BT Money Hacks

With the Fed signalling persistent rate hikes and oil shocks stirring global markets, is your portfolio positioned to survive—or thrive? What do rising bond yields, stubborn inflation, and central bank manoeuvres mean for everyday investors? Is the traditional 60/40 portfolio dead? Should you pivot to gold, lock in fixed income, or look to Asian credit for refuge?

StashAway’s Stephanie Leung and Fullerton Fund Management’s Angus Hui join correspondent Howie Lim to decode hidden market risks, FX traps, and the institutional strategies you need to build bulletproof wealth today.

Synopsis: Every Monday, The Business Times breaks down useful financial tips.

Highlights:

01:21 How high rates squeeze household budgets

05:36 Rethinking the 60/40 portfolio

08:29 Why gold beats bonds as a hedge

13:16 The real cost of staying in cash

14:40 Asia’s cash problem

16:03 Invest with institutional strategies

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Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected].

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Written and hosted by: Howie Lim ([email protected])

With Stephanie Leung, CIO, StashAway and Angus Hui, deputy CIO, Fullerton Fund Management

Edited by: Howie Lim & Claressa Monteiro

Produced by: Howie Lim & Chai Pei Chieh

A podcast by BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media

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Follow BT Money Hacks podcasts every Monday:

Channel: bt.sg/btmoneyhacks

Amazon: bt.sg/mham

Apple Podcasts: bt.sg/oeXe 

Spotify: bt.sg/oeGN 

YouTube Music: bt.sg/mhyt

Website: bt.sg/moneyhacks

Do note: This podcast is meant to provide general information only. SPH Media accepts no liability for loss arising from any reliance on the podcast or use of third party’s products and services. Please consult professional advisors for independent advice. 

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Discover more BT podcast series:

BT Correspondents: bt.sg/btcobt

BT Market Focus at: bt.sg/btmktfocus

BT Podcasts at: bt.sg/pcOM

BT Lens On: bt.sg/btlenson

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your portfolio might be messier than you think. Most of us don't build investment strategies — we collect financial products the way we hoard old cables and orphaned keys in a kitchen drawer. In this episode of Money Hacks from The Business Times, Howie Lim talks with Bryan Low — wealth management head at KGI Singapore and NTU professor — about why we keep buying without a plan, how loss aversion traps us in bad positions, and the surprising upside of cutting your portfolio down to ten lines. If your financial life needs a clean-out, this conversation is your Marie Kondo moment.

Synopsis: Every Monday, The Business Times breaks down useful financial tips.

Highlights:

01:08 The accumulation trap — why buying more isn't a strategy

03:37 Auditing the financial junk drawer

07:11 The cost of product-first thinking

09:00 Decluttering rules

11:05 Decluttering as wealth creation

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Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected].

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Written and hosted by: Howie Lim ([email protected])

With Bryan Low, head of International Wealth Management, KGI Singapore

Edited by: Howie Lim & Claressa Monteiro

Produced by: Howie Lim & Chai Pei Chieh

A podcast by BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media

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Follow BT Money Hacks podcasts every Monday:

Channel: bt.sg/btmoneyhacks

Amazon: bt.sg/mham

Apple Podcasts: bt.sg/oeXe 

Spotify: bt.sg/oeGN 

YouTube Music: bt.sg/mhyt

Website: bt.sg/moneyhacks

Do note: This podcast is meant to provide general information only. SPH Media accepts no liability for loss arising from any reliance on the podcast or use of third party’s products and services. Please consult professional advisors for independent advice. 

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Discover more BT podcast series:

BT Correspondents: bt.sg/btcobt

BT Market Focus at: bt.sg/btmktfocus

BT Podcasts at: bt.sg/pcOM

BT Lens On: bt.sg/btlenson

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Would you let AI manage your money the way it manages your inbox? Turns out, most of us won't — 76 per cent use AI to crunch the numbers, but only 8 per cent trust it to make the final call. Correspondent Howie Lim sits down with Ishan Sarkar, head of wealth and premier solutions at HSBC Singapore, to explore the "conviction gap" — the moment data has to become a decision. From Gen Z investors to Black Swan events, discover why the smartest financial move might still be a human one.

Synopsis: Every Monday, The Business Times breaks down useful financial tips.

Highlights:

01:24 Closing the AI conviction gap 

03:03 Is high-touch advice becoming a luxury good

07:39 Where AI value drops and human judgment spikes

12:45 Can AI handle a market crash better than a human

14:54 Will humans ever become replaceable

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Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected].

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Written and hosted by: Howie Lim ([email protected])

With Ishan Sarkar, head of wealth and premier solutions, HSBC Singapore

Edited by: Howie Lim & Claressa Monteiro

Produced by: Howie Lim & Chai Pei Chieh

A podcast by BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media

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Follow BT Money Hacks podcasts every Monday:

Channel: bt.sg/btmoneyhacks

Amazon: bt.sg/mham

Apple Podcasts: bt.sg/oeXe 

Spotify: bt.sg/oeGN 

YouTube Music: bt.sg/mhyt

Website: bt.sg/moneyhacks

Do note: This podcast is meant to provide general information only. SPH Media accepts no liability for loss arising from any reliance on the podcast or use of third party’s products and services. Please consult professional advisors for independent advice. 

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Discover more BT podcast series:

BT Correspondents: bt.sg/btcobt

BT Market Focus at: bt.sg/btmktfocus

BT Podcasts at: bt.sg/pcOM

BT Lens On: bt.sg/btlenson

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is your dream home a financial trap? Singapore's cooling measures and shifting interest rates have upended the old playbook—Build-to-Orders (BTOs), resale flats, and executive condos (ECs) no longer play by the rules you think you know. Howie Lim and Eugene Lim, president of the Singapore Estate Agents Association, unearths the hidden costs, minimum occupation period (MOP) traps, and stress-tests your finances so your biggest purchase builds wealth, not regret.

Synopsis: Every Monday, The Business Times breaks down useful financial tips.

Highlights:

01:13 The hidden time cost of a BTO

03:13 Turning private property into liquid wealth

05:54 ECs - best of both worlds, at a cost

10:03 4 per cent stress test every buyer should run

12:51 The Ministry of National Development (MND)'s big policy shakeup, explained

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Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected].

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Written and hosted by: Howie Lim ([email protected])

With Eugene Lim, key executive officer, ERA and president of the Singapore Estate Agents Association

Edited by: Howie Lim & Claressa Monteiro

Produced by: Howie Lim & Chai Pei Chieh

A podcast by BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media

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Follow BT Money Hacks podcasts every Monday:

Channel: bt.sg/btmoneyhacks

Amazon: bt.sg/mham

Apple Podcasts: bt.sg/oeXe 

Spotify: bt.sg/oeGN 

YouTube Music: bt.sg/mhyt

Website: bt.sg/moneyhacks

Do note: This podcast is meant to provide general information only. SPH Media accepts no liability for loss arising from any reliance on the podcast or use of third party’s products and services. Please consult professional advisors for independent advice. 

---

Discover more BT podcast series:

BT Correspondents: bt.sg/btcobt

BT Market Focus at: bt.sg/btmktfocus

BT Podcasts at: bt.sg/pcOM

BT Lens On: bt.sg/btlenson

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore just pledged nearly S$70,000 per child over 16 years — but is that windfall building your family's future, or quietly funding lifestyle creep? Correspondent Howie Lim sits down with SingSaver's Ayush Goyal to dissect how to split, invest, and protect this new child credit stream — from emergency funds to retirement trade-offs — so parents don't waste a single dollar.

Synopsis: Every Monday, The Business Times breaks down useful financial tips.

Highlights:

01:07 Dissecting the S$70,000 package into 2 buckets

05:19 Rethinking your emergency fund

07:28 Kids' future vs. your retirement

10:23 The danger of policy dependency

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Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected].

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Written and hosted by: Howie Lim ([email protected])

With Ayush Goyal, Singapore country manager and managing director, SingSaver

Edited by: Howie Lim & Claressa Monteiro

Produced by: Howie Lim & Chai Pei Chieh

A podcast by BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media

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Follow BT Money Hacks podcasts every Monday:

Channel: bt.sg/btmoneyhacks

Amazon: bt.sg/mham

Apple Podcasts: bt.sg/oeXe 

Spotify: bt.sg/oeGN 

YouTube Music: bt.sg/mhyt

Website: bt.sg/moneyhacks

Do note: This podcast is meant to provide general information only. SPH Media accepts no liability for loss arising from any reliance on the podcast or use of third party’s products and services. Please consult professional advisors for independent advice. 

---

Discover more BT podcast series:

BT Correspondents: bt.sg/btcobt

BT Market Focus at: bt.sg/btmktfocus

BT Podcasts at: bt.sg/pcOM

BT Lens On: bt.sg/btlenson

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You just got a raise. So why does your bank account still feel broke? It’s the lifestyle creep — the sneaky force turning your bigger paycheck into the same old savings. From $8 lattes to subscription traps to the psychology behind "keeping up with the Tans," find out why more income rarely equals more wealth, and what to actually do about it. Warning: may cause spontaneous budgeting.

Synopsis: Every Monday, The Business Times breaks down useful financial tips.

Highlights:

00:07 The pay-raise paradox

01:11 What lifestyle creep really means, psychologically

04:12 Three forces silently inflating your expenses

07:12 The one question to ask before spending your next paycheck

09:34 The Warren Buffett rule: why staying humble pays off

22:27 The three-week rule that curbs impulse spending

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Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected].

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Written and hosted by: Howie Lim ([email protected])

With Michelle Mah, founder and psychotherapist, The Curious Bonsai Therapy & Coaching and Wildon Goh, head of Southeast Asia and country head of Singapore. Fidelity International

Edited by: Howie Lim & Claressa Monteiro

Produced by: Howie Lim, Nicole Teo & Chai Pei Chieh

A podcast by BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media

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Follow BT Money Hacks podcasts every Monday:

Channel: bt.sg/btmoneyhacks

Amazon: bt.sg/mham

Apple Podcasts: bt.sg/oeXe 

Spotify: bt.sg/oeGN 

YouTube Music: bt.sg/mhyt

Website: bt.sg/moneyhacks

Do note: This podcast is meant to provide general information only. SPH Media accepts no liability for loss arising from any reliance on the podcast or use of third party’s products and services. Please consult professional advisors for independent advice. 

---

Discover more BT podcast series:

BT Correspondents: bt.sg/btcobt

BT Market Focus at: bt.sg/btmktfocus

BT Podcasts at: bt.sg/pcOM

BT Lens On: bt.sg/btlenson

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your parents' "boring" Singapore dividend stocks only portfolio just had an upgrade nobody told you about. While everyone's obsessing over US tech, Singapore's equity market has quietly doubled its research coverage, attracted real institutional capital, and uncovered small-cap opportunities most investors haven't even heard of.

Correspondent Howie Lim sits down with East Spring's Daniel Lau to figure out why "safe" and "boring" are no longer the same thing — and why ignoring this market might be the riskiest move in your portfolio.

Synopsis: Every Monday, The Business Times breaks down useful financial tips.

Highlights:

01:00 Singapore's liquidity game-changer

04:37 The hunt for hidden small-cap opportunities

07:08 The optimal mix: 50% Singapore, 50% S&P

09:39 Why resilience recovers faster than high-octane bets

12:44 Global allocators are finally paying attention

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Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected].

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Written and hosted by: Howie Lim ([email protected])

With Daniel Lau, portfolio manager, Eastspring Investments

Edited by: Howie Lim & Claressa Monteiro

Produced by: Howie Lim & Chai Pei Chieh

A podcast by BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media

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Follow BT Money Hacks podcasts every Monday:

Channel: bt.sg/btmoneyhacks

Amazon: bt.sg/mham

Apple Podcasts: bt.sg/oeXe 

Spotify: bt.sg/oeGN 

YouTube Music: bt.sg/mhyt

Website: bt.sg/moneyhacks

Do note: This podcast is meant to provide general information only. SPH Media accepts no liability for loss arising from any reliance on the podcast or use of third party’s products and services. Please consult professional advisors for independent advice. 

---

Discover more BT podcast series:

BT Correspondents: bt.sg/btcobt

BT Market Focus at: bt.sg/btmktfocus

BT Podcasts at: bt.sg/pcOM

BT Lens On: bt.sg/btlenson

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you think your bank’s “diversified” portfolio is built for your future, think again. In this episode of Money Hacks, we pull back the curtain on the institutional world with Arki Finance founder David Ng. We’re dissecting the "product-first" myths, exposing why your “tick-box” diversification might be failing you, and revealing why your obsession with benchmarks is costing you real outcomes. Stop investing like a hedge fund—start investing for your life.

Synopsis: Every Monday, The Business Times breaks down useful financial tips.

Highlights:

01:22 Product-first vs. client-first: the industry's reversed process

05:05 Real diversification vs. "spray and pray"

09:54 Complexity vs. sophistication: finding the simplest real solution

13:20 Benchmarks lie: why your goals matter more than the index 

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Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected].

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Written and hosted by: Howie Lim ([email protected])

With David Ng, founder of Arki Finance

Edited by: Howie Lim & Claressa Monteiro

Produced by: Howie Lim & Chai Pei Chieh

A podcast by BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media

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Follow BT Money Hacks podcasts every Monday:

Channel: bt.sg/btmoneyhacks

Amazon: bt.sg/mham

Apple Podcasts: bt.sg/oeXe 

Spotify: bt.sg/oeGN 

YouTube Music: bt.sg/mhyt

Website: bt.sg/moneyhacks

Do note: This podcast is meant to provide general information only. SPH Media accepts no liability for loss arising from any reliance on the podcast or use of third party’s products and services. Please consult professional advisors for independent advice. 

---

Discover more BT podcast series:

BT Correspondents: bt.sg/btcobt

BT Market Focus at: bt.sg/btmktfocus

BT Podcasts at: bt.sg/pcOM

BT Lens On: bt.sg/btlenson

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your cash isn't safe just because it's sitting still — it's quietly losing to inflation while you wait for "the right time" to invest. Howie Lim gets StashAway's chief investment officer (CIO) Stephanie Leung to explain why the mass affluent get the worst of both worlds, why gold just earned a permanent seat in your portfolio, and why timing the market is a fool's errand professionals gave up on long ago. Stop parking your future. Start compounding it.

Synopsis: Every Monday, The Business Times breaks down useful financial tips.

Highlights:

01:03 The underserved mass affluent

03:24 Real world cost of idle cash

07:33 Rethinking the 60/40 portfolio

11:31 Singapore’s cash obsession

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Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected].

---

Written and hosted by: Howie Lim ([email protected])

With Stephanie Leung, chief investment officer, StashAway

Edited by: Howie Lim & Claressa Monteiro

Produced by: Howie Lim & Chai Pei Chieh

A podcast by BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media

---

Follow BT Money Hacks podcasts every Monday:

Channel: bt.sg/btmoneyhacks

Amazon: bt.sg/mham

Apple Podcasts: bt.sg/oeXe 

Spotify: bt.sg/oeGN 

YouTube Music: bt.sg/mhyt

Website: bt.sg/moneyhacks

Do note: This podcast is meant to provide general information only. SPH Media accepts no liability for loss arising from any reliance on the podcast or use of third party’s products and services. Please consult professional advisors for independent advice. 

---

Discover more BT podcast series:

BT Correspondents: bt.sg/btcobt

BT Market Focus at: bt.sg/btmktfocus

BT Podcasts at: bt.sg/pcOM

BT Lens On: bt.sg/btlenson

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We obsess over what to buy, but when it’s time to sell—or hold—we often freeze. Market volatility shouldn't trigger a panic-induced sell-off, yet emotion frequently overrides strategy. In this episode of Money Hacks, Howie Lim, Ritesh Ganeriwal, and Kenneth Chan dissect the crucial "portfolio check-in."

Learn how to filter signal from noise, why "doing nothing" is a strategic superpower, and exactly when your original plan needs a tune-up. Stop guessing and start managing.

Synopsis: Every Monday, The Business Times breaks down useful financial tips.

Highlights:

01:00 Mastering the when as well as what

05:33 How to know when our portfolio needs a tune up

09:42 When doing nothing is ok

12:44 The sign your original plan needs an overhaul

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Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected].

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Written and hosted by: Howie Lim ([email protected])

With Ritesh Ganeriwal, head of investment advisory at Syfe and Kenneth Chan, associate financial planner at PhillipCapital

Edited by: Howie Lim & Claressa Monteiro

Produced by: Howie Lim & Chai Pei Chieh

A podcast by BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media

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Follow BT Money Hacks podcasts every Monday:

Channel: bt.sg/btmoneyhacks

Amazon: bt.sg/mham

Apple Podcasts: bt.sg/oeXe 

Spotify: bt.sg/oeGN 

YouTube Music: bt.sg/mhyt

Website: bt.sg/moneyhacks

Do note: This podcast is meant to provide general information only. SPH Media accepts no liability for loss arising from any reliance on the podcast or use of third party’s products and services. Please consult professional advisors for independent advice. 

---

Discover more BT podcast series:

BT Correspondents: bt.sg/btcobt

BT Market Focus at: bt.sg/btmktfocus

BT Podcasts at: bt.sg/pcOM

BT Lens On: bt.sg/btlenson

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.