This was back when I had just completed my basic military training! Although I’m not smiling (act cool 😂) it was a moment I recall fondly as I had my family around. Being an immature and playful 19 year old, all I looked forward to was booking out and hanging with my friends on the weekends. In the later part of NS, I began using my free time more wisely by putting in effort to develop my videography & editing chops so that I would be better prepared for life after ORD (ironically I would spend the next few years in uniform playing the role of Sergeant Ong in ABTM) Unfortunately when I was an NSF, I pretty much had no concept of saving or investing for the long term and lived from paycheck to paycheck. Looking back, I do wish I had the financial knowledge that I have now so that I could plant seeds for the future. With that said, I’d like to share that @Singlife and #AvivaSingapore are coming together to offer both NSMen and NSFs a great way to save & grow wealth with higher returns through the Singlife Account (insurance savings plan) and Grow (investment-linked policy) which you can manage in one place - the @Singlife app! Go download it now to manage your finances, invest and get protected #singlifextosh #singaporearmedforces

If only I had known the power of investing long term (using compound interest), I think I'd be able to take my family (like my 妹妹here) on much nicer makan dates than where we used to go. I used to save half of my salary in the army, roughly $200/month as a recruit and $400/month as a Sergeant. I hoarded my savings in my bank at an amazing 0.2%/annum, and was still quite proud to see my money sitting in my account. If I had been more financially literate and invested in some financial products like what @Singlife and Aviva Singapore are offering, even at a conservative return, I think I'd be able to relax a lot more and perhaps even start thinking about retirement 🤣 I truly believe that it is good to learn about financial products and start investing as soon as you can to make the best of the years ahead of you and enjoy it. Unlike my bros @Charliegoh13, @Toshrock & myself who only started when we were in our 30s, we have to play catch up on the time we were not invested in the market. That being said, it's never too late to embark on your journey towards financial independence! #singlifexjoshua #singaporearmedforces

Y’all know that feeling of nostalgia when you look back at the photos of your army days? That feeling of should have, could have, would have? It might not feel like such a long time ago (maybe because of ABTM), but mannn, its actually been 11 years since I ORD-ed.🤣 And now looking back, if I could turn back the clock, I wish I could have done a lot of things better. I wish I was more responsible and accountable for the people under my care, and the armskote duties tasked to me. Of course I can't deny the fact that these "mistakes" I made also shaped me to be who I am today. More than anything else (I hate to admit this - MAN EGO), but I wish I knew how to manage the allowance given to me by SAF like how @joshuatwe13 did with his. Call him a miser or prudent or whatever, Josh saved a good 50% of his monthly allowance which at the end of the 2 years, accumulated to a fairly decent amount. As a matter of fact, had I known the power of compound interest back then, surely I wouldn't have spent ALL of my allowance on canteen food and partying. At the end of 2 years, I had ZERO savings and shamelessly drew allowance from my parents while other boys used their army allowance during their uni days. The message I want to put across to you guys (those who are serving or have yet to serve) is, like it or not, you have to finish your 2 years, so why not make the best out of it. Use these 2 years to think carefully about what you would like to pursue in future, and also if you haven't started saving, no better time to start than now. Take this chance to find out how you can grow your money with compound interest (be it through @singlife 's offerings or ask around your circle of friends or read up online!). Share with me in the comments below (for those who have ORD-ed), if there is one thing you can change about your time in NS, what would it be? Hear what @joshuatwe13 and @toshrock think too on their Instagram over the next two days! #singlifexcharlie #singapore #singaporearmedforces