A tougher time for couples.

Dual-career couple, frequent and prolonged separation due to work, arguments over different extra-curricular interests, resentful over money issues and young kids to bring up.... Sound familiar? Just to name a few common obstacle modern couple are facing now a day.

I used to dwell on the personal "sacrifices" I was making as a husband and a father, until i realised this: You have to give up some things in order to build something bigger, better and more lasting than you could ever achieve on your own. This is esp real in building a family.

One thing for sure: Marriage isn't for wimps. There's something about marriage that, by definition, requires two people to give up "mine" and "yours" in order to create an "ours". And that's not an easy take consider this generation of focusing too much on individual achievement and self-interest.

Singapore has become a first world country from the 3rd. Our country are more successful than ever and so are our fellow men, and i am glad we are. But the down side is that sometimes we're so focus on achievement, that from childhood, we are encouraged to compere fiercely for success, recognition and material rewards, only to suddenly find these principles ill-suited to marriage. Perhaps that's why it's not uncommon these days to find couples who keep their financial resource secret, who fall out over divergent career demands, or who find it too hard to compromise their career and personal interests to have children.

I am humble to say that in my three years of marriage and one beautiful daughter, I am still finding out how tough it really is for a die-hard self-achiever to change a "me" perspective into an "us". Fortunately i have had enough fun when i was young and i do not hold any resume to become a career man, lol.....
I am just happy to be a loving husband and a caring dad, and what ever i do and sacrifices for my family, i will always do it with the strength of my loving daughter and a supportive and understanding wife.


Note for my wife: The world is going thru a rough time after many FI collapsed . Singapore are not spare from it either, many of us are starting to experience the recession coming thru, I am some how effected by a slowing demand of retail goods and my trips of handphone delivery are fewer than ever and it will affect my pay check somehow... I hope we can brave this tough time together and withstand all the obstical we may face concerning money. I believe we can go thru this together .


Above image are mainly for leisure and entertaining purpose. Both character are impressive fictional and do not represent any one of us.

Deferred Gratification

I haven't been active on posting any entries lately, because I was busy exploring and experimenting with the layout and setting on my blog. You know, those HTML stuff really will make you go crazy. I had added in a few more gadgets and am happy about it but I am still pretty frustrated with how to add another column of sidebar on the left side of my main page. Anyway, today I just want to blog something I read from the Newpaper on Monday. Written by Dr Money or Larry Haverkamp, the title reads: PLAY ‘CRAZY MONEY’ GAME WITH KIDS.

Dr Money wrote about how they teach their kids about money thru games. And he put it simple and focuses on a single concept: Deferred Gratification
It’s the ability to put off pleasure in order to accomplish something – like working, studying, saving money and even developing friendship. Kids learn more willingly when it’s fun and Dr Money has recommended a few “crazy money game” they play with their kids. All games combine lesson on deferring gratification.

1) The game they play most is a deferred gratification exercise. It requires them to wait before taking their bite of food at dinner. It’s not easy when you’re hungry. A one min wait earns their kids 10 cents. Two min is worth 20 cents and three min gets 30 cents. They cut off at 3 min since the food gets cold.

2) A money game at the restaurants focuses on the highest mark-up item: Drinks.
Their kids have a choice of whether they want to order those irresistible soft drinks or just ask for a glass of plain water. If their kids is willing to resist the temptation and drink only plain water, they’ll get to split the amount of money the soft drink cost with their parent. For instant, if a glass of coke cost $2, they’ll get $1 each. But if they choose to order the coke, they get nothing. Ordering water can quench your thirst with no cost and no calories.
This game also teaches your kids of capitalism: That’s to share the profit.
Deals work best when there’s something in for everyone, including mum and dad.

3) The third game is inspired from watching news on TV. It showed Americans were paying cash for guns in Iraq. The scheme was a big success with a lot of weapons getting surrendered. So Dr money has their own scheme: Cash For Candy. They will buy back junk food their kids routinely get from friends and relative.
More Of Deferred Gratification

I’ll probably try all this games when my little Gracia grew up. What a good way to have fun and learn lesson. Thanks to Dr Money recommendation.

Young And Deep In Debt

Both news from The Sunday Time and The Newpaper today prompt me to add this label regarding finances on my blog from today onward. Already, parents now’s a day are constantly worried about the future that lies ahead of their children in this competitive and corrupted generation. Just days before, I was shock to read about the university cost ones will need 20 years later from now. It’s a shocking $800’000 to a million including living expenses if your child is going to get her degreed at any top uni from Australia or the US. Unless she’s able to qualify entry to NUS or NTU, but the consolation amount you’re going to pay will not be anything lesser than a couple of hundred thousand. But I’ll put aside this university cost today and share about the other two news I’d just read.

NEWS 1 : YOUNG AND DEEP IN DEBT


That’s the front-page news from the Sunday Time today. They are below 30, employed and mired in debt. And it’s reported that the main cause for all this are snared by materialism and a desire for the high life. They splash money on cars, branded goods, overseas holidays, clubbing and gadgets.



NEW 2 : WON $390’000 FROM TOTO AND SPENT IT ALL IN 6 MONTH AND BROKE


That’s the 2nd news I want to share from the Newpaper. A man who won $390’000 and left only $200 in his account after generously giving away a portion to his family, lent $50’000 to a close friend, and spent lavishly on high end bird ness and restaurant.

My first reaction after reading both news? What can I do to stop this from happening to my daughter? Is there a way or lesson to be taught? Ironically, there isn’t any absolute solutions to this problem consider that she’ll grow up being independent, have her own group of friends and influences and pressure of course. Though there aren’t any certain answers to all this woes, but as a parent, I think it’s important to teach her money management at a young age. I must not only focus on her academic result but I’ll pledge to teach her more on human value so that she will not be tempted for materialism and become a material girl.