Alvin Lock

Alvin has enjoyed extensive success with more than 11 years of experience and track record in Retail and Private Banking. His core expertise encompasses a full spectrum of wealth management services including Investment Advisory, Portfolio Management and Financing, Margin Trading, Legacy Planning, and Property Loans.

Battle of the BTOs: November 2020 Launch (Part 1)

The demand for BTOs in 2020 has been fierce, to say the least, with the August BTO launches being oversubscribed within a day of a one-week launch period. The potential delays for the completion of BTO launches due to Covid-19, as announced by HDB, have not shaken the demand. With over 38,500 applicants for 7,862 BTO flats, it is likely we will see the same level of competition for the November BTO launches. That being said, let us take an

Alvin Lock November 4, 2020

3 Ways COVID-19 Has Redesigned Our Homes

In April 2020, the Singapore government announced the start of the circuit breaker and made it mandatory for employees to adopt the ‘Work from Home’ (WFH) scheme, forcing everyone to work in a non-office environment. Never have we stayed indoors for so long that our homes have now become our offices, school and for some, even a gym. While phase 2 is well underway and the start of phase 3 approaches, we are not likely to return to the life

Alvin Lock October 1, 2020

Brief Review of Mortgage Rates in 2018 and 2019 and a Revisit for SIBOR?

General Trends in 2018 Looking back at the trend of mortgages in 2018, we would have noticed that people are all big about fixed rates and many of you would have to ask why? The reason is simple, fixed rates were at a 1.55%, 2-years fixed whereas floating rates were at 1.6%, and looking at this minimal difference between the 2, it’s obvious why people would rather opt for a fixed rate mortgage. The US Fed had forecasted 4 increases

Alvin Lock March 30, 2019

Estate Planning 101: Understanding Insurance Trusts in Singapore

Although wills are one of the few important estate planning tools, it alone may not be sufficient in addressing your needs or in protecting your assets and wealth. As such, the use of trusts is sometimes considered by individuals, in addition to having a will. A good understanding of the various estate planning tools that are available can help to avoid family conflicts, loss of assets or unexpected costs and taxes. Whereas in property trusts an owner (“the Settlor”) entrusts

Alvin Lock December 13, 2017

Estate Planning 101: Setting up a property trust in Singapore

Are you considering purchasing a property for your child who does not have the legal capacity (i.e. below 21 years old) to own a property in his/ her own name? Are you having concerns about the succession of your assets? Or are you contemplating setting up a fund to care for kin with disabilities, but not sure how this could start? This is where trusts can help! Estate planning and succession issues in wealth management have always been a topic

Alvin Lock December 6, 2017

Your Last Chance at Safety; An Opinion Piece for Property Loan Fixed Rates Packages

Introduction: End of An Era of Cheap This is already old news – the US Fed raised rates again, as anticipated, on 14th June 2017, bringing the target rate to 1.25%. They are expected to raise again to 1.4% in the second half of the year, and then to 2.1% in 2018. We also saw a “hike” ourselves, towards and over the weekend whenever there are such announcements, in the form of concerned queries by new and existing home owners

Alvin Lock July 19, 2017

Mid Year Update on Property Financing

Introduction Time flies. In just a short span of 6 months, there have been some significant announcements and events. The US Federal Reserve increased interest rate for the 4th time since 2008, and for the second time this year, from 1% to 1.25%, with more expected raises to come this year and next. At home here in Singapore, SIBOR looks to be inching up as well. It’s also at the 1% mark too, having risen from a base of around 0.85%

Alvin Lock June 29, 2017

The 7 Myths of Home Financing that prevents Singapore home owners from being richer

You probably have some sort of reviews on your finances every so often. Of the numerous items that we look at, one of those closest to our hearts, and may often always be at the back of my minds as well, is our home sweet home, and the “dreadful” loan that is attached to it. Today, I want to share and shed some light into certain misbeliefs we may have for our home loans. This would hopefully help all of

Alvin Lock December 22, 2016

U.S. Fed Keeps Interest Rates Unchanged

On Wednesday, the federal reserve kept their rates unchanged once again. The decision reflects their ongoing concerns surrounding a stall in US employment and inflation, the possible Britain’s Brexit and its potential impacts on the global markets. Even though US economic growth remains robust, Janet Yellen has highlighted that the UK referendum may pose unfavourable economic and financial conditions for the global markets and this could ultimately affect the domestic outlook. Thus far, the FOMC has reduced its forecast for

Alvin Lock June 16, 2016

Deposit-Pegged Mortgage Rates: An Overview

In recent years, there has been an increasing trend in banks coming up with their own deposit-pegged mortgage rates (DPMR). DBS was first in the DPMR playing field, introducing the 18-month Fixed-Deposit Home Rate (18M FHR) back in June 2014. About a year and a half later, at the end of 2015, OCBC presented the market with their 36-month Fixed Deposit Mortgage Rate (36 FDMR). Following which, UOB announced the 36-month Fixed Deposit Property Rate (36 FDPR) in April 2016.

Alvin Lock May 26, 2016