Ringgit and Sense

Can someone without a finance certificate manage their own investment funds well enough to build up a comfortable retirement nest or even generational wealth? Former fund manager and author of the book Be Your Own Fund Manager, Lim Mei Ching believes so provided if you apply both fundamental and technical analyses, coupled with strict and disciplined portfolio management skills. We speak to her ab...

As investors grow savvier, more Malaysians are open to trying out new investment vehicles to grow their portfolios. While not a new form of investment, Exchange-Traded Funds or ETFs have been growing in popularity thanks to its growing reputation among investors for being conveniently tradable and having relatively lower management fees compared to mutual funds. So what exactly are ETFs and how sh...

We recap some of the most interesting conversations we’ve had on the show, including budgeting for your wedding, Buy Now Pay Later, the mental health impact of bankruptcy and the recent EPF withdrawals. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sim Wie Boon speaks to Wong Wai Ken, Malaysia Country Manager, for the robo advisor Stashaway about thematic investments. They'll be discussing why thematic investments have become more popular in the past two years, what are the risks and opportunities associated with thematic investing and how to assess a theme. Image credit: Unsplash.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a result of Covid-19 related withdrawals, almost half of the EPF members have less than RM10,000 left in savings, and 3.6 million of them now have less than RM1,000. These shocking figures point towards the likelihood that Malaysia will experience a huge problem with a majority of its lower to middle income elderly living in poverty in the coming decade. So what do we need to do to address this...

The year is ending and it's time to look back and do some financial upkeep. What are the financial checklists you should cross off before we close the year off? Steve Lim of Affin Hwang Asset Management talks to Sim Wie Boon about this. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you remember your first car? What went into the decision to buy that specific car? Was it the price? The look? Or a decision made by your parents? Daniel Fernandez of dsf.my and BFM's Cruise Control talks to Sim Wie Boon about buying your first car and what should be the considerations to make when deciding to buy one. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

A recent nation-wide survey conducted by Luno Malaysia aimed at understanding the financial management habits of everyday Malaysians found that more than half of Malaysians say the most important purpose of having money is to safeguard their family’s long-term well-being, meanwhile nearly a third of them were more inclined to seek financial advice from family members or peers compared to mor...

Having a child can be expensive. Even before you lay eyes on that bundle of joy, you're probably already calculating the cost of seeing the doctor, having the baby, staying at the maternity ward and the post martum care itself. And that's just the first few months, what about when the kid grows up? Education, hobbies and whatnot will cost alot money. So where do you begin? How much do you have to...

Budget 2022 is the largest budget to date at RM332.1 billion. According to the government, no sector has been left out and it will help each and every Malaysian. So what’s in it for you? What should you keep an eye out for? Thanneermalai Somasundaram of Thannees Tax Consulting Services explains. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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...