The Financial Coconut Podcast

After 2 years of pandemic, it seems like the world is going back to normal but why are some of us having trouble with that? Surely we can revert to our old lives easily? Perhaps it’s time to recognise that the pandemic has upended our lives in more ways than one. For some, the pandemic has pushed them to explore other working styles (WFH anyone?) while others have started to re-evaluate their prio...

How many people can get a business class seat purely from credit card spending? Turns out it’s quite a few, if you know how to play the miles game well! To help us master the art of earning & redeeming miles, we have Aaron, founder of popular travel blog Milelion which teaches you how to travel better for less! Is the miles game only for the rich? What’s the gold standard rate for miles per dollar...

Noticed a spike in the price of your chicken rice or kopi-o recently? You are looking at the effects of a high inflation environment.  For many young millennials out there, this may be the very first time you are experiencing this phenomenon. What can we do to mitigate higher prices everywhere? Listen to this episode & find out. Get our show notes at https://thefinancialcoconut.com/tfc149   Discla...

Japan has been a very popular tourist destination for many reasons and we bet you won’t be able to guess this particular reason for visiting Japan: the Japanese Yen has crashed. In fact, at the time of publishing, the Yen has reached its all-time low in 24 years. How did this happen to a first world country like Japan?  To enlighten us on this unusual situation, we have Li Xing, a FX strategist fr...

Learning from the rich will help you become rich. Is that really true? Did you know there’s also much to learn from the not-so-rich? It’s high time we dispel the myth that the poor are “lazy”. In fact, Reggie thinks it's lazy of us to write them off as lazy! It is pretty amazing that they are trying their best to survive and thrive despite the limited resources in their lives. How do they do it an...

Today, we are taking our show title seriously as you get to (literally) Chill with TFC. For the very first time, you will get to hear from the team behind TFC! As financial content creators, how do we determine if the financial content we consume is credible and useful to us, especially with the never-ending onslaught of online information? Joining Andrew on this special Chills episode are Reggie...

If you think you’ll never be foolish enough to fall into a scam, think again. Everyone is vulnerable to financial scams, regardless of your educational level or life experience. Apart from protecting your digital footprint via NordVPN (check out the promo below!), how else can we discern the information we consume so that we do not become the next victims of financial scams? Listen to this episode...

Would you rather trust a human or an algorithm with your money? DeFi, also known as decentralised finance, aims to eliminate the need for middlemen like banks in our financial transactions through blockchain technology. In recent years, there has been much enthusiasm in the DeFi space with many investors earning astronomical returns (some have also lost a lot) but practically speaking, is DeFi act...

Is the money in your CPF accounts just sitting around? What’s the point of having money that you can see but cannot touch? Au contraire. There are actually other uses for CPF other than paying for HDB loans, insurance and education. If you care about your money, then you should listen to this episode to find out how you can use the money in your CPF to support your parents’ retirement and even get...

With the skyrocketing property prices in Singapore, can we still make money from the property market? Contrary to popular belief, property investment in Singapore is not a rich man’s game. Play your cards right & you may be able to extract extraordinary yield from your property and gain equity within a short period of time too! Learn how to be a better player in Singapore’s property game from Maur...

Do you believe in multiple selves? No, we are not entering the supernatural realm but if you want to understand why we experience buyer’s remorse, then we need to learn more about the different roles we play in our lives and how it can affect the way we think about our spending. TFC 145 goes deep into the conflicting mix of emotions when we make a purchase: why do we feel so excited just before we...

Despite the immense regulatory crackdown in 2021, many retail investors are still attracted to the Hong Kong market. What about you? To these investors, the question is no longer about whether Chinese companies are worth investing, but how they can continue to pick good investments in the Hong Kong market with the regulations in mind. Our guest Samuel Siew is definitely an expert on this topic. He...

Did you listen to last week’s TFC episode on outdated boomer financial advice ( https://spoti.fi/3yQN8V5 )? This week, we will expand the discussion by dissecting some of the investing advice from our elders that may not work in today’s context. Instead of writing them off, we will attempt to understand how our elders came up with these advice. For example, why are they so afraid of the stock mark...

If you think that personal branding is only for celebrities & influencers, think again. Our guest for today’s Chills with TFC episode will convince you otherwise. In fact, he strongly believes that having a personal brand can help you climb the ladder faster and become more successful!  Sam Neo is the founder of 3 start-ups and also a HR expert who has worked with leaders of big brands like Samsun...

Have you ever gone “huh?” when you receive financial advice from your elders that seem a little… iffy? While they may have good intentions, we are living in a very different world from the one that they grew up in and some of their advice may no longer be relevant anymore. Recognise these outdated financial advice in TFC 143, break the cycle and move on from them! Done with this episode? Then you...

*Disclaimer: This episode was recorded on 16 Dec 2021 and since then, the Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR) has changed from 60% to 55%.* Buying your first home can be a daunting experience, and on top of that, property prices seem to be on a high these days. Should I just buy a private property since HDB flats are already hitting $1 million? What are some common characteristics of properties with...

Planning your first trip after 2 years of pandemic? Prices for your air ticket & accommodation may be high for now so how can we get more bang for our buck in budget travels and still have a good time too? In TFC 142, we share some uncommon tips on how to stretch your dollar when it comes to traveling. Apparently, you can already save a few hundreds by choosing where you fly out from! Get our show...

Living longer to 100 years old is becoming a real possibility for many of us, thanks to advancements in healthcare and technology. Thus, it’s time we rethink our retirement plan. What if we underestimate how much we need for retirement? How do we protect our wealth as we age? What can we do to work towards a multi-stage life? Our guest for Chills 69 is Goh Theng Kiat, Chief Customer Officer from P...

You are what you eat, but why are some foods so popular despite them being sweeter, fatter and more expensive? TFC 141 may touch a raw nerve among the food fans (where is the ‘premium’ in premium boba tea?!) but hey, hear us out. You may change your mind about them once you understand more about their business model & what exactly goes into these popular foods! Get our show notes at https://thefin...

What is your version of the Singaporean Dream? Is it still achievable in the current economy, especially with the incoming GST hike and other measures announced in this year’s Singapore Budget?  In Part 2 of this two-part series, we continue the discussion with Mr Jamus Lim, Associate Professor of Economics at ESSEC Business School & Member of Parliament for Sengkang GRC on his personal thoughts o...

Increasing mental health awareness around the world has given rise to the idea of self-care where one makes a conscious effort to prioritise and take care of the self. While the intention of self-care is good, there are some major flaws that we really should be aware of. Is spending money on feel-good activities really the way to self-care?   Before you go for your next gym class or massage sessio...

What governs your thought process behind every financial decision you make? Do you truly believe you are an independent decision-maker, or are there other agents at play in the financial market? To answer these thought-provoking questions, we need to dive into the study of economics and learn how human behaviour can be modeled from the interactions between economic agents in the economy.  Our gues...

Do we always have ourselves to blame when things do not go our way and only ourselves to thank when we’re considered “successful”? What if there are forces beyond our control that impact our financial success? Join us today as we discuss 3 external forces that affect your personal finance. Get our show notes at https://thefinancialcoconut.com/tfc139   Disclaimer: The content in The Financial Cocon...

Hello! If you are reading this description right now, we assume you have an interest in personal finance. Other than The Financial Coconut (TFC), did you know that we also have other shows in the TFC ecosystem that cover different aspects of personal finance? One of them is Coconut Avenue which focuses on property in Singapore and in this special Chills episode, you will get to listen to Season 2,...

Being frugal is a virtue, right? Isn’t spending as little money as possible the best way to consolidate your wealth? It’s high time we question this premise. Before you come at us and say “how dare you?!”, listen to this episode and find out why we think frugality may actually be limiting the way you live your life. Get our show notes at https://thefinancialcoconut.com/tfc138   Disclaimer: The con...