Hi there, I'm in my late 30s, with no exposure in investing. Need advice for some beginner low risk investing... Pls kindly assist... Thanks?

I started off ard the same age as well, so I would suggest Robo Advisors in which you can adjust your risk and there's also no minimum investment, so you can just put a small amount to try first.

It's never too late to start investing. I would start by finding out your own risk apettite. Are you able to take a loss of 50% and still be OK with the loss? Or if your portfolio moves 10% down and you cannot sleep at night? Once you know your own risk profile, then you can decide if you want to go full on.

My suggestion is start with 80-20, 80% low risk and 20% high risk. In that 80%, you invest in high savings account or short-term endowment plans. These usually provide returns of about 1-2% interest returns P.A. Usually these are capital guaranteed.

If you find that returns too low, perhaps into ETFs. Some ETFs have dividends so that might complement with minor capital gains. Eg. STI ETF, which usually gives out about 3% not including the rise or fall in capital. So now your risk factor increases but your returns increases as well.

If you don't want to do it on your own, perhaps robo advisory or find a financial advisor at the bank. They do have fees as these are professional services. They offer a handsfree approach and some of them do provide higher returns. Again, higher risk, higher returns but if you set some conditions with them and have them check in every month, quarterly or half-yearly. They can help you grow your investment safely.

The last 20% is on your own. You use this 20% to invest in whatever you think would offer the best returns. Losing this 20% won't affect your portfolio but what you gain is experience and knowledge. Don't gamble though as you gain nothing but use the it gain knowledge. Because you learn the most when real money is in play. Do remember... Stick to 20% and always get out when you have made a substantial gain(30-40%). Don't be greedy and you'll be able to learn lessons that will benefit you for a lifetime.

Hey! I've also recently started learning, about 6 months now, on and off learning and I would think that the easiest way to start and keep on learning without making loads of mistakes is to actually use a robo-advisor/unit trust. Maybe something like Stashaway or kristal.AI.

Hi Ganesan,

Congratulations on your new investment journey. Starting out might seem daunting at the start but not to worry! Here at kristal.AI, we curate a variety of ETFs suitable for investors who are just starting out, which you may explore more here. There is also a robo-advisory function we offer to retail investors.

It is always advisable to look towards portfolios that diversify your holdings across different asset classes. Here at kristal.AI, we offer a few products which can suit those needs, whether these are managed portfolios that are following a determined asset allocation (All Weather), or rebalanced on a regular basis (Autopilot Kristals), or by use of our advisory algorithm at an individual client's portfolio.

The proprietary algorithm we use takes into consideration market data as well as the individuals' risk appetite and investment goals to generate the recommended portfolio. Investors can also customise and tweak their portfolio to their liking or comfort level.

Hope this answers your question! :)​​​