Always on the Learning Curve of Investing

It was during his days as a London School of Economics student that Eu Jon first developed his interest in investing. “That was during the dot-com boom and I was first exposed to the world of investment then. I received free copies of the Financial Times as a student, and would use it to look for IPOs to apply for,” he recalls with a chuckle.

Despite having spent nine years as a proprietary trader in equity derivatives, before switching to manage his personal and family funds, Eu Jon humbly opines that he is still learning new things about investing every day.

“In the last few years, I have been learning and getting up to speed with different asset classes to understand their behaviour and the risks involved,” he comments, conceding that his learning curve is “pretty steep”.

Fuelling a simple objective with a practical investment approach

He asserts that his goal is primarily capital preservation with healthy risk-adjusted returns. He explains: “I have two kids and I would like to help them pursue their higher education in institutions of their choice.

A firm believer of diversification, Eu Jon says that he never believes in putting all his eggs in one basket. He reveals that his money is allocated to a cornucopia of investments, including public and private fixed income and equities, venture capital, alternatives, including hedge funds, commodities such as gold, cryptocurrencies, as well as real estate.

“I take a long-term diversified approach when it comes to my investments, with most of my allocation longer term in nature and a smaller amount set aside for liquidity and short-term tactical adjustments” says the seasoned investor in his 40s, who maintains that one key takeaway from his learnings is that there is no one-size-fits-all investment solution, and selecting the opportunity that suits an investor’s own personality, style, risk appetite and needs is crucial.

Real estate as a long-term investment

When it comes to longer-term investing, real estate is definitely a preferred investment option for Eu Jon. He reveals: “I typically invest in real estate projects with a longer tenure, say three to five years, and gravitate towards core plus, value-add, and opportunistic projects because I don’t mind sacrificing short-term liquidity for higher returns. Real estate can also be a hedge against inflation.”

"The team at RealVantage is very experienced and has a wide network in the real estate industry. It also adopts a prudent investment mindset and stringent investment criteria, which focus on progressive, longer-term value creation."

He adds that an important reason why he chose to invest with RealVantage is because it offers a convenient platform to invest in real estate overseas. Instead of purchasing a property overseas directly and having to manage the property, RealVantage allows him to diversify the same capital across more real estate projects across life cycles and geographies, with property and asset management matters managed by the professionals.

“The team at RealVantage is very experienced and has a wide network in the real estate industry. It also adopts a prudent investment mindset and stringent investment criteria, which focus on progressive, longer-term value creation,” elaborates Eu Jon, who started investing with the firm from late-2019.

A reassuring investment platform

But it was truly a leap of faith for Eu Jon when he first dived into real estate investing with RealVantage some two-and-a-half years ago. “Being naturally overweight in Singapore real estate, I was looking to gain exposure to overseas real estate, but lacked the knowledge to make a well-informed decision at that time. It was opportune that I got to know the RealVantage team back then, and the whole investment process was very smooth as the team took time to explain how each project is thoroughly scrutinised and assessed in detail before it is deemed worthy of investing” he remarked.

"With RealVantage, I trust that my money is in safe, professional and experienced hands, as RealVantage takes calculated risks, remains disciplined, and conducts extensive research and due diligence before launching any project."

He has never looked back since and has invested in various projects across several countries — of which a few have already completed, or are completing soon, and are on track with regard to their targeted returns. That has inspired Eu Jon to reinvest his returns in other newly launched projects offered by RealVantage.

He adds that the RealVantage investment platform offers “a whole spectrum” of real estate investment options in “bite-sized chunks of a very manageable minimum investment amount of USD25,000”. This provides him with the opportunity to diversify into different types of real estate across various sectors and geographies, taking into account his risk appetite and target returns.

RealVantage obtaining a Capital Markets Services licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore in November 2021 has also boosted his confidence in the firm.

“With RealVantage, I trust that my money is in safe, professional and experienced hands, as RealVantage takes calculated risks, remains disciplined, and conducts extensive research and due diligence before launching any project. The team is also very helpful in addressing any of my clarification, before and after investing, and in providing regular updates on my investments.” he notes.

About RealVantage

RealVantage is a leading real estate co-investment platform, licensed and regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), that allows our investors to diversify across markets, overseas properties, sectors and investment strategies.

The team at RealVantage are highly qualified professionals who brings about a multi-disciplinary vision and approach in their respective fields towards business development, management, and client satisfaction. The team is led by distinguished Board of Advisors and advisory committee who provide cross-functional and multi-disciplinary expertise to the RealVantage team ranging from real estate, corporate finance, technology, venture capital, and startups growth. The team's philosophy, core values, and technological edge help clients build a diversified and high-performing real estate investment portfolio.

Get in touch with RealVantage today to see how they can help you in your real estate investment journey.

Disclaimer: The information and/or documents contained in this article does not constitute financial advice and is meant for educational purposes. Please consult your financial advisor, accountant, and/or attorney before proceeding with any financial/real estate investments.