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an elfin question

yeah, that's my motivation too...to not to have to worry about finances anymore but to have freedom to follow one's heart to do things you always wanted to do but are unable to due to job...

 

singaporegal,

I was also in public sector once (I assume that public sector means in the government service).

If I am not wrong, in the public sector, everyone, except the top fellow, has to follow the rules to the dot. No deviation from the rules, which means no intiative is needed from the employee - the public servant.

Daily, we read in the newspapers who are those smart ones calling the shots, who are those with intiatives, in public service.

Lesser souls like you and me are expected to toe the line and do not give them headaches.

 

Sporegal,I am older than u but not wiser,unfortunately.

I am no human res.expert but as they say when being a worker just take it as it come,this way hopefully will have less stress.

easier said than done,i suppose.

SJ can be kind of relive valve.

BTW,just finish reading article in the PULSES(journal release by Spore exchange),about TA by NG EE Hwa--ChartNexus Team.

Very Chim and cannot understand TA at all for me that is.

 

wow... it is really our privilege to be participating in a forum where the members like lewsh88 and geojam are so experienced and senior. Really a lot to learn from your life experience.

jackjames, I'm middle management and I believe that I am a good boss. But I find its really difficult to balance the needs and lives of my subordinates with the sometimes unreasonable demands of upper management.

 

yep, agree with uncle lewsh88's points ;-)

 

I retired from work in Dec 2005 after slogging 42 years working for people. What drove me on during those 42 years is the desire to provide the best for my wife and two sons. Now that both my sons have graduated and are on their own, I can relax and take life easy - and also make some kopi money speculating stocks.



Throughout my working life, I've always prepared myself mentally concerning employment, that is, if I get a better offer, I'll leave nicely -and if my employer tells me to go, I'll go nicely - no hard feelings. (Just like what some SJ forumners said: Never fall in love with a stock.)

By the grace of God, all my job changes .were due to better offers.

 

hee... not always true..

 

Middle management is the worst place to be in. Squeezed by bosses and by subordinates.....

 

geojam, i am just an engineer like everybody else... not a high position at all.. but then, i really have good assistant engineers in my team, heee..

 

I dun have anyone below me to delegate work too. sigh...

civil service bonus more or less standard. sigh...

 

Hi jackjames

U must be in a high position in ur job.That is why u have a good time.

Cos u must have delegate all ur work to ur staff under u.

I tried this trick when i was the CFO.hahah

 

Hits are recorded, misses are not.  Bosses have good memory for misses over hits. It is reflected in your appraisal plus bonus level. Sigh!

 

I used to work in private sector as a consultant. Now I'm in the public sector. But everywhere more or less the same lah...

Bottom line is - You're expendable to the company. No such thing as an iron rice bowl anymore.

 

what's your line singaporegal.. I heard from many people that working in singapore is stressful, even engineer (from semicon, even jia lat.. correct me if I am wrong), but, fortunately, I always knock off at 5.30 pm sharp, and the work is not stressful at all... hmm.. (better don't let my boss reading this man..).. even I strike toto, I still want to work, I cannot have a life without working ...

 

Sigh...when I take a step back to look at my professional working life, I find that its really meaningless to slog like a dog for a company that rewards you with a measly increment and some bonus.

Also, once a year, you're biting your nails nervously hoping that there's someone up there (that you didn't accidentally offend) remembers your name and promotes you.

The horror.... the horror....

 

hey shplayer, i never took any offence at all! :) in fact i thought it was a good question. hehe.

ok, i like playing the market for all its permutations (think i mentioned it in another thread somewhere). but realistically, most people have no choice but to play the market--for the ordinary singaporean, if you count that CPF alone is not enough to retire on, and that everything is going up except your wages, and banks' interest rates really, really suck. then, really, there's no choice but to play, is there?

but of course, gotta choose stocks wisely. i try to go for best odds. like if i were in the casino, i play only baccarat. not because i particularly like it, but because it gives the best odds in the house (except for that irritating banker 6 commission thing). It's pure logic for me. added bonus that i happen to like playing the market--cos of the patterns and trends.

and em. i never thought of 'noble sentiment' actually. to me, it's just what is, and what i havta do. scotty, absolutely nothing un-noble with wanting to pay for your own house and car! better than depending on mummy and daddy to do it, isn't it? ;)

 

Cannot agree more with fairygal.

Single most important motivational factor to retire early.

 

Yeah! No need to see bosses' black face if they have a bad day.  Alas!  If only all bosses are understanding.....that people around them have feelings too!

 

I want to be financially independent. Don't want to work for people anymore....  :)

 

elf,

Just a point of clarification...when I said you may have an element of self interest for making $$ in the stock market, I wasn't trying to infer that you needed this $$ for your own.

The 'self interest' I was inferring was perhaps things like

• the satisfaction of beating the odds in the market
• picking the right stocks
• don't need to depend on your pension
• etc....

It was by no means a 'see you no up' comment and apologies if it was misconstrued as such.