No matter how unprepared we may be, I believed over the past 10 months of covid-ness, we have learnt to embrace uncertainties and live on. Today, using covid as an excuse of inaction is passey. Please, enough of that. As we set our foot on the first page first chapter of 2021, be expectant of a year of goodness, fresh ideas and open opportunities. Some may have experienced unpleasant moments or things may not have went the way you wanted last year. Why not have a change of pe

One of the topics in my D.I.Y. financial planning class is about budgeting. Budgeting is the act of creating a plan to spend your money. No, it isn’t about restricting you on your spending and cutting out on the fun. It’s about understanding how much money you have and where you want it to go so that you can plan in advance. One of the money jars we can allocate our money into is the Education jar. Many people graduated from their tertiary education and started working for

We love watching dramas. It really is an addiction netflixing from one series to another. No boring storyline please, fill our appetite with gossips. We want to know who’s causing the broken marriage, what is the super power of that gorgeous mistress, who gets the inheritance, who killed the husband, are the 2 men blood brothers, who does this son belongs to... Omg endless affairs. Affairs don’t just happen on screen, you do come across real stories and they are happening ar

This will be a long debate over what is an essential to you and what is not. It boils down to the root of realizing our ‘must have’ and ‘good to have’. This basic line, however differs amongst people, especially if we are taking a perspective from a first world country, this line might be pretty high. Let’s take technology for instance. In the 70s, if you were to own a Big brother big handphone (大哥大), you are deemed to be doing big business and well to do. If you drives a

Do you have a daily routine? Most people are not used to working from home #WFH , let alone forced to stay at home as your company may be temporarily closed. It can get really bored and restless if there is no routine set in place. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle - Successful people follow a fixed schedule as they know a fixed schedule helps them build productivity habits over time. By creating a routine and following it

Some call it a new norm, some has took flight, many are still figuring out. What is for sure is that all of us are “born again”. A new set of rules is given to live our life, it is as if we just came into a new world with new routine. Imagine you are teleported to a foreign country and you have to start living in it. We are not sure what’s today’s reading that will affect tomorrow’s rules, we live by the day. Are we a subject of an experiment trapped in a maze? Probably. N

Coronavirus COVID-19: the virus that has infected over 400K cases and claimed more than 18K lives. As the numbers are still raising, there has been numerous inquiries coming in with regards to this pandemic situation... “Is COVID-19 covered by my insurance policies?” Fortunately, many insurance companies have responded efficiently to provide financial assistance benefits to policy holders who may be impacted by this virus. *** Please read disclaimer at the end of this entry.

2020 the year of the Metal Rat, according to the lunar calendar, is going to be a strong, prosperous, and lucky year for... I grew up believing that I need to study my birth sign at the start of the year so I can be well prepared of what’s coming for me that year. If I get a high score for career, I’ll feel an energy boost and be expecting promotion coming my way. If I get a low score for romance, I’ll probably not trust anyone for the year since relationship might not turn

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 want to earn lots of money or achieve that prestigious award so that I can give my family a good life”. Have you ever heard of such phrase that people declare? Take a moment to think about this: What is a good life to you? We often see on social media how “good life” our friends have with their new car, luxurious travel trip, limited-ed bag, happy family studio photos, fairy tale wedding, latest electronic gadgets, etc. Somehow these material images had given us an impres

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