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Help Center

The following prescribed thresholds apply in order to be eligible to be treated as a PI:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Any trust corporation having been entrusted under the trust or trusts of which it acts as a trustee with total assets of at least $40 million HKD or its equivalent in any foreign currency; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Any individual (either alone or with his spouse or children on a joint account) having a portfolio of at least $8 million HKD or its equivalent in any foreign currency;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">
Any corporation or partnership having either a portfolio of at least HK$ 8 million or total assets of at least $40 million HKD or its equivalent in any foreign currency; and
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Any corporation whose sole business is to hold investments and which is wholly owned by an individual who (either alone or with his spouse or children on a joint account) falls within the description in paragraph (b) above.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">StashAway is entitled and obliged, pursuant to the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong, to provide an annual confirmation of the Professional Investor to ensure the eligibility.</li>
</ol>

How do I qualify for PI status?

A Professional Investor may generally have access to a wider range of financial products and services. Some financial institutions may not offer certain products and services to persons who are non-PI.
To be eligible to be treated as a PI, you must first meet eligibility criteria (please refer to "How do I qualify for PI Status?" below) and you must opt in to be treated as a PI.

What does it mean to be a Professional Investor (PI)? 

What does it mean to be a Professional Investor (PI)

Professional Investor

We make investing simple and automated using our in-house algorithm to create and manage portfolios for you. Just tell us your financial situation, desired risk level and financial goals, and we will create an Investment Portfolio that is suited to your needs. These Investment Portfolios are made up of a mix of assets such as equities, bonds, REITs and commodities.
We use a proprietary investment strategy called ERAA® (Economic Regime-based Asset Allocation). ERAA® is based on real-time economic data, instead of human emotions. Through ERAA®, we will ensure your risk remains constant and will optimise for returns throughout different market cycles. Learn more about ERAA® <a href="https://www.stashaway.hk/r/stashaways-asset-allocation-framework">here</a>.
We offer three types of portfolios to make investing easy for you: 
<ol class="wysiwyg-text-align-justify">
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">
General Investing: General Investing portfolios allow you to invest to reach your long-term goals. 
</li>
</ol><ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Choose your preferred level of risk. StashAway builds a portfolio with an optimised asset allocation for that particular risk level across equities, bonds, REITs, commodities and other asset classes, based on ERAA®.</li>
</ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">
Goal-based Investing: Goal-based Investing portfolios allow you to invest to reach specific goals such as buying a home, paying for your child’s education and planning for retirement. 
</li>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Set up your financial goal(s). StashAway calculates how you can achieve your goals and recommends the appropriate portfolios based on ERAA®. As you get closer to your goals, StashAway will automatically adjust the risk associated with your portfolio, to match your time horizon. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">
Learn more about Goal-based Investing <a href="https://www.stashaway.hk/r/achieve-long-term-wealth-with-goal-based-investing">here</a>.
</li>
</ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">
<a href="https://www.stashaway.hk/thematic-portfolios">Thematic Portfolios</a>: Thematic Portfolios allow you to invest in long-term trends that have the potential to transform the world while staying true to your risk preference. 
</li>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Choose from one of 3 themes: The Future of Consumer Tech, Technology Enablers, and Healthcare Innovation. Choose your preferred level of risk. StashAway then builds a portfolio with an optimised asset allocation for that particular risk level across equities, bonds, REITs, commodities and other asset classes based on ERAA®.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Learn more about Thematic Portfolios <a href="https://www.stashaway.hk/r/introducing-thematic-portfolios">here.</a></li>
</ul>

What products do StashAway offer? What is your investment strategy?

StashAway offers an intuitive digital platform that intelligently keeps tracking your portfolios with personalised low-cost investment services  directed  to your financial background and goal;  we’re a more systematic and efficient alternative to traditional advisors, who charge high fees and offer one-size-fits-all investment packages.
We aim to maximize your risk-adjusted returns through sophisticated algorithms. With the advanced technology, designed by our expert investors, you could always enjoy personalized portfolios that consider your financial situation and goal, all economic-regimes, and market performances.

How is StashAway different from other financial advisors?

StashAway invests in US-domiciled ETFs whereas they’re cost-efficient  exchange-listed products with high liquidity. We endeavour to maximize your investment returns  while minimizing your cost, in that we’ll continue to optimise your portfolios by adding more ETFs into our investment options. Click <a href="https://www.stashaway.hk/r/how-stashaway-selects-etfs">here</a> to see our ETF selection criteria.

Why does StashAway invest in US-domiciled ETFs?

General questions about how StashAway works

General Enquiries

During the account opening process, we ask questions to gain an understanding of your current financial situation, including risk preferences, goals, income, savings, and investment experience.
Our algorithm takes these into account and makes the best recommendations for you. 
Moreover, based on the information you provided in the financial knowledge assessment, our algorithm may cap your risk limit, and you will only have access to our 9 core portfolios, but not to our 3 highest-risk ones. 
To access the higher risk portfolios, we highly recommend that you either watch our Investing Basics Presentation in our mobile app (available anytime) or attend our <a href="https://www.stashaway.hk/academy">Investing Basics Live Webinar (happens every few weeks).</a> They’re both free to watch and the presentation gives you insights into the following:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Understanding the risk and return relationship</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What you should consider before making an investment</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Understanding your personal risk appetite and preferences</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Why your investment timeline is important</li>
</ul>
We also have other <a href="https://www.stashaway.hk/academy">courses</a> you can watch that will help you better understand your financial and investment plan.

How is my portfolio personalised for me and how does the outcome of the financial assessment affect my portfolio risk settings?

Your unique reference code is for linking all of your deposits (to any and all goals) to your StashAway account. Including your reference code in all deposits (one-time or monthly) will expedite this process, allowing us to invest your money more quickly.
Your unique reference code can be found on the “Transfer” page for the Mobile Application and under “Manage Deposits” tab when you log in via a Web Application. 
A copy of the transfer instructions is also available.
For detailed instructions on how to set up transfers and where to include your unique reference code, please refer to "Transfer Instructions" under Transfer Information on the Transfer page.
Your funds will be allocated to your portfolios based on the amount(s) you enter in the Deposit Plan in your StashAway account. In the case that we receive an amount different from your deposit plans, we will allocate the funds proportionally based on how much you indicate to go towards each portfolio, first to one-time transfers, then to monthly transfers.

How should I use my unique reference code? Where can I find it? 

Frequently asked questions about opening an account and the app

Getting Started

The basis of our investment strategy is to build portfolios with particular asset allocations that are optimal for 4 different phases of the economic cycle. When our investment team identifies and signals a change in the economic cycle, our technology will automatically re-optimise all portfolios' asset allocations. 
To learn more about our investment methodology, visit: <a href="https://www.stashaway.hk/r/stashaways-asset-allocation-framework" target="_self">StashAway’s ERAA® (Economic Regime-based Asset Allocation)</a>

What is re-optimisation?

Rebalancing a portfolio involves adjusting the composition of a portfolio by buying and/or selling specific assets in order to re-align a portfolio to its target composition in the case that price moves change the asset allocation of your portfolio.
Learn more: <a href="https://www.stashaway.hk/r/what-is-rebalancing">What is Rebalancing?</a>
Were you looking for re-optimisation instead? Click here for <a href="https://www.stashaway.hk/help-center/900004458306-what-is-reoptimisation" target="_self" rel="undefined">Re-optimisation</a>.

What is rebalancing?

Our system automatically reinvests any dividends you may earn. All dividend payments are reflected in your "Transactions" tab.

Where do dividends go?

Questions about our portfolios and investment framework

Investments

Absolutely!
 
For Web App users:
Step 1: Log in to your Account and select the goal you  wish to update under "My Investments"
Step 2: Go to "More option" on your right-hand side.
Step 3: Select "Adjust Risk / Rename Portfolio” and make changes to the portfolio as you wish by moving the slider.
Step 4: Click "Confirm" to update the portfolio.
 
For Mobile App users: 
Step 1: Log in to your Account and select the goal you  wish to update under "My Investments"
Step 2: Click the 3 dots on your top right screen and select "Adjust risk".
Step 3: Make changes to the portfolio as you wish by moving the slider
Step 4: Click "Confirm" to update the portfolio.

Can I change my investment plan later? 

You can make any changes to your account by logging into your StashAway account.
To make changes to your goal or to delete it, you can do the following:
 
For Web App users:
Step 1: Select the Portfolio you would like to edit
Step 2: Go to “More actions”
Step 3: Select “Delete portfolio” to delete your goal
 
For Mobile App users:
Step 1: Select the Portfolio you would like to Edit
Step 2: Click on the 3 vertical dots on the top right-hand corner of your screen
Step 3: You can proceed to delete or make the changes you want
 
Note that if you choose to make changes to the monthly deposit amounts, you must also indicate those changes in your bank account standing instructions.

How do I make changes or delete my goal?

Questions about our General Investing and Goal-based portfolios

General and Goal-Based Investing

Thematic Portfolios are a long-term investment product which allows you to invest in what you believe could transform the world. They are aimed to maximise exposure to promising long-term trends within your risk preference. Thematic Portfolios are grouped around different promising trends and are composed of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as well as balancing assets (non-thematic instruments). You can learn more <a href="https://www.stashaway.hk/r/introducing-thematic-portfolios" target="_self">here</a>.

What are Thematic Portfolios? 

Our annual management fee for Thematic Portfolios ranges between 0.2% and 0.8%, average expense ratio charged by ETF fund managers is 0.52%. However, there's no minimum investment amount and no subscription, switching, and rebalancing fees. Learn more about our pricing <a href="https://www.stashaway.hk/pricing" target="_self">here</a>.

What are the fees involved in Thematic Portfolios?

Our approach with Thematic Portfolios ensures maximum exposure to the selected themes while keeping your risk preferences in mind. In addition, the composition of our portfolios is designed to bring extensive diversity to your portfolios. Each Thematic Portfolio is intelligently diversified with ETFs that provide you exposure to multiple sub-themes.

Why should I invest in Thematic Portfolios with StashAway instead of doing it myself?

Responsible Investing is an ESG-optimised (Environmental, Social, and Governance) portfolio. When you invest in this portfolio, you are supporting a broad range of companies that make a positive social and environmental impact on society, and consider factors such as sustainability, diversity, inclusion, transparency, and community as part of their business operations. In other words, it is industry-agnostic. Through this portfolio, you have the option to build your core wealth with ESG aligned principles. 
In contrast, Environment and Cleantech focuses on the environment industry specifically. It is a thematic portfolio that invests in  innovative low-carbon technologies and sustainable solutions to fight climate change, such as solar energy. The companies in this portfolio have business operations that are directly relevant to clean energy, green growth, clean water, and sustainable waste management. As with our other Thematic Portfolios, Environment and Cleantech provides an option to diversify your investments.

What is the difference between the Responsible Investing Portfolio and the Environment and Cleantech Thematic Portfolio?

We don’t share expected returns or projections because thematic investing is inherently very volatile. In other words, projections based on historical returns for Thematic Portfolios could be misleading. What’s most important is to pick the most suitable SRI for your risk preferences: There will be short-term ups and downs, and riding them out is the key to capturing the large potential returns that can come with thematic investing.

What are the expected returns on Thematic Portfolios?

The composition of Thematic Portfolios can possibly change after some time. Thematic Portfolios, as with all our investment products, are subject to re-optimisation. The basis of our investment strategy is to build portfolios with particular asset allocations that are optimal for four different economic cycles. When our investment team identifies and signals a change in the economic cycle, our technology automatically re-optimises all portfolios' asset allocations. Re-optimisation is applied to keep your risk profile constant while maximising long-term returns. You can learn more about it <a href="https://www.stashaway.hk/faq/900004458306-What-is-re-optimisation-" target="_self">here</a>.

Will the composition and asset allocation of Thematic Portfolios always stay as it is right now?

There’s no minimum amount to start investing in Thematic Portfolios. However, SFC requires a minimum of HK$10,000 deposit for new accounts.

What’s the minimum amount required to invest in Thematic Portfolios?

Thematic Portfolios

Responsible Investing is a more socially or ethically responsible form of investing that filters for companies and funds with high ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) scores. It takes ESG factors into account, and invests in companies deemed to have positive social impact relating to sustainability, diversity, representation, corporate governance, and community. It also means reducing exposure from companies whose business operations have a negative social impact such as the sale of weapons, or may profit from unsustainable environmental practices such as the use of coal or fossil fuels. 
Since Responsible Investing is an ESG-focused adaptation of our classic General Investing Portfolios, it is optimised for both performance and ESG. In other words, it provides an option to build your core wealth with ESG aligned principles, making it ideal for long-term financial goals such as saving for retirement.

What is Responsible Investing?

StashAway uses two leading ESG scoring models to screen the portfolios’ underlying funds: the <a href="https://www.msci.com/our-solutions/esg-investing/esg-ratings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MSCI ESG rating</a>, which consists of 7 rating categories; and the <a href="https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/trading-investing/morningstar-sustainability-rating/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Morningstar Sustainability Rating</a>, which consists of 5 rating categories. Based on an average of the two scoring models, the Responsible Investing portfolios have high ESG scores, ranging between 3.88 and 4.14 out of a score of 5.

How does StashAway calculate ESG scores?

Your returns are not compromised when you invest in our ESG-optimised Responsible Investing Portfolio. They are similar to our classic General Investing Portfolios, which optimise for returns, but do so using ESG aligned principles. This makes them ideal for building your core wealth, or for working towards long-term financial goals such as saving for retirement. 
Global momentum has been huge for socially responsible investing recently, with assets estimated to reach US$53 trillion by 2025, a third of global AUM, according to Bloomberg. This is not only because investors have become more socially-conscious, but also because some companies with strong ESG ratings may do better in the long run by staying committed to the ‘triple bottom line’, which takes into account not just profit, but also people and the planet.

Will my returns be affected for the Responsible Investing Portfolio?

Questions about our ESG-focused General Investing portfolios

Responsible Investing (ESG)

The withdrawal process usually takes up to 2 to 4 business days, as we will need to first sell the securities during US market hours on your behalf (same night if the withdrawal is received before 6pm). Then, we will perform the necessary checks, and then wire the funds from our trust account in Singapore to Hong Kong and to your bank account.

When will my withdrawn funds from StashAway appear in my bank account?

As part of the guidelines from the Securities and Futures Commissions of Hong Kong (SFC), withdrawals can only be made to designated bank accounts - bank accounts under your name where you have initiated an initial deposit of over HK$10,000 (or HKD equivalent).

Can I withdraw to a bank account that is different from the one I originally made the deposit from?

Questions about the Deposit and Withdrawal

Deposits and Withdrawals

Absolutely! We were founded on the belief that high-quality financial advice should not come at a prohibitive price, and that low fees are a key ingredient to our customers' long-term financial success. We are committed to keeping our fees low.

Will prices always remain at these low levels?

Fees

All dividends of US-listed securities are subject to 30% dividend withholding tax and the QII (Qualified Interest Income) rule. The latter rule applies to US-domiciled funds, especially US government bonds, of which some of the dividend withholding taxes can be claimed back. 
Our broker will do this on your behalf.
These taxes are applicable as long as you own US-listed assets, regardless of whether the assets were bought through StashAway, or via your own broker.
Additionally, these taxes are held at source and would have already been deducted from the dividend payments shown on your 'Transactions' tab.

Do my dividends get taxed?

For non-US tax residents, a 30% withholding tax (subject to QII rule) is applied on all dividends earned. 
Capital gains are taxed according to tax regulations of the country of your tax residency. A statement issued by StashAway at the end of the year can be used for your tax filing. We recommend that you consult a tax advisor for tax-related questions.

How do the securities in my portfolio get taxed?

Questions relating to capital gains and dividend taxes on your portfolios

Taxes

We do not outsource customer service to third party providers. All our staff are trained in-house so that we have tighter controls over the onboarding process, and our Client Experience team does not forward customer documents to any other department in the company.
Access to our corporate network is only for authorized personnel and specific devices.  We practice the Principle of Least Privilege, where we only assign just enough access for a staff to perform his or her job. Hence, only very limited staff has access to customer information.
We are fully compliant with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance in Hong Kong and Securities and Futures Commissions (SFC) <a href="https://www.sfc.hk/-/media/EN/assets/components/codes/files-current/web/guidelines/management-supervision-and-internal-control-gu/management-supervision-and-internal-control-guidelines-for-persons-licensed.pdf">Guidelines</a>.

Who has access to my information?

You may, at any time, withdraw your consent to the collection, use, or disclosure of personal data from us. One way to withdraw your consent is to click “Unsubscribe”, available on all marketing or newsletter emails that you may receive from us. 
Otherwise, you may contact our Data Protection Officer at dataprotection@stashaway.com, should you require more assistance. We will strive to process your withdrawal request within 10 business days and will inform you accordingly should we need more time. 
We also strive to inform you of any likely consequences as a result of your withdrawal request.

How do I withdraw consent previously given in relation to my Personal Data?

The categories and suggestions below, many of which may apply to your home as well as your office, are some suggestions which you can and should adopt to ensure a secure online experience:
 
Protect your computer
<ul class="wysiwyg-text-align-justify">
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Install anti-virus software and the latest security patch on the computer you use to access StashAway.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Set it so that it performs automatic updates.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Remove file and printer sharing, especially when connected to the Internet.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Consider the use of encryption technology and perform regular backups to protect critical data.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Only allow trusted USB drives into your computer.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Get in the habit of locking your account whenever you step away from your computer.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Only use trusted devices and access trusted websites.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do not install or run programs that are not from trusted websites.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Delete junk or chain emails.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do not access sensitive online sites or perform financial transactions over the public Internet.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Clear browser cache after each online session.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Log off after each online session.</li>
</ul>
 
Protect your mobile device
<ul class="wysiwyg-text-align-justify">
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Always update your device to the latest available OS version; these patches normally carry security and bug fixes that will help secure your device and the information stored on it.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Do not attempt to ‘jailbreak’ or ‘root’ your device.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Keep your laptop, mobile phone, and other portable devices that contain sensitive information with you at all times.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">We would strongly advise against logging in via public wifi networks.</li>
</ul>
 
Protect your network
<ul class="wysiwyg-text-align-justify">
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Set a strong password for your WiFi network.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">
Do not allow anyone to connect to your network without permission. 
</li>
</ul>
You can also learn more about protecting your data and finances in our article <a href="https://www.stashaway.hk/r/12-ways-to-protect-your-data-and-finances-">here</a>.

How should I protect my Devices and Computer Systems?

Digital certificates provide security to websites by encrypting sensitive data and verifying the identity of the websites that are secured. 
SSL problem messages and warnings are often displayed in an attempt to protect website users from potentially compromising situations. 
If you ever encounter an SSL-related warning (such as a security certificate mismatch, certificate not trusted, or secure and non-secure items) while visiting StashAway’s site, you may want to hold off on entering your login details until you can make sure you are not in a compromising online situation. 
To resolve a problem that you may be having, the first thing that you may want to check is that your computer's time and date are accurate. Because expired or not-yet-valid security certificates throw up warnings, having the date on your machine wrong could potentially cause security errors on many secure sites that you access. 
Additionally, if you have recently enabled new secure settings in a website, try disabling those settings and see if the warning messages go away. While this is not a fix, it can give you a point to work from when communicating with our Client Engagement Team and help them to provide more details for our team of experts to fix the issue faster. 
If the problem persists, contact us via email at support@stashaway.hk and our team of experts are available to help resolve the issue.
Reference: <a href="https://www.digicert.com/ssl-problems.htm">https://www.digicert.com/ssl-problems.htm</a>