Summary of "The Only 3 ETFs I’d Buy If I had to Start Over in 2026 (Singapore)"

Top-level idea

A simple core portfolio for a Singapore investor consisting of three ETFs:

Emphasis in the video:

This is not financial advice. The numbers and examples shown are illustrative, not predictions.

ES3 — SPDR Straits Times Index ETF (STI exposure; Singapore large caps)
VWIA / VWA / VWI — Vanguard FTSE All‑World UCITS ETF (accumulating). Note: subtitles use inconsistent ticker spellings; the speaker refers to the Ireland‑domiciled, accumulating Vanguard All‑World ETF listed on the LSE.
A35 — ABF Singapore Bond Index Fund (SGD government / high‑quality SGD bonds)
Other referenced assets: CPF balances (Ordinary / Special / Medisave) treated as bond‑like in the discussion

What it tracks: Straits Times Index — ~30 largest Singapore companies (e.g., DBS, OCBC, UOB, CapitaLand, Singapore Airlines)
Sector split: ~50% financials, ~15% real estate, remainder in industrials / telecoms / utilities (<10% each)
Price / accessibility: example price in video ~S$4.60 per share — easy to start with a few hundred SGD, no fractional shares needed
Dividend yield: ~4% (cash dividends in SGD)
Expense ratio: 0.28% p.a. (~S$28 per S$10,000)
Reported historical return (video): 7.7% p.a. including dividends (since inception, per presenter)
Where to buy (Singapore): retail platforms / indirect brokers (moomoo, Webull, Interactive Brokers mentioned)

Purpose: global growth core — exposure to ~3,600 companies across ~51 countries (US, Europe, Japan, Australia, China, India, Taiwan, Korea, etc.)
Top holdings (examples): Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Broadcom, Alphabet, Meta, Tesla, TSMC
Domicile rationale: Ireland‑domiciled UCITS ETF reduces US dividend withholding for non‑US investors (to ~15% under US‑Ireland treaty, per video) and avoids US estate tax exposure compared with US‑domiciled ETFs (per video)
Accumulating structure: dividends are reinvested automatically (avoids manual reinvestment friction and withholding drag from distributing classes)
Expense ratio: ~0.19% p.a. (~US$19 per US$10,000)
Historical context: VWIA itself started ~2019 (limited history); presenter referenced a comparable Total World ETF (inception 2018) returning ~8.5% p.a. as a proxy
Where to buy: listed on London Stock Exchange — requires a broker with LSE access (indirect brokers in Singapore)

Holdings: Singapore government and high‑quality SGD‑denominated bonds (AAA sovereign credit focus)
Yield: fund yield ~2.5–3% (video stated range)
Expense ratio: 0.15% p.a.
Currency: SGD — avoids currency conversion risk for Singapore investors
Role: ballast during equity drawdowns; negative or lower correlation can stabilise portfolio and provide funds to rebalance (sell bonds to buy equities on dips)
Where to buy: Interactive Brokers, moomoo, Webull (as stated)

Core three‑ETF portfolio: ES3 (local equity) + Vanguard All‑World accumulating (global equity) + A35 (local bonds).
Position sizing guidance:
- Do not make ES3 (STI) your largest holding — Singapore is ~0.3% of global market; overweighting local market increases concentration risk.
- Make the global ETF the primary driver of long‑term growth.
- Use bond allocation as defensive “insurance” and to enable systematic rebalancing.
Tax and domicile strategy:
- Prefer Ireland‑domiciled accumulating ETFs for non‑US investors to reduce US withholding and avoid US estate tax exposure (check your own residency/tax situation and the exact ETF share class).
Rebalancing rule (practical): when stocks fall and bonds hold or rise, sell some bonds and buy equities — enforces buy‑low / sell‑high behaviour automatically.
Execution: use brokers with LSE access for the Vanguard All‑World accumulating ETF; ES3 and A35 are commonly available via Singapore retail platforms/indirect brokers.

ES3 example price: ~S$4.60 per share
ES3 dividend yield: ~4% p.a.; expense ratio 0.28%; stated historical return 7.7% p.a. (including dividends)
VWIA expense ratio: 0.19% p.a.; proxy historical return (Total World ETF since 2018) ~8.5% p.a.
A35 yield: ~2.5–3%; expense ratio 0.15% p.a.
Illustrative savings examples (presenter’s examples, not predictions):
- S$1,000 monthly into ES3 for 30 years → ~S$1.4M total (contributions S$360k; gains S$1.04M).
- US$1,000 monthly into a VWIA-like ETF for 30 years → ~US$1.6M+ total (contributions US$360k; gains ~US$1.3M).
US withholding / estate tax claims (as presented in video):
- US‑domiciled ETFs: stated as 30% withholding on dividends for non‑US persons (video’s claim).
- US estate tax: potential exposure when holding >US$60,000 in US assets; rates up to ~40% (video’s claim).
- Ireland‑domiciled ETF: reduces withholding to ~15% (per US‑Ireland treaty) and is not a US asset for estate tax purposes, per the video.

The presenter states explicitly: “This is not financial advice.” Numbers are illustrative, not guaranteed.
Affiliate disclosures: links in the video description may be affiliated; host may earn commissions.
CPF as a bond substitute: CPF Ordinary Account interest ~2.5% and Special/Medisave ~4% — CPF can behave like a bond allocation, but funds are earmarked and rules/interest rates can change. Treat CPF carefully, not as a direct one‑to‑one bond substitute.
Concentration risk: overweighting Singapore equities reduces exposure to global opportunity set.
Domicile / tax complexities: tax treatment depends on residency, exact ETF domicile and share class — confirm with your tax advisor and broker before assuming withholding or estate tax benefits.

ES3 and A35: available on popular Singapore platforms and indirect brokers (moomoo, Webull, Interactive Brokers mentioned).
Vanguard All‑World accumulating (Ireland‑domiciled) is listed on LSE — you need a broker with LSE access.
Presenter referenced affiliate sign‑up links and bonuses in the video description.

Next video will compare dollar‑cost averaging vs buying the dip using a 20‑year study of five investors and real‑money outcomes; presenter will show their current approach.

Presenter: the video host (unnamed in subtitles).
Sources: linked resources in the video description (affiliate links) and the ETFs’ public factsheets/announcements referenced in the video.