Simply Invest: Naked Truths to Grow Your Money

by Goh Yang Chye

A pioneer in financial planning in Singapore, Goh Yang Chye debunks several misconceptions, showing how so-called experts are no better than the average seven-year-old at picking stocks. Investing is simple; look at the evidence. He tells us why we shouldn’t trust the industry jargon and why cryptocurrencies are not a good investment; why Singapore’s love affair with property is a mistake; why the media always get it wrong; and how not to overreact. From understanding market cycles to knowing what exactly to ask your financial adviser, this book will teach you how to secure your financial future—and enjoy the journey!

Genres: Money, Nonfiction, Finance

192 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Megan Chung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skimmed this and agreed with its principles. Appreciated the list of questions to ask a financial advisor to determine if they're a good fit. Looking for something with more tactical advice though.

[Strongertmr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a good book for anyone trying to start their investment journey. It’s also written by a Singaporean, so things are kept in a slightly more local context than most other investment books. Also short, succinct and not filled with technical jargon.

The main lessons are focused on how to grow your money in a slow and steady way. This is NOT a book on how to earn money fast. The main lessons are:

- Be diversified globally
- Don’t try to time the markets
- Patience wins the game
- Don’t give in to fear and/or greed
- Hire a professional if you need help

It also provides many practical steps and guides (which I like) on how to build an idea portfolio which can (supposedly) be equal to market gains over the long term.

[Kin · Rating 5 out of 5]

สนุกดี คิดว่าเป็นจุดเริ่มต้นที่ดีสำหรับคนที่สนใจเรื่องการเงิน หรือพอทีความรู้มานิดๆ หน่อยๆ เอาไว้ระวังภัยจากตลาดและกูรูทั้งหลาย

ถ้าให้สรุปไวๆ น่าจะได้ประมาณ 5 ข้อ
1. ต้องตั้งเป้าหมายให้ชัด และยึดมั่นในเป้าหมายนี้เสมอ
2. ต้องทำความเข้าใจธรรมชาติและวัฏจักรของตลาด แต่อย่าพยายามไปคาดเดามันมากเกินไป
3. ในระยะยาว หลักสำคัญคือจัดพอร์ตให้หลากหลายเข้าไว้
4. ที่ปรึกษามีประโยชน์ แต่อย่าไปเชื่อง่ายๆ เพียงเพราะชื่อเสียง ตำแหน่ง ประสบการณ์ หรือผลงานในอดีต
5. วิธีการเรียนรู้ที่ดีที่สุดคือเข้าไปลอง แล้วเรียนรู้ไประหว่างทาง

[Nancy Chiok · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book.

Even though, I have been investing actively for the past 20 over years, the author gave me insights on the different financial instruments and to think that I know it all.

It is human tenacity to flee when stock market drop and I was no different than when I was much younger then. No one was advising me to keep calm, and I recalled my colleagues were and I shared that we were lucky to have sold at a loss.

Now looking back and compared to the present situation volatility is here to stay. Yet, the bounce back is fast, turn around within a week!

Thanks to this author for writing this book, reaching out to as many financial illiterate as well as financial ignorance folks.

It is noteworthy to start financial literacy when young as the world faces more uncertainty and it is better to stay prepared and plan for the future.

[Sunil Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

An introductory book on investing, nicely organized with good nuggets of wisdom in investing. I liked the "cockroach and berry" bowl analogy highlighting the fact that humans are wired to minimize negativity and seldom focus on increasing positivity. This prevents successful investing in many cases. The conclusion, in Chye's words: "No market timing, no stock picking, no losing sleep when markets are crashing. All you need to do is carefully plant a seed and wait patiently for the day to reap its fruit. This is the way to simply invest." should work for most of the people but then "greed" is a sin not easily tamable.

[Donn Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not always a fan of local investing books as I find they're often pandering to the local appetite of real estate/local-focused investing or are too heavily pushing the CPF agenda. This book however seems to toe the line of local vs. international pretty well. The writing style also felt intelligent with a scientific/engineering bent, which appealed to me (I only later learned the author had an engineering background, quite an ah-ha moment).

Definitely worth the read (got mine through the library but it's the kind of book that's worth a purchase for future reference or for lending to folks you know need a little bit of a personal finance push).

[Y T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely back to basics.

The author writes of basic fundamental investing knowledge that everyone should have. E.g. don't flee when markets crashes, etc.

Highly recommended read for everyone starting their investment journey. Wished someone would have told me more of these knowledge when I was younger, perhaps I would have done better in the GFC era.

The author also addresses more recent investment trends and instruments such as cryptocurrencies.

Overall a great read, for those starting out and a good reminder for the seasoned investors.

[Kelvin Tung · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book for anyone new to investing. Good coverage of investing concepts with not so technical jargons that gets readers started on their journey to investing. Main concept covered is dollar cost averaging technique. So if readers are looking for something more advance, then this may not be the book for you. Overall, it’s a good read.

[lerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for those with zero knowledge on investments and are looking for somewhere to start — simply invest truly is a book that reveals to its readers just how simple investments are. Easy concepts that are easy to understand.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad book. Could include more local context though.

[Jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Investment from the Singaporean perspective

[Yifei Men · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable nuggets of information. Enjoyed the summary stats and key points. Gave a good starting point towards investment and taking a more active change in managing one's own wealth.

[Jermayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Quite a good book for a beginner as he explains the terms and jagons. Well-organized content and straight to the point.

[JQ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good insight into the market. However, the book should emphasise more on taxes (such as the US Dividend tax)

[Ernest Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very readable and the author keeps it simple and interesting for such a complex topic.

[Greensuspenders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some common sense advice and nice to see some overlaps with lessons mentioned in The Psychology of Money.

[Nia Nymue · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter how experienced you are, I am confident there will be some nugget of wisdom here for you. A must read, and easy to read!

[Guang Hao Chong · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read from a loc author. Nothing ground breaking, more of ground rules style. Author is definitely a boglehead but provides sound advice for those who are new to investment in Singapore

[Waiis Su · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this! Gave me a different perspective on investing while once again reinforcing the fundamentals of not investing emotionally.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a finance expert but this book put information in a simple to understand manner.

[Tim Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an informative book on why one should not try to beat the market. However, there was little local context of how one could start investing in Enhanced Index Funds.

Lastly, I would question the reliability of the data provided. The performance of Enhanced Index Funds was based on the author’s own portfolio. Since the author did not provide the portfolio breakdown, it is difficult to ascertain its validity.

While the book had an interesting beginning, it felt more like a self-promoting book towards the end.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A readable primer of the broad principles that should underpin a rational investing strategy. Simply Invest is really about the big picture - the problems of stock-picking, the wisdom of risk diversification and portfolio rebalancing.

Specific recommendations are few and far between - there is a vague suggestion to rely on enhanced index funds rather than ETFs, without explaining where to find these funds, and much of the last chapter is a suggestion to go find an FA to do all the nitty-gritty for you, which is unsurprising given the fact that the author heads a financial advisory firm.

While I would have liked a bit more specific detail and more concrete suggestions on how to build a proper, goal-oriented investment portfolio, I can appreciate the utility of this book as a guide to the beginning investor.

I give this: 4 out of 5 EI funds

[Caleb Liu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sound sensible advice that is clearly and succinctly presented. This is targeted at those who are completely new to investing, though there is wisdom here for even more seasoned investors.

I wish I had Yang Chye to advise me when i was just starting work - I feel I would have been so much better prepared for being able to invest and create a financial plan that worked for me.

[T.H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent introduction, but towards the end there is a subtle recommendation for the reader to find an FA. Additionally, there is no definition of what exactly an "Enhanced Index" is for a few tables and in a few chapters later in the book.

[CS Loh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 1st ebook that I finished. It's a practical and easy to digest and understand book in terms of financial investing.

[Fel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good points, more narrative than technical