The long-anticipated annual REITs Symposium 2019 is scheduled to be held on 18 May 2019 (Saturday) at Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands. Online tickets are going for only $15 and first 30 readers of Heartland Boy will also receive a mystery gift worth $25 (more details on that later). REITs Symposium 2019 will be a congregation of over 75% of the REITs listed on the SGX and therefore represents the only setting whereby the public can interact with a large number of REIT-managers at one go. The REITs scene in Singapore has developed into one of the most mature globally. The anticipated public listings of ARA US Hospitality Trust and Eagle Hospitality Trust will further boost the plethora of available options for retail investors.
Why We Love REITS
Retail investors are attracted to REITs largely due to its regular, stable and high dividend yields. Besides, REITs are a more liquid and convenient asset class compared to owning physical properties. Because of these characteristics, Heartland Boy has often recommended first-time investors to pick some of the best-performing S-REITs as their first investments. He gave a REIT 101 presentation at SGX My First Stock Carnival 2018 and shared why REITS are ideal candidates for novice investors:
- Dividend yields ranging from 5-10% provides some form of buffer against capital depreciation
- Regular distributions can serve as encouragement and assurance
- Low barriers to entry (as little as $100)
- High liquidity (i.e. easy to exit your investments)
These were the same traits that drawn Heartland Boy to study REITs in detail when he first started investing in 2014. He took a long time to understand the jargon used in the S-REITs industry. Heartland Boy has been a regular investor of S-REITs and they have often been the top-performing selections in his portfolio. Here is his experience investing in S-REITS so far.
What To Look Out For In REITS Symposium
Besides the standard corporate presentations typically given by the REIT Manager, Heartland Boy would like to highlight some noteworthy segments:
- REITS 101
- REITs Investing via Margin Financing by Maybank Kim Eng
- #Panel Discussion: Insights To Best Performing Singapore REITs
REITS 101 would be highly suitable for beginner investors who want to understand the business model of a REIT. REITs investing with leverage would be a topic more suitable for experienced investors. Some of his peers have also been dipping their toes into REITs investing via margin financing. Therefore, this is a segment that Heartland Boy would want to explore especially since he wants to grow his stream of passive income to achieve his goal of financial freedom.
Outside of these presentations by the various speakers, Heartland Boy will definitely be visiting the various exhibition booths set up by the REITs Managers. Heartland Boy has always found that it is very valuable to meet management face to face where his queries can be directly addressed. Here was his experience attending the REITs Sympsoium 2017.
For REITS symposium 2019, he will be heading a beeline for ESR-REIT’s booth. Although he is no longer a unitholder, he is actively monitoring this REIT after its merger with Viva Industrial Trust. He wants to be sure that the reasons why he divested ESR-REIT only last month remain valid.
Giveaway for Heartland Boy’s readers
If you would also like to attend the 2019 REITs Symposium, you can punch in the promo code “heartlandboy” when you sign up. First 30 readers who sign up with this promo code receives a mystery gift worth $25 from ShareInvestor, which is more than the ticket price of $15! See you there!
Disclaimer: Note that Heartland Boy earns a small fee for every successful referral.
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