Are you guilty of always buying the cheapest travel insurance policy you can get your hands on? I know I am. After all, they more or less cover the same things, like travel delays, lost luggage, and medical expenses…that’s what most of us think, right? Well, if you have pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or asthma—you might want to think twice.  It may come as a surprise to you, but pre-existing medical conditions are often not covered under a standard travel insurance plan. Even if the plan includes S$200,000 medical coverage, you might not be able to ..read more

Petrol stations are always the reliable, dependable stops that you can count on when you’re in need of some juice for your car, no matter the hour.  But beyond their fundamental function of providing petrol, some offer much more.  Take Shell petrol stations, for instance. They’ve become a one-stop shop that offers way more than just petrol. In addition to snacks and essential items at the convenience store, there are also car servicing facilities and even a loyalty programme that offers rewards to drive up your savings.  Let’s explore the 5 hidden gems at Shell petrol stations ..read more

You know what’s special about the Jun 2024 HDB Build-To-Order (BTO) launch? It’s going to be the last BTO launch ever that’s under the mature vs non-mature housing estate model. That old classification system is going to be defunct in BTO launches after Jun 2024. As PM Lee (who’s also on his way out as PM!) announced during last year’s National Day Rally, BTO flats will adopt a Standard-Plus-Prime model from H2 2024. So if you for some reason want to avoid the new model, this is your last chance to buy a BTO flat. The good news is that you’re in the right place to get acquainted with what the ..read more

The other night, I came across a YouTube video of John Mayer interviewing Ed Sheeran about his watch collection. The video was over an hour long and I told myself I’d just watch the first 5–10 minutes. Before I knew it, half an hour had passed—I was hooked. At around the 16:40 mark, Mayer brings our attention to Sheeran’s Audemars Piguet White Ceramic QP Piece Unique. In non-horological plain English, that’s a very valuable watch from a very reputable watchmaker (it’s one of the Holy Trinity) that AP customised for Sheeran, making his bespoke piece the only one of its kind in the world. Imag ..read more

Would you put your trust in Trust? The local digital bank is backed by a partnership between Standard Chartered Bank and FairPrice Group, so it’s safe to say that it’s not going to disappear with our money. Which means taking a loan from it should be ok… right? Well, with loans, it all depends on what you need a loan for, any fees to pay, and how much you can pay back, with interest. Let’s see how Trust Bank’s Instant Loan fares. Trust Bank Instant Loan application criteria Before we go into what’s different, here’s the eligibility criteria: Be a Singaporean citizen or permanent resident Be ..read more

I grew up with unlimited pocket money. I know. That sounds kinda crazy to me too—at least now as an adult. But back then, when I was a kid in school, I didn’t think anything of it. In the blissful throes of childhood without bills to pay and salaries to earn, the most important things in my life were probably my cat (still true now), High School Musical, and getting MP3s of my favourite songs into my phone from my classmates via Bluetooth. Money was never on my mind. It’s not that I didn’t care about money or understand its value. If I were that ignorant, I would have splurged my way into hav ..read more

Let’s face it, Singapore isn’t exactly known for being cheap. With GST sitting at 9% and the cost of groceries, transport, and housing constantly rising, we need to be more strategic with our money. To make things more challenging, our salaries just can’t seem to catch up. Inflation is at a multi-year high, effectively shrinking the value of our hard-earned dollars. In 2023 alone, salaries in Singapore suffered a 1.5% drop—although there’s some hope that they’ll increase by 0.5% in 2024.  Most of us want to cut back on our expenses and build up our savings accounts. A survey by YouGov on ..read more

The coolest festival with the hottest music acts is washing up on our shores. Waterbomb Singapore 2024 is South Korea’s biggest water music festival, and it’s coming to Singapore for the first time this Aug 2024! If you’ve always wanted to dance in the rain over the soundtrack of your favourite Korean music, this is probably the closest you’re going to get. The 2-day festival will be held at Siloso Beach on 24 and 25 Aug 2024, and is expected to draw a crowd of 20,000 festival-goers from Singapore and the region. Whew, that’s a lot of people. Are ticket sales for this beach party going to be ..read more

Interest rates were at an all-time high in 2023, which raised the rates for fixed deposits and T-bills. If you were quick to capitalise on the generous rates, you probably locked in some fantastic returns for the next year or two and may be happy to let your money grow there.  But many of us will have our fixed deposits and T-bills maturing soon. What do we do then? Lock our money in for 6 months or another two years?  With rising costs, some of us may want to keep our savings liquid. If that’s what we do, where can we stash our cash? Consider growing your savings with Trust Trust B ..read more

In this compact city-state, getting from point A to point B is always an adventure. On Singapore roads, you’ll often encounter a diverse mix of drivers—from the professionals navigating the city’s traffic during peak hours to the laid-back souls leisurely exploring its windy roads at the coasts. Not to mention, motorcyclists weaving through our streets and cyclists pedalling along add to the colourful driving landscape.  Your driving habits can reveal a lot about your personality. Say you’re stuck in a stationary traffic jam for 30 minutes now, do you crank up the radio and practic ..read more