The head-to-heads
Compared, honestly
Sooner or later, every money decision in Singapore turns into a versus question — usually right after someone has recommended one of the two sides.
These are the big ones, answered the same way each time: what each option actually costs, who earns what from selling it, and when the "losing" side genuinely wins. Numbers first, loyalty never.
The myth vs The reality
Before the head-to-heads: the money “common sense” that is really just marketing that stuck, set beside what the numbers say.
See the numbers →02InvestingILP vs Unit trust
Often the exact same funds — one comes in a wrapper with five extra layers of fees. The full anatomy, with a 20-year worked example.
See the numbers →03InvestingDIY vs Robo vs advised
0.2% vs 0.5% vs 2% — but the biggest cost is invisible and identical on all three. Each route argued properly, including mine.
See the numbers →04Safe money“Savings plan” vs SSB & T-bills
The endowment pitched as a better fixed deposit, against products the Government actually guarantees. The exit test decides it.
See the numbers →05HousingBTO vs Resale
A $250k discount, paid for in years, ballot odds and strings. Grants quietly hand resale buyers half of it back.
See the numbers →06HousingRent vs Buy
In 91%-owner Singapore, renting never gets a fair hearing. The honest maths — and the seasons when renting genuinely wins.
See the numbers →07HousingPrepay the flat vs Invest
A sure 2.6% against an unreliable 9% — plus the CPF wrinkle and the liquidity trap hiding inside “peace of mind”.
See the numbers →08LifestyleCar vs No car
At $124k COEs, the car is a ~$300k-per-decade subscription. Priced against unlimited Grab guilt — and the lives where it still wins.
See the numbers →09ProtectionTerm vs Whole life
The same $1M of protection at up to 20–40× difference in price — and where the difference actually goes.
See the numbers →10ProtectionPrivate ward vs Class A vs MediShield
A few hundred a year at 35, thousands at 70 — priced to 85, with the April 2026 rider reset explained.
See the numbers →11RetirementStandard vs Escalating vs Basic
Three shapes of the same lifelong income. A flat payout quietly halves in buying power by 95 — the crossover maths, honestly.
See the numbers →12CPFCPFIS vs Leaving CPF alone
45% of CPF investors lost money; only a quarter beat the floor they already had. The case for masterly inactivity.
See the numbers →13TaxSRS vs CPF top-up
Two tax breaks, one $80k relief cap. Flexibility and growth versus certainty and a lifelong floor — how to sequence them.
See the numbers →14HousingHDB loan vs Bank loan
Rate versus stability, cash versus CPF downpayment — and the one-way door between them worth knowing about.
See the numbers →In almost every matchup, the product that's better for you is the one that pays less to the person recommending it. That's not cynicism — it's arithmetic, and it's the single most useful lens for any pitch you'll ever hear. Ask the three questions, and the answer usually reveals itself.