Thursday 26 January 2023

[Post 200] What's driving up the prices of HDB resale flats? | Talking Point


Summary

More HDB resale flats are crossing the million-dollar mark. What's driving up prices and are the flats worth the staggering price tag? Talking Point investigates.

Wednesday 25 January 2023

[Post 199] Crocs: How the Polarizing Footwear Brand Became a Fashion Statement | The Economics Of | WSJ


Summary

WSJ breaks down Crocs’s business strategy and explains how -- nearly two decades after the colorful clog first became a global fad -- the company found its footing as the world’s most loved and hated shoe. Illustration: Adele Morgan

Tuesday 10 January 2023

[Post 198] Beyond Meat: How the Plant-Based Pioneer Became a Stock Market Loser | What Went Wrong


Summary

Once a stock market darling, Beyond Meat’s sales have started to decline in the last year. The company had pursued growth, but struggled to execute its vision, leading to a series of production missteps and mounting expenses. WSJ explains what went wrong.

Monday 26 December 2022

[Post 197] Living In An Airplane In The Woods For $370 A Month | Unlocked


Summary

Bruce Campbell, 73, lives in a Boeing 727 200-passenger jetliner that is 1,066 square feet and weighs around 70,000 pounds. He bought the plane for $100,000 in 1999 and spends $370/month on property taxes and electricity.

Unlocked is a new home tour series focused on how much people across the U.S. spend on their housing, what they get for the money and what they had to sacrifice to make it happen.


Thursday 15 December 2022

[Post 196] How Drinks Helped Dunkin' Become a $9 Billion Empire | The Economics Of | WSJ


Summary

Dunkin’ started out as a small doughnut-and-coffee shop in Massachusetts in 1948 and has grown to over 12,000 stores in 40 countries. WSJ’s Heather Haddon explains why the company chose to focus on drinks – not doughnuts.

Tuesday 6 December 2022

[Post 195] How I Earn $6,500/Month In Passive Income | Fired Up


Summary

Amberly Grant, 34, vowed to be a millionaire after reading her first finance book at age 15. Then, in college, she discovered the FIRE movement, which stands for financial independence, retire early, and began working toward her dream of retiring early. Living in Denver, she was hired as a full-time project manager, started investing in real estate and launched a financial education side hustle. Today, Grant has accumulated a net worth of $835,000, and recently welcomed her first child.

Sunday 27 November 2022

[Post 194] China’s Bai Lan Vs Pro-996 Youth - Why Should I Work Hard?


Summary

In China, the ‘bailan’ movement - similar to quiet quitting - is about giving up on trying to get anywhere, and the motto of ‘let it rot’. It runs counter to the 996 work culture that’s a reference to the practise of working from 9am to 9pm, six days a week.

Zhang Yingqiu, 32, is an insurance agent who, though she stops short of working 996, agrees with its ethos of hard work being fulfilling. Wang Shuai, 26, is an escape room actor who does just enough at work to get by and believes in “lying flat”.