As we approaches the end of January, we are soon entering a new beginning in the lunar calendar and celebrate Chinese New Year. Spring cleaning has been a tradition that’s practiced in the springtime. The act of thoroughly cleaning the house, clearing heavy dust, removing unwanted things making way for fresh new additions that brings joy to the house, and to our mind. 新年快樂 as what we would always greet one another first, it means be happy in the new year, always choose happ

Give thanks for all that the universe or God has given you in the past 10 years. Whether it is good or bad, we still give thanks because life is not a destination, it is a learning process and work-in-progress journey. How are you going to welcome the next 10 years ahead? Many people are stuck in this, or rather not sure how to plan. Too far to plan ahead? Here's a tip for you: A simple exercise is to first evaluation how was your past 10 years? Where were you at or what we

I often get this question: Is the cost of health supplements claimable under my health insurance policy? It is common for doctors to prescribe post treatment health supplements or vitamins to patients in addition to the usual medication. As some medical conditions or certain major surgery may require longer term to recovery, health supplements are deem useful as a form of non-invasive maintenance. Some supplements may be given in bulk for preventive measures, especially for c

Everyone knows the importance of having insurance. We have heard so much from advisers or been educated by advertisements. We look for what we need, set aside a budget and apply for it. Most people will stop here. But do you know that financial planning doesn’t just stop after you sign on the dotted line? Implementing an insurance is only half the work done. Going back to basic, what is the main reason for getting an insurance? A couple of them: Leaving a financial legacy for

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your weekend captain speaking, apologise for the slight delay. Do bear with me as I only fly on the weekend. We will take off as soon as I find the air pressure button.” “Hi, nice to meet you, I am a Gynaecologist, you can trust your first delivery in my hands. By the way I am also a certified Barista, Yoga coach, and a Real Estate agent, let me know if you want to visit a showflat and have a nice cup of coffee.” How would you feel if the pilot

Many of us own watches, or at least one watch in our life till date. Some may have a few for different occasions - for your day to day work image or attends business and formal event, different colour to match different outfit. There are many types of watches to choose from: luxury watches, fashion watches, dress watches, sport watch, analog, digital or a mechanical watch. “What time is it now?” Well, whatever your choice may be, whether it’s a Rolex submariner or a retro Cas

Wants are sold by society! A 101 financial tip to good money management is to understand the difference between a need and a want. A need is a necessity, an obligation, an essential, a must-have, you almost can't live without. How about, what is a want? Want is a desire, a craving for, a wish, a good to have, should have but (actually) it's alright without. "I'm feeling lazy today, just spend a little more on transport, take a cab." "Once in a life time wedding, just go

Needs are imposed by nature! If you were to pen down a list of what your needs are on a paper, how much do you think you could write? I am quite sure you can easily fill up the whole piece if given some time. One of the key to good money management is to understand the difference between a need and a want. No one taught us on this differentiation in real life, things became grey and subjective to individual. Let's head back to some basics: what is a need? Need is a necessity,

When you are in a relationship, have you ever ask what is your partner's values and perceptions of money? Many couples do not discuss about money. Such conversation is deemed boring or complicated to some. The ego men wouldn’t talk about money, unless he earns more than the woman. On the same note, the woman wouldn’t talk about money, because she don’t want to scare the man away with her high expenditures. If both live a modest lifestyle, they naturally think there is nothing

Money by itself has no meaning to it, it is just a medium of exchange. But why is everyone chasing after money, looking for higher paying job, doing investments, attend trading courses, or even going into multiple businesses? What we want is not money, it is the things we want or experiences we gain using money. To form a family, a holiday to relax, the feeling of having status, gain attention, to have more time, for self development, for companionship, etc. The underlying re

All of us love to be given favour: having things done to our desire, being treated well, granted support even when it wasn’t meant to be. Every good things that happen, that’s natural favour, just that we may forget to count our blessings. Opps! Very often we may say “Such a coincident, Heng ah…, I’m so lucky today, I didn't do anything and I got it.” That’s favour on your side my friend. Ask, and you will receive. Most of the time, favour will be with the one who ask. People

Choose the right plan for the Best Buy Lorna Tan, 2 sep 2018, The Sunday times Buying a life insurance plan can be a bewildering experience for consumers as there are many products in the market. Insurance is a long term commitment, so it is important to make an informed decision after taking into account your financial circumstances and objectives. Here are some tips for consumers: #1 Do not buy on impulse Ensure that you can afford the premium over the tenure of the policy.

We can easily put a value to our property and our car, even a mobile phone and luxury bag has a value. What about the value of You? What is your price tag? Imagine you have a golden goose at home and this golden goose diligently lay golden eggs for you everyday. The goose says “Master, you can use my golden eggs to buy anything you want”. Over the years, you have successfully used the golden eggs to fund for your daily needs eg. for food, for your education, purchase a house

A master was leaving house for travel, and before he leaves, he entrust his properties to his 3 servants. According to the abilities of each man, one servant received 5 bags of gold (talents), the second servant received 2 bags, and the third servant received one bag. The bags of money was a significant amount of money. The servants who received 5 and 2 bags immediately put the bags at work to gain profits. The third servant, on the other hand, dug a hole in the ground and hi

Many people grew up with the expectation of banks as "big, strong and friendly" institutions that will stand right by them to keep their savings secure and, in the case of fixed deposits, their principal guaranteed. As such, banks typically enjoy a high level of trust with their customers. Young and old instinctively view banks as safe havens for savings. This translates to a sense of security when they have dealings with a bank. It is common for banks to tie up with insuranc

Stepping into the end of 1st quarter of the year, many of you would have done planning and setting your direction for the year by now (I hope). It is not too difficult to set what you want, or at least just be better than previous year in any one of the areas of your career, finances, relationship, health, spiritual well being, personal lifestyle, or giving back (that’s extra tips for goal setting, you are welcome). There are so much we want to achieve and do, often driven by

When it rains, be ready to celebrate! Almost everyone would have heard of this term or being advised by someone to always save for rainy days. While it may seems like an Emergency fund, Rainy day fund is different. Rainy day fund is for unplanned repairs, unexpected medical or dental bills, and unanticipated events. It is not meant for personal wants and desires, and may comfortably be between $2,000 to $8,000. On the other hand, Emergency fund sustains your living expenses i

A topic that many individuals asked for my comments. As funky as it may sound, as trendy as it seems, the next big thing is small in size, in fact it is an imaginary metal - Bitcoin, the crypto currency. This article came just in time for me to share. From the tulip mania of the 17th century to the modern dotcom bubble, investors have followed irrational exuberance into despair more times than we can count. But we have never seen anything like Bitcoin. Regulatory barriers and

Money, wealth and riches are what we all want. What exactly is the meaning behind them? Well, I mean deep down the roots to the creation of words, the traditional chinese characters may be able to solve it. This Chinese character 錢 (qián) represents Money. 金 means Gold, a precious metal. + 戋 which derived from the sound of 践 (jiān) means the act of fighting and snatching. So true right! Human will not stop chasing after money and gold. In fact, one may even fight his live for

Well, there are many variation of thoughts when it comes to Financial Planning (FP) and it all depends on whose mouth it is coming from. Let’s hear from the professions say: Teacher 👩🏻‍🏫 - FP is a comprehensive evaluation of an investor’s current and future financial state by using..... 📖 (textbook answer). Doctor 👨🏼‍⚕️ - FP is about taking care of your health because Health is Wealth 🍎 Lawyer 👨🏽‍⚖️ - FP is about making sure your assets are clearly distributed upon