I read an article provided by Bloomberg News that Singapore will become the world's top wealth management centre by 2013, surpassing Switzerland and London.
It looks like our tiny island nation is attracting a lot of wealth from around the world and we are not just talking about HNW individuals. We are talking about super HNW individuals and families!
These families are setting up family offices to manage their millions instead of entrusting their wealth to private bankers. They view private bankers as salesmen instead of custodians of their wealth.
Clinton Ang, 38, prefers to manage his family's wealth of about $100 million himself. About 90% of his family's investable assets are in cash after he sold from October to March its investments in stocks, bonds and most property assets.
Some family offices cater to more than one family to gain economies of scale. It is said that it costs at least $1.5m a year to run a family office that includes an investment team. So, a family will need a minimum of $100 million to justify the expenses.
Personally, I know some very rich people but they never talk about their wealth. So, it is not easy to get a peek into the way they manage their money. Usually, those boasting about their wealth are the newly rich and who might have just attained their HNW status.
There is wealth and there is WEALTH.