If you’ve ever fantasised about binning the 9-to-5 for six months to actually live a little and then panicked about your mortgage, this episode of Money Hacks by The Business Times is for you. Mini-retirements or micro career pauses you plan and fund on purpose are trending across age groups. Sensible? Potentially. Affordable? With a plan, yes.
In this week’s episode, host Howie Lim is joined by Ishan Sarkar, head of wealth & premier solutions, HSBC Singapore, Nick Tong, head of intermediary distribution, Southeast Asia, T. Rowe Price and Jason Ang, senior wealth advisory lead, Syfe to stress-test the idea financially and psychologically so Project You doesn’t become Project Oops.
Why listen
Define it, don’t romanticise it: What a mini-retirement actually is and how a simple three-bucket approach keeps you from raiding your future self.Plan like an adult: The unsexy but essential bits like inflation assumptions, runway to re-entry, and why a written budget beats vibes.Build the funding stack: From cash management and short-term income tools to broad ETFs for the “growth engine” plus how to keep liquidity high enough to sleep at night.Stay invested, not impulsive: Market wobbles will happen. The trick is automating contributions and deciding rules in advance, not rage-selling on a red day.Income you don’t have to babysit: The realistic role of dividends, bonds and Reits; when “active” side gigs make sense; and where alternatives might fit and when they absolutely don’t.Headspace matters: Guilt about not earning is real. So is anxiety about returning.
If a year off sounds reckless but a lifetime of deferring on yourself sounds worse, consider this episode your blueprint for a strategic pause. Funded, intentional and reversible. Listen now.
Find more great content at bt.sg/podcasts. For feedback or episode ideas, email the team at btpodcasts@sph.com.sg.
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Written and hosted by: Howie Lim (howielim@sph.com.sg)
With Ishan Sarkar, head of wealth & premier solutions, HSBC Singapore; Nick Tong, head of intermediary distribution, Southeast Asia, T. Rowe Price; and Jason Ang, senior wealth advisory lead, Syfe
Edited by: Howie Lim & Claressa Monteiro
Produced by: Howie Lim & Chai Pei Chieh
A podcast by BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media
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