Last night, the world changed. On March 1, 2026, we woke up to news that seemed like a movie script: joint US-Israel strikes on Tehran and the confirmed death of Iran’s Supreme Leader. At a Chinese New Year dinner in Teck Ghee just hours ago, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong didn't mince words: “The war has begun... it is very hard to tell how it will end.” If you think this is just a headline from a faraway desert, you are missing the point. This war is the final nail in the coffin for the "Peace Dividend"—that comfortable era where our biggest worry was picking between two tech stocks or two travel destinations. Here is why our "Safe" financial plan just expired, and why "Peace" was actually the most expensive thing we ever owned.

1. The "Strait of Hormuz" Tax (Your New Monthly Bill)

20% of the world’s energy flows through a tiny gap near Iran....