AssetVaultSG: Money Talk for Singapore, From Someone Who Reads Too Much
I run AssetVaultSG on my own. One person, one laptop, a lot of tabs open.
I write about money for people who live in Singapore or plan to. Locals, PRs, expats on an EP, folks who just got their first CPF statement and stared at it for ten minutes. I read the reports, the MAS notices, the REIT filings and the long arguments between fund managers, and then I tell you what I took away from them. In normal words.
The Story Behind AssetVaultSG
I live in India, in Ahmedabad. People ask me about that a lot, so let me get it out of the way.
Around 2021, my cousin moved to Singapore for a job at a bank. A college friend followed a year later. Then another. Soon my phone kept buzzing with the same questions, just from different people.
“Should I put money in SRS this year?”
“My colleague says buy REITs. Which ones?”
“Can I even buy a condo here? Should I?”
I had no idea. I hate not knowing things, so I started digging.
Singapore has fantastic official information. CPF Board, IRAS and MAS all publish clear stuff. Expert opinion? Tons of it. But experts mostly write for other experts, and a lot of beginner content either stays shallow or nudges you toward some product by the third paragraph. My friends sat right in the gap between those two. So did I.
I kept notes. The notes grew. A friend forwarded one to her team at work and three strangers messaged me asking for more. That pushed me to put everything in one place, and AssetVaultSG came out of it.
I don’t call myself an expert. I collect what experts say, line their views up side by side, and check them against the original documents. Where they agree, I tell you. Where they fight, I show you both camps. When I’ve got my own take (and I usually do), I label it as mine.
I stay independent on purpose. Once a writer depends on one bank or one platform for income, the writing changes. Not in big obvious ways. Small ones. A softer word here, a skipped downside there. I’d take lower earnings over that any day.
Why looking in from outside helps
I don’t hold a CPF account. I’ve never lived in an HDB flat. No Singapore bank has my loyalty. So I ask the dumb questions locals stopped asking years ago, and sometimes the dumb questions turn up the best answers.
India also gives me a weird kind of contrast. I watch a market where millions of retail investors pile into stocks, the rupee swings, and fintech apps launch every week. Next to that chaos, I can see what Singapore gets right. I can also spot where all that stability makes people a bit too relaxed.
Still, I write every post for Singapore readers. India just gives me the angle I look from.
What I Cover & Why It Matters for Singapore
Personal Wealth & Banking. CPF, SRS, Singapore Savings Bonds, T-bills, fixed deposits, robo-advisors, insurance. Dull topics, sure. They also decide whether you retire at 63 feeling fine or feeling stressed. I compare trade-offs instead of making “best account this month” lists.
Property & REITs. Singaporeans love talking property, and I get why. I dig into HDB vs private, what cooling measures cost you in actual dollars, and the S-REIT market. A fat yield means nothing to me if gearing sits near the limit and leases expire next year.
Digital Assets & Web3. Singapore welcomed crypto and then tightened the screws, and that left plenty of people confused. I try to sort regulated from risky and spell out what a licence protects you from (less than you’d hope). Some readers won’t like my takes here. Fair enough.
Business & Corporate Tech. For freelancers, small business owners and founders. Business accounts, payment tools, accounting software, and how tech changes the way companies here move money.
Expat & Lifestyle Assets. The section that started everything. Sending money home, juggling accounts in two or three countries, what happens to your investments when your pass ends, and the costs nobody mentions until you pay them.
A Note on Transparency & Independence
Read this bit, please.
I run AssetVaultSG as a personal blog. I don’t operate a company, a corporate office, a bank or a registered firm. MAS doesn’t license or regulate me. I hold no licence as a financial adviser, broker or property agent in Singapore, India or anywhere else.
Everything you find here counts as research, commentary, reviews and my personal opinion. I share it for general information and learning. Don’t treat it as financial, investment, tax, legal or property advice. I don’t know your salary, your goals, your family or how much risk lets you sleep at night, so I can’t advise you on any of it.
Some other things you should know:
- I interpret what experts say, and I can get it wrong. Rules and rates also change after I publish.
- Some posts might carry affiliate links or sponsored mentions. I’ll mark those clearly, and they never decide my opinion of a product.
- I don’t manage money, take deposits or sell investments. If someone contacts you saying they represent AssetVaultSG and offers to invest for you, block them. It’s a scam.
- Before a big decision, check MAS, CPF Board, HDB and IRAS directly, and talk to a licensed professional.
You make the call with your money. I just try to help you ask sharper questions first.
Say Hi
Readers have handed me most of my best post ideas, usually by asking something I couldn’t answer on the spot. So ask away.
Did a post help you? Confuse you? Get something flat wrong? Tell me. I read every message, and I’d rather fix a mistake than leave it sitting online. Got a REIT you’re eyeing or a CPF rule nobody explains properly? Send it my way and I’ll dig in.
Pick whichever section you need, bookmark what helps, and argue with me in the comments.
Thanks for stopping by.
Kaushal Dave, AssetVaultSG