3 Unit Fund Distributor Plans to Consider in Singapore

It’s important to do your due diligence!

• Unit trusts are an easy and effective way to diversify your portfolio and constitute money pooled from multiple investors and invested into assets such as stocks, bonds and short-term debt. 
• Unit trusts are "actively managed" in that they employ well-paid portfolio managers to pick and choose which assets to buy and sell. They seek to outperform their peers or a benchmark.

Examples of Unit Fund Distributor Plans

1. DBS Regular Savings Plan (RSP)

The DBS RSP allows for monthly investments in mutual funds with underlying assets in shares, bonds and alternative investments, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). With a minimum investment of $100 a month, investors can also invest using cash, CPF funds or the Supplementary Retirement Savings account.

2. PhillipCapital Unit Trust Regular Savings Plan

With a minimum investment amount of $100, investors can choose from over 400 funds. Note - a higher minimum investment amount may be applicable for certain unit trusts. Investors can also use their CPF or SRS funds to make these investments.

3. dollarDEX

DollarDEX offers a regular savings plan (RSP) and a value averaging plan (VAP), allowing investors to invest themselves or in five recommended portfolios, ranging from conservative to aggressive.

Its RSP works just like the RSPs above, with the minimum investment being at least $100 each month. On its VAP, the amount invested is not fixed. Instead, it is tied to a target growth rate and fluctuates based on how well or poorly the fund performed in the previous month. This way, investors will hit their portfolio size at the end of their target investment period.

Dollar-Cost Averaging 💸

In Dollar-Cost Averaging, you split your purchase into separate transactions. You will commit a fixed amount of money to regularly invest in a particular asset. This aims to benefit from price volatility since you buy more units when prices are weaker and fewer when they are stronger. It also takes away the human element of trying to time the market on top of the already difficult decision on what to buy!

Do your due diligence on the fund platforms to see if they offer the exposure to the funds and (perhaps non-traditional) asset classes you are interested in. Take note of the higher fees you may have to pay to invest through them and compare them with the benefits they can bring to your overall portfolio of investments.

INVESTMENT FUND PLATFORM EXAMPLES. COMPLETED. ✅

Sources:

1. https://www.moneysense.gov.sg/articles/2018/10/understanding-unit-trusts
2. Header photo from Unsplash