Business and Money Tips

From Zero to Hero: The Singapore Story The birth of Singapore was not simply a political event. It was an emotional moment filled with fear, uncertainty and tears. Singapore had joined Malaysia in 1963. Less than two years later, on 9 August 1965, Singapore separated from Malaysia and suddenly became an independent nation. Few people then would have confidently predicted the Singapore we know today. We had virtually no natural resources . Unemployment was around 10% . Housing conditions were difficult. There were racial tensions, security concerns and enormous uncertainty over whether such a small country could survive on its own. Singapore started with very little. But it possessed something far more important than natural resources: People. Leaders had the determination to make difficult decisions.  Workers had the discipline to work hard.   Businesses took risks.  Families sacrificed so that their children could have better lives. Different communities gradually l...

Singapore at 60: A SuperME Gift for Every Singaporean In 1965, Singapore began its journey with Purpose — a vision of survival, unity, and progress. Today, at 60, we stand as a thriving nation… but beneath the skyline and the success, many Singaporeans carry stress, disconnection, and uncertainty about the future. What better gift for our nation than for every Singaporean to return to their SuperME? SuperME is about living each day with: ✨ Purpose — like our pioneers, knowing why we do what we do, and doing it with conviction. 💖 Love — building bonds that go beyond transactions, caring for our people and our home. 🙏 Gratitude — remembering the blessings we have, and passing them forward to future generations. If every Singaporean embraced their SuperME, our country would not only be rich in GDP but rich in heart — a nation where people lift each other up, innovate with empathy, and stand resilient through challenges. For Singapore’s 60th, let’s give ourselves the gift of clarity, c...

The past one week of mourning for Singapore's founding father and first prime minster Lee Kuan Yew teach us one thing: never order people to do anything. Get them to volunteer instead.  To manage the big crowds of people queueing to pay their last respect to Mr Lee when his body was lying in state at the Parliament House from Wednesday to Saturday (25 to 27 March 2015), the government did not: Issue orders to the SAF soldiers to work overtime  Ask the private sector to donate food, drinks and umbrellas to the people in queue Get any ministers to speak to ask people to come out and help Ask people to queue up orderly for 10 hours Issue any rule on how to behave while in queue (like what clothes to wear, not to take pictures or videos etc) Instead what we saw were: Non-stop queues of people forming 24 hours since Wednesday 25 March 2015 until Saturday 28 March 2015 Many thousands in queue for more than 10 hours just to pay less than 10 seconds of respect No one...

In 1965 when Singapore went independent, it's per capital income was US$1,500.  In 2014, it has grown to US$59,000.  Many people would consider Lee Kuan Yew as the father of modern Singapore for he is the one that turned Singapore from third world to first world in 4 decades.  But is this what Lee himself consider as his greatest achievement? Lee revealed to us that his greatest achievement was actually able to combine what Easterners and Westerners do: marry the woman you love and love the woman you marry. It appeared that Lee's wife was more than a wife. During the early years of his career in the 1950s when Lee was still in the opposition, Lee's wife was supporting the entire family with her income as an owner of a law firm Lee and Lee.  Lee's wife also took good care of the family and brought up three children very well.  Their eldest son Lee Hsien Loong has been Singapore's Prime Minister since 2004.   Being dyslexic, Lee relied on his wife t...

Mr Lee Kuan Yew, aged 91, founder of modern Singapore and the (late) father of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, passed away peacefully on 23 March 2015. (Get your course listing at here ) In 2009, I was asked by New Horizon Computer Learning Centre to conduct a one-week Management and Leadership training for a group of directors and senior managers from the Ministry of Finance and Economics of the Republic of Tanzania (a eastern African nation).  During the course, I was asked to summarise how Singapore transformed itself from a third world nation in 1963 with per capital income of US$1,500 to a first world nation having the highest per capita income of US$59,000 in 3 decades.  My answer to them is just 3 words: "Lee Kuan Yew". Born on 16 September 1923 to a upper income family, Lee Kuan Yew's grandfathers' wealth declined considerably during the Great Depression, and his father, Lee Chin Koon, became a poor shopkeeper. Lee Kuan Yew speaks English as his n...