Starting at 40: Can You Still Build A S$1 Million Retirement Portfolio?

The Smart Investor07:30

Retirement may start to feel a lot closer when you turn 40. You may already have some savings and investments. But perhaps you wish you had more. You may start asking yourself: can you still build...

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overflow: hidden}\n.head .h-thumb { width: 30px; height: 30px; margin: 0; padding: 0; border-radius: 50%; float: left;}\n.head .h-content { margin: 0; padding: 0 0 0 9px; float: left;}\n.head .h-name {font-size: 13px; color: #eee; margin: 0;}\n.head .h-time {font-size: 11px; color: #7E829C; margin: 0;line-height: 11px;}\n.small {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.9); -webkit-transform: scale(0.9); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.smaller {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.8); -webkit-transform: scale(0.8); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.bt-text {font-size: 12px;margin: 1.5em 0 0 0}\n.bt-text p {margin: 0}\n</style>\n</head>\n<body>\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<header>\n<h2 class=\"title\">\nStarting at 40: Can You Still Build A S$1 Million Retirement Portfolio?\n</h2>\n\n<h4 class=\"meta\">\n\n\n2026-08-18 07:30 GMT+8&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=https://thesmartinvestor.com.sg/starting-at-40-can-you-still-build-a-s1-million-retirement-portfolio/><strong>The Smart Investor</strong></a>\n\n\n</h4>\n\n</header>\n<article>\n<div>\n<p>Retirement may start to feel a lot closer when you turn 40.\n\nYou may already have some savings and investments. \n\nBut perhaps you wish you had more.\n\nYou may start asking yourself: can you still build...</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://thesmartinvestor.com.sg/starting-at-40-can-you-still-build-a-s1-million-retirement-portfolio/\">Source Link</a>\n\n</div>\n\n\n</article>\n</div>\n</body>\n</html>\n","isBrief":false,"type":0,"news_type":1,"symbol":null,"symbol_name":null,"start_time":0,"source_url":"https://thesmartinvestor.com.sg/starting-at-40-can-you-still-build-a-s1-million-retirement-portfolio/","article_id":"2660430414","we_media_id":null,"thumbnails":["https://thesmartinvestor.com.sg/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/retirement-300x200.png"],"rights":{"source":"thesmartinvestor_highlight","url":"https://thesmartinvestor.com.sg/starting-at-40-can-you-still-build-a-s1-million-retirement-portfolio/","rn_cache_url":null,"directOrigin":true},"url":"https://stock-news.laohu8.com/highlight/detail?id=2660430414","pubTimestamp":1787009400,"columns":[],"sourceInfo":{"source_id":"thesmartinvestor_highlight","name":"The Smart Investor"},"weMediaInfo":null,"summary":"Starting your investment journey at 40 does not mean you’ve missed the boat. You still have time to build towards a S$1 million retirement portfolio.","collect":0,"end_time":0,"defaultTopTitle":"thesmartinvestor.com.sg","property":[],"viewcount":null,"language":"en","relate_stocks":{},"translate_title":"从40岁开始：你还能建立100万新元的退休投资组合吗？","themeId":null,"isJumpTheme":false,"ttsUrl":"https://static.tigerbbs.com/fcc3e58bdea68692aa99311529145531","symbols_score_info":{"SKYY":0.6,"GAMR":0.6,"FTEC":0.6,"XLK":0.6,"TYLG":0.6,"VOX":0.6,"MSFL":0.6,"MSFO":0.6,"GOOX":0.6,"GOOGL":1.87,"GOU":0.6,"SMSFTmain":0.6,"CMAG":0.6,"MSFT":1.88,"TRUC":0.6,"OGIG":0.6,"MSFD":0.6,"NULC":0.6,"TDIV":0.6,"IGV":0.6,"GOOW":0.6,"SPTE":0.6,"SNPE":0.6,"C38U.SI":1.85,"EFIV":0.6,"GOOY":0.6,"CNEQ":0.6,"XDAT":0.6,"ILDR":0.6,"CQTM":0.6,"TTXU":0.6,"LTL":0.6,"GGLL":0.6,"METV":0.6,"MSFU":0.6,"XLC":0.6,"ROM":0.6,"IXN":0.6,"D05.SI":1.9,"GXPC":0.6,"FCOM":0.6,"MSFY":0.6,"MSFW":0.6,"MSFX":0.6,"GOOP":0.6,"VGT":0.6,"GGLS":0.6},"content_text":"Retirement may start to feel a lot closer when you turn 40.\n\nYou may already have some savings and investments. \n\nBut perhaps you wish you had more.\n\nYou may start asking yourself: can you still build a S$1 million portfolio from here?\n\nWell, at 40 years old, you are not too late, but you have less time than someone who started at 25.\n\nSo you need to look at what you already have and how much you can invest each month. \n\nThe returns you earn over the next 15 to 25 years will also matter.\n\nStep 1: Define What S$1 Million Means for Your Retirement\nIs S$1 Million Enough?\nS$1 million sounds like a lot, but is it enough for retirement?\n\nYour needs will depend on housing, healthcare and your lifestyle.\n\nSo I would treat S$1 million as a retirement milestone, not a magic number.\n\nSomeone who has paid off most of their home and has a healthy CPF balance may have very different retirement needs from someone who is still paying a mortgage.\n\nTurn the Goal Into an Income Target\nA S$1 million portfolio can also be looked at as a source of retirement income.\n\nHow much it can provide each year will depend on how the portfolio is built and how much you choose to withdraw.\n\nA portfolio focused on dividends will work differently from one where you sell some investments to fund your spending.\n\nThe amount you can take out will also depend on how long the money needs to last.\n\nStep 2: Work Backwards From Your Target\nHow Much Do You Need to Invest?\nTime matters when you are investing for retirement.\n\nIf you already have S$100,000 invested, a 6% annual return could take you to S$1 million by age 55 if you add about S$2,595 a month.\n\nGive yourself another five years, and the monthly amount falls to about S$1,448.\n\nStretch it to age 65, and with 25 years, the figure falls to about S$799.\n\nThese illustrations are not projections of expected or guaranteed returns.\n\nStarting with more money obviously helps.\n\nIf you already have S$50,000, S$100,000 or S$200,000 invested, you have a head start.\n\nYou have more money working for you from day one.\n\nStep 3: Build Your Portfolio Around Growth\nAt 40, I would still keep some growth stocks in the portfolio.\n\nDBS Group Holdings (SGX: D05) is one stock I would look at in Singapore.\n\nThe bank achieved a record total income of S$22.9 billion in FY2025, driving a strong return on equity (ROE) of 16.2%.\n\nFor global exposure, I would also look at Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL). \n\nMicrosoft’s revenue reached US$281.7 billion in its financial year ended June 2025 (FY2025).\n\nMicrosoft Cloud revenue grew 23% to US$168.9 billion, while net income was US$101.8 billion.\n\nFor Alphabet, revenue was even larger, at US$402.8 billion, with net income of US$132.2 billion.\n\nStep 4: Add Dividend Income as Retirement Approaches\nAs retirement gets closer, I would also want some dividend income in the portfolio.\n\nDBS, for instance, declared total dividends of S$3.06 per share for FY2025, including a capital return dividend.\n\nInvestors should note that this capital return dividend is part of a three-year plan to hand back surplus capital rather than a permanent increase.\n\n\nCapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust (SGX: C38U), or CICT, is another example.\n\nIts distribution per unit rose 6.4% to S$0.1158 in FY2025, helped by newly acquired stakes in ION Orchard and CapitaSpring.\n\nOver time, I would put more focus on income rather than rely only on growth.\n\nWhat I would not do is chase the highest yield.\n\nA 7% yield may look tempting, but high yields sometimes hide underlying risks such as unsustainable payout ratios, declining business fundamentals or potential dividend cuts.\n\nInstead, look beyond the headline number to check the company’s balance sheet strength, free cash flow generation and earnings stability to ensure the dividend is safe over the long run.\n\nStep 5: Build Your Retirement Assets\nYour S$1 million retirement target does not have to sit entirely in your brokerage account.\n\nCPF can form part of the picture too. \n\nYour CPF savings and future CPF LIFE payouts can provide retirement income alongside your investment portfolio.\n\nAs your income grows, increase your investment contributions where possible. \n\nYou could invest part of your bonuses, direct salary increases towards your portfolio, and automate monthly contributions.\n\nWhat If Markets Crash Along the Way?\nMarkets go up and down all the time.\n\nAn investor at 40 still has 15 to 25 years before retirement, so a market drop is not a reason to stop investing. \n\nInstead, they stick to their investment plans.\n\nA downturn can also offer a chance to buy quality businesses at more attractive valuations. \n\nEven so, investors should avoid taking more risks than they can handle. \n\nHigher potential returns come with more volatility, so a portfolio should match an investor’s time horizon and risk tolerance.\n\nGet Smart: 40 Isn’t Too Late, But You Need a Plan\nStarting at 40 means you have less time.\n\nBut you still have 15 to 25 years before retirement.\n\nReaching S$1 million will take existing capital, regular contributions and sensible investment returns.\n\nYou also need to stay invested through market cycles.\n\nStopping investments when markets fall can mean missing the recovery or eating into your investment returns through opportunity costs and transaction fees.\n\nAvoid making investment decisions based on emotions.\n\nInstead, build a realistic plan, increase your investments and reinvest any payouts when possible.\n\nThen let time do the rest of the work.\n\nIf you’re planning to put S$100,000 into dividend stocks, the highest yield on the list isn’t always the safest one. Some of those numbers come from companies stretching to keep the payout going, right before they cut it. Our private webinar shows you how to tell the difference and build that S$100,000 into a portfolio built to last. Seats are limited. Reserve your seat here.\n\nRetirement doesn’t happen overnight. It’s built one decision at a time.\n\nWe found 6 SGX companies that have paid dividends every year for more than 20 years, through the Global Financial Crisis, COVID-19, and rising interest rates.\n\nIf you’re building long-term income for retirement, this free report is a great place to start. Download your copy today.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, Instagram and Telegram for the latest investing news and analyses!\n\nDisclosure: Darien C. does not own shares of any companies mentioned.","kind":"highlight","is_publish_news":true,"is_publish_highlight":false,"is_publish_live":false,"is_publish_wemedia":false,"editions":null,"column":"","sentiment":"0","news_tag":"","news_rank":0,"isVideo":false,"video":null,"symbols":[],"gpt_button":0,"need_auth":false,"need_login_tip":false,"code":"91000000","status":"200"},"commentList":[],"isCommentEnd":true,"newsSizeData":{"likeSize":0,"commentSize":0,"repostSize":0,"favoriteSize":0,"likeStatus":false,"favoriteStatus":false},"APP":{"userAgent":"Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)","isDev":false,"isTTM":true,"isLaohu8Offline":false,"tenantId":"TBGLOBAL","deviceId":"web-server-community-laohu8-v3","version":"4.47.1","shortVersion":"4.47.1","platform":"web","vendor":"web","appName":"ttm","isIOS":false,"isAndroid":false,"isTiger":false,"isTHS":false,"isWeiXin":false,"isWeiXinMini":false,"isWeiBo":false,"isQQ":false,"isBaiduSwan":false,"isBaiduBox":false,"isDingTalk":false,"isToutiao":false,"isOnePlus":false,"isHuaWei":false,"isXiaomi":false,"isXiaomiWebView":false,"isOppo":false,"isVivo":false,"isSamsung":false,"isMobile":false},"href":"/m/news/2660430414","isCrawlerRequest":true}