Hong Kong's twenty and thirty-somethings have an eye on their financial future, as P.Ramakrishnan discovers.
Is the younger generation in the workforce, with its disposable income, transferring funds at a share market near you? Are seaside property prices being hiked by those who participate in keggers and beach barbecues? To find out what the younglings and their fledgling accounts are up to, we gate-crashed Bisous in Lan Kwai Fong.
A watering hole that pays a generous homage to the art of burlesque, Bisous' crowd usually isn't that young. But, as Anthony Zameczkowski, the new Head of YouTube Partnerships for Asia, was a guest speaker at the Web Wednesday Hong Kong social mixer, the clientele's age bracket dropped several notches.
While most in the audience were interested in YouTube's migration from UGC (user-generated content) to professional content and the value of localisation, we asked a few of them about money matters instead.
The questions
1) Aside from the MPF, do you save money each month?
If yes, how much?
What do you put the savings into?
If you don't save, why not?
2) Do you have any investments, such as stocks and shares or property?
If yes, what are they?
If not, why not?
3) How much do you spend on entertainment, clothes and going out each month?
What percentage is that of your income?
Their answers:
Casey Sullivan (24):
1) Yes, I save about 20 per cent of my income. It's auto transfer and I don't look at it. It's purely for saving so I don't worry about it.
2) I do not own property or stocks but I did. I sold all my stocks as I saw the market crashing. If I was going to invest, I would do stocks and bonds. I'd look at emerging markets. Or large companies and corporations that inspire trust.
3) If I had unlimited funds, a lot of my money would go into property, especially in developing markets.
Jason Ho (23):
1) Yes, I do save about 10 per cent of my income in my bank.
2) I have stocks in the Hong Kong share market. I've invested in company names I trust.
3) I spend at least HK$3,000 every month.
Shefali F (30):
1) No, at the moment, I'm not saving a lot as I've got my own company which I've just launched and have moved all my savings and funds into it. It's investing in my own company and self really.
2) I used to have shares and stocks but again, I cashed them all out to invest into my company. I'm married and my husband has investments and property.
3) I spend about US$2,000 but that's including a lot of travel, as well as food, clothes, entertainment.
Nickey Khem (23):
1) At least 30 per cent of my salary goes to savings, on in a good month, 40 percent - when I'm being really careful.
2) I own a percentage of a company I work for. I get good returns from it. I'm saving up to own property in the next two years. I plan to take a mortgage, if possible a double mortgage.
3) I spend too much. HK$10-12,000. Life in Hong Kong is expensive. Drinking and eating out, and cab rides, clothes... I'd like to curb my expenditure but prices never go down, do they?
Lisa Werner (28):
1) Yes I do save but not much right now as I'm a freelancer so there isn't a steady income but roughly five to 10 per cent goes into my savings account.
2) Yes, I have stocks and shares but back in the US. I have financial advisers who take care of the whole thing. I have no property investment but one day, I'd like to when I can afford it.
3) I spend about $4,000 a month? It's like HK$1,000 a week. Maybe a little more.
Chris Lam (35):
1) Yes, I save about 30 per cent of my income. Its important to save.
2) Yes, I have stocks in mutual funds, stock market shares and property. A diversified portfolio is sensible and important.
3) I think I spend about HK$10,000.
Jessica Hefes (33):
1) Yes, I do save my income, about five per cent goes into a savings account.
2) No, I have no stocks or shares. I want to understand it fully, I'm not that invested in the local share market so I don't want to put my money into anything, unless I know it really well. I used to be a lawyer so I want all the literature before transferring any money to anyone or any corp.
3) I spend about HK$3,000-4,000 a month I think. Around that much. Its easy to spend at least a grand a week.
Melissa C (27):
1) I do save my money, but only about two per cent. Its hard to save in Hong Kong as its an expensive city.
2) I have stocks in tech companies, particularly in the US. I grew up in Silicon Valley. My father is in the tech industry. Its a mixture of knowledge and trust for me as I grew up with this information around me. It's so important to have stocks and I think more and more women are investing wisely.
3) Because of travel, my leisure expenses would be around US$3,000 per month, that's including shopping, gifts, food. Airline tickets aren't cheap.
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