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As part of my New Year’s resolution, I want to live a healthier and fitter life. This entails two important aspects– to eat healthier food like vegetables and fruits, and to exercise regularly.
To keep myself accountable to what I consume each day, I started using an app that helps keep track of my calories each day, as well as daily macronutrient needs. I also use an app that keeps track of all my runs.
Beyond just keeping tab of my results, these apps also provide me with friendly reminders whenever I miss a training session. After a while, they naturally also become a part of my life.
If eating right and exercising regularly can become a part and parcel of our daily lives, why can’t we make investing a lifestyle habit as well – particularly if we all agree that investing should be an important part of our lives.
While investing on the go may not be an activity that many of us are familiar with yet, it’s not an idea that we should dismiss. As with most things in life, forming the right habits today can help us to enhance our lives significantly for the future. For instance, if we make it a point to workout regularly, we can become fitter, stronger and healthier in the long term.
Likewise, if we can make investing a habit, we would see our financial health and wealth flourish over time.
DBS Vickers App Helps Us Invest & Grow Our Wealth – Wherever We Are
If we intend to make investing a part and parcel of our life, one of the easiest ways to get started would be to download an investment app such as the DBS Vickers app on our phone.
The DBS Vickers app provides us with the access we need to invest or trade on the go wherever we are. As long as we have internet access, we can stay accessible to the financial markets. And since many of us are inseparable from our phone, having the right investment apps enable us to make investing as convenient as booking a private-hire ride or ordering a food delivery.
One thing I personally like with DBS Vickers mobile app is that as DBS Vickers is part of the DBS, we can use the same login details that we are already using for our DBS digibank. There is no need to remember a separate set of details when we are signing up for a DBS Vickers account for the first time, or for any subsequent logins.
It is also extremely easy to sign up for a DBS Vickers account online. As an existing DBS digibank user, the bank already has most of the information it needs to open my DBS Vickers account. For example, since I have used my DBS internet banking account to subscribe to IPOs in the past, DBS already has my CDP account details. Other details such as my NRIC and home address can also be prefilled. And since over 90% of Singapore’s population have a banking relationship with DBS (or POSB), the majority of Singaporeans would similarly enjoy a fuss-free process when they open a DBS Vickers account.
The Newly Revamped DBS Vickers App
Recently revamped with a refreshed look, the DBS Vickers app allows us to trade a wide variety of asset classes conveniently and safely.
For example, when we login, the first thing we see is the dashboard. The dashboard shows us all the essential information we may need such as our buying power and holding value.
For first-time Singapore investors, DBS Vickers is an easy way to make our first trades with an established brand that we are familiar with. Even doing it on our mobile phone is a breeze, similar to inputting what we eat for each meal on a calorie counter app on our phone.
First, identify the stock that you want to invest in. Tap on it on your mobile app to trade it.
One thing we like about the app is that all the information you need to make your order can be found on a single page. As such, there is no need to scroll back later on to double-check if we made a buy/sell order.
We can also set the duration for how long we want our order to be in place. It can be set till the end of the day, or any customise date up to a maximum of 30 calendar days. This is good for investors who are keen to invest/sell at a specific price but don’t want to have to keep checking share prices every day.
Once we make an order, a preview page of our order will be shown again. Double check and confirm the order. The funds (inclusive of commission charges) for how much is needed to make the transaction will be shown. If we click on the information tooltip, we can see the breakdown of all the charges.
When we use DBS Vickers to trade, we don’t need to worry about forgetting to pay for our trades as this would automatically be debited from our DBS Multi-Currency Account linked to our trading account (we do need to ensure we have enough money in the account). When we sell our investments, the proceeds will also be credited directly into our savings accounts.
If we want to invest on the go using the DBS Vickers app, here are the 5 types of asset classes that we can look to trade on.
5 Types Of Assets We Can Trade Through The DBS Vickers App
#1 Stocks
Stocks are the most widely known asset classes for most investors. When we invest in a stock, we become an owner of the company and have a stake in the long-term profitability of the company. As the company grows over time (ideally), the value of our stock ownership may increase in value and thus helping us to build wealth. Some companies also pay out regular dividends which give us another source of passive income.
With DBS Vickers, we can invest in stocks that are listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) as well as companies that are listed overseas. For example, we can trade US stocks such as Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Facebook and Tesla on the NYSE or NASDAQ through the DBS Vickers app.
Beyond Singapore and the US, we can also choose to invest in other major markets such as Canada and Hong Kong.
#2 Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
For those who prefer not to invest in individual stocks due to a lack of time or knowledge to choose the right companies, one other option is to invest in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
ETFs, particularly index-based ETFs, can provide us with investment exposure to a basket of stocks. This helps us to easily build a diversified portfolio through a single investment in an ETF. We can choose to invest in index-based ETF or sector-based ETFs such as a REIT ETF. There are also ETFs that provide us with exposure to certain asset classes such as fixed income and commodities.
For those who are new to investing in ETFs, one thing that I think is important is knowing what are the major indices to follow. To discover some of the major indices, you can use the DBS Vickers mobile app to discover them under the tab “Indices”. With that, you can select the markets you want to follow.
We selected “Global” and were shown some of the major markets that Singapore investors would want to follow.
Once we become familiar with these indices, it becomes a lot easier to follow the markets.
To invest in any of these major indices, we can invest in an ETF that tracks the index. In this way, the returns that we enjoy will closely correspond to the performance of the indices, allowing us to take a hands-off approach towards investing.
#3 Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
In Singapore, many of us (myself included) love the idea of investing in properties as they can provide us with passive rental income. Instead of investing directly in properties, an easier way would be to invest in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). REITs are formed by pooling together a portfolio of real estate assets (malls, industrial parks, hotels) that are made available for retail investors to invest in on the exchange.
In Singapore, REITs typically offer relatively high dividend yields as they are mandated to pay out at least 90% of their earnings as dividends to their shareholders.
Singapore, in particular, is a great place for REITs investors as SGX is currently the largest REIT market in Asia excluding Japan. On the SGX, there are more than 40 REITs and property trusts that we can invest in.
Through the DBS Vickers app, we can invest in these REITs. Consider creating a REITs watchlist where you can add some of the shortlisted REITs that you want to invest into the list so that it will be easier to monitor them.
#4 Bonds/Fixed Income Securities
Fixed income securities, also known as bonds, offer investment returns through regular interest payments (known as coupon payments). Bonds are issued by companies or the government, and are usually considered to be less volatile as compared to stocks. They also differ from stocks in the sense that the interest payments provided by these bonds are not contingent on how profitable the companies are, but rather, an obligation of the bond issuers to repay the investor.
Similar to stocks, we can invest in retail bonds listed on SGX via the DBS Vickers app.
#5 Derivative Products Like DLCs and Warrants
For more experienced traders, derivatives such as Daily Leverage Certificates (DLCs) and warrants are one way that we can earn higher returns in a short period of time. Derivatives refer to financial instruments that derive their value from some other underlying assets that it is tracking.
Derivatives such as DLCs utilise leverage to increase the investment exposure for traders. This means that potential returns and losses are magnified, and traders need to closely monitor their positions in order to reap their profits or cut their losses quickly. Do note that DLCs and warrants are classified as Specified Investment Products (SIPs) and that means investors need to be assessed to have the relevant knowledge and experience, before they can trade such products.
Helping Investors Trade With Greater Confidence
Besides just enabling investors to trade on the go, the DBS Vickers app can also support us in our journey to become a better and more confident investor. For example, when we select a stock that we want to trade, we can easily find out more about it by tapping on the “News” tab.
If we want, we can also access ‘Advanced Market Data’ to gather more information on the stocks we wish to trade such as the Bid & Ask which shows us the queue orders for the stock. This way, we can gauge what is the order volume like for both the current bid price and the ask price.
DBS Vickers Integrates Effortlessly With Our DBS NAV Planner
For those of us who are already using the DBS NAV Planner, one added bonus we will enjoy is that any investments that we made via DBS Vickers, including overseas investments, will automatically be included in our DBS NAV Planner. This would give us a holistic bird’s-eye view of our finance that helps us monitor our overall financial health including our savings, insurance and investment positions.
You can sign up for a DBS Vickers account today on the internet or to download the DBS mobile app which is available on the App Store and Google Play.
This article is for information only and should not be relied upon as financial advice. Any views, opinions or recommendation expressed in this article does not take into account the specific investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. Before making any decision to buy, sell or hold any investment or insurance product, you should seek advice from a financial adviser regarding its suitability. This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
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