The DollarsAndSense Podcast DollarsAndSense

The "5Cs of Singapore" refer to cash, car, credit card, condominium, and country club membership. In the 1990s, these items became not just objects of desire, but symbols of success, prestige, and social standing. But why were these particular items chosen to represent success, and are they still relevant today?DollarsAndSense explores how the 5Cs have evolved as a result of Singapore's economic development, and the broader implications of the 5Cs philosophy in modern society.Read the article...

During his Budget 2024 speech, DPM Lawrence Wong admitted that the outlook for 2024 is mixed – with looming geopolitical risks. In lieu of this, he rolled out a slew of new support measures for both individuals and businesses. These measures covered a wide range of policies and schemes such as SkillsFuture and CPF.In this episode of the DollarsAndSense Podcast, we discuss 4 of the biggest and most surprising announcements, and how they will affect Singaporeans financially.Read more about the ...

#TheGreatResignation has turned into #TheGreatRetrenchment in the past 12 months, with tech workers being one of the groups that have been most affected. In this conversation about retrenchment, popular content creator and tech worker, Jeraldine Phneah, shares her recent retrenchment experience. Jeraldine also explained why companies sometimes lay off good performers and how workers can recover from this setback. 3:10: Why do some companies retrench workers who are performing well, ...

CPF contributions was a prominent part of Budget 2023. The CPF Annual Salary Ceiling will be raised from $6,000 to $8,000 by 2026. CPF contributions will also increase for senior workers above 54 to 70, while Platform Workers will start receiving CPF contributions from the tail-end of 2024.Employers will also have to focus on employee productivity. DPM Lawrence Wong mentioned that guidelines will be put in place for flexible work arrangements. Working fathers can now enjoy up to 4 weeks of Pa...

The price of gold has held up well over the long-term. This makes it a good investment to combat inflation and geopolitical uncertainties – which are creating volatility in the markets currently. In the podcast we look at how gold has held up during near-term uncertainties as well, such as recent wars and recessions. We also need to go about buying gold. We can invest in gold ETFs, similar to how we buy and sell stocks on the exchange. However, gold does not produce income, while there i...

Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) has become an increasingly relevant topic around the world. While it’s not hard to guess what it refers to – buying something today and paying for it at some point in the future – we look at what really makes it different to credit cards.Beyond just that comparison, another layer to the discussion is how ethical is it for BNPL companies, which are typically not regulated, to encouraged their customers to take on debt. This is especially since their users can be more v...