Ringgit and Sense

The word recession has been looming over the heads of many economists and government’s around the world for some time now. But what does a recession mean for the average person? Why does it happen and what will it do to your wallet? Professor Geoffrey Williams, Economist, Malaysia University of Science and Technology explains. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

Are you planning to get a credit card? Or do you already have one? Why do you have? These are the questions we'll be pondering on this episode of Ringgit and Sense with Hann Liew of RinggitPlus. Sim Wie Boon and Hann discuss the considerations when getting your first credit card, how to choose the right one for you, the benefits and drawbacks of having a credit card.   Image credit:...

Charlie Munger, vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, is often overshadowed by his colleague Warren Buffett. But if you're an ardent follower of the two, you'll know that the investment philosophy employed by Buffett and Berkshire can be attributed to Munger's influence. Rajen Devadason of Manulife Investment Management Malaysia Berhad, CEO of the consultancy RD WealthCreation tells us who Cha...

Whether you’re new to investing or have been in the market for years, you may feel a little bit like you are lost at sea looking for a safe harbour in 2022. With a war going on in Europe, supply chains still going haywire and central banks hiking interest rates, markets have been going gangbusters. Sim Wie Boon speaks to Steve Lim of Affin Hwang Management to get his take on how to approach such v...

Over the years, thousands of Malaysians have lost millions of ringgit to investment scams. So how exactly do these scams happen and what can you do to protect yourself from losing your money? Jawahar Ameer Ali from the Securities Commission Malaysia shares some tips on how to spot these scams and what you can do to protect yourself from them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you haven’t already noticed, inflation is here and everything is getting more expensive. What does it do to your savings and investments? And how do you protect it? Ng Chze How of Manulife Investment Management shares some thoughts on how REITs and Shariah funds can be a hedge against inflation and protect your savings and investments.  Image credit: shutterstock See omnystudio.com/li...

Covid-19, the stock market crashing, rising interest rates, inflation, and everything just getting more expensive. These are some of the things that can cause many of us to sweat buckets especially when you look at your investment portfolio or savings account. What do you do when everything is in the red and your daily expenses keep mounting? How do you protect your savings and navigate your inves...

After two years of Covid-19 and staying indoors, many are beginning to make holiday plans as the travel restrictions in the region begin to ease and the world shifts towards an endemic stage. But just because you can go on vacation outside of the country now, doesn't mean you should simply spend your money on air tickets and hotel accommodations as these things can cost a bomb when not budgeted co...

Tax season is coming to an end and for those who have filed their taxes, they can expect their deductions and returns to be sorted out in due time. But there are those who have yet to file their taxes and as the deadline closes, panic is setting in. Fret not as Sim Wie Boon speaks to Thanneermalai Somasundaram, Managing Director, Thannees Tax Consulting Services for some last minute tax filin...

As the world marches on it post-pandemic recovery trajectory, many of us might think that this will be a return to "more of the same" but with a rise in inflation, a sudden outbreak of war in Europe and China's Covid-19 strategy, there’s no telling how the markets will shift. So how do you maneuver in these volatile times? Yap Ming Hui, Licensed Financial Planner, Whitman Independent Adv...

Higher education is widely seen as a key stepping stone in social and economic mobility, but it doesn’t come cheap. For almost three decades, PTPTN has helped many students with loans to help fund their education in order for them to get a good job. However, students must also be aware that financial aid isn’t free money, and that the repayment of PTPTN education loans is important to ensure...

According to Bank Negara’s recently published 2021 annual report, Malaysian households have nearly 1.38 trillion ringgit worth of debt and a chunk of it are due to personal loans. Sim Wie Boon speaks to Idham Idris of Wealth Vantage Advisory to understand why people take it and get his thoughts on when personal loans are a good idea as well as when they are not. They also discuss the dangers of pe...

During times of volatility and uncertainty, gold is seen as a safe haven investment to protect your wealth. But apart from that, what real value does it really have to your investment portfolio and how should you position it? Sim Wie Boon speaks to licensed financial planner Eng Meei Yu, Co-Founder and Executive Director of MyFP Services on why people buy gold during uncertain times and how we sho...

For a World Health Day special, Sim Wie Boon will be diving into the rising healthcare costs in Malaysia exploring how much it costs to visit a clinic or hospital and get treated there as well as the pros and cons of public vs private healthcare. He also touches on the importance of healthcare insurance and the considerations to have when getting it. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystu...

Scams have been rising lately in Malaysia with complaints about financial fraud, especially Internet, investment and phone scams being the top five issues raised by the public in Bank Negara’s 2021 Annual Report. In fact, according to the Selangor police, a whopping 33.7 million ringgit was lost to online scams and cyber crimes in Selangor in the first two months of 2022 alone. Sim Wie Boon speaks...

For many of us, we spend our younger years working really hard to build a career and earn a decent living so we can afford to live a comfortable life in retirement. However, things are not as simple as just setting aside a sum of money for retirement. A factor many seldom take into account is inflation and the rising cost of living in the future. So how should you approach this? How do you inflati...

Tax season is upon us and we all have slightly more than a month to file our taxes. So in conjunction with this, Sim Wie Boon speaks to Ang Weina, the global employer services leader of Deloitte Malaysia on what to look out for in your tax filings and the consequences of late submissions. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Personal finance and investing has seen significant changes in the last century. Technology has saved us all an immense amount of time and money because everything is available through a click of a mouse, or the tap of a screen. It has also imparted a sense of control over the information you have, opened doors to forums for discussion and changed the way you budget and save, or spend your mo...

These past two years have seen a period of disruption and opportunities with the Covid-19 pandemic becoming a trigger for government spending, low interest rates and a supply chain crisis. And while the world is slowly learning to live with the virus, we’re now faced with a war in Europe. So how do these global trends affect your investments? What is the appropriate strategy to employ when you inv...

When it comes to investing, risk and reward are inextricably entwined. Therefore, it is important for anyone to weigh the potential reward against the risk to decide whether it's worth putting their money on the line. Licensed financial planner and CEO of Success Concepts, Joyce Chuah shares her thoughts on the relationship between risks and rewards, the search for yield and how to navigate these...

A core tenant of investing and financial planning is asset allocation. You shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket as it greatly magnifies risks to your portfolio should that basket hit a rough patch. So how do you allocate your assets accordingly and in an optimum manner? What are some of the mistakes and fundamental rules when it comes to asset allocation? We discuss the 101 of asset allocatio...

The pandemic has seen a boom in small businesses as many people started their own businesses ranging from baking to selling clothes to ICT services. While many have found new opportunities in this wave of new entrepreneurial strides, there's a lot of considerations to be had. One such is taxation. How can you make a better tax plan for your business? Why should you set up a sendirian berhad or ope...

The past two years of Covid-19 and recent spate of terrible floods has shined a spotlight on the need to protect yourself from unforeseen circumstances, whether you are a business owner, home owner or car owner. Antony Lee, the Chairman of the General Insurance Association of Malaysia (PIAM) joins Sim Wie Boon on Ringgit and Sense to discuss the importance of insuring your property against natural...

Chinese New Year is around the corner and in conjunction with that, Sim Wie Boon speaks to Master Kenny Hoo of Good Feng Shui Geomantic Research for a Feng Shui perspective on how to spend your money in this year of the Water Tiger and what are the dangers to look out for. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you asked for a raise or promotion in your job recently? Do you plan to? How much would you ask for? On this episode of Ringgit and Sense, Sim Wie Boon speaks to communications coach Indira Nair about asking for a bump up in your salary or position from your boss. They discuss the culture around it, the different perspectives towards it and ways to approach it. Image credit: Shutterstock.com...