You’ll have heard of goal date funds as the favored selection for retirement savers within the US. So, why are they not the default right here? The new Retirement digiPortfolio by your neighbourhood financial institution is about to vary that, however guess what’s even higher? It goes above and past what a goal date fund can supply, since you’ll be able to personalise your personal retirement age as a substitute of getting to stay to the fund’s preset ending yr. It doesn’t have to finish there both – if you’d like, you’ll be able to even go for DBS to proceed managing the portfolio for you thru your retirement (whether or not it’s 20 / 30 / 40 years of it!)
Robo-advisors are a well-liked answer for amongst each the younger and dealing adults who want to get began with investing however
- Don’t actually know how one can make investments for retirement
- Too busy with work, not a lot time left to review the markets
- Need skilled assist…however don’t need to pay for the energetic administration charges and gross sales expenses related to human advisors
Nevertheless, after the closure of unbiased robos Well after which MoneyOwl, the popularity of robo-advisors in Singapore has suffered a success. To keep away from an identical destiny, some traders would reasonably go for robo-solutions supplied by banks, that are perceivably safer and doesn’t depart the portfolio solely within the fingers of preset algorithms and robots.
There’s solely 3 to select from proper now, and probably the most accessible is the DBS/POSB digiPortfolio, which is accessible in-app for the hundreds of thousands of DBS and POSB prospects in Singapore.
Lots of it’s possible you’ll already be invested in a digiPortfolio as a result of it helps you earn extra bonus curiosity in your DBS/POSB Multiplier account 🐰.
Message from DBS:
We created digiPortfolio to democratise entry to wealth to everybody, as a part of our financial institution’s mission in direction of monetary inclusivity.
Such curated portfolios have been beforehand solely accessible to excessive internet price (HNW) prospects with investments of S$500,000 and above.
With a simple-to-understand, ‘hands-off’, ready-made portfolio, beginning at an reasonably priced S$100, you don’t want to carry off on investing anymore.
For these of you who bear in mind, when DBS/POSB first launched their hybrid-human robo-advisory answer i.e. digiPortfolio again in 2019, they made the sudden transfer of opening up entry to DBS funding group’s experience which was beforehand restricted to the financial institution’s excessive internet price shoppers solely. Since then, they’ve grown their choices from 2 to five, so now you can select and even arrange totally different portfolios to suit your investing aims.

I’ve beforehand reviewed the opposite 4 portfolios right here (Asia and International) and right here (SaveUp and Revenue), so you’ll be able to verify these out.
Overview of Retirement digiPortfolio
Bear in mind goal date funds? It’s an age-based funding technique the place you are taking extra threat if you’re youthful, and get extra conservative as you close to your goal retirement yr. Equally, DBS/POSB Retirement digiPortfolio follows the identical glidepath technique (that’s why you see the advert with the surfer gliding the waves!), however that is the place the similarities finish and Retirement digiPortfolio comes out superior.
TLDR: TDFs are cohort-based the place all traders make investments in line with the TDF’s pre-determined finish date. For instance, a 2030 TDF’s glidepath is mounted for all its traders and can de-risk from immediately to 2030.
Retirement digiPortfolio, then again, is extra versatile and helps you to set your personal retirement age reasonably than finish date. What’s extra, if a person desires to tweak their retirement age in a while, the portfolio will routinely calibrate the asset combine to the person’s life stage and retirement timeline at any time.
There’s extra! After retirement, Retirement digiPortfolio permits traders to automate their drawdowns by way of a decumulation withdrawal plan in line with their retirement revenue wants.
Sounds good, however how precisely does this work?
On this article, I’ll be diving into their newest Retirement Portfolio to know the way it works, who it’s good for (and who isn’t), and why.
How ought to your funding portfolio appear like?
A holistic portfolio sometimes has a mixture of totally different asset courses (e.g. shares, bonds, property, money), with the proportions adjusted accordingly to the investor’s wants.
One of the best portfolio is one which lets you sleep properly at night time whereas compounding over time for long-term positive aspects.
To attain this, any savvy investor will let you know that you should design and modify your portfolio as your age and threat urge for food modifications.
- While you’re youthful with out a lot monetary commitments or dependents (youngsters / aged dad and mom), you’ll be able to often afford to tackle extra dangers with a higher publicity to equities and shares. This allows you to capitalise on long-term progress and compounding over the subsequent few many years.
- As you progress into your subsequent life stage, your monetary tasks improve and also you all of the sudden can’t afford to threat a lot anymore, lest you lose cash meant on your mortgage or youngsters’s college college charges.
- As you inch nearer to retirement, you will have much less time left to capitalize on market progress, so that you begin caring extra about having steady, mounted revenue. Your coronary heart can now not take as a lot volatility as you probably did in your early profession years.
A straightforward approach to consider it could be to allocate in another way primarily based on age.
For instance:
In your 20s – 30s: 80% shares, 15% mounted revenue, 5% money
In your 40s – 50s: 60% shares, 35% mounted revenue, 5% money
In your 60s – 80s: 15% shares, 80% mounted revenue, 5% money
Observe: These usually are not prescribed percentages. You could want to modify your personal primarily based in your preferences and threat urge for food.
That is often known as a glidepath technique, and you may then manually rebalance your portfolio as you age so that you simply shield your positive aspects and cut back the chances of dropping the retirement funds you painstakingly compounded over time…within the occasion of an premature market crash.
However…what if you happen to might automate it as a substitute?
DBS Retirement digiPortfolio overview
That is precisely what you are able to do with the DBS Retirement digiPortfolio.
DBS has designed this portfolio primarily based on the idea that traders ought to solely tackle threat acceptable to their life stage (outlined as Early Profession, Mid-life, and Retirement).
It components in how far-off you’re from your required retirement age, and adjusts yearly by an computerized rebalancing in your birthday.

The above reveals an illustrated instance of how an investor’s asset allocation in DBS Retirement digiPortfolio can change by the years. Observe that your precise portfolio allocation relies on your indicative years to retirement.
- While you’re youthful and have an extended funding time horizon, the portfolio will allocate a higher publicity to equities vs. mounted revenue whereas maintaining 3% in money.
- Yearly as you get nearer to your retirement age, the portfolio will “glide” with you and de-risk accordingly to scale back your publicity to equities, whereas placing a heavier emphasis on mounted revenue so you’re cushioned towards market volatility.
That approach, even if you happen to’re so suay to witness a 50% market crash if you’re simply 1 yr to retiring, your $1,000,000 retirement portfolio received’t be affected to the extent that it all of the sudden drop to simply $500,000 in a single day, eroding the cash that was in any other case meant to see you thru your non-working years.
What’s extra, the DBS Retirement digiPortfolio doesn’t cease even after your preset retirement age or if you begin withdrawing from it. DBS has mentioned that the portfolio will proceed to be managed in your behalf, to make sure that it stays up to date to the financial institution’s funding group’s newest funding views.
The way it actually works
Let’s say you will have a sizeable pile of money financial savings now which you need to make investments so you’ll be able to retire at 60, 80…or perhaps earlier at age 45.
The device reveals that if you happen to have been to start out now and diligently add $2,000 to the portfolio each month, with over 4 many years to compound earlier than you retire at 80, you may find yourself with an estimated $7.7 million for retirement.

However if you happen to want to retire even earlier (35 years forward of schedule), then the identical capital injections is estimated to finish up at ~$570k if you flip 45.
In distinction, attempting to time the market with a $100,000 lump sum with out the following top-ups in a disciplined method might depart you wanting the $571k projection.
Discover how the asset allocation modifications primarily based on how far-off you’re to the specified retirement age entered?
- Retire at 45: 54% equities, 43% mounted revenue, 3% money
(shorter time horizon to retirement) - Retire at 80: 65% equities, 32% mounted revenue, 3% money
(longer time horizon to retirement)
Now let’s take a look at what when you’ve got much less money and need to decide to investing $500 a month as a substitute, whereas retiring at Singapore’s official retirement age (presently 63)?
Right here’s what the end result would appear like for an investor aged 33:

vs. somebody 5 years older:

The portfolio fashions and the ‘glidepath’ will likely be professionally managed by DBS, guided by views from the DBS Chief Funding Workplace and J.P. Morgan Asset Administration. DBS says that is an extension of its years-long effort to decrease boundaries of entry to investing and democratise retail traders’ entry to wealth administration providers.
Since this retirement portfolio is created in collaboration with J.P. Morgan Asset Administration (JPMAM), in order you may anticipate, the entire underlying holdings are in JPMAM funds:
In abstract, for equities, your cash will go right into a US Massive-Cap fund, an Asia Progress fund, a Japan fund and a Europe fund. The precise allocation will fluctuate relying on the years you will have left to retirement – see under for an instance:
Investor who’s 30 years from retirement | Investor at retirement | |
US equities | 30% | 6% |
Europe equities | 15% | 4% |
Asia ex-Japan equities | 15% | 3% |
Japan equities | 5% | 2% |
Authorities bonds | 12% | 27% |
Company bonds | 10% | 40% |
Rising markets debt | 10% | 15% |
For mounted revenue, your cash will get invested into items of an Rising Market bond fund, a International Company bond fund, and a International Authorities bond fund.
Primarily based on the glidepath technique, the precise combine of those fairness and glued revenue funds will change yearly to de-risk regularly in direction of retirement.
How a lot are charges?
As a DIY investor, shopping for into funds and rebalancing them every time incur frequent transaction and switching prices. For individuals who see worth in having full-time funding groups monitor and modify methods in line with altering market conditions, you’d in all probability recognize how DBS isn’t charging something for the transaction prices that you’d in any other case incur by yourself if you purchase and promote immediately into these particular person underlying funds.
As a DIY investor, shopping for into funds and rebalancing them every time incur frequent transaction and switching prices. Right here’s an instance of the “Preliminary Cost” and “Swap Cost” within the desk under, that are charges that DIY traders who select to purchase these funds immediately might incur. That is taken from simply 1 out of the 7 funds. It’s best to, nevertheless, observe that these 2 courses of charges are NOT relevant to digiPortfolio.


For individuals who see worth in having full-time funding groups monitor and modify methods in line with altering market conditions, you’d in all probability recognize how DBS is not charging something for the transaction prices that you’d in any other case incur by yourself if you purchase and promote immediately into these particular person underlying funds.
Actually, outsourcing this to Retirement digiPortfolio will get it accomplished routinely for you at a flat 0.75% annual administration payment.
What’s extra, to make the portfolio much more accessible and reasonably priced for traders with retirement in thoughts, charges will fall even additional to simply 0.25% p.a. (as a substitute of 0.75% p.a.) when you hit your chosen retirement yr.
Now that you simply perceive how the product works, let’s dive into who it could be appropriate for, and who wouldn’t.
Who this portfolio is for vs. who it isn’t
Who it could be for
Understanding the entire above, you’ll be able to contemplate the Retirement Portfolio if:
- You need to make investments to construct your wealth for retirement over time
- You’re busy along with your profession or private life, and actually don’t have the time to actively monitor markets
- You are feeling safer with the reassurance of consultants serving to you in your portfolio, but additionally need to pay a decrease payment for it
- You propose to scale back your threat publicity from progress to stability as you get nearer to your goal retirement age. Doing it your self will likely be extra tedious and you should be ready incur fairly a little bit of charges if you promote and purchase totally different holdings with the intention to de-risk your portfolio
- You want to complement your different retirement plans (e.g. CPF Life) to attain your required retirement targets
Who it won’t be for
However if you happen to’ve already arrange your personal funding portfolio on one other platform and desire to proceed actively managing your complete portfolio by your self, then this answer might not appear as engaging to you. Outsourcing it to DBS will incur 0.75% p.a. flat payment for the portfolio administration, so for people preferring to DIY 100% and usually are not eager on diversifying exterior of it, it’s possible you’ll not discover this as compelling.
For traders additionally desire to put money into passive exchange-traded funds monitoring the market as a substitute of professionally-managed energetic unit trusts and mutual funds, it’s possible you’ll then not recognize such a portfolio.
That is additionally not appropriate for these who need to use their joint account to fund and make investments in direction of their joint retirement portfolio, as a result of DBS presently solely accepts funding from particular person accounts. You have to to make use of your personal single account to fund or obtain revenue from this digiPortfolio as a substitute.
And for {couples} who need to use this to speculate in direction of their joint retirement portfolio, this won’t be appropriate on your wants because the portfolio was designed primarily based on the investor’s age to retirement. Plus, I can see why this could be a tough process for DBS/POSB to fulfil (i.e. even my husband and I aren’t the identical age, and we definitely received’t be retiring in the identical yr!)
The workaround answer can be to speculate individually – not tough since DBS has made it such you can arrange inside just some faucets in your digibank app.
Conclusion
The DBS Retirement digiPortfolio is a welcome addition to the financial institution’s robo-advisory choices as a result of it lastly affords an all-in-one portfolio answer for people wanting to speculate for retirement and comes with no lock-ins or penalty expenses.
Previous to this, your solely different possibility was to DIY or to make use of one other robo (largely not backed or owned by the banks).
After all, in case your focus is solely on lowest charges, then you must observe that from a value perspective, DIY nearly all the time wins.
The larger query is whether or not YOU can efficiently DIY. If you happen to can, nice!
Most traders, sadly, fail to stay to the plan and make emotional choices corresponding to staying out of the markets when it crashes, or piling in as a consequence of FOMO when the markets are rallying (like now). If that’s what you will have been doing too, then perhaps you want a special answer.
Additionally do not forget that if you happen to have been to commerce or prime up your funding usually, each single transaction will incur a payment. Then again, a plan like DBS digiPortfolio adopts a payment construction the place prospects can prime up, withdraw, or practise dollar-cost averaging a number of instances all through the month and nonetheless solely incur the 0.75% p.a. payment – nothing extra.
With digiPortfolio, it makes it straightforward for you automate your investments so you’ll be able to make investments by dollar-cost averaging and keep invested out there to construct your long-term wealth.
In spite of everything, actively managing your portfolio and manually rebalancing it may be time intensive. It requires you to trace altering asset values, and manually make choices to purchase or promote. If you happen to don’t benefit from the work (like I do), it may be exhausting to remain the course.
TLDR: DBS Retirement digiPortfolio is price contemplating on your long-term funding goal of retirement, as it may be automated to
- maintain your portfolio asset allocation and de-risks regularly every year in direction of your retirement
- helps you dollar-cost common
- ensures your self-discipline and that you simply keep invested
- removes emotional decision-making that may negatively have an effect on your long-term funding returns
and extra importantly, unencumber time so you are able to do what you like, whereas figuring out that your long-term retirement wants are being taken care of.
Sponsored Message
Making an attempt to speculate on your retirement however don’t know the way?
Faucet on “Make investments” in your DBS/POSB digibank app and choose digiPortfolio to take a look at the DBS/POSB Retirement portfolio immediately!
Disclosure: This text is delivered to you in collaboration with DBS, who helped to make sure that every little thing I write right here is factual and correct. All opinions are of my very own.
Disclaimers:All investments include dangers and you may lose cash in your funding. The Retirement digiPortfolio consists of funds which can be topic to market fluctuations and different dangers.
This text is written in collaboration with DBS Financial institution Ltd, Firm Registration. No.: 196800306E ("DBS”), an Exempt Monetary Adviser as outlined within the Monetary Advisers Act and controlled by the Financial Authority of Singapore and is for normal data solely and shouldn't be relied upon as monetary recommendation. This publication will not be reproduced, or communicated to another individual with out prior written permission.
It doesn't consider the particular funding aims, monetary scenario or wants of any explicit individual. Earlier than getting into into any transaction involving any product talked about on this publication, the place relevant, you must search recommendation from a monetary adviser relating to its suitability on your personal aims and circumstances. If you happen to select not to take action, you must make an unbiased evaluation and do your personal due diligence on the product. This commercial has not been reviewed by the Financial Authority of Singapore.
The knowledge herein isn't meant for distribution to, or use by, any individual or entity in any jurisdiction or nation the place such distribution or use can be opposite to legislation or regulation.
This commercial has not been reviewed by J.P. Morgan Asset Administration. Neither J.P. Morgan Asset Administration nor its associates makes any illustration or guarantee as to its adequacy, completeness, accuracy or timeliness for any explicit objective and accordingly, takes no duty for the accuracy of the contents of this publication nor accepts any legal responsibility for any assertion or misstatement made on this publication.
All investments include dangers and you may lose cash in your funding. Make investments provided that you perceive and may monitor your funding. The worth of the items within the funds and the revenue accruing to the items, if any, might rise or fall. Earlier than investing, you must learn the prospectus and Product Highlights Sheet for the funds within the Retirement digiPortfolio, which can be obtained from the digiPortfolio tab in DBS digibank.