🏆 Thrive’s top newsletter picks of 2023

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💭 A look back

It’s hard to make comparisons with memories of Covid-19 fresh in our minds, but 2023 was a wild year in its own right: Inflation continued to fan its flames, tech workers were laid off, a banking crisis erupted in the US, ChatGPT introduced AI to the masses and war broke out between Israel and Hamas.

Back home, a TikTok teen calling Charles & Keith “luxury” sparked debates over privilege, new HDB classifications were introduced for BTO (Build-To-Order) flats, cars got even more expensive to own and a succession of scandals – from extra-marital affairs to a corruption investigation – rocked the political scene.

In the spirit of reflection, we’ve compiled a list of newsletters you may have missed that we hope will be helpful in your financial planning, career and personal development in 2024. 

Feeling unappreciated? Here’s how to ask for more

Talking salary with your boss can be an uncomfortable subject to broach. How do I tell my boss that he’s paying me too little to put up with the crap he’s giving me? 

Here, we discuss how to negotiate for a pay bump or promotion with your boss, how much is a good raise to ask for, and what to do if your boss says “no”. Be prepared: You’ll have to do a lot of research online, build a case, preferably with data, and choose the right time to strike.

(Wo)Man with a plan

We spoke to Loh Yong Cheng, advisory lead at wealth advisory Providend, to come up with a list of steps to start getting your finances sorted out.

Financial planning starts with having clear financial goals – for instance, I want to pay off my student loans in three years – and building a budgeting plan from there.

Grindset is out, quiet quitting is in

From “lying flat” and “quiet quitting”, 2023 birthed “bare minimum Mondays” – a new buzzword to describe putting in minimal effort at work. 

In Singapore, where working overtime is more a norm than an exception, a surprising 55 per cent of Gen Z survey respondents said they were planning to “quiet quit” their jobs. In this issue, we looked at three alternative steps you can take if you’re finding yourself unmotivated and disengaged from work before resorting to quiet quitting.

CPF hacks you may not know about

The Central Provident Fund (CPF) takes a large bite out of our take-home pay every month. Whether you’re for or against the idea of forced retirement savings, it’s good to include CPF in your regular financial planning.

Here, we introduced six ways you can hack your CPF to maximise your savings, including investing your funds, transferring funds between accounts and paying your filial piety dues through CPF to reduce your tax bill.

Let’s get that bread

Like any good student will tell you, always practise past questions. That applies to job interviews as well.

Interviews, especially for your first job out of school, are typically pretty standard fare: “Tell me about yourself”, “Why are you interested in this job?” 

Lin Peili, a career coach from Workforce Singapore, gives us some tips on how to answer these common questions.

In this issue, we also break down how to effectively do research on your potential employer before attending the interview.

As 2023 comes to a close, it’s a good time to look back on your own journey this year. Whether that be graduating from school, getting your first job or starting your emergency fund, take pride in the small wins whatever they may be. If the year did not turn out as you had expected, here’s a reminder that progress is not always linear. Let’s recharge with optimism and look forward to whatever awaits us in 2024!

TL;DR:

• From bank busts to war in Gaza, 2023 has been a big year for global financial markets 
• In Singapore, there was renewed debate on housing and car affordability as well as political drama
• Five Thrive newsletters you may have missed