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.

How to Go on a Week-long Holiday to Hong Kong For Less than $1,000
Travel
How to Go on a Week-long Holiday to Hong Kong For Less than $1,000
Singapore might be a paradise for shopping and eating, but if there’s one city in the world that beats us hands down, it’s Hong Kong. This city is even more...
29 April 2016
3 Biggest Reasons Singaporean Interns Fail to Get Job Offers   
Career
3 Biggest Reasons Singaporean Interns Fail to Get Job Offers  
Remember the first day of your first internship? Getting off the bus or MRT, gazing wide-eyed at the office buildings towering overhead, and feeling like an imposter in the office...
29 April 2016
18 SkillsFuture Courses That Could Help You Keep Your Job in 2016
Career
18 SkillsFuture Courses That Could Help You Keep Your Job in 2016
Previously on MoneySmart, we talked about some of the skills Singaporeans who actually care about their employability should probably look into building in 2016.
27 April 2016
Here’s How to Help a Loved One Who’s Been Retrenched Get Back on Their Feet
Career
Here’s How to Help a Loved One Who’s Been Retrenched Get Back on Their Feet
Losing your job when you’re young sucks, but not as much as it does when you’re middle aged, have a mortgage to pay off, a family to support or kids...
27 April 2016
Here’s How Much Renting a 3 Bedroom Apartment Costs in Major Cities Around the World
Property
Here’s How Much Renting a 3 Bedroom Apartment Costs in Major Cities Around the World
A lot has been said about how expensive property is in Singapore, blah blah blah, but the fact is that most Singaporeans will never ever have to worry about how...
26 April 2016
Give Yourself an Annual Financial Checkup By Doing These 4 Things
Budgeting
Give Yourself an Annual Financial Checkup By Doing These 4 Things
Despite the fact that Singaporeans fret so much about money issues, so many people do absolutely nothing about their finances other than show up at work each day.
21 April 2016
3 Things Married Couples in Singapore Should Do When Planning Their Finances
Wedding
3 Things Married Couples in Singapore Should Do When Planning Their Finances
So you’ve collected the keys to your HDB flat, and you have a deadline looming over your head—to register your marriage. Congratulations!
20 April 2016
3 Little Ways to Challenge Yourself to Boost Your Savings
Budgeting
3 Little Ways to Challenge Yourself to Boost Your Savings
Everyone “wishes” they could save more money. But if you’re not willing to give anything up to reach your savings goals, that’s yet another goal that’s going to join your...
18 April 2016
last minute travel singapore
Travel
3 Ways Being Flexible With Your Travel Plans Can Save You a Lot of Money
Singapore is such a small island it really isn’t that hard, or that expensive, to get out of it. You can take a bus out of the country from almost...
14 April 2016
How to Dress Fashionably in Singapore Without Going Broke
Shopping
How to Dress Fashionably in Singapore Without Going Broke
Gone are the days when the Singaporean uniform of choice was shorts and flip flops. These days, more and more fashionistas ply our streets, with 80% of those under the...
13 April 2016
7 Overseas Natural Attractions Singaporeans Can Visit Cheaply
Travel
7 Overseas Natural Attractions Singaporeans Can Visit Cheaply
The typical caricature of a Singaporean tourist is that guy stuffing his face at hotel buffets, googling for restaurants to visit and coming home with a suitcase full of shopping....
13 April 2016
How to Go on a Week-Long Holiday to Tokyo for Less Than $1,200
Travel
How to Go on a Week-Long Holiday to Tokyo for Less Than $1,200
Japan is one of those destinations that nobody can say a single bad thing about. It’s impeccably clean, the service is insanely attentive, and it’s rich with culture, entertainment and...
12 April 2016
staycation singapore
Travel
Staycations Vs Overseas Trips – Which Would You Rather Choose?
If travel means adventure and the great outdoors to you, you need to get out of Singapore to get that vacation feeling.
11 April 2016
5 Work Benefits Singaporeans Would Love to Receive
Career
5 Work Benefits Singaporeans Would Love to Receive
When you sign that employment contract, you could be selling your soul to a company that’s going to use and abuse you. So you’d better make sure you’re getting not...
11 April 2016
3 Big Challenges Every Freelancer or Self-Employed Person Faces and How to Deal
Career
3 Big Challenges Every Freelancer or Self-Employed Person Faces and How to Deal
If you’ve ever wished your boss would just cease to exist, you’re not alone—in a 2014 report, difficult bosses were cited as a big reason Singaporean employees wanted to quit...
8 April 2016
4 Affordable Kid-Friendly Overseas Vacation Spots for Singaporean Families
Travel
4 Affordable Kid-Friendly Overseas Vacation Spots for Singaporean Families
If an exciting vacation spot sounds to you like somewhere you can bungee jump, smoke weed legally or watch transexuals pole dance, you probably don’t have kids yet.
7 April 2016
4 Ways Your Gym Membership Could be Costing You Even More Money Than You Think
Fitness & Beauty
4 Ways Your Gym Membership Could be Costing You Even More Money Than You Think
Tarzan had abs without the use of a gym, but as Singaporeans who spend most of our time sitting in front of computers rather than swinging from tree to tree,...
7 April 2016
4 Ways to Feel Like a Tourist Without Leaving Singapore
Entertainment
4 Ways to Feel Like a Tourist Without Leaving Singapore
It’s not news that Singaporeans try to flee the country each time they have the chance. We all have that colleague who’s constantly going on weekend trips, even if it...
6 April 2016
4 Awesome Countries Where Singaporean Freelancers Who Want to Live Abroad Can Get a Long Stay Visa
Career
4 Awesome Countries Where Singaporean Freelancers Who Want to Live Abroad Can Get a Long Stay Visa
Sick of working with bosses who insist on face-time above all else and throw hissy fits whenever they try to apply for more than two days of leave in a...
6 April 2016
5 Travel Trends Singaporean Yuppies are Spending Big Money on These Days
Travel
5 Travel Trends Singaporean Yuppies are Spending Big Money on These Days
Despite the fact that Singaporean tourists are often spotted in shorts and slippers while holidaying in neighbouring countries, the affluent Singaporean tourist is actually quite fond of expensive activities that...
5 April 2016
featured entrepreneurs business ideas singapore
Career
4 Changes That May Encourage More Singaporean Entrepreneurs
The classic formula has worked well for two generations of Singaporeans—study hard and do well at school, enter the most prestigious university course you qualify for, and then be a...
5 April 2016
Young Singaporeans Who are Thinking of Signing Up For UOB’s New YOLO Credit Card Need to Read This First
Opinion
Young Singaporeans Who are Thinking of Signing Up For UOB’s New YOLO Credit Card Need to Read This First
We here at MoneySmart aren’t the sort to be swayed by marketing. That’s why we’re saying that in spite of the provocative branding of UOB’s YOLO credit card, targeted at...
4 April 2016
3 Ways Singaporeans Can Improve Their Relationships Without Spending a Single Cent
Budgeting
3 Ways Singaporeans Can Improve Their Relationships Without Spending a Single Cent
High maintenance, materialistic—these are words Singaporean men often use to describe their female counterparts, before they sigh with relief and think about all the money they’ve saved because they’ve been...
4 April 2016
5 Atas-Sounding Things It’s Possible to Do Cheaply In and Around Singapore
Entertainment
5 Atas-Sounding Things It’s Possible to Do Cheaply In and Around Singapore
Singapore to me might mean sweating it out under the hot sun, plates of char kway teow and Milo ping in a plastic bag. To you, it might mean $30...
2 April 2016
Singaporeans Show Again That Changes in Work Culture is What Will Impact Birth Rates, and Not Money
Opinion
Singaporeans Show Again That Changes in Work Culture is What Will Impact Birth Rates, and Not Money
So once again, it looks like raising Singapore’s dismal birth rate is a priority in this year’s Budget, just as it is every year. And just like every year, it...
31 March 2016