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.

Here’s How To Handle Being Asked About Job Hopping in an Interview
Career
Here’s How To Handle Being Asked About Job Hopping in an Interview
So you’ve given your boss the shaft one time too many, and now your resume reveals what can only be politely called a “chequered past”. If your last two or...
31 August 2015
How Much are Singaporean Fresh Grads Getting in Terms of Starting Salary This Year?
Career
How Much are Singaporean Fresh Grads Getting in Terms of Starting Salary This Year?
The class of 2015 is about to go out and make their mark in the world, and according to a recent report, they have high hopes. 1 in 5 local...
28 August 2015
How to Look After Your Skin Without Spending a Fortune
Fitness & Beauty
How to Look After Your Skin Without Spending a Fortune
If the beauty industry one day decided to start selling face creams that claimed to make your facial features morph into those of a Kpop idol, you can bet there...
28 August 2015
home contents insurance singapore
Home Insurance
7 Things You Probably Don’t Know Your Home Contents Insurance Covers You For
Think about home contents insurance and visions of your block being burnt to the ground flash through your mind. Well guess what, more exotic things could happen—like a meteorite crashing...
26 August 2015
Don’t Make These 4 Mistakes When You Quit Your Job
Career
Don’t Make These 4 Mistakes When You Quit Your Job
We’ve all had those jobs we just couldn’t wait to leave. “Good luck, suckers,” we muttered under our breath as we surveyed the poor souls who hadn’t had the luck...
25 August 2015
4 Compelling Reasons Simplifying Your Accounts Can Help Improve Your Finances
Savings Accounts
4 Compelling Reasons Simplifying Your Accounts Can Help Improve Your Finances
As a kid, the only thing you had to worry about was whether your piggy bank was full or empty. Then you grew up, started signing up for bank accounts,...
24 August 2015
3 Weekend Activities You Can Enjoy For Free in Singapore
Entertainment
3 Weekend Activities You Can Enjoy For Free in Singapore
To some people, the weekend means fun and relaxation. But to their reluctant spouses, parents or friends, the mere mention of the phrase “TGIF” could be a warning that the...
21 August 2015
insurance singapore
Opinion
Should You Really Buy Insurance Based on Product Brochures and What the Agent Says?
The insurance product brochure tells you that this is a company that cares. No matter what happens, they’ll be there to catch you when you fall. Just sign up for...
20 August 2015
6 Smart Ways to Use Your Credit Cards to Get Travel Perks
Credit Cards
6 Smart Ways to Use Your Credit Cards to Get Travel Perks
If you’re like most people in Singapore, each time a long weekend rolls around you frantically search for ways and means to get out of the country. In recent years,...
19 August 2015
bali holiday
Travel
How to Go on a Week-Long Holiday to Bali for Less than $700
To those in other parts of the world, Bali is an exotic paradise where people go on spiritual journeys to find themselves. Or at least that’s what Eat, Pray, Love...
18 August 2015
Top 3 Concerns of Overseas Singaporeans Who Don’t Want to Return
Opinion
Top 3 Concerns of Overseas Singaporeans Who Don’t Want to Return
We might have one of the world’s most famous infinity pools and more shopping malls than you could ever hope to visit in this lifetime. Salaries in many industries here...
17 August 2015
5 Common Mistakes Made by Singaporeans in Search of Their Dream Home
Property
5 Common Mistakes Made by Singaporeans in Search of Their Dream Home
So you fell in love with the penthouse’s infinity pool or were bowled over by the sea view from the living room. But before you eagerly hand over the booking...
17 August 2015
social media poor beggar
Opinion
4 Ways Social Media Makes You Feel Like a Pauper
The common Singaporean complaint about not having enough money is, to a certain extent, a matter of perspective. Many of us make ourselves miserable not because we’re really poor, but...
15 August 2015
5 Jobs You Can Do From Home That Don’t Require Years of Training
Career
5 Jobs You Can Do From Home That Don’t Require Years of Training
Working from home might work for some, particularly those who are averse to taking showers, but not everyone decides to quit their day job just because they don’t like the...
14 August 2015
4 Psychological Hurdles That Prevent Singaporeans From Investing
Invest
4 Psychological Hurdles That Prevent Singaporeans From Investing
The huge gap between wages and cost of living in Singapore means Singaporeans need to make the most of the money they have. If you are content to let your...
13 August 2015
4 Things to Consider Before Buying the Most Expensive Home You Can Afford
Property
4 Things to Consider Before Buying the Most Expensive Home You Can Afford
As residents of the little country that could, we’re always looking upwards to the next best thing. Bought your first HDB flat? Great, now let’s look to upgrading to a...
12 August 2015
The Hidden Costs of Depression No One Knows About and How You Can Combat Them
Healthcare
The Hidden Costs of Depression No One Knows About and How You Can Combat Them
When Singaporeans think of mental health issues, images of crazy people in straitjackets come to mind. That’s why despite increasing numbers of Singaporeans being diagnosed with depression due to escalating...
12 August 2015
4 Things Employers Must Understand About Millennials in Singapore
Career
4 Things Employers Must Understand About Millennials in Singapore
Every day, in workplaces all over Singapore, the struggle between millennials and their baby boomer colleagues plays out. Older workers write off their younger subordinates for being entitled and flaky...
11 August 2015
hobbies singapore
Entertainment
5 Easy Ways to Make Your Hobbies Cheaper in Singapore
Even if your hobby isn’t flying your private jet or riding and grooming your pet horses, the most innocuous of interests can still end up costing a pretty penny. Just...
11 August 2015
4 Psychological Reasons People Get Addicted to Shopping in Singapore
Shopping
4 Psychological Reasons People Get Addicted to Shopping in Singapore
Hit up Orchard Road on a weekend and you’ll practically be crowdsurfing waves of shopping bag-toting Singaporeans as they try on outfits at H&M, stare wistfully at designer handbags at...
10 August 2015
6 Regular and Fun Events in Singapore That are Absolutely Free
Entertainment
6 Regular and Fun Events in Singapore That are Absolutely Free
There are some events in Singapore that so blatantly exist solely to rip people off of as much money as possible that I’m surprised they don’t just ask you to...
7 August 2015
3 Big Reasons More Singaporean Employers Should Let Their Employees Work From Home
Career
3 Big Reasons More Singaporean Employers Should Let Their Employees Work From Home
To Singaporean employers, perks usually mean things like a gym membership, medical insurance or being allowed to wear jeans on Casual Friday. But being allowed to work from home is...
6 August 2015
salary singapore
Career
4 Tips for Singaporeans Who Are Too Paiseh to Negotiate Their Salary
Directness is definitely not one of Singaporeans’ virtues. One only has to look on Stomp to see that passive-aggressive behaviour reigns instead of a straightforward approach. When it comes to...
5 August 2015
3 Sad Reasons Materialistic Singaporeans Live a Miserable Life
Opinion
3 Sad Reasons Materialistic Singaporeans Live a Miserable Life
You might not find too many Paris Hilton-lookalikes in Singapore, but that doesn’t mean that society at large doesn’t have its own brand of materialism. The Singapore of the past...
4 August 2015
6 Ways That You Can Look For a Job Like a Pro in Singapore
Career
6 Ways That You Can Look For a Job Like a Pro in Singapore
For many Singaporean employees, job hunting is like practising a sport—you have to do it all the time to keep yourself on your toes. That explains the high turnover rate...
4 August 2015