ST HeadSTart: What should I do if I feel trapped in my job? | For great work, forget quitting quietly or passion pursuits

Welcome to the latest edition of ST HeadSTart, bringing you the best of The Straits Times’ career and personal finance coverage every Monday morning. Sign up here to get weekly tips right into your inbox.


Good morning! This week, I'm happy to introduce a new monthly series, Working Well, in which my colleague Lydia Lim writes about work and well-being. 

In this first column, she writes about how you can develop your career capital and earn the chance to do great work. Adopting a craftsman mindset can help you become so good, you simply can't be ignored, she says. 

Meanwhile, in this week's edition of askST Jobs, manpower correspondent Calvin Yang addresses what workers can do if they feel unhappy and trapped in their current roles. Re-evaluating your needs and aspirations is one step to getting unstuck, experts say. 

Is this a situation you've been in before? Tell us more about how you navigated it at headstart@sph.com.sg.

Also, journalist Isabelle Liew shares her experience dealing with the costs that come with chronic back pain, and some handy tips to help you plan for possible medical woes down the road, including doing your homework about possible treatments and their associated costs.

askST Jobs: I am unhappy and feel trapped in my current role. What can I do?

It is natural to feel stuck in your career at times, like when your interests evolve or when your progression has stagnated. But you can take steps to free yourself, including seeking out new opportunities in your company.

READ MORE HERE


Appointing a professional to help manage your assets in old age or sickness

Have the last say on your wealth and finances by making plans for yourself early. Invest Editor Tan Ooi Boon highlights a few things to note about appointing a professional to help manage your assets in your old age or illness, citing how well-off dementia patients have been abandoned and unable to access their assets for their own healthcare.

READ MORE HERE


New transformation plan for financial sector unveiled, to add at least 3,000 jobs a year

The updated plan details strategies in areas such as digitalising financial infrastructure, catalysing Asia's net-zero transition and fostering a skilled and adaptable workforce.

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Unusual investments: Singapore firm's intricate coins bring glint to collectors' eyes

Thinking about investing in an asset that's more unusual? The worldwide market for collectible coins is estimated to be worth some US$10 billion, with about a third of this being for limited mintage collectible editions with high intrinsic value.

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Young & Savvy: Coping with the costs of chronic back pain

Having a chronic health condition such as scoliosis can be costly. It helps to pick a treatment you will be consistent with and view it as an investment, says journalist Isabelle Liew.

READ MORE HERE


Working Well: For great work, forget quitting quietly or passion pursuits

Build career capital by being "so good they can't ignore you", says ST's Lydia Lim in this new monthly column on work and well-being.

READ MORE HERE


Invest Talk Podcast: Thinking about retirement? CPF Life and tips on spending less while investing

In this latest podcast, The Straits Times' associate editor Lee Su Shyan and DBS' Lorna Tan discuss how those in their 30s and 40s can start planning for retirement, and more.

READ MORE HERE


Banks see surge in savings account openings

This comes as local lenders have recently hiked the interest rates on their flagship savings accounts.

READ MORE HERE


Thank you for reading this week’s round-up of ST’s career and personal finance coverage. Have a great work week ahead. 

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