Funds & ETFs
Unit Trusts
The wrapper that most pooled funds in Singapore use: you buy units at the daily net asset value rather than trading shares on an exchange.
What it is
In plain language.
A unit trust is the legal structure behind most pooled funds sold in Singapore, holding investors' money in a single portfolio and dividing it into units. When you invest, you are issued units; the value of each unit is the fund's net asset value, calculated once per business day, divided by the number of units in issue.
Unit trusts can be either passive (tracking an index) or actively managed, and can hold equities, bonds, a mix, or specialist assets. The defining feature is how you transact: you subscribe and redeem with the fund manager at the daily price, rather than buying and selling on a live exchange like an ETF.
For most mass-affluent investors the practical question is not unit trust versus ETF as a category, but cost and structure: a low-cost index ETF and a low-cost index unit trust can do a similar job, while a high-fee active unit trust faces a steeper hurdle to be worth it.
How it works
In Singapore, in practice.
You buy and sell unit trusts through fund platforms (FSMOne, POEMS, dollarDEX, Endowus) and banks. There is no live order book; you place a subscription or redemption that is processed at the next dealing day's net asset value. Settlement on redemption typically takes a few business days.
Costs are the annual management fee inside the total expense ratio, a possible sales charge, and on some platforms a platform fee. Cleaner platforms reduce or rebate these. Because the recurring fee is deducted daily from the fund, it quietly compounds against your return, which is why low-cost structures matter over a long horizon.
Many unit trusts are CPFIS-eligible and SRS-eligible, letting you invest CPF Ordinary Account savings (above the first S$20,000) or SRS contributions. As with all funds in Singapore, there is no capital-gains tax on units sold at a profit, though underlying foreign dividends may suffer withholding tax inside the fund.
Run the numbers
See it in your own figures.
See what investing a fixed amount here every month could grow to, at an illustrative return.
What regular investing could grow to
Investing a fixed amount every month, compounding at an illustrative return. Projected, not guaranteed.
Where it sits
Its place in the instrument map.
A sound plan is built in layers, from a guaranteed base up to small, high-risk satellites. This is the role Unit Trusts plays, and the layers around it.
Small, high-risk positions you could afford to lose entirely.
Direct stocks and REITs held for long-run growth.
Funds, ETFs, and bonds that spread risk across many holdings.
Government-backed income and the SRS tax wrapper.
Guaranteed and liquid: your CPF base and emergency cash sit here.
The trade-offs
What it does well, and what to watch.
Good for
- Investors who prefer placing a dollar amount rather than trading a precise number of shares
- Accessing strategies or fund houses not available as a Singapore-listed ETF
- Investing CPF-OA (above the first S$20,000) or SRS money through eligible funds
- A simple, daily-priced way to hold a diversified portfolio
Watch outs
- Daily pricing means you cannot buy or sell intraday, and redemptions take a few days to settle
- Sales charges and recurring management fees vary widely; high-fee active funds face a steep hurdle to beat a low-cost index
- Total cost can be opaque; check the total expense ratio plus any platform and sales fees before committing
- A unit trust is only as diversified as what it holds; a single-sector or single-country fund is concentrated risk
In the market
What this looks like.
Real Singapore examples, shown to make the instrument concrete. These are illustrative, not endorsements.
How it connects
Instruments that work with this.
Index ETFs
A single fund that tracks a whole market index, so one trade gives you a diversified basket of stocks or bonds at a low cost.
Full breakdown Funds & ETFsActively Managed Funds
A pooled fund where a professional manager picks the holdings and tries to beat the market, in exchange for a higher annual fee.
Full breakdown Funds & ETFsRobo-Advisors
A digital platform that builds and automatically manages a diversified portfolio of low-cost funds for you, for a single annual fee.
Full breakdown SRSSRS Account (the wrapper itself)
A voluntary, tax-deferral account where contributions cut your taxable income now and only half of withdrawals are taxed later.
Full breakdown CPFCPF Ordinary Account (OA)
The CPF account you can use for housing, insurance, and approved investments, earning a guaranteed 2.5% floor.
Full breakdownSources
Where the facts come from.
- Unit trusts can be bought with CPF Ordinary Account savings above the first S$20,000 when CPFIS-eligible.SingaporeConfig.cpfis.oaInvestmentFloor (S$20,000)
- Singapore does not tax individuals' capital gains, so units sold at a profit are not taxed.https://www.iras.gov.sg/taxes/individual-income-tax/basics-of-individual-income-tax/what-is-taxable-what-is-not
- MAS regulates collective investment schemes, including unit trusts, sold to retail investors in Singapore.https://www.mas.gov.sg/regulation/capital-markets/collective-investment-schemes
See where Unit Trusts fits your own plan.
This is educational, not advice. When you want a detailed look at how this fits your situation, a licensed adviser will map it to your income, CPF, and goals.