Most Interesting Person Now: Kelvin Tan from Kelvin Learns Investing on YouTube

Kelvin Tan writes on his Instagram bio that he talks about “money-related stuff”, but that’s really underplaying the kind of detailed, specific, and practical investment advice he shares with over 87,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel “Kelvin Learns Investing”, which he only started in 2019, by the way, right before the pandemic.

As an investor who has turned to YouTube to share his knowledge and understanding of the financial world, Kelvin posts a variety of videos on his channel that cater to different aspects of investing, including stock analysis and reviews, investment strategies, and market updates. He recently talked about the rising housing rent in Singapore in this video and have done a "Real Estate, Real Advice" podcast with Ohmyhome host and producer, Audrey Siek.

In this short chat, we find out more about Kelvin’s daily routine, the research that goes into his insightful YouTube videos, and his home — specifically, how he came to purchase it and his plans for it in the future.

1. How does each morning look like for you?

Nowadays I wake up at around 4.30 a.m. and am up until 5 p.m. (I swear I’m not a morning person, there’s just too much work). I immediately get to work — I clear my emails, finish my script, check through the edits and so on. By 7.30, it’s time to prep my kid for school. Sometimes it’s a struggle as she’s not a morning person either, but I found that playing Cocomelon songs beside her ear will wake her up… peacefully. After sending her to school and a quick breakfast, I continue my work.

2. How much research do you have to conduct before creating a Youtube video?

It depends on what type of video it is. Easy videos like “How To Save Money” or “10 Passive Income Ideas” barely need any research, and I can just get right to writing. But hard topics such as “Why Are Rents Going Up” or “Is CPF A Ponzi Scheme” (yes, I did that video) would easily take 5 to 6 hours of research.

3. Why do you think your content resonates so much with your audience?

Early on, I felt that finance content was extremely intimidating, like talking about what stocks to buy, CPF, and insurance, because of all the jargon used. So when I started making videos, I make sure to explain it in such a way that even 5-year-olds would understand the topic, to show that it’s actually not as complicated as everyone thinks.

Besides that, what helped was also speaking in a localised manner, like using Singlish or making localised jokes, so that I’m more relatable.

4. Are there other content creators that you look up to and try to learn from?

To be honest, I think everyone has something to offer, especially up-and-coming YouTubers. But probably, right now, I binge-watch Johnny Harris videos. He talks about current affairs, wars and maps. And I really admire his journalism and video editing quality and hope to reach his level of quality one day.

5. How early should someone start learning about investing?

Optimally, as early as possible. Realistically, when he or she is ready. My suggestion is always to start small and try investing in a style that you want.

If you like it slow and steady, good. If you want to earn 1000% a day, try it. You’ll either make it big or lose big. Either way, you’ll find out how good you are at investing and get used to the whole idea of losing money. And that will make you a better investor.

6. Can you describe how you bought your current home?

I have a friend who is a property agent. Every week, he would come up with a list of houses that we can check out and bring us there. As an agent, he taught us what to look out for when looking for a house, like the sun’s direction, neighbours, nearby amenities, or how well-renovated the property is. Within a month, we covered about 40 to 50 houses, and quickly found a house that we liked. He also helped negotiate the price down by $20,000, which more than made up for his agent fees.

7. What’s the next step in your property journey? Are you looking to sell your home soon now that it’s reached the Minimum Occupancy Period?

Back in 2021, when the stock market was going up, I was daydreaming of upgrading to a seaside condo. But then 2022 came, the stock market crashed, and I was quickly brought back to reality. As of now, I have no plans to upgrade as I’m quite satisfied with my current home. It’s in a good location and it’s spacious. I’ll probably relook at this the next time the market goes to the moon again.

8. What does your ideal home look like? Are you planning to carve a special section of your home for a creative studio for content creation?

I’m a simple guy. I don’t believe in an extravagantly renovated kind of home as I believe your home is where you can spend quality time with your family. It’s not about how pretty it looks.

My ideal home is a home that’s spacious enough for the family, not too hard to clean, and has a coffee shop or hawker centre nearby that sells cai fan.