Blog – Greg Fok Advisory

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.

Investments

What I wished I had re-learnt about investing earlier,…

October 29, 2024October 29, 2024
by Gregory Fok

Why do most investors, including myself (in the past) get below average returns?

Markets go in cycles constantly, going up and down and most of the time in a very unpredictable fashion.

🎢 In the past, when I was investing, I will say this. “Let me see the returns of the investments. If it is doing well, I will put more in. And if the investment is not doing well, I will sell it out. And after selling out, I will buy into something else that has done well previously. Some investors basically repeat this cycle until they go broke or give up on investing.” I was one of them.

💡 If you think about the above process, what a person is doing is buying more when the markets are high. And selling out when the markets are low. Does it make sense to keep buying high and selling low? ❌❌❌ Of course not! That is the picture of the average investor on the left.

I have shifted my mindset over time to the picture on the right..

🎯 Instead, what we are here to do is to focus on our plan, not to time the market because NO company or person can do so. So we would rather ride along the trend line of broad markets going upwards and keep investing and keep topping up until we have reached our goals. When markets are up, we keep adding to buy more so that we get closer to our goals. When markets are down, we buy more because discounts are available! And when we reach our goals, we can start to draw-down on our investments and provide an income stream for ourselves!

This takes a whole RE-wirement of our understanding towards investing and what the world tells us about chasing returns.

💡 Stop chasing returns. Go back to the fundamentals and keep our eye on your goals.

Financial Planning

Who owns my wealth?

September 29, 2024
by Gregory Fok

I am going to be attending and facilitating a programme called, God, Money and Me.

It looks into the intricate relationship we have with our lives, our wealth and ourselves. I love to read into the connection between each other as it tells us a history of ourselves and how we can live our life moving forward.

As I started reading some of the materials, it reminds me strongly that all that I have is not owned by me, but by the one who made me. I am only a steward temporarily for this period.

When we are a steward, wealth does not belong to us, but we become responsible for what we are tasked with at that time.

For example, if we drive a car that belongs to a mentor, we tend to be much more responsible to ensure we return the car clean, and we drive it very carefully etc.

So when it comes to wealth management, when we are stewards to take care of it for others, we learn to be more careful and yet wise around it, to ensure that it will live beyond the current means and allow it to last longer as well.

It takes a different shift in mindset about ownership and responsibility and stewardship.

Does it make help shift some perspectives?

Financial Planning

You can have something more than Elon Musk!

August 22, 2024
by Gregory Fok

How is it possible to have more than Elon Musk?

Everyone would have thought that Elon Musk has “everything”.

I was speaking to my mentor some years ago, and he shared these wise words with me.

💡 “If you can’t be happy with $1mil, you will not be happy even if you have $5mil. And if are happy with $1mil, giving you another $5mil will not make much difference in your life.

Gratitude and faith is something that I am trying to constantly grapple with especially in the context of the work I do.

🎯 I talk about money and business to people all day long and I have also noticed that the very successful people in life, are those who are “hugely contented”! And they usually are those who do not have the most.

As the readings for today says, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

🧨 Such a powerful paragraph. Not too long ago, I was thinking about “upgrading” our home to a more “valuable” home (because my home is 99yrs), according to the excuse I gave myself. I still have lots more to grow in this aspect and I am still struggling to understand this. But this is a great reminder for me to stay grounded, to remain humble, to be contented at where I am. But to grow in my mindset, my purpose, my spirituality, to grow in my faith.

☀️ So the next time if you are thinking if you “want more”, ask what is the purpose.

Business

Do you wish you could Rest x 2…!

July 20, 2024
by Gregory Fok

We work in a hectic lifestyle in Singapore. I used to work non stop 24/7 when I first started out 19yrs ago. I remembered vividly going for multiple meetings in a day, sometimes packing 2-3 in one evening!

⛈️ One night, when I was taking the LAST train ride back, I asked myself, how long am I going to last at this pace? If I continue like this, there might be a burnout. I could even feel my heart pounding with all the adrenalin, just thinking about it.

My mentor was sharing with me, you need to take a different strategy if you want to be able to sustain long in this business. You need rest and you need to be selective in who is going to be your client.

💯 “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Today’s gospel passage reminds me of this.. REST. Within this short message, it reminds us to REST TWICE and leave our burdens to God in prayer. When I leave my problems at the foot of the cross and my concerns, I always have this feeling of assurance that God will provide and he has provided for the last 19yrs and counting, in HIS time. I do the right work, with the right people and with the right attitude of value adding and effective hard work, and I just trust the process.

🙏 Ever since then, I had repositioned my practice. We always have a “Pre-screening” meeting before prospects engage us. It was about us getting to listen to them, to understand their pain points and if they and we would be able to see ourselves on a long term partnership together. If for whatever reason there is no fit, we part ways respectfully. And if there is a good conversation with trust, then, we will be in for the long haul.

So today, we are not looking for quantity but quality and that will result in wonderful relationships we have with our clients, their partners and families, and we build a better and happier practice.

♥️This take a PROCESS to plan, to TRANSFORM with a rewirement programme. And I can tell you it takes time. It takes effort to Unlearn to Relearn.

Pic : I got this as a gift which is so apt for me!