The M Word

" Money. "
Yeah, I said the dreaded M word.
More importantly,
how do I keep it from disappearing?

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I'm really not qualified to be your financial advisor and neither am I particularly interested in being one, but over the years I've always wished I had someone to guide me in the whole "Financially -Independent- thingy"; AND MAKE IT INTERESTING.

Background info:
I was brought up seemingly clueless (pun intended) in regards to finances, I didn't even get an allowance growing up. Every time I needed money for something or if I was heading out, my parents would magically hand over some dollar bills and I was good to go. Mum and dad were never strict with my spending because I was a reasonable kid, never wanted too many things.

Mini Me

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​Then I remember going to college in KL and I was so stoked because I was going to live by myself and have all this freedom. I had my own room that I decorated and I made tons of mini-collages because I thought I was so cool..

Sneak peak into Joyce's haven at 18.
​Thank God my taste hit puberty...
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One of the things I remember in college, was always wondering how my money disappeared like water. Especially because I never had the expertise of money management prior to leaving to KL. Like why is there like a million bills to pay? Why do I keep losing my small notes ( I always stuff dollar notes or small change into my pockets/bags/random-compartments-that-I-will-forget)? WHERE DID MY MONEY GO?

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The the biggest change happened when I finally got to open my own bank account and got my hands on my very first credit card. Now before you freak out and say,

" HOW CAN YOU GIVE A KID WITH NO MONEY MANAGEMENT SKILLS A CREDIT CARD?"

Well, you can.
And that was the beginning of my learning curve. I could track my spending a lot better because I could look up my weekly expenditure, I could set budgets and keep a constant monitor on my bank account and I wasn't just chucking change everywhere. I'd keep a small amount of emergency money on hand, but would pay most of my essentials on my card. 
It boiled down to budgeting.

Always spend within your means, don't overdo it. I felt that I had to learn that through time, I spent a lot on unimportant things when I was younger but as I aged and I started working... 
I realise that priorities change and suddenly I don't need 5 more pairs of shoes or another floral top to add to my pre-existing exhibition-worthy-clothing closet. BUT I STILL LOVE TRAVELLING (and good food occasionally)! That is something worth spending on.

** This was super important for especially when I went over to Melbourne because literally everyone is paying through card, a.k.a Paywave. 


So in hindsight,
I wish I was a lot more involved in the whole 'getting-my-first-credit-card' procedure. At that point I just scrambled to get any and I ended getting one similar to my mum's because it was just ... easier?

Now that I have my own company and feel a greater desire to really plan out my own financial paths, I think that it is important to actually have some idea about where I intend to park my finances AND I get to do the whole 'credit-card-journey' all over again; but properly this time!

Truth be told, none of us have the time to chat to every credit card salesperson at the mall because that's just the truth. Time is money! BUT HAVE NO FEAR, SOMEONE ACTUALLY THOUGHT ABOUT THIS WAY BEFORE I KNEW THIS PROBLEM EXISTED.


There's this website called GoBear, which is basically an easy-to-use comparison website for all kind of financial stuff, (insurance, credit cards, and personal loans). I know it sounds like heavy adult-ing stuff but it's really high time that most of us take these things seriously. Especially if you're like me and love to travel and explore places, it helps you save in multiple ways as well as keeps you protected. So i can pig out at all my favourite places with a peace of mind and occasionally even get cash back rewards when I spend with my card.

Collection from Melbourne:

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GoBear has loads of travel stuff and after reading some of their articles, I finally understood the importance of travel insurance. I travel quite a fair bit for work so this definitely rang some bells for me. There's a lot to go through but I highly recommend giving these two articles a shot first.


7 COMMON TRAVEL INSURANCE QUESTIONS ANSWERED:
https://www.gobear.com/my/blog/detail/7-Common-Travel-Insurance-Questions-Answered

​CHEAP HOLIDAY THRILLS:
https://www.gobear.com/my/blog/detail/Travel-Insurance---Budget-Travel-In-Style


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So do check out GoBear Malaysia to try out their comparison tools and learn more about the cash back cards or the travel insurances.It's freaking FREE so why not man?!


Give them a follow, always game to support fellow Malaysian entrepreneurs! 
www.gobear.com/my

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~ GO BARE OR GO HOME ~