After eating a lot of food this Holiday season, get back to your desired shape and earn money at the same time by following these five tips:
1. JOIN THE “PACT”
Looking for an efficient motivation to help you stick to your weight loss resolution in 2016? Look no further as GymPact brings you the Pact app! Pact app allows its users to pledge a specific amount alongside the set of days they plan to work out. Users who do not go by the said goal must pay for each day they miss. You earn cash for staying healthy and get paid by “inactive” Pact members. Also, the nutritional option allows you to commit to healthy eating or pay its consequences.
If you are still contemplating on whether or not you must exercise or not then, you must know that regular exercise helps to increase your salary.
In 2012, a study published under the Journal of Labor Research found that employees who exercise regularly earn 9% more than their sedentary counterparts. This may be due to the enhanced mental function, energy levels, and mood. Thus, these improvements make them more valuable to their employers.
3. TRAIN OTHERS FOR A LIVING
If you have passion for fitness, interpersonal skills, and sufficient knowledge to back it up then consider a career as a personal trainer. A personal trainer works directly with the clients to make fitness assessments, set goals, demonstrate exercises, and provide constant feedback to improve the client’s physique.
The salary is usually S$70-90 per session. Aside from getting paid by doing something you love, you can also save money on costly gym or studio memberships.
4. MAKE YOUR OWN HEALTH BLOG
By constantly writing or blogging about a certain topic, you become sort of expert on that topic. The most feasible ways to earn money from your blog are paid advertisements, paid articles, offering fitness courses, and selling health books.
Start by sharing your own wisdom and genuine passion to educate the readers about being in shape. After which, only promote the products and brands that you really believe in.
5. BECOME THE HEAD AT BOOT CAMPS
Whether you believe it or not, some people pay money to be pushed to their limits and scream at for the most parts! If you are knowledgeable about fitness and you are capable to teach a group of people then, consider becoming an instructor at a boot camp. Do the workouts with your students to burn as much calories as you can!
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A good portion of your business decisions are usually influenced by personal experiences. However, as a budding entrepreneur, you will be able to grow by seeking the knowledge and advice of the successful people before you. What better way to start than by reading books that can inspire you?
That said, here are “5 Books Every Inspired Entrepreneur Shall Read”:
1. THE EFFECTIVE EXECUTIVE BY PETER DRUCKER
For Peter Drucker, an effective execute gets the right things done. To do so, he identifies the five practices that are essential to the business, namely: setting right priorities, managing time, making effective decisions, knowing how and where to deploy strength, and choosing what to contribute to an organization.
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Filled with insights and perspectives into seemingly obvious scenarios, this book has been inspiring people for over 45 years.
2. TRIBES BY SETH GODIN
In this book, Seth Godin argues that with our modern world, everyone has the opportunity to start a movement and to bring a group of like-minded people together. He refers to this fanatical group of people as a tribe. Examples of tribes are those who follow the latest offerings of Apple and Starbucks.
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According to him, if you are an entrepreneur who wishes to have a loyal following, a great tool to use is the Internet. Furthermore, he highlights the importance of uniqueness and fulfilling unmet needs to the overall growth of the business.
3. THE INNOVATOR’S DILEMMA BY CLAYTON CHRISTENSEN
“The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail” is a bestselling classic by the businessman and Harvard professor – Clayton Christensen. This book comes from the idea that businesses will decline innovations based on the assumption that consumers cannot currently use them. Thus, these potentially great ideas only go to waste.
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By knowing this dilemma and using it to your advantage, you can be able to beat other businesses in their own markets.
4. TO SELL IS HUMAN BY DANIEL PINK
In this fascinating read, Daniel pink offers a fresh perspective at the science and art of selling. Although you may not consider yourself as a salesman or saleswoman, all entrepreneurs must understand how to sell and this book teaches you how to. It breaks down the stigmas about salesmanship and manifests the uncomplicated strategy for moving others.
“Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration” is one of the small amount of prime books about creative leadership and business. It is filled with meaningful insights about what develops, drives, and sustains an innovative culture.
Written by the Co-founder and President of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios Ed Catmull with the help of a journalist named Amy Wallace, this interesting read is a must not only for entrepreneurs but also for business leaders!
As most of you may know, public housings (excluding the executive condominiums) are usually built without the amenities of the private condominiums such as swimming pools, tennis courts, and playgrounds.
Aside from these varied amenities, there are other noticeable differences you must take into consideration when purchasing a home in Singapore. Here are some of them:
1. FINANCIAL GAINS
Whether the purpose of your purchase is solely for your occupation or for your investment, you are surely hoping that your property will increase in value as years go by. According to recent evidence, private condominiums surpassed HDBs (Housing and Development Board) in terms of capital gains. This is observed in almost every locations.
Why is this so?
Well, since HDBs are subsidized by the government, foreigners are not allowed to purchase them. So the higher gains of private condominiums in a period of time may be due to the broader range of buyers it cater to. In contrast with HDBs, you can rent out your private flat with no limitations and no minimum years of stay! These things make private condominiums a better choice for property investment alone.
2. RESTRICTIONS FOR FOREIGNERS
Landed properties are stricter to foreigners too as they need the government’s permission from the Land Dealings Approval Unit. Quoting the Singapore Land Authority:
“The ownership of such properties (landed residential properties) by foreigners is restricted to those who make adequate economic contribution to Singapore. The ownership restrictions are provided in the Residential Property Act.”
While private condominiums are more flexible to foreigners as they just need to pay the Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty.
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3. OCCUPANCY REGULATIONS
If you are going to sell your home, there are notable differences between private and public flats. For public housing, in order to rent out your entire flat or sell it, you must first occupy the property for at least 5 years. While for private housing, there is no minimum amount of occupancy. Your only main concern is the Seller Stamp Duty that you are selling your private flat within the first four years of purchase.
4. CPF SCHEMES
The Central Provident Fund (CPF) has two distinct schemes for private and public housing. For buying new or resale HDBs, you can avail the Public Housing Scheme (PHS) wherein you can use your CPF Ordinary Account. Use the PHS to finance the flat’s purchase price, housing loan instalments, stamp duty, legal fees, and other upgrading costs. But this comes with two catches: valuation and withdrawal limits.
On the other hand, Private Properties Scheme (PPS) to buy or build private properties for either personal or investment purposes. Use the PPS to pay the flat’s purchase price, housing loan instalments, construction loan, stamp duty, legal fees, and other upgrading costs. As the PHS, PPS comes with valuation and withdrawal limits.
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May this guide help you to decide the housing type that suits you best!
If you are fond of late Christmas shopping and New Year parties, curb your Holiday season costs by following these 4 savvy saving tips:
1. CREATE A LIST AND CHECK IT TWICE
With a desired budget in mind, write down a list of all the people you want to buy gifts for. Go through the names on the list and allocate a specific amount that you are willing to spend on each one. If money is still tight, go over the list one more time and reduce either the names or the designated amount.
For larger families, consider giving one present per married couple. Remember that you are not Santa Claus and it is not your duty to give everyone a present!
2. PULL OUT NAMES FROM A BOWL
Instead of spending a hefty amount on all your family and extended family members, consider the “Secret Santa or Exchange Gift” method wherein everyone will pick a name out of a bowl. After which, you will only have to fuel all your resources for that one gift and that one person. Aside from saving money, you just saved yourself countless hours of shopping.
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3. USE THE MODERN TECHNOLOGY TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
Shopping for a gift is not always about getting the cheapest item but rather about getting the value for every cent you spend. So if you are undecided on which model or brand has prime quality at an affordable rate, get your money’s worth by searching online for credible reviews first.
For example, you can visit Stuff Singapore for reliable reviews on computers, tablets, games, and other gadgets.
4. REMEMBER WHY YOU CELEBRATE
With all the festivities going on, it is easy to lose sight of what is important. Whether you are planning to have a simple dinner as a family or go on an extravagant overseas holiday trip, you must remember that you are celebrating the joyous holiday season because you are blessed enough to be with the people you love most. And you cannot put a price-tag on that!
Best of all? You can use these tips for the next Holiday season!
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While banking and finance professionals are still struggling with a decline in demand, Singapore and the Philippines are likely to see some pick-up in 2016.
22nd DECEMBER 2015 – According to the latest Monster Employment Index (MEI), Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines experienced a drop in demand for banking professionals amid the volatile economic conditions in November.
Across the three markets surveyed by the Index, the Philippines reported the least year-over-year decline at -3%, down from October’s 25% year-over-year growth. This is the market’s first negative growth in three months and the steepest month-on-month decline registered among all markets.
The BFSI sector in Malaysia registered the steepest year-over-year decline at -24%, falling six times as much as October’s -4% decline. This is the sector’s third consecutive month of annual decline.
E-recruitment in Singapore’s BFSI sector experienced a slight drop between October and November, at -5% year-over-year. Despite this, the three-month growth rate for November has improved marginally by 3%, compared to 2% in October.
The MEI is a monthly gauge of online job hiring activity, which records the industries and occupations that show the highest and lowest growth in recruitment activity in Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines.
Recruitment trends in the BFSI sectors have also led to the sluggish demands for Finance professionals in the three markets. Despite the overall negative growth, Finance and Account roles are the top growth occupational groups in Malaysia and Philippines.
Malaysia reported the steepest decline between November 2014 and November 2015 at -23% year-over-year, a sharp year-over-year decline from October’s -11%.
Singapore witnessed the least year-over-year decline at -9%. This is a marginal drop from October’s -8% year-over-year. The Philippines reported a -12% year-over-year decline, down from the -3% year-over-year reported in October.
“As the global economy leans towards greater uncertainty, each market will need to take measures to build greater resilience against any vulnerabilities that can potentially deteriorate the country’s economy and affect recruitment,” said Sanjay Modi, Managing Director, Monster.com (India, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong).
“While the demands for Finance professionals in the Singapore and Philippines markets appear to remain on the decline, Singapore’s vigilance to any potential economic risks and the Philippines’ strong economic fundamentals in its domestic systems should help see them through external threats.”
The Monster Employment Index is a monthly gauge of online job posting activity, based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from a large representative selection of career websites and online job listings. The Index does not reflect the trend of any one advertiser or source, but is an aggregate measure of the change in job listings across the industry.
See below for countrywide trends in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines for November 2015:
Singapore Highlights:
The Monster Employment Index Singapore declined -8% year-on-year.
No industry sectors or job roles registered positive year-over-year growth.
The Healthcare industry registered the least decline in online hiring at -2% year-on-year, while Healthcare jobs saw the highest demand – although at 0%.
Malaysia Highlights:
Online hiring in Malaysia declined by -31% year-on-year.
Not a single industry sector witnessed positive year-over-year growth in online hiring.
The Production/ Manufacturing, Automotive and Ancillary sector saw the least decline at -10%, while Oil and Gas registered the biggest drop at -40%
Demand for Marketing & Communications professionals takes lead at 0% year-over-year, while Software, Hardware, Telecom roles fared the worst at -60%.
Philippines Highlights:
The Monster Employment Index Philippines registered a -46% year-on-year decline.
The BFSI industry had the least year-over-year decline at -3%, while the Production/Manufacturing, Automotive and Ancillary sector fared worst at -68%.
Customer Service jobs experienced the least decline at -9%, while Hospitality & Travel jobs reported the steepest decline at -64%
– Ends –
About the Monster Employment Index
The Monster Employment Index is a broad and comprehensive monthly analysis of online job posting activity in Singapore, Philippines and Malaysia conducted by Monster India. Based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from a large, representative selection of online career outlets, including Monster Singapore, Monster Philippines and Monster Malaysia, the Monster Employment Index presents a snapshot of employer online recruitment activity nationwide. Monster has taken due care in compiling and processing the data available from various sources for Monster Employment Index, but does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or action / decision taken or for the results obtained from the use of such information. In the South East Asia region, Monster Employment Index was first launched in Singapore in May 2014 with data collected since January 2011 followed by Philippines and Malaysia in May 2015 with data collected since February 2014.
Anna Agoncillo
MoneyDigest
