[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 996] 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 995] Are Phone (And Laptop) Repair Shops Spying On You? | Talking Point | 1-Hour Special

Summary

Passwords, bank account numbers, IDs – our personal devices hold so much of our important data. That means we are placing our entire lives in the hands of strangers when we send these devices in for repair, especially if we have not had time to back up and erase them. 

Talking Point sends out laptops and phones to 40 repair shops around the island, and uncovers shocking results about the activities of repair technicians on these devices - and Steven personally confronts the owners and technicians at these shops.

[Post 994] Make Your Own Bak Kwa For 70% Savings This Chinese New Year: How Does It Taste? | Money Mind | Food

Summary

Bak kwa or pork jerky is a traditional treat during the Chinese New Year. But with each shop-bought slice costing around 6 Singapore dollars, it also takes a hefty bite out of the budget. So will a homemade version pass the taste test? Cheryl Goh finds out. 

[Post 993] 4 Signs It Is Time To Sell A Stock | Money Mind | Stock Market

Summary

When to sell a stock: the top exit signs to watch out for.