Singaporean with emergency fund of only S$5k tells others: ‘Stop comparing and run your own race’

SINGAPORE: Open social media for five minutes and you’ll probably come away thinking everyone else has life sorted. 

One person is collecting the keys to a new flat, another is celebrating a promotion, while someone else is proudly showing off another investment milestone.

It’s a relentless stream of wins that can make anyone wonder if they’re somehow falling behind.

However, one Singaporean Reddit user decided to break that illusion by sharing a financial snapshot that was refreshingly honest.

In a post on the r/singaporefi forum, the 33-year-old wrote, “Sharing my finances because you get the comparison thread every now and then because people cannot find the joy in their own race.”

“I have S$95k CPF – 25k of which is in Amundi World with Endowus, and I have debt to friends and family – S$15k, and debt to financial institutions- S$13k.”

He also shared that his emergency fund stood at just S$5,000, leaving him with little financial breathing room if the unexpected happened.

“My net worth is positive but liquid net worth pretty much non-existent,” he continued. “You lot are honestly doing fine…. Stop comparing and run your own race.”

“To each his own financial journey”

His candid post struck a chord with many readers, who praised him for sharing a financial reality that felt far more relatable than the polished success stories often seen online.

“Thanks for sharing. I thought everyone on Reddit earn 6 figures and millionaire, and I feel so behind,” one user wrote.

“It’s refreshing to see a portfolio that isn’t disguised as humble bragging,” another commented.

A third said, “The only people we should compare to is our past self and our future targeted self!”

A fourth added, “To each his own financial journey. Thanks for sharing!

Meanwhile, another reflected on how attitudes towards money and success have changed over the years, writing, “I miss those millennial years where most of our parents raise us with nothing but still managed to give us so much joy and happiness. These days you can have 1 million$ blablabla and that very person still has so much insecurities and unhappiness…”

In other news, a couple’s plans to tie the knot have hit a stumbling block after they found themselves at odds over whose HDB flat would have to be given up.

On Saturday (Jul 4), the man shared his story anonymously in the ‘Complaint Singapore’ Facebook group. He explained that he and his girlfriend, both in their early 50s, each own a four-room HDB flat from their previous marriages.

Read more: ‘Having 2 HDBs is important’: SG couple in their 50s at odds over whose HDB has to go if they tie the knot