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Claire Guo: From credit card debt to musical success

metalslug

Alfrescian
Loyal
http://www.asiaone.com/Business/News/My+Money/Story/A1Story20090723-156637.html

Sat, Jul 25, 2009
The New Paper

20090723.161353_credit.jpg


From credit card debt to musical success

By Charlene Chua

WHEN a girl is addicted to shopping, owning three credit cards certainly comes in handy.

But in the case of Hong Kong-born, Taiwan-based singer Claire Guo, it was a false sense of financial security that did her in.


The 29-year-old who just released her third album, Singing In The Tree, recounted how she was steeped in credit card debt a few years ago.

Said Claire in a phone interview with The New Paper: 'When I was in university, I had no income so I applied for credit cards to delay my payments.

'The strange thing is that Taiwanese banks will allow students to apply for as many cards as they want, with hardly any restrictions.'

Her friends all followed suit and without weighing the pros and cons of deferred payments, the schoolmates found themselves in possession of countless credit cards.

Classy bags, cute shoes and stylish clothing.

The world of fashion retail was theirs for the taking as long as they 'swiped and signed'.

But paying on plastic, as Claire eventually found out, was a costly mistake.

The initial high from her indulgent purchasing slowly turned to anxiety and fear as she struggled to foot her monthly bills.

With mounting interest charges, her total debt rose to NT$1 million ($50, 000).

Desperate, her friends sought financial help from their family members while Claire took it upon herself to work off her debt to avoid 'troubling' her restaurant owner parents.

To earn extra cash, she did part-time cheerleading stints at soccer matches and store openings.

Teaching cheerleading classes was also another lucrative gig.

Fast forward to present day and Claire, who has gained success with her trademark romantic ballads, is relieved that she is no longer a slave to her credit card.

'It took me quite a few years to pay off my debts and now that my career is taking off, I'm just thankful for this worry-free lifestyle.

'My brush with financial problems has made me even more appreciative of what I have now,' she said.

Her proud parents are currently selling her latest album at their eatery and customers have lapped them up, sometimes buying five copies at a time.

Claire admitted that even her skin condition improved in light of her accomplishments.

Her rash, that develops when she doesn't wear pure gold or silver jewellery, has now ceased to recur.

The rash had bewildered the bubbly singer who used to don 'tons of fake accessories' without any problems.

'It must be because I'm destined to lead a prosperous life,' she said giggling.

But being in the limelight has its downside as well.

Criticisms about her age and image, Claire conceded, have 'stung a little'.

For example, detractors have called her a plain Jane and insinuated that she's 'too old' to be dressed in 'teen clothing' - her usual T-shirt and jeans get-up.

But the real reason for the baggy and unflattering clothes?

According to Claire, it's her the lack of confidence in her figure.

The 1.6m-tall crooner aspires to be 40kg and needs to lose 6kg to achieve her ideal weight.

But shedding the extra pounds hasn't been easy as eating happens to be her favourite pastime.

'I love all good food such as Singapore's Hainanese chicken rice.

'The reality is that I would look so much better on-screen if I just knew how to curb my 'itchy' mouth,' she said with a laugh.

This article was first published in The New Paper.
 

Maverick01

Alfrescian
Loyal
I am sure she earned alot of other EXTRA income to pay the debt...



http://www.asiaone.com/Business/News/My+Money/Story/A1Story20090723-156637.html

Sat, Jul 25, 2009
The New Paper

20090723.161353_credit.jpg


From credit card debt to musical success

By Charlene Chua

WHEN a girl is addicted to shopping, owning three credit cards certainly comes in handy.

But in the case of Hong Kong-born, Taiwan-based singer Claire Guo, it was a false sense of financial security that did her in.


The 29-year-old who just released her third album, Singing In The Tree, recounted how she was steeped in credit card debt a few years ago.

Said Claire in a phone interview with The New Paper: 'When I was in university, I had no income so I applied for credit cards to delay my payments.

'The strange thing is that Taiwanese banks will allow students to apply for as many cards as they want, with hardly any restrictions.'

Her friends all followed suit and without weighing the pros and cons of deferred payments, the schoolmates found themselves in possession of countless credit cards.

Classy bags, cute shoes and stylish clothing.

The world of fashion retail was theirs for the taking as long as they 'swiped and signed'.

But paying on plastic, as Claire eventually found out, was a costly mistake.

The initial high from her indulgent purchasing slowly turned to anxiety and fear as she struggled to foot her monthly bills.

With mounting interest charges, her total debt rose to NT$1 million ($50, 000).

Desperate, her friends sought financial help from their family members while Claire took it upon herself to work off her debt to avoid 'troubling' her restaurant owner parents.

To earn extra cash, she did part-time cheerleading stints at soccer matches and store openings.

Teaching cheerleading classes was also another lucrative gig.

Fast forward to present day and Claire, who has gained success with her trademark romantic ballads, is relieved that she is no longer a slave to her credit card.

'It took me quite a few years to pay off my debts and now that my career is taking off, I'm just thankful for this worry-free lifestyle.

'My brush with financial problems has made me even more appreciative of what I have now,' she said.

Her proud parents are currently selling her latest album at their eatery and customers have lapped them up, sometimes buying five copies at a time.

Claire admitted that even her skin condition improved in light of her accomplishments.

Her rash, that develops when she doesn't wear pure gold or silver jewellery, has now ceased to recur.

The rash had bewildered the bubbly singer who used to don 'tons of fake accessories' without any problems.

'It must be because I'm destined to lead a prosperous life,' she said giggling.

But being in the limelight has its downside as well.

Criticisms about her age and image, Claire conceded, have 'stung a little'.

For example, detractors have called her a plain Jane and insinuated that she's 'too old' to be dressed in 'teen clothing' - her usual T-shirt and jeans get-up.

But the real reason for the baggy and unflattering clothes?

According to Claire, it's her the lack of confidence in her figure.

The 1.6m-tall crooner aspires to be 40kg and needs to lose 6kg to achieve her ideal weight.

But shedding the extra pounds hasn't been easy as eating happens to be her favourite pastime.

'I love all good food such as Singapore's Hainanese chicken rice.

'The reality is that I would look so much better on-screen if I just knew how to curb my 'itchy' mouth,' she said with a laugh.

This article was first published in The New Paper.
 
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