Building long-term wealth isn’t about watching stock tickers, chasing headlines, or reacting to every price movement daily.
Instead, it is about owning quality businesses that you can “buy and forget.”
What “Buy and Forget” Really Means
To be sure, taking this stance does not mean you should ignore your investments after you buy them.
It simply means selecting businesses that you can trust for the long run.
You hold them through market cycles and allow compounding to do its work instead of reacting to short-term noise.
Compounding is something that should be left to work for years and not weeks, let alone days.
What Makes a Stock Suitable for Long-Term Holding
Stocks with a strong economic moat that can protect their earnings are candidates for long-term investing.
Another plus point is when the company focuses on long-term value creation and not short-term gains.
Additionally, these high-quality picks will also have a history of consistent earnings growth.
DBS Group — The Global Platform Leader
DBS Group (SGX: D05) became Southeast Asia’s largest bank in 1998.
Today, it has operations spanning 19 markets with a keen focus on Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia, a network that is hard to match.
For the full year of 2025 (FY2025), DBS achieved a record total income of S$22.9 billion.
The local bank didn’t lose any steam heading into the first quarter of 2026 (1Q2026) with total income reaching a new high of almost S$6 billion.
That’s despite net interest income (NII) slipping 5% YoY due to a lower net interest margin.
DBS is still no doubt the leader among our local banks.
Its current market cap of S$171 billion, as of 14 May 2026, is ahead of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (SGX: O39), or OCBC, and United Overseas Banking (SGX: U11), or UOB, which reported market capitalisations of S$103 billion and S$62 billion respectively.
But wait, there’s more to consider.
DBS is not just the largest — it has scored a return on equity (ROE) of 17% for 1Q2026 on an annualised basis, easily beating OCBC (13%) and UOB (11.5%).
ST Engineering — The Dividend Growth Blue Chip
Global technology and defence powerhouse, ST Engineering (SGX: S63) or STE, is backed by government contracts and long-term aviation maintenance.
The company won S$18.7 billion worth of new contracts in 2025, and ended the year with a massive order book of S$33.2 billion.
The conglomerate has not slowed down in 2026, securing an additional S$4.8 billion in new contracts across its business segments in the first three months of the year.
Having a multi-year order book allows the company to “lock in” years of future work, providing highly visible and stable income for the next few years.
To improve total shareholder return, STE intends to distribute one-third of any YoY profit increase as incremental dividends.
The group has displayed continuous dividend increments over the years.
Total dividends for 2025 amounted to S$0.23 per share, a 35% increase over the 2024 dividend of S$0.17, and a 44% increase compared to the S$0.16 paid in 2023.
Notably, 2025’s dividend included a S$0.05 special dividend.
Venture Corp — The Structural Growth Leader
Venture Corp (SGX: V01) serves as a strategic partner and manufacturer for global giants in key sectors such as life sciences and advanced networking.
With the worldwide push for better medical technology and rising complexity of semiconductor testing, Venture Corp is well-positioned to benefit from the increasing sector demand.
As of 31 March 2026 (the end of 1Q2026), the company has a net cash position of S$1 billion.
This substantial cash surplus has been sustained even after accounting for consistent dividend payouts and share buybacks, reflecting the company’s ability to grow.
Sheng Siong — The Defensive Compounder
As a classic all-weather stock, Sheng Siong (SGX: OV8) remains resilient regardless of the economy as daily groceries and household essentials never go out of style.
In fact, when times get tough, consumers cut down on dining out and eat at home instead.
And where do they go to get cheaper groceries?
That’s right — Sheng Siong.
The company’s performance backs this up.
In 2025, revenue rose by nearly 10% YoY to S$1.6 billion, while maintaining a gross profit margin of 31.3%.
The momentum continued into 1Q2026, with revenue jumping 12.4% YoY to S$452.8 million even as the gross profit margin slipped slightly to 31%.
Additionally, the supermarket chain holds over S$461.1 million in cash and cash equivalents with zero debt.
Combined with a consistent gross profit margin of approximately 30%, Sheng Siong is clearly capable of providing long-term investors with predictable cash flows and stable dividends.
Keppel DC REIT — The Scalable Challenger
As of 31 December 2025, Keppel DC REIT (SGX: AJBU) has 25 data centres across Asia-Pacific and Europe valued at S$6.3 billion.
With a portfolio occupancy of 95.8% and a weighted average lease expiry (WALE) of 6.7 years as of the end of 1Q2026, tenants are locked in for the long haul.
Plus, a built-in rental escalation clause tied to inflation has been implemented to help offset any costs that may eat into unitholder returns.
With technology giants like Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) pouring billions into artificial intelligence (AI), global data centre capacity is expected to double by 2030.
Keppel DC REIT has intentionally focused on stabilised assets in supply-constrained markets, allowing its assets to benefit from the “supply squeeze.”
Established players like Keppel DC REIT can keep occupancy high and leasing conditions favourable.
Why Most Investors Struggle to “Hold for a Decade”
More often than not, when the stock prices fall, investors’ loss aversion instinct kicks in and they end up panic selling.
Investors who get swayed will make impulsive decisions that negatively impact their long-term goals.
Usually those who fail to do their due diligence before investing find it hard to remain invested.
Without a solid understanding of the business, they lack the foundation necessary to justify holding their position when things get shaky.
The secret to long-term holding is very simple.
Just shift your focus from daily price changes to underlying business performance.
Stop monitoring your portfolio constantly – you only need to review your holdings periodically, say every six months, to ensure your investment thesis remains intact.
Get Smart: Wealth Is Built in the Waiting
When you plant a seed, watching it closely every day wouldn’t make the plant grow faster.
The true source of wealth is not constant activity, but rather the product of owning high-quality businesses over extended periods.
The real challenge of investing only begins after you have identified the right stocks.
It lies in having the discipline to “let go” and allow their performance to deliver powerful results over time.
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Disclosure: Charlyn T. owns shares in DBS, OCBC, and Keppel DC REIT.
