SGFireCouple

If you could have a chance to talk to your younger self - what would you say to them? I’m not a good writer so I told chatGPT to do it for me knowing what I am based on what info I fed it. It wrote so amazingly I sent to my wife and she said I should post it because it’s so meaningful. Pardon me if chatGPT did it a bit more dramatically but as I was looking back I really teared. Because I felt that I’ve really been through a lot to be where I am today. And again, this is a space where I’m brave enough to be vulnerable because like everyone here - I’m also just a human. Thanks for the constant support and love and I’ll continue to grow, to be strong, to evolve and be a better version of myself with every challenge that comes along the way! #reflections #lifelessons #resilience #personalgrowth #progressnotperfection

Was doing some book keeping and decided to update our family spendings since there are some changes to our expenses - such as reduction in insurance policies and school fees. Common question that I face, why my monthly petrol so cheap? because we mainly take train to work and car is only for our leisure activities. I typically drive around 5-600km per month (severely underutilized) and I drive an Audi A3 which is excellent in fuel consumption. Groceries are mainly for food, we usually cook once per day at home for dinner. My helper has been with me for 5 years thus the salary given is slightly higher than your average salary outside. But she’s a blessing so I’m happy to pay her more if she continues staying! Do you have any question? Drop me a comment below. :)

Hey my lovely community! Took me some time but I finally put together the entire timeline on the when and how of my Lymphoma Diagnosis so people can have better clarity. A few have asked if I have any symptoms, I did not have any other symptoms except for the lump on my right neck. I was feeling fatigue but I attributed it to my work. There are symptoms that others might experience like unexplained weight loss, rashes, night sweat, recurring fever, difficulty in breathing etc. If you still have any questions, let me know~ Otherwise, wish me the best of luck and strength for my full treatment tomorrow onwards!

💼 Career Progression Over 12 Years: What I Did Right I’ve had a lot of people ask me about my career growth, so here it is. Over the last 12 years, I’ve moved across different roles, earned a few promotions, and picked up valuable lessons along the way. Here’s what I believe helped me get to where I am today: 🔥 Making Your Presence Known Not by being dumb, coming in late and making a scene, but by being vocal to the people that matter - especially decision-makers for promotions and increments. If no one knows the impact you’re making, don’t expect to be rewarded. 🔥 Saying YES to Opportunities No matter how tough it seemed, I said yes. Two years ago, I was offered a management role - the downside? Traveling 4 days to KL every 2 weeks. My best friends told me to say no, especially since I had two young kids. But I took the leap. The upside is I no longer had to run individual sales and found new areas of growth - grooming a team. 🔥 Mastering Communication & Stakeholder Management Be bold enough to ask your management out for dinner or drinks - not to suck up, but to understand their vision. ✔️ Why are they making certain decisions? ✔️ What’s their feedback on you? ✔️ How can you upskill to add more value? Beyond this, I’ve spoken to 10,000+ candidates over the years as a recruiter and learned directly from senior leaders. I was also fortunate to have mentors who shaped me into who I am today. At the end of the day, we are no longer in an era where just working hard & having long tenure guarantees a promotion. People who create impact and make their presence known will ALWAYS stand a better chance. If you have any questions, comment down below!👇 #careergoals #success #corporatelife #progression #personalbranding

Hey Everyone! So after yesterday’s poll which most of you said yes to - this is a repost of the Bali expenses for our family back in Apr 2024! I woke up on a random weekday telling my wife I dreamt of us traveling to BKK and she said “Wah feels nice hor?” So I said shall we go? When she said? I said how about we fly tomorrow!? But we decided to switch to Bali instead because it will be more family friendly. So we booked tickets to fly l the very next day which made us scramble to book for accommodations and driver which we manage to pull it off. It was an awesome trip that our girls enjoyed a lot with the nice Villa with pool, and a driver that drove us for 8 hours a day so we wasn’t caught under the hot weather for much. Do note that because the trip was book very last minute, flight was slightly on the high side. If we book it earlier we might push the cost down lower but in any case, but I honestly think this YOLO trip will be one for us to remember for the rest of our lives! I’m also trying putting together our 16 days Japan trip expenses and hope to get it to you guys soon! 🥰 If you have any comments - let me know below! #impromptutrip #budgeting #familytrip #personalfinance #financialfreedom

I don’t even know where to begin, but I do know this - THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being here, for following along, and for making this community what it is today. When I started this account 2.5 years ago, it was just a personal space to keep myself accountable on my financial journey. I never expected anyone to care about my budgeting, investing, health, or even my personal struggles. But somehow, my journey became ours. And now, 10,000 of you are here. What makes this even more surreal is that just two months ago, on 1st January, we were celebrating 2,000 followers - and now, that number has grown 5X. I’m honestly still processing it. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to celebrate this milestone. Rather than a giveaway that only benefits a few, I want to give back in a way that helps as many of you as possible. So, I’m committing to a weekly AMA (Ask Me Anything) for you to pick on my brains! Every Friday evening, I’ll post an AMA so you can drop your questions - especially for the parents here, after the kids are asleep! I’ll answer them on Saturday, so you can read and enjoy them over the weekend! 🥰 This journey has been nothing short of incredible, and it’s all because of you. Your support, your encouragement, and your willingness to learn alongside me mean everything. Here’s to more learning, more growth, and most importantly - building financial freedom together. And I promise, to still reply every single messages, every single comment as much as possible! Please don’t be upset at me if I miss some of you guys out I promise you it’s not intentional. Love every one of you! Ok maybe not all, there are still some crazy ones here. KTHXBYE! #10000 #financialfreedom #investing #sgfinance #personalfinance #moneymatters #financialliteracy

🚨 Extreme Fear in the Markets! What Now? 🚨 The Fear & Greed Index is deep in Extreme Fear, the S&P 500 has lost support at MA125, and the Volatility Index (VIX) is spiking toward 30 📉. New highs are scarce, while new lows are piling up—clear signs of market weakness. One of Warren Buffett’s most famous quotes about market fear is: “Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.” This perfectly applies to times of Extreme Fear in the market - when panic sets in, opportunities often arise for long-term investors. The last we saw an extreme fear back in July 2024, which S&P dipped from 5,600 to 5,190 within a month. But it soon recovered back in September, making new highs again. I’m not sure how long this is going to last, but I know I’ll keep buying in. Not all at once, but I’ll scale in bit by bit to take advantage of the prices! Stay strong people 🥰 #stockmarket #investing #finance #financialfreedom #money

“How Long is this redness gonna last?” I honestly have no idea. We could be going into a correction. We could be bottoming soon. We could be going to a bear market. We could be seeing a recovery. Nonetheless, if the stocks you bought were of faith that they will do well in the long run - You should consider scaling in bit by bit when prices are of a discounted value, and not panic sell because that’s how you realized losses. I’d rather buy TSLA at $200 than at $400 any day. For people who swear by TSLA as the next big thing and started buying only at $400 , you’re in for a ride and I hope you have enough bullets to average down your cost otherwise you’ll need to wait for TSLA to climb 110% to break even again 🥲😅 This is a reminder, to stay focused and calm because wealth is made during market dips! #financialindependence #valueinvesting #financialfreedom #money #staycalm

Chocolate Finance halts instant withdrawal - here’s what you need to know!

Ever since my illness diagnosis, I’ve become even more aware of how vulnerable I was to my day job. That’s why I’m grateful I started building multiple income streams years ago, and how financial coaching really took off for me. Today, my 4 other income streams can easily replace my salary, giving me peace of mind in case I ever have to step away from work. Building multiple incomes isn’t easy - but neither is surviving on just one. Start small. Be consistent. One day, your side income might just give you the financial freedom you never thought possible. How many income streams do you have? Let me know in the comments! #MultipleIncomeStreams #FinancialFreedom #PassiveIncome #SideHustle #MakeMoneyWorkForYou

After sharing my payday routine, there were a few common questions I’ve received, So, let’s answer them today! 1️⃣ Why do Mrs. & I contribute the same amount when I earn more? • Because, I contribute more in ways I don’t disclose (like funding our trips, providing her cash for her CPF, and picking up the bills when we go out) 2️⃣ Where’s my allowance to parents? • I’ve got no parents anymore. 💀 (Don’t worry, I’m good.) 3️⃣ Why isn’t my mortgage included? • Because my CPF OA covers it 100%. I only track my take-home salary expenses - because that’s the money I actually touch. 4️⃣ No insurance or income tax in my monthly expenses? • Those are paid yearly, so they only show up when they’re due. You’ll see it soon, since tax season is around the corner 🥹 And because many of you asked, I’ve roped in Mrs. to break down our family joint expenses - since she’s the CFO of our household. Not all amounts are fixed - Cara’s food lasts two months, grooming happens next month, and groceries fluctuate as well. If you’ve more questions, feel free to comment down below! #personalfinance #fire #money #financialfreedomjourney #payday

“The market is down… should I sell at a loss?” We’ve all had that thought when the screen turns red. The temptation to time the bottom is real - but it’s also risky as hell. Most who try end up missing the rebound. Over the past decade, countless reasons kept people from investing - trade wars, pandemics, rate hikes, recessions. Yet, despite it all, the S&P 500 has grown over 200%! 📈 Block out the noise. Stick to your plan. The future you will thank you for buying the dips today. 💪 #StayInvested #BuyTheDips #LongTermWealth #financialfreedom #fire