"Your luck will soon be at a high point." When is a dollar worth more than a dollar? This lucky bill was given to me by a family friend. Look closely at the serial number. Do you see the row of 8's? Since the Chinese for "eight" sounds like the word for "wealth," people think it's quite lucky. These special dollar bills were snatched up by those looking for prosperity in their near future. Fun fact: Opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in China happened on 8/8/08 at 8 seconds and 8 … [Read more...]
Social Security to Stay
July 13, 2015 2 Comments
"You will never need to worry about a steady income." Along with my address, phone number, and student ID, I memorized my social security number pretty early on. The SSN is crucial to working life in the United States. There's even a sense of pride when I saw a crisp card issued to my children--it was their official initiation into America. Recently, President Obama remarked that we needed to find ways to continue to "keep Social Security strong." Although it's not the only resource for … [Read more...]
Does Better English Equal More Pay?
November 17, 2014 4 Comments
Grammarly (the world’s leading automated grammar checker) recently conducted a study with over 400 freelancers to figure out how English skills affect income. Analyzing data from Elance, Grammarly found that there is a correlation between writing skills and hireability. In simpler terms, better writers tend to make more. Read the Huffington Post article and study the infographic below for further details: Of course, causation cannot be established, but it makes sense that better … [Read more...]
Frugal Asians
October 27, 2014 8 Comments
"You have a good head for matters of money." I admit it, I'm frugal. There's a certain stereotype that Asians are stingy with their finances. I'm not sure if that's the most accurate descriptor, but we (at least I) do like deals. There's this great clip from the Fresh Off The Boat trailer where the mom of the family is shopping in the supermarket. She's offered a free sample on a platter. When she finds out it's free, she proceeds to take the whole tray. As for me, I grew up with a family … [Read more...]
Lucky Red Envelopes
January 20, 2014 6 Comments
"An avaricious person is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant." -Chinese proverb Nevertheless, a laisee always cheers me up. In fact, the upcoming lunar new year (January 31, 2014) has me thinking about these lucky red envelopes. They're given away on special occasions or holidays (especially the Chinese New Year). For years, fascinated by their beautiful designs, I kept a collection of them. (As you can see, I still have a couple stowed away.) A few fun facts about the … [Read more...]
