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.

Want To Retire Earlier? Singaporeans Should Do These 3 Things
Budgeting
Want To Retire Earlier? Singaporeans Should Do These 3 Things
Ever had one of those days when you were so tired from work at the end of the day that you could barely even muster the energy to change out...
14 December 2016
Here’s How Top-Earning Millennials in Singapore Feel About Work and Money
Opinion
Here’s How Top-Earning Millennials in Singapore Feel About Work and Money
A lot has been said about millennials in Singapore, mostly in the form of snide remarks from the older generation about the “strawberry generation”. But don’t think that all millennials...
13 December 2016
3 Things All Kiasee Singaporeans Should Do to Protect Themselves in the Economic Slowdown
Opinion
3 Things All Kiasee Singaporeans Should Do to Protect Themselves in the Economic Slowdown
We all have that super kiasu friend or colleague who always, always chooses to err on the side of caution because he’s afraid some catastrophe will befall him.
13 December 2016
3 Reasons Singaporeans Choose to Rent Out Their Homes on Airbnb Rather Than Doing it the Legal Way
Property
3 Reasons Singaporeans Choose to Rent Out Their Homes on Airbnb Rather Than Doing it the Legal Way
Singaporeans are usually law-abiding folk because everyone’s so darned scared they’ll be caught and their future ruined.
12 December 2016
6 Clichéd Christmas Gifts Singaporeans are Sick of Receiving
Opinion
6 Clichéd Christmas Gifts Singaporeans are Sick of Receiving
For many people (mostly those under the age of 12), Christmas is when all your dreams come true, especially if those dreams involve a Nintendo 3DS or a new iPhone.
12 December 2016
Are You Suffering From Burnout at Work? Here’s What You Can Do
Career
Are You Suffering From Burnout at Work? Here’s What You Can Do
There are lots of things about Singapore that are open to debate—whether our hawker food is really that good, whether there’s a thriving arts scene, whether you should be sent...
12 December 2016
How to Enjoy a Week-long Holiday in Vienna For Under $1,400
Travel
How to Enjoy a Week-long Holiday in Vienna For Under $1,400
Hands up all those Singaporeans who were forced to endure piano or violin lessons as kids! Chances are you struggled to play your way through those Mozart pieces, and silently...
9 December 2016
5 Very Valid Reasons Adult Singaporeans Have for Continuing to Live With Their Parents
Family
5 Very Valid Reasons Adult Singaporeans Have for Continuing to Live With Their Parents
Expats often look upon adult Singaporeans living with their parents with a mixture of disgust and scorn, regarding them as overgrown babies and freeloaders who are taking advantage of their...
9 December 2016
4 Reasons You Need to Be Financially Prudent Despite a Steady Paycheck
Budgeting
4 Reasons You Need to Be Financially Prudent Despite a Steady Paycheck
On the surface, Singaporeans don’t look like glass-is-half-full, optimistic rays of sunshine. We’ve gained a reputation for being kiasee worriers who always anticipate the worst.
8 December 2016
If Singapore’s Average Wealth Per Adult is So High, Why Don’t Most Singaporeans Feel Rich?
Opinion
If Singapore’s Average Wealth Per Adult is So High, Why Don’t Most Singaporeans Feel Rich?
So, apparently Singaporeans are some of the world’s wealthiest people. If this recent report is to be believed, the average household wealth in Singapore is 277,000 USD (394,000 SGD).
7 December 2016
If Only Singapore Employers Did These 3 Things, Their Employees Would be More Engaged at Work
Career
If Only Singapore Employers Did These 3 Things, Their Employees Would be More Engaged at Work
Look around your office on a Monday morning, and the first adjective that immediately jumps out at you is, “SIAN”. You find yourself in a sea of black faces, all...
7 December 2016
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