Your Life, Your Money.
Your Life, Your Money.
Tips, tricks and uncommon wisdom to help you get more out of your money.
Singapore has a wide range of Internet Service Providers. Assuming your definition of “wide” is “barely not a monopoly”. The scene is dominated by three big companies (M1, Starhub, Singtel), with the rest still battling for scraps. Singaporeans hop between them on a regular basis, depending on freebies and pricing policies. If you’re new to this country, here’s a primer so you can join in:
Why doesn’t everyone just find the cheapest home loan? I’ll tell you: It’s because conversations with seaweed are more interesting than loan comparison. After the 11th interest rate presentation, most people would rather eat their own liver than visit another bank. They just can’t be bothered searching any more. And that’s why we need online loan comparisons:
Now that I’ve promised never to be involved, peer-to-peer car sharing is taking off in Singapore. You people; just because I’ve had a few accidents doesn’t mean you shouldn’t rent to me, dammit. “There’s like, a department in the insurance company named after you“. Heh heh, yeah, my premiums now exceed my COE. But assuming you’re not like me, have a look at this new car sharing system:
It’s finally happened: The government has sold land on a 60 year lease, for the development of private housing. The excitement is…not palpable. So far, most Singaporeans are lukewarm. It’s a bit uncomfortable, you know? Like getting discount milk because it’s near the expiry date. It’s cheap and all, but there’s always nagging reservations. In this article, I venture an opinion on the worth of 60 year leasehold homes:
Many people ask me: “Ryan, how did you choose between being CEO of Microsoft, and working as editor-janitor at MoneySmart?” It’s a good question. The answer is a complex cost-benefits analysis, followed by a bag over my head, and a dull thud as they dragged me into this office. I may have been spared the choice, but I understand the stress of those who aren’t. In this article, I’ll show you how to pick:
People buying property for owner occupancy versus investment are only superficially similar. It’s true that they both seek property at good prices. But beyond this general goal, the needs and desires of the two are very different. In this article, we look at the main difference between these two types of property buyers, and the strategies that best suit either. Know which camp you fall into, before buying the property:
Good thing October’s over, because I was out of Halloween ideas. What could I write about? Haunted houses? Vampires? Budget air tra…Oooh, good one. To make up for my missed Halloween special, here’s a write-up on budget airlines: Are they really a good deal? Because when you’re risking your life in a tin can strapped to propellers at 40,000 feet, the first thought on your mind should be: “How can I cut corners to make this even more lethal?”
Amongst home buyers, there is constant debate over whether fixed or floating rates are better. Some argue that fixed rate packages support sound money management; others claim floating rate packages offer lower monthly payments. In truth, neither type of loan is objectively better. In this article, we will explain how fixed and floating rates are suited to different borrowers:
It’s official: Tisch, the famous New York based arts school, is shutting down in Singapore. What’s that? You don’t care? Oh I see. You don’t grasp the significance of this. You think it’s some fancy, prancing-around-in-ballet-pants crap, and it shouldn’t matter. Well in this article, I’ll explain how the closure of Tisch reflects on serious financial issues in Singapore:
There’s a serious lack of thought in the EC (Executive Condominium) vs. regular flat debate. Ask most Singaporeans and the knee jerk response is “ECs are better, duh“. Because they’re condos. Because there’s a pool. And especially because Susan in accounting, when she got engaged, got an EC with her fiance…so now I have to live off rice and expiring spam to buy one too. In this article, we explore the potential drawbacks of ECs:
