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EARLY RETIREMENT SG
So I'll not talk about why I don't like it any further. HOWEVER, despite me not liking it, I do believe everyone should "invest" in it. Note the parenthesis. Anyway. Simply put. I think it would make logical sense to put 0.5% - 1% of ones' current assets into crypto. You may or may not want to increase the absolute amount as your other assets outgrows the initial "investment".EARLY RETIREMENT SG
It's understandable. There are a few ways to look at it. 1) People want to do "something" it makes them feel like they are more secure. Doesn't mean it will work, but doing "something" makes them feel better. 2) It's better to have something and not need it, than to need something and not have it.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Now, this manifests in many aspects of our lives, and financial independence or early retirement is just one of the ideas which people get, or they don't get. For some people, the pre-programmed idea that people need to work, is independent from the idea that work is to provide money. For other people, work is for money, there is a cleardirect
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
We only know it as overnight cos we never heard of them before they became successful. So it appears that they are successful overnight. But behind this success was years of sacrifice, practice, mistakes, amending those mistakes, etc. And we don't see all these. Some people manage to do it in shorter time than others.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
What is a "Spirit of Resistance". “What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms.”. There's been armed protests in the US in a couple of states. Where people with guns take part in so calledEARLY RETIREMENT SG
Furthermore, there is also a "listing" fee of US$350 which the leasing company imposes for returning the vehicle. It's for their "effort" to sell the car after you've returned it. So if we leave in Dec, we'll probably need to pay around $1,430. (US$360 x 3 +US$350) Just to close out the lease contract.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
On the right, I arranged in descending order ONLY BASED on SKILL. As you can see, on the right, there are people with full 95 points of skill or 94.99 of skill. But are not in the top ranks on the left cos they just don't have the luck. If based purely on skill, the 5th ranked candidate is actually ranked 99th.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
After a few weeks, 1/4 teaspoon, after a few weeks 1/8, then no sugar Woah the difference between 1/8 teaspoon to 0 sugar is super hard. So during that time I did some days with 1/8 sugar, some days no sugar at all. And eventually, after a few months, I was able to drink coffee without sugar. Change is aEARLY RETIREMENT SG
The natural response for most people would be to click the link to cancel the reservation or to find out more about it. And it's pretty obvious that it's trying some phishing attack The email was from rez@chope.co. Whereas the usual reservation from Chope is @chope.com. Then I also had a friend who recently received another email from aEARLY RETIREMENT SG
So I'll not talk about why I don't like it any further. HOWEVER, despite me not liking it, I do believe everyone should "invest" in it. Note the parenthesis. Anyway. Simply put. I think it would make logical sense to put 0.5% - 1% of ones' current assets into crypto. You may or may not want to increase the absolute amount as your other assets outgrows the initial "investment".EARLY RETIREMENT SG
It's understandable. There are a few ways to look at it. 1) People want to do "something" it makes them feel like they are more secure. Doesn't mean it will work, but doing "something" makes them feel better. 2) It's better to have something and not need it, than to need something and not have it.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Now, this manifests in many aspects of our lives, and financial independence or early retirement is just one of the ideas which people get, or they don't get. For some people, the pre-programmed idea that people need to work, is independent from the idea that work is to provide money. For other people, work is for money, there is a cleardirect
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
We only know it as overnight cos we never heard of them before they became successful. So it appears that they are successful overnight. But behind this success was years of sacrifice, practice, mistakes, amending those mistakes, etc. And we don't see all these. Some people manage to do it in shorter time than others.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
What is a "Spirit of Resistance". “What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms.”. There's been armed protests in the US in a couple of states. Where people with guns take part in so calledEARLY RETIREMENT SG
Furthermore, there is also a "listing" fee of US$350 which the leasing company imposes for returning the vehicle. It's for their "effort" to sell the car after you've returned it. So if we leave in Dec, we'll probably need to pay around $1,430. (US$360 x 3 +US$350) Just to close out the lease contract.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
On the right, I arranged in descending order ONLY BASED on SKILL. As you can see, on the right, there are people with full 95 points of skill or 94.99 of skill. But are not in the top ranks on the left cos they just don't have the luck. If based purely on skill, the 5th ranked candidate is actually ranked 99th.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
After a few weeks, 1/4 teaspoon, after a few weeks 1/8, then no sugar Woah the difference between 1/8 teaspoon to 0 sugar is super hard. So during that time I did some days with 1/8 sugar, some days no sugar at all. And eventually, after a few months, I was able to drink coffee without sugar. Change is aEARLY RETIREMENT SG
The natural response for most people would be to click the link to cancel the reservation or to find out more about it. And it's pretty obvious that it's trying some phishing attack The email was from rez@chope.co. Whereas the usual reservation from Chope is @chope.com. Then I also had a friend who recently received another email from aEARLY RETIREMENT SG
Author. Male, born in 1982. INTP Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques ofthe industry.
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Then there's always the FEAR in retirement. Cos there's always a sense of insecurity, cos most people are so used to a stable income from work, that switching to investment income feels insecure. And that's only the financial side of things. There's also the sudden influx of time that many people don't know what to do with.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
There are little avenues for Singaporeans to show displeasure with what the government is doing. CPF withdrawal age was raised from 55 to 65. And instead of taking out the full sum, Singaporeans need to take it out in drips. Good or bad, it's up to each person to determine. But I compare it against what happened in France.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
The ability to sell the unused portion of the rent doesn't mean the property belongs to you. Every year, the lease drops by one year, so on the first year, the lease loses 1% of it's value. And as the lease gets shorter, the lease loses more of it's value every year. A 50 year lease loses 2% of it's value after 1 year.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
After a few weeks, 1/4 teaspoon, after a few weeks 1/8, then no sugar Woah the difference between 1/8 teaspoon to 0 sugar is super hard. So during that time I did some days with 1/8 sugar, some days no sugar at all. And eventually, after a few months, I was able to drink coffee without sugar. Change is aEARLY RETIREMENT SG
Another way to probably create a portfolio beating the STI Index, is to use 99% of your portfolio money to buy the STI ETF. Then with the remaining 1% of your portfolio funds, buy a "better" stock. For example, maybe you feel XYZ company tends to perform better thanEARLY RETIREMENT SG
The idea to spend ALL or almost all their money before they die. Cos if you/I don't spend the money, means we wasted our lives earning it. If we leave $100k behind, means we spent days, months of our time earning an excess $100k which we did not utilize. For me, I don't believe in this. I don't believe it's necessary to spend all my moneyEARLY RETIREMENT SG
McDonald's Big Breakfast set is $7.20. What you get is scrambled eggs, a sliced muffin, a piece of sausage patty, a hashbrown and a drink. The above is a Sausage McMuffin set ($4.50) + a side order of scrambled eggs ($1.80) = $6.30. After deconstructing, you get scrambled eggs, a sliced muffin with cheese, a piece of sausage patty,a
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Most things are grey. There's no definitive answer. We have to decide for ourselves what we want for our lives. But rejecting someone else's preference is the same as them rejecting our preferences. We are all different and want different things. There really isn't many things which are purely right orEARLY RETIREMENT SG
The idea is pretty much the same basically, both situations entail living on less. Much much less. I suppose the greatest difference is "choice" Usually, being a minimalist is an active choice taken by the individual or family. Whereas being poor is typically regarded as an unfortunate situation.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
So I'll not talk about why I don't like it any further. HOWEVER, despite me not liking it, I do believe everyone should "invest" in it. Note the parenthesis. Anyway. Simply put. I think it would make logical sense to put 0.5% - 1% of ones' current assets into crypto. You may or may not want to increase the absolute amount as your other assets outgrows the initial "investment".EARLY RETIREMENT SG
It's understandable. There are a few ways to look at it. 1) People want to do "something" it makes them feel like they are more secure. Doesn't mean it will work, but doing "something" makes them feel better. 2) It's better to have something and not need it, than to need something and not have it.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Now, this manifests in many aspects of our lives, and financial independence or early retirement is just one of the ideas which people get, or they don't get. For some people, the pre-programmed idea that people need to work, is independent from the idea that work is to provide money. For other people, work is for money, there is a cleardirect
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
We only know it as overnight cos we never heard of them before they became successful. So it appears that they are successful overnight. But behind this success was years of sacrifice, practice, mistakes, amending those mistakes, etc. And we don't see all these. Some people manage to do it in shorter time than others.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
What is a "Spirit of Resistance". “What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms.”. There's been armed protests in the US in a couple of states. Where people with guns take part in so calledEARLY RETIREMENT SG
Furthermore, there is also a "listing" fee of US$350 which the leasing company imposes for returning the vehicle. It's for their "effort" to sell the car after you've returned it. So if we leave in Dec, we'll probably need to pay around $1,430. (US$360 x 3 +US$350) Just to close out the lease contract.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
On the right, I arranged in descending order ONLY BASED on SKILL. As you can see, on the right, there are people with full 95 points of skill or 94.99 of skill. But are not in the top ranks on the left cos they just don't have the luck. If based purely on skill, the 5th ranked candidate is actually ranked 99th.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
After a few weeks, 1/4 teaspoon, after a few weeks 1/8, then no sugar Woah the difference between 1/8 teaspoon to 0 sugar is super hard. So during that time I did some days with 1/8 sugar, some days no sugar at all. And eventually, after a few months, I was able to drink coffee without sugar. Change is aEARLY RETIREMENT SG
The natural response for most people would be to click the link to cancel the reservation or to find out more about it. And it's pretty obvious that it's trying some phishing attack The email was from rez@chope.co. Whereas the usual reservation from Chope is @chope.com. Then I also had a friend who recently received another email from aEARLY RETIREMENT SG
So I'll not talk about why I don't like it any further. HOWEVER, despite me not liking it, I do believe everyone should "invest" in it. Note the parenthesis. Anyway. Simply put. I think it would make logical sense to put 0.5% - 1% of ones' current assets into crypto. You may or may not want to increase the absolute amount as your other assets outgrows the initial "investment".EARLY RETIREMENT SG
It's understandable. There are a few ways to look at it. 1) People want to do "something" it makes them feel like they are more secure. Doesn't mean it will work, but doing "something" makes them feel better. 2) It's better to have something and not need it, than to need something and not have it.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Now, this manifests in many aspects of our lives, and financial independence or early retirement is just one of the ideas which people get, or they don't get. For some people, the pre-programmed idea that people need to work, is independent from the idea that work is to provide money. For other people, work is for money, there is a cleardirect
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
We only know it as overnight cos we never heard of them before they became successful. So it appears that they are successful overnight. But behind this success was years of sacrifice, practice, mistakes, amending those mistakes, etc. And we don't see all these. Some people manage to do it in shorter time than others.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
What is a "Spirit of Resistance". “What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms.”. There's been armed protests in the US in a couple of states. Where people with guns take part in so calledEARLY RETIREMENT SG
Furthermore, there is also a "listing" fee of US$350 which the leasing company imposes for returning the vehicle. It's for their "effort" to sell the car after you've returned it. So if we leave in Dec, we'll probably need to pay around $1,430. (US$360 x 3 +US$350) Just to close out the lease contract.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
On the right, I arranged in descending order ONLY BASED on SKILL. As you can see, on the right, there are people with full 95 points of skill or 94.99 of skill. But are not in the top ranks on the left cos they just don't have the luck. If based purely on skill, the 5th ranked candidate is actually ranked 99th.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
After a few weeks, 1/4 teaspoon, after a few weeks 1/8, then no sugar Woah the difference between 1/8 teaspoon to 0 sugar is super hard. So during that time I did some days with 1/8 sugar, some days no sugar at all. And eventually, after a few months, I was able to drink coffee without sugar. Change is aEARLY RETIREMENT SG
The natural response for most people would be to click the link to cancel the reservation or to find out more about it. And it's pretty obvious that it's trying some phishing attack The email was from rez@chope.co. Whereas the usual reservation from Chope is @chope.com. Then I also had a friend who recently received another email from aEARLY RETIREMENT SG
Author. Male, born in 1982. INTP Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques ofthe industry.
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Then there's always the FEAR in retirement. Cos there's always a sense of insecurity, cos most people are so used to a stable income from work, that switching to investment income feels insecure. And that's only the financial side of things. There's also the sudden influx of time that many people don't know what to do with.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
I feel, the way to live life is pretty much your own way. Cos the consequences are also your own. Or as the song goes And now the end is near. And so I face the final curtain. My friend, I'll say it clear. I'll state my case, of which I'm certain. I've lived, a life that's full. I travelled each and every highway.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
After a few weeks, 1/4 teaspoon, after a few weeks 1/8, then no sugar Woah the difference between 1/8 teaspoon to 0 sugar is super hard. So during that time I did some days with 1/8 sugar, some days no sugar at all. And eventually, after a few months, I was able to drink coffee without sugar. Change is aEARLY RETIREMENT SG
Another way to probably create a portfolio beating the STI Index, is to use 99% of your portfolio money to buy the STI ETF. Then with the remaining 1% of your portfolio funds, buy a "better" stock. For example, maybe you feel XYZ company tends to perform better thanEARLY RETIREMENT SG
The ability to sell the unused portion of the rent doesn't mean the property belongs to you. Every year, the lease drops by one year, so on the first year, the lease loses 1% of it's value. And as the lease gets shorter, the lease loses more of it's value every year. A 50 year lease loses 2% of it's value after 1 year.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
The idea to spend ALL or almost all their money before they die. Cos if you/I don't spend the money, means we wasted our lives earning it. If we leave $100k behind, means we spent days, months of our time earning an excess $100k which we did not utilize. For me, I don't believe in this. I don't believe it's necessary to spend all my moneyEARLY RETIREMENT SG
Most things are grey. There's no definitive answer. We have to decide for ourselves what we want for our lives. But rejecting someone else's preference is the same as them rejecting our preferences. We are all different and want different things. There really isn't many things which are purely right orEARLY RETIREMENT SG
McDonald's Big Breakfast set is $7.20. What you get is scrambled eggs, a sliced muffin, a piece of sausage patty, a hashbrown and a drink. The above is a Sausage McMuffin set ($4.50) + a side order of scrambled eggs ($1.80) = $6.30. After deconstructing, you get scrambled eggs, a sliced muffin with cheese, a piece of sausage patty,a
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
The idea is pretty much the same basically, both situations entail living on less. Much much less. I suppose the greatest difference is "choice" Usually, being a minimalist is an active choice taken by the individual or family. Whereas being poor is typically regarded as an unfortunate situation.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
So I'll not talk about why I don't like it any further. HOWEVER, despite me not liking it, I do believe everyone should "invest" in it. Note the parenthesis. Anyway. Simply put. I think it would make logical sense to put 0.5% - 1% of ones' current assets into crypto. You may or may not want to increase the absolute amount as your other assets outgrows the initial "investment".EARLY RETIREMENT SG
But sometimes, the damage doesn’t heal and people get chronic kidney disease, which would need to be managed long term. 2) Acute Respiratory Failure. -when that happens, your lungs can't release oxygen into your blood. 3)Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) -With ARDS, the lungs are so severely damaged that fluid begins toleak into them.
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
We only know it as overnight cos we never heard of them before they became successful. So it appears that they are successful overnight. But behind this success was years of sacrifice, practice, mistakes, amending those mistakes, etc. And we don't see all these. Some people manage to do it in shorter time than others.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Furthermore, there is also a "listing" fee of US$350 which the leasing company imposes for returning the vehicle. It's for their "effort" to sell the car after you've returned it. So if we leave in Dec, we'll probably need to pay around $1,430. (US$360 x 3 +US$350) Just to close out the lease contract.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Another way to probably create a portfolio beating the STI Index, is to use 99% of your portfolio money to buy the STI ETF. Then with the remaining 1% of your portfolio funds, buy a "better" stock. For example, maybe you feel XYZ company tends to perform better thanEARLY RETIREMENT SG
What is a "Spirit of Resistance". “What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms.”. There's been armed protests in the US in a couple of states. Where people with guns take part in so calledEARLY RETIREMENT SG
Just paying for the brand. 1 troy ounce of silver (US$18) is actually quite heavy when you feel it in your hands. 31 grams. A ring is typically around 5 grams. So the value of the silver in the ring is just US$3 Anything more you pay for that is just design and brand. Yeanope silver isn't a
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Meaning, every game for every individual player, there is a "set/correct" things to do, or how to play. It increases their probability of winning cos it mathematically increases the winning probability. BUT they may lose. There's no "gut feeling". Just pure mathematical calculations.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
The idea is pretty much the same basically, both situations entail living on less. Much much less. I suppose the greatest difference is "choice" Usually, being a minimalist is an active choice taken by the individual or family. Whereas being poor is typically regarded as an unfortunate situation.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
So I'll not talk about why I don't like it any further. HOWEVER, despite me not liking it, I do believe everyone should "invest" in it. Note the parenthesis. Anyway. Simply put. I think it would make logical sense to put 0.5% - 1% of ones' current assets into crypto. You may or may not want to increase the absolute amount as your other assets outgrows the initial "investment".EARLY RETIREMENT SG
But sometimes, the damage doesn’t heal and people get chronic kidney disease, which would need to be managed long term. 2) Acute Respiratory Failure. -when that happens, your lungs can't release oxygen into your blood. 3)Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) -With ARDS, the lungs are so severely damaged that fluid begins toleak into them.
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
We only know it as overnight cos we never heard of them before they became successful. So it appears that they are successful overnight. But behind this success was years of sacrifice, practice, mistakes, amending those mistakes, etc. And we don't see all these. Some people manage to do it in shorter time than others.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Furthermore, there is also a "listing" fee of US$350 which the leasing company imposes for returning the vehicle. It's for their "effort" to sell the car after you've returned it. So if we leave in Dec, we'll probably need to pay around $1,430. (US$360 x 3 +US$350) Just to close out the lease contract.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Another way to probably create a portfolio beating the STI Index, is to use 99% of your portfolio money to buy the STI ETF. Then with the remaining 1% of your portfolio funds, buy a "better" stock. For example, maybe you feel XYZ company tends to perform better thanEARLY RETIREMENT SG
What is a "Spirit of Resistance". “What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms.”. There's been armed protests in the US in a couple of states. Where people with guns take part in so calledEARLY RETIREMENT SG
Just paying for the brand. 1 troy ounce of silver (US$18) is actually quite heavy when you feel it in your hands. 31 grams. A ring is typically around 5 grams. So the value of the silver in the ring is just US$3 Anything more you pay for that is just design and brand. Yeanope silver isn't a
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Meaning, every game for every individual player, there is a "set/correct" things to do, or how to play. It increases their probability of winning cos it mathematically increases the winning probability. BUT they may lose. There's no "gut feeling". Just pure mathematical calculations.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
The idea is pretty much the same basically, both situations entail living on less. Much much less. I suppose the greatest difference is "choice" Usually, being a minimalist is an active choice taken by the individual or family. Whereas being poor is typically regarded as an unfortunate situation.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
It's understandable. There are a few ways to look at it. 1) People want to do "something" it makes them feel like they are more secure. Doesn't mean it will work, but doing "something" makes them feel better. 2) It's better to have something and not need it, than to need something and not have it.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Now, this manifests in many aspects of our lives, and financial independence or early retirement is just one of the ideas which people get, or they don't get. For some people, the pre-programmed idea that people need to work, is independent from the idea that work is to provide money. For other people, work is for money, there is a cleardirect
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Another way to probably create a portfolio beating the STI Index, is to use 99% of your portfolio money to buy the STI ETF. Then with the remaining 1% of your portfolio funds, buy a "better" stock. For example, maybe you feel XYZ company tends to perform better thanEARLY RETIREMENT SG
Once the desires get out of hand then it's a downward spiral. But if you're able to balance your desires. Then these cool bits are fun to obtain and every once in a while you get a new experience to look back upon when you're older. Cos when you're older, it'sEARLY RETIREMENT SG
There are little avenues for Singaporeans to show displeasure with what the government is doing. CPF withdrawal age was raised from 55 to 65. And instead of taking out the full sum, Singaporeans need to take it out in drips. Good or bad, it's up to each person to determine. But I compare it against what happened in France.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Simply put, they are trying very hard and are probably succeeding. From Houston, there are only a couple of flights back to SG, most need to transit through 2 cities. However, if I fly by Qatar via Doha, I only need to transit once. You see, during these trying times, peopleare
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
The idea to spend ALL or almost all their money before they die. Cos if you/I don't spend the money, means we wasted our lives earning it. If we leave $100k behind, means we spent days, months of our time earning an excess $100k which we did not utilize. For me, I don't believe in this. I don't believe it's necessary to spend all my moneyEARLY RETIREMENT SG
Very different from people who worked hard to get rich, cos they had it easy, somehow money came easy for them. There's little to no sacrifice on their part so they don't feel any heartache when spending. Quiet money is people who don't talk much about money. They are wealthy and don't show it. They wear the army T-shirt with holesin them
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The term was popularized by former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan in a 1996 speech addressing the burgeoning internet bubble in the stock market. Irrational exuberance has become synonymous with the creation of inflated asset prices associated with bubbles, which ultimately pop and can lead to market panic. Breaking down Irrational Exuberance.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
The natural response for most people would be to click the link to cancel the reservation or to find out more about it. And it's pretty obvious that it's trying some phishing attack The email was from rez@chope.co. Whereas the usual reservation from Chope is @chope.com. Then I also had a friend who recently received another email from aEARLY RETIREMENT SG
So I'll not talk about why I don't like it any further. HOWEVER, despite me not liking it, I do believe everyone should "invest" in it. Note the parenthesis. Anyway. Simply put. I think it would make logical sense to put 0.5% - 1% of ones' current assets into crypto. You may or may not want to increase the absolute amount as your other assets outgrows the initial "investment". ABOUT - EARLY RETIREMENT SG - EARLY RETIREMENT SG About - Early Retirement SG. Male, born in 1982. INTP. Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques of the industry. Inspired by MMM and ERE.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
It's understandable. There are a few ways to look at it. 1) People want to do "something" it makes them feel like they are more secure. Doesn't mean it will work, but doing "something" makes them feel better. 2) It's better to have something and not need it, than to need something and not have it.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
We only know it as overnight cos we never heard of them before they became successful. So it appears that they are successful overnight. But behind this success was years of sacrifice, practice, mistakes, amending those mistakes, etc. And we don't see all these. Some people manage to do it in shorter time than others.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Some are better than others. But it all depends on people and tastes. Some have more customers, could be due to price, location, etc Some people like it sweet, some like it less sweet, some like it fried til crispy, some don't like it too crispy. There really isn't a BEST. In truth, there are "some of the best".EARLY RETIREMENT SG
What is a "Spirit of Resistance". “What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms.”. There's been armed protests in the US in a couple of states. Where people with guns take part in so calledEARLY RETIREMENT SG
There are little avenues for Singaporeans to show displeasure with what the government is doing. CPF withdrawal age was raised from 55 to 65. And instead of taking out the full sum, Singaporeans need to take it out in drips. Good or bad, it's up to each person to determine. But I compare it against what happened in France.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
You can work, stop, rest, play, then go back to work again, or do anything. There's really no right or wrong way to do this. So don't need to feel bad about it, or guilty like how I felt. If you, personally, feel that you have finished your homework, then by all means, go and enjoy your play, and don't look back.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Author. Male, born in 1982. INTP Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques ofthe industry.
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Meaning, every game for every individual player, there is a "set/correct" things to do, or how to play. It increases their probability of winning cos it mathematically increases the winning probability. BUT they may lose. There's no "gut feeling". Just pure mathematical calculations.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
So I'll not talk about why I don't like it any further. HOWEVER, despite me not liking it, I do believe everyone should "invest" in it. Note the parenthesis. Anyway. Simply put. I think it would make logical sense to put 0.5% - 1% of ones' current assets into crypto. You may or may not want to increase the absolute amount as your other assets outgrows the initial "investment". ABOUT - EARLY RETIREMENT SG - EARLY RETIREMENT SG About - Early Retirement SG. Male, born in 1982. INTP. Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques of the industry. Inspired by MMM and ERE.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
It's understandable. There are a few ways to look at it. 1) People want to do "something" it makes them feel like they are more secure. Doesn't mean it will work, but doing "something" makes them feel better. 2) It's better to have something and not need it, than to need something and not have it.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
We only know it as overnight cos we never heard of them before they became successful. So it appears that they are successful overnight. But behind this success was years of sacrifice, practice, mistakes, amending those mistakes, etc. And we don't see all these. Some people manage to do it in shorter time than others.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Some are better than others. But it all depends on people and tastes. Some have more customers, could be due to price, location, etc Some people like it sweet, some like it less sweet, some like it fried til crispy, some don't like it too crispy. There really isn't a BEST. In truth, there are "some of the best".EARLY RETIREMENT SG
What is a "Spirit of Resistance". “What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms.”. There's been armed protests in the US in a couple of states. Where people with guns take part in so calledEARLY RETIREMENT SG
There are little avenues for Singaporeans to show displeasure with what the government is doing. CPF withdrawal age was raised from 55 to 65. And instead of taking out the full sum, Singaporeans need to take it out in drips. Good or bad, it's up to each person to determine. But I compare it against what happened in France.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
You can work, stop, rest, play, then go back to work again, or do anything. There's really no right or wrong way to do this. So don't need to feel bad about it, or guilty like how I felt. If you, personally, feel that you have finished your homework, then by all means, go and enjoy your play, and don't look back.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Author. Male, born in 1982. INTP Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques ofthe industry.
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Meaning, every game for every individual player, there is a "set/correct" things to do, or how to play. It increases their probability of winning cos it mathematically increases the winning probability. BUT they may lose. There's no "gut feeling". Just pure mathematical calculations.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
2) Three meals. To some, one might assume that housing might be a major cost. Actually, there is no need for a big place to live in. A two or three room flat is sufficient for one. The cost of the housing can be further reduced by opting for places like CCK, Woodlands etc which are away from the outskirt of the city.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Who are the folks who think about early retirement? Well usually, they are people with above average earning power who are unhappy with their jobs. Cos basically, it IS an option to us. If it isn't an option, like for people with lower earning power, they would go with option 2. They would just accept it.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Author. Male, born in 1982. INTP Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques ofthe industry.
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Just cos the credit card has a rebate scheme, doesn't mean I/you, get to fully utilize it. Cos if you forget to use the rebates, it's just as bad as no discount/rebates. This also made me think, MAYBE it's better to just focus on my UOB card and credit cards which give a straight out discount. For example, I thought I had 10% "rebate" onEARLY RETIREMENT SG
Summary of first part. 1) Good quality things take more resources to make, so they tend to be more expensive. However, usually no one knows any better, so when people encounter an expensive item, they naturally assume it to be of better quality. Since A=B many people assume B=A.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
You need to be disciplined with it and not be an idiot. Don't point the muzzle at anyone, and don't put your finger on the trigger, and don't load the gun unnecessarily. However, many people are afraid of guns. It is an item of death. For killing. In SG or US, many people have not handled firearms before.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Hi Greyorange, So sorry to hear about your illness and glad that you're on the path to getting better. Happy to hear that you're able to take leave your job and take up a more relaxing lifestyle. :o) Thank you for your encouragement. I'm glad to be able to inspire others to walk a different path or at least give them some solace that they are not alone along this journey.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
Alas, I still won't do it. I'll just get myself an old Toyota Camry so that I can use it without any issues and low repairs. But ok, moving on, then we increased our budget to around US$7k, and I was looking around, the Toyota Camrys at US$7k are either newer models "2010" with 120k miles (not kilometers), OR "2006" models with lower miles around80k miles.
EARLY RETIREMENT SG
The idea is pretty much the same basically, both situations entail living on less. Much much less. I suppose the greatest difference is "choice" Usually, being a minimalist is an active choice taken by the individual or family. Whereas being poor is typically regarded as an unfortunate situation.EARLY RETIREMENT SG
The probability of meeting the same girl/guy again is close to 0%. It's. where you find out that they are working in the same company and will be sitting right beside you. More often than not, you'll never see the person again, and you won't see the people immediately aroundthat area again.
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30/10/2019
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Okay! So... I've been in Paris for 4+ months and we are going to return to Singapore for 10 days.YAYYY!!!
The next 10 days is going to be quite a mad rush. I have my dates all packed full and I think the days will fly by really quickly. I never thought I'd say I miss the warmer weather in SG. I do miss the cheap food. S$3-S$10 food is really really cheap. I'm expecting to be eating a lot when I'm back. Yes, I do spend money. It's not like I search for free food all thetime.
Anyway, I won't be posting for the time I'm in SG cos... well, too busy playing and meeting friends and family and eating a lot. I do miss home a lot. I've said before. It's not like things are bad in Paris. It is comfortable. But for me, SG is better. Cheap food, cheap transport, nice shopping centers, friends and family, no language barrier, faith that the banks and other services will work and if there are any issues, I have faith that the service staff will most likely be able to settle it for me. We take a lot of these for granted. I'm not saying Paris is bad. I'm sure someone else in my position would feel that Paris is great. Personally, it's not for me. Just notmy style.
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WHAT AM I LIVING FOR?? 29/10/2019
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So I mentioned this in my previous post .
Why am I alive? Or what do I think about it. Different people will have a different answer to this. I've read quite a bit about many religions... I've read quite a bit about the creation of the Universe, the big bang, galaxies, evolution, etc...
And I've come to my own conclusion. My conclusion is... I'm not really bothered, as in, I don't think too much about it.
Based on current statistics, I should die around 85-90 years old and for me, that's all I am going to bother about. So for me, I just want to be happy and enjoy my 80+ years in my own way.
I just wanna chill and relax. It's not hard for me to relax and enjoy myself.
I don't do anything bad, I don't do anything particularly good unless I feel like it or it falls into my framework. For me, I feel that life is so simple. Just take care of myself and my family. There is nothing to want. Time for myself and time for my family is enough. Enough money for food, insurance, accommodation, clothing, utilities, just the simple things.
It's not having things that make me happy. It's I'm happy with the things I have and I'm happy enough. I don't really go and strive for the NEXT thing that I think may make me happier.
> At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, Kurt Vonnegut > informs his pal, Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge fund > manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned > from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over its whole history. >
> Heller responds,“Yes, but I have something he will never have — > ENOUGH.”
>
> Based on this anecdote, Kurt Vonnegut wrote this obituary/poem > for _The New Yorker_ in May of 2005 . >
> _True story, Word of Honor:_ > _Joseph Heller, an important and funny writer_ > _now dead,_
> _and I were at a party given by a billionaire_ > _on Shelter Island. > I said, “Joe, how does it make you feel_ > _to know that our host only yesterday_ > _may have made more money_ > _than your novel ‘Catch-22’_ > _has earned in its entire history?”_ > _And Joe said, “I’ve got something he can never have.”_ > _And I said, “What on earth could that be, Joe?”_ > _And Joe said, “The knowledge that I’ve got enough.”_ > _Not bad! Rest in peace!”_ > — Kurt Vonnegut >
> Enough — What an eloquent word. > Enough — What a potent word. > Enough — An underused word, maybe. >
> https://medium.com/@narendragoidani/but-i-have-something-he-will-never-have-enough-8036d03d089b
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DO WE LIVE FOR TOO LONG? 28/10/2019
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Yes? No?
Then why do we do so much boliao things? Let's say our average lifespan is 85 years... It seems like it's a very long time right? I mean, imagine if we had only 1 day to live? Or imagine if we had 1 month to live? Or 1 year? How would we live our lives? 85 LONG YEARS!
We have so much time that we think it's ok to squander our lives. The less we have, the less we squander. The more we have the more likely we will take it for granted that we have a lot of time... Until we really don't have a lot of time, then suddenly humans will "wake up" and feel that life is too short. If we think that 85 years is SHORT... Then once again... why are we wasting our lives?
So what do I mean by wasting our lives? Well it depends on person to person. The first thing is simply, what do you/I want to do with our lives? Maybe it's to be happy, maybe it's to have fun. Why do people want to be rich? So they can buy things and hopefully, they will be happy or it will be fun. Then the question next becomes, do I need to be rich to be happy or to have fun?
Do you know for a fact that being rich will give you happiness or will enable you to have fun? How rich do you need to be? Or maybe someone may really want to live their lives for their God. I'm not religious, but maybe someone else is. Then... why not just do it? Why do they work in their day job and devote their lives to God only on weekends or their free time? If their meaning in life is for their God, then even with less money, they will find purpose to serve their God. Or maybe someone really likes to do social work, and that gives them purpose in life.
So just go and do it. Why continue a day job and do social work in their free time?
Or maybe someone really likes to play games, watch movies and Youtube videos like me?
Then... save, invest and spend less. What I'm getting at is, well... Why are many of us wasting our time? If we think 85 years is short, then we shouldn't waste it. If we think 85 years is long, then by all means go ahead and waste it.
I think the underlying question we need to ask ourselves is... Why are we living?
Each of us will have our own answer. So for me, I want to be happy and enjoy my life. Maybe someone might think that's selfish. Maybe for them, they want to better society.
Or maybe someone's reason for living is their religion. Or maybe their children. Or maybe someone wants to be rich and live in luxury. Etc...
To each their own.
If so, then go and do it. You don't really need a lot of money to work on your reason for living. If you think that you're someone who doesn't need a lot of luxury for your life, then maybe you should be spending more time understanding "why you are living?" instead of just working aimlessly. I'd be really surprised if someone told me that their reason to live is their work.
I would be quite surprised and maybe I would feel quite sad for that person.
To me, I would think that work could be a means to an end, for money. OR, it could be entertainment, like a hobby to pass sometime. ie, it's like for many people they work and in their free time, they do their hobbies or "reason for living". But I think it should be the other way around. People should be doing their "reason for living" and their work should be their hobby. The thing is, for most of us (not all), work is a means to an end. The problem is, most of us don't know what that end is. For many parents, I think their purpose for living is their kids. And their sole reason to work is also for their kids. That doesn't always mean money and working. You do not need a lot of money to raise a kid. BUT, a lot of parents think they HAVE TO, or feel pressured to "give their kids the best". It's the same as that LV bag, or Gucci... Someone owns it, someone else feels pressured that they need to do the same or they feel inferior.
Same as for kids. Some people cannot do certain things for their kids. Life's like that. There's no need to feel any pressure to do it. But oh well... I digress. The whole point about this post is well... 85 years isn't too long or too short. It depends on what you want to do with it. If you wanna play and enjoy, then find a way to do it, do whatever you want to do with it.
But also to remember that work is a means to that end. It shouldn't be THE end. Well... I don't think work should be the end. Don't forget why you're alive. Different people will have different answers to this, and depending on your answer, to spend the 85 years wisely.
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SAVE 50% OF YOUR INCOME TO RETIRE AT 65? 25/10/2019
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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/23/millennials-need-to-save-an-huge-percent-of-paycheck-to-retire-at-65.html Ok... so this is an article for US... but my reaction to this is....
WAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
and...
WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... Seriously...
The big flaw to the article is this... > If you want to live off even half of your final salary in > retirement, you need to save 40% of your income over the next 30 > years, she says. Regardless of Singapore or US, the thing about savings and retirement is very simply lifestyle choices. But maybe... these experts are just fear mongering... Similar to this post here. If the so called "expert" doesn't make some exaggerated claims, they won't get any air-time right? If they don't make people afraid, then they can't sell stuff right? If they make the target so unachievable, then people may get more concerned and contact them so that they can get more sales and more publicity right?
Saving a lot is good. I saved more than 50% of my income when I was working.
The thing about it is... financial planners/advisers aren't retired. They don't realize that after retirement, there are a lot of expenses that will go away. Of course if the retiree ends up going on multiple holidays a year then... there's nothing to talk about. I've never really known of any financial adviser who's talked and researched about retirement from the old folks, or other already retired people... most of the time these "salesmen" just sell financial plans as what they've been taught by their company. Maybe retirement isn't as hard as what people think it is... <// NEXT
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FIRST WORLD COUNTRY WITH THIRD WORLD CITIZENS 24/10/2019
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Ok. This article came out some time back. I'll comment about it below. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/tommy-koh-laments-that-singapore-is-a-first-world-country-with-third-world-citizens > SINGAPORE - Veteran diplomat Tommy Koh laments that Singapore is a > First World country with Third World people. Many Singaporeans lack > the civic-mindedness that citizens of an advanced country should > have, he said on Tuesday (Oct 1). >
> "I am more critical of Singaporeans than of the Government. Many of > our people don't give a damn for the environment when they should. > Many of our people are selfish and unkind. Just look at the way they > drive," Prof Koh said, drawing laughter from his audience. >
> He was speaking at the Singapore Bicentennial Conference, organised > by the Institute of Policy Studies. It was held at Raffles City > Convention Centre and ended on Tuesday. >
> During the dialogue, which was moderated by Straits Times editor and > editor-in-chief of Singapore Press Holdings English/Malay/Tamil > Media Group Warren Fernandez, Prof Koh and Bloomberg News > editor-in-chief John Micklethwait both highlighted areas in which > Singapore society can improve. >
> Mr Micklethwait pointed out that meritocracy has created its own > problems, both in Singapore and other cosmopolitan capital cities. > In such cities, the result is "a tribe of people who are working > insanely hard to keep pushing ahead", often pumping money and > resources into their children. >
> "That is a very good thing for your children, but it means society > gets a bit harder for others to catch up, and that is one of the > dilemmas of a modern country," he said. >
> He recounted how a friend had attended a dinner at which none of the > guests, including Singaporeans, could understand why people in the > United Kingdom had voted for Brexit. >
> "Nobody could understand why anybody had voted for Donald Trump. > Nobody could understand why the protesters in Hong Kong had anything > to protest about at all," he said. >
> The troubling conclusion that his friend came to was that the dinner > guests - even though they came from different parts of the world - > had far more in common with each other than others living a block > away from them. >
> "He worried that his children only ran into poor people when they > were delivering their Internet shopping," he said, adding that > societies must find a solution to be more inclusive. >
> Prof Koh called for Singapore to set a poverty line and raise the > wages of workers, noting that there is often a vast pay gap between > a company's top executives and its rank and file employees. >
> Responding to a question on whether there is an alternative to > capitalism, he said the right question to ask is what kind of > capitalism Singapore wants. >
> Moral capitalism is where companies consider themselves accountable > to not only shareholders but to the wider society, where they care > for the environment and take good care of employees, and champion > gender equality and diversity, he said. >
> He added that he had many ideas for Singaporeans, which he will > write about in his next few columns for ST. >
> "I love Singapore. I would die for Singapore. But are we a perfect > people? We are not," said Prof Koh, who turns 82 next month. >
> "But I believe that we can always be better and in the remaining > years of my life, I want to dedicate my time, energy to making > Singapore an even better place, and Singaporeans an even better > people," he added. I kinda understood what he was saying... The thing is... Singaporeans somehow feel that they are struggling. Still trying to make ends meet. It's always about progress, more, success, more money, being busy... Singaporeans have some of the highest incomes in the world. Even more than many European countries. https://www.worlddata.info/average-income.php Look at this... SG has a higher income compared to France, Germany, Canada, Japan, etc.
But somehow, the feeling I get is that... Singaporeans are somehow still struggling.
Not enough time, not enough money. I have no idea why. No time for anything else. No time to think about other things. The point is... we aren't struggling. But somehow we feel like we are... Ever wonder why? Well... when Tommy Koh said this...
> I am more critical of Singaporeans than of the Government. I absolutely don't agree with this... Cos... for me, what I see is... THIS IS THE TONE FROM THE TOP. If the Government makes people constantly feel poor, makes them think that there is not enough, makes people feel insecure. Then it is all too natural that the citizens will end up believing that they are struggling. When Government officials normalize being rich, ie, makes it seem that being rich is normal... Then wouldn't normal people feel that they are not normal? Since normal people aren't rich? When a famous person once said that S$600,000 annual salary is peanuts... it's really telling of the mentality of the elite. The tone from the top, ie the Government, is always about money. That's their solution for everything. When another famous person suggested that for new residents to Singapore, they may pay a tax in lieu of serving national service... it's telling of what they view national service vs money. When the economy grows... prices increase... inflation... well, the money collected via GST naturally increases. It's a percentage... that's how percentages work. When people have higher salaries. Income taxes naturally increases... Similarly... it's a percentage. That's how percentages work. So why is there regular talk about increasing GST? Why does the Government require new sources of income when the taxes rise naturally when the economy grows? Maybe I'm missing something... (Side note: For annual price increases for public transport, buses, MRTs, I fully understand. Staff wants their increment, materials are more expensive due to inflation, etc... so the cost of running the transport systems will naturally increase. So LTA will need to approve the increase in transport fares.) For taxes... Personally, I don't get it. Cos it's a percentage of spending or income.
So anyway... when the Government also gives the impression that money no enough... I think it's pretty natural for the citizens to get that same feeling.
So... I don't blame the citizens for being so called "Third World Citizens" as alluded by Tommy Koh. I blame the Government. If the Government runs campaigns about reduce wastage, or environmental programs, people will learn more about such issues and have a higher chance of making some action towards it. If the Government stops talking about money as the "be all end all" solution to everything, then maybe citizens will stop thinking about money so much and stop thinking that they are struggling. If the Government has a more comprehensive social security network, and run campaigns, maybe citizens will be more interested to help the less fortunate.
It's like a parent who keeps telling their child... they aren't good enough. And the child believes that they themselves aren't good enough cos the parent keeps repeating it. But maybe... the child is already very good at whatever already... True or false, I don't know... But personally, this is the impression that I'm getting.
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WHAT DO I MEAN WHEN I SAY "OBTAIN" FOOD 23/10/2019
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Ok, so I've been using this word "Obtain" food and it's kind of double speak...
Cos it makes things sound nice... There are a few ways which I can obtain food. 1. I go to a discard pile in the fresh food market which opens 3 times a week.
They just leave their cartons of stuff they don't want on the floor for the cleaner to pick up when he arrives. The food which I take home look like this.
They are in pretty good condition most of the time. Alternatively, I find these in the bin... In a similar condition. Cos instead of putting the cartons on the floor, the vendor may put the carton in the bin. So I take the carton out of the bin and help myself.
Of course there are things in good and bad conditions, and obviously I take the ones suitable for consumption. Since some of the vendors know me, they sometimes pass me stuff directly if they see me walking by. So for example, there was one time, I walk past when one vendor was about to dispose a plastic bag of bananas. So instead of putting it in the bin, he just passed me the whole bag of bananas.
2. Similarly for the supermarket, I go to the bin behind the supermarket. Open it and help myself. The staff recognizes me, and the other folks who go and help themselves, cos I'm not the only one. It's a false perspective that all bins are dirty. Supermarkets have pretty clean bins. They mainly throw away wrapped up products, or they throw away cartons or plastic wrapping when they unwrap cartons to put individual products on display. It's not like some hawker center where people throw food scraps inside.
Here is a sample of what I find. Of course there are things in good and bad conditions, and obviously I take the ones suitable for consumption, and also, I'm fussy, there are things I don't like to eat so I don't take those as well, even though they may be in good condition. Like goat cheese... And well... one thing to note, this is more achievable in France cos the weather is cooler. So the meat doesn't spoil as quickly. It's not always perfect. I have found a bad chicken before. It smelt bad so I didn't eat it. It the same as other things that smell bad in your fridge. If it smells bad, just don't eat it. For things that don't smell bad, I make sure to cook it properly before consumption.
Also, sometimes the staff will just pass me the stuff that he's planning to discard. For example... 20 unsold baguettes from yesterday. True story. When we are young, do we know how to cross the road safely? NO! If our parents didn't teach us, we would probably be dead. Run over by a car, if not for our parents. The thing is... no one taught us how to obtain discarded excess food.
How many of us learn food safety from our parents? How many of us learn food preparation from our parents? How many know how to can, salt, dry, preserve food? How many of us have learnt that curry cannot keep in room temperature cos the curry will spoil? I have kept curry at room temperature overnight without any issue. Simply cos... I have the knowledge and experience to do it. Our perception of danger and risks is influenced by our own knowledge and experience.
No one would take a parachute and jump off the plane without any knowledge or training right? Same as for diving in the sea. The thing is... most of the time, people perceive something to be more dangerous than it really is due to the lack of knowledge and experience. AND... that's true. It IS dangerous to do many things without knowledge and experience. It is potentially risky to eat food from the bin if you don't know what you're doing. Same as it's dangerous to drive without any training.
And some people will learn how to do it, by reading, taking courses, asking people who have done it, etc... And some people will have no interest... cos... they just don't want to or don't feel the need to. Which is fine.
Which is highly related to my article yesterday .
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I DON'T NEED TO, I CAN AFFORD IT? 22/10/2019
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This thought struck a cord with me when I first mentioned it here .
When I first mentioned it, I was contemplating if I would still get free stuff IF I ever won the lottery. For me, I think... I can get free stuff. Since I don't need to pay for it, why should I? So, I probably will continue to get free stuff even if I have a lot of money. I don't NEED to pay for it, so I won't. It has nothing to do with whether I can afford it or not. Someone else in the same position but with a different mentality might think the other way around. I don't NEED to get free stuff anymore. I can afford to buy stuff. The difference here is "WHY". WHY am I getting free stuff? For me, I am getting free stuff cos I enjoy it. It's fun. I like to save money. If I can get something for free, why should I pay for it? I can afford it but I don't want to pay for it. Someone else might be thinking differently. For that person, which is quite a lot of people. They get free stuff, and when I say free stuff, I mean discarded stuff, second hand stuff from others, etc...
I'm not talking only about food. This could be anything. I got myself 2 pairs of jeans (Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein) and a hooded jacket (Adidas) in Paris.
They get free stuff, cos maybe they can't afford it. And they may take these stuff grudgingly. They don't really want to be getting the scraps of others but they HAVE to cos of circumstances. And maybe if or after they get out of their situation, they may think. That's great! Now that I can afford it, I don't NEED to get second hand free stuff from others again. I suppose there's a lot of pride involved in this. People want to be normal. Since normal people use money to buy stuff, most people want to be normal too. And taking leftovers from others isn't considered normal. And it makes people feel different. And many people think that folks who take free stuff or second hand stuff are poor and do so cos they can't afford it. And here lies the difference... Needs and Wants... I don't NEED to spend money. I WANT to save money. So I am willing to accept free stuff even though they aren't always the best stuff. VERSUS...
I NEED to get free stuff BUT I WANT to be normal. So if I can afford it, I will pay for stuff. And... we've been taught this since we were young. Almost all of us. Even I was taught this. We pay money for stuff. Study hard... look at the guy looking through scraps. You want to study hard cos you don't want to end up doing that. We are taught that that kind of action is only done by poor people who can't afford it. And yet... even after I studied and went through the whole schooling system, I now find that THAT is the most reasonable thing to do. At least for my own purposes. The thing is... maybe long time ago... the scraps that people picked up are really scraps. Cos long time ago, people aren't so wasteful. In our parents generation, most people didn't have a lot of money and they don't throw away stuff that are in good enough condition. HOWEVER, these days, people are very affluent. People throw away a lot of good items and in really good condition. It's a very very different situation.
Anyway, moving on... Let's take this mentality to other topics. How about...
I am healthy. I don't NEED to go for medical check up. VS
I NEED to go for medical check up to confirm that I am healthy and to remain healthy
I NEED to buy branded goods to fit in with my friends and colleagues. VS
I already fit in with my friends and colleagues, I don't NEED to buy branded goods.
I cannot retire because I have so much commitments. (Actually its lifestyle choices)
VS
I can retire because I don't need much to be happy. The thing is... there is a lot of things... cause and effect, one thing vs another thing... Just difference is mentality can lead to a lot of difference in outcome. The same action done by different people can have so many different feelings and positive or negative experiences. <// NEXT
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IT'S WEIRD WHAT SOCIETY DEEMS ACCEPTABLE 21/10/2019
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Have you ever watched a show where the main character kills someone? Like shoots someone? Or any show where antagonist murders someone? Yes? Very likely right? There's usually not much censorship when it comes to killing someone. You can see people with gunshot wounds and blood and stuff...
Now... have you ever watched a show with explicit sex scenes on mainstream tv?
How about just some exposed breasts or a penis? No?
Why?
Why is sex or some body parts... which is a normal occurrence in life... censored. But violence and murder... well that's not censored? Which is a more reasonable action involved in daily life? Same for games... has anyone played any sexually related games? How about games which it's ok to rob, murder, steal? Why? Which is more reasonable? Does this make sense? The thing is... sex and some body parts are... taboo... Violence, murder, killing... isn't taboo. It's nothing really to do with reasonable or not. Legally, sex is acceptable, murder, theft, beating someone up... is not. But yet on media, it's the other way round. It's taboo... you just can't talk about it. Logically, things which are involved in normal life should be allowed, and actions which are deemed socially unacceptable should not be allowed...
OR at least both should not have similar levels of censorship. Now, I'm not here to change society. I just try to look at things differently and think about them a bit. For me, this doesn't make sense. Mortal Kombat is easily obtainable and is usually legal. Opinions anyone?
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MOVING MONEY AROUND THE WORLD 18/10/2019
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Ok, so due to the expected move to the US, we now have to plan how to move money around the various countries. The bulk of our assets is parked in SG. We have a few thousand EUR in Paris and we will start earning some USD and we'll need some starting USD initially when we move over. So we were looking for ways to move the funds around safely and cheaply.
CASH
The most simple way, is to carry cash. I withdraw all my EUR and bring it back to SG, or I could withdraw and close my French bank account and carry the EUR to the US. It's simple. There's a probability I get robbed, pick pocketed, or I may just drop the money. The exchange rates in SG are pretty good. But in France and US, they don't have money changers run by individuals giving competitive rates. Most money changes are run by companies so the rates aren't very good.
Pros
Simple
Fairly good rates in SG Cons
Possibility to drop/lose the money I will have to carry thousands of dollars in USD while I wait for my US bank account to be opened Double exchange rate, EUR to SGD before SGD to USD I have to buy at whatever rates is available when I'm in SG, or whatever rate is available when I'm in the US. ONLINE BANKS/FINANCIAL SERVICES There are 2 apps that stand out. Transferwise and Revolut. They give very competitive rates for their foreign exchange and transfer fees. They are both quite user friendly. I can just transfer EUR to the account, execute the FX to buy SGD, and transfer to my SG account. I can keep the EUR in the online accounts and change for USD and when I move to the US, I can transfer the USD to my US bank account. The idea and efficiency is awesome... EXCEPT... when I look at the reviews. I admit there are many positive reviews. But the negative reviews are concerning. There are stories that after transferring the money to the online accounts, the user gets their account locked, pending know-your-client requirements, and even after they upload their passport or other forms of identification, their account is not unlocked and there is no one they are able to talk to, to resolve the issue. There are stories that the money has been sent from the online account but somehow doesn't reach the recipient and somehow, the company is unable to find out where the money has ended up.
Yes, I understand that these may just be a small percentage of users. But it is very concerning. I have no interest in getting a few thousand EUR locked up with no one I can talk to, to resolve the issue. The move between countries is already stressful enough and I would prefer if I have one less stress to think about. If I ever use it, I may use it for values less than $500. I doubt I will ever want to run the risk of locking up thousands of dollars with no easy way to retrieve it. The problem is, they are willing to accept money BEFORE they request for KYC documents. So they have a good chance to lock up the funds while the KYC is being cleared. There is NO WAY to retrieve the money until the KYC is cleared. Ok, I'm sure there are many people who have successfully transferred money using these apps. It's a personal thing. Some people are more comfortable or willing to trust these apps/companies. Personally, I'm not comfortable with it. Not when I'm moving a few thousand dollars. Pros
Very good exchange rate and very low transfer costs No need to carry cash Convenient, can keep it in the online account and move the funds whenever I want to
I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USD Cons
Potential issues due to transfer Potential issues due to KYC requirements Potential to lock up or lose the money USE A MULTI CURRENCY ACCOUNT IN AN SG BANK Most banks have multi currency options, DBS, UOB, OCBC, HSBC, Citibank...
I can just open a multi currency account, then transfer EUR to my SG bank.
Then in my SG bank, I can convert some money into USD and transfer to my US bank once I open my US bank account. It's pretty simple and I can do this online.
Problem is... the costs are expensive. They don't give good exchange rates, there are transfers cost, etc... BUT... it is safe. If there's any issue, I can always call the bank in SG and I have confidence that they will work with me to try to settle the issue.
Even if they have poor FX rates, I probably can still handle that depending on how much I transfer. I'm not expecting to transfer much. Just a few thousands, maybe $5-10k, so the expected losses due to bad FX rates could range between $150-$300... BUT I'm willing to accept this... For better sleep. As I've said before, the move is stressful itself as it is. Having a seamless transition is very important to me. Furthermore, I realized that DBS Multiplier account IS a multi currency account. So... I already have an account ready for me to transfer my EUR out of my French bank. Pros
Safe
Online. I can keep the funds and transfer it anytime I want. I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USD Cons
Expensive FX rates and transfer fees Potentially double exchange rates. I suspect banks will also FX EUR to SGD, then from SGD to USD Ok so there you have it. Based on some light research these are the ways I've looked into to move my funds from EUR to SGD and USD. I'll definitely want to withdraw all my EUR and close my French bank account. I don't know how much USD I'll need when I move over. So it will be best if I can keep it flexible which is why an online account would be better. I don't want to carry cash all around the place. This left me with the online transfer solutions or an actual bank. Since I didn't like the idea of having issues with my transfer, in the end I opted for the traditional route by just paying for the service. Anyone else got any better idea? <// NEXT
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LEAVING PARIS
17/10/2019
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Ok, so I said something about this last post. Well I've been here for 4 mths and a few days. Couple of weeks back, my wife has some changes in her company and well... we have to leave Paris... to Houston. Yes, Houston... Texas... USA... So in a couple of months, by latest Feb 2020, we should be in Houston. I've a bit of mixed feelings about this. Paris has been good to me. Free food, convenient. Food is available downstairs almost everyday just 100m away from where I stay. Most living expenses are covered by her company so we don't really need to spend much.
Language has been a small barrier. There's no real issue except when we need to handle stuff like applying for our mobile lines and stuff like that. But after that's been set up, we don't really need to converse in French much. So I'd say staying in Paris has been comfortable. Of course I'd rather go home to SG. Cos of my other comforts at home, like my own place, friends and family, cheap food, free food, etc. It's not that Paris is bad, but I like SG. And it's not that SG is perfect, I'm just more familiar with it.
Moving to the US... well, at least everything is in English so that's a plus point.
I will need to get a vehicle, cos everything is so far apart and transportation is not like a city. Houston doesn't have a really efficient public transportation system. We should get a car allowance so... the cost should be defrayed a bit. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get free food, so I'll just have to go there to see.
What I think about this move to Houston is pretty much... I'm thinking that it's probably/hopefully my last move. Something like primary school, then secondary school, then uni... So I'm thinking when I leave Paris, one of the phases is over and we'll be moving on to the next phase and probably I'll go home sooner. Now, I don't think Houston will be bad. It will probably be similar to Paris. It should be comfortable. We are a simple couple. We don't need much. As long as we have a place to stay, food to eat, clothes to wear, insurance, transport, we are pretty ok. So once my operations has been set up, within the first month or so, things should settle down. I hope... And once again for folks who think "Wow so lucky"... I'll repeat again, this isn't a holiday, my wife doesn't have so much leave to take vacations all the time and we don't spend so much so it's not like we are out to splurge during our stay in Paris or Houston. Simply put, our stay in Paris hasn't been a 4 month holiday. It's living in Paris for 4 mths. We lived like how we lived in SG. A normal daily routine with some outings/travel. And we will do this in US as well. Mostly her work and a daily routine, and probably some trips around US during our time there. So yea... next few months, after all the stuff has been confirmed, we'll need to shut down our current place, pack all our stuff again, cancel all our subscription plans, probably move to a hotel for a week after we handover the apartment. And we haven't even had the opportunity to travel much around Europe yet. Maybe we can squeeze in one last trip but my wife has limited leave opportunities due to her work responsibilities. Anyway, that's my story for today. Let's see how things work out as her posting becomes clearer and we get more details about the move. <// NEXT
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<This is the link to my first post... how it all started...
Mindset changes
throughout the years How I make use of my wife AUTHOR
Male, born in 1982.
INTP
Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques of the industry. Inspired by MMM and ERE .
Decided to embark on a mission to retire early in Singapore, a place where such an idea is considered impossible. As I believe that life has a lot more to offer instead of just a working career. I've decided to start a blog to note down my journey to achieve this mission and help others along the way who are willing to listen and try doing things differently from everyone else. I have decided to remain anonymous until I finally am able to actually retire, reason being that this idea might not gel well with the company which I am working for currently and also to avoid real life flaming from people who say that such ideas are impossible and that an individual is lazy for choosing early retirement instead of contributing to society in the form of labour. More about me
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WHAT AM I LIVING FOR??29/10/2019
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So I mentioned this in my previous post.
Why am I alive? Or what do I think about it. Different people will have a different answer to this. I've read quite a bit about many religions... I've read quite a bit about the creation of the Universe, the big bang, galaxies, evolution,etc...
And I've come to my own conclusion. My conclusion is... I'm not really bothered, as in, I don't think toomuch about it.
Based on current statistics, I should die around 85-90 years old and for me, that's all I am going to bother about. So for me, I just want to be happy and enjoy my 80+ years in my ownway.
I just wanna chill and relax. It's not hard for me to relax and enjoymyself.
I don't do anything bad, I don't do anything particularly good unless I feel like it or it falls into my framework. For me, I feel that life is so simple. Just take care of myself and my family. There is nothing to want. Time for myself and time for my family is enough. Enough money for food, insurance, accommodation, clothing, utilities, just the simplethings.
It's not having things that make me happy. It's I'm happy with the things I have and I'm happy enough. I don't really go and strive for the NEXT thing that I think may make mehappier.
> At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, Kurt Vonnegut > informs his pal, Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge fund > manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned > from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over its whole history.>
> Heller responds,“Yes, but I have something he will never have —> ENOUGH.”
>
> Based on this anecdote, Kurt Vonnegut wrote this obituary/poem > for _The New Yorker_ in May of 2005 .>
> _True story, Word of Honor:_ > _Joseph Heller, an important and funny writer_> _now dead,_
> _and I were at a party given by a billionaire_ > _on Shelter Island. > I said, “Joe, how does it make you feel_ > _to know that our host only yesterday_ > _may have made more money_ > _than your novel ‘Catch-22’_ > _has earned in its entire history?”_ > _And Joe said, “I’ve got something he can never have.”_ > _And I said, “What on earth could that be, Joe?”_ > _And Joe said, “The knowledge that I’ve got enough.”_ > _Not bad! Rest in peace!”_ > — Kurt Vonnegut>
> Enough — What an eloquent word. > Enough — What a potent word. > Enough — An underused word, maybe.>
> https://medium.com/@narendragoidani/but-i-have-something-he-will-never-have-enough-8036d03d089b
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DO WE LIVE FOR TOO LONG? 28/10/2019
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Yes? No?
Then why do we do so much boliao things? Let's say our average lifespan is 85 years... It seems like it's a very long time right? I mean, imagine if we had only 1 day to live? Or imagine if we had 1 month to live? Or 1 year? How would we live our lives? 85 LONG YEARS!
We have so much time that we think it's ok to squander our lives. The less we have, the less we squander. The more we have the more likely we will take it for granted that we have a lot of time... Until we really don't have a lot of time, then suddenly humans will "wake up" and feel that life is too short. If we think that 85 years is SHORT... Then once again... why are we wasting our lives?
So what do I mean by wasting our lives? Well it depends on person to person. The first thing is simply, what do you/I want to do with our lives? Maybe it's to be happy, maybe it's to have fun. Why do people want to be rich? So they can buy things and hopefully, they will be happy or it will be fun. Then the question next becomes, do I need to be rich to be happy or to have fun?
Do you know for a fact that being rich will give you happiness or will enable you to have fun? How rich do you need to be? Or maybe someone may really want to live their lives for their God. I'm not religious, but maybe someone else is. Then... why not just do it? Why do they work in their day job and devote their lives to God only on weekends or their free time? If their meaning in life is for their God, then even with less money, they will find purpose to serve their God. Or maybe someone really likes to do social work, and that gives them purpose in life.
So just go and do it. Why continue a day job and do social work in their free time?
Or maybe someone really likes to play games, watch movies and Youtube videos like me?
Then... save, invest and spend less. What I'm getting at is, well... Why are many of us wasting our time? If we think 85 years is short, then we shouldn't waste it. If we think 85 years is long, then by all means go ahead and waste it.
I think the underlying question we need to ask ourselves is... Why are we living?
Each of us will have our own answer. So for me, I want to be happy and enjoy my life. Maybe someone might think that's selfish. Maybe for them, they want to better society.
Or maybe someone's reason for living is their religion. Or maybe their children. Or maybe someone wants to be rich and live in luxury. Etc...
To each their own.
If so, then go and do it. You don't really need a lot of money to work on your reason for living. If you think that you're someone who doesn't need a lot of luxury for your life, then maybe you should be spending more time understanding "why you are living?" instead of just working aimlessly. I'd be really surprised if someone told me that their reason to live is their work.
I would be quite surprised and maybe I would feel quite sad for that person.
To me, I would think that work could be a means to an end, for money. OR, it could be entertainment, like a hobby to pass sometime. ie, it's like for many people they work and in their free time, they do their hobbies or "reason for living". But I think it should be the other way around. People should be doing their "reason for living" and their work should be their hobby. The thing is, for most of us (not all), work is a means to an end. The problem is, most of us don't know what that end is. For many parents, I think their purpose for living is their kids. And their sole reason to work is also for their kids. That doesn't always mean money and working. You do not need a lot of money to raise a kid. BUT, a lot of parents think they HAVE TO, or feel pressured to "give their kids the best". It's the same as that LV bag, or Gucci... Someone owns it, someone else feels pressured that they need to do the same or they feel inferior.
Same as for kids. Some people cannot do certain things for their kids. Life's like that. There's no need to feel any pressure to do it. But oh well... I digress. The whole point about this post is well... 85 years isn't too long or too short. It depends on what you want to do with it. If you wanna play and enjoy, then find a way to do it, do whatever you want to do with it.
But also to remember that work is a means to that end. It shouldn't be THE end. Well... I don't think work should be the end. Don't forget why you're alive. Different people will have different answers to this, and depending on your answer, to spend the 85 years wisely.
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SAVE 50% OF YOUR INCOME TO RETIRE AT 65? 25/10/2019
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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/23/millennials-need-to-save-an-huge-percent-of-paycheck-to-retire-at-65.html Ok... so this is an article for US... but my reaction to this is....
WAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
and...
WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... Seriously...
The big flaw to the article is this... > If you want to live off even half of your final salary in > retirement, you need to save 40% of your income over the next 30 > years, she says. Regardless of Singapore or US, the thing about savings and retirement is very simply lifestyle choices. But maybe... these experts are just fear mongering... Similar to this post here. If the so called "expert" doesn't make some exaggerated claims, they won't get any air-time right? If they don't make people afraid, then they can't sell stuff right? If they make the target so unachievable, then people may get more concerned and contact them so that they can get more sales and more publicity right?
Saving a lot is good. I saved more than 50% of my income when I was working.
The thing about it is... financial planners/advisers aren't retired. They don't realize that after retirement, there are a lot of expenses that will go away. Of course if the retiree ends up going on multiple holidays a year then... there's nothing to talk about. I've never really known of any financial adviser who's talked and researched about retirement from the old folks, or other already retired people... most of the time these "salesmen" just sell financial plans as what they've been taught by their company. Maybe retirement isn't as hard as what people think it is... <// NEXT
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FIRST WORLD COUNTRY WITH THIRD WORLD CITIZENS 24/10/2019
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Ok. This article came out some time back. I'll comment about it below. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/tommy-koh-laments-that-singapore-is-a-first-world-country-with-third-world-citizens > SINGAPORE - Veteran diplomat Tommy Koh laments that Singapore is a > First World country with Third World people. Many Singaporeans lack > the civic-mindedness that citizens of an advanced country should > have, he said on Tuesday (Oct 1). >
> "I am more critical of Singaporeans than of the Government. Many of > our people don't give a damn for the environment when they should. > Many of our people are selfish and unkind. Just look at the way they > drive," Prof Koh said, drawing laughter from his audience. >
> He was speaking at the Singapore Bicentennial Conference, organised > by the Institute of Policy Studies. It was held at Raffles City > Convention Centre and ended on Tuesday. >
> During the dialogue, which was moderated by Straits Times editor and > editor-in-chief of Singapore Press Holdings English/Malay/Tamil > Media Group Warren Fernandez, Prof Koh and Bloomberg News > editor-in-chief John Micklethwait both highlighted areas in which > Singapore society can improve. >
> Mr Micklethwait pointed out that meritocracy has created its own > problems, both in Singapore and other cosmopolitan capital cities. > In such cities, the result is "a tribe of people who are working > insanely hard to keep pushing ahead", often pumping money and > resources into their children. >
> "That is a very good thing for your children, but it means society > gets a bit harder for others to catch up, and that is one of the > dilemmas of a modern country," he said. >
> He recounted how a friend had attended a dinner at which none of the > guests, including Singaporeans, could understand why people in the > United Kingdom had voted for Brexit. >
> "Nobody could understand why anybody had voted for Donald Trump. > Nobody could understand why the protesters in Hong Kong had anything > to protest about at all," he said. >
> The troubling conclusion that his friend came to was that the dinner > guests - even though they came from different parts of the world - > had far more in common with each other than others living a block > away from them. >
> "He worried that his children only ran into poor people when they > were delivering their Internet shopping," he said, adding that > societies must find a solution to be more inclusive. >
> Prof Koh called for Singapore to set a poverty line and raise the > wages of workers, noting that there is often a vast pay gap between > a company's top executives and its rank and file employees. >
> Responding to a question on whether there is an alternative to > capitalism, he said the right question to ask is what kind of > capitalism Singapore wants. >
> Moral capitalism is where companies consider themselves accountable > to not only shareholders but to the wider society, where they care > for the environment and take good care of employees, and champion > gender equality and diversity, he said. >
> He added that he had many ideas for Singaporeans, which he will > write about in his next few columns for ST. >
> "I love Singapore. I would die for Singapore. But are we a perfect > people? We are not," said Prof Koh, who turns 82 next month. >
> "But I believe that we can always be better and in the remaining > years of my life, I want to dedicate my time, energy to making > Singapore an even better place, and Singaporeans an even better > people," he added. I kinda understood what he was saying... The thing is... Singaporeans somehow feel that they are struggling. Still trying to make ends meet. It's always about progress, more, success, more money, being busy... Singaporeans have some of the highest incomes in the world. Even more than many European countries. https://www.worlddata.info/average-income.php Look at this... SG has a higher income compared to France, Germany, Canada, Japan, etc.
But somehow, the feeling I get is that... Singaporeans are somehow still struggling.
Not enough time, not enough money. I have no idea why. No time for anything else. No time to think about other things. The point is... we aren't struggling. But somehow we feel like we are... Ever wonder why? Well... when Tommy Koh said this...
> I am more critical of Singaporeans than of the Government. I absolutely don't agree with this... Cos... for me, what I see is... THIS IS THE TONE FROM THE TOP. If the Government makes people constantly feel poor, makes them think that there is not enough, makes people feel insecure. Then it is all too natural that the citizens will end up believing that they are struggling. When Government officials normalize being rich, ie, makes it seem that being rich is normal... Then wouldn't normal people feel that they are not normal? Since normal people aren't rich? When a famous person once said that S$600,000 annual salary is peanuts... it's really telling of the mentality of the elite. The tone from the top, ie the Government, is always about money. That's their solution for everything. When another famous person suggested that for new residents to Singapore, they may pay a tax in lieu of serving national service... it's telling of what they view national service vs money. When the economy grows... prices increase... inflation... well, the money collected via GST naturally increases. It's a percentage... that's how percentages work. When people have higher salaries. Income taxes naturally increases... Similarly... it's a percentage. That's how percentages work. So why is there regular talk about increasing GST? Why does the Government require new sources of income when the taxes rise naturally when the economy grows? Maybe I'm missing something... (Side note: For annual price increases for public transport, buses, MRTs, I fully understand. Staff wants their increment, materials are more expensive due to inflation, etc... so the cost of running the transport systems will naturally increase. So LTA will need to approve the increase in transport fares.) For taxes... Personally, I don't get it. Cos it's a percentage of spending or income.
So anyway... when the Government also gives the impression that money no enough... I think it's pretty natural for the citizens to get that same feeling.
So... I don't blame the citizens for being so called "Third World Citizens" as alluded by Tommy Koh. I blame the Government. If the Government runs campaigns about reduce wastage, or environmental programs, people will learn more about such issues and have a higher chance of making some action towards it. If the Government stops talking about money as the "be all end all" solution to everything, then maybe citizens will stop thinking about money so much and stop thinking that they are struggling. If the Government has a more comprehensive social security network, and run campaigns, maybe citizens will be more interested to help the less fortunate.
It's like a parent who keeps telling their child... they aren't good enough. And the child believes that they themselves aren't good enough cos the parent keeps repeating it. But maybe... the child is already very good at whatever already... True or false, I don't know... But personally, this is the impression that I'm getting.
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WHAT DO I MEAN WHEN I SAY "OBTAIN" FOOD 23/10/2019
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Ok, so I've been using this word "Obtain" food and it's kind of double speak...
Cos it makes things sound nice... There are a few ways which I can obtain food. 1. I go to a discard pile in the fresh food market which opens 3 times a week.
They just leave their cartons of stuff they don't want on the floor for the cleaner to pick up when he arrives. The food which I take home look like this.
They are in pretty good condition most of the time. Alternatively, I find these in the bin... In a similar condition. Cos instead of putting the cartons on the floor, the vendor may put the carton in the bin. So I take the carton out of the bin and help myself.
Of course there are things in good and bad conditions, and obviously I take the ones suitable for consumption. Since some of the vendors know me, they sometimes pass me stuff directly if they see me walking by. So for example, there was one time, I walk past when one vendor was about to dispose a plastic bag of bananas. So instead of putting it in the bin, he just passed me the whole bag of bananas.
2. Similarly for the supermarket, I go to the bin behind the supermarket. Open it and help myself. The staff recognizes me, and the other folks who go and help themselves, cos I'm not the only one. It's a false perspective that all bins are dirty. Supermarkets have pretty clean bins. They mainly throw away wrapped up products, or they throw away cartons or plastic wrapping when they unwrap cartons to put individual products on display. It's not like some hawker center where people throw food scraps inside.
Here is a sample of what I find. Of course there are things in good and bad conditions, and obviously I take the ones suitable for consumption, and also, I'm fussy, there are things I don't like to eat so I don't take those as well, even though they may be in good condition. Like goat cheese... And well... one thing to note, this is more achievable in France cos the weather is cooler. So the meat doesn't spoil as quickly. It's not always perfect. I have found a bad chicken before. It smelt bad so I didn't eat it. It the same as other things that smell bad in your fridge. If it smells bad, just don't eat it. For things that don't smell bad, I make sure to cook it properly before consumption.
Also, sometimes the staff will just pass me the stuff that he's planning to discard. For example... 20 unsold baguettes from yesterday. True story. When we are young, do we know how to cross the road safely? NO! If our parents didn't teach us, we would probably be dead. Run over by a car, if not for our parents. The thing is... no one taught us how to obtain discarded excess food.
How many of us learn food safety from our parents? How many of us learn food preparation from our parents? How many know how to can, salt, dry, preserve food? How many of us have learnt that curry cannot keep in room temperature cos the curry will spoil? I have kept curry at room temperature overnight without any issue. Simply cos... I have the knowledge and experience to do it. Our perception of danger and risks is influenced by our own knowledge and experience.
No one would take a parachute and jump off the plane without any knowledge or training right? Same as for diving in the sea. The thing is... most of the time, people perceive something to be more dangerous than it really is due to the lack of knowledge and experience. AND... that's true. It IS dangerous to do many things without knowledge and experience. It is potentially risky to eat food from the bin if you don't know what you're doing. Same as it's dangerous to drive without any training.
And some people will learn how to do it, by reading, taking courses, asking people who have done it, etc... And some people will have no interest... cos... they just don't want to or don't feel the need to. Which is fine.
Which is highly related to my article yesterday .
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I DON'T NEED TO, I CAN AFFORD IT? 22/10/2019
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This thought struck a cord with me when I first mentioned it here .
When I first mentioned it, I was contemplating if I would still get free stuff IF I ever won the lottery. For me, I think... I can get free stuff. Since I don't need to pay for it, why should I? So, I probably will continue to get free stuff even if I have a lot of money. I don't NEED to pay for it, so I won't. It has nothing to do with whether I can afford it or not. Someone else in the same position but with a different mentality might think the other way around. I don't NEED to get free stuff anymore. I can afford to buy stuff. The difference here is "WHY". WHY am I getting free stuff? For me, I am getting free stuff cos I enjoy it. It's fun. I like to save money. If I can get something for free, why should I pay for it? I can afford it but I don't want to pay for it. Someone else might be thinking differently. For that person, which is quite a lot of people. They get free stuff, and when I say free stuff, I mean discarded stuff, second hand stuff from others, etc...
I'm not talking only about food. This could be anything. I got myself 2 pairs of jeans (Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein) and a hooded jacket (Adidas) in Paris.
They get free stuff, cos maybe they can't afford it. And they may take these stuff grudgingly. They don't really want to be getting the scraps of others but they HAVE to cos of circumstances. And maybe if or after they get out of their situation, they may think. That's great! Now that I can afford it, I don't NEED to get second hand free stuff from others again. I suppose there's a lot of pride involved in this. People want to be normal. Since normal people use money to buy stuff, most people want to be normal too. And taking leftovers from others isn't considered normal. And it makes people feel different. And many people think that folks who take free stuff or second hand stuff are poor and do so cos they can't afford it. And here lies the difference... Needs and Wants... I don't NEED to spend money. I WANT to save money. So I am willing to accept free stuff even though they aren't always the best stuff. VERSUS...
I NEED to get free stuff BUT I WANT to be normal. So if I can afford it, I will pay for stuff. And... we've been taught this since we were young. Almost all of us. Even I was taught this. We pay money for stuff. Study hard... look at the guy looking through scraps. You want to study hard cos you don't want to end up doing that. We are taught that that kind of action is only done by poor people who can't afford it. And yet... even after I studied and went through the whole schooling system, I now find that THAT is the most reasonable thing to do. At least for my own purposes. The thing is... maybe long time ago... the scraps that people picked up are really scraps. Cos long time ago, people aren't so wasteful. In our parents generation, most people didn't have a lot of money and they don't throw away stuff that are in good enough condition. HOWEVER, these days, people are very affluent. People throw away a lot of good items and in really good condition. It's a very very different situation.
Anyway, moving on... Let's take this mentality to other topics. How about...
I am healthy. I don't NEED to go for medical check up. VS
I NEED to go for medical check up to confirm that I am healthy and to remain healthy
I NEED to buy branded goods to fit in with my friends and colleagues. VS
I already fit in with my friends and colleagues, I don't NEED to buy branded goods.
I cannot retire because I have so much commitments. (Actually its lifestyle choices)
VS
I can retire because I don't need much to be happy. The thing is... there is a lot of things... cause and effect, one thing vs another thing... Just difference is mentality can lead to a lot of difference in outcome. The same action done by different people can have so many different feelings and positive or negative experiences. <// NEXT
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IT'S WEIRD WHAT SOCIETY DEEMS ACCEPTABLE 21/10/2019
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Have you ever watched a show where the main character kills someone? Like shoots someone? Or any show where antagonist murders someone? Yes? Very likely right? There's usually not much censorship when it comes to killing someone. You can see people with gunshot wounds and blood and stuff...
Now... have you ever watched a show with explicit sex scenes on mainstream tv?
How about just some exposed breasts or a penis? No?
Why?
Why is sex or some body parts... which is a normal occurrence in life... censored. But violence and murder... well that's not censored? Which is a more reasonable action involved in daily life? Same for games... has anyone played any sexually related games? How about games which it's ok to rob, murder, steal? Why? Which is more reasonable? Does this make sense? The thing is... sex and some body parts are... taboo... Violence, murder, killing... isn't taboo. It's nothing really to do with reasonable or not. Legally, sex is acceptable, murder, theft, beating someone up... is not. But yet on media, it's the other way round. It's taboo... you just can't talk about it. Logically, things which are involved in normal life should be allowed, and actions which are deemed socially unacceptable should not be allowed...
OR at least both should not have similar levels of censorship. Now, I'm not here to change society. I just try to look at things differently and think about them a bit. For me, this doesn't make sense. Mortal Kombat is easily obtainable and is usually legal. Opinions anyone?
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MOVING MONEY AROUND THE WORLD 18/10/2019
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Ok, so due to the expected move to the US, we now have to plan how to move money around the various countries. The bulk of our assets is parked in SG. We have a few thousand EUR in Paris and we will start earning some USD and we'll need some starting USD initially when we move over. So we were looking for ways to move the funds around safely and cheaply.
CASH
The most simple way, is to carry cash. I withdraw all my EUR and bring it back to SG, or I could withdraw and close my French bank account and carry the EUR to the US. It's simple. There's a probability I get robbed, pick pocketed, or I may just drop the money. The exchange rates in SG are pretty good. But in France and US, they don't have money changers run by individuals giving competitive rates. Most money changes are run by companies so the rates aren't very good.
Pros
Simple
Fairly good rates in SG Cons
Possibility to drop/lose the money I will have to carry thousands of dollars in USD while I wait for my US bank account to be opened Double exchange rate, EUR to SGD before SGD to USD I have to buy at whatever rates is available when I'm in SG, or whatever rate is available when I'm in the US. ONLINE BANKS/FINANCIAL SERVICES There are 2 apps that stand out. Transferwise and Revolut. They give very competitive rates for their foreign exchange and transfer fees. They are both quite user friendly. I can just transfer EUR to the account, execute the FX to buy SGD, and transfer to my SG account. I can keep the EUR in the online accounts and change for USD and when I move to the US, I can transfer the USD to my US bank account. The idea and efficiency is awesome... EXCEPT... when I look at the reviews. I admit there are many positive reviews. But the negative reviews are concerning. There are stories that after transferring the money to the online accounts, the user gets their account locked, pending know-your-client requirements, and even after they upload their passport or other forms of identification, their account is not unlocked and there is no one they are able to talk to, to resolve the issue. There are stories that the money has been sent from the online account but somehow doesn't reach the recipient and somehow, the company is unable to find out where the money has ended up.
Yes, I understand that these may just be a small percentage of users. But it is very concerning. I have no interest in getting a few thousand EUR locked up with no one I can talk to, to resolve the issue. The move between countries is already stressful enough and I would prefer if I have one less stress to think about. If I ever use it, I may use it for values less than $500. I doubt I will ever want to run the risk of locking up thousands of dollars with no easy way to retrieve it. The problem is, they are willing to accept money BEFORE they request for KYC documents. So they have a good chance to lock up the funds while the KYC is being cleared. There is NO WAY to retrieve the money until the KYC is cleared. Ok, I'm sure there are many people who have successfully transferred money using these apps. It's a personal thing. Some people are more comfortable or willing to trust these apps/companies. Personally, I'm not comfortable with it. Not when I'm moving a few thousand dollars. Pros
Very good exchange rate and very low transfer costs No need to carry cash Convenient, can keep it in the online account and move the funds whenever I want to
I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USD Cons
Potential issues due to transfer Potential issues due to KYC requirements Potential to lock up or lose the money USE A MULTI CURRENCY ACCOUNT IN AN SG BANK Most banks have multi currency options, DBS, UOB, OCBC, HSBC, Citibank...
I can just open a multi currency account, then transfer EUR to my SG bank.
Then in my SG bank, I can convert some money into USD and transfer to my US bank once I open my US bank account. It's pretty simple and I can do this online.
Problem is... the costs are expensive. They don't give good exchange rates, there are transfers cost, etc... BUT... it is safe. If there's any issue, I can always call the bank in SG and I have confidence that they will work with me to try to settle the issue.
Even if they have poor FX rates, I probably can still handle that depending on how much I transfer. I'm not expecting to transfer much. Just a few thousands, maybe $5-10k, so the expected losses due to bad FX rates could range between $150-$300... BUT I'm willing to accept this... For better sleep. As I've said before, the move is stressful itself as it is. Having a seamless transition is very important to me. Furthermore, I realized that DBS Multiplier account IS a multi currency account. So... I already have an account ready for me to transfer my EUR out of my French bank. Pros
Safe
Online. I can keep the funds and transfer it anytime I want. I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USD Cons
Expensive FX rates and transfer fees Potentially double exchange rates. I suspect banks will also FX EUR to SGD, then from SGD to USD Ok so there you have it. Based on some light research these are the ways I've looked into to move my funds from EUR to SGD and USD. I'll definitely want to withdraw all my EUR and close my French bank account. I don't know how much USD I'll need when I move over. So it will be best if I can keep it flexible which is why an online account would be better. I don't want to carry cash all around the place. This left me with the online transfer solutions or an actual bank. Since I didn't like the idea of having issues with my transfer, in the end I opted for the traditional route by just paying for the service. Anyone else got any better idea? <// NEXT
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LEAVING PARIS
17/10/2019
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Ok, so I said something about this last post. Well I've been here for 4 mths and a few days. Couple of weeks back, my wife has some changes in her company and well... we have to leave Paris... to Houston. Yes, Houston... Texas... USA... So in a couple of months, by latest Feb 2020, we should be in Houston. I've a bit of mixed feelings about this. Paris has been good to me. Free food, convenient. Food is available downstairs almost everyday just 100m away from where I stay. Most living expenses are covered by her company so we don't really need to spend much.
Language has been a small barrier. There's no real issue except when we need to handle stuff like applying for our mobile lines and stuff like that. But after that's been set up, we don't really need to converse in French much. So I'd say staying in Paris has been comfortable. Of course I'd rather go home to SG. Cos of my other comforts at home, like my own place, friends and family, cheap food, free food, etc. It's not that Paris is bad, but I like SG. And it's not that SG is perfect, I'm just more familiar with it.
Moving to the US... well, at least everything is in English so that's a plus point.
I will need to get a vehicle, cos everything is so far apart and transportation is not like a city. Houston doesn't have a really efficient public transportation system. We should get a car allowance so... the cost should be defrayed a bit. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get free food, so I'll just have to go there to see.
What I think about this move to Houston is pretty much... I'm thinking that it's probably/hopefully my last move. Something like primary school, then secondary school, then uni... So I'm thinking when I leave Paris, one of the phases is over and we'll be moving on to the next phase and probably I'll go home sooner. Now, I don't think Houston will be bad. It will probably be similar to Paris. It should be comfortable. We are a simple couple. We don't need much. As long as we have a place to stay, food to eat, clothes to wear, insurance, transport, we are pretty ok. So once my operations has been set up, within the first month or so, things should settle down. I hope... And once again for folks who think "Wow so lucky"... I'll repeat again, this isn't a holiday, my wife doesn't have so much leave to take vacations all the time and we don't spend so much so it's not like we are out to splurge during our stay in Paris or Houston. Simply put, our stay in Paris hasn't been a 4 month holiday. It's living in Paris for 4 mths. We lived like how we lived in SG. A normal daily routine with some outings/travel. And we will do this in US as well. Mostly her work and a daily routine, and probably some trips around US during our time there. So yea... next few months, after all the stuff has been confirmed, we'll need to shut down our current place, pack all our stuff again, cancel all our subscription plans, probably move to a hotel for a week after we handover the apartment. And we haven't even had the opportunity to travel much around Europe yet. Maybe we can squeeze in one last trip but my wife has limited leave opportunities due to her work responsibilities. Anyway, that's my story for today. Let's see how things work out as her posting becomes clearer and we get more details about the move. <// NEXT
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<This is the link to my first post... how it all started...
Mindset changes
throughout the years How I make use of my wife AUTHOR
Male, born in 1982.
INTP
Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques of the industry. Inspired by MMM and ERE .
Decided to embark on a mission to retire early in Singapore, a place where such an idea is considered impossible. As I believe that life has a lot more to offer instead of just a working career. I've decided to start a blog to note down my journey to achieve this mission and help others along the way who are willing to listen and try doing things differently from everyone else. I have decided to remain anonymous until I finally am able to actually retire, reason being that this idea might not gel well with the company which I am working for currently and also to avoid real life flaming from people who say that such ideas are impossible and that an individual is lazy for choosing early retirement instead of contributing to society in the form of labour. More about me
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DO WE LIVE FOR TOO LONG?28/10/2019
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Yes? No?
Then why do we do so much boliao things? Let's say our average lifespan is 85 years... It seems like it's a very long time right? I mean, imagine if we had only 1 day to live? Or imagine if we had 1 month to live? Or 1 year? How would we live our lives?85 LONG YEARS!
We have so much time that we think it's ok to squander our lives. The less we have, the less we squander. The more we have the more likely we will take it for granted that we have a lot of time... Until we really don't have a lot of time, then suddenly humans will "wake up" and feel that life is too short. If we think that 85 years is SHORT... Then once again... why are wewasting our lives?
So what do I mean by wasting our lives? Well it depends on person to person. The first thing is simply, what do you/I want to do with our lives? Maybe it's to be happy, maybe it's to have fun. Why do people want to be rich? So they can buy things and hopefully, they will be happy or it will be fun. Then the question next becomes, do I need to be rich to be happy or tohave fun?
Do you know for a fact that being rich will give you happiness or will enable you to have fun? How rich do you need to be? Or maybe someone may really want to live their lives for their God. I'm not religious, but maybe someone else is. Then... why not just do it? Why do they work in their day job and devote their lives to God only on weekends or their free time? If their meaning in life is for their God, then even with less money, they will find purpose to serve their God. Or maybe someone really likes to do social work, and that gives thempurpose in life.
So just go and do it. Why continue a day job and do social work intheir free time?
Or maybe someone really likes to play games, watch movies and Youtubevideos like me?
Then... save, invest and spend less. What I'm getting at is, well... Why are many of us wasting our time? If we think 85 years is short, then we shouldn't waste it. If we think 85 years is long, then by all means go ahead and wasteit.
I think the underlying question we need to ask ourselves is...Why are we living?
Each of us will have our own answer. So for me, I want to be happy and enjoy my life. Maybe someone might think that's selfish. Maybe for them, they want tobetter society.
Or maybe someone's reason for living is their religion. Or maybe their children. Or maybe someone wants to be rich and live in luxury.Etc...
To each their own.
If so, then go and do it. You don't really need a lot of money to work on your reason for living. If you think that you're someone who doesn't need a lot of luxury for your life, then maybe you should be spending more time understanding "why you are living?" instead of just working aimlessly. I'd be really surprised if someone told me that their reason to liveis their work.
I would be quite surprised and maybe I would feel quite sad for thatperson.
To me, I would think that work could be a means to an end, for money. OR, it could be entertainment, like a hobby to pass sometime. ie, it's like for many people they work and in their free time, they do their hobbies or "reason for living". But I think it should be the other way around. People should be doing their "reason for living" and their work should be their hobby. The thing is, for most of us (not all), work is a means to an end. The problem is, most of us don't know what that end is. For many parents, I think their purpose for living is their kids. And their sole reason to work is also for their kids. That doesn't always mean money and working. You do not need a lot of money to raise a kid. BUT, a lot of parents think they HAVE TO, or feel pressured to "give their kids the best". It's the same as that LV bag, or Gucci... Someone owns it, someone else feels pressured that they need to do the same or they feelinferior.
Same as for kids. Some people cannot do certain things for their kids. Life's like that. There's no need to feel any pressure to do it. But oh well... I digress. The whole point about this post is well... 85 years isn't too long or too short. It depends on what you want to do with it. If you wanna play and enjoy, then find a way to do it, do whatever you want to dowith it.
But also to remember that work is a means to that end. It shouldn't be THE end. Well... I don't think work should be the end. Don't forget why you're alive. Different people will have different answers to this, and depending on your answer, to spend the 85 yearswisely.
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SAVE 50% OF YOUR INCOME TO RETIRE AT 65? 25/10/2019
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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/23/millennials-need-to-save-an-huge-percent-of-paycheck-to-retire-at-65.html Ok... so this is an article for US... but my reaction to this is....
WAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
and...
WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... Seriously...
The big flaw to the article is this... > If you want to live off even half of your final salary in > retirement, you need to save 40% of your income over the next 30 > years, she says. Regardless of Singapore or US, the thing about savings and retirement is very simply lifestyle choices. But maybe... these experts are just fear mongering... Similar to this post here. If the so called "expert" doesn't make some exaggerated claims, they won't get any air-time right? If they don't make people afraid, then they can't sell stuff right? If they make the target so unachievable, then people may get more concerned and contact them so that they can get more sales and more publicity right?
Saving a lot is good. I saved more than 50% of my income when I was working.
The thing about it is... financial planners/advisers aren't retired. They don't realize that after retirement, there are a lot of expenses that will go away. Of course if the retiree ends up going on multiple holidays a year then... there's nothing to talk about. I've never really known of any financial adviser who's talked and researched about retirement from the old folks, or other already retired people... most of the time these "salesmen" just sell financial plans as what they've been taught by their company. Maybe retirement isn't as hard as what people think it is... <// NEXT
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FIRST WORLD COUNTRY WITH THIRD WORLD CITIZENS 24/10/2019
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Ok. This article came out some time back. I'll comment about it below. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/tommy-koh-laments-that-singapore-is-a-first-world-country-with-third-world-citizens > SINGAPORE - Veteran diplomat Tommy Koh laments that Singapore is a > First World country with Third World people. Many Singaporeans lack > the civic-mindedness that citizens of an advanced country should > have, he said on Tuesday (Oct 1). >
> "I am more critical of Singaporeans than of the Government. Many of > our people don't give a damn for the environment when they should. > Many of our people are selfish and unkind. Just look at the way they > drive," Prof Koh said, drawing laughter from his audience. >
> He was speaking at the Singapore Bicentennial Conference, organised > by the Institute of Policy Studies. It was held at Raffles City > Convention Centre and ended on Tuesday. >
> During the dialogue, which was moderated by Straits Times editor and > editor-in-chief of Singapore Press Holdings English/Malay/Tamil > Media Group Warren Fernandez, Prof Koh and Bloomberg News > editor-in-chief John Micklethwait both highlighted areas in which > Singapore society can improve. >
> Mr Micklethwait pointed out that meritocracy has created its own > problems, both in Singapore and other cosmopolitan capital cities. > In such cities, the result is "a tribe of people who are working > insanely hard to keep pushing ahead", often pumping money and > resources into their children. >
> "That is a very good thing for your children, but it means society > gets a bit harder for others to catch up, and that is one of the > dilemmas of a modern country," he said. >
> He recounted how a friend had attended a dinner at which none of the > guests, including Singaporeans, could understand why people in the > United Kingdom had voted for Brexit. >
> "Nobody could understand why anybody had voted for Donald Trump. > Nobody could understand why the protesters in Hong Kong had anything > to protest about at all," he said. >
> The troubling conclusion that his friend came to was that the dinner > guests - even though they came from different parts of the world - > had far more in common with each other than others living a block > away from them. >
> "He worried that his children only ran into poor people when they > were delivering their Internet shopping," he said, adding that > societies must find a solution to be more inclusive. >
> Prof Koh called for Singapore to set a poverty line and raise the > wages of workers, noting that there is often a vast pay gap between > a company's top executives and its rank and file employees. >
> Responding to a question on whether there is an alternative to > capitalism, he said the right question to ask is what kind of > capitalism Singapore wants. >
> Moral capitalism is where companies consider themselves accountable > to not only shareholders but to the wider society, where they care > for the environment and take good care of employees, and champion > gender equality and diversity, he said. >
> He added that he had many ideas for Singaporeans, which he will > write about in his next few columns for ST. >
> "I love Singapore. I would die for Singapore. But are we a perfect > people? We are not," said Prof Koh, who turns 82 next month. >
> "But I believe that we can always be better and in the remaining > years of my life, I want to dedicate my time, energy to making > Singapore an even better place, and Singaporeans an even better > people," he added. I kinda understood what he was saying... The thing is... Singaporeans somehow feel that they are struggling. Still trying to make ends meet. It's always about progress, more, success, more money, being busy... Singaporeans have some of the highest incomes in the world. Even more than many European countries. https://www.worlddata.info/average-income.php Look at this... SG has a higher income compared to France, Germany, Canada, Japan, etc.
But somehow, the feeling I get is that... Singaporeans are somehow still struggling.
Not enough time, not enough money. I have no idea why. No time for anything else. No time to think about other things. The point is... we aren't struggling. But somehow we feel like we are... Ever wonder why? Well... when Tommy Koh said this...
> I am more critical of Singaporeans than of the Government. I absolutely don't agree with this... Cos... for me, what I see is... THIS IS THE TONE FROM THE TOP. If the Government makes people constantly feel poor, makes them think that there is not enough, makes people feel insecure. Then it is all too natural that the citizens will end up believing that they are struggling. When Government officials normalize being rich, ie, makes it seem that being rich is normal... Then wouldn't normal people feel that they are not normal? Since normal people aren't rich? When a famous person once said that S$600,000 annual salary is peanuts... it's really telling of the mentality of the elite. The tone from the top, ie the Government, is always about money. That's their solution for everything. When another famous person suggested that for new residents to Singapore, they may pay a tax in lieu of serving national service... it's telling of what they view national service vs money. When the economy grows... prices increase... inflation... well, the money collected via GST naturally increases. It's a percentage... that's how percentages work. When people have higher salaries. Income taxes naturally increases... Similarly... it's a percentage. That's how percentages work. So why is there regular talk about increasing GST? Why does the Government require new sources of income when the taxes rise naturally when the economy grows? Maybe I'm missing something... (Side note: For annual price increases for public transport, buses, MRTs, I fully understand. Staff wants their increment, materials are more expensive due to inflation, etc... so the cost of running the transport systems will naturally increase. So LTA will need to approve the increase in transport fares.) For taxes... Personally, I don't get it. Cos it's a percentage of spending or income.
So anyway... when the Government also gives the impression that money no enough... I think it's pretty natural for the citizens to get that same feeling.
So... I don't blame the citizens for being so called "Third World Citizens" as alluded by Tommy Koh. I blame the Government. If the Government runs campaigns about reduce wastage, or environmental programs, people will learn more about such issues and have a higher chance of making some action towards it. If the Government stops talking about money as the "be all end all" solution to everything, then maybe citizens will stop thinking about money so much and stop thinking that they are struggling. If the Government has a more comprehensive social security network, and run campaigns, maybe citizens will be more interested to help the less fortunate.
It's like a parent who keeps telling their child... they aren't good enough. And the child believes that they themselves aren't good enough cos the parent keeps repeating it. But maybe... the child is already very good at whatever already... True or false, I don't know... But personally, this is the impression that I'm getting.
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WHAT DO I MEAN WHEN I SAY "OBTAIN" FOOD 23/10/2019
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Ok, so I've been using this word "Obtain" food and it's kind of double speak...
Cos it makes things sound nice... There are a few ways which I can obtain food. 1. I go to a discard pile in the fresh food market which opens 3 times a week.
They just leave their cartons of stuff they don't want on the floor for the cleaner to pick up when he arrives. The food which I take home look like this.
They are in pretty good condition most of the time. Alternatively, I find these in the bin... In a similar condition. Cos instead of putting the cartons on the floor, the vendor may put the carton in the bin. So I take the carton out of the bin and help myself.
Of course there are things in good and bad conditions, and obviously I take the ones suitable for consumption. Since some of the vendors know me, they sometimes pass me stuff directly if they see me walking by. So for example, there was one time, I walk past when one vendor was about to dispose a plastic bag of bananas. So instead of putting it in the bin, he just passed me the whole bag of bananas.
2. Similarly for the supermarket, I go to the bin behind the supermarket. Open it and help myself. The staff recognizes me, and the other folks who go and help themselves, cos I'm not the only one. It's a false perspective that all bins are dirty. Supermarkets have pretty clean bins. They mainly throw away wrapped up products, or they throw away cartons or plastic wrapping when they unwrap cartons to put individual products on display. It's not like some hawker center where people throw food scraps inside.
Here is a sample of what I find. Of course there are things in good and bad conditions, and obviously I take the ones suitable for consumption, and also, I'm fussy, there are things I don't like to eat so I don't take those as well, even though they may be in good condition. Like goat cheese... And well... one thing to note, this is more achievable in France cos the weather is cooler. So the meat doesn't spoil as quickly. It's not always perfect. I have found a bad chicken before. It smelt bad so I didn't eat it. It the same as other things that smell bad in your fridge. If it smells bad, just don't eat it. For things that don't smell bad, I make sure to cook it properly before consumption.
Also, sometimes the staff will just pass me the stuff that he's planning to discard. For example... 20 unsold baguettes from yesterday. True story. When we are young, do we know how to cross the road safely? NO! If our parents didn't teach us, we would probably be dead. Run over by a car, if not for our parents. The thing is... no one taught us how to obtain discarded excess food.
How many of us learn food safety from our parents? How many of us learn food preparation from our parents? How many know how to can, salt, dry, preserve food? How many of us have learnt that curry cannot keep in room temperature cos the curry will spoil? I have kept curry at room temperature overnight without any issue. Simply cos... I have the knowledge and experience to do it. Our perception of danger and risks is influenced by our own knowledge and experience.
No one would take a parachute and jump off the plane without any knowledge or training right? Same as for diving in the sea. The thing is... most of the time, people perceive something to be more dangerous than it really is due to the lack of knowledge and experience. AND... that's true. It IS dangerous to do many things without knowledge and experience. It is potentially risky to eat food from the bin if you don't know what you're doing. Same as it's dangerous to drive without any training.
And some people will learn how to do it, by reading, taking courses, asking people who have done it, etc... And some people will have no interest... cos... they just don't want to or don't feel the need to. Which is fine.
Which is highly related to my article yesterday .
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I DON'T NEED TO, I CAN AFFORD IT? 22/10/2019
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This thought struck a cord with me when I first mentioned it here .
When I first mentioned it, I was contemplating if I would still get free stuff IF I ever won the lottery. For me, I think... I can get free stuff. Since I don't need to pay for it, why should I? So, I probably will continue to get free stuff even if I have a lot of money. I don't NEED to pay for it, so I won't. It has nothing to do with whether I can afford it or not. Someone else in the same position but with a different mentality might think the other way around. I don't NEED to get free stuff anymore. I can afford to buy stuff. The difference here is "WHY". WHY am I getting free stuff? For me, I am getting free stuff cos I enjoy it. It's fun. I like to save money. If I can get something for free, why should I pay for it? I can afford it but I don't want to pay for it. Someone else might be thinking differently. For that person, which is quite a lot of people. They get free stuff, and when I say free stuff, I mean discarded stuff, second hand stuff from others, etc...
I'm not talking only about food. This could be anything. I got myself 2 pairs of jeans (Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein) and a hooded jacket (Adidas) in Paris.
They get free stuff, cos maybe they can't afford it. And they may take these stuff grudgingly. They don't really want to be getting the scraps of others but they HAVE to cos of circumstances. And maybe if or after they get out of their situation, they may think. That's great! Now that I can afford it, I don't NEED to get second hand free stuff from others again. I suppose there's a lot of pride involved in this. People want to be normal. Since normal people use money to buy stuff, most people want to be normal too. And taking leftovers from others isn't considered normal. And it makes people feel different. And many people think that folks who take free stuff or second hand stuff are poor and do so cos they can't afford it. And here lies the difference... Needs and Wants... I don't NEED to spend money. I WANT to save money. So I am willing to accept free stuff even though they aren't always the best stuff. VERSUS...
I NEED to get free stuff BUT I WANT to be normal. So if I can afford it, I will pay for stuff. And... we've been taught this since we were young. Almost all of us. Even I was taught this. We pay money for stuff. Study hard... look at the guy looking through scraps. You want to study hard cos you don't want to end up doing that. We are taught that that kind of action is only done by poor people who can't afford it. And yet... even after I studied and went through the whole schooling system, I now find that THAT is the most reasonable thing to do. At least for my own purposes. The thing is... maybe long time ago... the scraps that people picked up are really scraps. Cos long time ago, people aren't so wasteful. In our parents generation, most people didn't have a lot of money and they don't throw away stuff that are in good enough condition. HOWEVER, these days, people are very affluent. People throw away a lot of good items and in really good condition. It's a very very different situation.
Anyway, moving on... Let's take this mentality to other topics. How about...
I am healthy. I don't NEED to go for medical check up. VS
I NEED to go for medical check up to confirm that I am healthy and to remain healthy
I NEED to buy branded goods to fit in with my friends and colleagues. VS
I already fit in with my friends and colleagues, I don't NEED to buy branded goods.
I cannot retire because I have so much commitments. (Actually its lifestyle choices)
VS
I can retire because I don't need much to be happy. The thing is... there is a lot of things... cause and effect, one thing vs another thing... Just difference is mentality can lead to a lot of difference in outcome. The same action done by different people can have so many different feelings and positive or negative experiences. <// NEXT
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IT'S WEIRD WHAT SOCIETY DEEMS ACCEPTABLE 21/10/2019
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Have you ever watched a show where the main character kills someone? Like shoots someone? Or any show where antagonist murders someone? Yes? Very likely right? There's usually not much censorship when it comes to killing someone. You can see people with gunshot wounds and blood and stuff...
Now... have you ever watched a show with explicit sex scenes on mainstream tv?
How about just some exposed breasts or a penis? No?
Why?
Why is sex or some body parts... which is a normal occurrence in life... censored. But violence and murder... well that's not censored? Which is a more reasonable action involved in daily life? Same for games... has anyone played any sexually related games? How about games which it's ok to rob, murder, steal? Why? Which is more reasonable? Does this make sense? The thing is... sex and some body parts are... taboo... Violence, murder, killing... isn't taboo. It's nothing really to do with reasonable or not. Legally, sex is acceptable, murder, theft, beating someone up... is not. But yet on media, it's the other way round. It's taboo... you just can't talk about it. Logically, things which are involved in normal life should be allowed, and actions which are deemed socially unacceptable should not be allowed...
OR at least both should not have similar levels of censorship. Now, I'm not here to change society. I just try to look at things differently and think about them a bit. For me, this doesn't make sense. Mortal Kombat is easily obtainable and is usually legal. Opinions anyone?
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MOVING MONEY AROUND THE WORLD 18/10/2019
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Ok, so due to the expected move to the US, we now have to plan how to move money around the various countries. The bulk of our assets is parked in SG. We have a few thousand EUR in Paris and we will start earning some USD and we'll need some starting USD initially when we move over. So we were looking for ways to move the funds around safely and cheaply.
CASH
The most simple way, is to carry cash. I withdraw all my EUR and bring it back to SG, or I could withdraw and close my French bank account and carry the EUR to the US. It's simple. There's a probability I get robbed, pick pocketed, or I may just drop the money. The exchange rates in SG are pretty good. But in France and US, they don't have money changers run by individuals giving competitive rates. Most money changes are run by companies so the rates aren't very good.
Pros
Simple
Fairly good rates in SG Cons
Possibility to drop/lose the money I will have to carry thousands of dollars in USD while I wait for my US bank account to be opened Double exchange rate, EUR to SGD before SGD to USD I have to buy at whatever rates is available when I'm in SG, or whatever rate is available when I'm in the US. ONLINE BANKS/FINANCIAL SERVICES There are 2 apps that stand out. Transferwise and Revolut. They give very competitive rates for their foreign exchange and transfer fees. They are both quite user friendly. I can just transfer EUR to the account, execute the FX to buy SGD, and transfer to my SG account. I can keep the EUR in the online accounts and change for USD and when I move to the US, I can transfer the USD to my US bank account. The idea and efficiency is awesome... EXCEPT... when I look at the reviews. I admit there are many positive reviews. But the negative reviews are concerning. There are stories that after transferring the money to the online accounts, the user gets their account locked, pending know-your-client requirements, and even after they upload their passport or other forms of identification, their account is not unlocked and there is no one they are able to talk to, to resolve the issue. There are stories that the money has been sent from the online account but somehow doesn't reach the recipient and somehow, the company is unable to find out where the money has ended up.
Yes, I understand that these may just be a small percentage of users. But it is very concerning. I have no interest in getting a few thousand EUR locked up with no one I can talk to, to resolve the issue. The move between countries is already stressful enough and I would prefer if I have one less stress to think about. If I ever use it, I may use it for values less than $500. I doubt I will ever want to run the risk of locking up thousands of dollars with no easy way to retrieve it. The problem is, they are willing to accept money BEFORE they request for KYC documents. So they have a good chance to lock up the funds while the KYC is being cleared. There is NO WAY to retrieve the money until the KYC is cleared. Ok, I'm sure there are many people who have successfully transferred money using these apps. It's a personal thing. Some people are more comfortable or willing to trust these apps/companies. Personally, I'm not comfortable with it. Not when I'm moving a few thousand dollars. Pros
Very good exchange rate and very low transfer costs No need to carry cash Convenient, can keep it in the online account and move the funds whenever I want to
I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USD Cons
Potential issues due to transfer Potential issues due to KYC requirements Potential to lock up or lose the money USE A MULTI CURRENCY ACCOUNT IN AN SG BANK Most banks have multi currency options, DBS, UOB, OCBC, HSBC, Citibank...
I can just open a multi currency account, then transfer EUR to my SG bank.
Then in my SG bank, I can convert some money into USD and transfer to my US bank once I open my US bank account. It's pretty simple and I can do this online.
Problem is... the costs are expensive. They don't give good exchange rates, there are transfers cost, etc... BUT... it is safe. If there's any issue, I can always call the bank in SG and I have confidence that they will work with me to try to settle the issue.
Even if they have poor FX rates, I probably can still handle that depending on how much I transfer. I'm not expecting to transfer much. Just a few thousands, maybe $5-10k, so the expected losses due to bad FX rates could range between $150-$300... BUT I'm willing to accept this... For better sleep. As I've said before, the move is stressful itself as it is. Having a seamless transition is very important to me. Furthermore, I realized that DBS Multiplier account IS a multi currency account. So... I already have an account ready for me to transfer my EUR out of my French bank. Pros
Safe
Online. I can keep the funds and transfer it anytime I want. I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USD Cons
Expensive FX rates and transfer fees Potentially double exchange rates. I suspect banks will also FX EUR to SGD, then from SGD to USD Ok so there you have it. Based on some light research these are the ways I've looked into to move my funds from EUR to SGD and USD. I'll definitely want to withdraw all my EUR and close my French bank account. I don't know how much USD I'll need when I move over. So it will be best if I can keep it flexible which is why an online account would be better. I don't want to carry cash all around the place. This left me with the online transfer solutions or an actual bank. Since I didn't like the idea of having issues with my transfer, in the end I opted for the traditional route by just paying for the service. Anyone else got any better idea? <// NEXT
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LEAVING PARIS
17/10/2019
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Ok, so I said something about this last post. Well I've been here for 4 mths and a few days. Couple of weeks back, my wife has some changes in her company and well... we have to leave Paris... to Houston. Yes, Houston... Texas... USA... So in a couple of months, by latest Feb 2020, we should be in Houston. I've a bit of mixed feelings about this. Paris has been good to me. Free food, convenient. Food is available downstairs almost everyday just 100m away from where I stay. Most living expenses are covered by her company so we don't really need to spend much.
Language has been a small barrier. There's no real issue except when we need to handle stuff like applying for our mobile lines and stuff like that. But after that's been set up, we don't really need to converse in French much. So I'd say staying in Paris has been comfortable. Of course I'd rather go home to SG. Cos of my other comforts at home, like my own place, friends and family, cheap food, free food, etc. It's not that Paris is bad, but I like SG. And it's not that SG is perfect, I'm just more familiar with it.
Moving to the US... well, at least everything is in English so that's a plus point.
I will need to get a vehicle, cos everything is so far apart and transportation is not like a city. Houston doesn't have a really efficient public transportation system. We should get a car allowance so... the cost should be defrayed a bit. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get free food, so I'll just have to go there to see.
What I think about this move to Houston is pretty much... I'm thinking that it's probably/hopefully my last move. Something like primary school, then secondary school, then uni... So I'm thinking when I leave Paris, one of the phases is over and we'll be moving on to the next phase and probably I'll go home sooner. Now, I don't think Houston will be bad. It will probably be similar to Paris. It should be comfortable. We are a simple couple. We don't need much. As long as we have a place to stay, food to eat, clothes to wear, insurance, transport, we are pretty ok. So once my operations has been set up, within the first month or so, things should settle down. I hope... And once again for folks who think "Wow so lucky"... I'll repeat again, this isn't a holiday, my wife doesn't have so much leave to take vacations all the time and we don't spend so much so it's not like we are out to splurge during our stay in Paris or Houston. Simply put, our stay in Paris hasn't been a 4 month holiday. It's living in Paris for 4 mths. We lived like how we lived in SG. A normal daily routine with some outings/travel. And we will do this in US as well. Mostly her work and a daily routine, and probably some trips around US during our time there. So yea... next few months, after all the stuff has been confirmed, we'll need to shut down our current place, pack all our stuff again, cancel all our subscription plans, probably move to a hotel for a week after we handover the apartment. And we haven't even had the opportunity to travel much around Europe yet. Maybe we can squeeze in one last trip but my wife has limited leave opportunities due to her work responsibilities. Anyway, that's my story for today. Let's see how things work out as her posting becomes clearer and we get more details about the move. <// NEXT
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<This is the link to my first post... how it all started...
Mindset changes
throughout the years How I make use of my wife AUTHOR
Male, born in 1982.
INTP
Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques of the industry. Inspired by MMM and ERE .
Decided to embark on a mission to retire early in Singapore, a place where such an idea is considered impossible. As I believe that life has a lot more to offer instead of just a working career. I've decided to start a blog to note down my journey to achieve this mission and help others along the way who are willing to listen and try doing things differently from everyone else. I have decided to remain anonymous until I finally am able to actually retire, reason being that this idea might not gel well with the company which I am working for currently and also to avoid real life flaming from people who say that such ideas are impossible and that an individual is lazy for choosing early retirement instead of contributing to society in the form of labour. More about me
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SAVE 50% OF YOUR INCOME TO RETIRE AT 65?25/10/2019
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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/23/millennials-need-to-save-an-huge-percent-of-paycheck-to-retire-at-65.html Ok... so this is an article for US... but my reaction to thisis....
WAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
and...
WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....Seriously...
The big flaw to the article is this... > If you want to live off even half of your final salary in > retirement, you need to save 40% of your income over the next 30 > years, she says. Regardless of Singapore or US, the thing about savings and retirement is very simply lifestyle choices. But maybe... these experts are just fear mongering... Similar to this post here. If the so called "expert" doesn't make some exaggerated claims, they won't get any air-time right? If they don't make people afraid, then they can't sell stuff right? If they make the target so unachievable, then people may get more concerned and contact them so that they can get more sales and morepublicity right?
Saving a lot is good. I saved more than 50% of my income when I wasworking.
The thing about it is... financial planners/advisers aren't retired. They don't realize that after retirement, there are a lot of expenses that will go away. Of course if the retiree ends up going on multiple holidays a year then... there's nothing to talk about. I've never really known of any financial adviser who's talked and researched about retirement from the old folks, or other already retired people... most of the time these "salesmen" just sell financial plans as what they've been taught by their company. Maybe retirement isn't as hard as what people think it is...<// NEXT
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FIRST WORLD COUNTRY WITH THIRD WORLD CITIZENS 24/10/2019
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Ok. This article came out some time back. I'll comment about it below. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/tommy-koh-laments-that-singapore-is-a-first-world-country-with-third-world-citizens > SINGAPORE - Veteran diplomat Tommy Koh laments that Singapore is a > First World country with Third World people. Many Singaporeans lack > the civic-mindedness that citizens of an advanced country should > have, he said on Tuesday (Oct 1). >
> "I am more critical of Singaporeans than of the Government. Many of > our people don't give a damn for the environment when they should. > Many of our people are selfish and unkind. Just look at the way they > drive," Prof Koh said, drawing laughter from his audience. >
> He was speaking at the Singapore Bicentennial Conference, organised > by the Institute of Policy Studies. It was held at Raffles City > Convention Centre and ended on Tuesday. >
> During the dialogue, which was moderated by Straits Times editor and > editor-in-chief of Singapore Press Holdings English/Malay/Tamil > Media Group Warren Fernandez, Prof Koh and Bloomberg News > editor-in-chief John Micklethwait both highlighted areas in which > Singapore society can improve. >
> Mr Micklethwait pointed out that meritocracy has created its own > problems, both in Singapore and other cosmopolitan capital cities. > In such cities, the result is "a tribe of people who are working > insanely hard to keep pushing ahead", often pumping money and > resources into their children. >
> "That is a very good thing for your children, but it means society > gets a bit harder for others to catch up, and that is one of the > dilemmas of a modern country," he said. >
> He recounted how a friend had attended a dinner at which none of the > guests, including Singaporeans, could understand why people in the > United Kingdom had voted for Brexit. >
> "Nobody could understand why anybody had voted for Donald Trump. > Nobody could understand why the protesters in Hong Kong had anything > to protest about at all," he said. >
> The troubling conclusion that his friend came to was that the dinner > guests - even though they came from different parts of the world - > had far more in common with each other than others living a block > away from them. >
> "He worried that his children only ran into poor people when they > were delivering their Internet shopping," he said, adding that > societies must find a solution to be more inclusive. >
> Prof Koh called for Singapore to set a poverty line and raise the > wages of workers, noting that there is often a vast pay gap between > a company's top executives and its rank and file employees. >
> Responding to a question on whether there is an alternative to > capitalism, he said the right question to ask is what kind of > capitalism Singapore wants. >
> Moral capitalism is where companies consider themselves accountable > to not only shareholders but to the wider society, where they care > for the environment and take good care of employees, and champion > gender equality and diversity, he said. >
> He added that he had many ideas for Singaporeans, which he will > write about in his next few columns for ST. >
> "I love Singapore. I would die for Singapore. But are we a perfect > people? We are not," said Prof Koh, who turns 82 next month. >
> "But I believe that we can always be better and in the remaining > years of my life, I want to dedicate my time, energy to making > Singapore an even better place, and Singaporeans an even better > people," he added. I kinda understood what he was saying... The thing is... Singaporeans somehow feel that they are struggling. Still trying to make ends meet. It's always about progress, more, success, more money, being busy... Singaporeans have some of the highest incomes in the world. Even more than many European countries. https://www.worlddata.info/average-income.php Look at this... SG has a higher income compared to France, Germany, Canada, Japan, etc.
But somehow, the feeling I get is that... Singaporeans are somehow still struggling.
Not enough time, not enough money. I have no idea why. No time for anything else. No time to think about other things. The point is... we aren't struggling. But somehow we feel like we are... Ever wonder why? Well... when Tommy Koh said this...
> I am more critical of Singaporeans than of the Government. I absolutely don't agree with this... Cos... for me, what I see is... THIS IS THE TONE FROM THE TOP. If the Government makes people constantly feel poor, makes them think that there is not enough, makes people feel insecure. Then it is all too natural that the citizens will end up believing that they are struggling. When Government officials normalize being rich, ie, makes it seem that being rich is normal... Then wouldn't normal people feel that they are not normal? Since normal people aren't rich? When a famous person once said that S$600,000 annual salary is peanuts... it's really telling of the mentality of the elite. The tone from the top, ie the Government, is always about money. That's their solution for everything. When another famous person suggested that for new residents to Singapore, they may pay a tax in lieu of serving national service... it's telling of what they view national service vs money. When the economy grows... prices increase... inflation... well, the money collected via GST naturally increases. It's a percentage... that's how percentages work. When people have higher salaries. Income taxes naturally increases... Similarly... it's a percentage. That's how percentages work. So why is there regular talk about increasing GST? Why does the Government require new sources of income when the taxes rise naturally when the economy grows? Maybe I'm missing something... (Side note: For annual price increases for public transport, buses, MRTs, I fully understand. Staff wants their increment, materials are more expensive due to inflation, etc... so the cost of running the transport systems will naturally increase. So LTA will need to approve the increase in transport fares.) For taxes... Personally, I don't get it. Cos it's a percentage of spending or income.
So anyway... when the Government also gives the impression that money no enough... I think it's pretty natural for the citizens to get that same feeling.
So... I don't blame the citizens for being so called "Third World Citizens" as alluded by Tommy Koh. I blame the Government. If the Government runs campaigns about reduce wastage, or environmental programs, people will learn more about such issues and have a higher chance of making some action towards it. If the Government stops talking about money as the "be all end all" solution to everything, then maybe citizens will stop thinking about money so much and stop thinking that they are struggling. If the Government has a more comprehensive social security network, and run campaigns, maybe citizens will be more interested to help the less fortunate.
It's like a parent who keeps telling their child... they aren't good enough. And the child believes that they themselves aren't good enough cos the parent keeps repeating it. But maybe... the child is already very good at whatever already... True or false, I don't know... But personally, this is the impression that I'm getting.
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WHAT DO I MEAN WHEN I SAY "OBTAIN" FOOD 23/10/2019
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Ok, so I've been using this word "Obtain" food and it's kind of double speak...
Cos it makes things sound nice... There are a few ways which I can obtain food. 1. I go to a discard pile in the fresh food market which opens 3 times a week.
They just leave their cartons of stuff they don't want on the floor for the cleaner to pick up when he arrives. The food which I take home look like this.
They are in pretty good condition most of the time. Alternatively, I find these in the bin... In a similar condition. Cos instead of putting the cartons on the floor, the vendor may put the carton in the bin. So I take the carton out of the bin and help myself.
Of course there are things in good and bad conditions, and obviously I take the ones suitable for consumption. Since some of the vendors know me, they sometimes pass me stuff directly if they see me walking by. So for example, there was one time, I walk past when one vendor was about to dispose a plastic bag of bananas. So instead of putting it in the bin, he just passed me the whole bag of bananas.
2. Similarly for the supermarket, I go to the bin behind the supermarket. Open it and help myself. The staff recognizes me, and the other folks who go and help themselves, cos I'm not the only one. It's a false perspective that all bins are dirty. Supermarkets have pretty clean bins. They mainly throw away wrapped up products, or they throw away cartons or plastic wrapping when they unwrap cartons to put individual products on display. It's not like some hawker center where people throw food scraps inside.
Here is a sample of what I find. Of course there are things in good and bad conditions, and obviously I take the ones suitable for consumption, and also, I'm fussy, there are things I don't like to eat so I don't take those as well, even though they may be in good condition. Like goat cheese... And well... one thing to note, this is more achievable in France cos the weather is cooler. So the meat doesn't spoil as quickly. It's not always perfect. I have found a bad chicken before. It smelt bad so I didn't eat it. It the same as other things that smell bad in your fridge. If it smells bad, just don't eat it. For things that don't smell bad, I make sure to cook it properly before consumption.
Also, sometimes the staff will just pass me the stuff that he's planning to discard. For example... 20 unsold baguettes from yesterday. True story. When we are young, do we know how to cross the road safely? NO! If our parents didn't teach us, we would probably be dead. Run over by a car, if not for our parents. The thing is... no one taught us how to obtain discarded excess food.
How many of us learn food safety from our parents? How many of us learn food preparation from our parents? How many know how to can, salt, dry, preserve food? How many of us have learnt that curry cannot keep in room temperature cos the curry will spoil? I have kept curry at room temperature overnight without any issue. Simply cos... I have the knowledge and experience to do it. Our perception of danger and risks is influenced by our own knowledge and experience.
No one would take a parachute and jump off the plane without any knowledge or training right? Same as for diving in the sea. The thing is... most of the time, people perceive something to be more dangerous than it really is due to the lack of knowledge and experience. AND... that's true. It IS dangerous to do many things without knowledge and experience. It is potentially risky to eat food from the bin if you don't know what you're doing. Same as it's dangerous to drive without any training.
And some people will learn how to do it, by reading, taking courses, asking people who have done it, etc... And some people will have no interest... cos... they just don't want to or don't feel the need to. Which is fine.
Which is highly related to my article yesterday .
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I DON'T NEED TO, I CAN AFFORD IT? 22/10/2019
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This thought struck a cord with me when I first mentioned it here .
When I first mentioned it, I was contemplating if I would still get free stuff IF I ever won the lottery. For me, I think... I can get free stuff. Since I don't need to pay for it, why should I? So, I probably will continue to get free stuff even if I have a lot of money. I don't NEED to pay for it, so I won't. It has nothing to do with whether I can afford it or not. Someone else in the same position but with a different mentality might think the other way around. I don't NEED to get free stuff anymore. I can afford to buy stuff. The difference here is "WHY". WHY am I getting free stuff? For me, I am getting free stuff cos I enjoy it. It's fun. I like to save money. If I can get something for free, why should I pay for it? I can afford it but I don't want to pay for it. Someone else might be thinking differently. For that person, which is quite a lot of people. They get free stuff, and when I say free stuff, I mean discarded stuff, second hand stuff from others, etc...
I'm not talking only about food. This could be anything. I got myself 2 pairs of jeans (Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein) and a hooded jacket (Adidas) in Paris.
They get free stuff, cos maybe they can't afford it. And they may take these stuff grudgingly. They don't really want to be getting the scraps of others but they HAVE to cos of circumstances. And maybe if or after they get out of their situation, they may think. That's great! Now that I can afford it, I don't NEED to get second hand free stuff from others again. I suppose there's a lot of pride involved in this. People want to be normal. Since normal people use money to buy stuff, most people want to be normal too. And taking leftovers from others isn't considered normal. And it makes people feel different. And many people think that folks who take free stuff or second hand stuff are poor and do so cos they can't afford it. And here lies the difference... Needs and Wants... I don't NEED to spend money. I WANT to save money. So I am willing to accept free stuff even though they aren't always the best stuff. VERSUS...
I NEED to get free stuff BUT I WANT to be normal. So if I can afford it, I will pay for stuff. And... we've been taught this since we were young. Almost all of us. Even I was taught this. We pay money for stuff. Study hard... look at the guy looking through scraps. You want to study hard cos you don't want to end up doing that. We are taught that that kind of action is only done by poor people who can't afford it. And yet... even after I studied and went through the whole schooling system, I now find that THAT is the most reasonable thing to do. At least for my own purposes. The thing is... maybe long time ago... the scraps that people picked up are really scraps. Cos long time ago, people aren't so wasteful. In our parents generation, most people didn't have a lot of money and they don't throw away stuff that are in good enough condition. HOWEVER, these days, people are very affluent. People throw away a lot of good items and in really good condition. It's a very very different situation.
Anyway, moving on... Let's take this mentality to other topics. How about...
I am healthy. I don't NEED to go for medical check up. VS
I NEED to go for medical check up to confirm that I am healthy and to remain healthy
I NEED to buy branded goods to fit in with my friends and colleagues. VS
I already fit in with my friends and colleagues, I don't NEED to buy branded goods.
I cannot retire because I have so much commitments. (Actually its lifestyle choices)
VS
I can retire because I don't need much to be happy. The thing is... there is a lot of things... cause and effect, one thing vs another thing... Just difference is mentality can lead to a lot of difference in outcome. The same action done by different people can have so many different feelings and positive or negative experiences. <// NEXT
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IT'S WEIRD WHAT SOCIETY DEEMS ACCEPTABLE 21/10/2019
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Have you ever watched a show where the main character kills someone? Like shoots someone? Or any show where antagonist murders someone? Yes? Very likely right? There's usually not much censorship when it comes to killing someone. You can see people with gunshot wounds and blood and stuff...
Now... have you ever watched a show with explicit sex scenes on mainstream tv?
How about just some exposed breasts or a penis? No?
Why?
Why is sex or some body parts... which is a normal occurrence in life... censored. But violence and murder... well that's not censored? Which is a more reasonable action involved in daily life? Same for games... has anyone played any sexually related games? How about games which it's ok to rob, murder, steal? Why? Which is more reasonable? Does this make sense? The thing is... sex and some body parts are... taboo... Violence, murder, killing... isn't taboo. It's nothing really to do with reasonable or not. Legally, sex is acceptable, murder, theft, beating someone up... is not. But yet on media, it's the other way round. It's taboo... you just can't talk about it. Logically, things which are involved in normal life should be allowed, and actions which are deemed socially unacceptable should not be allowed...
OR at least both should not have similar levels of censorship. Now, I'm not here to change society. I just try to look at things differently and think about them a bit. For me, this doesn't make sense. Mortal Kombat is easily obtainable and is usually legal. Opinions anyone?
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MOVING MONEY AROUND THE WORLD 18/10/2019
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Ok, so due to the expected move to the US, we now have to plan how to move money around the various countries. The bulk of our assets is parked in SG. We have a few thousand EUR in Paris and we will start earning some USD and we'll need some starting USD initially when we move over. So we were looking for ways to move the funds around safely and cheaply.
CASH
The most simple way, is to carry cash. I withdraw all my EUR and bring it back to SG, or I could withdraw and close my French bank account and carry the EUR to the US. It's simple. There's a probability I get robbed, pick pocketed, or I may just drop the money. The exchange rates in SG are pretty good. But in France and US, they don't have money changers run by individuals giving competitive rates. Most money changes are run by companies so the rates aren't very good.
Pros
Simple
Fairly good rates in SG Cons
Possibility to drop/lose the money I will have to carry thousands of dollars in USD while I wait for my US bank account to be opened Double exchange rate, EUR to SGD before SGD to USD I have to buy at whatever rates is available when I'm in SG, or whatever rate is available when I'm in the US. ONLINE BANKS/FINANCIAL SERVICES There are 2 apps that stand out. Transferwise and Revolut. They give very competitive rates for their foreign exchange and transfer fees. They are both quite user friendly. I can just transfer EUR to the account, execute the FX to buy SGD, and transfer to my SG account. I can keep the EUR in the online accounts and change for USD and when I move to the US, I can transfer the USD to my US bank account. The idea and efficiency is awesome... EXCEPT... when I look at the reviews. I admit there are many positive reviews. But the negative reviews are concerning. There are stories that after transferring the money to the online accounts, the user gets their account locked, pending know-your-client requirements, and even after they upload their passport or other forms of identification, their account is not unlocked and there is no one they are able to talk to, to resolve the issue. There are stories that the money has been sent from the online account but somehow doesn't reach the recipient and somehow, the company is unable to find out where the money has ended up.
Yes, I understand that these may just be a small percentage of users. But it is very concerning. I have no interest in getting a few thousand EUR locked up with no one I can talk to, to resolve the issue. The move between countries is already stressful enough and I would prefer if I have one less stress to think about. If I ever use it, I may use it for values less than $500. I doubt I will ever want to run the risk of locking up thousands of dollars with no easy way to retrieve it. The problem is, they are willing to accept money BEFORE they request for KYC documents. So they have a good chance to lock up the funds while the KYC is being cleared. There is NO WAY to retrieve the money until the KYC is cleared. Ok, I'm sure there are many people who have successfully transferred money using these apps. It's a personal thing. Some people are more comfortable or willing to trust these apps/companies. Personally, I'm not comfortable with it. Not when I'm moving a few thousand dollars. Pros
Very good exchange rate and very low transfer costs No need to carry cash Convenient, can keep it in the online account and move the funds whenever I want to
I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USD Cons
Potential issues due to transfer Potential issues due to KYC requirements Potential to lock up or lose the money USE A MULTI CURRENCY ACCOUNT IN AN SG BANK Most banks have multi currency options, DBS, UOB, OCBC, HSBC, Citibank...
I can just open a multi currency account, then transfer EUR to my SG bank.
Then in my SG bank, I can convert some money into USD and transfer to my US bank once I open my US bank account. It's pretty simple and I can do this online.
Problem is... the costs are expensive. They don't give good exchange rates, there are transfers cost, etc... BUT... it is safe. If there's any issue, I can always call the bank in SG and I have confidence that they will work with me to try to settle the issue.
Even if they have poor FX rates, I probably can still handle that depending on how much I transfer. I'm not expecting to transfer much. Just a few thousands, maybe $5-10k, so the expected losses due to bad FX rates could range between $150-$300... BUT I'm willing to accept this... For better sleep. As I've said before, the move is stressful itself as it is. Having a seamless transition is very important to me. Furthermore, I realized that DBS Multiplier account IS a multi currency account. So... I already have an account ready for me to transfer my EUR out of my French bank. Pros
Safe
Online. I can keep the funds and transfer it anytime I want. I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USD Cons
Expensive FX rates and transfer fees Potentially double exchange rates. I suspect banks will also FX EUR to SGD, then from SGD to USD Ok so there you have it. Based on some light research these are the ways I've looked into to move my funds from EUR to SGD and USD. I'll definitely want to withdraw all my EUR and close my French bank account. I don't know how much USD I'll need when I move over. So it will be best if I can keep it flexible which is why an online account would be better. I don't want to carry cash all around the place. This left me with the online transfer solutions or an actual bank. Since I didn't like the idea of having issues with my transfer, in the end I opted for the traditional route by just paying for the service. Anyone else got any better idea? <// NEXT
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LEAVING PARIS
17/10/2019
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Ok, so I said something about this last post. Well I've been here for 4 mths and a few days. Couple of weeks back, my wife has some changes in her company and well... we have to leave Paris... to Houston. Yes, Houston... Texas... USA... So in a couple of months, by latest Feb 2020, we should be in Houston. I've a bit of mixed feelings about this. Paris has been good to me. Free food, convenient. Food is available downstairs almost everyday just 100m away from where I stay. Most living expenses are covered by her company so we don't really need to spend much.
Language has been a small barrier. There's no real issue except when we need to handle stuff like applying for our mobile lines and stuff like that. But after that's been set up, we don't really need to converse in French much. So I'd say staying in Paris has been comfortable. Of course I'd rather go home to SG. Cos of my other comforts at home, like my own place, friends and family, cheap food, free food, etc. It's not that Paris is bad, but I like SG. And it's not that SG is perfect, I'm just more familiar with it.
Moving to the US... well, at least everything is in English so that's a plus point.
I will need to get a vehicle, cos everything is so far apart and transportation is not like a city. Houston doesn't have a really efficient public transportation system. We should get a car allowance so... the cost should be defrayed a bit. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get free food, so I'll just have to go there to see.
What I think about this move to Houston is pretty much... I'm thinking that it's probably/hopefully my last move. Something like primary school, then secondary school, then uni... So I'm thinking when I leave Paris, one of the phases is over and we'll be moving on to the next phase and probably I'll go home sooner. Now, I don't think Houston will be bad. It will probably be similar to Paris. It should be comfortable. We are a simple couple. We don't need much. As long as we have a place to stay, food to eat, clothes to wear, insurance, transport, we are pretty ok. So once my operations has been set up, within the first month or so, things should settle down. I hope... And once again for folks who think "Wow so lucky"... I'll repeat again, this isn't a holiday, my wife doesn't have so much leave to take vacations all the time and we don't spend so much so it's not like we are out to splurge during our stay in Paris or Houston. Simply put, our stay in Paris hasn't been a 4 month holiday. It's living in Paris for 4 mths. We lived like how we lived in SG. A normal daily routine with some outings/travel. And we will do this in US as well. Mostly her work and a daily routine, and probably some trips around US during our time there. So yea... next few months, after all the stuff has been confirmed, we'll need to shut down our current place, pack all our stuff again, cancel all our subscription plans, probably move to a hotel for a week after we handover the apartment. And we haven't even had the opportunity to travel much around Europe yet. Maybe we can squeeze in one last trip but my wife has limited leave opportunities due to her work responsibilities. Anyway, that's my story for today. Let's see how things work out as her posting becomes clearer and we get more details about the move. <// NEXT
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<This is the link to my first post... how it all started...
Mindset changes
throughout the years How I make use of my wife AUTHOR
Male, born in 1982.
INTP
Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques of the industry. Inspired by MMM and ERE .
Decided to embark on a mission to retire early in Singapore, a place where such an idea is considered impossible. As I believe that life has a lot more to offer instead of just a working career. I've decided to start a blog to note down my journey to achieve this mission and help others along the way who are willing to listen and try doing things differently from everyone else. I have decided to remain anonymous until I finally am able to actually retire, reason being that this idea might not gel well with the company which I am working for currently and also to avoid real life flaming from people who say that such ideas are impossible and that an individual is lazy for choosing early retirement instead of contributing to society in the form of labour. More about me
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FIRST WORLD COUNTRY WITH THIRD WORLD CITIZENS24/10/2019
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Ok. This article came out some time back. I'll comment about it below. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/tommy-koh-laments-that-singapore-is-a-first-world-country-with-third-world-citizens > SINGAPORE - Veteran diplomat Tommy Koh laments that Singapore is a > First World country with Third World people. Many Singaporeans lack > the civic-mindedness that citizens of an advanced country should > have, he said on Tuesday (Oct 1).>
> "I am more critical of Singaporeans than of the Government. Many of > our people don't give a damn for the environment when they should. > Many of our people are selfish and unkind. Just look at the way they > drive," Prof Koh said, drawing laughter from his audience.>
> He was speaking at the Singapore Bicentennial Conference, organised > by the Institute of Policy Studies. It was held at Raffles City > Convention Centre and ended on Tuesday.>
> During the dialogue, which was moderated by Straits Times editor and > editor-in-chief of Singapore Press Holdings English/Malay/Tamil > Media Group Warren Fernandez, Prof Koh and Bloomberg News > editor-in-chief John Micklethwait both highlighted areas in which > Singapore society can improve.>
> Mr Micklethwait pointed out that meritocracy has created its own > problems, both in Singapore and other cosmopolitan capital cities. > In such cities, the result is "a tribe of people who are working > insanely hard to keep pushing ahead", often pumping money and > resources into their children.>
> "That is a very good thing for your children, but it means society > gets a bit harder for others to catch up, and that is one of the > dilemmas of a modern country," he said.>
> He recounted how a friend had attended a dinner at which none of the > guests, including Singaporeans, could understand why people in the > United Kingdom had voted for Brexit.>
> "Nobody could understand why anybody had voted for Donald Trump. > Nobody could understand why the protesters in Hong Kong had anything > to protest about at all," he said.>
> The troubling conclusion that his friend came to was that the dinner > guests - even though they came from different parts of the world - > had far more in common with each other than others living a block > away from them.>
> "He worried that his children only ran into poor people when they > were delivering their Internet shopping," he said, adding that > societies must find a solution to be more inclusive.>
> Prof Koh called for Singapore to set a poverty line and raise the > wages of workers, noting that there is often a vast pay gap between > a company's top executives and its rank and file employees.>
> Responding to a question on whether there is an alternative to > capitalism, he said the right question to ask is what kind of > capitalism Singapore wants.>
> Moral capitalism is where companies consider themselves accountable > to not only shareholders but to the wider society, where they care > for the environment and take good care of employees, and champion > gender equality and diversity, he said.>
> He added that he had many ideas for Singaporeans, which he will > write about in his next few columns for ST.>
> "I love Singapore. I would die for Singapore. But are we a perfect > people? We are not," said Prof Koh, who turns 82 next month.>
> "But I believe that we can always be better and in the remaining > years of my life, I want to dedicate my time, energy to making > Singapore an even better place, and Singaporeans an even better > people," he added. I kinda understood what he was saying... The thing is... Singaporeans somehow feel that they are struggling. Still trying to make ends meet. It's always about progress, more, success, more money, being busy... Singaporeans have some of the highest incomes in the world. Even more than many European countries. https://www.worlddata.info/average-income.php Look at this... SG has a higher income compared to France, Germany,Canada, Japan, etc.
But somehow, the feeling I get is that... Singaporeans are somehowstill struggling.
Not enough time, not enough money. I have no idea why. No time for anything else. No time to think about other things. The point is... we aren't struggling. But somehow we feel like we are... Ever wonder why? Well... when Tommy Koh said this...
> I am more critical of Singaporeans than of the Government. I absolutely don't agree with this... Cos... for me, what I see is... THIS IS THE TONE FROM THE TOP. If the Government makes people constantly feel poor, makes them think that there is not enough, makes people feel insecure. Then it is all too natural that the citizens will end up believing that they are struggling. When Government officials normalize being rich, ie, makes it seem that being rich is normal... Then wouldn't normal people feel that they are not normal? Since normal people aren't rich? When a famous person once said that S$600,000 annual salary is peanuts... it's really telling of the mentality of the elite. The tone from the top, ie the Government, is always about money. That's their solution for everything. When another famous person suggested that for new residents to Singapore, they may pay a tax in lieu of serving national service... it's telling of what they view national service vs money. When the economy grows... prices increase... inflation... well, the money collected via GST naturally increases. It's a percentage... that's how percentages work. When people have higher salaries. Income taxes naturally increases... Similarly... it's a percentage. That's how percentages work. So why is there regular talk about increasing GST? Why does the Government require new sources of income when the taxes rise naturally when the economy grows? Maybe I'm missing something... (Side note: For annual price increases for public transport, buses, MRTs, I fully understand. Staff wants their increment, materials are more expensive due to inflation, etc... so the cost of running the transport systems will naturally increase. So LTA will need to approve the increase in transport fares.) For taxes... Personally, I don't get it. Cos it's a percentage ofspending or income.
So anyway... when the Government also gives the impression that money no enough... I think it's pretty natural for the citizens to get thatsame feeling.
So... I don't blame the citizens for being so called "Third World Citizens" as alluded by Tommy Koh. I blame the Government. If the Government runs campaigns about reduce wastage, or environmental programs, people will learn more about such issues and have a higher chance of making some action towards it. If the Government stops talking about money as the "be all end all" solution to everything, then maybe citizens will stop thinking about money so much and stop thinking that they are struggling. If the Government has a more comprehensive social security network, and run campaigns, maybe citizens will be more interested to help theless fortunate.
It's like a parent who keeps telling their child... they aren't good enough. And the child believes that they themselves aren't good enough cos the parent keeps repeating it. But maybe... the child is already very good at whatever already... True or false, I don't know... But personally, this is the impressionthat I'm getting.
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WHAT DO I MEAN WHEN I SAY "OBTAIN" FOOD 23/10/2019
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Ok, so I've been using this word "Obtain" food and it's kind of double speak...
Cos it makes things sound nice... There are a few ways which I can obtain food. 1. I go to a discard pile in the fresh food market which opens 3 times a week.
They just leave their cartons of stuff they don't want on the floor for the cleaner to pick up when he arrives. The food which I take home look like this.
They are in pretty good condition most of the time. Alternatively, I find these in the bin... In a similar condition. Cos instead of putting the cartons on the floor, the vendor may put the carton in the bin. So I take the carton out of the bin and help myself.
Of course there are things in good and bad conditions, and obviously I take the ones suitable for consumption. Since some of the vendors know me, they sometimes pass me stuff directly if they see me walking by. So for example, there was one time, I walk past when one vendor was about to dispose a plastic bag of bananas. So instead of putting it in the bin, he just passed me the whole bag of bananas.
2. Similarly for the supermarket, I go to the bin behind the supermarket. Open it and help myself. The staff recognizes me, and the other folks who go and help themselves, cos I'm not the only one. It's a false perspective that all bins are dirty. Supermarkets have pretty clean bins. They mainly throw away wrapped up products, or they throw away cartons or plastic wrapping when they unwrap cartons to put individual products on display. It's not like some hawker center where people throw food scraps inside.
Here is a sample of what I find. Of course there are things in good and bad conditions, and obviously I take the ones suitable for consumption, and also, I'm fussy, there are things I don't like to eat so I don't take those as well, even though they may be in good condition. Like goat cheese... And well... one thing to note, this is more achievable in France cos the weather is cooler. So the meat doesn't spoil as quickly. It's not always perfect. I have found a bad chicken before. It smelt bad so I didn't eat it. It the same as other things that smell bad in your fridge. If it smells bad, just don't eat it. For things that don't smell bad, I make sure to cook it properly before consumption.
Also, sometimes the staff will just pass me the stuff that he's planning to discard. For example... 20 unsold baguettes from yesterday. True story. When we are young, do we know how to cross the road safely? NO! If our parents didn't teach us, we would probably be dead. Run over by a car, if not for our parents. The thing is... no one taught us how to obtain discarded excess food.
How many of us learn food safety from our parents? How many of us learn food preparation from our parents? How many know how to can, salt, dry, preserve food? How many of us have learnt that curry cannot keep in room temperature cos the curry will spoil? I have kept curry at room temperature overnight without any issue. Simply cos... I have the knowledge and experience to do it. Our perception of danger and risks is influenced by our own knowledge and experience.
No one would take a parachute and jump off the plane without any knowledge or training right? Same as for diving in the sea. The thing is... most of the time, people perceive something to be more dangerous than it really is due to the lack of knowledge and experience. AND... that's true. It IS dangerous to do many things without knowledge and experience. It is potentially risky to eat food from the bin if you don't know what you're doing. Same as it's dangerous to drive without any training.
And some people will learn how to do it, by reading, taking courses, asking people who have done it, etc... And some people will have no interest... cos... they just don't want to or don't feel the need to. Which is fine.
Which is highly related to my article yesterday .
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I DON'T NEED TO, I CAN AFFORD IT? 22/10/2019
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This thought struck a cord with me when I first mentioned it here .
When I first mentioned it, I was contemplating if I would still get free stuff IF I ever won the lottery. For me, I think... I can get free stuff. Since I don't need to pay for it, why should I? So, I probably will continue to get free stuff even if I have a lot of money. I don't NEED to pay for it, so I won't. It has nothing to do with whether I can afford it or not. Someone else in the same position but with a different mentality might think the other way around. I don't NEED to get free stuff anymore. I can afford to buy stuff. The difference here is "WHY". WHY am I getting free stuff? For me, I am getting free stuff cos I enjoy it. It's fun. I like to save money. If I can get something for free, why should I pay for it? I can afford it but I don't want to pay for it. Someone else might be thinking differently. For that person, which is quite a lot of people. They get free stuff, and when I say free stuff, I mean discarded stuff, second hand stuff from others, etc...
I'm not talking only about food. This could be anything. I got myself 2 pairs of jeans (Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein) and a hooded jacket (Adidas) in Paris.
They get free stuff, cos maybe they can't afford it. And they may take these stuff grudgingly. They don't really want to be getting the scraps of others but they HAVE to cos of circumstances. And maybe if or after they get out of their situation, they may think. That's great! Now that I can afford it, I don't NEED to get second hand free stuff from others again. I suppose there's a lot of pride involved in this. People want to be normal. Since normal people use money to buy stuff, most people want to be normal too. And taking leftovers from others isn't considered normal. And it makes people feel different. And many people think that folks who take free stuff or second hand stuff are poor and do so cos they can't afford it. And here lies the difference... Needs and Wants... I don't NEED to spend money. I WANT to save money. So I am willing to accept free stuff even though they aren't always the best stuff. VERSUS...
I NEED to get free stuff BUT I WANT to be normal. So if I can afford it, I will pay for stuff. And... we've been taught this since we were young. Almost all of us. Even I was taught this. We pay money for stuff. Study hard... look at the guy looking through scraps. You want to study hard cos you don't want to end up doing that. We are taught that that kind of action is only done by poor people who can't afford it. And yet... even after I studied and went through the whole schooling system, I now find that THAT is the most reasonable thing to do. At least for my own purposes. The thing is... maybe long time ago... the scraps that people picked up are really scraps. Cos long time ago, people aren't so wasteful. In our parents generation, most people didn't have a lot of money and they don't throw away stuff that are in good enough condition. HOWEVER, these days, people are very affluent. People throw away a lot of good items and in really good condition. It's a very very different situation.
Anyway, moving on... Let's take this mentality to other topics. How about...
I am healthy. I don't NEED to go for medical check up. VS
I NEED to go for medical check up to confirm that I am healthy and to remain healthy
I NEED to buy branded goods to fit in with my friends and colleagues. VS
I already fit in with my friends and colleagues, I don't NEED to buy branded goods.
I cannot retire because I have so much commitments. (Actually its lifestyle choices)
VS
I can retire because I don't need much to be happy. The thing is... there is a lot of things... cause and effect, one thing vs another thing... Just difference is mentality can lead to a lot of difference in outcome. The same action done by different people can have so many different feelings and positive or negative experiences. <// NEXT
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IT'S WEIRD WHAT SOCIETY DEEMS ACCEPTABLE 21/10/2019
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Have you ever watched a show where the main character kills someone? Like shoots someone? Or any show where antagonist murders someone? Yes? Very likely right? There's usually not much censorship when it comes to killing someone. You can see people with gunshot wounds and blood and stuff...
Now... have you ever watched a show with explicit sex scenes on mainstream tv?
How about just some exposed breasts or a penis? No?
Why?
Why is sex or some body parts... which is a normal occurrence in life... censored. But violence and murder... well that's not censored? Which is a more reasonable action involved in daily life? Same for games... has anyone played any sexually related games? How about games which it's ok to rob, murder, steal? Why? Which is more reasonable? Does this make sense? The thing is... sex and some body parts are... taboo... Violence, murder, killing... isn't taboo. It's nothing really to do with reasonable or not. Legally, sex is acceptable, murder, theft, beating someone up... is not. But yet on media, it's the other way round. It's taboo... you just can't talk about it. Logically, things which are involved in normal life should be allowed, and actions which are deemed socially unacceptable should not be allowed...
OR at least both should not have similar levels of censorship. Now, I'm not here to change society. I just try to look at things differently and think about them a bit. For me, this doesn't make sense. Mortal Kombat is easily obtainable and is usually legal. Opinions anyone?
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MOVING MONEY AROUND THE WORLD 18/10/2019
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Ok, so due to the expected move to the US, we now have to plan how to move money around the various countries. The bulk of our assets is parked in SG. We have a few thousand EUR in Paris and we will start earning some USD and we'll need some starting USD initially when we move over. So we were looking for ways to move the funds around safely and cheaply.
CASH
The most simple way, is to carry cash. I withdraw all my EUR and bring it back to SG, or I could withdraw and close my French bank account and carry the EUR to the US. It's simple. There's a probability I get robbed, pick pocketed, or I may just drop the money. The exchange rates in SG are pretty good. But in France and US, they don't have money changers run by individuals giving competitive rates. Most money changes are run by companies so the rates aren't very good.
Pros
Simple
Fairly good rates in SG Cons
Possibility to drop/lose the money I will have to carry thousands of dollars in USD while I wait for my US bank account to be opened Double exchange rate, EUR to SGD before SGD to USD I have to buy at whatever rates is available when I'm in SG, or whatever rate is available when I'm in the US. ONLINE BANKS/FINANCIAL SERVICES There are 2 apps that stand out. Transferwise and Revolut. They give very competitive rates for their foreign exchange and transfer fees. They are both quite user friendly. I can just transfer EUR to the account, execute the FX to buy SGD, and transfer to my SG account. I can keep the EUR in the online accounts and change for USD and when I move to the US, I can transfer the USD to my US bank account. The idea and efficiency is awesome... EXCEPT... when I look at the reviews. I admit there are many positive reviews. But the negative reviews are concerning. There are stories that after transferring the money to the online accounts, the user gets their account locked, pending know-your-client requirements, and even after they upload their passport or other forms of identification, their account is not unlocked and there is no one they are able to talk to, to resolve the issue. There are stories that the money has been sent from the online account but somehow doesn't reach the recipient and somehow, the company is unable to find out where the money has ended up.
Yes, I understand that these may just be a small percentage of users. But it is very concerning. I have no interest in getting a few thousand EUR locked up with no one I can talk to, to resolve the issue. The move between countries is already stressful enough and I would prefer if I have one less stress to think about. If I ever use it, I may use it for values less than $500. I doubt I will ever want to run the risk of locking up thousands of dollars with no easy way to retrieve it. The problem is, they are willing to accept money BEFORE they request for KYC documents. So they have a good chance to lock up the funds while the KYC is being cleared. There is NO WAY to retrieve the money until the KYC is cleared. Ok, I'm sure there are many people who have successfully transferred money using these apps. It's a personal thing. Some people are more comfortable or willing to trust these apps/companies. Personally, I'm not comfortable with it. Not when I'm moving a few thousand dollars. Pros
Very good exchange rate and very low transfer costs No need to carry cash Convenient, can keep it in the online account and move the funds whenever I want to
I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USD Cons
Potential issues due to transfer Potential issues due to KYC requirements Potential to lock up or lose the money USE A MULTI CURRENCY ACCOUNT IN AN SG BANK Most banks have multi currency options, DBS, UOB, OCBC, HSBC, Citibank...
I can just open a multi currency account, then transfer EUR to my SG bank.
Then in my SG bank, I can convert some money into USD and transfer to my US bank once I open my US bank account. It's pretty simple and I can do this online.
Problem is... the costs are expensive. They don't give good exchange rates, there are transfers cost, etc... BUT... it is safe. If there's any issue, I can always call the bank in SG and I have confidence that they will work with me to try to settle the issue.
Even if they have poor FX rates, I probably can still handle that depending on how much I transfer. I'm not expecting to transfer much. Just a few thousands, maybe $5-10k, so the expected losses due to bad FX rates could range between $150-$300... BUT I'm willing to accept this... For better sleep. As I've said before, the move is stressful itself as it is. Having a seamless transition is very important to me. Furthermore, I realized that DBS Multiplier account IS a multi currency account. So... I already have an account ready for me to transfer my EUR out of my French bank. Pros
Safe
Online. I can keep the funds and transfer it anytime I want. I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USD Cons
Expensive FX rates and transfer fees Potentially double exchange rates. I suspect banks will also FX EUR to SGD, then from SGD to USD Ok so there you have it. Based on some light research these are the ways I've looked into to move my funds from EUR to SGD and USD. I'll definitely want to withdraw all my EUR and close my French bank account. I don't know how much USD I'll need when I move over. So it will be best if I can keep it flexible which is why an online account would be better. I don't want to carry cash all around the place. This left me with the online transfer solutions or an actual bank. Since I didn't like the idea of having issues with my transfer, in the end I opted for the traditional route by just paying for the service. Anyone else got any better idea? <// NEXT
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LEAVING PARIS
17/10/2019
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Ok, so I said something about this last post. Well I've been here for 4 mths and a few days. Couple of weeks back, my wife has some changes in her company and well... we have to leave Paris... to Houston. Yes, Houston... Texas... USA... So in a couple of months, by latest Feb 2020, we should be in Houston. I've a bit of mixed feelings about this. Paris has been good to me. Free food, convenient. Food is available downstairs almost everyday just 100m away from where I stay. Most living expenses are covered by her company so we don't really need to spend much.
Language has been a small barrier. There's no real issue except when we need to handle stuff like applying for our mobile lines and stuff like that. But after that's been set up, we don't really need to converse in French much. So I'd say staying in Paris has been comfortable. Of course I'd rather go home to SG. Cos of my other comforts at home, like my own place, friends and family, cheap food, free food, etc. It's not that Paris is bad, but I like SG. And it's not that SG is perfect, I'm just more familiar with it.
Moving to the US... well, at least everything is in English so that's a plus point.
I will need to get a vehicle, cos everything is so far apart and transportation is not like a city. Houston doesn't have a really efficient public transportation system. We should get a car allowance so... the cost should be defrayed a bit. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get free food, so I'll just have to go there to see.
What I think about this move to Houston is pretty much... I'm thinking that it's probably/hopefully my last move. Something like primary school, then secondary school, then uni... So I'm thinking when I leave Paris, one of the phases is over and we'll be moving on to the next phase and probably I'll go home sooner. Now, I don't think Houston will be bad. It will probably be similar to Paris. It should be comfortable. We are a simple couple. We don't need much. As long as we have a place to stay, food to eat, clothes to wear, insurance, transport, we are pretty ok. So once my operations has been set up, within the first month or so, things should settle down. I hope... And once again for folks who think "Wow so lucky"... I'll repeat again, this isn't a holiday, my wife doesn't have so much leave to take vacations all the time and we don't spend so much so it's not like we are out to splurge during our stay in Paris or Houston. Simply put, our stay in Paris hasn't been a 4 month holiday. It's living in Paris for 4 mths. We lived like how we lived in SG. A normal daily routine with some outings/travel. And we will do this in US as well. Mostly her work and a daily routine, and probably some trips around US during our time there. So yea... next few months, after all the stuff has been confirmed, we'll need to shut down our current place, pack all our stuff again, cancel all our subscription plans, probably move to a hotel for a week after we handover the apartment. And we haven't even had the opportunity to travel much around Europe yet. Maybe we can squeeze in one last trip but my wife has limited leave opportunities due to her work responsibilities. Anyway, that's my story for today. Let's see how things work out as her posting becomes clearer and we get more details about the move. <// NEXT
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<This is the link to my first post... how it all started...
Mindset changes
throughout the years How I make use of my wife AUTHOR
Male, born in 1982.
INTP
Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques of the industry. Inspired by MMM and ERE .
Decided to embark on a mission to retire early in Singapore, a place where such an idea is considered impossible. As I believe that life has a lot more to offer instead of just a working career. I've decided to start a blog to note down my journey to achieve this mission and help others along the way who are willing to listen and try doing things differently from everyone else. I have decided to remain anonymous until I finally am able to actually retire, reason being that this idea might not gel well with the company which I am working for currently and also to avoid real life flaming from people who say that such ideas are impossible and that an individual is lazy for choosing early retirement instead of contributing to society in the form of labour. More about me
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WHAT DO I MEAN WHEN I SAY "OBTAIN" FOOD23/10/2019
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Ok, so I've been using this word "Obtain" food and it's kind of doublespeak...
Cos it makes things sound nice... There are a few ways which I can obtain food. 1. I go to a discard pile in the fresh food market which opens 3times a week.
They just leave their cartons of stuff they don't want on the floor for the cleaner to pick up when he arrives. The food which I take homelook like this.
They are in pretty good condition most of the time. Alternatively, I find these in the bin... In a similar condition. Cos instead of putting the cartons on the floor, the vendor may put the carton in the bin. So I take the carton out of the bin and helpmyself.
Of course there are things in good and bad conditions, and obviously I take the ones suitable for consumption. Since some of the vendors know me, they sometimes pass me stuff directly if they see me walking by. So for example, there was one time, I walk past when one vendor was about to dispose a plastic bag of bananas. So instead of putting it in the bin, he just passed me the whole bag of bananas.
2. Similarly for the supermarket, I go to the bin behind the supermarket. Open it and help myself. The staff recognizes me, and the other folks who go and help themselves, cos I'm not the only one. It's a false perspective that all bins are dirty. Supermarkets have pretty clean bins. They mainly throw away wrapped up products, or they throw away cartons or plastic wrapping when they unwrap cartons to put individual products on display. It's not like some hawker center where people throw food scrapsinside.
Here is a sample of what I find. Of course there are things in good and bad conditions, and obviously I take the ones suitable for consumption, and also, I'm fussy, there are things I don't like to eat so I don't take those as well, even though they may be in good condition. Like goat cheese... And well... one thing to note, this is more achievable in France cos the weather is cooler. So the meat doesn't spoil as quickly. It's not always perfect. I have found a bad chicken before. It smelt bad so I didn't eat it. It the same as other things that smell bad in your fridge. If it smells bad, just don't eat it. For things that don't smell bad, I make sure to cook it properlybefore consumption.
Also, sometimes the staff will just pass me the stuff that he's planning to discard. For example... 20 unsold baguettes from yesterday. True story. When we are young, do we know how to cross the road safely? NO! If our parents didn't teach us, we would probably be dead. Run over by a car, if not for our parents. The thing is... no one taught us how to obtain discarded excessfood.
How many of us learn food safety from our parents? How many of us learn food preparation from our parents? How many know how to can, salt, dry, preserve food? How many of us have learnt that curry cannot keep in room temperature cos the curry will spoil? I have kept curry at room temperature overnight without any issue. Simply cos... I have the knowledge and experience to do it. Our perception of danger and risks is influenced by our own knowledgeand experience.
No one would take a parachute and jump off the plane without any knowledge or training right? Same as for diving in the sea. The thing is... most of the time, people perceive something to be more dangerous than it really is due to the lack of knowledge and experience. AND... that's true. It IS dangerous to do many things without knowledge and experience. It is potentially risky to eat food from the bin if you don't know what you're doing. Same as it's dangerous to drive without anytraining.
And some people will learn how to do it, by reading, taking courses, asking people who have done it, etc... And some people will have no interest... cos... they just don't want to or don't feel the need to.Which is fine.
Which is highly related to my article yesterday.
<// NEXT
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I DON'T NEED TO, I CAN AFFORD IT? 22/10/2019
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This thought struck a cord with me when I first mentioned it here .
When I first mentioned it, I was contemplating if I would still get free stuff IF I ever won the lottery. For me, I think... I can get free stuff. Since I don't need to pay for it, why should I? So, I probably will continue to get free stuff even if I have a lot of money. I don't NEED to pay for it, so I won't. It has nothing to do with whether I can afford it or not. Someone else in the same position but with a different mentality might think the other way around. I don't NEED to get free stuff anymore. I can afford to buy stuff. The difference here is "WHY". WHY am I getting free stuff? For me, I am getting free stuff cos I enjoy it. It's fun. I like to save money. If I can get something for free, why should I pay for it? I can afford it but I don't want to pay for it. Someone else might be thinking differently. For that person, which is quite a lot of people. They get free stuff, and when I say free stuff, I mean discarded stuff, second hand stuff from others, etc...
I'm not talking only about food. This could be anything. I got myself 2 pairs of jeans (Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein) and a hooded jacket (Adidas) in Paris.
They get free stuff, cos maybe they can't afford it. And they may take these stuff grudgingly. They don't really want to be getting the scraps of others but they HAVE to cos of circumstances. And maybe if or after they get out of their situation, they may think. That's great! Now that I can afford it, I don't NEED to get second hand free stuff from others again. I suppose there's a lot of pride involved in this. People want to be normal. Since normal people use money to buy stuff, most people want to be normal too. And taking leftovers from others isn't considered normal. And it makes people feel different. And many people think that folks who take free stuff or second hand stuff are poor and do so cos they can't afford it. And here lies the difference... Needs and Wants... I don't NEED to spend money. I WANT to save money. So I am willing to accept free stuff even though they aren't always the best stuff. VERSUS...
I NEED to get free stuff BUT I WANT to be normal. So if I can afford it, I will pay for stuff. And... we've been taught this since we were young. Almost all of us. Even I was taught this. We pay money for stuff. Study hard... look at the guy looking through scraps. You want to study hard cos you don't want to end up doing that. We are taught that that kind of action is only done by poor people who can't afford it. And yet... even after I studied and went through the whole schooling system, I now find that THAT is the most reasonable thing to do. At least for my own purposes. The thing is... maybe long time ago... the scraps that people picked up are really scraps. Cos long time ago, people aren't so wasteful. In our parents generation, most people didn't have a lot of money and they don't throw away stuff that are in good enough condition. HOWEVER, these days, people are very affluent. People throw away a lot of good items and in really good condition. It's a very very different situation.
Anyway, moving on... Let's take this mentality to other topics. How about...
I am healthy. I don't NEED to go for medical check up. VS
I NEED to go for medical check up to confirm that I am healthy and to remain healthy
I NEED to buy branded goods to fit in with my friends and colleagues. VS
I already fit in with my friends and colleagues, I don't NEED to buy branded goods.
I cannot retire because I have so much commitments. (Actually its lifestyle choices)
VS
I can retire because I don't need much to be happy. The thing is... there is a lot of things... cause and effect, one thing vs another thing... Just difference is mentality can lead to a lot of difference in outcome. The same action done by different people can have so many different feelings and positive or negative experiences. <// NEXT
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IT'S WEIRD WHAT SOCIETY DEEMS ACCEPTABLE 21/10/2019
4 Comments
Have you ever watched a show where the main character kills someone? Like shoots someone? Or any show where antagonist murders someone? Yes? Very likely right? There's usually not much censorship when it comes to killing someone. You can see people with gunshot wounds and blood and stuff...
Now... have you ever watched a show with explicit sex scenes on mainstream tv?
How about just some exposed breasts or a penis? No?
Why?
Why is sex or some body parts... which is a normal occurrence in life... censored. But violence and murder... well that's not censored? Which is a more reasonable action involved in daily life? Same for games... has anyone played any sexually related games? How about games which it's ok to rob, murder, steal? Why? Which is more reasonable? Does this make sense? The thing is... sex and some body parts are... taboo... Violence, murder, killing... isn't taboo. It's nothing really to do with reasonable or not. Legally, sex is acceptable, murder, theft, beating someone up... is not. But yet on media, it's the other way round. It's taboo... you just can't talk about it. Logically, things which are involved in normal life should be allowed, and actions which are deemed socially unacceptable should not be allowed...
OR at least both should not have similar levels of censorship. Now, I'm not here to change society. I just try to look at things differently and think about them a bit. For me, this doesn't make sense. Mortal Kombat is easily obtainable and is usually legal. Opinions anyone?
<// NEXT
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MOVING MONEY AROUND THE WORLD 18/10/2019
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Ok, so due to the expected move to the US, we now have to plan how to move money around the various countries. The bulk of our assets is parked in SG. We have a few thousand EUR in Paris and we will start earning some USD and we'll need some starting USD initially when we move over. So we were looking for ways to move the funds around safely and cheaply.
CASH
The most simple way, is to carry cash. I withdraw all my EUR and bring it back to SG, or I could withdraw and close my French bank account and carry the EUR to the US. It's simple. There's a probability I get robbed, pick pocketed, or I may just drop the money. The exchange rates in SG are pretty good. But in France and US, they don't have money changers run by individuals giving competitive rates. Most money changes are run by companies so the rates aren't very good.
Pros
Simple
Fairly good rates in SG Cons
Possibility to drop/lose the money I will have to carry thousands of dollars in USD while I wait for my US bank account to be opened Double exchange rate, EUR to SGD before SGD to USD I have to buy at whatever rates is available when I'm in SG, or whatever rate is available when I'm in the US. ONLINE BANKS/FINANCIAL SERVICES There are 2 apps that stand out. Transferwise and Revolut. They give very competitive rates for their foreign exchange and transfer fees. They are both quite user friendly. I can just transfer EUR to the account, execute the FX to buy SGD, and transfer to my SG account. I can keep the EUR in the online accounts and change for USD and when I move to the US, I can transfer the USD to my US bank account. The idea and efficiency is awesome... EXCEPT... when I look at the reviews. I admit there are many positive reviews. But the negative reviews are concerning. There are stories that after transferring the money to the online accounts, the user gets their account locked, pending know-your-client requirements, and even after they upload their passport or other forms of identification, their account is not unlocked and there is no one they are able to talk to, to resolve the issue. There are stories that the money has been sent from the online account but somehow doesn't reach the recipient and somehow, the company is unable to find out where the money has ended up.
Yes, I understand that these may just be a small percentage of users. But it is very concerning. I have no interest in getting a few thousand EUR locked up with no one I can talk to, to resolve the issue. The move between countries is already stressful enough and I would prefer if I have one less stress to think about. If I ever use it, I may use it for values less than $500. I doubt I will ever want to run the risk of locking up thousands of dollars with no easy way to retrieve it. The problem is, they are willing to accept money BEFORE they request for KYC documents. So they have a good chance to lock up the funds while the KYC is being cleared. There is NO WAY to retrieve the money until the KYC is cleared. Ok, I'm sure there are many people who have successfully transferred money using these apps. It's a personal thing. Some people are more comfortable or willing to trust these apps/companies. Personally, I'm not comfortable with it. Not when I'm moving a few thousand dollars. Pros
Very good exchange rate and very low transfer costs No need to carry cash Convenient, can keep it in the online account and move the funds whenever I want to
I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USD Cons
Potential issues due to transfer Potential issues due to KYC requirements Potential to lock up or lose the money USE A MULTI CURRENCY ACCOUNT IN AN SG BANK Most banks have multi currency options, DBS, UOB, OCBC, HSBC, Citibank...
I can just open a multi currency account, then transfer EUR to my SG bank.
Then in my SG bank, I can convert some money into USD and transfer to my US bank once I open my US bank account. It's pretty simple and I can do this online.
Problem is... the costs are expensive. They don't give good exchange rates, there are transfers cost, etc... BUT... it is safe. If there's any issue, I can always call the bank in SG and I have confidence that they will work with me to try to settle the issue.
Even if they have poor FX rates, I probably can still handle that depending on how much I transfer. I'm not expecting to transfer much. Just a few thousands, maybe $5-10k, so the expected losses due to bad FX rates could range between $150-$300... BUT I'm willing to accept this... For better sleep. As I've said before, the move is stressful itself as it is. Having a seamless transition is very important to me. Furthermore, I realized that DBS Multiplier account IS a multi currency account. So... I already have an account ready for me to transfer my EUR out of my French bank. Pros
Safe
Online. I can keep the funds and transfer it anytime I want. I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USD Cons
Expensive FX rates and transfer fees Potentially double exchange rates. I suspect banks will also FX EUR to SGD, then from SGD to USD Ok so there you have it. Based on some light research these are the ways I've looked into to move my funds from EUR to SGD and USD. I'll definitely want to withdraw all my EUR and close my French bank account. I don't know how much USD I'll need when I move over. So it will be best if I can keep it flexible which is why an online account would be better. I don't want to carry cash all around the place. This left me with the online transfer solutions or an actual bank. Since I didn't like the idea of having issues with my transfer, in the end I opted for the traditional route by just paying for the service. Anyone else got any better idea? <// NEXT
POST>>
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LEAVING PARIS
17/10/2019
1 Comment
Ok, so I said something about this last post. Well I've been here for 4 mths and a few days. Couple of weeks back, my wife has some changes in her company and well... we have to leave Paris... to Houston. Yes, Houston... Texas... USA... So in a couple of months, by latest Feb 2020, we should be in Houston. I've a bit of mixed feelings about this. Paris has been good to me. Free food, convenient. Food is available downstairs almost everyday just 100m away from where I stay. Most living expenses are covered by her company so we don't really need to spend much.
Language has been a small barrier. There's no real issue except when we need to handle stuff like applying for our mobile lines and stuff like that. But after that's been set up, we don't really need to converse in French much. So I'd say staying in Paris has been comfortable. Of course I'd rather go home to SG. Cos of my other comforts at home, like my own place, friends and family, cheap food, free food, etc. It's not that Paris is bad, but I like SG. And it's not that SG is perfect, I'm just more familiar with it.
Moving to the US... well, at least everything is in English so that's a plus point.
I will need to get a vehicle, cos everything is so far apart and transportation is not like a city. Houston doesn't have a really efficient public transportation system. We should get a car allowance so... the cost should be defrayed a bit. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get free food, so I'll just have to go there to see.
What I think about this move to Houston is pretty much... I'm thinking that it's probably/hopefully my last move. Something like primary school, then secondary school, then uni... So I'm thinking when I leave Paris, one of the phases is over and we'll be moving on to the next phase and probably I'll go home sooner. Now, I don't think Houston will be bad. It will probably be similar to Paris. It should be comfortable. We are a simple couple. We don't need much. As long as we have a place to stay, food to eat, clothes to wear, insurance, transport, we are pretty ok. So once my operations has been set up, within the first month or so, things should settle down. I hope... And once again for folks who think "Wow so lucky"... I'll repeat again, this isn't a holiday, my wife doesn't have so much leave to take vacations all the time and we don't spend so much so it's not like we are out to splurge during our stay in Paris or Houston. Simply put, our stay in Paris hasn't been a 4 month holiday. It's living in Paris for 4 mths. We lived like how we lived in SG. A normal daily routine with some outings/travel. And we will do this in US as well. Mostly her work and a daily routine, and probably some trips around US during our time there. So yea... next few months, after all the stuff has been confirmed, we'll need to shut down our current place, pack all our stuff again, cancel all our subscription plans, probably move to a hotel for a week after we handover the apartment. And we haven't even had the opportunity to travel much around Europe yet. Maybe we can squeeze in one last trip but my wife has limited leave opportunities due to her work responsibilities. Anyway, that's my story for today. Let's see how things work out as her posting becomes clearer and we get more details about the move. <// NEXT
POST>>
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<This is the link to my first post... how it all started...
Mindset changes
throughout the years How I make use of my wife AUTHOR
Male, born in 1982.
INTP
Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques of the industry. Inspired by MMM and ERE .
Decided to embark on a mission to retire early in Singapore, a place where such an idea is considered impossible. As I believe that life has a lot more to offer instead of just a working career. I've decided to start a blog to note down my journey to achieve this mission and help others along the way who are willing to listen and try doing things differently from everyone else. I have decided to remain anonymous until I finally am able to actually retire, reason being that this idea might not gel well with the company which I am working for currently and also to avoid real life flaming from people who say that such ideas are impossible and that an individual is lazy for choosing early retirement instead of contributing to society in the form of labour. More about me
.
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I DON'T NEED TO, I CAN AFFORD IT?22/10/2019
0 Comments
This thought struck a cord with me when I first mentioned it here.
When I first mentioned it, I was contemplating if I would still get free stuff IF I ever won the lottery. For me, I think... I can get free stuff. Since I don't need to pay for it, why should I? So, I probably will continue to get free stuff even if I have a lot of money. I don't NEED to pay for it, so I won't. It has nothing to do with whether I can afford it or not. Someone else in the same position but with a different mentality might think the other way around. I don't NEED to get free stuff anymore. I can afford to buy stuff. The difference here is "WHY". WHY am I getting free stuff? For me, I am getting free stuff cos I enjoy it. It's fun. I like to save money. If I can get something for free, why should I pay for it? I can afford it but I don't want to pay for it. Someone else might be thinking differently. For that person, which is quite a lot of people. They get free stuff, and when I say free stuff, I mean discarded stuff, second hand stufffrom others, etc...
I'm not talking only about food. This could be anything. I got myself 2 pairs of jeans (Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein) and a hooded jacket(Adidas) in Paris.
They get free stuff, cos maybe they can't afford it. And they may take these stuff grudgingly. They don't really want to be getting the scraps of others but they HAVE to cos of circumstances. And maybe if or after they get out of their situation, they may think. That's great! Now that I can afford it, I don't NEED to get second hand free stuff from others again. I suppose there's a lot of pride involved in this. People want to be normal. Since normal people use money to buy stuff, most people want to be normal too. And taking leftovers from others isn't considered normal. And it makes people feel different. And many people think that folks who take free stuff or second hand stuff are poor and do so cos they can't afford it. And here lies the difference... Needs and Wants... I don't NEED to spend money. I WANT to save money. So I am willing to accept free stuff even though they aren't always the best stuff.VERSUS...
I NEED to get free stuff BUT I WANT to be normal. So if I can afford it, I will pay for stuff. And... we've been taught this since we were young. Almost all of us. Even I was taught this. We pay money for stuff. Study hard... look at the guy looking through scraps. You want to study hard cos you don't want to end up doing that. We are taught that that kind of action is only done by poor people who can't afford it. And yet... even after I studied and went through the whole schooling system, I now find that THAT is the most reasonable thing to do. At least for my own purposes. The thing is... maybe long time ago... the scraps that people picked up are really scraps. Cos long time ago, people aren't so wasteful. In our parents generation, most people didn't have a lot of money and they don't throw away stuff that are in good enough condition. HOWEVER, these days, people are very affluent. People throw away a lot of good items and in really good condition. It's a very very differentsituation.
Anyway, moving on... Let's take this mentality to other topics.How about...
I am healthy. I don't NEED to go for medical check up.VS
I NEED to go for medical check up to confirm that I am healthy and toremain healthy
I NEED to buy branded goods to fit in with my friends and colleagues.VS
I already fit in with my friends and colleagues, I don't NEED to buybranded goods.
I cannot retire because I have so much commitments. (Actually itslifestyle choices)
VS
I can retire because I don't need much to be happy. The thing is... there is a lot of things... cause and effect, one thing vs another thing... Just difference is mentality can lead to a lot of difference in outcome. The same action done by different people can have so many different feelings and positive or negative experiences.<// NEXT
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IT'S WEIRD WHAT SOCIETY DEEMS ACCEPTABLE 21/10/2019
4 Comments
Have you ever watched a show where the main character kills someone? Like shoots someone? Or any show where antagonist murders someone? Yes? Very likely right? There's usually not much censorship when it comes to killing someone. You can see people with gunshot wounds and blood and stuff...
Now... have you ever watched a show with explicit sex scenes on mainstream tv?
How about just some exposed breasts or a penis? No?
Why?
Why is sex or some body parts... which is a normal occurrence in life... censored. But violence and murder... well that's not censored? Which is a more reasonable action involved in daily life? Same for games... has anyone played any sexually related games? How about games which it's ok to rob, murder, steal? Why? Which is more reasonable? Does this make sense? The thing is... sex and some body parts are... taboo... Violence, murder, killing... isn't taboo. It's nothing really to do with reasonable or not. Legally, sex is acceptable, murder, theft, beating someone up... is not. But yet on media, it's the other way round. It's taboo... you just can't talk about it. Logically, things which are involved in normal life should be allowed, and actions which are deemed socially unacceptable should not be allowed...
OR at least both should not have similar levels of censorship. Now, I'm not here to change society. I just try to look at things differently and think about them a bit. For me, this doesn't make sense. Mortal Kombat is easily obtainable and is usually legal. Opinions anyone?
<// NEXT
POST>>
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MOVING MONEY AROUND THE WORLD 18/10/2019
6 Comments
Ok, so due to the expected move to the US, we now have to plan how to move money around the various countries. The bulk of our assets is parked in SG. We have a few thousand EUR in Paris and we will start earning some USD and we'll need some starting USD initially when we move over. So we were looking for ways to move the funds around safely and cheaply.
CASH
The most simple way, is to carry cash. I withdraw all my EUR and bring it back to SG, or I could withdraw and close my French bank account and carry the EUR to the US. It's simple. There's a probability I get robbed, pick pocketed, or I may just drop the money. The exchange rates in SG are pretty good. But in France and US, they don't have money changers run by individuals giving competitive rates. Most money changes are run by companies so the rates aren't very good.
Pros
Simple
Fairly good rates in SG Cons
Possibility to drop/lose the money I will have to carry thousands of dollars in USD while I wait for my US bank account to be opened Double exchange rate, EUR to SGD before SGD to USD I have to buy at whatever rates is available when I'm in SG, or whatever rate is available when I'm in the US. ONLINE BANKS/FINANCIAL SERVICES There are 2 apps that stand out. Transferwise and Revolut. They give very competitive rates for their foreign exchange and transfer fees. They are both quite user friendly. I can just transfer EUR to the account, execute the FX to buy SGD, and transfer to my SG account. I can keep the EUR in the online accounts and change for USD and when I move to the US, I can transfer the USD to my US bank account. The idea and efficiency is awesome... EXCEPT... when I look at the reviews. I admit there are many positive reviews. But the negative reviews are concerning. There are stories that after transferring the money to the online accounts, the user gets their account locked, pending know-your-client requirements, and even after they upload their passport or other forms of identification, their account is not unlocked and there is no one they are able to talk to, to resolve the issue. There are stories that the money has been sent from the online account but somehow doesn't reach the recipient and somehow, the company is unable to find out where the money has ended up.
Yes, I understand that these may just be a small percentage of users. But it is very concerning. I have no interest in getting a few thousand EUR locked up with no one I can talk to, to resolve the issue. The move between countries is already stressful enough and I would prefer if I have one less stress to think about. If I ever use it, I may use it for values less than $500. I doubt I will ever want to run the risk of locking up thousands of dollars with no easy way to retrieve it. The problem is, they are willing to accept money BEFORE they request for KYC documents. So they have a good chance to lock up the funds while the KYC is being cleared. There is NO WAY to retrieve the money until the KYC is cleared. Ok, I'm sure there are many people who have successfully transferred money using these apps. It's a personal thing. Some people are more comfortable or willing to trust these apps/companies. Personally, I'm not comfortable with it. Not when I'm moving a few thousand dollars. Pros
Very good exchange rate and very low transfer costs No need to carry cash Convenient, can keep it in the online account and move the funds whenever I want to
I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USD Cons
Potential issues due to transfer Potential issues due to KYC requirements Potential to lock up or lose the money USE A MULTI CURRENCY ACCOUNT IN AN SG BANK Most banks have multi currency options, DBS, UOB, OCBC, HSBC, Citibank...
I can just open a multi currency account, then transfer EUR to my SG bank.
Then in my SG bank, I can convert some money into USD and transfer to my US bank once I open my US bank account. It's pretty simple and I can do this online.
Problem is... the costs are expensive. They don't give good exchange rates, there are transfers cost, etc... BUT... it is safe. If there's any issue, I can always call the bank in SG and I have confidence that they will work with me to try to settle the issue.
Even if they have poor FX rates, I probably can still handle that depending on how much I transfer. I'm not expecting to transfer much. Just a few thousands, maybe $5-10k, so the expected losses due to bad FX rates could range between $150-$300... BUT I'm willing to accept this... For better sleep. As I've said before, the move is stressful itself as it is. Having a seamless transition is very important to me. Furthermore, I realized that DBS Multiplier account IS a multi currency account. So... I already have an account ready for me to transfer my EUR out of my French bank. Pros
Safe
Online. I can keep the funds and transfer it anytime I want. I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USD Cons
Expensive FX rates and transfer fees Potentially double exchange rates. I suspect banks will also FX EUR to SGD, then from SGD to USD Ok so there you have it. Based on some light research these are the ways I've looked into to move my funds from EUR to SGD and USD. I'll definitely want to withdraw all my EUR and close my French bank account. I don't know how much USD I'll need when I move over. So it will be best if I can keep it flexible which is why an online account would be better. I don't want to carry cash all around the place. This left me with the online transfer solutions or an actual bank. Since I didn't like the idea of having issues with my transfer, in the end I opted for the traditional route by just paying for the service. Anyone else got any better idea? <// NEXT
POST>>
Did you like this post? If so, could you "blanjah" me 1/4 cup of my morning coffee pls.
You may also consider subscribing to receive the articles in your email, link in the column on the right. 6 Comments
LEAVING PARIS
17/10/2019
1 Comment
Ok, so I said something about this last post. Well I've been here for 4 mths and a few days. Couple of weeks back, my wife has some changes in her company and well... we have to leave Paris... to Houston. Yes, Houston... Texas... USA... So in a couple of months, by latest Feb 2020, we should be in Houston. I've a bit of mixed feelings about this. Paris has been good to me. Free food, convenient. Food is available downstairs almost everyday just 100m away from where I stay. Most living expenses are covered by her company so we don't really need to spend much.
Language has been a small barrier. There's no real issue except when we need to handle stuff like applying for our mobile lines and stuff like that. But after that's been set up, we don't really need to converse in French much. So I'd say staying in Paris has been comfortable. Of course I'd rather go home to SG. Cos of my other comforts at home, like my own place, friends and family, cheap food, free food, etc. It's not that Paris is bad, but I like SG. And it's not that SG is perfect, I'm just more familiar with it.
Moving to the US... well, at least everything is in English so that's a plus point.
I will need to get a vehicle, cos everything is so far apart and transportation is not like a city. Houston doesn't have a really efficient public transportation system. We should get a car allowance so... the cost should be defrayed a bit. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get free food, so I'll just have to go there to see.
What I think about this move to Houston is pretty much... I'm thinking that it's probably/hopefully my last move. Something like primary school, then secondary school, then uni... So I'm thinking when I leave Paris, one of the phases is over and we'll be moving on to the next phase and probably I'll go home sooner. Now, I don't think Houston will be bad. It will probably be similar to Paris. It should be comfortable. We are a simple couple. We don't need much. As long as we have a place to stay, food to eat, clothes to wear, insurance, transport, we are pretty ok. So once my operations has been set up, within the first month or so, things should settle down. I hope... And once again for folks who think "Wow so lucky"... I'll repeat again, this isn't a holiday, my wife doesn't have so much leave to take vacations all the time and we don't spend so much so it's not like we are out to splurge during our stay in Paris or Houston. Simply put, our stay in Paris hasn't been a 4 month holiday. It's living in Paris for 4 mths. We lived like how we lived in SG. A normal daily routine with some outings/travel. And we will do this in US as well. Mostly her work and a daily routine, and probably some trips around US during our time there. So yea... next few months, after all the stuff has been confirmed, we'll need to shut down our current place, pack all our stuff again, cancel all our subscription plans, probably move to a hotel for a week after we handover the apartment. And we haven't even had the opportunity to travel much around Europe yet. Maybe we can squeeze in one last trip but my wife has limited leave opportunities due to her work responsibilities. Anyway, that's my story for today. Let's see how things work out as her posting becomes clearer and we get more details about the move. <// NEXT
POST>>
Did you like this post? If so, could you "blanjah" me 1/4 cup of my morning coffee pls.
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<This is the link to my first post... how it all started...
Mindset changes
throughout the years How I make use of my wife AUTHOR
Male, born in 1982.
INTP
Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques of the industry. Inspired by MMM and ERE .
Decided to embark on a mission to retire early in Singapore, a place where such an idea is considered impossible. As I believe that life has a lot more to offer instead of just a working career. I've decided to start a blog to note down my journey to achieve this mission and help others along the way who are willing to listen and try doing things differently from everyone else. I have decided to remain anonymous until I finally am able to actually retire, reason being that this idea might not gel well with the company which I am working for currently and also to avoid real life flaming from people who say that such ideas are impossible and that an individual is lazy for choosing early retirement instead of contributing to society in the form of labour. More about me
.
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March 2018
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January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
April 2017
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November 2016
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December 2013
RSS Feed
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// NEXT
POST>>
Did you like this post? If so, could you "blanjah" me 1/4 cup of mymorning coffee pls.
You may also consider subscribing to receive the articles in your email, link in the column on the right.0 Comments
IT'S WEIRD WHAT SOCIETY DEEMS ACCEPTABLE21/10/2019
4 Comments
Have you ever watched a show where the main character kills someone? Like shoots someone? Or any show where antagonist murders someone? Yes? Very likely right? There's usually not much censorship when it comes to killing someone. You can see people with gunshot wounds andblood and stuff...
Now... have you ever watched a show with explicit sex scenes onmainstream tv?
How about just some exposed breasts or a penis?No?
Why?
Why is sex or some body parts... which is a normal occurrence in life... censored. But violence and murder... well that's not censored? Which is a more reasonable action involved in daily life? Same for games... has anyone played any sexually related games? How about games which it's ok to rob, murder, steal? Why? Which is more reasonable? Does this make sense? The thing is... sex and some body parts are... taboo... Violence, murder, killing... isn't taboo. It's nothing really to do with reasonable or not. Legally, sex is acceptable, murder, theft, beating someone up... is not. But yet on media, it's the other way round. It's taboo... you just can't talk about it. Logically, things which are involved in normal life should be allowed, and actions which are deemed socially unacceptable should not beallowed...
OR at least both should not have similar levels of censorship. Now, I'm not here to change society. I just try to look at things differently and think about them a bit. For me, this doesn't make sense. Mortal Kombat is easily obtainable and is usually legal.Opinions anyone?
<// NEXT
POST>>
Did you like this post? If so, could you "blanjah" me 1/4 cup of my morning coffee pls.
You may also consider subscribing to receive the articles in your email, link in the column on the right. 4 Comments
MOVING MONEY AROUND THE WORLD 18/10/2019
6 Comments
Ok, so due to the expected move to the US, we now have to plan how to move money around the various countries. The bulk of our assets is parked in SG. We have a few thousand EUR in Paris and we will start earning some USD and we'll need some starting USD initially when we move over. So we were looking for ways to move the funds around safely and cheaply.
CASH
The most simple way, is to carry cash. I withdraw all my EUR and bring it back to SG, or I could withdraw and close my French bank account and carry the EUR to the US. It's simple. There's a probability I get robbed, pick pocketed, or I may just drop the money. The exchange rates in SG are pretty good. But in France and US, they don't have money changers run by individuals giving competitive rates. Most money changes are run by companies so the rates aren't very good.
Pros
Simple
Fairly good rates in SG Cons
Possibility to drop/lose the money I will have to carry thousands of dollars in USD while I wait for my US bank account to be opened Double exchange rate, EUR to SGD before SGD to USD I have to buy at whatever rates is available when I'm in SG, or whatever rate is available when I'm in the US. ONLINE BANKS/FINANCIAL SERVICES There are 2 apps that stand out. Transferwise and Revolut. They give very competitive rates for their foreign exchange and transfer fees. They are both quite user friendly. I can just transfer EUR to the account, execute the FX to buy SGD, and transfer to my SG account. I can keep the EUR in the online accounts and change for USD and when I move to the US, I can transfer the USD to my US bank account. The idea and efficiency is awesome... EXCEPT... when I look at the reviews. I admit there are many positive reviews. But the negative reviews are concerning. There are stories that after transferring the money to the online accounts, the user gets their account locked, pending know-your-client requirements, and even after they upload their passport or other forms of identification, their account is not unlocked and there is no one they are able to talk to, to resolve the issue. There are stories that the money has been sent from the online account but somehow doesn't reach the recipient and somehow, the company is unable to find out where the money has ended up.
Yes, I understand that these may just be a small percentage of users. But it is very concerning. I have no interest in getting a few thousand EUR locked up with no one I can talk to, to resolve the issue. The move between countries is already stressful enough and I would prefer if I have one less stress to think about. If I ever use it, I may use it for values less than $500. I doubt I will ever want to run the risk of locking up thousands of dollars with no easy way to retrieve it. The problem is, they are willing to accept money BEFORE they request for KYC documents. So they have a good chance to lock up the funds while the KYC is being cleared. There is NO WAY to retrieve the money until the KYC is cleared. Ok, I'm sure there are many people who have successfully transferred money using these apps. It's a personal thing. Some people are more comfortable or willing to trust these apps/companies. Personally, I'm not comfortable with it. Not when I'm moving a few thousand dollars. Pros
Very good exchange rate and very low transfer costs No need to carry cash Convenient, can keep it in the online account and move the funds whenever I want to
I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USD Cons
Potential issues due to transfer Potential issues due to KYC requirements Potential to lock up or lose the money USE A MULTI CURRENCY ACCOUNT IN AN SG BANK Most banks have multi currency options, DBS, UOB, OCBC, HSBC, Citibank...
I can just open a multi currency account, then transfer EUR to my SG bank.
Then in my SG bank, I can convert some money into USD and transfer to my US bank once I open my US bank account. It's pretty simple and I can do this online.
Problem is... the costs are expensive. They don't give good exchange rates, there are transfers cost, etc... BUT... it is safe. If there's any issue, I can always call the bank in SG and I have confidence that they will work with me to try to settle the issue.
Even if they have poor FX rates, I probably can still handle that depending on how much I transfer. I'm not expecting to transfer much. Just a few thousands, maybe $5-10k, so the expected losses due to bad FX rates could range between $150-$300... BUT I'm willing to accept this... For better sleep. As I've said before, the move is stressful itself as it is. Having a seamless transition is very important to me. Furthermore, I realized that DBS Multiplier account IS a multi currency account. So... I already have an account ready for me to transfer my EUR out of my French bank. Pros
Safe
Online. I can keep the funds and transfer it anytime I want. I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USD Cons
Expensive FX rates and transfer fees Potentially double exchange rates. I suspect banks will also FX EUR to SGD, then from SGD to USD Ok so there you have it. Based on some light research these are the ways I've looked into to move my funds from EUR to SGD and USD. I'll definitely want to withdraw all my EUR and close my French bank account. I don't know how much USD I'll need when I move over. So it will be best if I can keep it flexible which is why an online account would be better. I don't want to carry cash all around the place. This left me with the online transfer solutions or an actual bank. Since I didn't like the idea of having issues with my transfer, in the end I opted for the traditional route by just paying for the service. Anyone else got any better idea? <// NEXT
POST>>
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LEAVING PARIS
17/10/2019
1 Comment
Ok, so I said something about this last post. Well I've been here for 4 mths and a few days. Couple of weeks back, my wife has some changes in her company and well... we have to leave Paris... to Houston. Yes, Houston... Texas... USA... So in a couple of months, by latest Feb 2020, we should be in Houston. I've a bit of mixed feelings about this. Paris has been good to me. Free food, convenient. Food is available downstairs almost everyday just 100m away from where I stay. Most living expenses are covered by her company so we don't really need to spend much.
Language has been a small barrier. There's no real issue except when we need to handle stuff like applying for our mobile lines and stuff like that. But after that's been set up, we don't really need to converse in French much. So I'd say staying in Paris has been comfortable. Of course I'd rather go home to SG. Cos of my other comforts at home, like my own place, friends and family, cheap food, free food, etc. It's not that Paris is bad, but I like SG. And it's not that SG is perfect, I'm just more familiar with it.
Moving to the US... well, at least everything is in English so that's a plus point.
I will need to get a vehicle, cos everything is so far apart and transportation is not like a city. Houston doesn't have a really efficient public transportation system. We should get a car allowance so... the cost should be defrayed a bit. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get free food, so I'll just have to go there to see.
What I think about this move to Houston is pretty much... I'm thinking that it's probably/hopefully my last move. Something like primary school, then secondary school, then uni... So I'm thinking when I leave Paris, one of the phases is over and we'll be moving on to the next phase and probably I'll go home sooner. Now, I don't think Houston will be bad. It will probably be similar to Paris. It should be comfortable. We are a simple couple. We don't need much. As long as we have a place to stay, food to eat, clothes to wear, insurance, transport, we are pretty ok. So once my operations has been set up, within the first month or so, things should settle down. I hope... And once again for folks who think "Wow so lucky"... I'll repeat again, this isn't a holiday, my wife doesn't have so much leave to take vacations all the time and we don't spend so much so it's not like we are out to splurge during our stay in Paris or Houston. Simply put, our stay in Paris hasn't been a 4 month holiday. It's living in Paris for 4 mths. We lived like how we lived in SG. A normal daily routine with some outings/travel. And we will do this in US as well. Mostly her work and a daily routine, and probably some trips around US during our time there. So yea... next few months, after all the stuff has been confirmed, we'll need to shut down our current place, pack all our stuff again, cancel all our subscription plans, probably move to a hotel for a week after we handover the apartment. And we haven't even had the opportunity to travel much around Europe yet. Maybe we can squeeze in one last trip but my wife has limited leave opportunities due to her work responsibilities. Anyway, that's my story for today. Let's see how things work out as her posting becomes clearer and we get more details about the move. <// NEXT
POST>>
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<This is the link to my first post... how it all started...
Mindset changes
throughout the years How I make use of my wife AUTHOR
Male, born in 1982.
INTP
Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques of the industry. Inspired by MMM and ERE .
Decided to embark on a mission to retire early in Singapore, a place where such an idea is considered impossible. As I believe that life has a lot more to offer instead of just a working career. I've decided to start a blog to note down my journey to achieve this mission and help others along the way who are willing to listen and try doing things differently from everyone else. I have decided to remain anonymous until I finally am able to actually retire, reason being that this idea might not gel well with the company which I am working for currently and also to avoid real life flaming from people who say that such ideas are impossible and that an individual is lazy for choosing early retirement instead of contributing to society in the form of labour. More about me
.
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MOVING MONEY AROUND THE WORLD18/10/2019
6 Comments
Ok, so due to the expected move to the US, we now have to plan how to move money around the various countries. The bulk of our assets is parked in SG. We have a few thousand EUR in Paris and we will start earning some USD and we'll need some starting USD initially when we move over. So we were looking for ways to move the funds around safely andcheaply.
CASH
The most simple way, is to carry cash. I withdraw all my EUR and bring it back to SG, or I could withdraw and close my French bank account and carry the EUR to the US. It's simple. There's a probability I get robbed, pick pocketed, or I may just drop the money. The exchange rates in SG are pretty good. But in France and US, they don't have money changers run by individuals giving competitive rates. Most money changes are run by companies so the rates aren'tvery good.
Pros
Simple
Fairly good rates in SGCons
Possibility to drop/lose the money I will have to carry thousands of dollars in USD while I wait for my US bank account to be opened Double exchange rate, EUR to SGD before SGD to USD I have to buy at whatever rates is available when I'm in SG, or whatever rate is available when I'm in the US. ONLINE BANKS/FINANCIAL SERVICES There are 2 apps that stand out. Transferwise and Revolut. They give very competitive rates for their foreign exchange and transfer fees. They are both quite user friendly. I can just transfer EUR to the account, execute the FX to buy SGD, and transfer to my SG account. I can keep the EUR in the online accounts and change for USD and when I move to the US, I can transfer the USD to my US bank account. The idea and efficiency is awesome... EXCEPT... when I look at the reviews. I admit there are many positive reviews. But the negative reviews are concerning. There are stories that after transferring the money to the online accounts, the user gets their account locked, pending know-your-client requirements, and even after they upload their passport or other forms of identification, their account is not unlocked and there is no one they are able to talk to, to resolve the issue. There are stories that the money has been sent from the online account but somehow doesn't reach the recipient and somehow, the company is unable to find out where the money has endedup.
Yes, I understand that these may just be a small percentage of users. But it is very concerning. I have no interest in getting a few thousand EUR locked up with no one I can talk to, to resolve the issue. The move between countries is already stressful enough and I would prefer if I have one less stress to think about. If I ever use it, I may use it for values less than $500. I doubt I will ever want to run the risk of locking up thousands of dollars with no easy way to retrieve it. The problem is, they are willing to accept money BEFORE they request for KYC documents. So they have a good chance to lock up the funds while the KYC is being cleared. There is NO WAY to retrieve the money until the KYC is cleared. Ok, I'm sure there are many people who have successfully transferred money using these apps. It's a personal thing. Some people are more comfortable or willing to trust these apps/companies. Personally, I'm not comfortable with it. Not when I'm moving a few thousand dollars.Pros
Very good exchange rate and very low transfer costs No need to carry cash Convenient, can keep it in the online account and move the fundswhenever I want to
I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USDCons
Potential issues due to transfer Potential issues due to KYC requirements Potential to lock up or lose the money USE A MULTI CURRENCY ACCOUNT IN AN SG BANK Most banks have multi currency options, DBS, UOB, OCBC, HSBC,Citibank...
I can just open a multi currency account, then transfer EUR to my SGbank.
Then in my SG bank, I can convert some money into USD and transfer to my US bank once I open my US bank account. It's pretty simple and Ican do this online.
Problem is... the costs are expensive. They don't give good exchange rates, there are transfers cost, etc... BUT... it is safe. If there's any issue, I can always call the bank in SG and I have confidence that they will work with me to try to settlethe issue.
Even if they have poor FX rates, I probably can still handle that depending on how much I transfer. I'm not expecting to transfer much. Just a few thousands, maybe $5-10k, so the expected losses due to bad FX rates could range between $150-$300... BUT I'm willing to accept this... For better sleep. As I've said before, the move is stressful itself as it is. Having a seamless transition is very important to me. Furthermore, I realized that DBS Multiplier account IS a multi currency account. So... I already have an account ready for me to transfer my EUR out of my French bank.Pros
Safe
Online. I can keep the funds and transfer it anytime I want. I can perform the FX whenever I want, I can keep my EUR if I think the rate is bad and use SGD to buy USDCons
Expensive FX rates and transfer fees Potentially double exchange rates. I suspect banks will also FX EUR to SGD, then from SGD to USD Ok so there you have it. Based on some light research these are the ways I've looked into to move my funds from EUR to SGD and USD. I'll definitely want to withdraw all my EUR and close my French bank account. I don't know how much USD I'll need when I move over. So it will be best if I can keep it flexible which is why an online account would be better. I don't want to carry cash all around the place. This left me with the online transfer solutions or an actual bank. Since I didn't like the idea of having issues with my transfer, in the end I opted for the traditional route by just paying for the service. Anyone else got any better idea?<// NEXT
POST>>
Did you like this post? If so, could you "blanjah" me 1/4 cup of my morning coffee pls.
You may also consider subscribing to receive the articles in your email, link in the column on the right. 6 Comments
LEAVING PARIS
17/10/2019
1 Comment
Ok, so I said something about this last post. Well I've been here for 4 mths and a few days. Couple of weeks back, my wife has some changes in her company and well... we have to leave Paris... to Houston. Yes, Houston... Texas... USA... So in a couple of months, by latest Feb 2020, we should be in Houston. I've a bit of mixed feelings about this. Paris has been good to me. Free food, convenient. Food is available downstairs almost everyday just 100m away from where I stay. Most living expenses are covered by her company so we don't really need to spend much.
Language has been a small barrier. There's no real issue except when we need to handle stuff like applying for our mobile lines and stuff like that. But after that's been set up, we don't really need to converse in French much. So I'd say staying in Paris has been comfortable. Of course I'd rather go home to SG. Cos of my other comforts at home, like my own place, friends and family, cheap food, free food, etc. It's not that Paris is bad, but I like SG. And it's not that SG is perfect, I'm just more familiar with it.
Moving to the US... well, at least everything is in English so that's a plus point.
I will need to get a vehicle, cos everything is so far apart and transportation is not like a city. Houston doesn't have a really efficient public transportation system. We should get a car allowance so... the cost should be defrayed a bit. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get free food, so I'll just have to go there to see.
What I think about this move to Houston is pretty much... I'm thinking that it's probably/hopefully my last move. Something like primary school, then secondary school, then uni... So I'm thinking when I leave Paris, one of the phases is over and we'll be moving on to the next phase and probably I'll go home sooner. Now, I don't think Houston will be bad. It will probably be similar to Paris. It should be comfortable. We are a simple couple. We don't need much. As long as we have a place to stay, food to eat, clothes to wear, insurance, transport, we are pretty ok. So once my operations has been set up, within the first month or so, things should settle down. I hope... And once again for folks who think "Wow so lucky"... I'll repeat again, this isn't a holiday, my wife doesn't have so much leave to take vacations all the time and we don't spend so much so it's not like we are out to splurge during our stay in Paris or Houston. Simply put, our stay in Paris hasn't been a 4 month holiday. It's living in Paris for 4 mths. We lived like how we lived in SG. A normal daily routine with some outings/travel. And we will do this in US as well. Mostly her work and a daily routine, and probably some trips around US during our time there. So yea... next few months, after all the stuff has been confirmed, we'll need to shut down our current place, pack all our stuff again, cancel all our subscription plans, probably move to a hotel for a week after we handover the apartment. And we haven't even had the opportunity to travel much around Europe yet. Maybe we can squeeze in one last trip but my wife has limited leave opportunities due to her work responsibilities. Anyway, that's my story for today. Let's see how things work out as her posting becomes clearer and we get more details about the move. <// NEXT
POST>>
Did you like this post? If so, could you "blanjah" me 1/4 cup of my morning coffee pls.
You may also consider subscribing to receive the articles in your email, link in the column on the right. 1 Comment
<This is the link to my first post... how it all started...
Mindset changes
throughout the years How I make use of my wife AUTHOR
Male, born in 1982.
INTP
Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques of the industry. Inspired by MMM and ERE .
Decided to embark on a mission to retire early in Singapore, a place where such an idea is considered impossible. As I believe that life has a lot more to offer instead of just a working career. I've decided to start a blog to note down my journey to achieve this mission and help others along the way who are willing to listen and try doing things differently from everyone else. I have decided to remain anonymous until I finally am able to actually retire, reason being that this idea might not gel well with the company which I am working for currently and also to avoid real life flaming from people who say that such ideas are impossible and that an individual is lazy for choosing early retirement instead of contributing to society in the form of labour. More about me
.
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POST>>
Did you like this post? If so, could you "blanjah" me 1/4 cup of mymorning coffee pls.
You may also consider subscribing to receive the articles in your email, link in the column on the right.6 Comments
LEAVING PARIS
17/10/2019
1 Comment
Ok, so I said something about this last post. Well I've been here for 4 mths and a few days. Couple of weeks back, my wife has some changes in her company and well... we have to leave Paris... to Houston. Yes, Houston... Texas... USA... So in a couple of months, by latest Feb 2020, we should be in Houston. I've a bit of mixed feelings about this. Paris has been good to me. Free food, convenient. Food is available downstairs almost everyday just 100m away from where I stay. Most living expenses are covered by her company so we don't really need tospend much.
Language has been a small barrier. There's no real issue except when we need to handle stuff like applying for our mobile lines and stuff like that. But after that's been set up, we don't really need to converse in French much. So I'd say staying in Paris has been comfortable. Of course I'd rather go home to SG. Cos of my other comforts at home, like my own place, friends and family, cheap food, free food, etc. It's not that Paris is bad, but I like SG. And it's not that SG is perfect, I'm just more familiar with it.
Moving to the US... well, at least everything is in English so that'sa plus point.
I will need to get a vehicle, cos everything is so far apart and transportation is not like a city. Houston doesn't have a really efficient public transportation system. We should get a car allowance so... the cost should be defrayed a bit. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get free food, so I'll just have to gothere to see.
What I think about this move to Houston is pretty much... I'm thinking that it's probably/hopefully my last move. Something like primary school, then secondary school, then uni... So I'm thinking when I leave Paris, one of the phases is over and we'll be moving on to the next phase and probably I'll go home sooner. Now, I don't think Houston will be bad. It will probably be similar to Paris. It should be comfortable. We are a simple couple. We don't need much. As long as we have a place to stay, food to eat, clothes to wear, insurance, transport, we are pretty ok. So once my operations has been set up, within the first month or so, things should settle down. I hope... And once again for folks who think "Wow so lucky"... I'll repeat again, this isn't a holiday, my wife doesn't have so much leave to take vacations all the time and we don't spend so much so it's not like we are out to splurge during our stay in Paris or Houston. Simply put, our stay in Paris hasn't been a 4 month holiday. It's living in Paris for 4 mths. We lived like how we lived in SG. A normal daily routine with some outings/travel. And we will do this in US as well. Mostly her work and a daily routine, and probably some trips around US during our time there. So yea... next few months, after all the stuff has been confirmed, we'll need to shut down our current place, pack all our stuff again, cancel all our subscription plans, probably move to a hotel for a week after we handover the apartment. And we haven't even had the opportunity to travel much around Europe yet. Maybe we can squeeze in one last trip but my wife has limited leave opportunities due to her work responsibilities. Anyway, that's my story for today. Let's see how things work out as her posting becomes clearer and we get more details about the move.<// NEXT
POST>>
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<This is the link to my first post... how it all started...
Mindset changes
throughout the years How I make use of my wife AUTHOR
Male, born in 1982.
INTP
Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques of the industry. Inspired by MMM and ERE .
Decided to embark on a mission to retire early in Singapore, a place where such an idea is considered impossible. As I believe that life has a lot more to offer instead of just a working career. I've decided to start a blog to note down my journey to achieve this mission and help others along the way who are willing to listen and try doing things differently from everyone else. I have decided to remain anonymous until I finally am able to actually retire, reason being that this idea might not gel well with the company which I am working for currently and also to avoid real life flaming from people who say that such ideas are impossible and that an individual is lazy for choosing early retirement instead of contributing to society in the form of labour. More about me
.
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// NEXT
POST>>
Did you like this post? If so, could you "blanjah" me 1/4 cup of mymorning coffee pls.
You may also consider subscribing to receive the articles in your email, link in the column on the right.1 Comment
<This is the link to my first post... how it all started...
Mindset changes
throughout the years How I make use of my wife AUTHOR
Male, born in 1982.
INTP
Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques of the industry. Inspired by MMM and ERE .
Decided to embark on a mission to retire early in Singapore, a place where such an idea is considered impossible. As I believe that life has a lot more to offer instead of just a working career. I've decided to start a blog to note down my journey to achieve this mission and help others along the way who are willing to listen and try doing things differently from everyone else. I have decided to remain anonymous until I finally am able to actually retire, reason being that this idea might not gel well with the company which I am working for currently and also to avoid real life flaming from people who say that such ideas are impossible and that an individual is lazy for choosing early retirement instead of contributing to society in the form of labour. More about me
.
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Mindset changes
throughout the years How I make use of my wifeAUTHOR
Male, born in 1982.
INTP
Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques of the industry. Inspired by MMM and ERE.
Decided to embark on a mission to retire early in Singapore, a place where such an idea is considered impossible. As I believe that life has a lot more to offer instead of just a working career. I've decided to start a blog to note down my journey to achieve this mission and help others along the way who are willing to listen and try doing things differently from everyone else. I have decided to remain anonymous until I finally am able to actually retire, reason being that this idea might not gel well with the company which I am working for currently and also to avoid real life flaming from people who say that such ideas are impossible and that an individual is lazy for choosing early retirement instead of contributing to society in the form of labour.More about me
.
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