Your brother's situation is not so bad as he still has his condo, which is a big asset for him, especially since there is no more mortgage. He need not go all the way to the extreme of downgrading to a HDB flat, which understandably will be a big blow to his ego and status. Living in a HDB flat is of a lower standing, in society's view. This is a fact. What he can do to lessen the impact of society's perception is to downgrade to a cheaper condo. There are still many condos selling at $1m or less, he can go to propertyguru and set the search parameters and do the search. He can then sell his $1.7m condo and buy a $1m condo. This condo may be smaller or older or located is a lesser district but it is still better than staying in a HDB flat, which has a much, much lower status for him and his family. He can then invest $700k in a 5% dividend stock, which gives him $35k pa. Together with his wife's income and perhaps reducing his total expenses, his family will still be able to function well financially, without impacting much their social status. I think this is a more "middle of the way" approach. He can then continue to focus on his job search. With the new employment policy, he now stands a better chance of getting employed again.