Gregory Fok – Greg Fok Advisory

I want to leave behind something for the kids,…

November 27, 2025
by Gregory Fok

However, think about it. Do your children really want the property that you bought? And even if they do inherit it, will they want an older home or one which might be newer? I think most will choose the newer.

You put in your blood, sweat and tears to stretch your finances to pay for a freehold property to leave behind for your kids but they may not necessarily appreciate it the way you do.

If you had 2 options.

A) Imagine you took on an EXTRA $1mil loan to pay off for the next 30yrs at 2%pa on average so that you can buy a freehold property. You would eventually pay $1.322mil dollars!

B) Instead, what if you could still leave the $1mil for the beneficiaries, but you only paid about $200k? Wouldn’t you have less pressure to fund the extra $1mil and have more freedom to spend how you like? And your objective of leaving $1mil in value to them will still be fulfilled, with less complications of ABSD and transfer fees etc. And they can pick and choose to buy their own new property for themselves!

Which would you prefer? A or B?

Financial Planning

What happens when we grow to become more successful?

September 24, 2025September 24, 2025
by Gregory Fok

Here’s what tends to happen when people grow to become successful: their wealth grows, choices multiply, complexity creeps in, but clarity dissolves. And when there’s no clarity, decision-making becomes driven by noise, by fear, by reaction.

That’s where I come in. My financial planning philosophy is built on four pillars:

A) Clarity over Confusion — understanding where you are, what you truly want, and what “success” means for you, not for someone else.

B) Strategic Time-Outs — regularly stepping back to reassess strategy, trim complexity, and ensure everything you do aligns with your goals.

C) Evidence-Based, Purpose-Driven Wealth Building — investment, protection, risk-management and planning, guided not by trends but by proven frameworks and your personal aspirations.

D) Stewardship & Intentionality — wealth isn’t just about accumulation; it’s about what it enables: time, options, purpose, legacy.

You probably know me as someone who doesn’t settle for the status quo. I always ask: can this be done better? Could a different lens reveal something powerful we’re overlooking?

Financial Planning

Provoking thoughts

August 25, 2025
by Gregory Fok

I have grown up in a world where my grades define my identity and my future. Get bad grades and your future is doomed to failure. Get good grades and you will get a good job and you will be successful in life.

But I learn…

A) “The smartest kid in the room isn’t always the one with straight A’s. It’s the one who knows how to solve problems, ask questions, and work with others.”

B) When I came out to the world, I have seen people who only had the highest education level of PSLE and gave up studying, who now run companies, generating multi million dollars in profits yearly.

C) And I have seen scholars who end up working for a fixed paycheck with a cap of income ceiling based on their educational abilities.

D) I have also learnt that success is also not just about monetary terms, but also about the impact that they create to the world around them.

As I process my birthday that just passed, I am asking God and Jesus as my CEO, what I am called to and for, in the next chapter of my life. Maybe I am just growing older and reflecting more on these questions.

🙏 My identity is not as a business leader or financial leader, but as God’s steward to life!

Have you been asking yourself deeper questions in life?

Business

What happens when you just buy into products?

July 22, 2025August 25, 2025
by Gregory Fok

A recent case of a person says he wants to invest $5k/month. When I asked what is the personal objective, he shared that he just has this budget of investment in mind.

The problem :
The personal goal is not clear. The overall financial picture is not clear. He is not sure whether he is near or far from his goal. You do not know which risk class allocation to choose from.

Issue :

He could be over investing.

He could be under investing.

He could be so near his goal that we should reduce the risks further.

It may not tie in with the overall financial situation.

We don’t know….

When there is no clarity, the emotions can drive you up the wall when a crisis hits.

Value of an advisor :

To bring clarity, more peace of mind, more confidence and less anxiety to get you to your best ideal life, with the right amount of budget and appropriate sum, with the least amount of risks.

Isn’t that what you want in life?

Business

As you progress in life, so does your decision…

June 26, 2025June 26, 2025
by Gregory Fok

When you had little to start with, there was only one key objective – to survive, to have sufficient and stay alive and ensure that the income continues so that you can pay your bills.

As you progress and do better, you have more income, more wealth, more options and things begin to look more complex. How do you ensure that you do not pay too much for taxes, not pay too much for interests, diversify your investment portfolio so that it all does not go to zero, and where else should you park your funds for what purpose?

Isn’t it ironic that when you have more, your life looks more complex, with too many options? And due to this reason, you wish that you could simplify your wealth and life so that it minimizes decision making!

Wouldn’t you wish you could have more Clarity, which helps to cut through the noise and the clutter, especially when managing larger incomes and larger amounts of wealth? That is where our value comes in, as we are equipped and designed to manage large amounts of wealth, while taking less risks and extracting better value over time.

Financial Planning

If your life is too busy, you need to…

May 31, 2025May 31, 2025
by Gregory Fok

If you want to grow, it is not just about doing more. It is about doing it DIFFERENTLY.

If a person wants to grow by 2x, then he just needs to put in almost double the effort and maybe he gets to 2x growth. But it also means that he may eventually burnout.

The key is about doing it DIFFERENTLY and doing less…

So what I have realized is that doing less is actually allowing me to grow more.

In fact, when it comes to wealth and investing, less intervention and less time and effort on my part, coupled with a solid underlying written philosophy, it has allowed me and the clients we work with, to grow wealth by MULTIPLE folds, with the right perspective! In fact, it is not just about more wealth, it is about more time, more options, more flexibility, more purpose, more intentional efforts.

But it takes a few steps backwards.

1) What are our life’s aspirations? with no worries of time and money?

2) What is holding us back to get us there?

3) What mental models of the world, finance and investing do you need to reframe, if needed?

4) What is the systematic way of decision making in investing, while creating opportunities of growth ALL over the world?

5) Can you do all the above while saving you and your family time and building more wealth?

6) If the worst case scenario happens in various circumstances, have you found ways to transfer those risks smart?

💡 It is not about doing more, but doing differently, do you agree?

Business

When There’s No Clarity, You Cannot Make good Financial…

April 21, 2025April 21, 2025
by Gregory Fok

A CEO of a large company once shared something with me that I still reflect on today:
“Most people, including myself, don’t actually know what or where they are exactly. It takes time to consolidate all the information.

I know where my company figures stand but not my personal ones.”

That struck a chord.

Over the years in my work as a financial planner, I’ve met countless individuals. Some incredibly successful in their careers, who still feel uncertain when it comes to their finances. And the root cause often boils down to this: a lack of clarity.

They might not be clear on:

How much they’re actually spending or saving

What they truly want to achieve financially

Where they currently stand in relation to their goals

And when there’s no clarity, making good financial decisions becomes incredibly difficult. How do you decide where to invest, how much to insure, or when to retire, when you don’t have a clear picture of your financial landscape?

I’ve seen it firsthand:
People feel overwhelmed not because they lack options, but because they haven’t had the space or guidance to gain clarity.

That’s why the first step in any financial journey isn’t about picking the right product or chasing returns. It’s about understanding.
Where are you now?
Where do you want to go?
What matters most to you?

Once that’s clear, everything else starts falling into place.

Clarity brings confidence. Confidence leads to conviction. And conviction leads to wise decisions.

If you’ve been feeling stuck financially, don’t rush into action. Pause, reflect, and seek clarity first.

It’s the best investment you can make, do you agree?

Inspiration

The stock market suddenly drops 10%, 20%, 50%.

March 16, 2025April 21, 2025
by Gregory Fok

What do you do?
1: Stop adding new deposits to your investment accounts.
2: Sell your investments and wait in cash until the dust clears.
3: Start interviewing new financial advisors.

None of the above. The correct answer is 4: Stick to your long-term plan, and if you are invested smart, using science based investing, maybe consider investing more while the markets are giving you a discount!

One of the HARDEST parts of investing is managing your emotions when markets are bumpy and everyone is predicting doom and gloom.

Checking your portfolio every day is one of the worst things you can do.

Why?
Because the more often you look…
The more opportunities you give yourself to panic for NO clear reason.

Some facts about the stock market (S&P 500):
Day to day, the stock market is up about 50% of the time and down 50%—a coin toss.
On a yearly basis, it’s up roughly 70-75% of the time.
On a 10-year basis, it’s up about 94% of the time.
And on a 15-year basis?
It’s 100% up.

And you can improve the odds of the statistics further than the one above, by using evidence based investing, through asset allocation and not just invest into the US.

Daily ups and downs are just noise.
What matters is the trendline up over time.

How do you stay focused on the big picture?
a) Stop checking so often. Think in 5 year blocks, not daily intervals.
b) Review the data and evidence. Over the long term, the market trends up and if you position smart, you can capture higher gains than the index.
c) Have a plan. A good investment strategy is built for the ups and downs.
d) All investing success is goal-focused and planning-driven.
e) Investing is about building wealth for the future, not reacting to the present.

So next time the markets are low and you’re tempted to check your portfolio for the 3rd time for the week, ask yourself:
“Am I thinking like a successful long-term investor or a day trader?”
True financial freedom comes from patience, not panic.

If you and your friends would like to find out more about science based investing on large amounts of wealth, we will be happy to connect to see if there is a match, as we still have capacity to add value!

Financial Planning

Blessed Jan 2025 and welcome to the new year!

January 5, 2025January 5, 2025
by Gregory Fok

If you are having a goal to set your finances in order for 2025, go to this list!

1) Review your overall financial plan.

2) Refinance your mortgage, especially if you are able to find ways to reduce interest rates.

3) Plan for your taxes and find ways to reallocate them appropriately.

4) Review your insurance policies.

5) Find ways to plan around your kids education.

6) Stop predicting what is going to happen in the investment markets.

7) Seek a 2nd opinion on your investments, and find ways to reduce risks, reduce costs, increase returns systemically (without timing market or picking stocks) and simplify your rebalancing.

8) How close or far are you to your retirement number?

9) Set aside money for emergency funds.

10) Review your business exit plans.

11) Review your estate distribution plan.

12) Buy time back for yourself!

13) Have a giving goal!

14) Create a fun and splurge budget!

If there is someone who would like to plan early in advance and would like sound advice, we will be happy to connect with your 3 best friends/colleagues/family!

Business

How do you create more time?

December 5, 2024
by Gregory Fok

Time will just fly past and we will no longer be able to get it back.

At the beginning of 2024, we decided to go for a long trip holiday and my intention was to be able to spend good time and create memories for the family. So with intentionality, we booked the trip way in advance, almost at the beginning of the year.

🎯 As an entrepreneur and high income earner, work time is precious to you and sometimes, it may be hard to take time off and we leave it to the last minute to decide. Even during the trip, it is hard not to open emails and check on work. And when you get back, there are thousands of emails awaiting for you to clear!

🥂 Again, during the trip, I intentionally decided to not check emails and told my staff not to disturb me unless there is a big or urgent issue on hand. Having learnt from Dan Sullivan, time to break and enjoy is designed to focus on that with 100%! When I am back to Singapore to work, I do that with 100% focus too! So I did that and my wife said why am I not even posting on LinkedIn.

I said I wanted to soak in the holiday environment and be present for my family. (I am only doing this in the early morning before the family is awake, as I just feel inspired!) What have you done intentionally to create more time for yourself and your loved ones?

🎯 I have been “financial coaching” for the past 19yrs and those who have set their dream goals, stuck to their plan, remained disciplined, despite the market volatility, and had me as the one journeying with them, have a much higher chance of success in the best and worst case scenarios of their lives If you like to find out more how we do it to help families and businesses get to financial freedom, follow my posts and reach out and we can have an initial meeting at our cost, with no obligations.