[Post 610] I Retired At 39 And Live On $185K A Year In Dubai

Summary

Jamal Robinson, 40, retired early in 2024 after saving almost a $4 million nest egg. He held positions at companies like Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon. Today, Jamal lives as an American expat in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Here's how he spends his money.

This story is part of CNBC Make It's Millennial Money series, which details how people around the world earn, spend and save their money.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed a video of Georgia to Dubai.

[Post 609] How high rent impacts hawker prices

Summary

Wei Renqing, a fish soup hawker, won the stall in Tiong Bahru with a record-breaking bid of $5,223 in 2021. In order to make a profit, he works 13 to 15 hours a day.

Is the high monthly rent the culprit for the poor business of hawkers? What other operational challenges do cooked food hawkers in Singapore face today?

[Post 608] Budget 2025 is more than just an election budget | Deep Dive podcast

Summary

A bigger tranche of vouchers, more generous rebates and more investments in the local workforce were some of the hallmarks of Budget 2025.

Professor Emeritus of Finance at Singapore Management University Annie Koh and Assistant Professor Chua Yeow Hwee from Nanyang Technological University tell Steven Chia and Crispina Robert why the “budget goodies” are not just about the upcoming elections.

[Post 607] Malaysia's $100B Forest City Turned “Ghost Town”: Can The Megaproject Be Revived? | Insight

Summary

On September 20, 2024, the Malaysian government unveiled a series of incentives aimed at transforming Forest City, the multibillion-dollar mixed-use megacity project, into a special financial zone. Among these incentives are a 15% income tax rate for skilled workers, multiple-entry visas, and a zero-percent tax rate for family wealth offices, and attractive corporate tax rates. The goal - sparking life into what has been dubbed Malaysia's Ghost Town.

Once touted as an eco-friendly metropolis, why did Forest City become a largely vacant white elephant, with only 15% of the development completed? The project, which was expected to house 700,000 residents, has attracted just 9,000 inhabitants to date.

Will these new measures rejuvenate this struggling megacity? Can Forest City, originally designed as a residential and lifestyle hub, finally fulfil its original vision, or will it remain a cautionary tale of hyper ambition meeting economic realities?

[Post 606] How OnlyFans Made $6.6B Without Apple’s App Store | WSJ The Economics Of

Summary

OnlyFans’ underlying business model is very different from other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. The subscription-focused site is not on Apple’s App Store and in four years, the company’s revenue grew more than 2000%. The company makes money only when creators make money instead of relying on advertising dollars, but what are some of the challenges that come with having a site populated with pornographic content? 

 

WSJ spoke with OnlyFans CEO Keily Blair to learn about some of the challenges the company faced and learned how the company capitalized on the creator economy to change the dynamics of how digital creators get paid.

[Post 605] [ENG SUB] How I found work as a deaf person

Summary

Born deaf, Luo Shufeng encountered many setbacks in her job search and sometimes felt isolated and helpless because of her colleagues' lack of understanding. With the help of the Singapore Association of the Deaf, Shufeng finally found an administrative job in an inclusive company. She used her hard work and enthusiasm to prove that deaf people can also succeed in the workplace and broke people's prejudice against the deaf.

Shufeng actively integrated into the team and took the initiative to teach her colleagues simple sign language, which not only eliminated communication barriers but also stimulated the team's creativity. Colleagues saw from Shufeng that hearing impairment is not an obstacle, but a unique way of life and communication.

[Post 604] Money Talks Explains: Do you really need an insurance IP rider?

Summary

Ever bought an insurance policy, only to have your agent ask if you would like to add on a rider for an extra cost? In this week’s Money Talks Explains, Samuel Low from Income Insurance tells Andrea Heng what to consider before adding an integrated shield plan (IP) rider to your insurance policy.