Advice for age 42

[highsulphur]

Adam Khoo so good? What is his portfolio and returns history? Looking to learn more from anybody with a 9-figure investment portfolio (without leverage)...

9 figure
More than 100m? Coming here to HWZ?

 

[singaporean11]

9 figure
More than 100m? Coming here to HWZ?

Need to learn from 9-figure portfolio means I got less mah.
I go learn from somebody with 7-figure portfolio for what when I have earned much more than them through investment?

 

[s0crates]

I used to think like you until i get to learn these people

1. Shao Chun, 2 million USD age 38
2. Christopher Ng,2 million at age 39
3. Contra Turtle, 4.5 million USD age 38
4. Dividend Warrior - he is in Hwz too

These are called rich
I'm already 42 this year and my portfolio is still way far from target

Comparison is thief of joy. You compare with them you feel like you are behind, and worst case you end up speculating with your money and do even worse for yourself.

These people are either high earners or made some big speculative gains from investing. None of them are average people that we can try to emulate from to replicate their success.

 

[elvintay07]

Need to learn from 9-figure portfolio means I got less mah.
I go learn from somebody with 7-figure portfolio for what when I have earned much more than them through investment?

This type of mentality is not correct. When we learn; we need to lend from powerhouse ppl. Like Buffett, Munger, Peter Lynch.

I feel in Singapore, Adam Khoo is the closest. The rest just like our Kopi friend la. Can also consider Boon Tee, Chi Keng, Kelvin, Demi all these. Can pool enough ppl go cruise and bikini party together.

 

[wutawa]

i am a selfish person. i only care abt my portfolio value, bo chap others. i am also greedy. regardless how big or small their portfolio values r, as long as their investment styles suit me, i will copy.

$500k portfolio also my objective. 2025 gotten $380 div. not much in cpf. i cant rent out my whole hdb because i dont have another place to stay.

 

[DevilPlate]

Need to learn from 9-figure portfolio means I got less mah.
I go learn from somebody with 7-figure portfolio for what when I have earned much more than them through investment?

We shd learn from u since u got 8digit portfolio

Sibei haolian sia

 

[itedino]

i am a selfish person. i only care abt my portfolio value, bo chap others. i am also greedy. regardless how big or small their portfolio values r, as long as their investment styles suit me, i will copy.

$500k portfolio also my objective. 2025 gotten $380 div. not much in cpf. i cant rent out my whole hdb because i dont have another place to stay.

How old r u

 

[Soomp!]

BBCW pointed this out in the other thread: while the 4% rule is independent of what your portfolio's invested in, using a low-growth income portfolio puts you at more risk of running out of money. You'll probably either need to pivot your portfolio more toward stocks (and growth in particular), or reduce your withdrawal rate.

I think I need to boost my income growth ? Looking at the stock market now with all the "through the roof" kind of stock value, I'm afraid to enter now.

In your position, you might want to focus on building up your day job: getting raises, getting promoted, whatever that path to a higher salary looks like. There's no magic bullet to making your portfolio grow faster - not without taking some risk, somewhere, of blowing yourself up.

I think I will be consistent to put in 120 per day also to cut my expenses.

On a related note, I'm gonna answer a question you didn't ask: "is this the right portfolio for someone who wants to retire in eight years and needs a lot of capital growth to get there?" ... and the answer is "no, it's not; income stocks are a trap". When you're working and still accumulating retirement savings, you don't need income from your investments; you need capital growth.

My strategy is a bit similar to Christopher Ng who said before that

1. We do not want the 30 percent withholding tax
2. 40 percent estate duty tax for non US domicile
3. Exchange rate risk. Who knows if US dollar is gonna stay strong against SGD

Warren buffet said
Invest in things that we understand and those that as use daily.

To invest in high growth stock, yes the potential upside is high but I don't really see the business in my day to day life.

That's why I'm still into income strategy

 

[Soomp!]

Don’t learn from thsee ppl la. Contra turtle portfolio is $500k and not $4.5m. If want to learn, at least benchmark Adam Khoo. All The best

I saw that he sat with TFC thought that is his portfolio. And it is a hook YouTube title by the channel

 

[Soomp!]

Don’t learn from thsee ppl la. Contra turtle portfolio is $500k and not $4.5m. If want to learn, at least benchmark Adam Khoo. All The best

Yeah you guys know the legend. So please don't say that I'm anywhere "rich"

 

[Soomp!]

We shd learn from u since u got 8digit portfolio

Sibei haolian sia

Wow..
Didn't know hwz can someone more pro than those guru I know...

Hail to the champion.

 

[yslvlys]

I saw that he sat with TFC thought that is his portfolio. And it is a hook YouTube title by the channel

Contra turtle got TFC interview b4?

 

[Shiny Things]

I think I need to boost my income growth ? Looking at the stock market now with all the "through the roof" kind of stock value, I'm afraid to enter now.

Hmm, OK, I realize I might not have been clear enough. Let me try again.

"Income" and "growth" are opposites. When you build a portfolio, you can either focus on capital gains (having the value of the shares grow) or on income (getting dividends from the portfolio); you can't do both, because stocks with high income tend to have low capital gains. (SG-REITS are the absolute best example of this - they pay high yields but the share price performance tends to be atrocious, especially when you factor in the regular dilutive capital calls that they love to make).

Most people think they want income from their investments, but here's the thing: most people already get income from their jobs. The only people who actually need income are retired folks, or other folks who don't have steady income. Folks who chase income when they don't need it are giving up the opportunity for long-term capital growth.

It sounds like you have a job that gives you income to live off, so my point is that you don't need to chase income in your investment portfolio. Those REITS and that dividend-chasing are keeping you down.

I'll talk more about "through the roof" and valuation later.

I think I will be consistent to put in 120 per day also to cut my expenses.

That's a great start: that's $30k/yr (assuming you work 250 days/year), and that'll get you a big chunk of the way to $500k in eight years. This is what I was saying: one of the best ways to accelerate your portfolio is to earn more, so that you have more to invest in the first place.

1. We do not want the 30 percent withholding tax
2. 40 percent estate duty tax for non US domicile
3. Exchange rate risk. Who knows if US dollar is gonna stay strong against SGD

1. You don't pay the 30% WHT if you buy Irish-domiciled ETFs like IWDA or CSPX. This is a solved problem.
2. Again, if you buy Irish-domiciled ETFs, there is no estate duty for Singaporean residents.
3. Yes, that's true: who knows? That's why smart investors diversify their portfolio between Singaporean and overseas assets.

So I understand that you're concerned by the way that the market looks expensive, and that's normal. But it doesn't change the fact that the best, most reliable way to get to your goal (a $500k portfolio in eight years' time) is to, firstly, earn more; and secondly, invest that extra employment income in a diversified portfolio. Eight years is a long time, and that's plenty of time to ride out any potential downturns in the market.

Warren buffet said
Invest in things that we understand and those that as use daily. To invest in high growth stock, yes the potential upside is high but I don't really see the business in my day to day life.

I've got a couple of things here that I'd like you to challenge yourself with.

Firstly, here's something to chew on: who made the computer (or the phone) that you're typing this on (GOOG, +70% YTD; INTC +100% YTD, AMD +80% YTD)? Was your hard disk made by Western Digital (+260% YTD) or Seagate (+220% YTD)? Do you own a Coach or Kate Spade bag (Tapestry, the parent of both brands, is up 67% YTD)? Have you watched Hacks* or Heated Rivalry (Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns HBO, is +127% YTD)? These names might not immediately come to mind, but you absolutely interact with them all day every day.

But more broadly, unless you run an insurance company, you don't need to invest like Warren Buffett: you need to invest like you. And your needs are different from Uncle Wozza's - for example, he needs regular cashflow to pay out on insurance policies, but you don't need cashflow from your portfolio until you retire. So it wouldn't make sense for you to invest like Warren Buffett.

*and if you haven't watched Hacks, you absolutely should: it's hysterically funny.

 

[Shiny Things]

Also, at the risk of being That Guy: "invest in what you know" was a Peter Lynch maxim, not Warren Buffett.

Warren Buffett did say something along the lines of "I don't invest in technology because I don't understand it", but since he said that, he invested a truckload of money in Apple, so I don't think it applies any more.

 

[Soomp!]

Hmm, OK, I realize I might not have been clear enough. Let me try again.

"Income" and "growth" are opposites. When you build a portfolio, you can either focus on capital gains (having the value of the shares grow) or on income (getting dividends from the portfolio); you can't do both, because stocks with high income tend to have low capital gains. (SG-REITS are the absolute best example of this - they pay high yields but the share price performance tends to be atrocious, especially when you factor in the regular dilutive capital calls that they love to make).

Most people think they want income from their investments, but here's the thing: most people already get income from their jobs. The only people who actually need income are retired folks, or other folks who don't have steady income. Folks who chase income when they don't need it are giving up the opportunity for long-term capital growth.

It sounds like you have a job that gives you income to live off, so my point is that you don't need to chase income in your investment portfolio. Those REITS and that dividend-chasing are keeping you down.

I'll talk more about "through the roof" and valuation later.


That's a great start: that's $30k/yr (assuming you work 250 days/year), and that'll get you a big chunk of the way to $500k in eight years. This is what I was saying: one of the best ways to accelerate your portfolio is to earn more, so that you have more to invest in the first place.


1. You don't pay the 30% WHT if you buy Irish-domiciled ETFs like IWDA or CSPX. This is a solved problem.
2. Again, if you buy Irish-domiciled ETFs, there is no estate duty for Singaporean residents.
3. Yes, that's true: who knows? That's why smart investors diversify their portfolio between Singaporean and overseas assets.

So I understand that you're concerned by the way that the market looks expensive, and that's normal. But it doesn't change the fact that the best, most reliable way to get to your goal (a $500k portfolio in eight years' time) is to, firstly, earn more; and secondly, invest that extra employment income in a diversified portfolio. Eight years is a long time, and that's plenty of time to ride out any potential downturns in the market.


I've got a couple of things here that I'd like you to challenge yourself with.

Firstly, here's something to chew on: who made the computer (or the phone) that you're typing this on (GOOG, +70% YTD; INTC +100% YTD, AMD +80% YTD)? Was your hard disk made by Western Digital (+260% YTD) or Seagate (+220% YTD)? Do you own a Coach or Kate Spade bag (Tapestry, the parent of both brands, is up 67% YTD)? Have you watched Hacks* or Heated Rivalry (Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns HBO, is +127% YTD)? These names might not immediately come to mind, but you absolutely interact with them all day every day.

But more broadly, unless you run an insurance company, you don't need to invest like Warren Buffett: you need to invest like you. And your needs are different from Uncle Wozza's - for example, he needs regular cashflow to pay out on insurance policies, but you don't need cashflow from your portfolio until you retire. So it wouldn't make sense for you to invest like Warren Buffett.

*and if you haven't watched Hacks, you absolutely should: it's hysterically funny.

Hearing from you seems to tell me that I am still into the phrase of wealth accumulation and not wealth preservation.

Dividend paying stocks seems to make myself psychology sleep better at night.

I think I will still stick to the strategy of buying dividend paying stocks off SGX since I'm trying to shadow Christopher Ng (Dr Wealth) and also Warren Kor Kor.

I had recently added the portfolio of 1,275 per month into ISAC (global equities) with my SRS in hope that this fund will increase my growth rate.

First target of 2026,
I am targeting to get 250K invested in dividend paying stocks to draw 5 percent of it that is 1K per month as income.

Second target of 2026,
1275 into SRS every month for growth. So I have some growth portfolio.

That will basically close to labour work of 8.4K per month invested for this entire year of 2026

If I can't get them rate, probably half of it will also be good.

Target is set now.
Achieve it or not is another level.

 

[Soomp!]

Just my 2 quick views.

If mainly reits, I feel not diversified enough. If reits sector hit, then may dent your income. Can have bond component also as part of your portfolio.

You can conservatively estimate and include your CPF (life) payout as part of your portfolio.

I’m working towards the same target as you. All the best.

I will encourage you to also pen it down like me over here or somewhere else to look at what we have been doing.

This keep is accountable and responsible for all the things we have done.

To achieve fire is to keep expenses low and inbstment high

It is a sacrifice we put through life to harvest later in life

 

[Wishdom]

1. You want to start investing 8.6k/month
2. You currently have 161k portfolio
3. You want to retire off 500k portfolio

That means you are relatively higher income and have been consistently spending a bulk of them until your current age.

You sure you can suddenly change your lifestyle and spending habits to retire off 500k?

My advice is to save aggressively and give yourself more runway before retiring at 65.

 

[BBCWatcher]

…..Have you watched Hacks* or Heated Rivalry (Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns HBO, is +127% YTD)?
[….]
*and if you haven't watched Hacks, you absolutely should: it's hysterically funny.

As an important aside, Heated Rivalry is fantastic.

HBO Max has started streaming at least some of the 6 episodes in the Philippines and Thailand, and HBO Max also bought the rights for Singapore. It should start streaming here soon in 2026.

 

[Shiny Things]

Hearing from you seems to tell me that I am still into the phrase of wealth accumulation and not wealth preservation.

Yep, that's correct. You're still trying to grow your account, so you're in the wealth-accumulation phase. (You said it yourself - you're trying to grow your portfolio to reach $500k - and you don't need to fixate on income.)

I had recently added the portfolio of 1,275 per month into ISAC (global equities) with my SRS in hope that this fund will increase my growth rate.

Yep! Good call.

As an important aside, Heated Rivalry is fantastic.

Oh yes. The only thing better than Heated Rivalry doing numbers on HBO was the WSJ getting this memorable quote from a presumably befuddled NHL spokesperson:

WSJ, Dec 17 2025:

The National Hockey League hasn’t formally embraced the novels but it’s not complaining. “We have to admit this might just be the most novel and surprising way new fans are finding our sport,” said spokesman Jon Weinstein.

 

[Soomp!]

1. You want to start investing 8.6k/month
2. You currently have 161k portfolio
3. You want to retire off 500k portfolio

That means you are relatively higher income and have been consistently spending a bulk of them until your current age.

You sure you can suddenly change your lifestyle and spending habits to retire off 500k?

My advice is to save aggressively and give yourself more runway before retiring at 65.

I'm targeting to invest 4.6K per month to hit my target (minimum)

If I can raise it to 8.6K I can get there faster.

My portfolio raises to 167K today. Mainly are Reits.

I had just hit another 15,300 into sti etf using stashaway although I try to get into ISAC
I can't understand the interface. I think I had added the Singapore portfolio and I got into it

I also have say 5000 units under custodian under SC on G3B valued now at 23K

And also 7560 units under custodian of POSB on G3B valued now at 35K

So I will say my portfolio is currently at 225K ?

Also there is a failed investment that my mum and me walked into UOB and and get a monthly M income plan with Eastspring
This is invested at 10,000 but currently it is 5.8K which is 43.61 percent down.

If we count as per now, it is 230K probably
I need another 270K to hit my target which is 8 years time span.

This exclude the 15K under SRS. If we get it in I'm 255K away which is 50 percent to go.
-----
For my spending, I like frugally and I drive taxi to get cash to invest. I have other business running and again I don't spend those money and only on the needful.

I probably spend 2K per month for a family of 4 and I go Malaysia and batam to leverage on the strong sgd

In Singapore, I do not spend apart on occasionally food at eatery.
I'm determined on my savings.