You suddenly receive an ALL CAPS email from your boss. You are told to do something immediately. No question asked. Do you trust your boss and do it right away? Or you think the email account has been hacked and delete the message? Will you at least go and verify? Such is the case two weeks ago when the CEO of a Silicon Valley startup received urgent messages from the … [Read more...]
How Budget 2023 broke my heart this Valentine’s Day
What's the worst that could happen on Valentine’s Day? No doubt it’s Budget 2023. The front desk was a sea of flowers and goodies. Yet, nothing was for me. The streets were crowded with lovebirds. But I was ineligible for love. The defeated soul went home alone depressed and drained. Still, they broke the bad news about paying more to buy private properties. From tomorrow … [Read more...]
Why people miss the big picture
If you observed the property market long enough, you would notice that homebuyers and investors tend to go with the flow. Many are ready to trust what others said and follow what most people do. However, believing a half-truth is what makes people lose sight of the big picture. We are often carried away by what is happening at this moment. After reading some headlines in the … [Read more...]
5 things we already know in 2023
As we step into 2023, we are greeted with higher prices, taxes and interest rates. What’s more, we have no idea since when good news has become bad news. The government gave every Singapore household $300 CDC vouchers because we have to pay 8 percent GST now. Healthy GDP growth means inflation is going to stay high. Even US stock prices drop on positive employment, consumer … [Read more...]
Can pay or can’t pay?
In 2022, mortgage rates have surged beyond our expectations. What if borrowers can’t pay? On November 25, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) published the Financial Stability Review 2022. It stated that most households appear to be resilient to interest rate shocks. The proportion of non-performing mortgage loans is likely to remain low. On the contrary, the OCBC … [Read more...]