Are you financially fit?

A recent HSBC survey polled around 1,100 people in Singapore to find out if they were financially fit. Participants were asked questions relating to their money habits, knowledge of financial products, planning style and the steps they take to safeguard their personal details.

The survey found that only 30 per cent of the respondents were deemed “very fit”, about 50 per cent were “moderately fit” while the remaining 20 per cent were “unfit”.

ST Invest has built on the survey questions to design a simple test. Go on and take the challenge!

Part 1: Money habits

How well do you know your income and expenses?

Question 1/9

You have a regular savings plan

Question 2/9

You don’t buy things impulsively

Question 3/9

You have enough savings to last 6 months if you stop working

Question 4/9

You always pay credit card bills in full

Question 5/9

You always pay credit card bills by due date

Question 6/9

You always pay utility bills on time

Question 7/9

You have used financial products to increase the value of your assets in the past 6 months

Question 8/9

You do not spend more than you earn

Question 9/9

You keep an income-and-expenditure budget

Part 2: Investment knowledge

Do you know what you are putting your money into?

Question 1/6

You know relevant financial products that benefit you

Question 2/6

You know how to choose products that suit your needs

Question 3/6

You know the fees before you buy such products

Question 4/6

You know the benefits and potential risks of these products

Question 5/6

You know to compare products before buying

Question 6/6

You know your investment risk tolerance level

Part 3: Financial planning

Are you on your way to having good money habits? Hang in there - just one more section to go after this.

Question 1/10

You review your financial plan at least once a year

Question 2/10

You seek professional advice at least once a year

Question 3/10

You review your investment portfolio at least once a year

Question 4/10

You are prepared for your health care and medical expenses

Question 5/10

You are prepared for emergency and unexpected expenses

Question 6/10

You have a good financial plan for retirement

Question 7/10

You know how much you need for retirement

Question 8/10

You always monitor the state of your retirement savings

Question 9/10

You always keep to your plan to increase retirement savings

Question 10/10

You have enough to pay for each of your life goals

Part 4: Protecting your money

What are you doing to safeguard your hard-earned money? This is the last section, so get ready to discover your financial fitness.

Question 1/7

You change digital banking password at least once a year

Question 2/7

You have not done online banking with public Wi-Fi

Question 3/7

You check bank statements to verify your transactions

Question 4/7

You safeguard your bank passwords

Question 5/7

You have not provided credit card information on unknown or unfamiliar online sites

Question 6/7

You check messages and calls are from genuine parties before replying

Question 7/7

You have not shared sensitive personal data through instant messaging/ social media platforms

The health of your wealth

You received 3 points for every “yes” and 0 for every “no”.

Note: This simple test adapted the questions used in the HSBC Financial Fitness Index, but it is not representative of that survey, which is more precise.