Here’s How You Can Buy Bubble Tea, Book A Grab Home & More — All While Investing

This post was written in collaboration with GrabInvest. While we are financially compensated by them, we nonetheless strive to maintain our editorial integrity and review products with the same objective lens. We are committed to providing the best recommendations and advice in order for you to make personal financial decisions with confidence. You can view our Editorial Guidelines here.

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Ah, the common refrain of “I’m too busy to… [insert task here].”

I’m too busy to wash the dishes now, I’ll do it later. I’m too busy to head out to post that letter, and I don’t have a stamp, I’ll do it later. I’m too busy to go for a jog, plus it’s sooo hot out, I’ll exercise tomorrow.

I’m too busy to think about investing right now, plus I know zilch about it… I’ll need to spend a lot of time reading up before I am financially savvy enough to do so. And I don’t even know how to sign up for an investment account! Maybe later…

Truth be told, we’re not “too busy” to spend hours shopping and searching for deals when there’s a sale; not “too busy” to rush out to grab a bubble tea when the craving hits hard; and we’re definitely not “too busy” to drop everything when someone dear to us needs our help.

 It’s all a matter of choice; so why not choose to make our money work harder and spend some time investing, especially if it:
–   Is straightforward and easy to understand, even for newbies
–   Doesn’t require a long-drawn sign-up process
–   Can be automated
–   Is fully integrated with our day-to-day activities like paying for our meals, buying a bubble tea at the mall, booking a ride home after a tiring day and so on
–   Doesn’t require you to cough up a ton of cash

 Sounds like a dream for us busy bees. But does such a product even exist…

Just last month, GrabInvest launched the AutoInvest micro-investment solution in the Grab app, which allows Grab users to invest a small sum of money (from just $1) with each eligible transaction. Once you set it up, you are automatically kick-starting your (newfound) investment journey.

Here are some quick everyday scenarios how AutoInvest works in tandem with our life:

 

 

How much could you be investing in a week?

 Sally, 28, is an existing Grab user and a full-time PMET. She is also a mother to a 2-year-old who attends a child care centre near her home. Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, she mostly works from home now, but there are days where she needs to head out for back-to-back client meetings, or pop into the office to submit some physical documents.

She sets up her AutoInvest account to invest $5 (choose from an amount starting from $1) with each eligible Grab transaction.

Here’s what her typical week looks like:

Monday Sally has a whole afternoon of client meetings — she had the foresight to pack a tuna-cheese sandwich. Thankfully, her husband helped to pick up their daughter from childcare and he bought dinner as well. Phew!	1pm: Grab Ride — $11 spent + $5 invested	3pm: Grab Ride — $8 spent + $5 invested	4.30pm: Grab Ride — $13 spent + $5 invested	Sub-total invested: $15
Tuesday It’s Sally’s full-on work from home day, but she has a ton of reports and proposals to churn out. Before she realises it, it’s already 2.30pm but there’s hardly any time for lunch.	2pm: GrabFood — $23 spent + $5 invested			Subtotal invested = $5
Wednesday A pretty uneventful day for Sally, but at night her daughter falls down and hurts her knee. Unfortunately, they’re all out of band-aids. GrabMart to the rescue!	10pm: GrabMart — $15.50 spent + $5 invested			Subtotal invested = $5
Thursday Today, Sally needs to run an errand during her lunch hour. She grabs a quick meal at a cafe, then goes to the hardware shop nearby to pick up a spare part for a leaking tap. Back at the office, she checks out a purchase that she couldn’t get to last night before dozing off.	12pm: GrabPay — $12 spent + $5 invested	12.45pm: GrabPay — $2 spent + $5 invested	1pm: GrabPay Card — $52 spent + $5 invested	Subtotal invested = $15
Friday TGIF! Tonight Sally is finally meeting her girl-friends for a (rare) fun night out. It’s raining cats and dogs so she books a Grab Ride to the venue. It’s her birthday dinner but she insists on paying for a round of drinks before they all head home.	7pm: Grab Ride — $16 spent + $5 invested	9pm: GrabPay Card — $92 spent + $5 invested	10pm: Grab Ride — $17 spent + $5 invested	Subtotal invested = $15
Saturday Sally and her family are off to visit her in-laws today. They order in so her mother-in-law can just focus on spoiling her granddaughter silly with hugs.	11am: Grab Ride — $11 spent + $5 invested	12pm: GrabFood — $157 spent + $5 invested	8.30pm: Grab Ride — $12 spent + $5 invested	Subtotal invested = $15
Sunday It’s sleep-in and stay-in Sunday. Sally and her family laze at home, bonding through games, story books and toys. It’s then Netflix (with chips and beer) for the 2 adults once their daughter goes to bed.	12pm: GrabFood — $47 spent + $5 invested	6pm: GrabFood — $88 spent + $5 invested	8pm: GrabMart — $27 spent + $5 invested	Subtotal invested = $15
Total invested in a week				$85

 Now, assuming Sally maintains an investment of $85 a week and doesn’t plan to make any withdrawals, her investment with AutoInvest will grow at a projected 1.8% p.a. (returns are after all fees and are not protected or guaranteed).

Based on the bank savings account interest rates right now, base rates are about 0.05% and realistic bonus rates are about 1.2% (but you likely need to do multiple actions to qualify, which include up to 3 or more of: salary crediting, credit card spend, increase monthly balance, invest, insure, take out a loan with the bank and so on).

After 1st year	Total invested (estimated)	$85 x 52 = $4,420
	Projected returns @ 1.8% p.a.	~$40 (estimated)
After 2nd year	Total invested (estimated)	$8,840
	Projected returns @ 1.8% p.a.	~$160 (estimated)
After 3rd year	Total invested (estimated)	$13,260
	Projected returns @ 1.8% p.a.	~$370 (estimated)

 

 

 

What you can use AutoInvest for

 It’s all well and good that you’re investing diligently and growing your money, but how would you use the funds in AutoInvest?

Your AutoInvest earnings can be transferred* to your GrabPay wallet at any time. The units you have will be redeemed at the next available price. You can spend it on Grab’s services or on Grab merchant-partners that accept GrabPay, and at stores or websites that accept the GrabPay Card (anywhere that accepts Mastercard). Unfortunately, you can’t withdraw cash yet, nor can you channel this into your CPF account.

As such, it’s perfect for first-time investors who are looking to build good investing habits to reach short- to mid-term money goals. You can use your investment (and the potential returns earned) to treat yourself to a well-deserved meal on GrabFood, or buy that much-coveted Dyson hairdryer or home accessories via a store that accepts GrabPay or the GrabPay Card (which is anywhere that accepts Mastercard).

3 quick things to note about AutoInvest: 1. First things first, it’s purely optional to sign up for AutoInvest. You don’t need to invest your money there if you already have other plans for your cash. 2. Also, be rest assured that GrabInvest (S) Pte Ltd is regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and holds a Capital Markets Services licence (CMS100908).  3. Grab has also partnered with established fund managers, Fullerton Fund Management and UOB Asset Management for AutoInvest; and the monies you set aside via AutoInvest will be invested* into high-quality, liquid money market and fixed income funds managed by these best-in-class asset managers.

 Get started on your investment journey now and sign up via your Grab App. Find out more about AutoInvest by GrabInvest here.

 *Time taken for money to be invested in the funds, or for invested sums to be redeemed and transferred to the GrabPay wallet will take an estimated 2 to 4 working days per transaction, in line with the market standards for investment in funds. Read the full Grab AutoInvest FAQ here.

Disclaimer: This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. The content in this article is meant for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as financial advice. Users may wish to approach a financial advisor before relying on any advice provided by the website to make any decision to buy, sell or hold any investment product. Read more in AutoInvest by GrabInvest’s FAQs here.