If I had to start my Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) account from scratch today, I'd start by building the whole thing from three ETFs. When you start, the key really is to keep it simple. And it’s an approach that’s also worth applying to our portfolios, the bigger they get.

After starting in ETFs with your SRS, if you want to iterate and go into individual stocks later, then by all means do that.

But a common mistake I see with SRS is people opening the account, getting the tax relief, and then leaving the money sitting in cash. Remember, SRS cash earns you 0.05% per annum in interest. That's not a typo.

Over a multi-decade horizon, leaving SRS uninvested is one of the most expensive defaults in personal finance. Therefore, it MUST be invested. Whether that’s into equities or even Singapore Savings Bonds (SSBs), just get something for your SRS funds.

So, with that in mind, here's what I'd actually buy. Singapore Exchange (SGX) has a strong enough lineup for SRS-eligible ETFs. Here are my three ETFs, all locally listed, and all SRS-eligible.

1. A Straits Times Index ETF. Any of the three on SGX (ES3, G3B, or GAB) gives you exactly the same exposure to the top 30 Singapore companies. State Street's ES3 costs 0.28% p.a. Amova's two cost 0.24%. If you don't need the dividend paid out (the STI currently yields around 3.5%), go with GAB — it's the Accumulating share class, so dividends auto-reinvest. Solid base of Singapore stability and reliable cash flows in an uncertain world.

2. iShares MSCI Asia ex Japan Climate Action ETF (ICM). Don't let the "Climate Action" name throw you off. It's not a thematic ETF that excludes big names. It holds close to 500 companies including TSMC, Alibaba, and Tencent, with 30% exposure to tech and the biggest country weightings going to Taiwan, China, and India. At 0.18% p.a., it's a low-cost way to get long-term exposure to Asian growth. Minimal overlap with an STI ETF too, despite a small Singapore weighting.

3. Lion-Global Physical Gold ETF (GLS). Recently became the cheapest gold ETF on SGX at 0.39% p.a., one basis point lower than SPDR Gold Shares. The physical gold is vaulted at Le Freeport in Changi and insured. Because the ETF is Singapore-domiciled, it's also the cheapest gold ETF available for SRS investing.

That's it.

SRS is your tax-advantaged retirement bucket so you've got the runway to take on real investment risk.

With the options available on SGX, there's no excuse to be sitting in cash earning 0.05%.

Most personal finance advice you read online is one-size-fits-all. The same playbook whether you earn $40k, $80k, or $150k a year.

That's the problem. What you should be doing with your money at $40k is completely different from what you should be doing at $150k. Not just the amounts but the whole strategy shifts.

So I broke it down by income tier. Three brackets, three sets of priorities, all built specifically for Singapore.

If your salary has changed recently, or if you've never been sure whether you're focused on the right things at your current level, this one's worth your time.

Most miles cards in Singapore won't earn you anything on hospital spend. That's a problem if you want to get treatment at a private hospital like Mount Elizabeth or Raffles, where the bills can run into the thousands (if not tens of thousands).

The AMEX KrisFlyer is one of the few exceptions to this “no miles at hospitals” rule.

Alongside Maybank, it's the only other entry-level miles card in Singapore that earns miles on hospital spend without requiring a premier banking relationship or a mandatory annual fee.

A few things worth knowing about the Amex KrisFlyer hospital spend:

Is the AMEX KrisFlyer worth getting just for this? Probably not. The base earn rate everywhere else is poor (at 1.1mpd).

But if you already have it sitting in your wallet and keep getting the annual fee waived, hold onto it. The next time a big private hospital bill lands, you'll be glad it's there.