joannepoh

Articles by Joanne Poh

In my previous life, I was a property lawyer who spent most of my time struggling to get out of bed or stuck in peak hour traffic. These days, as a freelance commercial writer, I work in bed, on the beach, in parks and at cafes, all while being really frugal. I like helping other people save money so they can stop living lives they don't like.

Can Anything Be Done to Make Tourists Spend More Money in Singapore?
Opinion
Can Anything Be Done to Make Tourists Spend More Money in Singapore?
Singapore’s most iconic landmarks were created to attract tourists. The Marina Bay Sands integrated resort and Gardens by the Bay were built with the goal of drawing tourists to the...
4 May 2017
fixed deposit linked home loans singapore en bloc
Property
4 Ways to Make Sure Your Old HDB Flat is a Decent Retirement Asset
There’s been a lot of talk lately about how older HDB flats are an unwise purchasing decision.
2 May 2017
3 Things That Might Actually Lure Singaporeans Back to Orchard Road
Opinion
3 Things That Might Actually Lure Singaporeans Back to Orchard Road
“Orchard Road is ‘kind of boring’”, ran a recent Straits Times headline. And for once, they hit the nail on the head sans sugar coating.
26 April 2017
As a Freelancer, Here are 3 Headaches the People In Your Life Give You
Career
As a Freelancer, Here are 3 Headaches the People In Your Life Give You
The number of freelancers in Singapore is steadily rising, and guess what, they’re not all Grab/Uber drivers.
26 April 2017
4 Reasons to Pick a New HDB Flat Over an Older One
Property
4 Reasons to Pick a New HDB Flat Over an Older One
When looking for an HDB flat to buy, you’ll probably have noticed one thing: if you want a flat in a desirable, central area, you’re stuck choosing between old, expensive...
25 April 2017
4 Effective Ways to Stop Falling Prey to Impulse Shopping
Shopping
4 Effective Ways to Stop Falling Prey to Impulse Shopping
You did not plan to have an empty bank account any more than you planned to not win this year’s Toto Hongbao Draw. Despite our best intentions, we are often...
20 April 2017
4 Roadblocks Singaporean Women Face at Work
Career
4 Roadblocks Singaporean Women Face at Work
Women’s rights are a sensitive issue in Singapore. Any argument that women face sexism, whether at work or in their personal lives, tends to get overshadowed by the retort that...
20 April 2017
4 Expensive Entertainment Fads Singaporeans are Flocking to On Weekends
Shopping
4 Expensive Entertainment Fads Singaporeans are Flocking to On Weekends
Anyone who complains there’s nothing to do in Singapore is wrong. There’s loads to do here—so long as you don’t mind spending tons of money to hop on the latest...
19 April 2017
4 Lifestyle Choices That Will Raise Your Cost of Living in the Long-Term
Opinion
4 Lifestyle Choices That Will Raise Your Cost of Living in the Long-Term
Remember that one time you decided to buy that diamond-encrusted watch/life-size blow-up doll/virtual reality home entertainment system that cost you thousands of dollars?
19 April 2017
cardup singapore
Credit Cards
4 Questions to Ask Before You Apply for That Credit Card
Got a wallet with enough slots to fit a 25-year-old kidult’s Pokemon card collection? Then you’ve already signed up for quite a few credit cards of your own. When you...
17 April 2017
Planning to Work For as Long as You Can? Here are 3 Tips
Career
Planning to Work For as Long as You Can? Here are 3 Tips
When former MP Lim Boon Heng urged Singaporeans to “work for as long as you can,” his comment was met with sneers. Singaporeans already know that in a couple of...
17 April 2017
4 Things Employers Do That Make Their Employees Less Productive
Career
4 Things Employers Do That Make Their Employees Less Productive
Productivity is a dirty word in Singapore. Employees here already work the longest hours in the world, yet businesses keep getting told they need to be even more productive. So,...
13 April 2017
4 Money Goals to Achieve Before You Graduate
Opinion
4 Money Goals to Achieve Before You Graduate
Thought the class of 2016 had it bad? Well, the class of 2017 will be graduating at a time when redundancies are as high as they’ve been in 7 years.
11 April 2017
5 Things That Would Really Help Retrenched PMETs
Career
5 Things That Would Really Help Retrenched PMETs
It’s a good thing that the unemployment rate has been so low for so many years. (Even right now, when redundancies are at a 7 year high, the unemployment rate...
11 April 2017
6 Awesome and Affordable Destinations in China You Can Take a Budget Flight To
Travel
6 Awesome and Affordable Destinations in China You Can Take a Budget Flight To
China is one of the countries that Singaporeans like to pretend they know. Not only is the majority of our population of Chinese descent, but we live amongst and interact...
7 April 2017
3 Uncomfortable Money Moments Filial Singaporeans Might Face
Family
3 Uncomfortable Money Moments Filial Singaporeans Might Face
Filial piety is highly valued by mainstream society in Singapore. Without a proper pension system, it falls upon adult children to support their parents in old age if the latter...
7 April 2017
4 Networking Mistakes Singaporeans Tend to Make
Career
4 Networking Mistakes Singaporeans Tend to Make
Networking events are just as awkward and unappealing as Chinese New Year visits to disliked relatives.
6 April 2017
Super Kiasu About Saving Money on Flights? Skyscanner Shows You When the Best Time to Book Your Flight Is
Travel
Super Kiasu About Saving Money on Flights? Skyscanner Shows You When the Best Time to Book Your Flight Is
Part of being kiasu is doing everything in advance, whether it’s beginning to prepare your kid for Harvard once he turns three, queuing up the night before for the release...
5 April 2017
Should You Book Hotels Through Third Party Sites Like Booking and Agoda?
Travel
Should You Book Hotels Through Third Party Sites Like Booking and Agoda?
The days when travel agents would sell flight-and-hotel packages are deader than the dinosaurs.
4 April 2017
Is it Better to Pay Using Cash or Credit Card?
Credit Cards
Is it Better to Pay Using Cash or Credit Card?
According to some people, credit cards are of the devil. It’s almost if the moment that piece of plastic appears in your wallet, you are doomed right from the start.
3 April 2017
4 Ways to Protect Yourself From Retrenchment in Singapore
Career
4 Ways to Protect Yourself From Retrenchment in Singapore
Recently, a friend of mine who’s been working at a bank for more than 10 years told me she’s been thinking of alternative career plans in case she gets retrenched.
3 April 2017
Don’t Quit Your Job to Chase Your Dreams Until You’ve Considered These 4 Things
Career
Don’t Quit Your Job to Chase Your Dreams Until You’ve Considered These 4 Things
Feel like a corporate drone? Fit the profile of what they call a “millennial”? Then you must have at some point bought into the narrative about “finding your passion”.
31 March 2017
4 Super Common Money Wasters in Singapore
Opinion
4 Super Common Money Wasters in Singapore
Scrutinise the spending habits of any man on the streets and you’re sure to find items that make you snigger. But hey, just as you might judge somebody for spending...
31 March 2017
4 Ideas for Raising the Birthrate in Singapore
Family
4 Ideas for Raising the Birthrate in Singapore
The Singapore government prides itself on getting things done. It’s transformed the economy over a matter of decades, blah blah. But the one big, glaring failure has been the inability...
30 March 2017
4 High-Paying Jobs That Don’t Require Degrees
Career
4 High-Paying Jobs That Don’t Require Degrees
There’s a reason Singaporean kids wear such thick glasses and are more likely to be seen labouring over assessment books than frolicking at a playground. The wage gap between degree...
30 March 2017