Halal Money Matters

Host Monem Salam talks with Papa Demba Ndiaye, Saturna Capital’s Head of Wealth Management, about why asset allocation is one of the foundations of investing, how it changes over a lifetime, and why Muslim investors can now build a diversified, halal portfolio.

In this mini episode of Halal Money Matters, Monem Salam sits down with Saturna Capital Senior Vice President Owaiz Dadabhoy to discuss Islamic Financial Literacy Month and why financial education matters for the Muslim community.They explore common misconceptions around halal investing, retirement accounts, and the idea that Islamic financial services are overly complicated. The conversation also highlights the importance of starting early, aligning financial decisions with faith, and building knowledge that can support families across generations.Learn more about Saturna Capital’s upcoming Islamic Financial Literacy Month webinars, including sessions on education savings, retirement, newly married finances, and institutional investing at www.saturna.com/iflm

Halal Money Matters host Monem Salam interviews UK-based Islamic finance scholar Mufti Faraz Adam about Stablecoins, explaining them in simple terms before diving into technical and Sharia-focused details. The conversation contrasts bitcoin’s volatility with the “stability” goal of Stablecoins and why that matters for everyday users and Muslim investors.

Host Monem Salam sits down with Hamna Zaheer, founder of Lushed Up Finance and creator of the Halal Wealth Autopilot Academy, to discuss her journey from living paycheck to paycheck to building a $250,000 halal investment portfolio while raising three young children. Drawing on her experience and work with Muslim women in the US and Canada, Hamna explains common “leaky bucket” money problems, lifestyle creep, and financial avoidance, and how values‑based planning and investing can help families move toward goals like Hajj, Islamic schooling, homeownership, and early retirement.

Host Monem Salam speaks with returning guest Motasem Benothman, founder of Portola Springs Capital and co-founder of Islamic Endowment Advisors, about why Muslim nonprofits in the US lag behind other faith-based groups in establishing endowments and what can be done to close that gap. They discuss practical best practices around asset allocation, conflicts of interest, spending policies, and donor dynamics so endowments can support Muslim institutions sustainably for generations.

In this special 50th episode of Halal Money Matters, host Monem Salam continues the discussion on securing halal options in employer retirement plans by exploring a different path: religious accommodation and litigation. Monem speaks with longtime Los Angeles County public defender Haaris Syed and civil rights attorney Zeba Huq about how Haaris went years without accepting his employer’s generous retirement match, then pursued a religious accommodation that ultimately led LA County to create a religious exemption in its 401(k) and 457 plans.

On this episode of Halal Money Matters, Monem Salam sits down with engineer and Harvard MBA candidate Malek Sarhan to unpack how he helped open access to a truly halal 401(k) inside a giant like General Motors, without walking away from his company match. From discovering that none of the 27 funds in his plan were Sharia-compliant to working through GM’s MENA employee resource group and a supportive executive to unlock halal options through the brokerage window, Malek shares practical steps, lessons, and encouragement for anyone trying to advocate for Islamic retirement choices at their own workplace.

American Muslims are younger, highly diverse, and collectively spend an estimated 170 billion dollars a year, with especially strong emphasis on education, real estate, and charitable giving. In this episode, Monem Salam talks with Rafi-uddin Shikoh of DinarStandard about new data on how many Muslims live in the US and Canada, where they are concentrated, how much they earn and spend, and what the numbers reveal about housing, retirement, and the growing gap in financial habits across generations.

Halal Money Matters hosts Monem Salam and guest Ibrahim Khan of Islamic Finance Guru take a deep dive into the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement and its impact on Muslim investors, portfolio construction, and ethics. They break down how boycotts, divestment, and government sanctions each work, what makes a boycott effective, where Islamic compliance ends and broader ethics begin, and how to avoid unprincipled or self‑defeating divestment decisions.

Is your portfolio too focused on the US? In this episode, Saturna Capital Portfolio Manager Dan Kim joins Halal Money Matters to reveal why international investing deserves more attention. From overlooked global opportunities and discounted valuations to emerging growth in AI, Japan, and Latin America, Dan explains how an international allocation could be the key to smarter diversification in today’s market.