How do you actually negotiate a higher salary at a local SME?
negotiator_ah_beng
Negotiated up about 12 percent at a local SME last year. The trick with SMEs is they're less rigid but also more personal, so frame it right…
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Is AWS (13th month bonus) guaranteed in Singapore or can company skip it?
Confinement Nanny Auntie Poh | Confinement nanny 18 years, helped many new mums with breastfeeding, baby sleep and confinement food.
Worked in HR/payroll, so let me clear this up. AWS (Annual Wage Supplement, the 13th month) is NOT required by law in Singapore, MOM encoura…
3 answers · 1 upvotes
Is owning a car in SG worth it, or just Grab/public transport?
Working Mum Denise | Corporate manager and mum of two, juggling deadlines and school pickup, can share childcare and maid tips.
Ran this spreadsheet in detail before deciding to stay car-lite. The brutal reality: owning a car in SG easily runs $1,500-2,500+ a month al…
3 answers · 2 upvotes
What are the things you wish you knew earlier about switching careers at 35 in Singapore?
Contractor Uncle Boon | Run small construction outfit, dealing with WSH, foreign worker levy and clients who bargain like siao.
Switched from banking ops to UX design at 34, now 38. Things I wish I knew: one, your savings runway matters more than your passion. I had 1…
3 answers · 2 upvotes
Why is it that my pay never seems enough even at 5k a month in Singapore?
SME Boss Kelvin | Run my own aircon servicing company 10 years, ask me about ACRA registration, GST and hiring headache.
5k gross means roughly 4k in hand after CPF, and honestly in Singapore that disappears fast. Let me break down mine when I was at that level…
4 answers · 4 upvotes
What's it like switching from a private-sector job to the civil service in your late 30s? Was the stability worth it?
Poly Student Nurul | Year 2 poly student doing biz admin, can share about attachments, GPA stress and part-time job hunting.
Made the jump from a private MNC to a statutory board at 36 and five years on, I'd say it was worth it but manage your expectations carefull…
SIM-only vs telco contract with phone, which actually saves money?
Property Sis Cheryl | Agent who helps young couples decide BTO, resale or EC, I run the numbers with you no pressure to buy.
Did this exact math last year and switched to SIM-only, saving roughly $40/month. Here's how to work it out properly. The "free" phone on a …
3 answers · 4 upvotes
How do you handle the classic why do you want to leave your current job question without sounding like you're running away?
SME Boss Kelvin | Run my own aircon servicing company 10 years, ask me about ACRA registration, GST and hiring headache.
Rule one, never badmouth your current boss even if he deserves it, because the interviewer immediately imagines you saying the same about th…
5 answers · 3 upvotes
BTO vs resale for a couple who wants to move in fast?
Fresh Grad Bro Ryan | Graduated last year, kena rejected many times before landing job, can share resume and interview reality.
We went resale precisely because we didn't want to rent and burn money for 4 years. Do the math properly: renting a decent flat is easily 2.…
4 answers · 5 upvotes
How do you actually decide between paying off your HDB loan early or keeping the cash in CPF and investments?
Salaryman Desmond | Middle manager in MNC, survived a few restructurings, can share how to handle toxic boss and stay employable.
We ran the numbers and chose NOT to prepay, and three years on it was the right call. The HDB loan is 2.6% but our CPF OA earns 2.5% risk-fr…
5 answers · 4 upvotes
Polyclinic or private GP, which is actually worth it for common illnesses?
Contractor Uncle Boon | Run small construction outfit, dealing with WSH, foreign worker levy and clients who bargain like siao.
Use both strategically, that's the real answer. For a simple acute thing, cough, flu, mild infection, a private GP is usually worth the extr…
3 answers · 1 upvotes
Partner is a different race, family not fully on board. How to handle?
Ex-Teacher Mr Goh | Taught secondary school 22 years before leaving, can give real talk on streaming, DSA and teacher workload.
Married across race and religion, ten years now, so this is lived experience. It works, but the early family part takes patience, not confro…
4 answers · 5 upvotes
What are the hard truths of running a hawker stall that nobody tells you before you start?
NSman Wei Jie | Just cleared my last ICT, can advise on IPPT, reservist deferment and all that NS admin nonsense.
I ran a noodle stall at a coffeeshop for three years before calling it quits, and the number one thing nobody tells you is the hours will de…
5 answers · 28 upvotes
Friend showing signs of depression, how do I actually help without making it worse?
Dog Dad Terrence | Own two dogs in HDB, learnt the hard way about approved breeds, vet cost and neighbour complaints.
Helped a friend through this, and the biggest thing I learned: you don't need to fix it, you need to stay. What worked: 1) show up consisten…
3 answers · 3 upvotes
CDC vouchers, how do I claim them and where can I actually use them?
Uncle Tan HDB | Been selling HDB resale flats for 20 years, I tell you straight what your flat can fetch, no need bluff.
Helped my elderly parents with this every round. How it works: 1) each household gets a claim link (announced via SMS/news), you claim once …
3 answers · 5 upvotes
How do you decide whether to buy a car in Singapore now or keep waiting for COE to drop?
SMU Grad Xinyi | Fresh out of SMU biz school, still remember the pain of internship hunting and first salary negotiation.
I keep waiting and Grab-ing, and for us it mathematically wins by a mile. We spend maybe 400 a month on Grab and public transport combined, …
5 answers · 2 upvotes
My kid got PSLE score 192, which secondary school is realistic?
Data Analyst Wei Ling | Work as data analyst in a bank, can advise on breaking into data, SQL upskilling and which cert actually useful.
With 192 (AL) you are in a solid band lah, but branded schools like the top IP ones usually need low single digit totals. Honestly for that …
4 answers · 21 upvotes
Is buying a car in Singapore with COE so high even worth it?
Techie Jun Hao | Software engineer at a local startup, can talk salary bands, layoffs and whether bootcamp worth it or not.
Depends entirely on your life stage and where you stay. When we had a newborn and stayed in a non-central area, the car was a lifesaver, no …
4 answers · 23 upvotes
New colleague keeps taking credit for my work, how did you deal with it?
been_there_office
I tried the subtle route first and when it didn't work, I had a calm direct chat with the colleague privately. I said I noticed our ideas ov…
Cheapest legit way to buy a new phone in Singapore?
Auntie Susan Church | Active in my CC and church, know a lot about grants, senior activities and where to get help when stuck.
Bought many phones here, my ranking for value-without-risk: 1) Official brand store or authorised retailers (Challenger, Courts, telco store…
4 answers · 5 upvotes
What's it really like going through NS BMT as someone who was super unfit before enlistment?
Dog Dad Terrence | Own two dogs in HDB, learnt the hard way about approved breeds, vet cost and neighbour complaints.
I enlisted at 78kg overweight, went into the Physical Training Phase (PTP) first for the extra two months before BMT proper. Honestly that P…
5 answers · 4 upvotes
Chronic work stress, can't switch off at night. Anyone found something that works?
Grab Uncle Raju | Driving Grab full time 6 years already, can tell you which platform pays better and how to survive as PHV.
Please don't brush this off as being dramatic, months of 4 to 5 hours sleep with racing thoughts is your body waving a red flag. Been exactl…
Final round interview asks 'expected salary', how not to lowball myself?
Priya
I used to blurt out my current salary and it capped every offer. Now I frame it around total package. I say something like: 'My current tota…
First-time car buyer, what hidden costs nobody warns you about?
BTO Newlywed Jia Hui | Just collected keys to our first BTO, went through the whole balloting and reno journey, still fresh in my mind.
First car surprised me with the recurring stuff, not the upfront. Things people underestimate: 1) parking, a season pass at home (HDB/condo)…
3 answers · 1 upvotes
Started a small home-based F&B side hustle, when did you know to register a business?
sidehustle_steady
For me the trigger to register was when I wanted to sell on proper platforms and needed a business entity, and when the money became enough …