The Straits Times

Headstart On Record

Business EN ↓ 124 episodes

Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get a head start in your personal finance, career and life with The Straits Times. Podcasters: Sue-Ann TanProduced & edited by: Amirul KarimExecutive producers: Ernest Luis, Lynda Hong & Joanna SeowA podcast by The Straits Times, SPH Media.

Author

The Straits Times

Category

Business

Podcast website

www.straitstimes.com

Latest episode

Jul 6, 2026

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Episodes

S1E16: Would you be an intern for 2 years? 07.07.2024

Long internships are just one form of the many talent schemes that are accepted by employers. Synopsis: Every second Monday of the month, The Straits Times helps you put your career on the right footing from the outset. The job search is getting increasingly complex as the range of options broaden. Employers are also placing increasing focus on grooming talent in a more structured way to let them...

S1E31: Who wants to be a public servant? We ask Chan Chun Sing 30.06.2024

The iron rice bowl is still sturdy, but demands on Singapore's public service have changed. Synopsis: Every first Monday of the month, listen to the Work Talk podcast to help you work smarter, think deeper and get ahead in your work life. With 152,000 employees across 16 ministries and more than 40 agencies, the public service is the biggest department in town.   It reports to the government, but...

S1E30: Budget 2024: Mid-year check for SMEs in Singapore 24.06.2024

How is the government's $1.3 billion budget working for SMEs so far? We invite them on the show. Synopsis: Every first Monday of the month, listen to the Work Talk podcast to help you work smarter, think deeper and get ahead in your work life. It is June, the mid-point of 2024. Join Krist Boo and her co-host Timothy Goh on Work Talk to hear how Singapore's Budget 2024 measures are affecting small...

S1E25: Halfway mark of 2024: Our expert offers top stock picks in Singapore 16.06.2024

"Why invest in Singapore, when you can invest in the US?" Our guest expert counters this argument with facts and his opinion. Synopsis: Every third Monday of the month, senior columnist Ven Sreenivasan offers you an extra edge in managing your hard-earned money. In this episode, Ven hosts Thilan Wickramesinghe - regional head of research at Maybank Securities - to look at the investment outlook fr...

S1E15: Chip in to shape Singapore’s semiconductor ambitions 09.06.2024

Robust job prospects amid artificial intelligence race, despite trade tensions Synopsis: Every second Monday of the month, The Straits Times helps you put your career on the right footing from the outset. The semiconductor industry has been a fixture of Singapore's advanced manufacturing space since 1968. The industry has grown from strength to strength, and is now reentering the forefront of the...

S1E24: Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and their growth in Asia 19.05.2024

Hear why active ETFs are becoming more popular.    Synopsis: Every third Monday of the month, hosts Lee Su Shyan and Ven Sreenivasan - both senior columnists at The Straits Times - offer you an extra edge in managing your hard-earned money. In this episode, J.P. Morgan Asset Management's Apac head of ETF - Philippe El-Asmar - discusses the growth of ETFs in Asia. In particular, there is a growing...

S1E14: Fail well, and you learn better 12.05.2024

Adult learning research shows “productive failure” builds tenacity and deepens learning. Synopsis: Every second Monday of the month, The Straits Times helps you put your career on the right footing from the outset. Failure is not fatal. Instead, organisations and individuals can set themselves up to learn from each failure better and faster. However, this requires thought and effort to be put into...

S1E29: Gen AI, you started work yet? 05.05.2024

The promise of it transforming our work lives is happening, but maybe not in the way we expected it to. Synopsis: Every first Monday of the month, listen to the Work Talk podcast to help you work smarter, think deeper and get ahead in your work life. It has been 18 months since ChatGPT's public debut. Has the technology touted to change our work lives been helpful, but underwhelming? Or is it us?...

S1E23: US tech stocks: Is it time to diversify? 14.04.2024

Consider other markets and the wider US tech sector.  Synopsis: Every third Monday of the month, hosts Lee Su Shyan and Ven Sreenivasan - both senior columnists at The Straits Times - offer you an extra edge in managing your hard-earned money. In this episode, Mr Adam Reynolds, Asia-Pacific CEO of Saxo, discusses the large exposure many investors have to the US tech stocks. What are the implicatio...

S1E13: How cutting-edge firms interview candidates 07.04.2024

A tech and corporate veteran breaks down the intensive interview process at top firms. Synopsis: Every second Monday of the month, The Straits Times helps you put your career on the right footing from the outset. As skill demands and job complexity increase with economic advancement, so do employer needs as reflected in increasingly intensive job interviews. The stakes are especially high for cand...

S1E28: Stereotyping at work. Who? Me? 31.03.2024

Old vs young, abled vs disabled, woman vs man.  Synopsis: Every first Monday of the month, listen to the Work Talk podcast to help you work smarter, think deeper and get ahead in your work life. Labels invariably affect workplace policies and work opportunities today. Why do we put labels on others?  Do Singapore workplaces pay lip service to inclusivity? Are Human Resources teams doing enough? Wi...

S1E22: Things to consider now that CPF Special Account will be removed for those 55 and older 17.03.2024

How much should you put into your CPF Life then? Synopsis: Every third Monday of the month, hosts Lee Su Shyan and Ven Sreenivasan - both associate editors and senior columnists at The Straits Times - offer you an extra edge in managing your hard-earned money. In this episode, Mr Christopher Tan, CEO and founder of Providend - a fee-only wealth advisory - discusses the closure of the CPF special a...

S1E12: Returning strongly from a career break 10.03.2024

A talent expert who has helped over 200 people clinch jobs after a career break shares what works. Synopsis: Every second Monday of the month, The Straits Times helps you put your career on the right footing from the outset. At the best of times, making calculated career moves to meet one's financial and professional goals is hard, and even more so when one is returning from a career break. In thi...

S1E27: Next job disruptor, quantum? 03.03.2024

Will we cede jobs to quantum computing next?  Synopsis: Every first Monday of the month, listen to the Work Talk podcast to help you work smarter, think deeper and get ahead in your work life. We may not time travel anytime soon, but quantum computing may go mainstream among businesses within a decade. What is this technology that inspires science-fiction tales? What do bosses and workers need to...

S1E21: Wee Cho Yaw's impact on Singapore's banking industry 18.02.2024

Do local banks really have succession issues? Synopsis: Every third Monday of the month, hosts Lee Su Shyan and Ven Sreenivasan - both associate editors and senior columnists at The Straits Times - offer you an extra edge in managing your hard-earned money. In February 2024, banker Wee Cho Yaw passed away at the age of 95. His father founded the predecessor of UOB but it was Mr Wee that grew the b...

S1E11: What goes on during a career coaching session 11.02.2024

A seasoned career coach shows what career coaching entails, using host Tay Hong Yi's CV as an example. Synopsis: Every second Monday of the month, The Straits Times helps you take charge of your budding career and realise your ambition. Career coaching is a term frequently bandied about in discourses surrounding employment and employability, and related policies. Though the basic concept is intuit...

S1E26: How a back-office agency is reinventing its 500 humdrum jobs 04.02.2024

To secure his 500 colleagues' jobs, this CEO is making them developers. Bonus segment: What could the Dragon Year bring you?! Synopsis: Every first Monday of the month, listen to the Work Talk podcast to help you work smarter, think deeper and get ahead in your work life. Vital is the Singapore public service’s central agency for corporate shared services entrusted with managing and transforming c...

S1E20: Investing in an active ETF or exchange-traded fund 14.01.2024

Find out more how active ETFs are somewhat different from the traditional product. Synopsis: Every third Monday of the month, hosts Lee Su Shyan and Ven Sreenivasan - both associate editors and senior columnists at The Straits Times - offer you an extra edge in managing your hard-earned money. In this episode, Su Shyan discusses active ETFs with Ms Ong Ai Ling, portfolio manager and head of AIOI a...

S1E10: Is a contract role right for you? 07.01.2024

These roles may provide a gateway to coveted roles, an expert says. Synopsis: Every second Monday of the month, the Career Talk podcast by The Straits Times helps you take charge of your career and realise your ambition. As economic cycles turn shorter and more volatile, the labour market has turned to hiring workers on contract, including for roles with high skill requirements and leadership oppo...

S1E25: We will have you covered: Manpower Minister Tan See Leng to workers 31.12.2023

What's the buzzword from our manpower minister in 2024?  Synopsis: Every first Monday of the month, listen to the Work Talk podcast to help you work smarter, think deeper and get ahead in your work life. Jan 1, may mark the beginning of a geopolitically hard year with persistent heart-stopping price tags on things, but the manpower minister wants Singapore workers to know his ministry is hands on...

S1E19: Should investors adopt emerging technologies in 2024? 17.12.2023

Find out about the upcoming market trends and how should you invest in 2024. Synopsis: Every third Monday of the month, hosts Lee Su Shyan and Ven Sreenivasan - both associate editors and senior columnists at The Straits Times - offer you an extra edge in managing your hard-earned money. In this episode, Ven Sreenivasan hosts Mr Thilan Wickramasinghe, head of research at Maybank Securities. They d...

S1E9: How will salaries grow in 2024? 10.12.2023

Increases converges at around 4 per cent across the board in a mature high-cost market like Singapore. Synopsis: Every second Monday of the month, The Straits Times' Career Talk podcast helps you take charge of your own career and make your ambition pay off. One source of both cheer and uncertainty in this festive period is talk of performance appraisals, promotions and pay raises. To find out mor...

S1E24: Copilot, we'll code where we never coded before 03.12.2023

In a universe roamed by software developers, problems are to be conquered by code. Synopsis: Every first Monday of the month, listen to the Work Talk podcast to help you work smarter, think deeper and get ahead in your work life. Now, with a new Copilot in generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), will we enter an era where coders solve some of the world's biggest challenges? Will coding become mai...

S1E18: What investors should know in a “higher for longer” interest rate environment 19.11.2023

Find out whether investors should still remain in the market. Synopsis: Every third Monday of the month, hosts Lee Su Shyan and Ven Sreenivasan - both associate editors and senior columnists at The Straits Times - offer you an extra edge in managing your hard-earned money. In this episode, Su Shyan and Ven discuss the recent pause in rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve. There are signals that rat...

S1E8: How to use ChatGPT responsibly at work? 12.11.2023

Discourse over responsible workplace use of generative artificial intelligence software like ChatGPT, is just getting started.  Synopsis: Every second Monday of the month, The Straits Times' Career Talk podcast helps you take charge of your own career and make your ambition pay off. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) models can swiftly generate convincing text and images based on user prompts...

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