SGX, CFA Society Singapore and MoneySENSE jointly launch the “Save and Invest Portfolio Series” with Lianhe Zaobao
Singapore, 4 October 2017... Singapore Exchange (SGX) is partnering CFA Society Singapore and MoneySENSE to launch the year-long “Save and Invest Portfolio Series” with Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao, in a move to encourage Chinese-language readers to save and invest for the future. This follows the success of The Sunday Times Invest section’s “Save and Invest Portfolio Series” that has been running for the past two years.
The monthly Save and Invest Portfolio Series named “步步为盈”will be featured in Lianhe Zaobao’s weekly financial planning column on every second Sunday of the month, starting from 8 October 2017. The series will feature simulated savings and investment portfolios of a young working adult, a married individual with a young child and a retiree - three Singaporean individuals each at different life stages.
The three simulated portfolios will be tracked over one year and will be guided by a panel of three CFA Society Singapore volunteers who are CFA charter holders. The objective is to show retail investors actual investment portfolios simulated based on the individuals’ investment goals and risk tolerance.
As part of this collaboration, SGX Academy and CFA Society Singapore will jointly organise quarterly “Save and Invest Portfolio Series” Mandarin seminars, expected to kick-off in early 2018. Retail investors will have the opportunity to interact with and have their questions addressed by SGX Academy trainers and CFA society professionals. Since the launch of the series in January 2016, SGX and CFA Society Singapore have jointly organised seven runs of the “Save and Invest Portfolio Construction Conference” which saw participation from 2,815 retail investors.
Lynn Gaspar, Senior Vice President for Client Development & Relationships at SGX, said, “We are excited to bring the well-followed Save and Invest portfolio series to Lianhe Zaobao readers, as part of our efforts to build more investment education resources for the Mandarin-speaking community. Some of this Mandarin content will also be offered through webcasts and webinars, in line with SGX’s digital thrust to engage retail investors through online channels. Through this collaboration with our partners, we can share new investment insights and knowledge to a wider group of investors.”
Jan Richards, CFA, President of CFA Society Singapore, a member society of CFA Institute, said, “At CFA Singapore, we believe that one is never too young or too old to start investing. To help Singaporeans meet their financial goals wisely, our CFA volunteers partnered with SGX and MoneySENSE in 2016 to start the Save and Invest Portfolio Series in The Sunday Times. We are now delighted to be able to do this for Zaobao readers as well. The best features of this series are firstly, it introduces a disciplined way of investing; secondly, it uses an asset mix that is readily accessible to the man-on-the street; and thirdly, it’s catered to Singaporeans at different life stages. Whether you’ve just started working, are raising a family, or preparing to retire, the series showcases living examples that readers can relate to and learn from.”
Quek Lee Kiang, Business Editor of Lianhe Zaobao, said, “Lianhe Zaobao is pleased to work with SGX, CFA Society Singapore and MoneySENSE on this meaningful project for the Chinese-language readers. Through the simulated examples of basic investment and portfolio building techniques, our readers can have a better understanding of different investment strategies, in accordance with their financial goals and risk tolerance level.”
Wang Moo Kee, 63, a retiree who was featured in The Sunday Times series, will also be participating in the Lianhe Zaobao Save and Invest Portfolio Series. He said, “The portfolio series prompted me to diversify and look beyond just stocks. Headwinds in the global economy can cause investment portfolios to move in unexpected directions. Having a panel of experienced analysts on board gave us more confidence in executing portfolio rebalancing as and when needed, and I am glad that my portfolio recorded a net return of 16.35% since the portfolio series started in January 2016, higher than the prevailing bank interest rates and risk-free CPF interest rates.”
Lee Boon Ngiap, Chairman of the Financial Education Steering Committee and Assistant Managing Director, Capital Markets, Monetary Authority of Singapore, said, “MoneySENSE is pleased to continue this partnership with SGX and CFA Singapore to equip the investing public with knowledge on financial matters and empower them to make informed investment decisions. The Save and Invest Portfolio Series in Lianhe Zaobao will further strengthen our financial education and outreach initiatives to Chinese-language readers.”