Maria Cordero, 68, Had To Come Out Of Retirement After Losing S$8.4Mil In The Stock Market

Veteran Hong Kong star Maria Cordero may have a keen eye for property, but stocks are not her forte.

The 68-year-old, who is affectionately known as Fei Ma, shared in a recent interview that she once got her fingers burned so badly in the stock market that she had to come out of retirement.

Fei Ma planned to retire in 2016 and had already held her farewell concert.

At that time, she had around HK$40mil to HK$50mil in savings (S$7mil-S$8.7mil), as well as several properties around the world, and could live comfortably with her husband Rick da Silva.

However, at the recommendation of her friend, she invested HK$50mil (S$8.7mil) in a Hong Kong lighting technology stock.

Her friend was so confident in the stock that she told Fei Ma: “If you lose, I will give you your money back."

But in just a few days, the stock plummeted from HK$8 to eight cents, and she lost HK$48mil (S$8.4mil) in a blink of an eye.

And no, her friend did not pay her back.

With her savings gone and her husband's medical expenses in the millions (he passed away from lung cancer in 2020), Fei Ma had no choice but to continue working.

She told Ming Pao: "It’s okay, [I'll] start all over again and take my time. The heavens want me to continue working. My properties are all paid up, and those will be passed down to my children and grandchildren in the future. As long as I lead a stable life now, I’m good”

When asked if she still invests in stocks, she replied: "Not even if you kill me!”

Photos: Maria Cordero/Facebook