‘Have I screwed up?’: 32 y/o Singapore woman earning S$200k a year regrets barely investing after 8 years of work

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean woman earning around S$200,000 a year has found herself reflecting on her financial decisions after realising that she spent nearly eight years working without making meaningful investments or taking sufficient steps to grow her wealth.

The 32-year-old, who shared her experience on Reddit's r/singaporefi forum, said she had spent much of her 20s concentrating on her career without giving much thought to what she was doing with her money.

Now, with around S$200,000 sitting in her bank account, she can't help wondering how much further ahead she might have been had she started investing earlier.

“I started working in late 2018. In 2019, I was earning over S$70k annually. I worked pretty hard over the years, climbed the corporate ladder, and now earn over S$200k annually in 2026, but I currently only have around $200k in cash sitting in the bank, accumulated from years of working and saving whatever happened to be left over. It’s frustrating to think about how much further ahead I could potentially have been if I’d been more financially disciplined in my 20s,” she wrote.

“I know I’m fortunate to be in my current financial position, and I’m not suggesting that I’m struggling. I think I’m just having a bit of a reckoning with how careless I’ve been despite having had the resources and opportunities to do better.”

The woman said she had always “excelled academically” and considered herself “book smart,” but financial literacy was something she had never really learned about. Her parents were not particularly financially savvy either and had themselves lost a considerable amount of money in the stock market.

With little financial guidance growing up, she gradually fell into the trap of lifestyle inflation.

“I fell victim to lifestyle inflation pretty much from the start. As my income increased, so did my spending. At some point, my annual expenses exceeded S$100k. I never budgeted, never really tracked my expenses, and generally just bought whatever I wanted as long as the money in my bank account appeared to be growing.”

“Whatever was left over from my salary and annual bonuses, I simply left sitting in my savings account. And that’s essentially what I’ve been doing for the past 8 years.”

She did eventually try her hand at property investment in 2023, buying a one-bedroom condominium to rent out. She had assumed it would be a relatively safe way to build wealth, but the numbers have been rather underwhelming.

After mortgage interest, maintenance fees, property tax, and other expenses, the rental profit has been negligible.

“In hindsight, I’m not even sure it was a particularly good financial decision,” she admitted.

Hoping to hear from other Singaporeans who had experienced similar financial regrets in their 30s, she asked how they had managed to stop dwelling on past mistakes and focus on building wealth from that point onwards.

“Has anyone else experienced this sort of financial regret in their 30s? How did you come to terms with the years you could have done things differently, and shift your focus towards making better decisions going forward? Would appreciate some honest perspectives, including criticism. I’m trying to figure out how to stop dwelling on the last 8 years.”

‘You can learn and start’

In the comments, several users felt she was being rather hard on herself, pointing out that having S$200,000 in cash, a rental property and an annual salary of S$200,000 was hardly a financial disaster.

One commenter wrote: “You have 200k + your property, so it isn’t that bad?? Plus you have your CPF. I do agree that your situation isn’t ideal, but it’s somewhat common to drag your feet for some time.”

Another pointed out that she still had plenty of time to build her wealth, writing, “I presume you are single. S$200k cash in bank and still earn $200k p.a. Not sure what you are complaining about. You are still young and still have many years to go to accumulate wealth. Finance will start to change when you start your own family. Pretty sure you know that.”

A third commenter offered some reassurance, saying that the woman was probably in a better financial position than many others, including people older than her.

“You have a one-bedroom condo to rent out. I think that puts you well ahead of me in terms of assets and wealth and knowledge, and I’m older than you. Don’t beat yourself up too hard; financial literacy is not something commonly taught in Singapore. You can learn and start. Remember why you are doing this, and that comparison is the thief of joy.”/TISG

Read also: ‘I feel more like a worker’: Man says family business promises have left him burnt out and uncertain