Ringgit and Sense

Between escalating living costs, debt obligations, and family commitments, how are Malaysians coping with daily financial pressures? The 9th annual Malaysian Financial Literacy Survey by RinggitPlus reveals striking shifts in household priorities, particularly among those aged 25 to 44.

Siew Yuen Tuck, CEO of RinggitPlus, joins Ringgit & Sense to unpack how money worries are forcing young adults to postpone marriage and family planning, the mounting strain of supporting ageing parents, and why retirement plans are being rethought.

He also explores what the data reveals about widening emergency savings gaps, reliance on debt, and how Malaysians are navigating AI in personal finance.

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As COP31 gets underway in Antalya, Malaysia is pushing for progress on climate adaptation, financing, carbon markets and stronger accountability. But beyond international negotiations, how much progress is Malaysia making towards its own climate commitments? Ahmad Farid Mohamed, Undersecretary of the Climate Change Division at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES), joins us on People, Planet, Profit to discuss Malaysia's priorities at COP31, the challenges of securing climate finance and whether existing policies are sufficient to meet national targets. We also examine what needs to change domestically to turn climate pledges into measurable action.

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For most of our working lives, EPF is about building up our retirement savings. But once we retire and that balance becomes accessible, the challenge changes: how do we make those savings last for the rest of our lives?

Balqais Yusoff, Head of the Policy and Strategy Department at the EPF, joins Ringgit & Sense to unpack i-Emas, the fund’s refreshed monthly withdrawal facility designed to turn retirement savings into regular, predictable income.

She explains the five core decumulation strategies, why leaving your balance to compound while withdrawing monthly beats parking lump-sum withdrawals elsewhere, and how EPF's Retirement Income Adequacy (RIA) framework helps members map their savings against their actual living needs in retirement.

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Tax reliefs are like a sale: a discount only saves you money if you actually needed the item in the first place. Licensed Financial Planner Rafiq Hidayat, Managing Director of WealthVantage Advisory, breaks down which reliefs act as true "free money" versus those that trigger unnecessary extra spending, and how to weigh the opportunity cost before locking in your cash.

He also explains why timing purchases within this assessment year matters, and reveals which tax reliefs are worth maxing out.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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