If I had USD 1,000 (long-term SRS mindset)

✅ My allocation (simple & practical)

• $600 → SPDR S&P 500 ETF (S27)

Main growth engine

• $200 → SPDR Straits Times Index ETF (ES3)

Home bias + dividends

• $100 → Lion-Phillip S-REIT ETF (CLR)

Income + diversification

• $100 → SPDR Gold Shares (GSD)

Hedge & peace of mind

I would skip bonds (A35) at this stage unless I’m near retirement.

Why not more gold?

I do like gold, but:

• It protects, it doesn’t compound

• Over long horizons, equities do the heavy lifting

• Gold works best at 5–10%, not 30–40%

Your instinct to include gold is good — just don’t overdo it.

3 Key Takeaways (the important part)

1️⃣ SRS money should chase growth first

Because it’s locked up long-term,

📈 Equities (especially S&P 500) matter far more than bonds or gold early on.

2️⃣ Gold is insurance, not a growth engine

Gold:

• Shines in crises

• Preserves value

• Reduces emotional stress

But long-term wealth comes from business earnings, not metal.

3️⃣ Simple beats clever

You don’t need 10 ETFs.

A clean mix of:

• Global equities (S27)

• Local exposure (ES3)

• Some income (REITs)

• A hedge (Gold)

…already puts you ahead of most investors.

Final investor take

If I were starting SRS today with USD 1,000:

✔ I’d invest

✔ I’d overweight equities

✔ I’d keep gold at ~10% max