GOING with the flow, being overconfident and lacking discipline were some common investing mistakes that Emelia Tan, director of research and financial literacy (FinLit) at the Singapore Exchange (SGX), made at the start of her investment journey.

As a rookie investor, Tan had invested in a small-cap company that was trending online, but failed to exit when prices rose as she got “too greedy”. She ended up netting out at zero when the stock plunged. 

She shared this anecdote with about 200 young adults at a seminar on the basics of investing organised by Thrive, the young audience initiative of The Business Times (BT), and SGX on Thursday (Aug 17) evening.

During the half-hour “fireside chat”, she was joined by fellow panellist Timothy Phillips, trainer at SGX Academy. The session was moderated by Thrive journalist Daryl Choo.

Before the fireside chat, Phillips opened the evening with a talk titled “How to Slay: Guide to a Thriving Portfolio”, sharing with the audience what it takes to put together an investment portfolio for the first time. 

He said it is important to know yourself and what you want from investing – especially one’s investment appetite and risk horizon. 

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

“Everyone’s going to have different risk profiles and... time horizons for their investments,” he said. “No one will have the exact same investment goals as the person next to them.” 

Timing the market is “not a good idea”, he said, and advised them against borrowing to invest. Investors should also have an emergency fund in cash, preferably equivalent to between six and 12 months of expenses, he added.

Asked what is the one piece of advice that the panel would want to relay to the audience, Phillips said that controlling emotions when investing is key, in addition to focusing on the long-term.

Tan concurred with him on the importance of a long-term focus, as well as the need for strategy and discipline. 

The event held at the SGX auditorium also had a lucky draw sponsored by Thrive, with four members of the audience winning a pair of Projector tickets each, and one winning a JBL speaker. Post-event, guests continued on to network over dinner and drinks.

Attendees also received limited-edition goodie bags, which contained Thrive mugs, plantable pens, notebooks and SGX cardholders at the event. 

Sherlyn Tan, 23, student at the Singapore Institute of Technology, said the seminar broadened her view on investing. “Previously, I had a lot of fear about investing... it seemed like gambling. I worry that I can be an emotional investor, and fear that I will be easily swayed when I make investment decisions. 

“I now feel more confident about making a first step to start investing and learning more as I go along.”

To sign up for Thrive’s weekly newsletter, visit bt.sg/thrive. Follow on TikTok and Instagram for regular updates.