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.

Is the Slowing Economy Really Going to Be That Bad for Singaporeans?
Opinion
Is the Slowing Economy Really Going to Be That Bad for Singaporeans?
Ask any Singaporean about the economy, and he’s likely to turn to you with a black face. Everybody knows the economy is in trouble, but what does that actually mean?...
7 December 2016
3 Ways to Obtain Cash to Get Your Business Off the Ground
Business
3 Ways to Obtain Cash to Get Your Business Off the Ground
You might believe that brilliant business idea of yours proves that you’re a genius, but guess what—ideas are a dime a dozen. Even your bovine colleague who grunts at you...
6 December 2016
Do Singaporean Millennials Really Have a Reason to Be Gloomy?
Opinion
Do Singaporean Millennials Really Have a Reason to Be Gloomy?
There are many good things to be said about Singaporeans—hard-working, unaggressive and rule-abiding. But cheery and optimistic are definitely not Singaporean traits.
5 December 2016
3 Ways Singaporeans Should Deal With 2017’s Slower Income Growth
Opinion
3 Ways Singaporeans Should Deal With 2017’s Slower Income Growth
The end of the financial year ranks right up there with Christmas on the scale of most-hotly-anticipated days, because for many employees it means it’s time to find out what...
5 December 2016
3 Very Cheap Holiday Destinations for Foodies
Travel
3 Very Cheap Holiday Destinations for Foodies
If there’s one thing a Singaporean loves more than shopping and eating on home ground, it’s shopping and eating on an overseas holiday. The thought of sitting down to a...
2 December 2016
4 People Who Are Sneakily Bringing You Down in Your Career
Career
4 People Who Are Sneakily Bringing You Down in Your Career
Everybody wants to meet that mentor who’ll haul them up to the pinnacle of their career. But instead, you often find that the people around you hold you back instead,...
2 December 2016
3 Spending Danger Zones That Will Make You Poorer This Christmas
Shopping
3 Spending Danger Zones That Will Make You Poorer This Christmas
Christmas is a time for opening presents in front of the fireplace, spreading the holiday cheer amongst friends, family and colleagues alike, and doing our bit to share with those...
1 December 2016
Here’s Why Every Runner in Singapore Needs to Sign Up For U Sports’ U Run All Access Package
Fitness & Beauty
Here’s Why Every Runner in Singapore Needs to Sign Up For U Sports’ U Run All Access Package
Secondary school kids complain like crazy about having to complete their 2.4 km run under the hot sun. But hey, at least it’s free!
1 December 2016
3 Reasons There are So Many Singaporean Victims of Internet Love Scams These Days
Opinion
3 Reasons There are So Many Singaporean Victims of Internet Love Scams These Days
The City of Love Singapore is not. We’re not people who wear our hearts on our sleeves. In fact, a Singaporean couple is more likely to get married when it’s...
29 November 2016
3 Steps To Transform Yourself From That Guy Who Knows Nobody To Someone With Tons of Business Contacts
Career
3 Steps To Transform Yourself From That Guy Who Knows Nobody To Someone With Tons of Business Contacts
We all have that friend who always has the best “lobang”, and who seems to bump into someone he knows every three seconds. These guys are never afraid of losing...
29 November 2016
3 Reasons Singapore Companies Are Still So Reluctant to Offer Formal Flexi-Work Arrangements
Career
3 Reasons Singapore Companies Are Still So Reluctant to Offer Formal Flexi-Work Arrangements
The Baby Bonus isn’t the only cash incentive that doesn’t seem to be working. The government’s Work-Life Grant, which attempts to persuade businesses to put in place formal flexi-work arrangements,...
29 November 2016
3 Ways Tertiary Students Can Keep Their School Holidays Cheap While Still Having Fun
Entertainment
3 Ways Tertiary Students Can Keep Their School Holidays Cheap While Still Having Fun
You’ve been slogging away during the school term, and now it’s finally the holidays. Woohoo. The only problem is that while your well-off peers are spending their parents’ money on...
28 November 2016
yoga singapore
Fitness & Beauty
4 Kinds of Inexpensive Group Workouts Singaporeans Can Join to Get in Shape
Groupthink is strong in Singapore. That’s why people here love queuing so much even if we don’t know what it’s for—there’s something about standing in line with a bunch of...
28 November 2016
4 Super Cheap Ways Anxious Singaporeans Can De-Stress
Career
4 Super Cheap Ways Anxious Singaporeans Can De-Stress
Spend an afternoon at Raffles Place, and you’ll feel the stress practically sticking to you. People run stoney-faced from the MRT station to their offices, from their offices to lunch...
25 November 2016
data roaming singapore
Budgeting
4 Ways Singaporeans Will Benefit From Having a 4th Telco
Hands up everyone who hates their telco for overcharging them every month for a pathetic amount of data, but is helpless because, uh, we only have three and it often...
24 November 2016
Here’s What Kind of Hotel Room $50 Will Get You in Various Cities All Over the World
Travel
Here’s What Kind of Hotel Room $50 Will Get You in Various Cities All Over the World
We all know finding a place to live in Singapore is freaking expensive, weak property market notwithstanding, especially considering living in a tent is officially illegal. But what about staying...
23 November 2016
Here’s How A Little Spending Can Make Your Life Better, But Only If You Do It Correctly
Budgeting
Here’s How A Little Spending Can Make Your Life Better, But Only If You Do It Correctly
$5 doesn’t take you very far in Singapore. It’s a sum of money you can spend without even realising it—on a tasteless meal at some cookie cutter food court that...
23 November 2016
3 Tips for Maximising Your Money on Your Year-End Overseas Trip
Travel
3 Tips for Maximising Your Money on Your Year-End Overseas Trip
The Christmas season brings to mind wintry scenes and happy families, chestnuts roasting on an open fire and presents under the tree.
22 November 2016
Here’s What Singaporeans Really Need To Know About Planning for Health Shocks
Health Insurance
Here’s What Singaporeans Really Need To Know About Planning for Health Shocks
Most Singaporeans have some awareness of how expensive falling sick can get here. But guess what—it seems like, for all our complaining, we’re still not fully aware of the financial...
22 November 2016
4 Ways Singaporeans Working Long Hours Can Keep Their Health and Sanity at the Office
Career
4 Ways Singaporeans Working Long Hours Can Keep Their Health and Sanity at the Office
Considering the amount of time Singaporeans spend buying and then renovating their homes, they don’t get to spend as much time in them as they might like.
21 November 2016
investment scams singapore
Opinion
4 Scams That Singaporeans Are Still Falling For and What You Should Know
Singaporeans are very proud of the fact that theirs is one of the safest cities in the world, often citing as proof their ability to walk around at 3 in...
21 November 2016
4 Scams Singaporeans Lose Money In That Aren’t Actually Illegal
Budgeting
4 Scams Singaporeans Lose Money In That Aren’t Actually Illegal
In Singapore, you might not find scammers at street markets who’ll try to charge you five times the actual price of an item, or street hawkers who harass you to...
17 November 2016
3 Things Parents Should Avoid Doing if They Don’t Want to Go Broke During the School Holidays
Family
3 Things Parents Should Avoid Doing if They Don’t Want to Go Broke During the School Holidays
As much as Singaporean parents are (I hope) happy to let their kids de-stress a little during the school holidays, if both are juggling full-time jobs, having the kids at...
17 November 2016
university students new year resolution
Education
Can’t Figure Out What to Study at Tertiary Level? Here are 3 Tips to Help You Decide
When I was at school, local JCs and secondary schools were notoriously bad at providing career guidance. Poly and university courses were pretty much chosen by default, meaning everyone just...
15 November 2016
3 Reasons Why Toys “R” Us is The One Retailer in Singapore That Will Never Shut Down
Opinion
3 Reasons Why Toys “R” Us is The One Retailer in Singapore That Will Never Shut Down
Retail businesses have had it bad in Singapore. Once-bustling malls now look like Lim Chu Kang on a Saturday night, and many once-ubiquitous retailers like John Little have left or...
14 November 2016