With so many strategy out there, which one should a total beginner start with?

A total beginner should start by learning how to read annual reports and accounts, and take not of off-balance sheet financing for a debt-heavy company. Next, learn about external and internal factors affecting a company's performance. If you only want to look at macro, go for etfs. They are efficient, but less effective in generating returns. If you have the time to analyse both, pick your stocks and watch them grow.

Hey there!

For a start perhaps you might want to consider doing it the old-school way and putting your money in a biscuit tin under your bed and watch it grow.

In all seriousness, here are two hassle-free and commonly-adopted strategies that you might want to adopt if you are a complete beginner and want to make some stable returns on your money (before you gain more knowledge and moving on to other types of investments such as equitiies/derivatives).

1) Invest in a Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) that mirrors an index such as the STI which is Singapore’s benchmark index, consisting of the 30 largest blue chip companies listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX). In fact, companies on the STI account for more than 70% of the total value of all companies listed on the SGX. Hence, your returns are pretty much based on the overall performance of Singapore's economy. Do note that returns are not guaranteed but investing in ETFs are generally considered as a safe form of investment due to its diversification benefits.

Presently, the two ETFs that track the STI are:

SPDR Straits Times Index ETF (SGX: ES3)

Nikko AM Singapore STI ETF (SGX: G3B)

2) Invest in Singapore Saving Bonds, which is a type of government bond targeted at small retail investors with the minimum investment just $500, giving investors a steady return of ~2.20% at very low risk. The photo below is from the interest calculator from the SGS website, to give you a better idea of the returns on your investment.

Overall, these two strategies are good because you can liquidate them at low cost/no penalty and channel your capital to other forms of investments once you are more confident!