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Worth spending 10 minutes reading it..... Yahoo news: 3 Big Money Mistakes Singaporeans in Their 30s are Making When you’re in your twenties, if you aren’t lucky enough to have a trust fund or a business to inherit, chances are you’re either scrambling to find a job or to find yourself. But you should have everything figured out by the time you’re 30… right? I’m not sure if it’s something in the water, but it seems like lots of the 30-somethings around me still haven’t quite gotten their act together. In fact, despite earning a lot more than they were in their 20s, it seems like more and more 30-somethings are getting mired in debt. I have a sneaking suspicion the following money mistakes have something to do with it. Let’s find out. Spending too much on their weddingsSpeak with a typical Singaporean 30-something in a relationship and there’s an 80% chance they’ll start talking about marriage and complaining about the high cost of wedding banquets. In fact, it’s become standard practice in Singapore to spend an average of $50,000 on a wedding, with many going up to $90,000. Truth be told, many of the grooms-to-be I’ve spoken to haven’t even been that keen on splashing out on a lavish wedding, gloomily stating that it’s their fiancees who want a dream wedding and they have no choice but to go along with it. Shane, a 30-year-old bank analyst, is going to tie the knot next year. “While I would prefer to have a smaller, more inexpensive wedding, my fiancee has a very large family and wants to have a hotel wedding banquet, so I’m bracing myself for the cost,” he says. Falling deeper into consumer debt instead of digging themselves out of itIn countries where young people move out of their parents’ homes during university or at least once they get their first jobs, the 20s are a time of being broke and paying off student loans, while in their 30s most start enjoying greater financial stability. In Singapore, however, for many people the opposite is true, as they continue to live under their parents’ roofs until well into their 20s. It is only when they start working, which can be as late as the mid to late 20s for those who have advanced degrees or males who do national service, that they are suddenly forced to bear the financial responsibility of supporting aged parents or purchasing property. That, and the persistent lifestyle inflation that dogs the young and upwardly mobile, has resulted in high levels of consumer debt amongst 30-somethings. Penelope, a 34-year-old HR executive, has recently run into cash flow issues. She goes on overseas vacations twice a year during the school holidays together with her husband and three kids to locations such as London and LA. Each time, the family spends close to $10,000. While she was mostly credit card-debt free in her 20s, she now has a credit card balance which she rolls over each month. “My family has grown, but my husband and I continue to be the only ones bringing in money. As a result, our spending has increased quite a bit.” she says. It’s not just those with kids who face credit card debt. Albert, a 31-year-old bank executive, carries about $10,000 worth of credit card debt, which is more than 2 months’ worth of salary. He survives by paying only the minimum sum each month. Most of his debt was chalked up while spending on food, drinks and entertainment. In fact, a recent report showed that one in five credit card holders in Singapore now pays only the minimum sum each month. And a fast-growing segment of the population with revolving debt consists of women aged 30 and above. Orchard Road might have something to do with it…. Overcommitting to houses and carsIn your 20s, most of your peers are still living at home and taking the MRT. But once you hit the big 3-oh, you look around and realise that more and more of your friends are buying property and driving cars. This sudden shift has led to many 30-somethings committing to property and car purchases that are really a bit more than they can afford. Many of the 30-somethings I’ve spoken to who’ve recently started paying for their own properties have admitted that their finances are tight and leave no room for error or accident. While the TDSR framework aims to stop people from overstretching themselves, it fails to consider their day-to-day expenses, which can amount to quite a bit. In addition to paying her home loan installments, Belinda, a 30-year-old bank executive, also gives her parents $1,000 a month, spends about $1,000 a month on her car and has personal expenses of about $2,000 a month. She depleted most of her savings to make the downpayment on her new condo unit and is now treading dangerous waters. “Basically, I can’t afford to stop working for many years to come,” she says. “I’m not really worried about losing my job as things are going well at work, but then again anything is possible.” (Names have been changed to protect the identity of respondents.) Link: https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/3-big-money-mistakes-singaporeans-160000290.html

I will show you what is really BIG hahaha behold and sit tight ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMLPJqeW78Q

Recently, many deep sea creatures appeared in California beaches. Ancient believes that when creatures / animals leaving their habitats, its indicating that an earthquakes are coming. Animals can sense the magnetic fields changes and leave their habitats to escape. Scientist in NatGeo had indicated that the 'Big' quake is due around every 75,000 years and they are expecting anytime soon on California Tectonic Plates From Yahoo News : Rare and frightening footballfish washes up in California – again At first, the black blob spotted between rocks along the shores of San Diego this week was mistaken for a ball of tar. But as a concerned surfer approached, it became clear that this was something special. The finned creature had a gaping underbite that revealed nightmarish spiny teeth, small black eyes, a tentacle-covered appendage and bulb protruding from its head. Scientists at University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography swiftly identified it as a Pacific football fish, a deep-sea dweller so rare that only 31 specimens have been found in more than a century since it was first discovered. The recent find, however, marked an even more remarkable moment. The Pacific footballfish is the third to wash ashore in California this year, a highly unusual event given its extreme reclusiveness. At this point, no one knows how or why the fish appeared – but scientists are excited about the opportunity to learn more. “The fact that a few washed up this year might just be serendipity for us,” said Ben Frable, an ichthyologist and the Collection Manager of Fishes at Scripps Institution of Oceanography who is examining and preserving the fish. He dismissed the idea that this was an indication that something was amiss. If that was the case, he said, there would be many more. But the two that were recovered this year (a third was photographed on the beach but disappeared before scientists got to the scene) are already offering the chance of new insights about the species. Related: Fangs and tentacles: rarely seen deep sea fish washes up on California beach

WC is over so I'm quite boliao.. Recently see around my neighbourhood and on the roads got quite a few bmw / mercs or SUVs with P-plate. Just wondering if this is unique in SG given our car prices. In US and UK new drivers can easily get an old beat up used car for <$1k to practise with. For mcfers who started out with b&b cars and have upgraded to contis/SUVs or performance cars over the years, do you feel that driving b&b at the start made you a better and more confident driver in your bigger/faster car today? If you could go back in time with unlimited money, would you have jumped straight into a performance car once you got your licence? For those who have been lucky enough to drive a 'big' or 'powerful' car once you got your licence, upon reflection, would you have preferred to gain more experience first with something smaller and less powerful? Just for discussion..

Hi, read Sunday times today. This guy called Ronald K supposedly "mastered" the way how to make big bucks from trading. Anyone knows him or went for his course?

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/maid-who-won-23m-lottery-accused-of-stealing-ticket Ppl remember their big sweep number to repork police one meh?