Let me tell you, investing in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 through Alipay and holding for 10 years is all you need to do.

There are always brothers thinking about switching to USD, opening accounts in Hong Kong today, setting up US accounts tomorrow, and all kinds of fancy moves.
They think this is more professional, more advanced, and can make more money.
Honestly, apart from transaction fees, there’s basically no difference.
If you love to tinker, go ahead, I can’t stop you, but I suggest you don’t mess around blindly.
01) The returns are really not that different
QDII ETFs on Alipay track the same index.
The S&P 500 still consists of those 500 companies, and the Nasdaq 100 still has those 100 companies.
Buying on Alipay and buying on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the underlying assets are exactly the same.
Fee rates differ: management fee on Alipay is 0.5%-0.8%, while ETFs on the HKEX might be 0.03%-0.2%.
But this small difference in fees, over the long term, has limited impact.
If you spend time and effort on currency exchange, account opening, cross-border transfers just to save that tiny fee difference, the time and energy costs will already surpass that fee difference.
02) If Alipay has issues, just contact customer service
This is what I value most.
If Alipay has problems, you can solve it by contacting customer service.
If a Hong Kong bank account has issues, it’s much more troublesome to resolve.
I have a friend who opened a Hong Kong account last year, and his bank card was locked, so he couldn’t withdraw money.
He called Hong Kong, and the customer service said he needed to go to the branch in person.
He’s mainland China, so he had to fly to Hong Kong, spend thousands on tickets and hotels, and take time off work.
In the end, it took two months to resolve.
Tell me, is it worth it just for that tiny fee difference?
03) Don’t overestimate your operational skills
Many people open accounts in Hong Kong because they want to manage it themselves, thinking it’s more flexible.
They can short sell, leverage, use options.
Let me tell you, the more tools you have, the faster you’ll die.
You think you’re investing, but actually, you’re gambling.
Shorting the Nasdaq? The Nasdaq has had an annualized return of over 10% in the past 40 years. Shorting it is like fighting against human technological progress.
Leverage? In 2022, the Nasdaq dropped 33%, and with triple leverage, you get liquidated immediately.
Options? Time decay can cause losses even if your direction is right.
These tools are meant for professional institutions, not for ordinary people.
04) Simplicity is the hardest to achieve
Warren Buffett said, investing is simple but not easy.
It’s simple: buy good companies and hold long-term.
It’s not easy: can you resist panic selling when the market drops 30%?
Buying the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 on Alipay is the simplest approach.
No need to research individual stocks, no need to look at candlestick charts, no need to watch the market all day.
Set up automatic investment plans, monthly deductions, and do whatever you want.
After 10 years, looking back, you’ll probably outperform 90% of active investors.
Many people make investing too complicated.
Research macroeconomics, industries, individual stocks, technical indicators.
Spend hours every day, thinking they’re working hard.
But the returns are still worse than just investing in index funds.
It’s not about effort; it’s about direction.
Can you research more than BlackRock’s team? Can you beat Goldman Sachs’ analysts?
No.
So, admitting your limitations and choosing the simplest, most worry-free method is actually the smartest.
Buy the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 on Alipay, hold for 10 years.
That’s all you need to do.