Join Melvin Lim, Co-founder and CEO of PropertyLimBrothers, as he catches up Dawn Fiona, a.k.a SG Budget Babe! Dawn shares her journey of financial empowerment, having saved $20,000 in just one year on a modest ~$2,000 take-home monthly salary through disciplined savings strategies, not investments. 

What began in 2014 as a blog born out of boredom evolved into a platform focusing on finance, driven by Dawn's passion for writing and client engagement.Despite juggling roles, including teaching tuition to supplement income and covering parental allowances and insurance, Dawn found joy in educating others, viewing it as a passion rather than merely a means to an end. 

In 2022, she transitioned focus to a new business venture, balancing entrepreneurial pursuits with family responsibilities, including teaching tuition even through pregnancy. Dawn's insights on financial literacy for fresh graduates, emphasising debt clearance, emergency savings, and insurance planning, provide valuable guidance for navigating early adulthood challenges. Find out more about what drives and keeps SG Budget Babe driven, on this special episode of NOTG!

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:33 Start of blogging

04:33 Side hustle mindset

07:18 Fiona Dawn Cher fitness journey turn into business opportunity

10:01 Teaching at home / Falling down the overhead bridge

11:47 First finance article went viral

13:13 Fresh graduate financial advice (Importance of insurance)

14:15 Insurance to get

18:27 Cut down debts as fast as possible

19:40 Seasons of life

29:14 Risk of retrenchment

33:33 Will AI replace jobs?

37:36 AI Investing

39:11 Budgeting in the 20s

42:09 Risk of Cryptocurrency

42:58 Allocated budget for investing

45:25 Knowledge of investing

51:58 Checklist before investing

55:22 Time analysing stocks / Fear of investing

01:01:43 Time to sell a stock

01:05:55 Meaning of money

01:14:21 Meaning of money in your 40s

01:17:08 Dealing with retrenchment

01:20:53 Retire at 45

01:24:43 Top three books

01:28:17 Personal Growth from teaching and writing

01:29:50 Work-life balance