Finance Kaya Toast

Okies everyone, the time of the year to dish out those big fat red packets ( Hong Bao ) during Chinese New Year is upon us! (If you're a green advocate who prefer to give E-Hong Bao , that's fine too) A chance encounter with a friend who's also newly married inspired this article. Our conversation went something along the line of him lamenting "WAH BRO! This is damn shag. Giving Hong Bao  to my in-law side who has like a gazillion little kids made me consider going to JB to avoid the new year gathering!" Nodding away, I replied "Yea bro, I feel you man. Hmmm, I have a few thoughts that inform not just the amount that goes into the Hong Bao, but also how to make you feel better in the act of giving away those monies. Wanna hear me out?" He shrugged and sighed "Sure thing man, go ahead." Given that we're both in the same boat of giving Hong Bao for the first time in our lives, rather than receiving it, I thought I'll just give my two-cen...

Well, I can't believe its 2024. All the video-gaming, munching and meet-ups in December certainly transformed me into a SERIAL PROCRASTINATOR. Nevertheless, a late reflection on the financial nuggets learned from 2023 is better than none I guess. Off the couch playing virtual football matches and onto the laptop I come. 2023 has certainly been a rollercoaster ride for many investors. Inflation seem like an untamable beast, resulting in the Federal Reserve Board (FED) raising interest rates to a multi-decade high of 5.25% to 5.5% by the end of the year. You know inflation is a real concern when even Channel News Asia does a documentary titled "Why is my Economic Rice so Expensive? How can I Save Money?" back in November 2023. Meanwhile on the global front, Israel's retaliation against Hamas in October threatened to turn the conflict in the Gaza Strip into a potentially regional one. Meanwhile constant mumbling of a recession kept retail investors on their toes and the ...