Monday 30 September 2019

Vulnerability when we lose our jobs or can't find a job

Current markets are very unstable and many are predicting that next year would not be a good year.

Employment numbers are also not positive as the job markets looks to be negative. Even though my contract was extended, it has only been extended till the end of this year.


Read more: I thought I will get rich once I start work + Updates on my life

This means that there is a huge uncertainty up ahead. As I am working in a bank, contract positions are really common and I do have a number of colleagues who are also contract workers like me.

They have also told me about their concerns as the company extended all out contracts only till end of this year. And that we are still not too sure if we would be further extended.

 I have tried applying for a few jobs but have received no reply so far.

I do realise that it's not easy doing a job search while still working as you need time to really sit down to update your resume and also to do phone interviews if required.


It is a scary period right now to lose my job. My mum has just retired and my brother is still studying and has only just finished his first year but for now, I am glad that my mum is healthy and happy after retiring and I think that really matters a lot because overall, she is happier and has a better well-being.

Read more: My mum resigned from her job, whats gonna happen next?

When people lose their jobs and judging by the current markets it can be tough to find a new job straight away. This can impact many aspects of a person.

1. Mood

Definitely, your mood will be affected to a certain extent after you have lost your job and especially if you are not adequately prepared for it.

When I first graduated, searching for a job was pretty tough as my degree was not from a local university and I wanted to join a field that was slightly different from my course of study.

For the first 2 interview that I had, I was nervous and pretty anxious as I was thinking alot on whether I would even have the chance to get the job.


By the time, I had my fourth interview, I was pretty relaxed as I had an offer and just wanted to try my luck and see what the fourth company could offer. I find that I was able to articulate better and also express myself more as I had no burden on my shoulder, they offered better terms than the third company and so I accepted the 4th company.

So mood is really important and if you have been out of a job for awhile and feeling down, it can affect you when you go for interviews as you might find yourself wanting to perform but your mood brings you down.

Being more relaxed definitely helped me overall. So it's really important to keep your spirits up and avoid unnecessary worrying.

2. Health

When I couldn't find a job after my university, I did find myself, not having the appetite to eat and especially did not want to meet up with my friends.

As I find myself spending more when I go out, I tried to restrict the number of times I went out a week and usually ate fast instant meals at home.

I think it is really important to still eat your meals regularly and to meet up your friends and do some outdoor activities even during your period of job search. This can ensure that you look good and not be feeling unwell easily. 

3. Money

Definitely, not being able to find a job can affect you most financially. Many of my friends and myself, started to not take pocket money from our parents after polytechnic as the guys could go into army while the girls still did some part-time job or took a gap year like me.

So when we start our job search or when you lose a job, you might be needing money and can be shy to as from your family.

Let me just say that it is okay to let your parents know if you need to cut their allowances or that you require some money from them as long as it is not a huge sum that you will getting from them.


I am sure they will be willing to help you.

Overall, there are actually many other factors that will be affected if you were to lose your job and that I feel the most important thing is not to feel inferior but that it is a chance for you to look for something new.

Of course, it is easy to say but difficult to put it into action. 

Rice Media also released an article on job-hunting after graduation, you can give it a read HERE if you are interested.

Tuesday 17 September 2019

August 2019 Portfolio Review

A late August portfolio review as I was very busy in August with work and planning for my family trip. Short review as not much changes in my portfolio.

August was an exciting month and also many attractive prices came for many stocks. Did I make a purchase?

No, I didn't as I did not want to deplete my war chest yet and instead am building up on it.


Of course, the usual purchase of Nikko AM STI ETF through my POSB RSP still continues. For August, 61 units of Nikko AM STI ETF was purchased at a price of $3.2338 with a net sales charge of $1.64 and net amount invested = $198.36.

Current Portfolio: 
 



Dividends:
In August, I had dividends from STI ETF, totaling to $33.

Looking forward to this month (Sep) as I will be receiving dividends from:
  • Far East Hospitality Trust 
  • First REIT 
  • CapitaRetail China Trust