Link Roundup #32: 10 Things to Know This Week

Accelerate your personal finance knowledge with this regular feature on Ringgit Oh Ringgit – the Link Roundup! I promise you’ll find these 10 links informational 🙂

1. Entrepreneurs don’t have a special gene for risk—they come from families with money – Quartz

You know what’s the best predictor of success? Being born by wealthy parents.

Usually, when I post things like this, some joker will be like, ‘yeah but not all. Look at [rich and successful person from modest backgrounds]’

Yes, true, but those are exceptions to the rule.

2. Asset Allocation for Malaysians: What is The Best Portfolio Mix for You? – I’m Funemployed

Love this article! My favourite part of Nicole’s article is her sharing (1) her own asset allocation breakdown and (2) what stocks are in her portfolio.

Always nice to see how other people diversify their investment 🙂 Great content.

3. ‘I don’t want to lose everything’: Why more women are keeping their money separate from their partners – iNews UK

The first paragraph hooked me right in:

An increasing number of women are choosing to remain financially independent of their partner. In a study of 4,000 women conducted by Netwealth, around 45 per cent said it was to maintain their own autonomy, and 23 per cent said that they viewed ownership over their own money as freedom.

Yes! That’s exactly how I feel. I don’t ever want to financially depend on my partner if I can help it! One, because I’ve heard enough horror stories. Two, because I never want my partner to think they are mere cash cows.

The three women have varied backgrounds. One is a single mum who is used to be self-reliant. Another saw her mother financially abused and later fell to the same situation herself. The last one enjoys being in a relationship where they could each buy what they want without checking with the other. Great read.

4. Your commute is making you miserable. Here’s how to make it more enjoyable – Fast Company

You’ve probably heard how commutes are generally bad for your mental health. The article lists some helpful suggestions so you can make the best out of the situation.

I find the last suggestion hilarious. ‘If you can’t improve it, abandon it. Find a job where you can work from home.’

5. Our lives have been co-opted by the Convenience Industrial Complex – Treehugger

This is a painful article to read. Fact is I love convenience in my life.

My first reaction is defensiveness. I tell myself that I don’t use as much disposable items as other people. I tell myself that my lifestyle is greener than others.

Then there it comes, the realisation that yes while I may not be the worst, I am not the best either.

6. On Male Vs. Female Financial Literacy & Feeling “Stupid” When It Comes To Money – The Financial Diet

Generally speaking, women underestimate their abilities, including in the area of money. Personally, I’ve heard many women tell me how they’re bad with money. Not once have I heard the same sentence from a guy.

Sis, don’t say that anymore. The more you say it, the more you’ll believe it. Literally no one knows everything there is to know about personal finance. We’re all learning as we go along.

7. 9 skills you should learn that pay dividends forever –  The Ladders

I enjoy this article because the skills were not what I expected:

• Emotional intelligence (EQ)
• Time management
• Listening
• Saying no
• Asking for help
• Getting high-quality sleep
• Know when to shut up
• Taking initiative
• Staying positive

Although you can argue that except for getting high-quality sleep, everything else is EQ…

8. 90% of high performers at work are emotionally intelligent. Here are 14 signs you are too – Business Insider

Speaking of emotional intelligence! There’s a high correlation with high performers with high EQ. I gotta admit, I originally clicked the article to see which of the 14 signs of high-EQ people that I can relate with. I wanted to see if I am considered a ‘high performer at work’.

The 14 signs are:

• You have a robust emotional vocabulary
• You’re curious about people
• You know your strengths and weaknesses
• You’re a good judge of character
• You are difficult to offend
• You let go of mistakes
• You don’t hold grudges
• You neutralize toxic people
• You don’t seek perfection
• You disconnect
• You limit your caffeine intake
• You get enough sleep
• You stop negative self-talk in its tracks
• You won’t let anyone limit your joy

…I have areas to improve, definitely…

9. I Changed the Way I Think About Dining Out — And It’s Helping More than Just My Budget – Kitchn

The author argues that dining out would be a less frequent if its only done for celebration purposes. It makes it more special, too, since it’s a rarer occasion.

But – and I find this weird – she also mentions how her family now looks for things to celebrate (like finally reorganising a room???) so they can justify eating out? That I don’t really get. It’s nice to have to family moment, yes, but also… where do you draw the line when it comes to celebrations? I can understand promotions or birthdays but after cleaning out the garage??

10. These Are The Diversity Initiatives Your Employees Actually Want – Forbes

Moral argument: equal opportunities for all. Capitalist argument: Diversity is good for business. Pick one or both, then implement these initiatives:

Female employees want visible role models (in upper management levels) and flexible-work programmes.

Employees of colour want employers to recruit a diverse workforce (via blind resume test, for example) and desires bias-free day-to-day experience.

LGBTIQ employees want their organizations to participate in LGBTIQ-friendly external events, wants appropriate healthcare and desires bias-free day-to-day experience.

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That’s it for this round, catch you next time! Want to submit a link you thought was great? Reach out to me on FB or Twitter.

To read past link roundups, please click here.