Special Feature

Adelyn Chan: Empowering Singapore’s sandwich generation through strategic property asset planning

August 22, 2025 1:30 PM SGT

Light

Dark

Chan: We are not just planning properties. We are helping families build a future. That’s a sacred responsibility. (Picture: EdgeProp Singapore)

Adelyn Chan understands what it means to carry the weight of an entire family.

Long before she rose to become one of the top 3% producers at PropNex, Singapore’s largest real estate agency, Chan was already performing one of life’s most demanding balancing acts: Being a single mother, the sole breadwinner and a devoted daughter caring for ageing parents.

“I’m part of the sandwich generation,” she shares candidly. “And I don’t want others to go through what I did — watching your parents struggle to retire while trying to raise your child and survive on one income.”

Today, Chan is no ordinary agent.

She is a mission-driven property strategist with a bold vision: to help working-class and middle-income Singaporeans break the cycle of financial stress and build lasting, intergenerational wealth, starting with their homes.

Chan's tough upbringing and early setbacks shaped her drive to achieve and serve with purpose. (Picture: The Makeover Inc)

A journey forged in hardship, anchored in purpose

Chan’s story doesn’t begin in luxury condos or real estate award ceremonies. It begins in a modest HDB flat, where she grew up watching her parents work tirelessly, only to find themselves vulnerable and unprepared for retirement when illness struck.

“That experience taught me a tough lesson: wealth without planning is fragile,” she reflects.

Her academic path was far from promising. Rebellious in her teens and struggling in school, Chan eventually dropped out with just two O-level language credits. “I felt like the black sheep,” she admits.

“At 16, I was knocking on doors selling Christmas cards. Later, I was the lowest performer at jobs in advertising sales. I did not enjoy the work”

But life had more in store.

At 21, Chan joined Far East Organization as a developer sales executive. There, she discovered her passion for real estate. She later became a full-time agent and over time, began to see that property was not just a product but a powerful platform for transformation.

Chan is ranked among the top 3 percent of over 13,000 PropNex agents. (Picture: Adelyn Chan)

From transactions to transformation: Strategic property planning

“In the early years, I was just doing buy-sell-rent deals,” she explains. “I love property, but I wasn’t yet helping families think long term.”

All that changed when she joined PropNex seven years ago. It was there that she was exposed to structured asset progression strategies and realised the importance of long-term planning. That revelation became a turning point.

Chan began developing her own proprietary process: the ACS Framework, a four-step approach that guides clients to:

Clarify their “Why” — What is the deeper purpose behind their next property move?

Define the “How” and “What” — What are the strategies and structures that will get them there?

Identify true needs vs surface wants — Retirement goals, education planning, liquidity needs, and more.

Quantify with clarity — Using numbers, forecasts and timelines to show clients what’s truly possible.

“In Singapore, many people feel secure simply owning a home. But when we break it down, most don’t have a retirement plan. And many elderly people can’t choose whether to work or not; they have to. That’s not financial freedom.”

Her own family’s crisis reinforces that urgency.

In 2011, her father suffered a heart attack. The family needed urgent funds. Their fully paid HDB flat could not be refinanced, unlike a private property. “We had to sell our largest asset in desperation and downgrade it to a three-room flat. Even then, it wasn’t enough for my parents.”

During this period, Chan also struggled with financial mismanagement that brought her to the brink of bankruptcy.

“That was my wake-up call. You don’t plan during the storm, you plan while the sun is still shining.”

She focuses on empowering the sandwich generation to increase net worth and create sustainable portfolios. (Picture: Adelyn Chan)

Serving the most overlooked generation

Chan has since committed herself to helping one of the most financially pressured groups in society: those aged 20s to 50s years, otherwise known as the “sandwich generation”.

“They’re juggling childcare costs, mortgage repayments, and ageing parents all at once,” she explains. “They’re often too stretched to plan for themselves.”

Her goal is to help them break that cycle, increase their net worth and reposition their assets to prepare for the next 20 to 30 years. Through tailored consultations, she has helped many clients double their net worth, unlock trapped equity, and create sustainable portfolios, even if they start with just one property.

Chan’s strength lies not just in data, but in empathy. “I don’t push. I ask questions. I make the numbers speak clearly. This is because buying a home is easy, but exiting or upgrading wrongly can cost you decades of progress.”

Chan has helped hundreds of families restructure their property portfolios for better financial security. (Picture: Adelyn Chan)

Grounded in faith, lifted by family

Behind her professionalism lies an unshakeable foundation: faith, family and purpose.

Her greatest sources of strength? Her mother and daughter — both of whom supported her unconditionally through her early struggles — and her unwavering belief in God’s provision.

“Everything I have today is by God’s grace. I believe I was given these blessings to be a blessing to others.”

Since 2013, Chan has built up a multiple property portfolio of her own and today leads a dedicated team of 13 under the Adelyn Chan Division at PropNex. As an associate division director, she doesn’t just train new agents, she instils in them the deeper values of consultative service, financial integrity and lifelong learning.

“We are not just planning properties. We are helping families build a future. That’s a sacred responsibility.”

Property planning is life planning

What distinguishes Chan is her long-game mindset.

“Most people only look one move ahead. But I work with clients to plan for 10, 20 or even 30 years. We start with the end in mind.”

Each consultation begins with a one-hour, no-obligation portfolio review, where she breaks down the client’s age, stage of life, earning capacity and aspirations into actionable steps.

Her message?

Start now and not when life forces you to.

“With the right plan and accountability, you can transition from surviving to thriving. Asset elevation is not just for the wealthy; it’s for anyone who dares to dream differently.”

Chan believes property planning is life planning and urges families to think ten years ahead. (Picture: Adelyn Chan)

Beyond real estate: A mission to change mindsets

For Chan, the real reward is seeing her clients evolve from confused homeowners to empowered wealth-builders.

“What I do is not just about homes. It’s about helping people gain clarity, dignity and direction. When clients tell me they finally feel hopeful again, that’s everything.”

She believes that real estate is one of the most powerful tools to build generational wealth, but only when done strategically.

Ready to elevate your future?

Chan’s story is living proof that no background, no setback and no starting point is too humble to achieve transformation if you have the right plan.

If you are a parent, mid-career professional or someone navigating the sandwich years and wondering how to build a future, Adelyn Chan wants to walk that journey with you.