PARTICIPANT ACCOUNTS
What people say after completing a programme
These are honest accounts from people who have attended Nilai programmes — not summaries of their comments, but their own words, lightly edited for length.
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Years running programmes
840+
Participants across all programmes
4.8/5
Average participant rating
68%
Have attended more than one programme
Participant feedback
Collected from written feedback forms completed at the end of each programme. Dates are when the feedback was received.
Tan Hwee Leng
Marketing director, Bishan · Household programme
"I came in expecting to be a bit lost and wasn't. The session on CPF was the one I found most valuable — I had always found the different accounts confusing and left the room with a clear picture for the first time. The printed reader is genuinely useful; I have referred back to it several times since."
May 2025
Rajan Kumar
Engineer, Clementi · Investor's Curriculum
"Eight weeks is a reasonable commitment and I found the pace worked well for me — I had time to read the materials between sessions and come back to the next week's topic with questions. The section on fees over a long time horizon was something I had not thought about carefully before. The only thing I would suggest is slightly more coverage of SGX-listed instruments."
April 2025
Lim Yan Ping
HR manager, Tampines · Steady Household Track
"My husband and I did the bespoke programme together. We had been putting off a conversation about our will for several years and the programme gave us a structure to finally have it properly. The written summary after each session is something we now keep in a folder together with our household documents."
May 2025
Mohamed Faisal Che
Teacher, Jurong · Household programme
"The group was a good size — small enough that you could ask questions without feeling you were holding everyone up. The facilitator was patient with questions that must have seemed basic. I appreciated that there was genuinely no product to buy at the end."
April 2025
Siti Nuraini
Accountant, Ang Mo Kio · Investor's Curriculum
"I am an accountant so I came with some comfort with numbers but not much knowledge of investing as such. The curriculum met me where I was — I did not feel it was pitched below my level, and there was enough depth in the later weeks to keep me engaged. I have since made some adjustments to how our household savings are structured."
May 2025
Chen Wei Jian
Architect, Toa Payoh · Steady Household Track
"I used the Household Track primarily to work through my retirement picture, which has become more complex since I started my own practice. The five sessions gave me enough time to work through each part properly rather than rushing through everything at once. It would have been useful to have a sixth session but that may just be because the material was useful."
April 2025
Participant journeys
Three accounts in more detail — what participants came with, what they worked through, and what shifted.
CASE STUDY ONE · A STEADY LOOK AT THE HOUSEHOLD
A couple in their late forties reviewing their household picture for the first time
The situation
Both partners were working professionals with savings spread across CPF, bank accounts, and an endowment policy purchased some years earlier. They had never examined these together in one picture and had a vague sense that they were financially comfortable but no clear view of how comfortable or how prepared for retirement.
What the programme provided
The four sessions gave them a framework to map their household balance sheet for the first time, understand how their CPF accounts were building toward retirement income, review their protection coverage, and identify two areas — their cash flow and their CPF Special Account — where they had room to act differently.
What shifted
They made a voluntary CPF top-up the following month and reviewed their term life cover with a licensed adviser. They enrolled in the Investor's Curriculum three months later. "We wished we had done this five years earlier" — from their feedback form.
CASE STUDY TWO · THE CONSIDERED INVESTOR'S CURRICULUM
A mid-career professional who wanted to understand investing without relying on an adviser
The situation
A 52-year-old professional had accumulated savings but invested only through an ILP purchased in his thirties and CPF. He had reservations about the ILP's fees but did not have the knowledge to evaluate it or to consider alternatives with confidence. He was cautious about making changes he did not understand.
What the programme provided
Eight weeks working through investment categories, the mathematics of long-term costs, the role of index funds and ETFs, and the place of SSBs and SGS bonds as a lower-risk component of a household portfolio. He left with a clear enough understanding to evaluate his existing ILP and consider alternatives.
What shifted
He met with a fee-only financial adviser with prepared questions and a clear view of what he wanted to change. He redirected a portion of his monthly savings into a low-cost ETF portfolio and opened an SRS account. He described the curriculum as "the background reading I should have done twenty years ago."
CASE STUDY THREE · THE STEADY HOUSEHOLD TRACK
A household managing the combined complexity of self-employment and an ageing parent
The situation
The participant was a 49-year-old self-employed consultant whose household income was variable. Her mother had recently moved in with the family, adding an unplanned care dimension to the household's financial picture. The household had no will, no LPA, and no clear plan for retirement.
What the programme provided
Five private sessions that addressed each dimension in order: the effect of variable income on CPF contributions and retirement planning, the financial implications of supporting a parent, a structured conversation about what the will should contain, an introduction to the LPA and why one was important for both her and her mother, and a household summary document prepared at the end of the series.
What shifted
Both the participant and her mother completed lasting powers of attorney within two months. A will was drafted with a solicitor. The household now has a written plan for retirement that accounts for variable income and a set of instructions on file that the family can follow. "I feel like the household is in order for the first time."
Reach Nilai directly
For questions about any programme, or to find out when the next group cohort is scheduled.
Telephone
+65 6745 3201Address
91 Bukit Pasoh Road, #03-15, Singapore 089844
Office hours
Mon – Fri: 10 am – 6 pm
Sat: 9 am – 1 pm
Professional standing
A brief account of Nilai's professional standing and affiliations.
CPD-recognised programme
The Considered Investor's Curriculum has been recognised as a continuing professional development programme by two professional associations in Singapore, and is attended by cohorts of members annually.
Press coverage
Nilai was featured in The Straits Times in April 2025 as an example of independent financial education for the pre-retirement age group in Singapore, and cited for its small group format and independent curriculum.
PDPA compliant
Nilai's data practices are aligned with Singapore's Personal Data Protection Act. Participant data is held securely, used only for programme administration, and not shared with third parties.
Fully independent
Nilai holds no licence to distribute financial products, accepts no commission or referral income from any financial institution, and has no affiliation with any bank, insurance provider, or fund manager.
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