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CNA938 Rewind - The Wellness Hour - Bridging the educational divide does not need to be hard

CNA938 Rewind - The Wellness Hour - Bridging the educational divide does not need to be hard

CNA28-05-2025

CNA938 Rewind
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With June Holidays fast approaching, both you and your child might need a break from the frustrations of helping them with their school homework. How could parents stop feeling that they're falling behind on their child's syllabus? Cheryl Goh speaks with Lily Chew, founder of Lil' but Mighty, on how to reconnect with your child's learning needs.

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Splurging is not the enemy. Splurging on impulse is
Splurging is not the enemy. Splurging on impulse is

CNA

time20 hours ago

  • CNA

Splurging is not the enemy. Splurging on impulse is

In over 10 years of blogging and talking publicly about money, I've found that people often equate financial savvy to being a miser. After all, conventional money wisdom is simple: 'Save more, spend less.' But being financially savvy doesn't mean saying no to all luxuries or spending only on cheaper items. Instead, it means knowing when to say yes or no, and how to do so with intention. Over the years, I've developed a mental checklist to help me make up my mind with any big splurges – whether it's tickets to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, a S$300 dress, or a holiday trip overseas for my entire family. A key concept I use to guide my spending decisions is that of utility cost. VALUE IS MORE THAN THE NUMBER ON THE PRICE TAG I first learnt about utility cost during economics classes back in junior college, and it has stuck with me ever since. With any big-ticket purchase, instead of looking only at the price tag, I think about its utility. How many times do I expect to be able to use it? Can it offer me prolonged enjoyment, repeated uses or other long-term benefits? What are some unexpected costs I could incur in the future if I were to choose a cheaper alternative today? A cheap mattress, for instance, might hurt my back and lead to visits to chiropractors and masseuses. A S$20 running shoe with minimal cushioning or support could cause me injuries. A cheaper smartphone may come with lower camera specifications that would require me to either compromise on my work as a content creator or purchase additional equipment to make up for it. That was why I bought my wedding gown from Taobao, an online marketplace known for low-quality, super-cheap buys. I was expecting to wear it only once – and true enough, the dress has been gathering dust in my wardrobe since then. In contrast, I recently paid S$350 for a semi-designer dress from Bangkok because I expect to wear it more than 10 times for several upcoming occasions. For me, this higher utility justified the higher cost. This often gets missed in the oversimplified 'save more, spend less' narrative. It's not just about the money we're parting with; it is about how much value we're getting in return. Buying an expensive shirt or bag isn't necessarily a bad money decision in itself; only using it once or twice is. THINK LONG-TERM One easy way to help you gauge if something is worth the splurge: Divide the cost of the item by the number of times you (realistically) expect to use it. Otherwise, you can also define this simply as the value or satisfaction you expect to gain from the purchase. I hardly own any branded goods myself, but I recall how a good friend of mine previously bought a S$3,000 branded handbag which she used daily for her first three years of work. In her case, dividing the cost of her bag by the amount of time she used it extensively (S$3,000 divided by 3 years or 1,095 days) means her rough cost-per-use hovered under S$3. The bag also gave her plenty of other intangible benefits – for three years, she didn't have to switch bags or rotate her items between different bags, and she refrained from buying new fast-fashion bags. The bag even served as a conversation starter for her at networking events. To her, all this made her handbag more than 'worth' the S$3,000 she paid for it. When working out the cost-per-use value of a designer item, it helps to think about what it'll do for you, how versatile the piece is, whether you'll tire of it quickly, and if you're paying more for the logo than the craftsmanship. THE TRUE VALUE OF EXPERIENCES That's all well and good for consumer goods, but what about intangible experiences? Let's take travel for an example. I've had trips where I came back exhausted, overspent and underwhelmed; I've also taken holidays that helped me reconnect with myself, bond with loved ones, and return home recharged. The difference was almost never in how much money I spent, but rather in how well the trip was planned in accordance with what I truly enjoy. For instance, I've realised that I don't particularly enjoy or value visiting crowded tourist hot spots just to see, do or eat things popularised by social media. So, I no longer chase bucket-list destinations or viral TikTok itineraries. Instead, I focus my spending on trips that offer real value to my well-being. KNOWING WHEN TO SAY NO Still, we all have our weak spots, things that make it easy for us to get caught up in our own excitement. My system seems to have worked well for me over the last few years, with one exception: e-commerce livestreams. From beauty products to, home gadgets, there always seems to be a constant countdown, limited-quantity offers, and hosts who know exactly what to say to make my self-control disappear. I've often caught myself hovering over the 'buy now' button during a livestream, feeling like if I didn't act in that moment, I'd miss out on the best deal forever. On these occasions, my trusty utility cost framework often ends up taking a backseat to impulse. I start spending emotionally rather than intentionally. Once I realised this, I stopped tuning in for the sake of my wallet. That's not to say livestream shopping is bad. In fact, I've found some great deals this way. But if continually exposing yourself to your weakness leads you to busting your budget more often than you'd like, it's time to re-evaluate that self-exposure. After a while, I started tuning back in to livestream shopping again – but only when I was sure I could remind myself that not every 'good deal' is good for me. Now, whenever I find myself gripped by the urge to grab yet another 'exclusive', 'limited time' offer, I ask myself: Was I already planning to buy that item before entering the livestream? If the answer is no, then chances are I don't actually need it. FINANCIAL PRUDENCE IS NOT DEPRIVATION Spending mindfully doesn't mean saying no to all big purchases. It means learning to say yes strategically to only what we really want or need. This is especially important today, when we are constantly bombarded by online content and messaging telling us what to buy, wear or experience. This can spell financial stress for us when it leads us to shell out for big-ticket items with little consideration . That's where a simple mental framework – like utility cost – can help. Being financially responsible isn't about being miserly. It's about making sure we feel good about the things we choose to splurge on, instead of wallowing in the guilt or regret of post-purchase remorse. At the end of the day, the goal shouldn't be just saving more and spending less. Instead, we should ask ourselves: What matters most to us?

Hong Kong-listed China Medical System seeks secondary listing on SGX
Hong Kong-listed China Medical System seeks secondary listing on SGX

Business Times

timea day ago

  • Business Times

Hong Kong-listed China Medical System seeks secondary listing on SGX

[SINGAPORE] Hong Kong-listed China Medical System (CMS) is seeking a secondary listing on the mainboard of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) in July this year. CMS is a specialty pharma with a focus on sales and marketing in China, with capabilities across the full lifecycle of drug development, from identifying clinical needs to research and development (R&D) regulatory approval, and commercialisation. It has been listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong since 2010. The pharmaceutical company expects the secondary listing will help it deepen its presence in South-east Asia and 'tap into a new and sophisticated investor base in Singapore'. CMS said it is looking to replicate its success in South-east Asia – building on the proven track record attained in China's pharmaceutical industry. 'This region, with a population of nearly 700 million, is experiencing surging pharmaceutical demand due to rapid economic growth, the rise of the middle class, ageing population, and the increasing burden of non-infectious diseases,' it said. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Its financial performance in 2023 and 2024 were hit by China's volume-based procurement (VBP) policy – three of its products were included in the VBP list. This policy aims to lower the prices of drugs with generic competition, by guaranteeing certain procurement volumes from public hospitals at significantly reduced prices through a bidding process. But CMS had a top-line rebound in H2 2024, driven by progress in commercialising innovative drugs and the continued growth of non-VBP exclusive products. The company moved towards innovative drugs, given that they typically enjoy a pricing advantage due to their exclusiveness, novelty and quality, and are supported by favourable government policies. It expects growth momentum will accelerate on the back of the replenishment of its pipeline of innovative drugs to about 40 products as at Dec 31, 2024. It noted four key platforms to scale its pharmaceutical ecosystem across Asia-Pacific. CMS R&D is involved in drug discovery and development targeting global markets, while PharmaGend is a development and manufacturing platform for regional manufacturing and supply. It also has Rxilient Health, a Singapore-headquartered entity focused on registration and commercialisation in South-east Asia and a Singapore venture arm, which makes strategic investments to support regional pharma innovation. In a statement on Jun 24, CMS said the proposed listing will not involve issuance of new shares, and the shares will continue to be primarily listed and traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange thereafter. Singapore is its regional headquarters for its South-east Asia and Middle East business, the company said. The announcement follows the news of several new listings on SGX – software services provider Info-Tech Systems, a data centre real estate investment trust (Reit) by Japanese telco Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), and a spin-off of mainboard-listed construction company Lum Chang Holdings' interior fit-out business. Info-Tech Systems, whose shares are expected to begin trading on Jul 4, is the first SGX mainboard listing in two years. NTT DC Reit, which will have a portfolio of six of NTT's data centre assets, will likely be the largest Singapore Reit listing in a decade. Meanwhile, interior fit-out business Lum Chang Creations is looking to list on the Catalist board.

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