The Accounting Investor

Book Review: Thinking, Fast and Slow — The Psychology Every Singapore Investor Must Master A practical, Singapore-context review of Daniel Kahneman’s most important ideas — and how to protect your portfolio from the mistakes your brain naturally makes. Published: 8 December 2025 | Category: Book Review / Investor Psychology Most investors believe their biggest risk is “choosing the wrong stock”. In reality, your biggest risk is often how you think — especially under pressure. Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow explains why smart, well-intentioned people still make bad financial decisions: panic-selling quality stocks, chasing narratives, overpaying for hype, or clinging to losers just to avoid “admitting defeat”. This review is written for Singapore and SGX investors. I’ll summarise the key ideas clearly, show where they show up in real investing behaviour, and end with practical action steps you can use immediately. Key Takeaways (If You Only Have 30 Sec...

The Most Misunderstood Ideas in Investing — A Clear Guide for Singapore Investors A calm, practical framework to separate investing truths from popular myths — and avoid the mistakes that quietly destroy long-term returns. Published: 15 November 2025 | Category: Investor Education / Earnings Analysis Investing is not complicated — but many widely believed ideas are misunderstood, misused, or taken out of context. These misunderstandings cause investors to make the wrong decisions before money is even invested. Over time, these beliefs lead investors to chase hype, panic during volatility, misjudge risk, and focus on the wrong metrics. In this guide, I break down the most misunderstood ideas in investing , explained simply and clearly, with practical context — especially for Singapore and SGX investors. Key Takeaways (If You Only Have 30 Seconds) High dividend yield does not automatically mean safety. Cheap P/E often signals risk, not value. Profit without ca...

How to Avoid Being Misled by Headlines — A Practical Guide for Singapore Investors A step-by-step framework to stay calm during SGX news flow and earnings season — by focusing on fundamentals, not noise. Published: 15 November 2025 | Category: Investor Education / Earnings Analysis Key Takeaways (If You Only Have 30 Seconds) Headlines are designed to trigger emotion (fear, urgency, excitement) — not to explain reality. Always read the original SGX announcement; news summaries often strip away the context. Separate facts (numbers) from interpretation (opinions) before you decide anything. Use headlines only as a trigger to investigate — never as a reason to buy or sell. Distinguish “fake bad news” (one-offs, timing, accounting) from “real bad news” (structural deterioration). Apply the “three-quarter rule” to avoid panic selling on one headline. Compare headlines to long-term trends; single-quarter data can be misleading. Contents Big Picture Results Summar...

Why Singapore Has So Many Dividend & REIT Investors — And What This Means for Your SGX Strategy A calm, practical explanation of the cultural and structural forces behind Singapore’s income-first investing style — and how to use it intelligently (without falling into yield traps). Published: 15 November 2025 | Category: Investor Education / Earnings Analysis Key Takeaways (If You Only Have 30 Seconds) Singapore’s investing culture tends to favour stability, pragmatism, and tangible cash returns — dividends fit this psychology. Many investors anchor on retirement income and predictable cash flow, which naturally pushes portfolios toward REITs and dividend blue chips. The SGX is structurally an income-oriented market (banks, REITs, telcos, staples), with fewer local hypergrowth companies. Singapore’s REIT ecosystem is strong, transparent, and rules-based — but REITs remain interest-rate sensitive . Singapore’s tax environment makes dividends and long-term inves...

The 10 Most Common Mistakes Singapore Investors Make (And How to Avoid Them) By The Accounting Investor After years of analysing financial statements and watching investor behaviour in Singapore, I’ve noticed that most investment losses come from the same handful of mistakes . These mistakes are not about intelligence — they’re about mindset, discipline, and understanding how businesses really work . In this guide, I’ll break down the 10 most common mistakes Singapore investors make, why they happen, and how to avoid them using simple, evidence-based approaches. If you recognise yourself in any of these, don’t worry — every investor has made at least a few. The key is learning to spot them early. Mistake #1: Focusing Only on Dividend Yield Singapore investors love dividends, but yield alone tells you nothing about sustainability. ...