Why not just invest in the underlying Chocolate Finance funds yourself?

But here’s the thing: the ingredients aren’t the whole recipe. Chocolate isn’t just a bunch of funds — it’s a thoughtfully built experience with features, access, and automation designed to make your money work harder, smoother, and smarter. With a lot less effort on your end.

Reasons DIY investing doesn’t compare to Chocolate

Here’s what going the DIY route can mean:

1. You’ll pay fees even if your DIY portfolio doesn’t make money

Most DIY platforms charge a flat platform fee, whether your investments grow or not.

Chocolate works differently.

We only take a performance-based fee — and only if your portfolio beats your target return.
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Here’s how it works:

For the first S$20,000, you get 3% p.a., and for the next S$30,000, you get 2.7%. We’ll never touch that. Beyond that, we only charge a fee of 0–2%, and only on the portion of performance above the target returns.

So if we don’t outperform? We don’t get paid.

(We’ve got to make our money somewhere 🤑 — but only after you’ve made yours.)

DIY? You’re paying fees no matter what.

Chocolate? Only when it’s worth it.

2. You probably won’t get access to the cheaper institutional fund classes

Chocolate invests in the institutional share classes of the underlying funds — the ones with lower fees and higher net returns. These aren’t typically available to individual.

DIY investing? You’re likely stuck with the retail share class, which means higher costs and lower returns from the same fund.

It’s the difference between wholesale and retail — and over time, that gap can really add up.

3. You may not see your returns updating daily (and definitely not this smoothly)

When you invest through Chocolate, your returns are credited daily — and your balance updates automatically.

No waiting until the end of the month to know how you’re doing.

No syncing with third-party platforms.

Just smooth, daily growth you can actually see and spend!

DIY investing means tracking NAVs, waiting on reporting cycles, and wondering why your portfolio hasn’t updated in days. Not exactly passive.

4. You won’t get instant liquidity

Most platforms make you wait a few days — or longer — to access your money.

Chocolate is designed for instant access. When instant liquidity is live, you can withdraw your funds 24/7, with no delays and no guessing.

(We know it’s currently paused — but we’re working hard to bring it back soon.)

Until then, your withdrawals still arrive in up to 3 business days, ( unless you have recently added money or made a USD conversion) which is faster than most.

DIY? Get ready to wait.

5. You won’t have anyone topping up your returns when markets fall short

Markets don’t always cooperate — even the best funds have bad days.

That’s why Chocolate has a Top-Up Programme. If returns fall short of the target, we top it up (at our cost) to help you hit the rate you signed up for.

Try asking your DIY broker/platform to do that…

The result? Smoother performance, more predictable growth, and a better experience all around.

6. You won’t start earning returns the very next day

With Chocolate, adding money is fast, easy, and instant.

If you're putting in under S$50,000, you’ll start earning returns as early as the next day.

There’s no waiting for cut-off times, order submissions, or processing delays.

Just top up, and you're in.

Boring? Yes — delightfully so. That’s how your money should work.

7. You might not get the full amount when you withdraw

With most DIY platforms, what you ask to withdraw isn’t always what ends up in your bank account.

That’s because the amount you get back depends on the latest Net Asset Value (NAV) — basically the price of the fund at the time your redemption is processed. If the price shifts before your order goes through, so does your payout.

With Chocolate, what you withdraw is what you get.

No NAV guesswork. No waiting. No surprises. Just tap and take out your money instantly.

8. You definitely won’t get a Visa card linked to your portfolio that earns miles

And here’s something extremely rare for a cash-managed account:

You can spend directly from your Chocolate account using the Chocolate Visa card.

That means you can:

• Instantly access your money anywhere Visa is accepted
• Earn miles while your funds stay invested and growing
• Skip the transfer delays and use your balance like a high-earning wallet

It’s one of the only products of its kind in the region — and it’s built to make your money work and move, seamlessly.

9. You’ll have to manage and rebalance everything on your own

Chocolate's investment team actively manages the portfolio for you — rebalancing, reinvesting, and reallocating daily to keep everything on track.

Your role? Tap, top up, chill.

DIY investing means you’re in charge of everything — whether you’re ready for it or not. It’s not just about picking the funds — it’s about ongoing rebalancing, reinvesting inflows, and making judgment calls when markets move.

10. You won’t get our full transparency — or our secret sauce

We believe in full transparency about where your money is invested, so there are no surprises down the road. We have nothing to hide, and we’re all about helping you understand what’s going on with your funds at every step.

So yes, you can do it yourself… but it won’t be Chocolate.

It’ll be fee-heavy, volatile, and more work than it’s worth.

With Chocolate, you get:

• No fees unless your return hits the target
• Higher returns from institutional fund access
• Daily returns you can see, track, withdraw, and spend!
• A Top-Up Programme to smooth any volatility
• Withdrawals that match what you request
• A Visa card for instant spending and miles
• A fully managed, low-effort experience

Yes, you can DIY. But it won’t be Chocolate.

It’ll cost more, perform less, and demand your time.

With Chocolate, you get a seamless blend of returns, rewards, and reliability, and all with fewer fees and more perks.

Now that’s happy money.

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Disclaimer:

Chocolate Finance is a brand of Chocfin Pte Ltd (UEN 202347190R). Chocfin Pte Ltd is licensed and regulated  by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. The views and opinions expressed on this post are solely those of the original authors and contributors as of the date of this post and are subject to change based on market and other conditions. This is for information only and does not constitute an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any of the investments mentioned. Neither Chocfin Pte. Ltd. (“Chocfin”) nor any officer or employee of Chocfin accepts any liability whatsoever for any loss arising from any use of this blog or its contents.

Please note that Chocfin does not guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of the information provided on this post. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them. This post was prepared without regard to your specific investment objectives, financial situation, accounting or tax needs and does not constitute advice. Before applying you should consider carefully whether the product/service is suitable for you.

The 3.3% p.a. return on the first S$20k and 3% p.a. returns on the next S$30k provided by Chocolate FInance are currently supported by a promotional 'Top-Up Programme', valid during the Qualifying Period and subject to T&C’s. Returns are calculated on a compounded basis. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Terms and conditions apply. Please refer to our full disclaimer at www.chocolatefinance.com/#risk-and-disclaimer.

All investments involve risk, including the risk of losing all of the invested amount. Such activities may not be suitable for everyone. This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

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