Advertise on podcast: Ringgit and Sense

Budget 2027 introduces personal income tax rate cuts and expands reliefs for middle-income families, upskilling, and first-time home buyers. However, taking advantage of a tax relief or a stamp duty exemption doesn't automatically make it a sound financial decision. Poovarni Rajagopal, Tax Partner at Invatex Consulting, breaks down the new M40 tax brackets and explains what the "sandwich generation" can now claim, from elderly caretaker costs to children's tuition fees and AI subscriptions. She walks through the financial math behind homeownership incentives, the one essential question to ask before spending money for a tax deduction, and why proper documentation matters more than the relief itself as year-end approaches. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From mortgages and car loans to credit cards and BNPL schemes, most Malaysians aren't managing just one liability, they're juggling a whole portfolio of debt. Should you tackle the highest-interest loans or the smaller ones first? Rajen Devadason, CEO of RD WealthCreation and Licensed Financial Planner with Manulife Investment Management Malaysia, returns to Ringgit and Sense to share practical strategies for conquering multiple debts. He breaks down mathematical efficiency versus psychological momentum, whether an emergency buffer should take priority over debt repayments, and how to weigh debt-free living against optimising debt over time. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Borrow money for an asset, that’s good debt. Borrow money for a holiday, that’s bad debt. It sounds simple, but is personal finance ever actually that black and white? Rajen Devadason, CEO of RD WealthCreation and Licensed Financial Planner with Manulife Investment Management (Malaysia), joins Ringgit and Sense to explain why the line between good and bad debt isn't as clear as we think. He breaks down the one metric that actually matters and why even solid investments can turn sour. Plus, we look at the psychology of stretching for things we can't afford, and why paying off your home mortgage early might be worth it, even if the math says otherwise. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reaching retirement with a sizable nest egg doesn't guarantee long-term security if longevity, healthcare inflation, and unexpected shocks erode your capital. Wan Saifulrizal Wan Ismail, CEO of AmMetLife Insurance Berhad, joins Ringgit & Sense to discuss why Malaysians need to look beyond capital accumulation and pay closer attention to post-retirement financial risks.  Wan Saifulrizal shares his three-bucket model for managing retirement savings and risk, highlights the practical limits of medical insurance, and offers basic steps to stress-test your finances ahead of retirement. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As new iPhones hit stores tomorrow, it’s clear that smartphones are getting more expensive. So how should we navigate this as buyers? Alexander Wong, Managing Editor of SoyaCincau, joins Ringgit and Sense to unpack what your money actually buys across today's higher price tiers and where he believes the pricing sweet spot is. As expected, Apple unveiled its latest hardware lineup last week, featuring the much-anticipated iPhone Duo, Apple’s first foldable iPhone, while a base-model iPhone 18 was notably absent. Pricing has quickly become a primary talking point, with Apple effectively raising the floor price across its lineup. The new iPhone 18 Pro series sees price increases over the previous generation, while the iPhone 17 remains in the lineup at the higher RM4,299 price point rather than receiving a traditional price drop. Driven by global AI demand, an escalating memory shortage, dubbed "Ramageddon", is pushing up smartphone prices across budget, mid-range, and flagship tiers. Alex evaluates whether ultra-premium foldables like the iPhone Duo justify their price tags, reveals what he believes is the new smartphone sweet spot, and breaks down how memory supply shifts are impacting mid-tier models. Plus, get practical strategies to stretch your tech budget, from trade-ins and certified refurbished devices to protection plans. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Apple’s latest iPhones pushing prices higher than ever, are monthly subscriptions and leasing plans the answer instead of paying cash upfront? Idham Idris, Director of Corporate Treasury Investment Services and Licensed Financial Planner at Wealth Vantage Advisory, joins Ringgit and Sense to break down how much it really costs when we spread out the payment of a smartphone. Are these "phone-as-a-service" options good, bad, or complicated? Idham unpacks how monthly pricing can trick our brains into overspending, and why financing options potentially trap us in perpetual upgrade cycles. He also breaks down what to watch for in telco bundles, how to set practical budget guardrails, and where to redirect your money once a phone is finally paid off. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With trillions passing to heirs globally and an estimated RM90 billion in undistributed inherited assets across Malaysia, preparing successors involves far more than transferring financial balances. Lim Eng Ping, Maybank’s Head of Wealth Management Malaysia, and Abdul Halim Abdul Rashid, Maybank Islamic’s Head of Islamic Wealth Management Malaysia, join BFM’s Ringgit and Sense to discuss how families can successfully navigate intergenerational succession. They unpack why instilling values, financial discipline, and stewardship early in children is essential to long-term wealth preservation. They also detail how values-aligned legacy planning solutions, including Wasiat, Hibah, and trusts protect family-owned assets and businesses, and prevent potential estate disputes before life events make planning urgent. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How should you value a stock? There are numerous ways and models to value a company, but using the wrong one can give a very misleading picture of what a business is actually worth. Pankaj C. Kumar, Managing Director of Datametrics Research and Information Centre (DARE), joins BFM’s Ringgit & Sense to break down the variety of valuation methods and explain when each is appropriate. He dives into the P/E ratio, discounted cash flow (DCF), price-to-book price-to-sales, and EV/EBITDA, illustrating how to match specific metrics to the right industry sectors, how to evaluate analyst target prices with healthy skepticism, and when buying ETFs is smarter than picking individual stocks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should individual investors avoid investing in IPOs? With data showing that two out of three IPOs in Malaysia trade below their listing price within a year, separating genuine long-term value from short-term market hype is harder than ever. Ng Zhu Hann, CEO of TradeView Capital, joins BFM’s Ringgit and Sense to discuss why first-day price pops and high over-subscription rates can be deceiving, and what it really takes to evaluate an initial public offering (IPO). He reveals critical prospectus red flags to look for before placing a bid, from subtle governance warnings in Related Party Transactions to single-customer concentration risks. He also shares key metrics for assessing how listing proceeds are allocated and how investors should evaluate pre-IPO dividend payouts. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A viral story claims a retiree allegedly blew through RM700,000 in EPF savings in just 21 days. True or false, it highlights a terrifying reality: decades of disciplined accumulation can vanish very quickly without a decumulation plan. Stephen Yong, Licensed Financial Planner and Executive Director of Wealth Vantage Advisory, joins BFM’s Ringgit and Sense to discuss the best practices and mindsets to adopt when you finally get access to your EPF money. He explains how sudden access to large lump-sum retirement balances can trigger a "windfall" mindset, leading to rapid capital depletion, as well as why retirees should retain core funds in the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to leverage its historical dividend yields. He also breaks down how to calculate retirement targets while accounting for inflation and longevity risk, and shares his 3-step checklist before you make your first EPF withdrawal. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysian employees have until August 31st to make an important financial choice: whether to remain in or opt out of PERKESO’s new 24-hour accident protection scheme, Lindung 24 Jam. While regular SOCSO deductions cover workplace-related incidents and invalidity, this new 0.75% salary deduction (rising to 1% in 2028 and 1.25% in 2031) extends income replacement to non-work-related accidents. But if you already hold personal accident, life, or medical insurance, are you simply paying twice for the same coverage? Licensed financial planner Ian Wong, Founder & CEO of Uno Advisers, joins BFM’s Ringgit and Sense to break down how Lindung 24 Jam bridges critical insurance loopholes, examine the RM6,000 salary capping mechanism, and provide a clear decision framework for employees evaluating whether to stay in or opt out before the deadline. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ASEAN's affluent population is growing by 5-6% a year, with the middle class set to make up 65-70% of the region by 2030. CIMB's Haniz Nazlan joins us to break down what's driving this boom, and how wealth management is being rewritten as fortunes are built, protected, and transferred. Click here to find out more about CIMB Private Wealth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the midpoint of 2026, a fragile US-Iran ceasefire has broken down while an AI-fuelled memory chip boom has sent Korea's Kospi up 77%, and central banks are growing more cautious as inflation proves sticky. Harmander Mahal from Standard Chartered joins us to unpack what it all means for portfolios, from equities and bonds to gold and cash. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About 38% of EPF members have reached what EPF calls "Basic Savings," up from 35% last year, but that still leaves 62% short. And "Basic Savings" only covers bare necessities. Felix Neoh joins us to unpack what's realistic for salaried employees, gig workers, and stretched households trying to close the savings gap, and offers ways to boost our retirement funds. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AI infrastructure buildouts, a wave of mega IPOs, energy supply shocks, and shifting safe-haven dynamics have prompted investors to rethink their positioning for the second half of 2026. Desmond Kuang from HSBC joins us to discuss the private bank’s Q3 investment themes and portfolio construction strategies. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.