MoneyDigest - Personal Finance, Lifestyle, Money Saving Tips

Changi Recommends: No Bill Shock – Only Convenience And Savings When You Book With ChangiWiFi.

Being connected while you travel is an essential nowadays. How else do we search for directions to that hyped café, museum, or that amazing rooftop view? Although there are many alternatives for data coverage in the market, it is also important to select the most cost effective option, and therefore, we recommend ChangiWiFi for your travels, a Wi-Fi router service which covers more than 70 well-travelled countries, with packages for multiple countries as well.

ChangiWiFi’s service started back in 2015 with intentions to offer affordable data roaming services to its customers. Here are 6 reasons to select ChangiWiFi amongst your choice for data roaming.

1) Convenience

Booking a ChangiWiFi router is simple, head over to ChangiWiFi’s official website and place a reservation, choose your point of collection at one of the Changi Recommends counters across all 4 terminals in Changi Airport and submit your booking! Collection points are located at the Public Area of each terminal and can be collected right before your departure. Being able to collect it right before your trip is a bonus, as it does not require you to stay at home twice — to receive and to return your routers as required by other Wi-Fi rental companies. This takes away the trouble of time wasting if the delivery personnel happens to be late and you have other important things to attend to. Upon return, you can drop off your router at any one of the Changi Recommends booth too.

As service booths are open 24 hours every day, you can simply pick up or return your routers at the airport before your check-in, or after your arrival in Singapore.

2) No Bill Shock

If you are someone who opts for your data roaming plan while you travel, you may have experienced extra data costs which were excessive from overusing your data, or accidentally forgetting to terminate your roaming plan. However, choosing to use a Wi-Fi router may just take away these problems. Furthermore, Wi-Fi routers do not have a limit to how much data you can use, and if your problem is retaining your mobile number for important calls and texts, a Wi-Fi router allows you to do that too!

Here is a comparison between ChangiWiFi’s router and other Telco’s roaming plans.

3) Value For Money For Group And Business Travellers

One of the many benefits of a Wi-Fi router is being able to share data connection on more than 1 device. As seen in the above table, ChangiWiFi’s router can be connected to up to 5 devices. This means cheaper connection if you are travelling in a group, as you can split the cost of the rental fees with up to 5 travel buddies!

If you are a business traveller who owns many phones and needs to connect them to the internet for communication, or your laptop, having a Wi-Fi router may be an option for those who always search for internet connections. Besides, not all hotels offers great Wi-Fi access right? It is definitely time and money saving if you think of the bother.

4) May Be Cheaper Than SIM Cards

Yes, you read right. If you compare SIM card charges for certain countries to ChangiWiFi’s router rental fee, you might just end up paying lesser. Here is a comparison of buying a SIM card for a one week trip to Japan, or renting them from ChangiWiFi (with promo code benefits).

Most SIM cards for Japan is only available for purchase for 8 or more days of travel, that means paying a hefty price for a SIM card for those who are travelling to Japan for a shorter period of time.

Above is the cost of renting a Wi-Fi router from ChangiWiFi! As you can see, you are actually paying lesser for your one week trip, and for those who are travelling for 8 days even, it is still cheaper than a SIM card! What’s more, you can share the price of the router rental with your peers who are going with you on the trip. That’s a score if you ask me!

5) Ensure Smooth Internet Access While You Travel

ChangiWiFi offers 24 hours customer service and technical support for their Wi-Fi rentals. If you have any trouble overseas with your router, you can just email or WhatsApp them for assistance. This means that you can contact them during the weekends or public holidays as compared to other router rental services!

6) No Fair Usage Policy For Countries Like Australia, Japan, South Korea, And Taiwan

Although fair usage policy varies from country to country, there are some countries who do not enforce this rule like the above. However, some Wi-Fi router rental companies offers rentals for Wi-Fi devices for parts of the world instead of single country usage, and this limits the 4G/3G coverage of the device per day to 500MB before becoming extremely slow. Therefore, if you happen to rent those for a one city visit, it may not be feasible for group vacations or a heavy data user. ChangiWiFi though, offers Wi-Fi rentals for each country you visit, and for that, you would get unlimited data for the above countries!

ChangiWiFi Rental Rates And Promotions

ChangiWiFi rental rates are highly affordable for everyone. Prices starts from $5 a day depending on country and Changi Recommends tries to constantly add on more cities for everyone’s convenience. For those travelling to China, do not worry about VPN access as ChangiWiFi has got them covered for you too! Oh yes, did I mention you do not have to pay for your rented router till your return? You would only need to deposit $1 on your departure and pay upon your return.

Also, they are running a promotion currently which offers 2 days free ChangiWiFi rental for your trip! This promo code runs till January 2019, for travels up till February 2019.

To book a ChangiWiFi Router, visit ChangiWiFi’s official website. Do take note that walk-in rentals are available, however, subjected to availability of routers.

5 Ways to Have A Luxury Romantic Vacation

Right after getting married, you both want to explore the world with love.

You might have decided the list of places you want to visit with your spouse, but she might not have agreed on some locations she doesn’t like, or she visited already. So, in this situation you both better have a detailed meeting and create a list of places you both want to explore.

The next concern that would raise its head is how you both can make your honeymoon full of life and romance; this is not even the hard nut to crack because we have got 5 ways to make your trip luxury and romantic.

1. Make Sure It Is Heartfelt
Your enchanting trip should be heartfelt for both of you. What this means is, if you really want to visit the Andes and discover about the Atacama people, but she doesn’t like it, then don’t try to make that your romantic journey.
Find a thing that is going to be special for both of you.

One reason why you’re together is actually that you share similar likes and dislikes on some levels. Find all those parallels and search for a special experience that can complement those.

You can experience some adventures in your own state or area. Therefore, you don’t need to make a huge investment decision to go somewhere exotic. You can easily create that unforgettable, enchanting trip and save your valuable money.

2. Research Online
Search engines like google today is a great source to find destinations. In past times, you would have to get in touch with a tour operator or go to the local library to find details about vacation spots. Today, you just visit google.com, type in the search terms for example “romantic places in Singapore” and click the search button.

You can easily search for some romantic vacation trips in your neighbourhood or even find a location that is thousands of miles away. You can also find the best prices for each trip depending on the distance and facilities provided by the tour operator.

The online world can certainly help you define your choices based on your capacity to pay, exactly where you wish to go, and what you want to do.

3. Increase Your Savings
If you want to go outdoor next year, then you better increase your savings now. By putting away a modest amount of money regularly, you’ll have the ability to pay for a truly passionate getaway without having to be concerned about expenses. You really want your adventure to be unforgettable with romantic, happy memories, but not with nerve-racking anxieties about how exactly you’re planning to pay for every little thing.

Most of the couples spend a lot in the local parties and outings. Well, if you want to go somewhere away from your world and enjoy the different and adventurous experience then saving money right after your marriage will be the best bet for you.

4. Gear and Equipment Are Important
It is best to buy the right travel equipment and gear while you leave for your first adventure, and most of the other items that you may need must be in your luggage as well.

Most of the sites provide a list of important items which are needed mostly for some places around the world. For example, if you are heading to Bali, then bringing some bikinis, colourful beach hats and beach sandals will be the necessary items.

You are a newly married couple, and you don’t want to leave a formal touch in your dressing the way you were both in your wedding function. Well, trust me, that would look awkward. You don’t have to dress up formally when going out for the trip, just think about some easy to wear and easy to carry stuff. Go for small sized things such as travel outfits or footwear, baggage, accessories; all are available in the market specifically designed for backpackers or travellers.

5. Spend Money on Experiences but Not on Material
Do not forget that your experience is a lot more important than what was bought. So, spend on your special experiences during the romantic trip instead of concentrating on buying the things.

A honeymoon trip is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and you don’t want to lose it. Saving right after you got married counts a lot because it is a common rule of nature that responsibilities start knocking the door when it comes to managing a happy married life. There will be a long list of basic expenses, and you may never make your trip happen later in your life.

Just make your getaway a thing you’ll both remember. You will certainly be thrilled to do another one.

How To Become A Money Magnet

Equipped with a best-selling spirituality book, you realized that there was a secret to cultivating the life you want. I know how bizarre this sounds, but hear me out! Rhonda Byrne, The Secret’s author, claims that our thoughts can influence the world we live in. This concept of manifesting destiny is called “Law of Attraction”. According to this concept, investing positive energy and belief can lead to a desired outcome. In contrast, negative thoughts may attract negative outcomes.

Similar to other philosophies, the Law of Attraction stresses how the universe and its creations are made of flowing energy. Your energy can be used to either attract or repel money. To attract money based on the Law of Attraction, you may follow these steps.

STEP #1: OBSERVE YOUR THOUGHTS

How can you lure money into your life, if you feel negative about it? What goes around comes around. Before changing your thought patterns, awareness of your thoughts on money is important. Be mindful with how you speak about money and wealthy people.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Do not be quick to diminish your worth. Instead, appreciate what you have. Law of Attraction entails that you train the universe to send you more money by receiving and appreciating it.

STEP #2: RE-FRAME YOUR THOUGHTS

Have you noticed that whatever you do in two weeks straight usually becomes a habit? The act of repetition is essential to reprogram the minds of animals as well as humans. Reprogram your mind to attract money by wishing for abundance.

Law of Attraction encourages you to send positive signals to the universe by dressing the part, by surrounding yourself with money savvy individuals, and so on. Behave in a way that is directed towards your desires.

STEP #3: MAKE A LIST

Visualization is one of the key tools of the Law of Attraction. It allows you to create a path that you can reach for. You are empowered to create a vision for your financial life. Be clear about the amount of success and abundance that you want to achieve. It is recommended to practice visualization on a daily basis.

Dive into the feelings of abundance by either making a financial list or by making a money vision board. Practicing visualization on a daily basis may open opportunities to manifest these items.

Sources: 1 & 2

7 Top Tips for Managing Your Personal Finances

How you manage, spend and invest your money has a profound effect on the quality of your life. Proper money management equals financial independence. Plus, it will provide peace of mind, allowing you to use your organized state to save and plan for a bright and exciting future. Although learning how to become financially savvy can take a while, the basics are quite simple and never change. Here are 7 tips for managing your finances.

Set goals

Money affects different areas of your life. For instance, your intent to retire early is entirely dependent on how you handle your finances today. The same applies to begin a family, home ownership and even changing careers When looking to manage your funds, start by writing down goals about what you want to do with your life and money.

Write down your long-term goals, whether it is buying a home or retiring early. Move on to writing your short-term goals like not using your credit card for luxuries or sticking to your budget. After that, prioritize them so that the most important ones come at the top of your list.

Create a budget

This is the most important step of successfully managing your finances. A budget is a plan of the money you expect to receive and how you intend planning to spend it. A budget will show you;

How much money you earn
How much you spend
How much you can afford to pay the debt
How you can best plan your spending in the future

The basics of creating a budget

Choose a period you want to cover. This can be monthly, quarterly or even yearly, which is highly recommended.
Add up all your income for that period and the exact dates it will be coming in.
Calculate all your expenditure over that period.

Once you have all this data in place, you may want to make some changes to your finances which may include;

Spending less
Earning more
Spending smart
Saving and investing
Borrowing

Budgeting makes it easier for you to identify and resolve any financial problems you have.

Make savings non-negotiable

Sometimes, the hardest part of saving is getting started. However, there is a simple and realistic way you can save for your goals, big or small. You can save money by opening up a savings account deposit at least 10% of your monthly payments into it. Also, strive to push all monetary gifts and extra earnings into that savings account as well.

Pay bills on time

It makes sense to monitor all your monthly bills and even set reminders on when they are due. Timely bill payments will help you avoid losing money through late penalties and improve your credit score. One way to ensure you stay on top of your bills is through direct debit. Choose a payment date that suits you and makes sure to include it in your budget to make sure you never miss a payment or incur penalties again.

Prioritize debt payments

Although not all debt is bad, some like credit card debt can make managing money difficult. One way to prioritize your debt is by creating a plan on how to pay it off. After that, prioritize this debt by interest rate and strive to pay the ones with the highest rates first. Also, make sure to include these payments to your budget.

Borrowing

There are times in life when you run short of funds and need some financial assistance. If you plan on taking out a loan, make sure you can comfortably afford to repay it first. Also, take the time to match the repayment period for the purpose of the loan. You do not want to end up repaying Christmas over some years. First, make sure you understand the need for borrowing first.

Are you borrowing for an emergency, something essential, entertainment or traveling? Good money management can prevent you from taking redundant loans. If you choose to borrow, only do what you can afford. Most importantly, always rethink before asking for a loan. There’s a relatively new service available from Badcreditsite.co.uk which allows users to find the cheapest loan provider that will accept them without damaging their credit scoring.

Embrace technology

Managing your finances is already complicated as it is. Fortunately, you can make the whole process a little less complicated by embracing technology. Their hundreds of free tools that can show you how to manage money and do all the complex budgeting and computational work for you. These tools make it easier for you to visualize your financial reality.

Being in a position to manage your money successfully will make life more comfortable and stress-free. It will save you more money, time, and prevent potential worries in the future. So take that first step to map out your financial strategy, and you will be good to go.

Is Blockchain a Viable Investment Option?

In truth, cryptocurrencies have dominated the news during the last 18 months, thanks primarily to Bitcoin’s historic price run last year. Altcoins such as Litecoin have also generated significant interest among investors, however, while driving high levels of engagement across social media.

Although the interest in cryptocurrency investment remains largely speculative in the mainstream, there’s no doubt that the blockchain technology behind this marketplace is evolving at a rapid pace and continuing to disrupt a huge array of alternative industries.

In fact, blockchain is now emerging as the fastest-growing digital technology since the evolution of the Internet, with its distributed and immutable qualities promising to revolutionise the social and economic landscape.

In this post, we’ll explore blockchain further while asking whether or not it’s a viable investment option.

What is Blockchain Technology?

A blockchain represents a growing list of records and data, with each individual block linked by cryptography.

The brainchild of Bitcoin innovator Satoshi Nakamoto, blockchain is a decentralised technology that has become synonymous with cryptocurrency and the financial market as a whole. In fact, blockchain is based on the principle of distributing rather than copying digital information, creating far greater security and removing the need for a central authority to manage data sets.

This highlights one of the main benefits of blockchain, namely its ability to provide immutable data records that cannot be manipulated. This, along with the anonymity provided by the blockchain, has created a technology that is tailor made the financial market and entities such as forex.

Is Blockchain a Viable Investment Option in the Digital Age?

Despite being synonymous with cryptocurrency, developers have also created an array of alternative applications for blockchain.

It’s certainly having an impact on the wider stock market, with NASDAQ having launched a ground-breaking LINQ platform based on this technology. This is a digital ledger that leverages blockchain to manage the entire process of issuing and managing private equity shares, creating a comprehensive and transparent set of records while optimising efficiencies.

NASDAQ continues to blaze a trail in this respect, however, with blockchain technology now used to underpin its own transactions and to support external marketplaces that are looking to integrate distributed ledgers into their business models.

This has involved a number of innovative and crucial collaborations, including a number of particularly interesting partnerships involving organisations such as Citigroup. Wealth management brands are also evolving to incorporate blockchain technology, in order to enhance the range of assets and the efficiency of service provided

Beyond this, blockchain is also having a huge impact on the modern supply chain, with distributed ledgers being used to introduce greater transparency into the logistics sector. Not only are these ledgers highly scalable, but they also improve the accuracy of recorded data and make it easier to monitor shipments in real-time.

The Last Word

As we can see, blockchain is an exceptionally diverse technology and one that has a growing number of potential applications available.

Not only this, but the blockchain market is also growing at a considerable pace and set to achieve a market value of $16 billion by the end of 2024.

With this in mind, it’s little wonder that RSM recently suggested that blockchain technology is “too powerful to ignore”, and this is certainly a worthwhile consideration for investors across the globe.

Ultimately, there’s no doubt that this technology offers value from both a short and a long-term perspective, while investing early may well increase your returns over time.

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