Best investment sign-up promotions in Singapore (2021)

Everybody loves a good deal, and when it comes to investing, the best deals are the ones that give you free money. 

If starting an investment portfolio is part of your financial resolutions for 2021, you’ll want to take advantage of sign-up promos and deals that save you money when investing and help your fledging account grow that little bit faster.

Promos and offers aren’t the full story

While promos are good, you shouldn’t jump into opening an account just because you see a good one. 

You should always take the time to fully understand the investment platform and product, and find out what are the fees you will need to pay after the promotion is over.

Investments work best over time, and starting and stopping, or switching between platforms and products will incur a chunk of fees – which means money wasted.

You should always take the time to properly research an investment product, and only proceed if there is a good fit with your goals, timeline and budget. 

With that in mind, here are some of the best investment sign-up promos for Singaporean investors in 2021.

Home-grown trading platform Tiger Brokers offers a mix of Singapore stocks, ETFs and REITs, as well as selections from popular global markets such as US, China and Australia.

They also offer a mix of indices, commodities, bonds and futures, so there’s something for investors of all appetites and experience levels.

Tiger Brokers sets very attractive pricing for its fees, starting at USD 1 cent per share for US stocks and ETFs, while service fees for Hong Kong, China, Australia and Singapore range from 0.06 per cent to 0.10 per cent of trade value.

With such low rates and access to popular trading markets and products, Tiger Brokers is a good choice to start your trading journey. 

Promo valid till: Jan 31, 2021

DBS digiPortfolio: 6-month fee waiver with min. $3,000 deposit

A platform for investing in ETFs by Singapore’s largest retail bank, DBS digiPortfolio is now offering six months worth of fee waivers for new investors. 

The waiver only applies on the first $15,000 in investment deposits, but should still provide a nice little boost to your portfolio.

To qualify, simply apply for a new digiPortfolio account and deposit at least $3,000 in the Asia Portfolio, or US$3,000 (S$3,992) in the Global Portfolio. 

You’ll receive the management fee rebates as a cash credit to your DBS/POSB account in August 2021. 

Promo valid till: Jan 31, 2021

POSB InvestSaver: $125 sales charge rebate

POSB Invest-Saver is a Regular Savings Investment Plan that lets you invest in ETFs and Unit Trusts (UTs).

Both ETFs and UTs are popular investment products that also tend to benefit from dollar-cost averaging.

Sign up for a new InvestSaver account and lower your investing cost even further with a sales fee rebate of up to $125. 

To qualify, you’ll have to continue making investment deposits for three consecutive months from sign-up. Sales fee rebates will apply on deposits made up till April 30, 2021, and will be credited into your debiting account by June 30, 2021. 

Promo valid till: Jan 31, 2021

Syfe: Cash via PayNow

REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) are popular retail investment vehicles which pool together funds from many individual investors to invest in real estate. This allows investors to access real estate investments without having to put up a high capital outlay. 

Syfe is one of the few robo-advisers in Singapore that offers a REITs portfolio focused on the highly sought-after Singapore real estate market. 

If you’ve always wanted to own a piece of Singapore’s gleaming skyline, now’s the time to get yourself some cash upon account application. Alternatively, Syfe also has an Equity100 portfolio for the ones that are willing to take on more risk for the potential of higher returns.

Promo valid till: Jan 31, 2021

POEMS Shares Builder Plan: 3-month rebate on handling fees

Investing directly in stocks and shares is a gratifying way to directly support your favourite brands and companies. Not only do you own a little piece of them, their good performance will create financial rewards for you down the line. 

POEMS Shares Builder plan is a Regular Savings Plan that lets you invest in stocks and shares with steady, regular deposits, which is advantageous because: 

1. You don’t have to raise a large sum of capital to begin 
2. You’ll also benefit from dollar-cost averaging

If this sounds appealing to you, you’ll want to take advantage of the current promotion, which gives you three months of rebate on handling fees when you sign up as a new customer.

However, the rebate is credited contingent on your portfolio achieving capital gains during the three-month period. You also have to maintain your account activity for at least six months consecutively.

Any qualifying rebates will be re-invested into your portfolio, and are not convertible for cash withdrawal.

Promo valid till: March 31, 2021

POEMS unit trust transfer in: Get $20 cash reward for every $10,000 unit funds transferred 

When investing, it is important to pay attention to fees, as they can eat into your profits. As a general rule, the lower the fees, the better.

That’s why investors should take note of POEMS Unit Trust, which offers 0per cent platform fees, 0 per cent sales charges and 0 per cent switching fees. (This does not mean POEMS Unit Trusts is completely free of charge, there may be a sales charge levied in certain circumstances.)

And as if that’s not attractive enough, transfer your Unit Trusts holdings to POEMS now and receive cash rewards. Every $10,000 worth of Unit Trusts you transfer will net you a $20 cash reward, capped at $1,000.

To qualify, your Unit Trusts must be successfully transferred and held in POEMS for a minimum of three months. Applicable only to cash holdings transfers only.

Promo valid till: March 31, 2021

HSBC Unit Trusts: 0 per cent sales fees for six months

Unit Trusts charge sales fees as a type of set-up fee, so the more funds you invest into, the more sales fees you’ll incur. 

With HSBC Unit Trusts, you can enjoy 0 per cent sales fees for up to six months, which helps cut down only your costs as you pick different unit trusts for your portfolio. 

However, this fee-free period only applies if you choose a Regular Savings Plan and maintain it for at least six months. (You’ll need an initial investment of $1,000 to open your account, and deposit a minimum of $100 each month.)

Promo valid till: March 31, 2021

MoneyOwl: 0 per cent fees on first $10,000 

MoneyOwl is a robo-adviser by NTUC Social Enterprises, and offers a selection of five investment portfolios each with varying mixes of bonds and equities. Investing with them is as simple as picking a portfolio that suits your financial goals and risk appetites.

You can start investing with just $100 initial deposit, and monthly deposits can be as low as $50 a month. Perhaps the best thing is the 0per cent fee on the first $10,000 of your investments, so you can start and grow your first ten grand completely free of charge. 

To qualify, sign up as a new member on MoneyOwl and start investing. 

Secondly, those who invest using SRS funds can get up to $200 worth of eCapitaVouchers, provided that you are the first 500. 

Promos valid till: Dec 31, 2021

This article was first published in SingSaver.com.sg.