Mr Wow and I officially retired in February 2020. Can’t believe it’s been four years! It’s true that time flies when you’re having fun!  Anyway, I was reminiscing about our wealth building journey the other day and thought it appropriate to write something about the topic this month. As usual, I’ll be sharing our experience where relevant, in the hope that it might help you in some way.  In the pursuit of a fulfilling and abundant life, the importance of wealth accumulation cannot be overstated. Beyond mere material possessions, wealth provides security, gives us more freedom and cho ..read more

Let’s start with a short tale about a small fish from a small pond. It goes something like this: There once lived a small fish in a small pond. The small pond was just next to the massive sea, separated by narrow barriers of land. If the small fish wanted to, he could with some effort leap from the small pond into the neighbouring sea. But of course he didn’t. Why would he? The small pond was home and he felt safe and secure. Even when the weather got nasty and the waves crashed against the rocky barriers with a vengeance, the small pond and its inhabitants remained isolated from the chaos. Th ..read more

We are delighted to welcome our guest contributor, Rafael (aka Shield Investor) who will be sharing his experience moving from Lisbon to London. In recent years, Portugal has become an increasingly popular destination for relocation. The Internet has no shortage of useful information on moving from the UK to Portugal, but seldom have I come across articles that cover the other way around. So, this is what I will be sharing today: my personal experience relocating from Lisbon, Portugal to London, UK. Why I Relocated from Lisbon to London Cost of Rent in London vs Lisbon Cost of Utilities in Lo ..read more

Happy 2024! Cheers to a new year and positive new beginnings!  This year, I, Mrs Wow, resolve to exercise five times a week and have more fun in life.  What about you? Whatever you set out to accomplish, I know an incredible journey lies ahead of you.  If you feel the need for a dose of motivation, here are 10 uplifting quotes that will empower you to work towards your aspirations and bring them to fruition. 1. The best way to predict your future is to create it. — Abraham Lincoln Are you a mere spectator or an active participant in your own life? The truth is, many people are ..read more

It’s been a privilege for Mrs Wow to be featured in the December 2023 issue of the UK-based Shield’s Investing Newsletter. With the kind permission of the author, Rafael, here’s the interview for our readers. Hope you enjoy it! FIRE. Financial Independence, Retire Early. A concept many pray to achieve, but very few get there. Lynn, tell me a little bit about your background: where are you originally from and how did you find out about what is money and investing in the first place? I’m a Singaporean, 46, married for 22 years, no kids. My hubby and I achieved FIRE in early 2020. Prior to t ..read more

Retirement isn’t for me. I can’t imagine myself lying on the beach and sipping cocktails all day, every day. I’ll probably get bored out of my mind in less than a month. Why would anyone want to retire early? I’ll never retire! Not me. Does the above or some version of it sound familiar to you? I’ve personally heard it many times from my own father who says that he wants to work until he literally drops dead. He feels that the minute he stops work, he’ll probably go senile.  For my father, retirement will not be of his choosing. However, he did eventually retire from his 9-to-5 at the age ..read more

This is the second instalment of a two-part series on the cost of living in Singapore, the most expensive city in the world. Previously, I touched on how we tackle the high cost of housing. Now, let’s look at the cost of transport and food. Whichever country in the world you live in, housing and its related expenses (e.g. utilities and maintenance) are likely to account for the largest share of your monthly household spending. This is usually followed by food and transport. Here in Singapore, the overall prices of food are moderate to high depending on where and what you eat whi ..read more

This is the first instalment of a two-part series on the cost of living in Singapore, the most expensive city in the world. Part 1 looks at the cost of housing while Part 2 examines the cost of transport and food.  Although we’re a Singapore-based blog, most of our readers are from the US, Germany, Thailand, Canada and the UK.  If you’re not familiar with Singapore, I promise you that you’ll find this article interesting and highly informative as I’ll be sharing how we combat the high cost of living here, specifically in the area of housing. Singapore: Facts and Figures Cost of Hous ..read more

Woohoo! WowPursuits is one year old! Happy Blogivesary! This definitely calls for a celebration and what better way to celebrate this milestone than to publish our very first anniversary post. Yay!  Frankly, at this stage, we lack sufficient historical data that would make website information (from Google analytics) like page views per month, user engagement and traffic growth a meaningful endeavour. For now, it probably makes more sense to talk about our blogging experience — sort of a behind-the-scene look at what it’s like to start a blog and run it for a year. And more importantly, wh ..read more

Money is a powerful tool that enables us to buy things and experiences. Although it is not the only thing that matters, it can be used to create a life of financial stability and freedom. Unfortunately, many people struggle to make their money work for them and often feel overwhelmed by the complexities of managing their finances. The good news is that there are some secrets to successful money management that the wealthy have mastered over the years. In this article, we will explore five money secrets of the rich and how they can be applied to help you achieve greater financial success.  ..read more