How to Become Mortgage-Free in 6 Years?
Build S$16,000* Per Month Passive Income for Retirement on Singapore REITs
– Open to Foreigners* (Outside Singapore)
PropertyWise Pte Ltd UEN201101459D is registered, governed by
Singapore laws. We are not licensed by MAS to give financial advice.
We will never ask for money other than product sales on this website
Learn a contrarian approach to investing in Singapore Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) over 12 months, with content delivered over emails every two weeks with instructions, tools, alerts & powerful resources, to generate a consistent yield of 10% p.a.!
(A 12-month course as it's not just head knowledge, but a whole system of execution month by month, until you get into the routines.)
Sceptical? Perfectly understand.
To make it even more unbelievable, I’m talking about REITs with blue-chip names, with bulk of assets right here in Singapore!
Don’t dismiss it yet as I’ve been living that mortgage-free life here in Singapore since 2022!
S$16,000* a month of passive income in 30 years when you retire is just mind-blowing and, like they say, be careful when it sounds “too good to be true”?
Not when you understand the principles behind the model I’m revealing through this course, and when you realise it’s all about blue-chip REITs investing in Singapore, not crypto, forex, options, some trading system or the next shiny object.
Alright, maybe getting to $16,000 in 30 years is too long a wait for you. How about I show you a system to first get to $500,000* property portfolio in just 6 years! To do that, I’ll feature a live demo portfolio which started with just $25,000 end of 2024 and a monthly commitment of $750, and showcase its growth from 2025 till 2030 as we go along, right on this page!
(Disclaimer: This is not an investment product. You’re not putting money with me, but simply doing your own trades. This product is for education purpose and not financial advice. All REITs shown or listed on this page are for illustrative purpose and not recommendations. I’m not licensed by MAS in Singapore to give financial advice. Seek qualified advice when in doubt.)
DEMO PORTFOLIO (AS OF MAY 2025)
As the model you’re going to learn is highly scalable, you can start this portfolio with just $2,500 instead and end up with $50,000*, or with $250,000 and walk away with close to a whopping $5 million* in 6 years!
I can say that with so much certainty as my model is not dependant on luck or speculation unlike other methods, but organic inflation over time. More on this demo portfolio later.
This may be a long read but trust me, you could be on the cusp of financial F.R.E.E.D.O.M. if you could get on the bandwagon of real estate investment trusts (REITs) early.
My name is Darren Goh. I am not one of those social media finfluencers you see doing videos and postings regularly. I am just the author of the book Mortgage-Free In 6 Years, selling in all major bookstores like Kinokuniya and Popular in Singapore, sharing my knowledge.
I am also the business owner of MortgageWise.sg, a Singapore home loan consultancy firm, which just celebrated its 10th year of operations in 2024. I launched this financial and mortgage education cum retirement planning website to share this new transformative knowledge which I hope will help to free people everywhere from the stress of mortgages and improve financial literacy in Singapore and beyond.
You may have landed on this page through an invite link, whilst searching online for mortgage rates, or you’re googling for ways to make passive income through affiliate marketing.
Doesn’t matter how you get here, but I want to show you a new way of wealth creation few would have thought possible, until I combine my knowledge and experience in REIT investing with my expertise in mortgage structuring.
Given the cost-of-living crisis we all face everywhere, it’s becoming even more imperative to build passive income and gain financial independence early. REITs are going to be huge, riding on secular growth trends under-appreciated by many who chase after only real properties.
* (Applicable to foreigners) Subject to interest rate not going into anomalies like the Great Inflation of 1965-1982 and other typical investment risks; becoming mortgage-free on S$16,000 a month income and S$4 million retirement assets will require additional ownership of a Singapore private property and the meeting of certain loan & seed capital requirement.
Two forces will upend retirement plans this decade faster than you think: Rising prices as well as A.I. disruptions.
Banks like DBS have already started the ball rolling with announcement of estimated 4,000 temp and contract workers to go over the next 3 years. More will follow.
Doing it on the quiet through natural attrition without replacement is also retrenchment in kind. Bottom line is: there will be job losses across many sectors, when machines and robotics take over humans.
At the same time, many have yet to fully grasp the magnitude of the impending financial tsunami hitting us, with an aging population globally in the next 10-20 years. Those who pay the bills for elderly folks in the family including hospital rider plans (known as private shield plans in Singapore) would have been given a glimpse of this in recent years. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Inflation, especially rising medical and healthcare costs, will kill us insidiously.
Don’t just focused on making capital gains which can come fast but go quickly as well. Those who dabble in stock market can attest to that.
Don’t wait till it’s too late to start building passive income whether through REITs or other means. Because it takes time to do that well and get to scale. I’m showing you one of the fastest way, which still takes 6 years!
Stop trading time for money. Time is your life, and hence your greatest wealth.
You see few of us are financially ready for any extended periods of disruptions in life today (we hope not), let alone saving enough for retirement.
Get This Right: You need to burn through S$240,000 a year to retire in a get-by mode in Singapore, based on an income of S$10,000 for a couple today! Even if you include CPF Life's payout of combined S$6,000 every month, you'll still need close to S$6 million worth of assets before you can retire.
There’s a very simple way to explain the urgent need for retirement planning. Rule of 72 dictates that if you take 72 divide by the rate of return, that’s the amount of time needed to double your sum of money. This means if inflation stays at 3%, prices will double in just 72/3 = 24 years when you retire. That cup of coffee will cost twice the amount. The same goes for restaurant meals, travel plans, and almost everything else when you retire.
So, if you think as a couple you need S$10,000 income a month to retire based on today’s value, you’ll need S$20,000 in nominal terms to derive the same utility value in 24 years! That’s S$240,000 of cash-burn every year on living expenses just to retire in a get-by mode, not lavish.
Even for Singaporeans who has the luxury of CPF Life’s highest tier (Singapore’s national annuity plan) combined payout of about S$6,000 for a couple every month on the basic plan where there’s bequest, you would still need to burn around S$168,000 every year on living expenses. And that’s not counting medical inflation, mind you, which is not inflating merely at 3%, but 10x of that!
You may think your salary, adjusted for inflation, will go up too over time and cover that correspondingly. Sure, however, that rate of growth slows as income rises. In fact, it could even stop completely with income going to zero in our late 40s and 50s. But you can’t stop inflation.
Doing the sums and assuming a safe withdrawal rate of 3% from your portfolio after you stop working, you’ll need close to S$6 million of assets when you retire! If you’re thinking of investment properties for that, you need to buy even more as the net yield for property is much lower (less than 2% after all costs). How else to avoid running out of money during retirement? Kill the goose that lay the golden eggs and sell some assets?
Even if you're not into investments, which is about capital gains but non-guaranteed, you should at least learn to grab S$20,000 of "free money" which flows through the economy consistently every single year and channel them into your pocket!
Many, including my fellow countryman here in Singapore, have yet to make the discovery – how there exists a unique autopilot cash flow system to achieve not just mortgage-free living, but financial success.
And one which works only in Singapore and few other places where all the conditions are favourable! (it works for foreigners too, so long you’re open to invest in Singapore properties). Made possible only when you combine the understanding of mortgage structuring with the knowhow & experience of REIT investing in Singapore!
Too many people dismiss REITs as boring and without much capital growth, but it's the only asset class to give you realistically a S$500,000* asset in the shortest time. I wish how someone would've shown me that in my 30s. Don't wait till it's too late to start building passive income whether through REITs or other means. Because it takes time to do that well and get to scale. I'm showing you one of the fastest way, which still takes 6 years!
This is why I’m launching this self-study program officially in 2025, to share what I learnt, at a special launch promo price of 20% off (see below) for a limited period only.
Hopefully, it will challenge some widely-held beliefs and open the minds of more people to this excellent asset class which is right here in our own backyard! Instead of madly chasing after real properties and capital gains everywhere else.
Mortgage-Free in 6 Years
COMPLETE STARTUP COURSE
Launch Special USD197
(Usual Price USD247)
A 12-month self-study course on fortnightly emails with step-by-step lessons, tutorials, templates & powerful resources to help you master the following:
1. How to build a $500,000* property portfolio on REITs in 6 years, starting with a one-time investment of $25,000 and initial monthly commitment of just $750?
2. How to generate more than 10% return p.a. on REITs by focusing on only blue-chip names?
3. How to structure your mortgage to create an autopilot cash flow system and become mortgage-free* in 6 years?
Learn how to execute the 7-Step system which spells your financial F.R.E.E.D.O.M.:
Follow the Model
Raise the Capital
Execute the Swaps
Eliminate the Risks
Document Results
Overcome Fear
Master Debt
Course Resources:
300-Page Workbook | MF6 Financial Model (for PTE/HDB) | Retirement Expenses Calculator | Attack Plan Calculator | REIT Rotation Kit | Portfolio Dashboard
BONUS GIFT #1:
First-ever mortgage affiliate program which pays recurring 20% commission for life!
BONUS GIFT #2:
A powerful trading account with the lowest brokerage commission rate and interest rate!
US$247 Now US$197
(Buy with 30-day Money Back Guarantee)
Imagine what you can do with that extra few thousands every month, if you no longer need to pay the mortgage using your own money?
Darren Goh
Author, Strategist and Contrarian Property Investor based in Singapore
(Mortgage-free since 2022)
Darren Goh’s Mortgage-Free In 6 Years is worth studying if you don’t want to be tethered to a suffocating mortgage payment.
ANDREW HALLAM
International Bestselling author of Millionaire Teacher, Millionaire Expat, and BalanceJust to be clear. I am not one of those trainers or “gurus” selling you online courses through long-copy hard-selling landing pages which you find a dime a dozen on the internet. You won’t see photo testimonials of “strangers” and their bank accounts as proof, neither can you sign up for some free VVIP preview to be sold even high-ticket courses!
I’m just an author who has put together a whole self-study program alongside my new book, which comes complete with hands-on tools, templates, step-by-step instructions and useful resources available to those who want to learn a new system of wealth creation never been taught before.
If you had spent good money on online courses or attended summits, workshops & webinars on weekends in the past but remain status quo financially, this is a course for you! All that you need to commit is that half an hour every fortnight to read each lesson notes (5-6 pages) and work through the exercises and tutorials. The lessons are well-paced to guide you every step in the execution until you hit your short-term target in 12 months!
Still doubtful of such a system? Like what they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. The VVIP preview here is the book itself!
You can simply buy the book for US$25 (ships free in Singapore, US$15 to U.S. and selected countries)! Or just grab it at Kinokuniya, Popular and all major bookstores in Singapore where my entire thesis is open for your scrutiny!
This book will reveal all the secrets on how a middle-income salaried worker, who owns just one private residential property in Singapore, can potentially retire with up to S$4 million* assets and up to S$16,000* passive income every month at the end of the mortgage term!
It’s not a typical self-help book that you just “read, understand & chuck away”. It’s a practical workbook, laden with ideas, steps, excel worksheets, and above all, a powerful financial model. Within those 300 pages, you will discover the exact strategies and methodology I use to become mortgage-free. No holds barred.
So far, from the emails I receive on the book, the feedback has been encouraging as people have been truly inspired by this new transformative knowledge which has never been taught before anywhere. But they can use some help to execute the whole system and to become consistent – the key to success!
* (Applicable to foreigners) Subject to interest rate not going into anomalies like the Great Inflation of 1965-1982 and other typical investment risks; becoming mortgage-free on S$16,000 a month income and S$4 million retirement assets will require additional ownership of a Singapore private property and the meeting of certain loan & seed capital requirement.
“Without commitment you’ll never start, but more importantly, without consistency you’ll never finish” — Denzel Washington
The question is how can you be consistent? That’s the biggest problem with all the courses you attended and paid for over the years. Everybody can start, but not many can finish and succeed.
Can you truly master something just by watching webinars or attend a summit over a weekend? Life gets busy soon after, even though you have thousands of resources, videos, refreshers you can go back to, but few ever found the time or even the initial zest.
It’s been said that the difference between head knowledge and actually mastering something is 21 days.
Why so? You need to get into success habits or routines which form only after 21 days. And just to extend that, to become an Olympic champion in any field after that – 10,000 hours!
In this course, I’ve determined that to see some initial results, you need to be consistent in following every step for 12 months. And that’s exactly how the course is designed with emails to hand-hold you every 2 weeks until you get into the routines after 12 months.
The course content is written from a very different perspective from the book as it focuses on practical application with step-by-step instructions, templates, alerts and powerful resources to help you start up the entire autopilot cash flow system and build your $500,000 property portfolio on REITs in 6 years first, before finally become mortgage-free!
Unlike other websites, I put the price upfront and US$247 is everything you pay, one-time, for this unique self-study email course. No VVIP preview, no long list of sign-up bonuses at the end & no more upsell. No gimmicks.
Head knowledge is useless. You can always read a book for that, which sadly some can’t even finish one these days.
That’s what this Startup course is all about – go beyond head knowledge and into execution. Not just to help you start up the whole system and stay consistent in execution month in and month out. That’s why you need all the prompts and alerts.
It comes with the book thrown in along with just two special bonus gifts to help pay for the entire course fee of US$247 many times over, and possibly paying you every year after that! Find out more details below on the first-ever mortgage affiliate program and a powerful trading account I’ve put together for you, exclusive to subscribers of this course.
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel and avoid many of the beginners’ mistakes which can prove costly. Why not invest a little more and go for the course straight?
Finally, let me make it a no-brainer for you, if you act fast. Let me show you why this Startup course could possibly be your best retirement plan for a 20% off launch special at US$197 but only for a limited period, further backed by a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee!
That’s right. Check under the hood, and if you don’t see the full value in it, keep the book (non-refundable item including any courier cost) and we’ll gladly refund you the balance of US$197 – US$25 = US$172 within 30 days. No questions asked.
There ain’t many wealth courses out there which you can “preview” with a fast-selling self-help book of the same title. I’ll even invite you to sample a free chapter below.
To be successful in life, you need to always challenge yourself and stay open to ideas, including ground-breaking ones like what’s in this book. A highly-recommended read.
RICHARD TAN
CEO, Success Resources Singapore Pte LtdWhy Email Course?
So, what's the course all about and why over email?. First, what it's not.
This is Not Financial Advice
Many people know real estate investment trusts (REITs) are essentially properties, yet continue to view and trade them like stocks. Introducing a paradigm shift in the way you should look at REITs and unveiling an alternative approach to retirement planning through the use of mortgage structures, this is financial education for the general public to consider having REITs in their asset allocation. It should not be construed in any way as financial advice tailored for any specific individual. I am not licensed by MAS. When in doubt, seek qualified financial advice.
This is also not an investment or trading course to get you to buy some investment products or trading solutions. I do not recommend any specific REIT other than to encourage a focus on blue-chip names. I do not get remunerated directly if you buy, hold or sell any of the REITs used as illustration.
(Though I may benefit indirectly on referral fees from partners when I put together special trading accounts and solutions to help you save on costs, as well as when demand for the REITs I hold goes up over time which will be disclosed to you.)
Email Lessons Allow Sufficient Time to Internalise Concepts
It's a self-study email course over 12 months to help you put in place the entire autopilot cash flow system to first build a property portfolio of $500,000 in 6 years, and finally to become mortgage-free!
Remember how we used to study in universities? You can't just watch videos over weekends. You’ve got to finish a text book, do your tutorials and research, and finally mug for an exam! In a world obsessed with visual presentations where most people pay top dollars to attend property summits and masterclasses only to see the initial euphoria fizzle out, or sit passively at home to watch webinars and videos where the lack of discipline soon crowds out any interest, I believe the best format to deliver this new knowledge is through a practical, hands-on, 12-month self-study email course.
The fortnightly email lessons are well-paced to give you time to absorb and internalise all the learnings. Each lesson comes with explainer notes, step-by-step guides, exercises, reading assignments, plus tools, templates, and useful resources to help you apply the concepts beyond just head knowledge from reading a book, and to get the whole system up and running within 6 months!
Build a $500,000*
Property Portfolio
In 6 Years!
An exquisite plan which only works in Singapore and few other places..
With just a one-time investment of $25,000 and a monthly commitment of $750!
H
ow can you build a $500,000* property portfolio in REITs, or for that matter any investment portfolio, within 6 years, starting with just $25,000 and an initial monthly commitment of just $750? (This is not another course fee to pay, you’re simply investing your own money using your own trading account)
Now, I understand a S$500,000 portfolio could be nothing to some who are successful investors in their own rights, with multi-million worth of property holdings and retirement funds. This course is not meant for you to be honest. Still, you can double or triple your wealth by following the same system.
For the rest of us, it’s hard to even think about hitting this target, let alone within 6 years. The usual answer will be to invest (perhaps more like speculate) in technology stocks and hope to hit the jackpot with the next Nvidia or Tesla. Try bitcoin for some? How about some new-found trading strategies in forex, options, CFDs, and the list goes on.
But how certain can you be that you will get to a pot of $500,000* within 6 years? How can you be sure not to let any single mistake of losses wipe out all your earlier gains and set you back from your target? Perhaps you diversify like what many experts advocate, which means any big win in one investment may not give you a home run just yet. You might need more time.
What about the love affair for Singaporeans (and many other nationalities too) – investing in properties? With leverage of 75% loan-to-value (LTV), a 25% rise in prices will see you reap a 100% return on your capital.
So, to make S$500,000, you first need to have more than S$500,000 capital (to pay for exorbitant taxes) to buy a S$2 million investment property with a loan of S$1.5 million and hope for a minimum 25% rise in prices over the next 6 years. How likely is there?
Elon Musk says Singapore is going extinct? We may not agree, but the fact remains that some schools are closing. It bags the question will there always be insatiable demand for all our residential properties 50 years down the road? Nothing is certain. Our immigration policy and continued economic success are key.
With the use of leverage, investing in real residential properties directly may be your best bet to hit a pot of $500,000 in 6 years with the resilience in price of Singapore properties over the last two decades, but there are risks involved as it is capital-intensive, attracts high taxes, and you may not always have the rent, nor the income from your job. Nothing is certain.
Of course, to avoid all risks, simply saving $750 a month can get you to a pot of $50,000 in 6 years. But you’re looking at making 10x of that.
Let me show you another option in this Startup course without risking so much, one which almost every one can attain.
I call it a carefully-crafted Attack Plan, which comes in a formulated and customisable worksheet, to help you build a $500,000* property portfolio in REITs (based on initial entry price, in S$ or US$ for our overseas friends) with one-time $25,000 investment and an initial monthly commitment of just $750 within 6 years.
It’s a system I’m so confident it will work, with a high degree of success as it combines two powerful methods of fundraise I expounded extensively in Chapter 20 of my book, that I’m going to show you literally.
DEMO PORTFOLIO (AS OF MAY 2025)
What you see here is a screenshot of a demo portfolio I started in Dec 2024 with just S$25,000 on level 1 Attack Plan. (Note: Any REIT shown here serves purely as an example of blue-chip S-REIT and does not constitute as a recommendation)
It becomes interesting for the public to see how the value of this demo portfolio will grow over the next 6 years as I document it from 2025 to 2030 (if God willing), which I will showcase periodically and at the end of every year as real-life proof!
What you will see is how this demo portfolio rises in value eventually to reach close to $500,000* by 2030, but what you will not see is how that's achieved behind the scenes using the system. Join the program to find out.
Instead of just watching, better yet, join in to grow your own portfolio at the same time. Just like all property investments, the earlier you get in, the higher the returns over long periods (due to inflation if nothing else)
Unlike other trading strategy or get-rich schemes out there, it works because nothing is left to chance, luck or pure speculation. On the contrary, it employs the power of human discipline, psychology and a sure-fire asset class almost guaranteed to deliver results! It will be an eye-opener for many.
How do you put a value to this transformative knowledge of amassing a $500,000 property portfolio for retirement? Immeasurable.
BONUS GIFT #1:
First-Ever
Mortgage Affiliate
Program
Earn 20% recurring passive income for life#, or US$50 per sale, paid to your registered PayPal account year after year!
Possibly the best affiliate program in Singapore!
I
f you think you are paying US$247 US$197, you’ll be surprised it’s the other way round – you’ll be paid, and much more!
How do you make the whole course pays for itself? Other than creating the first-ever mortgage affiliate program where everyone to whom you introduce the program will entitle you to a 20% commission (US$50), paid in cash to your PayPal, we need to do one more thing.
We need to create so much value that people will want to stay subscribed to it every year!
It’s a subscription model because at the end of the 12-month course, you’ll be invited to renew the subscription for another year at about the same price, or you can simply opt out and continue on your own. Chances are you probably won’t want to put a stop to all the benefits.
First, there’s add on BONUS GIFT #2 of a Powerful Trading Account (more details in next section) with the lowest brokerage fees and interest rate for trading in SGX, saving you loads in transaction costs in REITs. This is exclusive to only those who stay in the subscription.
Next, imagine getting paid every year, over and over again, with a 20% recurring affiliate marketing commission (or US$50) for life# when more people discover the true value in this whole autopilot system to become mortgage-free!
Trust me. When you master the whole system to become mortgage-free in 6 years, you won’t want to keep everything to yourself. You’re gonna share it with friends, colleagues and family members.
What better way to promote this program than to share a part of my product margin as affiliate commissions and create of the best affiliate program in Singapore for all my loyal advocates? Better that than paying social media companies and google ads.
Simply share your unique affiliate link and get rewarded for sharing this transformative new knowledge and doing good at the same time!
For the first time, everyone can earn passive income doing affiliate marketing “offline”! You don’t need a website or business to do this (those new to affiliate marketing may find the FAQs on our affiliate program Singapore page useful).
Let me show you the potential of what that means.
We’re talking about over a lifetime here. Certainly, you’re going to be able to refer at least 10 friends/colleagues!
If the program is as good as it claims (which I am confident), surely then you will want to include your own family members and close friends as you’ll want them to enjoy the same benefits which can’t be shared as it’s a personal self-discovery journey.
This means for those living in Singapore, with 10 referrals, you could be earning average affiliate marketing commissions of S$50 every month!
Is this some kind of MLM, pyramid scheme or Ponzi scheme? Absolutely not. There’s no down line. There’s only one level.
The product owner is simply sharing 20% of the product margin every year, but collectively the scheme will work to give everyone recurring and passive affiliate marketing income for life*, when everyone renews!
Besides helping free lives from the stress of mortgages, I am delighted what this can do for our social mission – to help build another kind of social safety net in Singapore, and in a sustainable way.
For fellow Singaporeans, this is akin to receiving a S$500 CDC voucher (government social program) top-up every year. In fact, being digital, this social safety net could stretch beyond boundaries to all those with the need.
If you see the same vision as us, join in this movement.
# Based on unlimited annual renewals unless program is stopped due to fraud or technical reasons, other terms apply.
**For professional affiliate marketeers with huge followers or mailing list
BONUS GIFT #2:
A Powerful Trading Account
To help you save even more, I've put together one of the most powerful trading account for you with:
LOWEST BROKERAGE COMMISSION 0.1% (SGX)
&
LOWEST INTEREST 3-MONTH SORA+1.00%
(Just like a mortgage rate!)
Exclusively for subscribers to this Startup course, saving you an estimated US$500 p.a. conservatively.
Putting it Altogether in One Power Pack Worth US$1,300!
That’s right. It’s a power pack of value conservatively estimated to be worth a total of almost US$1,300:
– 300-page workbook: US$25
– Startup course itself: US$247 (Usual)
– Knowledge to build a $500,000 portfolio: Priceless
– Affiliate commissions: US$500 per annum
– Special trading account: US$500 per annum
Become a winner not in a boxing game, but more importantly, in the game of life! You don’t master a skill through watching webinars. Life’s distractions will eventually crowd out your interest. You’ve got to be hands on, work through a set of routines, system and structure. That’s what this Startup course is all about – to master the skills to become mortgage-free in 6 years!
Alternatively, can you buy the book and read it first?
You can certainly do that too as, like I said, this is not a hard-sell landing page. By all means check out the book and the main thesis first.
Like I promised earlier, I’ll even invite you to sample a free chapter below.
(But remember you won’t enjoy all the Startup course benefits listed on this page with just the book purchase.)
For those who are disciplined and resourceful enough, you can certainly try to put all the new knowledge into practice on your own by just reading the book.
But, as with all things in life, there will always be a steep learning curve for beginners. Without the help of a structure and system of doing things, you’ll likely struggle and may even stumble and make some mistakes. Just come back later for this Startup course when you’re ready.
Or, if you’re decisive and determined to make a change to your financial and retirement outcome, get this Startup course today at our special introductory price of US$197 (Usual Price US$247), backed by our 30-Day Money Back Guarantee, and have the book thrown-in for free!
With more than US$1,300 worth of value packed into this course, you can be assured it pays for itself, many times over.
Either way, it’s an investment you will not regret, for your own financial transformation! Join me now.
* (Applicable to foreigners) Subject to interest rate not going into anomalies like the Great Inflation of 1965-1982 and other typical investment risks; becoming mortgage-free on S$16,000 a month income and S$4 million retirement assets will require additional ownership of a Singapore private property and the meeting of certain loan & seed capital requirement.
OR
PS. At just US$247 US$197, this is probably the cheapest “wealth training” you could ever find. I am not a MAS-licensed financial advisor to be able to recommend any investment product or tailor specific advice for anyone. However, I certainly know the business of interest rate and debt much better than anyone else, and be able to show you how to build wealth in ways you’ve never imagined before.
To Your Financial Transformation!
Darren Goh
Author | Strategist | Contrarian Property Investor
(5% of book sales and all revenue generated on this website will go to a Mission Forward fund for social causes we support)
IMPORTANT TO READ:
PropertyWise Pte Ltd (UEN201101459D) is a company registered in and governed by Singapore laws. We are not licensed by MAS to give financial advice. We will never ask for transfer of money other than product sales on this domain www.MortgageFree6Years.com (pls check).
Create Passive Income Today!
Build a $500,000 property portfolio in 6 years, with one-time $25,000 and initial monthly commitment of just $750!
Disclaimer:
Neither the author of the book nor PropertyWise Pte Ltd, the operator for this website, are licensed or regulated by MAS under the Financial Advisory Act (FAA) in Singapore. All information presented in the book are opinions of the author and any representations given, whether by way of example, illustration or otherwise, are purely portfolio allocation advice and not recommendations or inducements to buy, sell or hold any particular investment product or class of investment product. All opinions are generic in nature and are not tailored to the particular circumstances of any reader. Seek advice from a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decision.
Though every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information and figures presented, we make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents in the book or in this retirement planning blog and specifically disclaim any implied warranties or fitness for a particular purpose.
We shall not be held responsible for any financial loss or any other damages suffered whatsoever, directly or indirectly, if you choose to follow any of the advice or recommendations given in the book or in this blog.
* (Applicable to foreigners) Subject to interest rate not going into anomalies like the Great Inflation of 1965-1982 and other typical investment risks; becoming mortgage-free on S$16,000 a month income and S$4 million retirement assets will require additional ownership of a Singapore private property and the meeting of certain loan & seed capital requirement.
Beginners' Guide to Investing in Singapore REITs
New to the world of real estate investment trusts (REITs)? Explore this FAQ section to understand REITs 101 first.

It’s a win-win structure as asset owners will typically remain as the sponsor of the REIT with majority holding of the listed entity, thus still availing themselves of the cash flow generated from the assets. At the same time, a REIT structure listed on the exchange allows retail investors like you and me to become joint-owners with big institutional funds like pension, sovereign or hedge funds, to big shopping malls, office and industrial buildings, warehouses, hospitals and even data centres, something which will not be possible for the common man otherwise.
The Singapore government actually has a financial education website which gives the lowdown on REITs quite well found at: https://www.moneysense.gov.sg/understanding-real-estate-investment-trusts-reits/

REITs are listed on the exchange just like stocks and shares. As such, they can be readily bought and transacted like securities through your stock broker who charges the usual brokerage fee. That’s a fraction of the cost when compared to investing in unit trusts where you pay sales charges and management fees, or in physical real properties where you pay exorbitant stamp duties.
Professional property management
With a REIT structure, retail investors can now partake to share in the pool of rentals collected known as distributions (a.k.a. dividends) which are distributed regularly either every quarter or every half-year. At the same time, by “paying” or allowing the REIT manager to retain 10% of the net income for working capital, you are assured that all your property units are in the good hands of professional property managers who can do a much better job in upkeeping the state of repairs than retail investors.
Diversification of portfolio
One of the biggest appeal of investing in REITs is how your one single unitholding of a blue-chip REIT allows you to diversify across hundred and thousands of office, industrial and retail units. This becomes a great source of stable passive income unlike investing directly in one single unit of commercial property where the individual does all the work and assume the entire vacancy risk when the one and only tenant leaves.
High dividend yield for income generation
Since REITs employ leverage to acquire and grow their assets, it’s natural to expect that they deliver a much higher return than the actual property capitalisation rate or cap rate (net property income as a ratio of property value) which hovers in the 3-4% range for offices and 4-5% for retail malls. Depending on the interest rate environment and hence the ensuing cap rate, blue-chip Singapore REITs have demonstrated a strong track record to deliver DPU yields of 4-5% during cap rate compression periods of low to moderate interest rate environment and in excess of 6-8% during cap rate expansion periods of high interest rate environment.
Stability in dividend payout
To encourage distributions so as to make Singapore a vibrant REITs market, REITs that pay out 90% of their net income will enjoy 100% tax transparency (profits earned will be exempted from Singapore’s corporate tax rate of 17%). Again, this is good news for REIT investors as they can be assured of the certainly of distributions unlike stock dividends of companies which are and decided and declared unilaterally by the Board of directors.
No income tax (or withholding tax) for individual investors
Not only that, the best part is there’s no income tax nor withholding tax for foreign individuals investing in REITs listed on the Singapore exchange. This makes Singapore one of the best jurisdictions for REIT investing, alongside Hong Kong, unlike big REIT markets like U.S. and Japan where tax on dividends erode the appeal of REIT investing for foreigners.

Over the years, most Singapore REITs (also known as S-REITs) have expanded with various degree into regional markets, thus their portfolios have grown in size incorporating some mix of foreign assets from Australia, China and South Asia. Logistic REITs in particular will see as much as 80-90% of their assets nested in the various continents including Europe and U.S. due to the nature of the sector.
Singapore REITs are generally classified into the various property sectors they operating in (with some examples shown):
Retail REITs
CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust (CICT)
Frasers Centrepoint Trust (FCT)
Lendlease Global Commercial Trust (LREIT)
Mapletree Pan-Asian Commercial Trust (MPACT)
Paragon REIT (PREIT)
Commercial REITs
Keppel REIT (KREIT)
Suntec REIT
OUE REIT
Data centre REITs
Keppel DC REIT (KDC)
Mapletree Industrial Trust (MIT)
Hospitality REITs
Capitaland Ascott Trust
CDL Hospitality Trust
Healthcare REITs
Parkway Life REIT
Industrial & Logistics REITs
Capitaland Ascendas REIT (CLAR)
Frasers Logistics & Commercial Trust (FLCT)
In my course, we do not give any specific recommendation on what sector or which REIT to invest in, other than to encourage a focus on the blue-chip names which will naturally be those with the biggest market capitalisation and are often heavily-traded bellwether REITs in their respective sectors, owned by sponsors who are household names in Singapore.
When selecting the REIT to invest, you ought to do some simple research at delve into its latest and past financial performance on a set of important financial metrics for REITs which should include the following:
Book Value Per Unit OR Net Asset Value (total asset less total debt) Per Unit
This is the residual value left for each unitholder when all the properties are sold off at market value and after all creditors are paid off.
Net Property income (NPI)
This is gross revenue after deducting COGS (cost of goods sold) or variable costs for a company. For REITs, the COGS will be all the day-to-day property operating expenses where the bulk of it will be property tax and maintenance costs.
Distributable Income or DPU (Distribution Per Unit)
This is the taxable income which is NPI after deducting all expenses with the two main ones being management fees and finance costs. 90% of this must be paid out for tax-exemption. This is what investors pay most attention to as REIT manager’s mandate is to grow distributable income y-o-y by increasing top line revenue and keeping costs down.
Yield
This is typically what REIT investors focus on which can be a value trap many a times. Yield is simply the total DPU collected in the year over the price of the REIT which then makes it a dynamic ratio be it the numerator or the denominator.
The yield is also largely dependent on the cap rate (capitalization rate) or the interest rate environment. Generally, when interest rate is high with risk-free rate near 3% level, investors will demand a much higher return leading to cap rate expansion and you can expect most blue-chip REITs to be paying DPU in the range of 5-7%. The reverse happens when interest rate stays in the doldrums leading to cap rate compression and the yield from blue-chip REITs with big market capitalisation will drop to 3-5% as institutions rotate back to the sector leading to higher prices.
Stability of Revenue or Tenants
This comprises of three different metrics namely the Weighted-Average Lease Expiry (WALE), Rental Reversions (percentage of leases with higher rents on renewal), as well as Tenant Concentration (diversity of revenue across tenants’ base).
Aggregate Leverage Ratio
Also known as the gearing ratio, it measures the percentage of total borrowings to total asset. For S-REITs, the current regulatory requirement is that this ratio cannot exceed 45% unless the Interest Coverage is more than 2.5x, which then avails them up to 50% debt. However, progress is underway now to allow all S-REITs to borrow up to 50% without restrictions.
Interest Coverage
NPI over total finance costs, which measures how able is the REIT to service its debt.
Average Term to Maturity
This measures the refinancing risk of REITs if interest rate environment persists higher for longer. Those with shorter term to maturity will be forced to refinance at higher interest earlier.
Percentage of Debt on Fixed Rate
Investors pay special attention to REITs’ hedging strategy on fixed interest rates in the current high interest rate environment. This can be double-edged sword should interest cycle reverses.
Cost of Debt
Total finance costs over the total debt, which measures how well is the REIT negotiating for its interest rate.

You will be spoilt for choice as there are plethora of options available here where you can choose from traditional brokerages like POEMs (Phillip Securities), securities arm of major banks like DBS Vickers Securities, to foreign trading apps which are all the rage in recent years like Tiger, Webull, MooMoo, etc. Brokerage fees are competitive in Singapore based on the level of sophistication and personal servicing preferred.

If you can’t bear to see any paper losses on your portfolio, REIT investing is certainly not for the faint-hearted especially in the last two to three years where Fed’s tightening has led to massive sell-down in the REITs market even for blue-chip names.
As such, those who use leverage in REIT investing must be prepared that they could see their capital value be destroyed progressively over time if they get repeated margin calls.
An overview of the risks involved for REIT investing in Singapore will include the following:
Market Risk
Prices of REITs will swing up and down daily on the exchange and may go significantly below your buy price just like a stock. Selling at such depressed prices will lead to capital value destruction if you do not have the holding power over the long haul.
Business Risk
In a way REITs are in the business of renting out their underlying properties for rental income and any factors which impact the business will may significant effect on returns for example rising interest rate, rising vacancy due to competition for tenants from newer buildings or destinations, etc.
Interest Rate Risk
When interest rate rises, like what we’ve witnessed in the last few years (2022-2025), not only does REIT manager face significant challenges in terms of refinancing to keep their finance costs down and distributions up, investors who use margin to trade REITs will also face capital destruction (sell down by the market) as well as rising borrowing costs, hence a double-whammy.
Liquidity Risk
Investors who lack the holding power during such prolonged periods of downturn should interest rate and thus financing costs stay higher for longer will realise actual capital destruction if they should sell to liquidate their holdings, sometimes at up to 40-50% loss in value.
Concentration Risk
REITs are by definition more diversified than investors buying individual units of commercial properties, as the risk of vacancy if spread across hundreds or thousands of units of offices, retail shops, industrial units, etc. Still, there are smaller REITs listed on the exchange where mismanagement or simply the loss in shine for certain locations over time (for example Changi Business Park) due to changing business dynamics can pose significant challenges for REIT managers.
There are also country-specific REITs who invest of Singapore which is generally recognised as a safe haven location for property investments in Asia. REITs with large overseas exposure where Singaporeans may not be familiar with carry even greater risks, for example the likes of Manulife U.S. REIT (MUST) & Prime REIT which have seen almost 90% of their capital value destroyed at one point.
Caveat Emptor. Those who are new to REIT investing ought to do more research before they start, and start small. Better yet, take up courses and other available resource online so as not to repeat any beginner’s errors which can be costly.
S-REITs with Blue-Chip Sponsor
Explainer & Disclaimer:
– Prices are updated monthly typically on last trading day of prior month (closing price)
– NAV is based on what is announced in the latest quarterly or half-yearly results
– Yield is based on latest available rolling 12 month of distributions announced
– We do not warrant information will be 100% accurate. Do not rely on it for any financial decisions or do so at your own risk.
SELECTED SINGAPORE REITS | TICKER | LAST PR | NAV | PR/BOOK | DPU | YIELD (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CapitaLand Ascendas REIT (CLAR) | A17U | 2.660 | 2.200 | 1.21 | 0.1521 | 5.72 |
CapitaLand Ascott Trust | HMN | 0.855 | 1.150 | 0.74 | 0.0610 | 7.13 |
CapitaLand China Trust (CLCT) | AU8U | 0.690 | 1.120 | 0.62 | 0.0565 | 8.19 |
CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust (CICT) | C38U | 2.150 | 2.090 | 1.03 | 0.1088 | 5.06 |
CDL Hospitality Trust | J85 | 0.795 | 1.450 | 0.55 | 0.0532 | 6.69 |
Far East Hopsitality Trust | Q5T | 0.545 | 0.906 | 0.60 | 0.0404 | 7.41 |
Fraser Hospitality Trust | ACV | 0.655 | 0.657 | 1.00 | 0.0226 | 3.45 |
Frasers Centrepoint Trust (FCT) | J69U | 2.260 | 2.280 | 0.99 | 0.1204 | 5.33 |
Frasers Logistics & Commercial Trust (FLCT) | BUOU | 0.895 | 1.080 | 0.83 | 0.0632 | 7.06 |
Keppel DC REIT (KDC) | AJBU | 2.160 | 1.530 | 1.41 | 0.0945 | 4.38 |
Keppel Pacific Oak US REIT (US$) (KORE) | CMOU | 0.199 | 0.690 | 0.29 | 0.0000 | 0.00 |
Keppel REIT (KREIT) | K71U | 0.855 | 1.270 | 0.67 | 0.0560 | 6.55 |
Lendlease Global Commercial REIT (LREIT) | JYEU | 0.515 | 0.760 | 0.68 | 0.0357 | 6.93 |
Mapletree Industrial Trust (MIT) | ME8U | 2.020 | 1.710 | 1.18 | 0.1357 | 6.72 |
Mapletree Logistics Trust (MLT) | M44U | 1.120 | 1.380 | 0.81 | 0.0900 | 8.04 |
Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust (MPACT) | N21U | 1.220 | 1.780 | 0.69 | 0.0802 | 6.57 |
OUE REIT | TS0U | 0.280 | 0.580 | 0.48 | 0.0206 | 7.36 |
Parkway Life REIT | C2PU | 4.230 | 2.410 | 1.76 | 0.1492 | 3.53 |
Starhill Global REIT | P40U | 0.495 | 0.710 | 0.70 | 0.0363 | 7.33 |
Suntec REIT | T82U | 1.150 | 2.046 | 0.56 | 0.0619 | 5.38 |