We all have that one friend, right? The one who steps onto the East-West Line looking like a walking billboard for Orchard Road. Every day also wear the MCM backpack, Balenciaga sneakers, and a Rolex that they probably took a 24-month 0% interest installment plan to buy. They look damn fierce, always talking about their “hustle,” their ROI, and how they are “grinding” for that next promotion.
But let’s be real for a second. If you are still squeezed like a sardine in the MRT at 8:30 AM, sweating through your Armani shirt because the aircon broke down again, and praying your boss doesn’t notice you’re five minutes late… you are not rich. You are just an expensive corporate “Woof-Woof”. Your lifestyle is rich, but your bank account is crying. One retrenchment exercise and the whole illusion collapses.
The Real High Net Worth Individual (HNWI)
The true king of Singapore financial freedom? It’s the uncle at your neighborhood kopitiam.
I took a day off today because of extreme burnout. Around 10:30 AM, when the rest of Singapore was drowning in Microsoft Teams meetings and answering passive-aggressive emails (“As per my previous email…”), I went down to the coffee shop below my HDB.
There he was. Uncle Tan.
- Outfit: Faded Uniqlo AIRism tee (probably got it on sale), Good Morning towel over the shoulder, and a pair of $3 pasar malam slippers.
- Asset Under Management (AUM): A single cup of Kopi O (less than $2).
- Schedule: Absolutely nothing.
He was just sitting there, legs crossed, shaking one leg horizontally, completely at peace with the universe. No phone buzzing every two seconds. No Slack notifications. No KPIs to meet. He can sit there until 2:00 PM if he wants, just watching the birds fly by and talking cock with the drink stall auntie.
What is True Wealth?
We Singaporeans are brainwashed into thinking wealth means upgrading from HDB to condo, then condo to landed, and buying a German car that depreciation will kill in 10 years. But Uncle Tan? He probably owns two fully paid-off 4-room flats that he bought in the 1980s for the price of a Toto ticket, collecting passive rental income every month while CPF Life takes care of the rest.
True wealth is not about how much you can buy. It is about how much control you have over your own time.
If you need to ask a manager for permission just to go for a dental appointment, you are not free. The corporate guy in the Gucci loafers is trapped in the rat race, running on a golden treadmill. Meanwhile, Kopitiam Uncle has already stepped off the track, crossed the finish line, and is enjoying his soft-boiled eggs.
Stop flexing your branded goods on the MRT. The ultimate flex in Singapore will always be time autonomy. Change my mind.