Friday, July 18, 2008

Invest in an indexed fund

Hi Mr. Tan,

1) I read in many reviews that index funds such as the STI usually outperforms managed funds on average. Is this true and would you advise me investing in the STI at this time and who do you advise I manage and adjust on a regular basis?

2) I am looking for a good financial advisor and institution. So far, I have talked to a few financial planners but none has given me the confidence that I will really get my returns over the long term. I am at a loss on how to ensure I have a robust portfolio and where to seek reliable and effective help from. Do you have any specific suggestions on how I can go about it myself or seek advise from?

3) I cannot assess the link in your blog regarding "Financial Planning tips", can you send it to me or have any books i can self educate myself with?

REPLY
I advise my readers to invest in an indexed fund for 10 years or longer. A suitable index fund is the STI ETF. As the index is now 25% below the peak, it is at a good level for investing. Even if the market goes down from here, it will recover in6 to 12 months time (just my opinion).

You can buy the STI ETF through your stock broker. It is quoted on the stock exchange. Read this FAQ:
http://tankinlian.com/faq/savings.html

If you need a financial planner, who is willing to give advice for a fee, you can contact X (details deleted).

The link for Tips on Financial Planning in my blog is working. It leads you to this webpage:
www.tankinlian.com/faq