What participants say
In their own words, from people who sat with us
These are accounts from households in Singapore who attended Damai programmes. None of them were asked to say anything specific.
Back to HomeParticipant accounts
What our participants have shared
"I have been meaning to sort through our finances properly for years. What held me back was the feeling that any room I walked into would try to sell me something before I had even asked a question. The Household Ledger Workshop was the first time I sat in a financial session and the product conversation simply never happened. I left with a ledger book and a much clearer picture of where we actually stand."
Teo Kok Wah
Operations manager, Toa Payoh
April 2025 ยท Household Ledger Workshop
"My husband and I have been putting off thinking properly about our CPF and what retirement will actually look like for us. The Long Conversation Track gave us a space to do that together, at a pace that felt comfortable. After each session we received a written summary โ this alone was worth the fee, because it meant we could refer back to what we had discussed without relying on our own notes."
Priya Lingam
Secondary school teacher, Bukit Timah
March 2025 ยท Long Conversation Track
"I completed the Considered Saver and Investor course after years of half-reading articles online and never feeling fully confident about whether I was making sensible decisions. The course did not tell me what to buy โ it explained how different instruments work and what questions to ask myself. The session on fees over thirty years was, frankly, something I wished I had understood fifteen years earlier."
Rajiv Gupta
Procurement director, Queenstown
February 2025 ยท Considered Saver & Investor
"What I appreciated most about the Household Ledger Workshop was that questions were genuinely welcome. I asked something in the first session that I thought might be embarrassing given the others in the room, and Wei Lin answered it fully and without any sense of impatience. I came back for the seven-week course the following term."
Sook Chin Ng
Pharmacist, Tampines
January 2025 ยท Household Ledger Workshop
"My father passed away recently and left a portfolio that neither my wife nor I had any involvement in building. The Long Conversation Track helped us understand what we had, how it worked, and what choices we had going forward. Rajan's background in estate matters meant the conversation about the will and LPA felt natural rather than awkward."
Azri Hamzah
Civil engineer, Clementi
March 2025 ยท Long Conversation Track
"I attended the Considered Saver and Investor course at my wife's suggestion after she completed the Household Ledger Workshop the year before. The Saturday morning timing was genuinely convenient. The session on the difference between dividend and growth shares was the clearest I have ever heard that topic explained, and I had been trying to understand it for years."
Michael Lim
IT project manager, Bishan
April 2025 ยท Considered Saver & Investor
Household journeys
Three households, three different starting points
These are composite accounts based on the kinds of situations that come through Damai's programmes. Names and identifying details have been changed.
The household starting from the beginning
Household Ledger Workshop
Where they were
A couple in their mid-forties, both working, with a home loan, two CPF accounts they had never properly looked at, and savings in a mix of fixed deposits and a savings account. They knew they were not doing anything obviously wrong but had never sat down with the full picture.
What the workshop addressed
Over four Saturday mornings, they built their first household balance sheet, tracked a month of cash flow, and understood for the first time how their CPF Ordinary and Special Accounts were accumulating and what they could and could not be used for.
What they came away with
A completed balance sheet in their ledger book, a clear view of their monthly cash position, and a set of annual review questions they now work through each January. Both subsequently enrolled in the Considered Saver and Investor course.
The household with an inherited portfolio
Long Conversation Track
Where they were
A man in his early fifties whose mother had recently passed away, leaving a portfolio of shares and unit trusts built over thirty years. He and his wife were uncertain whether to hold, sell, or change the allocation. They also had no will or LPA in place themselves.
What the sessions covered
Five sessions over ten weeks, covering how to read the inherited portfolio, what the different holdings were doing and costing, the question of whether the allocation suited the household's own situation, and a careful discussion of their own will and LPA needs.
What they came away with
A clear understanding of what the portfolio contained and what they wished to do with it, a framework for reviewing it annually, and the steps they needed to take to draw up their own will and LPA โ which they subsequently did with a solicitor.
The household approaching retirement
Considered Saver & Investor + Long Conversation Track
Where they were
A woman of fifty-two planning to stop full-time work at fifty-five, with CPF balances, a paid-off flat, a unit trust portfolio, and a mother who needed increasing financial support. Her husband had already retired. The household had more to think about than a group session could address fully.
What the programmes addressed
She completed the seven-week course to build her understanding of investment instruments, then moved into the Long Conversation Track to work through her specific household situation โ the CPF retirement accounts, the question of the unit trust costs, and the planning for her mother's needs alongside her own.
What she came away with
A much clearer picture of what income the household would have at different CPF drawdown points, a decision about the unit trust portfolio she was comfortable with, and a practical arrangement for her mother's financial support that both she and her siblings agreed to.
Reach us
Get in touch about a programme
Telephone
+65 6804 5391Address
230 Orchard Road, #14-09
Singapore 238854
Office Hours
Monday โ Friday: 9.00 am โ 6.00 pm
Saturday: 9.00 am โ 1.00 pm
Commonly asked
Before you write
Is there an introductory session I can attend first?
We occasionally run single introductory sessions. Please write to ask whether one is coming up.
Can both my partner and I attend the Long Conversation Track?
Yes โ the Long Conversation Track is designed for households. Both partners are welcome and the fee covers the household, not per person.
When is the next programme starting?
Programme dates are confirmed by intake. Please contact us to ask about upcoming availability.
In numbers
Six years of the same work, done the same way
6
Years running in Singapore
340+
Households through our programmes
4.8
Average rating out of 5
0
Products sold, in six years
MoneySense Community Partner 2023
Recognised by Singapore's national financial education programme for contribution to adult financial literacy.
CPD Provider Registration 2022
Registered as a Continuing Professional Development provider, allowing certain professionals to record programme attendance.
SIAS Education Partner 2024
Partnered with the Securities Investors Association (Singapore) for programme information access by their membership.
Your turn to ask
We are glad to answer your questions before you decide
No commitment is required to write to us. If you would like to know more about a specific programme or simply ask something, please get in touch.
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