When people hear the phrase “core portfolio”, it’s easy to assume it simply means the largest names, the most familiar tickers, or whatever happens to sit at the top of an index. But for an income-focused investor, I think “core” has to mean something more deliberate than size or popularity.
For me, a core holding is something I’m prepared to live with across multiple interest-rate cycles, property cycles, and economic slowdowns. These are the parts of the portfolio that will inevitably be tested during periods when headlines turn negative, sentiment weakens, and distributions come under pressure — because that is simply how markets behave over time.
In other words, core holdings are not the REITs that look the most exciting in a good year. They are the REITs that still make sense when the year is not good — and where there is a reasonable basis to expect that, when conditions normalise, the underlying business can recover without needing a completely new thesis.
That last part matters more than it sounds. Bad years happen. Distributions can flatten or decline. Prices can fall. What defines a core holding is not whether it avoids these periods entirely, but whether the fundamentals remain intact enough that recovery is a process of time and execution, rather than reinvention.
In this video, I want to walk through the small group of Singapore-listed REITs that sit within what I consider my core REIT portfolio. I won’t be focusing on which one is “best”, or which one has the highest yield at any given moment. Instead, the emphasis is on why certain REITs continue to make sense as long-term income foundations — even when the environment is less forgiving.
Along the way, I’ll also be explicit about the risks. Core does not mean risk-free, and pretending otherwise doesn’t help anyone. The goal is to understand where the pressure points are, why they matter, and why — in some cases — they still don’t disqualify a REIT from playing a core role in a diversified income portfolio.
As always, let me remind you that this video is for informational purposes only and not financial advice. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser before making any investment decisions. I own some of the REITs discussed, but what works for me might not work for you.
