— Participant Accounts
What Participants Say After Completing a Course
Accounts from people who attended our programmes, in their own words — describing what changed and what they found useful.
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Participants
4.7 / 5
Average Rating
6
Years Operating
92%
Would Recommend
— Reviews
From the Participants Themselves
Lim Wei Ling
Ang Mo Kio · Age 47
I attended the mid-life finances course after my daughter started secondary school and I realised I had not looked properly at our household finances in years. The course did not overwhelm me — the pace was measured and the workbook gave me something to refer back to at home.
What I found most useful was the session on CPF accounts. I thought I understood mine, but the structured walkthrough showed me aspects I had been misreading for years. That alone was worth the course fee.
March 2025 · Mid-Life Finances
Rajan Subramaniam
Jurong East · Age 52
The income planning course covered SGX REITs in more depth than I expected. I have been holding a few REITs for several years without fully understanding the distribution mechanics. The facilitator was direct and did not dress things up — he showed us historical yield data without suggesting it would repeat.
The group discussions were the highlight for me. Hearing how others in a similar age range were thinking about their portfolios was genuinely useful.
February 2025 · Income Planning
Tan Hui Fen
Bishan · Age 55
I came to the CPF LIFE course because I had an appointment with a financial advisor coming up and felt completely unprepared to understand what he would recommend. After five weeks, that changed significantly.
The Q&A session with the retirement specialist was exactly what I needed. I asked about the difference between the Standard and Escalating plans in my specific situation and received a considered answer — not a sales pitch.
January 2025 · Annuities & CPF LIFE
Mohammad Faizal
Tampines · Age 44
Solid course with a proper structure. I appreciated that the facilitator was upfront about the limitations of what we were covering — we were learning frameworks, not receiving personal advice. That honesty made me trust the content more.
The balance sheet session in week one was something I should have done years ago. Having a facilitator walk through it in a group setting made it feel less daunting than doing it alone.
March 2025 · Mid-Life Finances
Ng Chwee Lian
Toa Payoh · Age 49
My husband and I each took different courses over the same period and compared notes afterwards. The income planning course gave me a much better grasp of what our REIT holdings actually represent — I had been treating them like a black box for years.
The workbook is well-made. I still refer back to the section on fees and compounding when I am reviewing our holdings.
February 2025 · Income Planning
Sheela Pillai
Queenstown · Age 58
I am closer to the CPF payout age than most in my cohort, so the CPF LIFE course was very timely for me. Understanding the difference between the three plan types in terms of long-term implications — not just the starting payout figure — was something I had not found clearly explained elsewhere.
The worksheet helped me work through my specific Retirement Sum position. I came in with questions and left with a clearer picture.
April 2025 · Annuities & CPF LIFE
— Case Studies
Three Participant Journeys in Detail
Case Study 01 — Mid-Life Finances
The Starting Point
A 46-year-old logistics manager in Bedok came to the course having not reviewed his CPF accounts in over three years. He was aware he had funds spread across three CPF accounts but could not say with confidence how much was in each or what the Retirement Sum threshold meant for his situation.
What Changed
By week three, he had completed a full personal balance sheet for the first time. The CPF sessions gave him the terminology and the CPF website navigation skills to read his statement accurately. By the end of the course he had a clear picture of his OA, SA, and MA balances and their respective uses.
Outcome
He completed the personal summary document in the final session and used it as the basis for a conversation with a financial advisor the following month. In his own words: he felt equipped to ask questions rather than just receive recommendations.
Case Study 02 — Income Planning
The Starting Point
A 51-year-old secondary school teacher from Woodlands attended the income planning course with a specific question: she had been putting regular amounts into a REIT ETF for two years without understanding what she was actually holding or how distributions worked.
What Changed
The course covered REIT structure in enough depth for her to understand gearing ratios, distribution yield versus total return, and how interest rate environments affect REIT pricing. She was surprised by the fees discussion — the impact of fund management fees on a long compounding timeline was clearer in numbers than she had imagined.
Outcome
She kept her existing position but took a more deliberate view of what it represented in her overall income plan. She added Singapore Savings Bonds to complement her REIT holding — a step she described as something she would not have made with confidence before the course.
Case Study 03 — Annuities & CPF LIFE
The Starting Point
A couple in their late fifties attended the course together. Both were approaching the CPF payout election age and had received conflicting information from different sources about which CPF LIFE plan type suited their situation. The husband was leaning toward Escalating, the wife toward Standard.
What Changed
The course provided the comparative framework they had been missing — long-term payout projections across the three plan types, the breakeven timelines, and the role of their respective Retirement Sums in shaping the options available to them. The worksheet session allowed them to model their own position in real time.
Outcome
Both left the course having agreed on a plan election approach they could understand and defend. The Q&A session with the retirement specialist addressed a specific question about their SRS balances that had not been resolved through their usual channels. They described the course as the most directly useful financial education they had received.
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Saturday: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Sunday & Public Holidays: Closed
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