1. Art

You already know that the value of good art increases over time – the most expensive painting in the world, Interchange by Willem de Kooning became the most expensive painting ever sold at US$300 million in 2015 – it was painted in 1955.

But what about the average Singaporean? You'd be surprised. Works by first-generation Singaporean artists like Chen Wen Hsi have sold for as high as $170,000. The second generation of artists aren't slouches either - Tay Bak Koi’s Blissful Joy, a painting as recent as 2001, went for $38,000 last year.

Decoration in the house that appreciates with time? Count us in.

In case you’re planning to take the plunge, don’t be like this ex-tour guide.

2. Rolex / Investment Watches

When it comes to buying watches, there are two schools of thought we admire. The first opts for a humble Casio to hang off your wrist – it’s simple, durable, reliable, and will see you through years of service. The cost of the watch is negligible, considering you get a lifetime companion.

But what if your watch could increase in value instead? At the other end of the watch spectrum is where the likes of a venerable Rolex come in – it’s a timepiece that maintains (and sometimes increases) its value over the years. Not to mention, they’re awfully gorgeous to look at. As one writer put it, they are the thinking man’s symbol of success – like a BMW but without the year-on-year depreciation.

Why would you buy anything in between? They’re more expensive than a simple Casio and don’t hold their value.

3. Saving to Invest

The longer you save, the more money you earn, thanks to compound interest.

Scenario A: Let’s say you are a 25 year-old working adult putting $1,196 per month aside for investments. If you keep this up for a grand total of 30 years (and assuming a growth rate of 5% per annum), you would have a million bucks at the end.

Scenario B: You’re a 50 year-old who can put in a whopping $3,000 a month (and assuming a growth rate of 5% per annum) before you retire at 65. But when you retire, you’ll have only $805,207.94.

Why is that so? That’s cause you started late, bruh. In Scenario A, your money has a whole 30 years to work for you. In Scenario B, it only has 15. The longer your money is invested, the more money you’ll have. Simple as that.

4. Card Collections

Remember all the Pokemon/WWE/Magic cards you used to have lying around? They might actually be worth a lot more today, provided you kept them in decent condition. About two years back, a YouTuber opened a 20-year-old Magic: The Gathering pack to find a card worth over S$40,000 hidden inside.

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$40,000! That said, your 2001 self probably didn’t know a lot about storing cards in pristine condition. Combine this with Singapore’s high humidity and how you might have stupidly given them away to your friends, it’s highly unlikely what you have would be worth that much.

Still, doesn’t hurt to have a look, no?

5. Premium Toy Collectibles

One of the best things about being a grown-up is being able to splurge on the toys from your childhood.

How does a ¼-scale Boba Fett standing guard in your living room sound? Feel free to replace him with an Iron Man or Batman depending on which geek camp you belong to. With limited releases per variant, prices have been rising steadily for exclusives. But for pure profit, that acclaim goes to a traditional kid’s company.

According to British paper The Telegraph, the prices of LEGO have outperformed UK stock markets, bank accounts and gold prices in the last 15 years.

But don’t think this is just applicable in the UK.

Earlier this year, a Singaporean sold seven sets of the famed 2007 LEGO's The Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon, each worth approximately $8,000.

Of course, not all LEGO sets will appreciate the same way. To find out which are your best bets, check Brickpicker.com.

6. Men (not all though)

Some men age like fine wine and we wonder how they are blessed with such good genes.

The dude above? He’s Andy Lau and he’s 51 years old by the way. Asian genes ftw. (That's not to say women can't age like fine wine too.)

7. Luxury Bags

Can't justify the purchase of yet another bag? Tell your significant other that it's an investment, albeit one that you carry around your arm.

Last year, a fuchsia pink crocodile skin Hermès Birkin with 18-carat gold and diamond hardware sold for US$223,000 at an auction. That's nearly what you pay for a BTO flat.

The wait time for one bag could reach about six years with the original cost going for as “low” as US$5,000 and topping off at US$200,000.

And don't forget to factor in maintenance costs. If you are a slob or have many sharp-clawed cats around the house, investing in a luxury bag probably isn't for you.

8. Skills

Developed over time and with dedication, any skill that can be acquired can never be fully taken away. Unless you have dementia or some other crippling mental ailment. Or die. But that's what insurance is for.

Take a course or two and invest in yourself. It could be anything from plumbing, car repair, or pilates. Think of it as a second degree. If you get good enough at it, it might even be able to earn you a living.

It's always useful to have more skills. And no, this isn't a sponsored post for SkillsFuture.

9. Heineken

Yes, we’ve saved the best for last. Do you know that Heineken invests 28 days, more than double the time in brewing its beer, as compared to other brands? Heineken is also made with purely natural ingredients: malted barley, water, hops and Heineken’s unique A-yeast.

Perhaps that’s why even 143 years after its inception, it remains one of the most popular international beer brands. Heineken’s dedication to craftsmanship and quality has allowed the brand to spread across 192 countries.

It just goes to show that sometimes, things in life get better if you give them a little more time.

HOW TO WIN A TRIP TO AMSTERDAM

To discover more behind the star, Heineken will be offering a World Class Heineken Experience to one of its lucky fans.

From 27 July to 2 August 2016, join the Heineken Social Chase by catching as many Heineken Star Trucks as you can on prominent Facebook pages in Singapore (such as ours!) – they’ll be appearing for 2 hours at a time.

Find them, take a screenshot, then click on the link in the Star Truck post and post them in the comments section of the submission post. (Hints will be given on Heineken’s Facebook page at 5pm every day, so you don’t need to despair.)

Remember, the longer you have a go at it, the more times you spot the Star Truck and the higher your chances are of winning a trip to Amsterdam!

More details can be found on www.heineken.com.sg or www.facebook.com/heineken.

This sponsored post is brought to you by Heineken, and fuels Mothership.sg so our writers don't need to wait excessively long for retirement. (Too much of a good thing can be bad.)

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Top image from here.