Inspired by a European travel guide gifted by her late father, 30-year-old Denae McGaha moved to Budapest, Hungary, with only $4000 saved, to teach in 2017. She credits this move with enabling her to live a comfortable lifestyle she couldn't afford in the U.S. See how she lives.
Paul Lee, 28, moved to Bangkok, Thailand from NYC three years ago. He lives in a 650-square-foot one-bedroom apartment in the Thonglor neighborhood, which Paul says is "the SoHo of Bangkok." The apartment came furnished, and Paul has access to amenities, including a pool and a gym.
Unlocked is a home tour series focused on how much people across the globe spend on their housing, what they get for the money and what they had to sacrifice to make it happen.
The taxi industry in Singapore has undergone major shifts since the rise of ride-hailing apps, with passengers swapping standing in line for confirmed rides and flat fees. Are metered taxis still relevant?
Steven Chia and Crispina Robert put the questions to transport economist Walter Theseira and the general secretary of the National Taxi Association, Ban Kum Cheong.
Spancer visits Bangkok with an eye on the country’s first ever road. Built in 1864, Charoen Krung Road was the city’s original commercial district and home to iconic buildings like the Grand Postal Building and Siam Commercial Bank.
But Charoen Krung is now in the midst of a creative renaissance. The road’s heady commercial days are long gone but the country’s next generation have now stepped in to bring their own spin on things through new artistic endeavors. Spancer successfully destroys some street art, learns to make bad coffee and gets a new-gen tattoo – all experiences that have now become the norm in a transformed Charoen Krung Road.
In Japan, a school teacher’s day begins at around 8am but often ends only after 8pm. Much of this time is occupied not by actual teaching, but a laundry list of tasks like administrative work, dealing with parents’ complaints and supervising club activities. The pressure that educators face is causing record numbers to suffer from mental illness. Many are leaving the industry, as their ever-growing workload cuts into their personal time. Some also report “power harassment” – a side effect of an unhealthy work environment.
As schools become increasingly short-staffed, those who are left are forced to take on heavier burdens. Meanwhile, application rates have dropped drastically as the younger generation shuns the profession. Schools are trying to woo and retain teachers, such as by reducing official work hours and offering sabbaticals. Authorities too acknowledge the need to address the problem and are taking steps to resolve the teacher shortage. But is it too little, too late?
Dad, Mum, and 13-year-old Lucy departed Chengdu, China with hopes of illegally entering the United States. They are part of a growing trend called ‘zou xian’ or ‘Walk The Line’ in Chinese internet slang, referring to those who take long and arduous detours to America. Their journey across the continent started in Ecuador, spanning 7 countries and 6,000km.
Singapore state investor Temasek's net portfolio value went up by S$7 billion, bringing the total to S$389 billion in its latest financial year. That's mainly due to investment returns from the US and India. One-year shareholder return rose to 1.6%, from -5% last year. Singapore remains the single largest market in Temasek's portfolio, followed by the Americas and China. Looking ahead, Temasek sees risks in geopolitical tensions between US-China, and the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. Nadirah Zaidi reports.
This house is where Jansen Tan, former national cyclist, founder of Coast Cycles and creative director of Lamitak, keeps his impressive car collection and indulges in his car restoration hobby.
Malaysian Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim has launched a new anti-corruption effort, outlined in the National Anti-Corruption Strategies (NACS) 2024 – 2028.
In his effort to crack down on graft, he has gone after influential business and political figures, including former Finance Minister, Daim Zainuddin. The key ally of former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad faces two charges for failing to comply with a notice to declare his assets. Two of Mahathir’ sons, Mirzan and Mokhzani Mahathir, are also under investigation.
But Anwar’s critics say his corruption busting campaign is politically motivated, pointing to the dismissal of charges against his own ally in the government, UMNO President, Zahid Hamidi. What is behind the corruption crackdown in Malaysia? Will it remove the stain that was left by the 1MDB Scandal?
Sora Lee didn't plan on going into tech after college. Here's what she's learned working at Netflix, Meta and TikTok, and how much money she's made.
This is an installment of CNBC Make It's Millennial Money series, which profiles people across the globe and details how they earn, spend and save their money.
For Malaysian Mohd Hafizie Shamsuddin, choosing to work in Singapore allows him to earn up to 4 times the amount of ringgit as opposed to what he’d earn in Malaysia due to the falling Malaysian currency.
How does the depreciation of ringgit accelerate brain drain in Malaysia? For expatriates, why is Malaysia more attractive?
Having sufficient insurance is a key part of individual financial planning. So what are the key questions you need to ask yourself about which insurance is right for you, at different stages of your life?
Slowing growth, weak investor confidence and brain drain - Hong Kong, the Pearl of the Orient, may be losing its lustre. Could its future lie in the Greater Bay Area, an economic integration project joining the Special Administrative Region to Guangdong and Macau?
Over the next decade, greater transport, administrative and economic links will tie Hong Kong inextricably to Southern China. But will Hong Kong find opportunity or obsolescence in the Greater Bay Area? And with around two decades till the end of "One Country Two Systems" in 2047, is the Greater Bay Area a way to assimilate Hong Kong with the Mainland?
More than half (52%) of Americans say they would need at least $100,000 a year to be financially comfortable, according to the August 2023 CNBC Your Money Survey. It’s becoming increasingly more difficult to achieve the American Dream, especially as younger generations are beginning their adulthood with thousands of dollars in student loans. Watch the video above to learn more about how much it costs to achieve the American Dream.
At 27, Ji Hye Kim quit her long-time job at a medical administration company to become a cheese monger at Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, MI. Eight years later, she opened her own Korean restaurant: Miss Kim. Ji Hye is now a James Beard Award semifinalist. In 2023, her restaurant brought in $1.8 million in sales. Ji Hye passes much of that revenue on to her staff, paying them $12-$15/hour and sharing the restaurant's profits with them.
This is an installment of CNBC Make It's Millennial Money series, which profiles people across the globe and details how they earn, spend and save their money.
Shawn Allard, 27, quit his job as a dental consultant and decided to buy two Arizona ice cream shops called Novel Ice Cream. In 2023, the business brought in $1.2 million in sales.
Darren Thedieck enlisted in the military at 18 and has diligently saved and invested ever since. He's on track to retire in 8 years, after 20 years of service. So far, he's saved over $500,000.
This is an installment of CNBC Make It's Millennial Money series, which profiles people across the globe and details how they earn, spend and save their money.
Kate Fincham, 35, has lived in a houseboat in Toronto, Canada for the past three years. She purchased her home for $250,000. Kate is a content writer and lives with her two cats.
Unlocked is a home tour series focused on how much people across the globe spend on their housing, what they get for the money and what they had to sacrifice to make it happen.
Jessica van Dop DeJesus, 45, relocated with her family from Washington, D.C. to Brussels, Belgium in 2021. Last year, Jessica and her husband purchased an apartment for about $587,000, where they live with their young daughter.
Vionna Wai, 30, and her husband, Chucky Hui, 29, have over 150 houseplants and two cats. The couple pays $1,600/month in rent for their 1-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, NY.
Unlocked is a home tour series focused on how much people across the globe spend on their housing, what they get for the money and what they had to sacrifice to make it happen.
Liz Chick started making and selling art to get reprieve from her "windowless office" job. Now, she runs an art studio in Brooklyn and makes $5,500 per month.
“Why is an abled-bodied man being a stay-home dad?” For 14 years, father of two, Lee Kwong Luen dedicated his time and energy to caring full-time for his son, Jue Ming who has autism and bleeding disorder, haemophilia B.
He shares candidly about the criticism he faces, his struggle with social isolation and depression, and how he’s slowly reclaiming his identity after putting his career and life on hold for over 10 years.
Japan is a country of contradictions. From bullet trains to pioneering robotics, it’s often seen as a land of innovation; but it also has a strong attachment to tradition with practices like hanko. Japan used to be the third largest economy in the world but lost the title to Germany last year. So why is the country falling behind?
WSJ’s Peter Landers explains how being fiercely traditional is weighing down Japan’s economy.
It had always been 28-year-old Danielle Tan’s dream to be a baker and own a bakery. She honed her skills by baking and selling cakes at pop-up stalls both as a student and a working adult. After two years of working, Danielle decided to start her own pastry business, specializing in “shio pan” – a Japanese salt bun. Teaming up with her 32-year-old sister Serene, they opened Butter Town.
Butter Town quickly became a roaring success, consistently selling out their breads within two hours of opening. However, their small oven, single mixer, and few trays couldn’t keep up with the overwhelming demand. Within three months, the sisters faced the urgent challenge of scaling up their operations to meet their customers’ needs.
26-year-old Catherine graduated with a degree in hospitality, while her sister, 27-year-old Chong Kai En is a nursing graduate. Neither imagined that they would end up running a hawker stall specialising in noodles when finding a job during the COVID-19 period proved extremely challenging.
Neither sister knew how to cook, so they had to learn to cook the dishes, handle tough customers, and deal with financial struggles. Despite all that, they managed to grow their one noodle stall into three noodle stalls, a vegetarian food stall, and even a vegetarian restaurant. How did these sisters beat the odds and thrive in the competitive hawker scene?
What is it like to live 274 days on a cruise ship that's been closely followed by the entire world on TikTok? CNA Lifestyle talked to some passengers from Royal Caribbean's Ultimate World Cruise to find out, during a recent Singapore stopover. (Video: Joyee Koo)
Ever wondered how IKEA makes its famous meatballs and popular chicken wings? How do they come up with new menu items? IKEA Singapore’s food manager Aeson Ong invited us into the kitchen to find out – and even got us to try some of their brand new dishes.
Sunny Kang has been working as a private driving instructor for 48 years. He retires on Apr 27 when he turns 75, the age limit for private driving instructors. And their numbers will only dwindle - Singapore has only about 305 such instructors left, since it stopped issuing teaching licences in 1987.
The employment rate for graduates from private education institutions fell, even as they earned more money. This, according to a SkillsFuture Singapore survey of 2,400 students who graduated between May 2022 and April last year. Monthly median salaries rose to $3,400 -- up $200, or slightly more than 6% from the previous survey. But fewer are finding full-time jobs. Over 58% found permanent employment within six months after graduation -- a drop of more than two percentage points from the previous cohort. The percentage of those unemployed crept up to over 16%.
33-year-old Asyraffie Bin Mohamed Shukor is an accidental chef who fell in love with the art of fine-dining cooking while working in the modern European restaurant Iggy’s. When his dream to start his own restaurant fell through, Asyraffie, decided to continue his fine-dining journey in a hawker centre, blending haute cuisine techniques with the vibrant flavours of local street food.
From serving six customers a night in a private fine dining restaurant to serving 200 plates in four hours in a hawker centre, Asyraffie has not compromised in his cooking techniques that brought him fame and acclaim. He serves a dish called Nasi Kerabu, which is unfamiliar to most Singaporeans. Yet it has attracted customers from across the island. So, why are people willing to pay more than $10 a dish and queue for up to 45 minutes for an unknown dish in a hawker stall?
Travel experiences are increasingly the currency of choice among travelers today. So how do you get the best bang for your buck when planning such holidays?
Tips On What To Spend On, To Make The Most Of A New Holiday Experience
After Singapore, Thailand has the lowest fertility rate in Southeast Asia, making it one of the fastest aging countries in the world. The problem is, Thailand will grow old before it grows rich.
An aging society is typically a predicament affecting developed nations. But Thailand is still developing. So, why is it facing a population crisis ahead of time? How did culture, religion, the economy, policies, and politics drive down the birthrate in the Land of Smiles? The Thai government is changing the laws to encourage more births. Can they reverse the slide? And, faced with a stagnating economy and competition from its younger neighbours, what does it mean for Thailand if it cannot rejuvenate its fertility rate?
Dupes, or duplicates, have surged in popularity in recent years - offering budget-friendly options to high-end products. From designer fashion to make-up and tech, bargain hunters can find many products that are inspired by trendy branded originals. There are even dupes available for popular fast food items. How difficult is it to find good dupes, and how much can you really save from buying them?
Meet avid frozen food dupe hunter, Leslie Koh, relishes in finding “taste-alikes” for popular branded fast food and teaches you how to cook them to satisfy cravings at a fraction of the price. Next, Isyraf Rusydi, a business student who collects fragrances as a hobby, shows Host Andrea Chong where to buy popular expensive scents at a fraction of the costs. Then, Isabelle Rosta, who has a women’s lifestyle blog, shares her dupe fashion finds. She attempts to find Andrea a dupe of an outfit worn by a character in the series 'Emily In Paris,' which Andrea admires. Will she be successful in finding a budget-friendly option?
In February this year, the Malaysian currency, the ringgit, suffered its steepest decline in 26 years. It briefly slipped past MYR 4.8 against the US dollar, its weakest since reaching an all-time low of 4.88 during the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis.
This has caused a strain on the country’s key industries - from the airlines to manufacturing - due to higher fuel prices and cost of raw materials. It has shaken investor confidence and accelerated outward migration.
Why has the ringgit lost so much of its value? Could the depreciating ringgit spell trouble for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim? As the government projects a recovery, is a turnaround in sight?
Creating your dream home can be costly…but it doesn’t have to be. Host Das meets couples who have done more for less, as he picks tips on glamming up his future home. When Izwan and Nadirah were forced to move up the timeline on their home purchase, they were left with just $5,000 to renovate their 5-room flat. Das discovers how they turned their blank canvas into a modern masterpiece - and their limitation into a thriving business – by doing it themselves.
Myra, known to her friends at the “Taobao queen”, saved thousands on furniture by buying direct from manufacturers on China’s largest online marketplace, despite not being able to read a word of Chinese. She teaches Das how to navigate the platform, save costs on shipping and even snag free furniture customisation. You’d never guess that 80% of the furnishing in Renee and Leo’s home is second-hand. Das learns how to haggle for homeware and get furniture for free, and transforms a worn out chair into a new piece for his home.
After decades of deflation, Japan is now experiencing rising prices. Food items have seen some of the most price hikes. So how do you cope with inflation when your salary just isn't keeping up? For one Japanese millennial in Tokyo, the solution is at his fingertips.
The Japanese yen has fallen sharply to a 34-year low against the US dollar. The weak yen is positive for inbound visitors, but Japanese consumers and companies are feeling the pinch. CNA's Henry Yin and Michiyo Ishida explain.
From sticky inflation and high interest rates to bank failures and recession chatters, it has been a rough few years for investors. Many have been seeking shelter in safe haven assets. But why is gold a top choice for them? CNA’s Olivia Marzuki explains.
Japan is known for its unforgiving work culture -- characterised by long hours, obligatory drinking parties and a rigid hierarchy. Some 9% of workers in the country put in more than 60 hours a week in 2022. But a post-pandemic reset and shifting attitudes among the younger generation are slowly driving change. Japanese youth remain some of the unhappiest among developed countries, ranking 73rd in the latest World Happiness Report. CNA's Michiyo Ishida follows one young worker to find out more about this generational shift.
Younger workers in East Asia are rebelling against long working hours, seeking greener pastures that enable a better work-life balance. CNA's East Asia Tonight takes a look at what this means for societies and dives deep into a post-COVID reset in Japan's workplaces.
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