Tatler speaks to Gregory Van on how he went from making investment losses to being the founding partner of Endowus, Singapore’s first and only Central Provident Fund (CPF) digital advisor
How I’m Making It is a weekly series in which Tatler speaks to influential individuals about their unique journeys and what keeps them going.
Gregory Van was only 17 when his uncle opened his first stock brokerage account for him. This was in 2007, and it was a little thing for him to try his hand at, but little did his uncle know that this simple account would get Van hooked on investing and that it would lead to him becoming the founding partner and chief executive officer of Endowus, Singapore’s first and only Central Provident Fund (CPF) digital advisor.
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When Van first started investing, he made a series of bold investment moves and ended up with a 95 per cent loss when the Global Financial Crisis hit and he was all-in on two solar stocks. Disappointed, he began reading up about investing and started learning about the trade.
“I realised that it is not a game at all. Winning is all about strategy and making the right choices. It is about being holistic, diversified and evidence-based with the lowest cost possible. I invest towards my goals and maximise my probability of reaching those goals. I don’t care about short-term returns because it is just noise and behaviourally will make me lose sight of the bigger picture and how markets work,” he explained.
Van, ever the realist, was eager to try again but this time he decided to do so on a larger scale. He joined UBS and began doing investment work with their Private Funds Group where he learnt how to invest more holistically and at a more professional level. He stayed there for almost four years and learnt as much as he possibly could about investment banking.
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Van then decided to leave and he moved on to take up a senior manager role at Grab for about a year where he was the business development and partnerships lead for payments and technology. However, he was just not satisfied with how he saw the current financial and tech landscape in Singapore.
Knowing he had to do something about it, Van left Grab. Taking his experience in finance and his expertise in tech, he decided to start Endowus in 2017, a digital advisor that individuals can use for all their CPF, cash and Supplementary Retirement Scheme needs.
“I was not satisfied with the investment products that were put before me as I tried to manage my own portfolio. The non-transparent charges pegged to low-quality products, the hoops you jump through to start an account, and the high costs that people were made to accept as the norm. There are evidence-based ways to invest towards a better life. I wanted to start Endowus simply because it could unlock a better wealth experience for me and our clients,” he says candidly.
Endowus now helps their clients to invest effortlessly and to make the best choices possible for their individual needs.
Of course, running Endowus while balancing family life is no easy feat. In fact, keep reading to find out how Van manages to get it all done from 9 to 5 (and beyond).
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