://www.tankinlian.com/faq/returns.html

http://www.tankinlian.com/faq/savings.html




All the best in your investment decision.