Invest Early and Build Your Wealth at a Faster Pace

It’s never too young to start learning and investing

Oliver’s mantra when it comes to investing is to start at a young age and in small portions over a long period of time. “Adopting a long-term investment time horizon not only enables you to aggregate your investment knowledge and build market sense over time but also allows your investments sufficient time to grow into a corpus that meets your financial goals,” advocates Oliver. “I recommend setting aside 1-5% of your monthly paycheck and building it over time so that your money continues to stay invested, without it becoming an investment burden.”

"Adopting a long-term investment time horizon not only enables you to aggregate your investment knowledge and build market sense over time but also allows your investments sufficient time to grow into a corpus that meets your financial goals."

Oliver developed an interest in investing when he was in high school. He opened his first brokerage account and ventured into the uncharted Chinese stock market. As a newbie, he encountered his fair share of losses but in the process derived plenty of practical learning lessons.

Whilst at Bentley University, Oliver was recruited into the Bentley investment group as an analyst. After graduation, Oliver joined his family business and managed the company investments in the stock, capital, and private equity markets. “Today, I am still learning and will continue to do so for the rest of my life,” discloses Oliver.

Underscoring the importance of grasping the market cycle

“Be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy when others are fearful,” Oliver quotes, taking a leaf from Warren Buffet. “During the economic boom, be extremely cautious of overpriced assets, keep your eyes peeled on the ground and be acutely aware of what is happening in the market. During an economic recession or when the market has reached a trough, enter to benefit from deflated assets with strong fundamentals,” shares Oliver.

“Of course, it is impossible to predict the perfect timing to enter or exit the market. You’ll never know when the market will hit rock bottom but after going through a few investment cycles (the long runway is the result of starting early), you would more or less have an idea. This is how you build your portfolio over time by determining the risk you want to take. There is no secret recipe and no shortcuts. You just have to average out your investments, also known as Dollar-Cost Averaging, when you can sense that the market is at a trough,” shares Oliver.

Shaping my future on a solid real estate foundation

Oliver heralds from a family of real estate developers. He reminiscences how since young, he was taught that once one aggregates a certain amount of wealth, the savvy thing to do is to park it into something physical and tangible. He quips, “My parents invest in real estate in undeveloped countries. I gradually started to build my knowledge and learned the intricacies of the business, from scratch.”

Strong family support coupled with sharp business acumen and passion to familiarise himself with the real estate business has allowed Oliver to develop and grow over time. He reiterates, “I don’t consider managing my family-owned business a profession but a passion. I hope to change the world for the better through running impactful businesses, uplifting the community and building a sustainable future.”

It’s been more than four years since Oliver joined the family business, Seinn Properties in 2019. A long-established real estate commercial development company, Seinn Properties utilises local networks and international expertise to build a better community. “Over these four years, I believe I’ve found my ikigai, a Japanese concept that describes the things that give me a deep sense of purpose, satisfaction and joy while driving me to keep moving,” adds Oliver.

How RealVantage strikes a chord by ticking the right boxes

Oliver arrived in Singapore in 2022 to enroll in a one-year master’s programme in Technopreneurship and Innovation at NTU. At the same time, he was scouring for investment opportunities to diversify his personal portfolio. Although he was actively trading in the U.S. stock market, Oliver was looking for something more tangible, relating to the investment philosophy he was accustomed to.

“Naturally, I steered towards real estate and while googling online, RealVantage appeared at the top of Google search,” says Oliver. “I had never heard of RealVantage and didn’t know what this company was doing and its business model. However, as I delved deeper into its website, specifically under the Literature section, which stocks a library of extensive A to Z information on real estate, I was able to glean valuable insights and this opened my eyes to the world of fractional real estate investment. My interest was piqued and I wanted to know more. I proceeded to register for an account.”

In spite of this, Oliver still harboured second thoughts about the platform. A barrage of questions was racing through his mind - how does the concept of fractional real estate investment work? What are the associated risks and rewards? How does the investment committee sniff out good deals? What is the criteria in RealVantage’s selection of developers to collaborate with? And most importantly, how safe is it to invest his money with this company?

What turned it around for Oliver was the opportunity to meet with RealVantage’s co-founder, Mao Foo Ching. “At that time, I was working on a project for my master’s programme, that required me to interview entrepreneurs of start-up companies,” explains Oliver. According to him, Mao possesses the characteristics of a successful entrepreneur who embodies many skills and talents. “He has a clear vision for RealVantage, its values, and what he desires to accomplish. He is very focused and relentless in his pursuit of success. As Mao regales enthusiastically about his involvement in the company, I can feel his fervent passion, zeal and commitment. The entrepreneurial spirit in him was infectious and very much alive! At that point, I knew the company was in good hands and I proceeded to fund my account,” opines Oliver.

Although Oliver has only invested in RealVantage for about a year, he gives a thumbs up to the company for being proactive in pushing out deals and conducting regular networking sessions for investors, taking time to alleviate their concerns. “Such dedication instills trust and having had the privilege to be acquainted with Mao boosted my confidence, and convinced me of its huge potential,” says Oliver.

The ‘real’ deal

"The business model of fractional ownership of real estate assets means I can diversify and customise my investment portfolio according to my budget, risk appetite, and desired returns."

As an investor, RealVantage’s concept of co-investing appeals to Oliver. “The business model of fractional ownership of real estate assets means I can diversify and customise my investment portfolio according to my budget, risk appetite, and desired returns,” says Oliver.

“So far, the investment deals rolled out by RealVantage are in stable, developed countries with corresponding high returns. Where else can you find deals with a 19-20% internal rate of return (IRR) within a span of three years? No doubt there is more liquidity in stocks, but in the volatile stock market, you are exposed to a slew of uncertainties that present themselves with their own set of risks. Hence, the need to weigh the risks versus the corresponding rewards,” he adds.

Considerations to enhance customer experience

Mobile App

Like many investors who have a busy lifestyle and are always on the move due to work exigencies, Oliver shares that he may not have ready access to a notebook or PC. “Allowing investors to monitor and keep track of their investments whilst receiving updates from a mobile device would be especially helpful for investors like me,” quips Oliver. “Nowadays, most businesses can be conducted with access to just a mobile phone. Thus, the possibility to equip investors with 24/7 easy access to the portal using an application would be highly desirable.”

Feature articles and podcast

Oliver also enjoys reading the literature section on the RealVantage website and believes that more can be done to further enhance its contents. “The literature section delivers high quality, valuable insights and is helpful for new investors who are not familiar with or find it challenging to grasp specific real estate terminology. Timely updates via feature articles or podcasts would certainly help navigate newbies on the path to success more quickly,” he shares.

Educational workshops

“If possible, I would like to see RealVantage conduct regular educational workshops, where the investment committee or subject matter experts could either share their knowledge and experiences or delve into a current topic objectively and interactively, providing investors an opportunity to learn in a quick and approachable way,” suggests Oliver.

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.