BT Money Hacks

Thinking about investing in Singapore stocks but think they’re too expensive or aren’t sure if they’re worth buying? In this episode of Money Hacks, host Nicole Teo speaks with Geoff Howie, market strategist at SGX, about what smaller board lots mean for everyday investors. Learn why the change could lower the barrier to entry, what makes Singapore-listed stocks worth considering, and when ETFs may be a better starting point. Geoff also shares three things to consider before making your first investment — and why a low share price doesn’t always make a stock cheap. Synopsis: Money Hacks with Nicole Teo is a personal finance podcast: practical, actionable tips for your money. Highlights: 01:45 Why board lots exist in the first place 04:19 Are smaller board lots making Singapore stocks more accessible? 06:16 The case for owning individual Singapore stocks 09:02 Who should avoid buying individual stocks? 10:36 Could smaller board lots encourage speculation? 13:22 Three things to do before your first investment --- Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected]. --- Written and hosted by: Nicole Teo ([email protected]) With Geoff Howie, market strategist, SGX Edited by: Nicole Teo & Claressa Monteiro Produced by: Nicole Teo & Howie Lim A podcast by BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media --- Follow BT Money Hacks podcasts: 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/btlensonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You’ve spent years building your wealth, but what happens if you suddenly can’t manage it? In this episode of Money Hacks, correspondent Howie Lim and Vince Koh, relationship manager at PhillipCapital, dive into incapacity planning—the single biggest blind spot in personal finance. Discover how a Lasting Power of Attorney, CPF nominations, and wills protect your assets from legal limbo. Learn practical steps to ensure your hard-earned investments stay secure and accessible for those who matter most. Synopsis: Every Monday, The Business Times breaks down useful financial tips. Highlights: 01:37 The cost of inaction is deputyship 04:52 When wealth adds complexity 07:05 Choosing the right donee & executor 10:53 Your immediate action plan --- Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected]. --- Written and hosted by: Howie Lim ([email protected]) With Vince Koh, relationship manager, PhillipCapital 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/btlensonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're drowning in financial data yet starving for retirement confidence. Only 28 per cent of Singaporeans feel truly on track — and as the nation hurtles toward super-aged status, the margin for error is gone. Howie Lim sits down with Samuel Rhee, co-founder and group CIO of Endowus to dissect why sitting in cash is the riskiest bet you can make, why "starting with why" beats chasing the perfect investment, and the three metrics that actually matter. Synopsis: Every Monday, The Business Times breaks down useful financial tips. Highlights: 01:23 Capital shortage meets analysis paralysis 03:22 When informed becomes over-informed 08:18 Cash - the riskiest asset you own 13:44 Three metrics that cut through the noise --- Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected]. --- Written and hosted by: Howie Lim ([email protected]) With Samuel Rhee, co-founder, chairman, group CIO, Endowus 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/btlensonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Markets are loud. Your strategy doesn't have to be. In this episode of Money Hacks, Howie Lim speaks to BlackRock strategist Filip Mena Berlin to pull back the curtain on systematic active equities — not a black box, but a glass box where data, discipline, and human judgment converge. Discover why Asean is the diversification trade most portfolios are missing, how sentiment data reveals who you're really trading against, and why the best investors don't try to time markets — they outlast them. Synopsis: Every Monday, The Business Times breaks down useful financial tips. Highlights: 02:57 Why Asean stands apart when Asia falls 05:22 Black box to glass box = transparency  08:04 Human with machine + discipline 10:36 The sentiment edge 13:26 Who the strategy is for --- Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected]. --- Written and hosted by: Howie Lim ([email protected]) With Filip Mena Berlin, strategist, systematic active equities team, BlackRock 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/btlensonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 --- Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected]. --- 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 --- 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/btlensonSee 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 --- Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected]. --- 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 --- 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/btlensonSee 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 --- Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected]. --- 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 --- 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/btlensonSee 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 --- Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected]. --- 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 --- 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/btlensonSee 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 --- Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected]. --- 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 --- 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/btlensonSee 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 --- Send us your questions, thoughts, story ideas, and feedback to [email protected]. --- 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 --- 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/btlensonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.