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How To Start Investing as a Beginner

If you’ve been saving in bank accounts or hunting for card promos, you might wonder how to level up smarter. Learning how to start investing gives you a powerful lobang to grow your money beyond zero-interest savings. 

The good news is you don’t need wads of cash to begin investing. With digital platforms and local options like Singapore Savings Bonds, Exchange-Traded Fund (ETFs), or robo-advisors, even small steps can build a steady foundation. Here’s how to start:

Set Clear Goals 

What are you investing in: building retirement security, a BTO downpayment, or extra passive income? Clear goals help you choose the right investment path and stay focused.

Prepare Your Safety Net 

Before investing, set aside an emergency fund (about three to six months of expenses). Pay off high-interest debt first so you don’t erode your gains while growing your portfolio.

Explore Beginner-Friendly Local Options 

Look into investing through robo-advisors, which use algorithms to build portfolios based on your risk level. Consider Singapore Savings Bonds (SSBs) for a near risk-free option backed by the government. ETFs listed on the SGX also offer diversified exposure without high starting capital. 

Time to Grow Your Money, Steady and Sure 

Now that you know how to start investing, take your first step with confidence. Stay consistent and patient—and let each small contribution grow into meaningful financial progress. 

HSBC Revolution Card

Earn 4 miles per dollar on selected online and contactless spend (until 28 February 2026)

DCS Flex Card

Earn up to 8% cash rebates (best value), 2.4 miles per dollar, or 8% investment credits

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lobangsis

Audz, your lobang sis shares personal finance to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for us all.

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DBS YUU

Receive S$300 cashback + S$80 Esso Fuel Voucher (promo code: YUU380) when you spend S$800 within 60 days of card approval

Valid till: October 31, 2025

Citi Rewards

Get Apple iPad (A16) 11" Wi-Fi 128GB or Dyson Airwrap Origin or Apple Watch SE Gen 3 40mm (GPS + Cell) or S$450 Grab Voucher or S$400 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$500 within 30 days of card approval

Valid till: October 31, 2025

HSBC Live+

Get Apple iPad (A16) 11" Wi-Fi 128GB or S$250 cash + Apple iPad 9th Gen or Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer or S$475 Grab Voucher or S$400 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$500 by the end of the following calendar month + provide marketing consent

Valid till: November 2, 2025

UOB PRVI

Get S$60 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$500 within 30 days from approval

Valid till: November 2, 2025

Valid for new-to-bank credit cardholders or does not own any of the bank’s credit cards in the last 12 months, unless otherwise stated.

Gift confirmation are usually sent after you have completed rewards redemption form (sent to your email) & fulfilled qualifying spend within stipulated period.

DBS YUU

Receive S$300 cashback + S$80 Esso Fuel Voucher (promo code: YUU380) when you spend S$800 within 60 days of card approval

Valid till: October 31, 2025

Citi Rewards

Get Apple iPad (A16) 11" Wi-Fi 128GB or Dyson Airwrap Origin or Apple Watch SE Gen 3 40mm (GPS + Cell) or S$450 Grab Voucher or S$400 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$500 within 30 days of card approval

Valid till: October 31, 2025

HSBC Live+

Get Apple iPad (A16) 11" Wi-Fi 128GB or S$250 cash + Apple iPad 9th Gen or Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer or S$475 Grab Voucher or S$400 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$500 by the end of the following calendar month + provide marketing consent

Valid till: November 2, 2025

UOB PRVI

Get S$60 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$500 within 30 days from approval

Valid till: November 2, 2025

HSBC Revolution Card

  • Get Apple iPad (A16) 11″ Wi-Fi 128GB (worth S$499) or S$350 cash + Apple iPad 9th Gen 10.2″ WiFi 64GB (worth S$479) or Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer (worth S$559) or S$475 Grab Vouchers or S$400 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$500 by the end of the following calendar month + provide marketing consent
  • Valid from from 17 October to 02 November 2025
  • Available for New HSBC Cardholders
    • New cardholder is defined as customers with no existing principal HSBC credit card and who haven’t canceled one in the past 12 months.

 

For Existing HSBC Cardholders:

  • Get S$50 cashback when you spend S$500 by the end of the following month
  • Valid until 31 December 2025
  • Available for Existing HSBC Cardholders
    • Existing Cardholder is defined as customers whose most recent principal HSBC Credit Card was issued more than 12 months ago and who haven’t canceled one in the past 12 months.
    • Eg. You already hold an HSBC TravelOne Card and you apply for HSBC Live+ Card, you are already an existing cardholder.
  • Read Terms and Conditions here
  • Must provide marketing consent to HSBC
  • This gift will be fulfilled directly by HSBC

HSBC Revolution Card

  • Earn 4 miles per dollar on selected online and contactless spend categories, capped at S$1,500 per calendar month (until 28 February 2026)
  • The categories include:
    • Department Stores and Retail Stores
    • Dining (excluding hotel dining)
    • Transportation & Membership Clubs
    • Travel-Related 
  • You will only earn 0.4 miles per dollar on other categories outside of these online categories and if you spend above $1,000 per calendar month.
  • The rewards points conversion fee is waived indefinitely— transferring your points is completely free!
  • Note: Contactless payment, upsized cap of S$1,500, and travel-related category will only be available until 28 February 2026. 

 

Special hack: 

Even though you may not be able to use the card for flights or hotel bookings directly, you can actually use atome to make your bookings via agoda or trip.com and pay via atome platform. Atome’s MCC is 5999 which falls under 4 mile per dollar category. In addition, spreading your travel spending across 3 months instalments can help you keep within the S$1,000 spending cap. However, you will not be able to earn extra cashback on platforms like Shopback or Azgo.

If you are new to Atome, you can sign up here to receive points that is equivalent to S$10 off your first transaction. 

 

Annual Fee
  • None

 

Income Requirement

  • The amount of  Total Relationship Balance—combined value of your deposits, investments, and insurance with HSBC, based on average monthly balance over the last 3 months— will determine the income requirement
    • Less than S$50,000 TRB 
      • Salaried (locals/PRs): S$65,000 
      • Self-Employed/Commission-based (locals/PRs): S$65,000
      • Foreigners: S$65,000
    • S$50,000 and above TRB
      • Salaried (locals/PRs): S$30,000 
      • Self-Employed/Commission-based (locals/PRs): S$40,000
      • Foreigners: S$65,000
         

Points Expiry
  • 37-month period, starting from the month after the month in which the points were acquired

 
Transfer Partners
  • Japan Airlines, Air Canada Aeroplan, Fortune Wings Club, Qatar Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Mileage Plus, Krisflyer, Thai Royal Orchid Plus, Flying Blue, Air Asia, British Airways, Asia Miles, Etihad, EVA Air, Qantas, Vietnam Airlines

 

Know what this card is best for:

 

Terms and Conditions

Read Full Review

DCS Flex Card

NIL

DCS Flex Card

  • You can choose from three (3) reward options: Miles, Cash Rebates, or Investment
  • Earn up to 2.4 miles per dollar
  • Earn up to 8% cash rebates
  • Earn up to 8% investment credits
  • Minimum monthly spend of S$600
  • Capped at:
    • Miles: 750 miles per category; total 3,000 miles for all 4 categories
    • Cash Rebates: S$25 per category, total S$100 for all 4 categories
    • Investment Credits: S$25 per category, total S$100 for all 4 categories

 

Annual Fee
  • Monthly service fee of S$15, (first year waived; afterwhich, you can perform minimum 5 transactions per month to waive the monthly fee) – effective 1 July 2025, this will be decreased to S$10

 

Income Requirement
  • S$30,000 (locals/PRs) or S$15,000 (aged 56 and above); S$60,000 (foreigners)

 

Where and how will I receive the miles/cashback/investment credits
  • Miles are credited to your Miles holding account and can be transferred to your Krisflyer account in multiple of 5,000 miles. A conversion fee of S$25 (subject to GST) applies for each redemption request and the process make take up to 15 working days.
    • Here’s how to redeem:
      • Open the DCS Cards App and go to the Rewards Tracker screen
      • Tap “Redeem” or “Redeem Miles” on the Benefit History screen
      • Choose a redemption amount or enter a custom amount in multiples of 5,000 miles, then tap “Confirm.”
  • Cash Rebates will be credited on your card account in the following statement, applied to offset the billed amount.
  • Investment Credits will be deposited to your designated iFast account on the following month.
 
Know what this card is best for


Terms and Conditions
Read Full Review

HSBC TravelOne Card

  • Get Apple iPad (A16) 11″ Wi-Fi 128GB (worth S$499) or S$350 cash + Apple iPad 9th Gen 10.2″ WiFi 64GB (worth S$479) or Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer (worth S$559) or S$475 Grab Vouchers or S$400 Cash via PayNow when you pay the annual fee, spend S$500 by the end of the following calendar month + provide marketing consent
  • Valid from from 17 October to 02 November 2025
  • Available for New HSBC Cardholders
    • New cardholder is defined as customers with no existing principal HSBC credit card and who haven’t canceled one in the past 12 months.

 

For Existing HSBC Cardholders:

  • Get Up to 24,000 miles when you pay the annual fee and spend S$1,000 by the end of the following month
  • Valid until 31 December 2025
  • Available for Existing HSBC Cardholders
    • Existing Cardholder is defined as customers whose most recent principal HSBC Credit Card was issued more than 12 months ago and who haven’t canceled one in the past 12 months.
    • Eg. You already hold an HSBC Live+ Card and you apply for HSBC TravelOne, you are already an existing cardholder.
  • Read Terms and Conditions here
  • Must provide marketing consent to HSBC
  • This gift will be fulfilled directly by HSBC

HSBC TravelOne Card

  • Earn 2.4 miles per dollar on foreign currency spend, and 1.2 miles per dollar on local spend. This card is best for travelers due to the fact that it has twice more than the usual lounge passes that you can acquire in other similar earn rate entry level credit cards; you are entitled to 4 free airport lounge visits (via DragonPass) per calendar year! Plus, it has an extensive list of transfer partners allowing flexibility.
 
Annual Fee
  • S$196.20 (inclusive of GST), first year free waiver
 
Income Requirement

  • The amount of Total Relationship Balance—combined value of your deposits, investments, and insurance with HSBC, based on average monthly balance over the last 3 months— will determine the income requirement
    • Less than S$50,000 TRB 
      • Salaried (locals/PRs): S$65,000 
      • Self-Employed/Commission-based (locals/PRs): S$65,000
      • Foreigners: S$65,000
    • S$50,000 and above TRB
      • Salaried (locals/PRs): S$30,000 
      • Self-Employed/Commission-based (locals/PRs): S$40,000
      • Foreigners: S$65,000
         
Points Expiry
  • After 37 months
 
Transfer Partners
  • Asia Miles, Vietnam Airlines, British Airways, EVA Air, Qantas, Air Asia, Flying Blue, Krisflyer, Fortune Wings Club, Turkish Airlines, United Mileage Plus, Air Canada, Qatar Airways, Japan Airlines
 
Know what this card is best for:

Terms and Conditions

Read Full Review

HSBC Advance Card

  • Get Apple iPad (A16) 11″ Wi-Fi 128GB (worth S$499) or S$350 cash + Apple iPad 9th Gen 10.2″ WiFi 64GB (worth S$479) or Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer (worth S$559) or S$475 Grab Voucher or S$400 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$500 by the end of the following calendar month + provide marketing consent
  • Valid from from 17 October to 02 November 2025
  • Available for New HSBC Cardholders
    • New cardholder is defined as customers with no existing principal HSBC credit card and who haven’t canceled one in the past 12 months.

 

For Existing HSBC Cardholders:

  • Get S$50 cashback when you spend S$500 by the end of the following month
  • Valid until 31 December 2025
  • Available for Existing HSBC Cardholders
    • Existing Cardholder is defined as customers whose most recent principal HSBC Credit Card was issued more than 12 months ago and who haven’t canceled one in the past 12 months.
    • Eg. You already hold an HSBC TravelOne Card and you apply for HSBC Live+ Card, you are already an existing cardholder.
  • Read Terms and Conditions here
  • Must provide marketing consent to HSBC
  • This gift will be fulfilled directly by HSBC

HSBC Advance Card

  • Earn 1.5% cashback on all local & overseas purchases with no minimum spend and 2.5% cashback on all local & overseas purchases if you spend more than S$2,000 in a calendar month. Cashback capped at S$70 per calendar month; maximum sweet spot spend is S$2,800
  • This card is best used when you have a large monthly spending of S$2,000 to S$2,800. Particularly best for wedding banquets.
 
Annual Fee
  • S$196.20, first year waived
 
Income Requirement
  • The amount of  Total Relationship Balance—combined value of your deposits, investments, and insurance with HSBC, based on average monthly balance over the last 3 months— will determine the income requirement
    • Less than S$50,000 TRB 
      • Salaried (locals/PRs): S$65,000 
      • Self-Employed/Commission-based (locals/PRs): S$65,000
      • Foreigners: S$65,000
    • S$50,000 and above TRB
      • Salaried (locals/PRs): S$30,000 
      • Self-Employed/Commission-based (locals/PRs): S$40,000
      • Foreigners: S$65,000
         
 
When is Cashback Credited
  • It will appear on your card statement and be credited to your account before the end of the next calendar month.
 
Know what this card is best for:

Terms and Conditions

Read Full Review

HSBC Live+ Card

  • Get Apple iPad (A16) 11″ Wi-Fi 128GB (worth S$499) or S$350 cash + Apple iPad 9th Gen 10.2″ WiFi 64GB (worth S$479) or Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer (worth S$559) or S$475 Grab Vouchers or S$400 Cash via PayNow when you spend S$500 by the end of the following calendar month + provide marketing consent
  • Valid from from 17 October to 02 November 2025
  • Available for New HSBC Cardholders
    • New cardholder is defined as customers with no existing principal HSBC credit card and who haven’t canceled one in the past 12 months.

 

For Existing HSBC Cardholders:

  • Get S$50 cashback when you spend S$500 by the end of the following month
  • Valid until 31 December 2025
  • Available for Existing HSBC Cardholders
    • Existing Cardholder is defined as customers whose most recent principal HSBC Credit Card was issued more than 12 months ago and who haven’t canceled one in the past 12 months.
    • Eg. You already hold an HSBC TravelOne Card and you apply for HSBC Live+ Card, you are already an existing cardholder.
  • Read Terms and Conditions here
  • Must provide marketing consent to HSBC
  • This gift will be fulfilled directly by HSBC

HSBC Live+ Card

  • Earn 5% cashback capped at S$3,125 spending on dining, entertainment, and shopping categories.
  • There is a minimum spend required monthly of S$600 in each quarter, per calendar month but it is easy to hit the amount of spending with just one category. This means that you could spend S$600 on dining category in Jul, S$600 in shopping category in Aug, S$600 in entertainment category in Sept and receive your full 5% cashback.

Pro-tip: You can buy vouchers via heymax to clock the minimum spending or for large electronic purchases at Courts, Best Denki or furniture purchases at IKEA.

 

Annual Fee
  • S$196.20 (first year waived) (For subsequent years, you can request for a waiver)

 

Income Requirement

  • The amount of  Total Relationship Balance—combined value of your deposits, investments, and insurance with HSBC, based on average monthly balance over the last 3 months— will determine the income requirement
    • Less than S$50,000 TRB 
      • Salaried (locals/PRs): S$65,000 
      • Self-Employed/Commission-based (locals/PRs): S$65,000
      • Foreigners: S$65,000
    • S$50,000 and above TRB
      • Salaried (locals/PRs): S$30,000 
      • Self-Employed/Commission-based (locals/PRs): S$40,000
      • Foreigners: S$65,000
         
When is Cashback Credited
  • It will be credited within 2 months, after the end of each calendar quarter.

 

Know what this card is best for:

 

Terms and Conditions

Read Full Review