Double 11 and the Illusion of Value: What It Reveals About Our Financial Thinking

Double 11. Singles' Day. The world’s biggest shopping event.

While most see it as a time to score deals and fill carts, there’s a deeper story behind the frenzy: how our financial behaviour is shaped by impulse, not intention.

And if we zoom out — beyond the cart, beyond the discount — we’ll see something even more sobering:

The same instincts that drive us to spend recklessly also stop us from building wisely.

From Discounts to Distractions

Flash sales train us to think in percentages, not principles.

• 40% off? We buy it.

• $400 wasted? We ignore it.

This logic doesn’t just affect our shopping cart. It affects how we treat retirement, investments, and even legacy:

We over-prioritise short-term dopamine. We under-prioritise long-term design.

Ask yourself:

Do I spend more time planning what to buy on 11.11 than I do planning my retirement structure?

The Scarcity Trap: What “Limited Time Only” Teaches Us

Every 11.11 campaign is built on urgency psychology:

• "Limited time only"

• "Before midnight"

• "Last chance to save"

Now compare that to how most people view their CPF, their income protection, their family wealth plans:

• "I'll think about it later."

• "No rush."

• "Not urgent."

Scarcity makes us act fast for things we don’t need. Comfort makes us delay what truly matters.

This imbalance is where generational wealth dies.

Building Wealth Requires the Opposite Instinct

Real financial design is quiet, boring, and consistent:

• Automatic SRS top-ups

• CPF strategies with annual reviews

• Wealth that grows in boundaries, not chaos

• Capital that is protected before it is invested

The irony?

The same people who refresh 11.11 apps all day often have zero payout systems in place for retirement.

They are active in spending, but passive in structuring. They know every discount code — but not their CPF LIFE payout age.

True wealth requires structure over excitement.

What Leadership Means in Your Finances

Good leaders don’t just respond to noise. They design systems that endure beyond emotion.

Generational wealth doesn’t start with money. It starts with responsibility.

Leadership in wealth means:

• You don’t just buy what’s trending. You build what’s transferable.

• You don’t just gift assets. You transfer structure.

• You don’t just grow. You protect.

This 11.11, Try This Instead:

• Spend 11 minutes reviewing your CPF structure

• Draft 1 page of what you want your wealth to do after you

• Write 1 note to your future self: "What I wish I had built sooner"

Because at some point, your legacy won’t be what you bought. It will be what you built. And what you taught others to build after you.