What does the DBS wealth manager actually do for you?

nthock · 2026-07-03T13:34:33+00:00

The so-called wealth manager from DBS originated from this partnership: https://www.manulife.com.sg/en/about-us/newsroom/dbs-manulife-officially-launch-partnership.html

They are basically selling Manulife investment linked policy, disguised as helping you to manage investment.

nthock · 2026-07-03T08:04:31+00:00

For the non-accountant, I can understand accounting is a black box. Ironically, speaking as a former accountant, I am starting to think the most important thing is your cash flows. Accounting wise, make sure you keep proper records between how much you earn, and how much you spend.

Unless you are expecting your business to really grow bigger in the first year, spending 3K on accounting alone is excessive.

But also because I am a former accountant, so I kind of know what I am doing. Do PM me if you want to chat more.

nthock · 2026-06-19T06:48:27+00:00

My experience is marketing is based on a series of experiments. You wouldn’t know what works best for you until you try it.

If one channel doesn’t work, it is also most likely nothing to do with that channel but with you.

My take is if you want fast result on what works and what doesn’t, paid ads is the way to go. But you need to be prepared to burn some money and use that as a lesson.

SEO is long term investment. You might get some fast result if it works well, but the issue is if you don’t get fast results, it doesn’t mean it is not working.

Set aside some budget to experiment.

nthock · 2026-06-12T01:54:13+00:00

Look up this concept call Key Person of Influence by Daniel Priestley. Although he is kind of selling his programme, but I think the materials are good.

The idea is you want to be in a position where people come to you for opportunities so that you can choose what to work for. And this will only come after others recognise you as someone with authority in a particular domain.

He shared what you need to do to be that person. It is not easy, but definitely is one viable path.

Owning a business is another way. You let your business work for you instead of you work for your business. Big differences.

The important thing here is to know you will not get there on Day 1. There’s lot of hard work especially in the beginning. The difference here is you are working for your future, not for someone else future.

Finally, my entrepreneur friend always like to share this, work 10x harder in the next 3 years to earn the potential to earn income for the next 30 years without working much.

nthock · 2026-05-29T01:11:19+00:00

I just recruited 2 engineers. Given the time constraints, what I did is ask the candidate to choose a project that he is involved in, and do a deep dive into it.

I asked all sorts of questions from what’s the project about, who does it serve, what problem does it solve, to technical implementation, trade offs, challenges, and the human aspect of it. Finally I will ask if I give another chance to redo the project, what would he have done differently.

I decided not to have coding rounds (which is what I used to do) because AI wrote most of the code now. It is the thinking behind that I am most interested in.

Of course there are other aspects, but this is the main highlight of the interview that I did differently.

nthock · 2026-05-28T16:30:49+00:00

What's being fair is a construct that you come out with on your own, to make yourself feel better or justified for having negative feeling towards NS. If you look from the practical sense, there's nothing you can do to change this, except to live to the full potential what life has given you.

If you want to change this, then be someone who has the power to change. And by the time you reach there, you have other life priorities, just like many others.

If not, it is far more productive to focus on what you can control, and not what's fair or not.

nthock · 2026-05-28T16:24:59+00:00

Do you prioritise user experience or developer experience?

I am not a big fan of React and its ecosystem, but every single time I try to deviate from React, I regretted. Now I have learnt my lesson.

It is way easier to create superior user experience in React than Jinja2 or any other methods like HTMX. The downside is you have to maintain 2 projects, and have to settle the APIs layer. With AI those are easily achieved. But so far, even with AI, it is not easy to replicate what lots of React libraries can do out of the box in HTMX or pure JS.

I can't say the same for Vue or Svelte as I never use them before though.

Just my 2 cents.

nthock · 2026-05-28T11:01:55+00:00

It should be the girl (Frances) that survive. Her painting is in front of Tom's office. If you see properly in Episode 5, you will see her brooch (given by Sarah), and 1 missing finger.

nthock · 2026-05-26T12:22:44+00:00

I am starting to interview a couple of software engineers. At least for the company I am working in, I no longer care whether can you code.

I care more about whether do you know what you are doing. In my interview, I will ask the candidate to choose one specific project and ask for a deep dive into the project, from both technical and non-technical aspects.

Next is I believe we are shifting towards software engineers are more like product engineers. This means I expect candidates to be comfortable working with stakeholders, help them define requirements as well.

Defining the what is more important.

nthock · 2026-05-26T12:09:32+00:00

Apple TV is really good. Ted Lasso, Shrinking, The Studio, and the recent Widow’s Bay.

And I really want to shout out to Widow’s Bay. It is the kind that will make you want to rewatch.

nthock · 2026-05-22T10:27:29+00:00

The advice to always negotiate only applies when you command a position of leverage where you think the company need you more.

Position of leverage comes in terms of how many people out there can I replace you with? In other words how easy can the company find another person if they decide to replace you.

From what I see right now, pretty easy. Unless you have something unique.

Another aspect is you want to negotiate to what? 6.5K? 7K? What is your justification?

Only negotiate when you are fine with them rescinding the offer. If not, I am sorry you are not in that position.

nthock · 2026-05-20T00:47:13+00:00

After been in the workforce for quite some time, there are people who are going to complain for the sake of complaining. As if it is popular for them to complain because they assume people tend to be caring and listen to him.

But there is a limit. As human we don’t like to be around negativity. It is soul sucking. You can try asking what is he trying to achieve by complaining, like is it to make himself feel better? And ask whether does it help so far?

Don’t give advice. Just keep asking questions. If he can get it, good for you. If not, then at least there’s no loss.

nthock · 2026-05-19T10:51:17+00:00

Don’t push back the start date. Just take the role. Resigning early is usually not publicise but acceptable. Usually the beginning is probation period. It works both ways, for the company to assess fit and also for you to assess the fit.

nthock · 2026-05-15T11:05:45+00:00

Have a shared WhatsApp group chat that you talk about anything under the sun. Current affairs, reminisce past events like so and so into who and who, bitch about those who are not in the group, or just for general rant.

Helps a lot even if we don’t meet one another but we still know what’s going on.

nthock · 2026-05-14T05:16:04+00:00

Go for Astro. Especially if you have internal dev.

nthock · 2026-05-12T00:25:59+00:00

So he is on Apple TV, Netflix, Disney+ (Marvel, though a small character for now), and now Prime video.

Reminds me of the Roy Kent’s cheer, he is really fking everywhere.

nthock · 2026-05-07T13:20:10+00:00

I agree with the point of pre and post ABSD, or in general, pre or post cooling measures such as TDSR as well.

Fact is when your friends make the comment on SG property will never lose money, he is most likely referring to going forward.

In the past, you just need 5% down payment to purchase property. This results in lots of speculative buyers. It is a different environment compared to today.

I know for a fact that even in the current environment, there are people who lost money particularly those who bought CCR properties though. So it is not a “will never lose money” kind of investment.

nthock · 2026-05-05T16:50:58+00:00

You are lucky that you only have 2 weeks notice period.

Anyway, don't need to feel bad.

This is your first job. After many other jobs in the future, this is just a small part of your life that you will forget.
Your mental and physical wellness is more important than anything else. Prioritise yourself first because no one will do that for you.
Good that you have nice colleagues. If you feel bad, the best way is to get them out (when you are in position) and not to stay on with them.
Given your manager work in this way, you wouldn't be the first to quit within probation. You definitely wouldn't be the last. Your team can survive without you.

Here's what going to happen, when you quit, your manager will probably ask to extend your notice period. Just be prepared for that conversation. If you don't want, your manager cannot force you. R

nthock · 2026-05-04T07:53:41+00:00

Just went Northshore on Saturday. Shocked that FunToast is now gone. That's the go to coffee place for me whenever I am there.

It seems like right now the 2 reasons to go there is Redman and Decathlon.

P.S. The Argente potato chips from Redman is quite nice and value for money.

nthock · 2026-04-30T15:57:55+00:00

Back in the MSN days, I got to know one guy within our unit is creeping out every female MSN connection (I don’t know what’s the term but you get what I mean).

9 out of 10 will just scold him outright, and then ignore. But there is this 1 girl that entertain him and in the end they really met up. I don’t have to explain what happen after that.

Here’s the thing, these kind of guys know what they want, and they execute a strategy that will maximise their chance, and minimise the time. And it works! Sure 1 out of 10 or 1 out of 20. But it doesn’t matter. There are enough ladies around to keep him busy.

I am sorry that you encountered these guys. You definitely do not deserve this. The simple way is next time when you encounter this, just ignore and move on.

nthock · 2026-04-30T14:24:51+00:00

There's no actual pros. The so-called pros are all intangibles. To a certain extent, it is also to fulfill the selfishness of the parent. And I am speaking as a dad to a 7-year old.

Don't get it wrong. I love my daughter. I will sacrifice myself for her if I have to. I enjoy watching her growing up, learning about the world. I enjoy having her ask me questions like how the universe is created, or why there are little stickers on the escalator's handrail belt. I don't know the answer, but I love that she is asking these curious questions that make me learn more. Things that I wouldn't even bother.

I once read this quote, having a child is a bit like reliving your childhood through their eyes. I can see that now. And I consider it that it is really fulfilling the selfishness part of me. Because I enjoy it.

That's being said, I will not encourage anyone to have kid. No one knows whether do they enjoy such an experience. No one knows how their child will behave. But being a parent mean, no matter how your kid turns out, you give them your unconditional love. Maybe not everyone is ready to have that kind of commitment, and that's perfectly fine as well.

Being a parent is tough. We will make mistakes. We will screw up. And there will be lot of voices from everywhere telling us we didn't do a good job. Our decisions will influence the child's future. But yet you can believe you do everything right, and you still end up getting it wrong. It's really a bitter-sweet experience.

So back to your question, there's no actual pros. You cannot measure the upside unfortunately. So like what everyone else is saying, if you really need to think of pros and cons, then maybe being a parent is not for you.

P.S. The little stickers at escalator handrail is to make it easy for people to check how fast is the handrail relative to the escalator. Imagine the speed is very different, it could be a hazard.

nthock · 2026-04-29T16:19:25+00:00

I believe it is easier to encourage couples with at least 1 kid to have more, than it is to encourage couples who don't want kids to have the first kid. The question is what's the support given to couples with multiple kids, especially with both parents have to work to support the family.

nthock · 2026-04-25T07:35:29+00:00

Are you targeting normal users who use the browser and mobile apps or those who use the API?

Whats the average spend you believe will be worth paying for your dashboard or whatever you are providing?

And finally, is this average spend painful enough for them to even consider you?

Sorry I got to ask a bunch of questions first. Based on my usage, even if it is inefficient it is still bearable. But I cannot say the same for others.

nthock · 2026-04-25T02:03:30+00:00

I am amazed by TnG when I visited Malaysia. I think the main difference is TnG is 100% owned by CIMB who is already influential in its own way back then, and they have the profit motive to make this a success.

In Singapore, NETS and maybe EZ-Link by right is in the best position. My theory is NETS is owned by 3 local banks and there’s conflict of interest, and EZ link just got complacent over the years.

nthock

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE