Are you thinking of celebrating Christmas and countdown in Hong Kong? We’ve found five best Airbnb rentals from S$41/night with flexible cancellation policies you can book for your long-awaited yearend trip. Prices reflected are accurate at the time of writing and valid for stays from Dec 25 to Jan 1.
When we last check, this room has a perfect five-star rating thanks to its previous occupants! There is a double bed by the window and a private bathroom with a walk-in shower. We like how it’s conveniently near Causeway Bay Station. You will be able to walk over to SOGO Causeway Bay, Hysan Place, and Times Square within minutes.
The same Airbnb superhost hosts this guest suite as our previous listing. There are one double bed and a private bathroom. By booking this listing, you will find yourself in the vicinity of Causeway Bay and Wan Chai. According to the host, Causeway Bay Station is a 7-minute walk away, and SOGO Causeway Bay is just 10 minutes away.
Solo travellers, this space is perfect for you. There’s a small writing desk which can act as a mini dining table as well. Decent storage spaces are available for you to store your belongings. The studio also comes with an attached toilet, fridge, and water kettle. The closest train station is Sheung Wan Station, and nearby attractions include the Western Market and Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park.
By Hong Kong’s housing standards, this Airbnb is relatively roomy. You will get a queen-size bed and a private bathroom with a shower. There’s also a two-seater couch with a coffee table right in front of it. Jordan Station is a short walk away, and Temple Street Night Market is steps away from the accommodation.
If you don’t mind squeezing, the Airbnb host allows up to four guests in this living space. There are two double beds and a mini kitchen area with a sink. You will find yourself along Nathan Road if you decide to stay here. Sited between Jordan Station and Yau Ma Tei Station, you can walk your way to Temple Street Night Market and Jade Market.
The magical story of a young wizard named Harry Potter has captured the hearts of fans of all ages and with a good reason. In fact, I am wearing my Hufflepuff shirt while I am writing this.
Despite being in a fictional world, the Harry Potter characters’ financial problems cannot be solved with a wave of a wand. They also have to struggle with the challenges of saving, spending, and growing money throughout the series. Here are just some of the personal finance lessons that you can learn form the wizarding world of Harry Potter:
GET THE A DEPENDABLE AUTO-INSURANCE
In the “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” book, Ron and Harry crashed a car into a tree. It caused an irreparable damage to a car that they do not own. This scenario taught us the importance of having a car insurance.
In Singapore, it is mandatory to have your car insured. Examine your options and look for an auto-insurance that suits your needs and your budget. Some of the plans that you may consider are the FWD, Aviva, and NTUC Income auto-insurance plans. FWD has three auto-insurance plans from Classic to Prestige. Its annual premiums start from S$731.38. Aviva offers three auto-insurance plans too from Lite to Prestige. Its annual premiums start from S$883.12. Lastly, NTUC Income has Drivo Classic and Premium plans. Its annual premiums start from S$$970.35. Annual premiums are usually based on the driver’s profile and the car itself.
SORT OUT YOUR WILL
After living in an uncomfortable cupboard under the stairs for eleven years, the book’s main protagonist Harry Potter found out that he was a wizard and that his parents left him a considerable amount of money. His family’s wealth was beyond what he can imagine! Although his parents died at a very young age, when he was just a baby, it was clear that they a robust financial plan in place. They left all their wealth to Harry. This helped him secure his school supplies and daily needs throughout the years.
Unforeseen events can strike at any moment. It is important to save up for your retirement as soon as possible. Moreover, you must create a will that ensures the list of beneficiaries on all of your savings and investment accounts.
SEE THE POWER OF COMPOUND INTEREST
Harry not only benefits from his parents’ wealth, but also reap the rewards of compound interest. His money was untouched for eleven years. When he opened his vault for the first time at the Gringotts Wizarding Bank, he discovered the amount of gold and money that was in his vault. Despite having this wealth, he did not lead a lavish lifestyle.
Like Harry, you may benefit from compound interest by leaving your money untouched for years in a bank or by investing your money for the long haul.
APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE
As I said above, he did not lead a lavish lifestyle. Harry was humble. In fact, he wore the same glasses for seven years. He appreciates what he has and exemplifies this trait the most in the first book. When Hagrid gifts him Hedwig the owl, he was amazed and accepted it wholeheartedly. He was also very grateful when he was gifted the Nimbus 2000 by Professor McGonagall.
In our world, it is easy to be caught by all the sale items and designer brands. However, you must remember to strike a balance between your needs and wants. Appreciate what you have and live within a realistic budget that you set.
SECURE YOUR MONEY IN A SAFE PLACE
Harry’s immense fortune was stored in the Gringotts Wizarding Bank, located in the heart of London. The bank is operated and guarded by goblins. These goblins serve as the gatekeepers to the underground vaults. It is often described as the safest place in the Wizarding World.
Image Credits: unsplash.com
While you cannot keep your wealth within the protection of magical spells and goblins, you can secure your money in other ways. Firstly, you may set up an auto-deposit scheme to send a portion of each paycheck to your savings account. Secondly, you may store your emergency fund in a place where you will not be tempted to spend it frivolously. For instance, you may set up a different account exclusively for that. Lastly, secure your online banking apps through Two-Factor Authentication.
Talk about new furniture and people might naturally bring up IKEA. Well, there’s nothing wrong about shopping at IKEA but sometimes we humans want a little fresher alternative. If you share the same sentiments, how about shopping at these online furniture stores we’re about to introduce to you?
Here are six online furniture stores for people who want options other than IKEA.
Island Living is the brainchild of Karin Rysgaard and Denise Vrontas, a designer and ex-PR consultant, respectively. If you fancy a laid-back approach to your home, this brand will resonate with you. You can expect lots of different textures, including sustainable rattan and reclaimed teak wood. Check back frequently if you want to keep up with the latest global interior trends.
In case you’re wondering, Ong Shunmugam rattan furniture and basketry is designed and drafted in their offices across London and Singapore and made in Malaysia. High-end is probably the right word to describe their range of products. To allow the veteran craftsmen to work their magic, be ready to wait for about 6 to 8 weeks before you welcome the masterpieces back home.
Celson was founded in 2018 by Sonam, who did her postgraduate studies in merchandising and designing in Delhi, the capital of India. The brand believes that they are capable of bringing quality handcrafted products to every home at transparent prices. We like how they have customisation options for both bone inlay and solid Indian wood furniture types. Check them out!
Naturalis Historia designs and creates furniture pieces that combine modern functions with classic features. Entirely handcrafted by experienced artisans, the brand only utilises materials from sustainable and ethical sources. To put it simply, you can expect attractive, stable, and trustworthy products to last you for generations to come.
Hock Siong is the go-to place if you want to own furniture that has a rich history, passed down from previous owners. In other words, they deal with secondhand items, including those from local hotels and residential households. This place is for people who find beauty in slightly defective items due to wear and tear over time. Light touch-ups are available for wooden products.
We will wrap up this list of online furniture stores with a possibly familiar name – Crate & Barrel. They have been around for almost 60 years, with over 100 stores and franchise partners in 11 countries. You will adore their furniture collection if you’re on a hunt for clean, minimalistic, and timeless designs.
Don’t forget to compare prices before hitting that ‘pay’ button!
For investors, the terms “bull” and “bear” carry distinct weights as they frequently describe the market conditions. These terms are used to describe how the market is doing. It is your responsibility as an investor to know the direction of the stock market, because it will significantly affect your portfolio. Examine how each of these market conditions may impact your investments.
INVESTORS’ ATTITUDES AND THE MARKET
Since the financial markets are greatly influenced by the investors’ attitudes, these terms also denote how they feel about the current economic situations. A bear market occurs in an economy that is receding and where most stocks are depreciating in value. Interestingly, it is named for the way the bear attacks its victims. You see, a bear swipes downward during an attack. Thus, it became a metaphor for the market activity during this condition.
On the other hand, a bull market exists in an economy on the rise. This is where conditions of the economy are generally favorable and positive. Investors usually have faith that the uptrend will continue over a long period of time during the bull market condition. In the case of equity, a bull market denotes a rise in the prices of companies’ shares.
In a bear market, share prices are continuously dropping. This affects the investors’ attitudes negatively, which later perpetuates the downward spiral. During this time, the economy slows down and unemployment rises as companies begin laying off workers. One can only imagine how the investors felt last March 2020 when the U.S. stock market fell into the bear market due to the pandemic!
SUPPLY AND DEMAND FOR SECURITIES
More investors are looking to sell than to buy in a bear market. The demand for securities is significantly lower than the supply. As a result, share prices drop. A bear market can be more dangerous to invest in, because many equities lose value and price.
In contrast, there is a strong demand and weak supply for securities in a bull market. Many investors wish to buy securities, but only few people are willing to sell them in a bull market. As a result, share prices will rise and investors compete to obtain available equity.
SHIFT IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
A weak economy is often associated with the bear market. Most businesses and companies are unable to bring in huge profits due to the unwillingness of consumers to spend money. This decline in profits directly affects the way the market values stocks.
In a bull market, the opposite happens. People have more money to spend and are very much willing to spend it. This relationship towards the consumers strengthens the economy.
Image Credits: unsplash.com
THE CONCLUSION
A bear market occurs in an economy that is receding, where more stocks are depreciating in value. While, a bull market exists when the economy is sound. Both of these conditions will have a significant influence on your investments. It is a good idea to determine how the market is doing when making an investment decision.
How long a bear market will last varies wildly due to the situation. Some can last for several weeks, while others last for years. Over the long run, the stock market always has a positive return. A grand comeback, which we all have been waiting for!
Do you know that OCBC has an investment platform that caters to a wide variety of investment objectives? Whether you are an investor who prefers to have your portfolio managed by professional fund managers, an investor who prefers accumulating stocks via a dollar-cost averaging approach or an investor who appreciates the discipline of algorithm-driven portfolio management, there is bound to be something suitable for you with OCBC’s 3 main investment platforms. Here is a comparison of OCBC’s Blue Chip Investment Plan (BCIP), RoboInvest and Unit Trust to show how they suit each investment profile.
Comparison of OCBC’s BCIP, RoboInvest and Unit Trust Platforms
OCBC’s RoboInvest delivers the best elements of high-end investing services to a retail audience. Besides wide-ranging portfolios invested across 6 different geographical markets with interesting investment themes such as Future World, Impact Investing, Gen Z etc., it also boasts a seamless user experience:
No need to open a securities or custodian account
Top up and withdraw your investments easily by using your OCBC deposit account anytime without fees and charges
Be notified on portfolio rebalancing opportunities to help maximise your returns based on changing market conditions
More sophisticated investors such as PMETs, who are attuned to financial news and the latest developments of the global economy would appreciate the chance to invest in portfolios constructed around such broad and popular investment themes like US technology or the rise of China. RoboInvest is therefore the answer for investors who are keen to invest in a wide-range of investment themes and enjoy automated portfolio management service without paying excessive management fees.
Meanwhile, new investors can take advantage of RoboInvest’s risk-based portfolios (defensive, conservative, balanced, growth, aggressive) to gain diversified exposure to various asset classes and geographical markets at relatively low cost. This can form the core of their investment portfolio, and they can build on it with time
The BCIP allows investor to gain access to dividend-yielding stocks and ETFs listed on the Singapore stock exchange. By making monthly investments from as low as S$100 per month, an investor is able to purchase shares in amounts below the standard lot size. Full-time national servicemen or young investors would find the ability to buy below the standard lot size very attractive given that they might not have accumulated sufficient capital for investment yet. By investing consistently each month via a dollar cost averaging approach, the BCIP allows investors to reduce their average cost of purchase over time. A strict monthly investment plan also reduces the risks associated with market timing risks and allow investors to accumulate stocks in a disciplined manner.
In addition, there is great flexibility since there is no lock-in period while counter selection and monthly investment amount can be easily tweaked. The BCIP is therefore most suitable for new investors keen to implement a dollar-cost averaging strategy by starting small and staying invested while retaining flexibility and control on their portfolios.
The OCBC Unit Trust Investment platform is one of ways to access the bank’s top fund ideas that have been carefully selected by its panel of investment experts.
Through actively managed unit trusts, investors can simply leverage on the expertise of professional fund managers who possess the experience, skills and resources to manage the portfolio on your behalf. The OCBC online platform allows the user to compare, buy, sell and monitor unit trusts with ease.
This is perfect for time-pressed individuals who do not have the time to monitor markets and recognise their own limitations in investing. For instance, working parents might gain greater utility and satisfaction by spending precious time with their children while leaving their investments to professionals looking after their portfolios. The Unit Trust Investment platform would most appeal to long-term investors who are keen to access a diversified portfolio in a more cost-effective manner whilst having a professional fund manager at the helm, monitoring and managing their investments through different market conditions. This may go a long way to provide a peace of mind.
Whether you are a new investor just starting out, a busy parent with no time to mull over investing, or a sophisticated investor looking to invest in the latest investment themes, OCBC’s various online investment platforms capably address these various investment objectives so that its clients are able to build a stable financial future with convenience and confidence.
Click here to find out more about the different investment products from OCBC.
Disclaimer:
All figures provided are for illustration purposes only. Actual figures may vary or differ depending on the actual circumstances.
This is for general information and does not take into account your particular investment and protection aims, financial situation or needs. You should seek advice from a financial adviser before committing to a purchase. Otherwise, you should consider the suitability of the product.
Investments are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of the principal amount invested.
This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
