[Post 1002] Iconic Singapore Movies That Captured & Shaped Our Culture | On the Red Dot | 1-Hour Special

Summary

The Singaporean identity is ever-evolving, reflecting a nation's quest for pride and purpose. Films serve as a lens for self-reflection, sharing stories that define who we are and the society we live in. 

12 Storeys explores loneliness, alienation, and societal pressures within an HDB block, while Mee Pok Man depicts a hawker's unfulfilled love, symbolising the struggles of those overlooked by progress. Money No Enough and I Not Stupid offer humorous yet poignant insights into societal issues, from financial struggles, societal expectations to the education system’s impact on students and families. Ilo Ilo captures the bond between a family and their domestic helper during the 1997 Asian financial crisis. A Yellow Bird delves into loss and tradition, while Sayang Disayang celebrates the connection between a caregiver and her elderly charge. 

These diverse films capture the essence of Singaporean life, providing a deeper understanding of who we are as a nation.

[Post 1002] How I'm Monetising My Backyard By Building A Granny Flat And Renting It Out | Money Mind | Rental

Summary

Can you make money out of your backyard, by constructing a granny flat? Sydney resident Charles Pillay goes through the sums.

[Post 1001] How Calm’s Founders Turned Rejection Into A $2 Billion Business

Summary

Michael Acton Smith and Alex Tew founded Calm, an app that offers mental health resources like guided meditations, sleep stories and mindful movement exercises. Today, the app has a valuation of $2 billion and has been downloaded 150 million times.

[Post 999] Nissan Is Fighting To Survive But Its Future Looks Grim

Summary

Nissan’s pending merger talks with its archrival Honda may give be its best shot at surviving. The third largest Japanese automaker by volume is struggling in multiple regions around the world, including the US and China. Cheaper, fresher alternatives are pushing it out of developing markets, while US dealerships day they are plagued with stale product and troubles around service and counterproductive sales incentives. Merging with Honda would create the third largest automaker in the world and give the combined company US market share comparable to Toyota and the Hyundai Motor Group.

[Post 998] Why Americans Can’t Find Starter Homes

Summary

Starter homes are typically modest in price and under 1,400 square feet. These units accounted for 40% of new residential construction in 1982, and just 9% in 2023. Economists say starter homes are disappearing as home builders contend with rising costs for land, labor and materials while navigating increasingly thick layers of regulation. As a result, many new homes are for high-end buyers in more remote locations. Meanwhile, the age of the first-time buyer rose to 38 from age 29 in 1981.

[Post 997] Can The U.S. Economy Survive A Mass Deportation?

Summary

According to the latest estimates, approximately 11.7 million undocumented immigrants currently reside in the United States, which amounts to roughly 3.5% of the total U.S. population. The United States has more international migrants than any other country in the world, surpassing the total of the next four countries combined. But in recent years, the United States has not deported more than half a million immigrants with a formal removal order in a single fiscal year. If President Trump follows through on his promise of deporting all undocumented immigrants over his four-year term, the country could see a deportation operation on an unprecedented scale. So how exactly will the mass deportation be carried out? And what impact will it have on the U.S. economy?

[Post 997] Wealth Advisor's 20-Year Plan To Give His Kids A Financial Headstart | Money Mind | Wealth Planning

Summary

Strategies to give your children a financial headstart in life. 

[Post 566] Shanghai's Shrinking Expat Population: What Might This Mean For China? | CNA Correspondent

Summary

Being the gateway of China, Shanghai suffered during the Covid lockdowns. But it also benefited when the country pushed to re-engage with the world. As China offers longer visa-free entries to more countries, Shanghai’s attractions are filled with foreign tourists again. But the tourist numbers only tell half the story. 

Since the draconian Covid lockdowns, Shanghai has been fully open for business for more than two years now. But the chunk of the expat community it lost has never really returned. Are Shanghai’s heydays on the international stage as a cosmopolitan global hub behind it?

[Post 565] How Talking Toes chief rakes in six-figure revenues from socks with cute puns, positive messages

Summary

Home-grown socks brand Talking Toes was once dead in the water. Its director Lucas Saw tells CNA TODAY how he revived the business by seeking to warm not just people's' feet, but their hearts as well.

[Post 564] Why Food Prices Are Still So High In The U.S.

Summary

As inflation cools considerably, prices for items like gasoline, used cars and energy have all declined accordingly. But food prices continue to outpace inflation, increasing by 28% since 2019. 86% of consumers reported feeling frustrated with rising grocery prices, and over a third said they have resorted to buying fewer items to save money. Despite campaigning on grocery prices, President-elect Trump also acknowledged it might be ‘hard’ to bring down grocery prices. So why are food prices still so high? And can anything be done to bring the cost down?

[Post 563] I Started A Business With $400 — Now It Brings In $180K/Year

Summary

Sarah Cloes, 27, lives in San Marcos, California with her husband, Bret. In 2021 she founded Flora Flora Co., a brand that specializes in selling sustainably packaged shampoo and conditioner bars. In 2024, the business brought in about $180,000.

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.

[Post 562] How Shein And Temu Keep Prices Shockingly Low: Chinese Fast Fashion

Summary

Super affordable products have enabled the Chinese online shopping apps to dominate the US market - Shein, for example, surpassed Amazon in downloads to become the top shopping app in 2021. But just how do Shein and Temu keep their price tags so competitive? And do their low prices come at a cost? 

[Post 561] What To Highlight If You Want Recruiters To Read Your Resume + Design Flaws To Avoid | Money Mind

Summary

What does it take to get your resume noticed by recruiters? Cheryl Goh gets a resume makeover from a career coach. 

[Post 560] How To Make And Keep Money Goals In 2025 | Money Mind | Money Goals

Summary

How to make and keep money goals in 2025.

 

[Post 559] Package deal: A day in the life of a delivery driver

Summary

It is the season for gifts, parcels and deliveries. But to get the packages to you requires a job with long hours and a lot of heavy lifting. The Straits Times follows deliveryman Don Ng to learn the ins and outs of the job. 

[Post 558] Why Restaurants Have Become So Important To Shopping Malls

Summary

Foot traffic to suburban shopping malls has returned to pre-pandemic levels and high-end malls are thriving. Yelp found that 17 out of the top 25 brands driving consumers to malls are restaurants, and the dining options for visitors have moved well beyond the traditional food court that would include chains like McDonald's, Chipotle and Panda Express. CNBC visited the American Dream Mall in New Jersey to see how dining has evolved at the mall.

[Post 557] Why Fed Rate Cuts Aren’t Making Mortgages Cheaper

Summary

Federal Reserve interest rate decision can affect the cost of mortgages. But that link from the Fed to your monthly payment isn’t direct.  Fed decisions affect the investors demand for debt products like treasury bills and mortgage-backed securities. The shifting demand will, in turn, affect the rates Americans pay for new mortgages. Meanwhile, the Fed is reducing its holdings of debt, which it accrued during recent economic emergencies. That reduction in the Fed's assets, particularly mortgage-backed securities holdings, could keep upward pressure on mortgage rates. The upward pressure may keep rates elevated even as the Fed reduces the federal funds rate heading into 2025.

[Post 556] How Employees Are Coffee Badging To Avoid Full Days At The Office

Summary

Experts indicate that workplace trends often reflect the current job market. During the pandemic, when there was high demand for workers, the concept of 'quiet quitting' became a dominant theme. However, as the job market tightens, especially for white-collar positions, 'coffee badging' is trending. Watch the video above to learn more.

[Post 555] Why Dollar Stores Are Struggling

Summary

Dollar General and Dollar Tree, which also owns Family Dollar, brought in about $70 billion combined in sales in fiscal 2023. Both companies have historically been Wall Street darlings, outperforming the broader market for much of the past decade. But the past two years have played out differently as the dollar store industry is facing an economic environment that has disproportionately affected the dollar store’s core, low-income consumer. Watch the video to find out why dollar stores are struggling.

[Post 554] Why 27 U.S. States Are Going Broke

Summary

27 state governments lack the necessary cash on hand to pay their bills, according to researchers. The debts largely relate to the public pension system, which provides lifetime benefits to state and local government employees. $800b in federal aid during the pandemic obfuscated the long-term challenges of states. As that extra aid expires, even economically powerful states have to tighten their budgets. That could mean more tax hikes or cuts to public services like education and transportation.