For an average joe in his 40s, the only way to level up in life is through investing/trading

[Cashflow202]

I'm glad I started in my 20s.

Actually 40s should start to enjoy the fruits of your labour.
Link
My Q3 2025 Portfolio Update

care to show myfxbook portfolio?




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[MoeLanYong]

that’s leverage, borrowing against your mortgage, no? as long as you have a stable job and steady income it’s fine but if you lose your job you risk losing not just the property but also the mortgage payments you’ve already made.

that’s why for many people dca into the s&p 500 is a safer long term approach you’re not borrowing to invest so there’s no risk of forced liquidation instead you’re steadily buying into the world’s 500 largest companies spreading your entry points over time this way you benefit from compounding returns lower volatility and long term market growth without the financial pressure that leverage brings.

be open minded bah, there are many ways to make money, the key is to stay disciplined, understand your risk to give yourself balance and peace of mind, some do well with property others grow wealth through consistent investing , or even better both.

30 years up, 1,423%.

Use rent collected to pay mortgage if unemployed. Leverage on a bank loan to get an invest-able amount 5 times your capital. Your property is yours to own and will not vanish. That's the peace of mind. I will not have a peace of mind when my entire life savings is vested in an instrument controlled by others. Every time, there is a dip, my hearts beats a bit faster. Also, I am not keen to follow any markets when I am 70+ mid way retirement. I dun mind visiting my property to check whether it is still there. This I can do when 85 too. Btw, my fil is 85. Mind lapsed. Weakened. Dun say check ETF. Set up paynow also got problem. The thing is, market players think their minds are still lucid at 85 as though they are forever in their 40s or 50s.

 

[weng0202]

Investing is also not fast track to success

it can supplement your income, if you want to make BIG BUCK, there are high risk involved

are u ready to take that kind of risk?

Any investments also got risk so you can mitigate it by diversifying. Don't buy single stocks lor, buy s&p500 ETF or world index ETF. Much safer especially over a long period.

 

[soulblader_89]

Buy house, stay until MOP, rent out, then go overseas find place to rent and have fun

If single, quite easy mode, just buy flat, rent out rooms or entire unit = income source

Then funnel that income to invest or spend = financial freedom

then how to pay for the mortgage? cpf?

 

[VEF888]

Use rent collected to pay mortgage if unemployed. Leverage on a bank loan to get an invest-able amount 5 times your capital. Your property is yours to own and will not vanish. That's the peace of mind. I will not have a peace of mind when my entire life savings is vested in an instrument controlled by others. Every time, there is a dip, my hearts beats a bit faster. Also, I am not keen to follow any markets when I am 70+ mid way retirement. I dun mind visiting my property to check whether it is still there. This I can do when 85 too. Btw, my fil is 85. Mind lapsed. Weakened. Dun say check ETF. Set up paynow also got problem. The thing is, market players think their minds are still lucid at 85 as though they are forever in their 40s or 50s.

illogical bah. if you can’t even set up or do the things you managed in your 50s/60s, what makes you think you can handle all the admin work of renting out a property? sure, you can still visit it, but you might not even remember which floor it’s on. lol.

rent it out? to who, during a crisis? retrenched expats? when no one’s renting, let’s see if your heart skips a beat or not, in jobless state. in hindsight, any investment will seems easy.

during the asian financial crisis, many lost their jobs, properties got foreclosed, and the worst are those who still has o/s loans after losing their property. many said property prices in hk, beijing, or shanghai would never fall, just look at what’s happening now.

all investments come with risk. the key is being clear about your time horizon, and only putting in what you can afford to leave untouched without losing sleep.

singapore’s gdp per capita is around 90k usd, but how much room is there left to grow?
esp with rising rental and property prices, and wages as high as any developed amdk countires. it has to stay ultra competitive to keep attracting foreign capital and investment. wouldn't be as easy as before that's for sure.

WNWAMTOT.

 

[kebinu]

In my experience, I have never met one bad tenant. They all pay. Or you kick them out and confiscate their deposit. Either way you win. You want it fuss free, buy overseas and get it managed by a company. What cost? One is collecting rent, not paying rent. Reits is controlled by someone else. Property, you own the keys. You decide your own fate.

Yes property can leverage on a bank loan. This is why your ROI is so much better. Your $200k can borrow $800 to buy a $1m property. Your ROI is based on $1m. Not based on your $200k. Five times.

Appreciation + rent income will beat any equity investment. My property has gone from $550k to $1.6m in 10 years. Thats more than 200% appreciation. And I have not counted the rent income yet. Amount invested 20% of $550k = $110k. Meaning I made more than $1m with $110k. Hope your Tesla stock can do that now

Technically, I have 2 hdb and 1 condo and equities. I do hope I can get good tenants like you in a few years times, though so far so good for my commercial properties, though 1 delay payment twice, then end of his lease, didn't cancel his SP services, I sold my property within 2 months of his exit, and he find me to claim his cost 1 year later. lol.

Overall, I find rental income so so only, prefer growth and capital return to see bigger numbers.

If Elon can get his 1T payout, it means I have done it with Tsla, and somehow, the return is similar as yours in terms of quantum and multiples. lol. It's only a single % of overall NW, so no biggie.

 

[Bad kids]

Nah. Investing may lose money. You got to know what you are doing. My wife is a private banker. She has done this for >30 years. She tells me 9 out of 10 customers lose money. I know I am going to offend alot of people. Forget trading markets like stocks, derivatives, ETFs, commodities, bonds, forex etc. You are a layman and you set up to lose.

You as a layman are the last person to know of news, even if it just came out. The CEO may on a the ledge of a building waiting to jump because his company has gone so south while you are busy lapping up 3rd hand info ready to plonk your life savings into his company.

I don't do it and neither does my wife. I have lost an arm and leg before. The best investment is just propery. You own the key to your house. Everything is within your own control. Collect rent and watch your property appreciate. The ROI is better too. You are leveraging on a bank loan.

I AGREED WITH THIS... there are some ppl think they can turn 50K into 7 mil....

 

[Bad kids]

Let say 10 average joe and a Smart Alex put 1 million into a bucket for 'investment' with a 5% ROI... for 10 years

The bucket has 16 million.... how do you distribute to this 11 person?

 

[ask_yip]

if it's that easy, then who will be working?

 

[win_man]

lucky i started at 35yo. Suffered major losses and now its time to restart proper. if anyone who is gonna start at 40, i think better to have a mentor.

 

[Kuudere]

then how to pay for the mortgage? cpf?

Cpf if you are still working, rental/dividends if you aim to go overseas don’t come back

 

[kitsura]

The other thing about real estate is not really liquid. You buy private need wait 3 year before selling otherwise need pay additional stamp duty. HDB depending on scheme could be 5 or 10 years MOP. And sell must see if correct timing. If interest rates shoot up to 6% good luck finding buyers!

 

[kitsura]

lucky i started at 35yo. Suffered major losses and now its time to restart proper. if anyone who is gonna start at 40, i think better to have a mentor.

The best time to plant a tree is yesterday, 2nd best time is now!

 

[Ec7171]

Investing grow absolute numbers yes. Yes it provide stable income etc like a stable job. But investing with 3% gain is merely covering inflation. You probably need 10% to see it as a form of income.

nowadays i feel funds are everywhere. So it is always a good time to use ppl money to start something.
If you are so good at analyzing financial statements , then find good opportunity to start a biz. Creating value is a better way to level up.

 

[winorlose]

Not bad la
Helped my wife account grew
Picked some solid AI plays with commons and options

 

[winorlose]

There were a lot of plays during the past year in US mkt which have made alot of people rich.. 5digits to 7digits portfolio.

I just choose 1 with conviction because even Nvda is invested with them. $NBIS


gif trump

 

[HumJiBeng]

if it's that easy, then who will be working?

That is where u (and most people) are wrong. Stock is not a get rich fast. It can turn many average Joe into multi millionaire in 20 years. But u still need to work 20 years to pump in money and watch it compound growth over 20 years.

So yes. U still have to be working from 18 to 38 year old unless u have rich father who can give u capital

 

[Joe Maya]

Don't get married.

Don't get a car.

Flip BTO.

You're good to go.

 

[N4E.SI]

That is where u (and most people) are wrong. Stock is not a get rich fast. It can turn many average Joe into multi millionaire in 20 years. But u still need to work 20 years to pump in money and watch it compound growth over 20 years.

So yes. U still have to be working from 18 to 38 year old unless u have rich father who can give u capital

Also I think a lot of people missed the point of my discussion

What I am saying here is this - If you are an average joe stuck in a low pay job and you have no other exceptional talent or skills, that regular investing in the stock market over the long term will help to build your wealth and improve the quality of your life

Yes it takes time and effort, but the average joes, it is a more practical approach than starting a biz or investing in properties

My discussion is not about HOW TO BECOME A MILLIONAIRE BY AGE 20 YO or HOW TO BECOME SUPER HYER RICH OVERNIGHT !!!

A lot of people didn't even read properly and start to kaopei kaobu

 

[chaiscool]

if it's that easy, then who will be working?

Even bankers / traders who get paid as professional also take salary sia.