[Post 652] Recession-Proof Investing: Timing, Opportunities & What To Buy During A Downturn | Money Mind

Summary

Can you make money during a downturn, and how do you know when the time is right?

[Post 651] When Will I Get My Home? | Singapore's Public Housing Revealed

Summary

Unlike most countries, nearly 80% of Singapore’s resident population live in subsidised public housing. And for many locals, getting a BTO – the Housing and Development Board’s Build-to-Order flats – has become a rite of passage. But as with most such rites, it comes with its challenges. A quick search on social media will throw up numerous stories about how frustrating the BTO balloting system is and how some are not able to get a flat even after multiple tries.

With new launches regularly oversubscribed, is it a simple matter of supply not meeting demand? Can a tiny nation ever sate its population’s hunger for public housing? We examine the push-pull factors the HDB and the government have to grapple with and look to the future on what public housing in Singapore might look like.

[Post 650] Has Housing Become Unaffordable? | Singapore's Public Housing Revealed

Summary

The Singapore public housing model has been lauded by near and far. It is a unique system that has undeniably been a success from the very early years since the Housing and Development Board’s founding.

But as Singapore’s housing needs and aspirations have grown and changed over the decades, has the system kept pace? It would appear not, as the affordability of HDB’s Build-to-Order flats has been hotly debated in Parliament in recent years, and complaints and commentaries about rising prices are commonplace. Is our public housing really affordable? We get to the root of the issue and pull back the curtains on how our BTO flats are priced, speaking to the HDB teams at the very heart of the question.

[Post 649] Why Corporate America Is Abandoning Remote Work

Summary

In the years following the pandemic, remote work became the new normal, but that's not the case anymore. Companies like AT&T, Amazon and Dell have brought their employees back into the office five days a week. What's causing the push for employees to return-to-office, and is it the best way forward?

[Post 648] I Moved To Oman 12 Years Ago And I Am Never Going Back To The U.S.

Summary

Nicole Brewer lost her market research job after the Great Recession and moved abroad to teach English. Sixteen years later, she still living abroad. Now she lives in Nizwa, Oman, earning $44,000 annually while renting a two-bedroom apartment, dining out, and traveling.

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.

[Post 647] I Bought The ‘Severance’ Building For $27 Million – Take A Look Inside

Summary

In 2013, Ralph Zucker and his firm purchased Bell Labs in Holmdel, NJ, for $27 million. After 10 years and $273 million worth of renovations, the two-million-square-foot mixed-use development is about 98% leased and home to over 100 companies. Apple TV+ chose the location to film much of its hit show Severance.

[Post 646] Why Costco Went All in on Kirkland — and How It Paid Off | WSJ Case Study

Summary

Costco went against industry standards in 1995 with the creation of its private label, Kirkland Signature. With $86 billion in sales last year, Kirkland is now a bigger brand than Proctor & Gamble and Kraft-Heinz. Compared with other mass retailers like Target and Walmart, which have multiple brands, club channels like Costco and Sam’s Club are winning the private-label food and beverage space by consolidating. 

WSJ breaks down why Kirkland is now the retail behemoth’s secret weapon