Daily Briefing: Singapore builders face maturity wall; Singapore glummest since 2009

And here’s how to choose the right insurance plan in Singapore.

Singapore’s real-estate firms are facing record debt maturities, just as home sales post their longest-ever losing streak, straining the finances of builders less prepared to weather the storm. Singapore builders and trusts have an unprecedented S$1.8 billion ($1.3 billion) of local currency bonds maturing this quarter, S$1.2 billion in the final quarter and another S$3.7 billion in 2017. Read more here.

Singaporeans are the most pessimistic about the economy in seven years as they’ve grown more gloomy about their quality of life, their income and job security. Mastercard’s consumer confidence index for the city-state plunged to 33.6 in the first half of 2016, down from 44.3 for the previous six months, the company said in a statement on Aug. 11. Find out more here.

All too often, we spend money buying things that we don’t really need. It could be small items, such as the purchase of a gopro camera that we really wanted (and not needed) after seeing someone else have it. It could be a big-ticket purchase, such as getting a new and expensive Audi A3. Buying insurance is no different. Before we get any insurance policies, we should first understand our own financial objectives. Read more here.