Ringgit and Sense

One of the toughest jobs in the world is being a parent, so it’s doubly hard as a single parent. Apart from work obligations, household chores, and looking after the kids, usually all of the financial burden falls on the single parent as well. So how would a single parent financially plan for the future?  Sim Wie Boon speaks to licensed financial planner Gunaseelan Kannan, from Blu...

Have you ever been asked to be a guarantor for someone else’s loan? Often it is a partner or relative who asks, but nowadays it can also be friends or work colleagues. Usually it is difficult to refuse and you would be surprised at just how many of us often agree to be one without thinking of the long term consequences. Farah Razali of Zul Rafique & Partners shares some advice on the ris...

It’s a wonderful thing to be able to say you are newly debt-free. Paying off your debt is like being handed a blank piece of paper on which to write the next chapter of your life. But while many of us aspire to be debt free, the reality is that most of us will have to live with debt until old age. Is this a bad thing though? How can you make debt work for you and live with it positively? Wha...

Filing for bankruptcy can feel like you’ve hit the financial equivalent of rock bottom. While it does wipe out your old debt, bankruptcy is a mark on your credit record and it can affect one’s emotional and mental health as well. But it is important to remember that bankruptcy is not the end of the road and there are ways to get out of it. Nirmala Subramaniam of AKPK and licensed profe...

People are living longer than ever, thanks to modern medicine and advances in technology but this has brought about a new dilemma as children born of older parents are often faced with an unexpected cost down the road: becoming a young caregiver. Taking care of your parents is not an easy role. And even if you're not the one directly providing the care, it can lead to emotional and financial stres...

Key highlights from our Ringgit and Sense webinar touching on the importance of investing, how it fits in with your financial planning, the types of asset classes to choose from, and some tips on how to pick stocks. For the full conversation, check out the FB Live session here: https://www.facebook.com/BFMradio/videos/536760667585566 Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

What are some of the financial planning lessons to take away from the pandemic? How do you build yourself back up after losing your savings and what are the common mistakes made during the financial crisis triggered by Covid-19? Should you have taken the moratorium or even dip into your EPF? Licensed financial planner Joyce Chuah answers all these questions and more with Sim Wie Boon on this episo...

The rise of robo-advisors has taken the world by storm and grown in popularity especially with millennials and Gen Z. But as exciting as this development has been, is it the be all, end all financial solution? What of the human touch? Sim Wie Boon speaks to licensed financial planner Yap Ming Hui of Whitman Independent Advisors for his views on the limitations of robo-advisors and how to better in...

What is Financial Independence or Financial Freedom? Are they basically fancy words for retirement? Roshan Kanesan gets into all this and more with writer Aaron Tang, founder of Mr-Stingy.com, and Stephen Yong, Licensed Financial Planner with Wealth Vantage Advisory. Roshan also explores their views on how to achieve financial freedom, thoughts on the FIRE movement and the 4% rule, and ‘Why...

Balancing your portfolio means setting up a portfolio that fits your individual risk tolerance and investment goals. But it isn't enough to just "set it and forget it." You also need to make sure your portfolio stays balanced, which is known as rebalancing. Roshan Kanesan explores the importance of asset allocation and portfolio rebalancing with Rajen Devadason, Licensed Financial Planner with Man...

Buy and Hold is simple, but can go incredibly wrong as investors of Enron or Blockbuster Video would know. And with current stock market valuations bringing back Dotcom parallels, some are worried that the next bubble pop could be around the corner. Roshan Kanesan dives into how to invest for the long term with fund manager Jack Kouzi, Director of Australian Financial Services Licensee VFS Group....

What should you watch when looking at bank stocks? When it comes to the stock market investing, the banking sector can be an attractive one for a variety of reasons including yield, but not all banks are created equal, so as a budding, rising, or experienced investor, what should you watch when looking at banking stocks? Roshan Kanesan explores this with Liew Wai Hoong, Banking Analyst with RHB Re...

Insurance is a vital pillar of personal finance, but what if for some reason, you can’t get insurance? How does this change your financial planning, and more importantly, how do you then prepare and protect yourself? Roshan Kanesan explores this with VP Thanga, Executive Director and Licensed Financial Planner, with Blueprint Planning. Other episodes to check out: > Life & Health Insu...

Following up from our episode last week on BNPL - or Buy Now, Pay Later - today on the show Roshan Kanesan expands the conversation on credit and debt, and take a look at what good debt management looks like with writer Suraya Zainuddin of ringgitohringgit.com and Licensed Financial Planner Idham Idris from Wealth Vantage Advisory. Other episodes to check out: > Buy Now, Pay Later: Good, Bad, o...

Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL), easy credit to help with cash flow or a debt trap in waiting? Roshan Kanesan speaks to Idham Idris, Licensed Financial Planner with Wealth Vantage Advisory, and Suraya Zainudin, founder and writer at ringgitohringgit.com, to find out. Other episodes to check out: > Emergency Cash: How Much and How To Keep it > Loan Moratorium: Should You Opt-In? > Wedding Planni...

Emergency cash buffers are vital, but how much do you need to set aside and where should you keep the cash? Roshan Kanesan explores this with Annie Hor, Licensed Financial Advisor with Harveston Financial Advisory. They also get into differences between savings accounts, fixed deposits, and money market funds. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Other episodes to check out: > Loan Moratorium: Should...

Emergency cash buffers are vital, but how much do you need to set aside and where should you keep the cash? Roshan Kanesan explores this with Annie Hor, Licensed Financial Advisor with Harveston Financial Advisory. They also get into differences between savings accounts, fixed deposits, and money market funds. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Other episodes to check out: > Loan Moratorium: Should...

So should you opt-in for the loan moratorium? Roshan Kanesan explores this with Annie Hor, Licensed Financial Advisor with Harveston Financial Advisory. They’ll get into how to make this decision, how to utilize this moratorium, and what this could mean for your payments later on. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Other episodes to check out: > Emergency Cash: How Much and How To Keep It &gt...

Buying a property outright isn’t the only way to invest in property, REITs provide another, more diversified, avenue. Instead of buying one particular property, you can get access to the rental from a diversified pool of property depending on the REIT. Roshan Kanesan speaks to DBS’s Banks Derek Tan to learn more about REITs and the key things to watch before investing in one, from reve...

Earlier this year Aaron Tang, a.k.a Mr. Stingy, took another step in his personal finance journey and engaged a licensed financial planner. Roshan Kanesan speaks to him about: > How this has helped Aaron and whether it's been worth it > Whether he agreed with all the recommendations > What to watch if someone is thinking about getting a licensed financial planner > At what point should...

Financial literacy an ongoing process that can be a little daunting considering how much information is out there. So for some guidance here, Roshan Kanesan speaks to Aaron Tang a.k.a. Mr-Stingy.com, about how he learned about money, some of his favourite resources, and how he turns knowledge into actions. Other episodes you might like: > Mr Stingy's 10 Investing Principles > Mr. Stingy's Le...

Financial literacy an ongoing process that can be a little daunting considering how much information is out there. So for some guidance here, Roshan Kanesan speaks to Aaron Tang a.k.a. Mr-Stingy.com, about how he learned about money, some of his favourite resources, and how he turns knowledge into actions. Other episodes you might like: > Mr Stingy's 10 Investing Principles > Mr. Stingy's Le...

The most popular part of personal finance is the accumulation of wealth, but it's extremely important to think about how to protect the wealth you build, and how to distribute it when you’re gone. Roshan Kanesan speaks to Licensed Financial Planner Rajen Devadason to get a better understanding of how all this works together, its importance in your life, and things to keep an eye on. Rajen De...

Should I buy and hold index funds for the long term or actively trade to beat the market? That’s the essential debate between active and passive investing. To get a better understanding of active and passive investing, and which one might be for you, Roshan Kanesan speaks with Ben Johnson, Director of Global ETF Research with Morningstar Research Services. They get into fund performances, ho...

ESG has become a much bigger topic over the last few years, but is it for you? Roshan Kanesan speaks to Raymond Tang, CEO of Eastspring Investments, about the basics of ESG investing, what to watch, risks involved, and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.