You can plan early and make use of digital tools to lock in your preferred exchange rates A desire to travel amid financial concerns has led Singaporeans to adopt smarter budgeting strategies, says an expert. For public relations professional Gretchen Lee, travel – be it solo or with friends – is not a luxury but a priority. She packs her bags and jets off to another destination every three months. The 33-year-old is already eyeing four trips next year: Two longer holidays lasting up to two weeks each and two quick weekend getaways. How does she afford to do so? Ms Lee, who declines to share her monthly income, sets aside about $9,000, inclusive of flights and accommodation, for her trips annually. She also does not spend on luxury items. “I’d much rather spend (the money) on things like good food, travelling or attending concerts.” Her method is practical: After trips, she cuts back on expenses to rebuild her travel fund. “I eat cheaply for a couple of months, avoid unnecessary purchases, and consciously skip cab rides in favour of public transport.” These little changes help her save up for the next holiday without feeling like she’s sacrificing too much, Ms Lee explains. Hungry for travel Despite finances being the top concern for 73 per cent of Singapore residents, travel remains a priority, suggests findings from UOB’s Asean Consumer Sentiment Study 2024. Their other concerns were work-related matters (56 per cent), health and well-being (38 per cent) and geopolitical tensions (38 per cent). The majority (83 per cent) of Singapore respondents took at least one leisure trip abroad in the past year – whether with friends, family, or by themselves. Conducted online in June, the regional study polled 5,000 participants aged 18 to 65 from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Ms Lee is not alone. “Post-pandemic, the desire to travel has remained robust as people prioritise experiences, family connections, and mental well-being,” says Ms Choo Wan Sim, head of Personal Financial Services, TMRW Digital, UOB. But how they’re travelling is changing. Ms Choo observes that Singaporeans are becoming savvier when it comes to travel budgeting. For example, they are opting for budget airlines, hunting for travel deals, or taking shorter, more frequent trips. What are some easy ways to save money when travelling? One of the simplest ways to stretch your travel budget is to take advantage of the many promotions and discounts available, says UOB’s Ms Choo. Yet, many travellers miss out simply because they don’t take the time to look for these cost-saving opportunities. Planning early is key. She advises travellers to keep an eye out for flight and hotel deals, and pre-purchase essentials like attraction tickets, transport passes, or eSIMs on travel platforms like Klook. Embedded SIM cards, better known as eSIMs, are digital versions of physical SIM cards. For UOB customers, the Rewards+ platform on the UOB TMRW mobile application offers a one-stop solution with over 1,000 regional deals, Ms Choo says. These include deals and digital coupons from popular merchants such as dessert cafe After You in Thailand and eatery Oriental Kopi in Malaysia. Ms Choo notes that the platform’s popularity has surged, citing a nearly 20 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of UOB customers using the Rewards+ platform to search for deals. A strong exchange rate can make a big difference to your spending power abroad, says Ms Choo. For example, the Japanese currency hit a record low of about 120 yen against the Singapore dollar in July. But travellers may have missed the chance to lock in the favourable rate as they were unaware that they could use multi-currency cards and digital wallets such as YouTrip and Wise to do so, she says. “UOB FX+ is another multi-currency product that makes it easier for travellers to monitor and act on favourable exchange rates,” Ms Choo adds. Using the UOB TMRW app, users can set alerts for their preferred exchange rates, convert currencies ahead of time, and use the UOB FX+ debit card to spend or withdraw cash in their destination country. The service has seen a surge in uptake this year, with over $1 billion in currency conversions on the UOB TMRW app from January to October 2024. This is nearly three times more than the same period last year. Unexpected costs can quickly derail a holiday budget, especially when common expenses are overlooked, Ms Choo says. This includes failing to account for daily transport costs and seasonal price increases during peak travel periods. To avoid such pitfalls, she advises travellers to do careful research ahead of the trip. Ms Lee, who describes herself as a planner at heart, agrees. “I book transportation, accommodation, and activities – like concerts or theme parks – as early as possible. (This way), I know how much I’ll be spending on the trip.” It also helps ensure a more accurate budget and avoid the stress of last-minute expenses, she explains. Related stories What are some tools that can help maximise your travel spending? Beyond searching for deals, savvy travellers like Ms Lee make use of credit card rewards to reduce costs while enhancing travel experiences. For example, she uses a credit card that allows her to customise the rewards category based on her needs. When Ms Lee is not travelling, the self-proclaimed foodie uses the food and beverage category. This enables her to redeem her credit card rewards at her favourite restaurants. But when a trip is on the horizon, Ms Lee switches gears. “(On my banking app), I can easily shift the category from dining to travel to consolidate all my upcoming holiday purchases, including flight and hotel bookings,” she explains. This allows her to earn up to 10 air miles per dollar. Ms Lee is also intentional about her overseas spending. On a June trip to Japan, she stocked up on clothing from Japan brand Uniqlo. “The haul would have easily cost at least 20 to 30 per cent more if I had bought the same, or similar, items in Singapore,” Ms Lee says. UOB’s Ms Choo has more tips for stretching travel dollars. “When overseas, travellers can accelerate their rewards by opting for cards like the UOB PRVI miles card, which offers up to three miles per dollar on overseas spending,” she says. “Multi-currency cards that charge zero foreign currency transaction fees are (also) useful for saving on conversion costs.” One example, Ms Choo says, is the UOB FX+ debit card that now offers 3.25 per cent cashback on all foreign currency spend, with no cashback cap, until Dec 31. Rethink Your Wealth is a series that provides practical insights and answers on wealth-related topics, to help you transform the way you approach finances. This is the eighth of a nine-part series in partnership with Please note that the views expressed in this article do not represent financial, investment or legal advice. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel now
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MELBOURNE – Australia’s House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would ban children younger than 16 years old from social media , leaving it to the Senate to finalize the world-first law. The major parties backed the bill that would make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts. Recommended Videos The legislation was passed with 102 votes in favor to 13 against. If the bill becomes law this week, the platforms would have one year to work out how to implement the age restrictions before the penalties are enforced. Opposition lawmaker Dan Tehan told Parliament the government had agreed to accept amendments in the Senate that would bolster privacy protections. Platforms would not be allowed to compel users to provide government-issued identity documents including passports or driver’s licenses. The platforms also could not demand digital identification through a government system. “Will it be perfect? No. But is any law perfect? No, it’s not. But if it helps, even if it helps in just the smallest of ways, it will make a huge difference to people’s lives,” Tehan told Parliament. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the Senate would debate the bill later Wednesday. The major parties’ support all but guarantees the legislation will be passed by the Senate where no party holds a majority of seats. Lawmakers who were not aligned with either the government or the opposition were most critical of the legislation during debate on Tuesday and Wednesday. Criticisms include that the legislation had been rushed through Parliament without adequate scrutiny, would not work, would create privacy risks for users of all ages and would take away parents’ authority to decide what’s best for their children. Critics also argue the ban would isolate children, deprive them of positive aspects of social media, drive children to the dark web, make children too young for social media reluctant to report harms they encountered and take away incentives for platforms to make online spaces safer. Independent lawmaker Zoe Daniel said the legislation would “make zero difference to the harms that are inherent to social media.” “The true object of this legislation is not to make social media safe by design, but to make parents and voters feel like the government is doing something about it,” Daniel told Parliament. “There is a reason why the government parades this legislation as world-leading, that’s because no other country wants to do it,” she added. T he platforms had asked for the vote on legislation to be delayed until at least June next year when a government-commissioned evaluation of age assurance technologies made its report on how the ban could been enforced.Buy these ASX 200 dividend stocks for 5%+ yields - The Motley Fool Australia
Daniel Clancy, CEO of Twitch, has addressed growing concerns from streamers about declining ad revenue on their channels, shedding light on the platform's approach to advertisers and content. Clancy responded during the December 4 Patch Notes broadcast to a viewer’s query about reduced ad revenue on channels they moderate, particularly during the holiday season. His explanation highlighted recent updates to Twitch’s advertising policies. In November, Twitch implemented new labels for political content and streams addressing sensitive social issues, a topic Clancy elaborated on in his remarks. “There’s been a lot of confusion around this recently... a big thing that we need to do with advertisements is make sure we’re running ads against content that the advertisers want their content run against.” He explained that some advertisers had expressed concerns about being associated with sensitive or political content, which led to adjustments in how ads were placed. “For a period of time, there were a number [of advertisers] that were expressing concerns around being shown up near sensitive subjects in politics, and so we had reduced the ads there.” “Some people that were doing stuff around politics and sensitive social issues may have seen a reduction, because some advertisers weren’t running ads there.”As the political narrative this week shifts to presidential pardons after President Joe Biden gave his son Hunter Biden a generous one on Sunday, many Americans wonder whether President-elect Donald Trump will use that power upon taking office for those who protested at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The — over 1,500 Trump-supporting Americans charged with federal crimes by their government for supposedly attempting an insurrection that day — have met a variety of punishments, with some receiving lengthy prison sentences and even solitary confinement. indicated 49 percent — almost half — of voters would favor Trump pardoning J6ers on a case-by-case basis. highlighted one astounding statistic in their report on that poll — even 68 percent of the Democrats polled favor handling the J6ers on a case-by-case basis. The poll was conducted Nov. 25-26 and included 879 likely U.S. voters. The margin of error was +/- 3 percentage points with 95 percent level of confidence. To grasp the significance of the poll results, we should examine the legacy media’s — and leftist politicians’ — narrative surrounding Jan. 6, 2021. We’ve been told for years repeatedly what a dark and tragic day this was. One year after the event, compared that day to Dec. 7, 1941 — the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. remarks by Biden on Jan. 5, 2024, in which he claimed on that day, three years earlier, “we nearly lost America — lost it all.” The legacy media coverage of Jan. 6 has been so extensive, there is not enough space here to log it all. The reader needs to only Google, “January 6” to watch hours of legacy news outlets’ coverage. Streaming services, too, provide no escape from the Jan. 6 narrative. The left cares so much about Jan. 6 that the satirical news site Babylon Bee made its own documentary mocking them, titled Biden, Harris and the media desperately wanted everyone to believe that Jan. 6 was a watershed moment in history akin to Sept. 11, 2001, or the assassination of . To be sure, that narrative saw momentum early, but we are almost four years removed from the event. Despite only 20 percent of voters surveyed favoring a full pardon for everyone involved, the aforementioned case-by-case support from Democrats and voters generally shows people aren’t buying this anymore. If the American people actually believed Jan. 6 was another Pearl Harbor, 9/11, or the day “we nearly lost America” would they be supportive of handling the participants on a case-by-case basis for potential pardons? Imagine if President Franklin Roosevelt had announced dealing with the Empire of Japan on a case-by-case basis or with al-Qaida. Those attacks were met with militarized and devastating force. The magnitude of the event warrants the response. Americans know Jan. 6 is a weapon of propaganda. The facts do not add up to the left’s narrative, as only one person died — an unarmed woman shot by a police officer — and the vast majority of those present were peaceful. Pardons must be issued to set things right. We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. .
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Ian Schieffelin came within two assists of a triple-double and Clemson handed Penn State its first loss with a 75-67 decision for the championship of the Sunshine Slam tournament Tuesday in Daytona Beach, Fla. Schieffelin finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for the Tigers (6-1), leading four players in double figures. Chase Hunter added 17 points, while Chauncey Wiggins scored 14 and reserve Del Jones chipped in 10 points. Clemson sank 9 of 19 3-pointers, converted 16 of 20 free throws and was able to limit the impact of the Nittany Lions' full-court pressure. The Tigers committed just 13 turnovers, helping them hold Penn State (6-1) to less than 85 points for the first time this year. Ace Baldwin starred in defeat with game highs of 20 points and 11 assists, while center Yanic Konan Niederhauser added 14 points. Nick Kern came off the bench to score 11 but Penn State was outscored 15-2 on the fast break and made just 4 of 18 attempts from 3-point range. Schieffelin came up big down the stretch, assisting on a 3-pointer by Jaeden Zackery with 6:04 left that made it 65-61. Then he made two foul shots and tossed in a jump hook from the lane to up the margin to 71-66 with 1:03 left. The big storyline going into this game was which team would be able to control the pace. Penn State came in averaging 96 ppg, while Clemson demonstrated its ability to enforce a slower tempo in March, advancing to a regional final in the NCAA Tournament. In the first 10 minutes of the game, the Tigers made the Nittany Lions play at a crawl, opening up a 17-10 advantage when Schieffelin converted a short hook in the lane. But Penn State answered with an 18-4 run over nearly six minutes, establishing a 28-21 lead when Kern shook free for a layup. Clemson rallied with nine straight points but the Nittany Lions had the last say as Baldwin converted a layup with 24 seconds left, cutting the Tigers' edge to 38-36 at halftime. --Field Level Media
TikTok to block teenagers from beauty filters over mental health concerns
China’s economic recovery instills confidence in global growthBy ALEXANDRA OLSON and CATHY BUSSEWITZ NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart’s sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are revaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups in business. The changes announced by the world’s biggest retailer followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The risk associated with some of programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump’s incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches — the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President — are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the November survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associated at Pew called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI,” Glasgow said. “The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Last fiscal year, Walmart said it spent more than $13 billion on minority, women or veteran-owned good and service suppliers. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America’s top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart’s announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart’s need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company no longer has explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer’s ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart.” Walmart’s announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.
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Rich get richer: The $164 trillion inheritance windfallGivingTuesday estimates $3.6B was donated this year, an increase from 2023
