Link Roundup #16: 10 Things to Know This Week

Accelerate your personal finance knowledge with this regular feature on Ringgit Oh Ringgit – the Link Roundup! I promise you’ll find these 10 links informational 🙂

1.
Here’s How You Can Start a Side Business in 10 Minutes Per Day
 – Inc

I don’t agree that 10 minutes per day is enough to start and maintain a side business, but I like the idea behind the article – even if you’re swamped with work and chores, spend some time on your side business on a consistent basis because the effort adds up.

Some never get past Step #1 – decide what skills you have and what you can sell. Here are my 2 cents, for what it’s worth. Make your decision based on:

Something you’re good at, according to friends and family (if they never mentioned it, ask them)

Noticing problems that do not have solutions yet (protip: hang out with complainers for a bit and you’ll know)

Something you’ve always wanted to learn (I wanted to know how to build websites; RoR was born this way)

Skills that you learned from your job or hobby (easiest example: doctors who moonlight on the side)

2.
How to overcome laziness and get motivated

–

Ladders

I’ve always felt guilty over the occasional lazy days, but this article puts it in perspective. It wasn’t laziness, per se. Instead, I was overwhelmed or feared to make the wrong decisions.

For example – starting a side business. If you haven’t, it’s not because you don’t want to or lazy to do it. You want to. You want extra income every month, and a sense of fulfilment and ownership on your own project. But it IS overwhelming, isn’t it? It’s the same with other big projects, like ‘make a website’, or ‘lose weight’.

Big shoutout to all the content creators out there who make ‘Step-by-Step’ and ‘How to’ guides. Isn’t it amazing that all we have to do is type ‘how to x’ in Google and we have all the resources at our disposal? Amazing time we live in.

3.
We Went to a Steak Dinner Annuity Pitch. The Salesman Wasn’t Pleased.

– The New York Times

Before you ask:

It’s not a common term in Malaysia, but some companies do offer it (Google ‘annuity Malaysia’).

Anyway, the article is about an investment annuity event – and a dodgy one at that – that was marketed specifically to the elderly.

Making a mental note to ask my parents if any of their contacts have approached them with a ‘business opportunity’ or ‘investment opportunity’. I also want to make more effort to remind them that they can discuss with me about any and all money matters.

Adult children of ageing parents, take care of them. It’s unfortunate but there are people out there who see them as easy prey.

4.
35 Mini-Missions To Improve Your Life and Money!

– Budgets Are Sexy

What fun missions to play! Remember that thing about small steps adding up? Same thing here! Here’s how Days #1-5 look like:

Day #1:
 Opt out of buying 1 thing (
tweet
)

Day #2:
 Pay a bill you’ve been putting off forever (
tweet
)

Day #3
: Declutter one drawer (
tweet
)

Day #4:
 Pay off $20 of debt (
tweet
)

Day #5:
 Get rid of something you never wear! (
tweet
)

They’re mostly easy challenges, but as the days go on, you’ll see some not-so-easy challenges in the mix, like:

Day #9:
 Buy one stock (
tweet
)

Woah there. Suddenly escalated.

5.
Here Are 10 Ways To Make More Money As A Grab Driver!

– RojakPot

Great information for Grab drivers and riders alike. For example, I didn’t know Grab will now change the fare structure to also take
time spent on the road
 into account!

Will this increase fares? Probably :/

6.
Payless Opened a Fake Luxury Store, ‘Palessi,’ to See How Much People Would Pay for $20 Shoes
– AdWeek

‘The answer? A hell of a lot’

7.
Client Didn’t Pay? Here’s What to Do to Get Your Freelance Payment!
 – LoanStreet

Excellent article for freelancers out there. The next time your client ghosts on you, go make a small claims procedure. All steps in the article.

8.
Individual tax exemption for women who return to work from 2019

– News Straits Times

Great news for current stay-at-home career-minded women! If you decide to join the workforce, you’ll get ‘individual tax exemptions of up to 12 months’ – earning you anywhere between a few hundred to a few thousand ringgit, depending on how much you earn.

Go make that money.

9.
This New Reality TV Series Features Your Favourite Homegrown Brands Fighting For RM250,000
 – Says.com

I watched the first episode. Except for the many, many, many shots of Alliance Bank, it’s a pretty decent show. Awesome finalists with good gender ratio (although only comprised of two races):

Andrew Ngo, Founder of IDOTSHIRT

Eugene Tan, Founder of Carput

Karine Low, Founder of Offspring Natural

Kelly Low, Founder of Breakout

Keong Chun Chieh, Founder of IGL Coatings

Dylan Lee Tek Loong, Founder of Salad Atelier

Mandy Leong, Director of Chriszen

Muhamad Shahril Bin Sidek, Founder of Klezcar

Noor Diyana, Co-Founder of OhMostWanted Cosmeceuticals

See Chaur Yih, Founder of Food Market Hub

Stephen Lim, Co-Founder of JuiceLab

Wirdalina Tauhed, Founder of Wirdora

You can watch the show for free
here
.

10.
Are You Ready To Consider That Capitalism Is The Real Problem?

–
Fast Company

The article is great (seriously, read it), but I mostly want to point out the video that was embedded in the article. It’s only 2 minutes-plus. Watch it.

The video was created by an organisation called
The Rules
, ‘a global network of activists, organisers, designers, researchers, writers, coders and others dedicated to changing the rules that create inequality, poverty and climate change’.

The organisation’s aims and objectives speak to me. I’d like my money to be used for good. I’d like to see a post-capitalist world, where the value of life and natural resources are not secondary to the amount of profit a company makes.

Who’s with me?

That’s it for this round, catch you next time! Want to submit a link you thought was great? Reach out to me on
FB
 or
Twitter
.

To read past link roundups, please click
here
.


Link Roundup #17: 10 Things to Know This Week

Accelerate your personal finance knowledge with this regular feature on Ringgit Oh Ringgit – the Link Roundup! I promise you’ll find these 10 links informational 🙂

1.
The e-wallet infinity war in Malaysia – Everything you need to know about e-wallet starts here…
 – ecInsider

First of all, the article’s accompanying image though hahahahhahahah:

The image kinda describes the e-wallet scene in Malaysia right now – there are so many players that you can’t help to wonder who will ‘disappear’ and who will make it in the end. The author’s predictions, backed with pretty solid arguments – is #5 as listed in its table of contents.

The dawn of the e-wallet infinity war

Does e-wallet provider need a license in Malaysia?

What is BNM’s policy on e-wallet?

Who are the e-wallet providers in Malaysia?

Which e-wallet providers will stay in the long run?

Will Malaysians use e-wallet?

Understanding e-wallet 1-2-3

Why should retailers & etailers care?

How to differentiate Static vs Dynamic QR payment?

Who will win: network-based or card-based e-wallet?

There’s a link in the article, right near the end, which points you to the e-wallets in Malaysia Facebook community. I’ve personally learned a few e-wallet-related money hacks from the group, can recommend *thumbs up*

E-wallet deals also appear a lot in
BestDealsMalaysia.com.

2.
The 100 Greatest Innovations of 2018

–

Popular Science

Holy cow this is an
amazing
 list of innovations in aerospace, gadgets, auto, home, security, entertainment, recreation, health, software and engineering
.
These products are the results from billions, if not trillions of dollars in R&D.

There’s a flying suit in there.

3.
How To Save Time And Money With A Capsule Wardrobe

– ChooseFI

Doesn’t “I am curating a capsule wardrobe” sounds so much hipper than “I’m frugal with my clothing budget”? Lmao

But seriously though. I like that my frugality allows me to wear the same outfits over and over again in the name of ‘capsule wardrobe’ (when actually I’m just lazy to think about what to wear).

I like that I get to feel morally superior than people who hoard clothes and follow excessive consumption as a lifestyle (as bitchy and judgemental as that sounds).

I like knowing that each time I exited a store without buying anything, I’ve resisted all the company marketing and sales attempts to make me spend money there (I feel like I’ve ‘won’!)

4.
Tabung Haji is in trouble. What happens to the savings of 20 million Malaysian Muslims?

– AskLegal

TL;DR – The money is safe, because the funds in Tabung Haji is guaranteed by the government.

That’s good for Tabung Haji depositors, but not good for taxpayers. That’s where the money will come from, if push comes to shove.

I was curious to know what the RoR audience plans to do with their funds in Tabung Haji. So I asked Twitter and Facebook.

Re: the Tabung Haji scandal. Some depositors are withdrawing their funds. Anyone here has money in TH? What do you plan to do?
https://t.co/x9ymdb8r3E

— Suraya Zainudin (@surayaror)
December 12, 2018

You can click the links to read the comments yourself, but there were two main types of replies:

Concerned about the mismanagement of funds.
 Wants to move their money out. Some of them (Muslims) do plan to keep just enough amount in TH so they don’t lose their haji queue (RM1300 apparently)

Not that concerned.
  Life goes on as usual.

Much respect to people in the first category.

5.
The School-to-Work Transition of Young Malaysians (Report)

– Khazanah Research Institute

The report  by Khazanah Research Institute examines:

how the education and training system
prepares youth for employability
;

how young men and women go about their
job search
 and the
barriers and opportunities
 for getting the jobs they want;

how young workers are doing in terms of their
employment status and working conditions
; and

the
perspectives and preferences of employers
 toward hiring young people.

You can click the link to read the full report… or you can read this Twitter thread from Dzameer Dzulkifli, Managing Director of
Teach for Malaysia
, who condensed key points from the report.

Spending the morning with Khazanah Research Institute. Key finding is that there are 4 times more graduates vs 40 years ago. Our private and corp structures have not adapted. Wages only grew 2x while edu / housing cost grew by 3-4x.
pic.twitter.com/sGfZ4mYgGC

— Dzameer Dzulkifli (@Dzameer)
December 12, 2018

I am… honestly worried about our generation’s retirement. If we don’t earn enough, how are we going to save enough? Individually, sure, some of us may do better than others. But how about as a group, as a segment? What kind of solutions, if any, will we come up with in anticipation of this bleak future?

Food for thought.

6.
Finance & Illustration: My First Year of Freelancing

– CharisLoke.com

Anyone here freelancing as an illustrator? If yes, you will find Charis’ 2017 budget and income breakdown a mighty good read! Her breakdown even includes what kind of work-related expenses she had to shell out as an illustrator, insightful af.

7.
Why Generation Z has a totally different approach to money
 – World Economic Forum

“Gen Z saw some of their older friends take on massive amounts of debt, while also struggling to find well-paying jobs.

As a result, this new generation (born 1997 and onwards) is taking a much more
pragmatic approach to the world of personal finance
. Gen Zers generally want to
secure well-paying and stable jobs
, and to
grow their savings
 rather than spending money that they don’t have.”

Malaysians reading this who are 21 years old and below. The article says that your generation is better with money than others. Is it true, for yourself and among your peers? What did you observe?

8.
Here’s How to Get Promoted – According to 7 Managers

– Refinery29

Honest talk: I’ve never been promoted.

To be more precise, I’ve never stayed in an organisation long enough to get promoted (kinda job-hopped a lot).

So while I can’t speak from personal experience on
how
 to get promoted, I
can
 share this article.

Sometimes I forget not everyone wants – or have the time – to do the 2kerja, side income, side hustle thing. Some of you would rather be good at your day jobs and earn higher incomes through promotions.

9.
This $1 million climate prize went to organizations you wouldn’t expect
 – Fast Company

The four organisations that won $250,000 each from
Roddenberry Foundation
:

KadAfrica
, which trains and empowers
young women in farming communities
 in Uganda.

VoteRunLead
, which trained more than 33,000
women in the U.S. to run for office
.

The Green Monday Foundation
, based in Hong Kong, which shifted 1.6 million
Hong Kong residents to eat a plant-based diet
.

Waste and Resources Action Programme
, or WRAP, which created a campaign to
 reduce food waste in the U.K
. by 21%.

Honestly, I didn’t expect gender issues to be in that list, so I love how the winner selection challenged my thinking, challenged how I thought solutions to climate change would look like. As Lior Ipp, CEO of the foundation, said, “Really, the motivation is to let the world know that there are other ways of thinking about climate change.”

Absolutely.

10.
In Defense of Being Unproductive
 – Refinery29

“For a long time, I felt like any time spent doing anything purely for fun was wasted time. I turned all of my hobbies (writing, music, cooking) into ‘side hustles’ of some sort – something I could monetise, or use in my career, or put on Instagram to ‘build my brand’,” says Amy Jones, 28, “It got to a point where I couldn’t relax at all. I turned all my hobbies into projects, and if I wasn’t working on one of them then I felt like I was wasting time.”

Damn, that hit too close to home. I have trouble with idleness, too. Many times I stop myself from doing fun things if they don’t help me earn money in some way.

It’s not that I succeed in being productive all the time, too. I have days when my brain just don’t work. I feel a ton of guilt on those days, for not working hard enough. To compensate, sometimes I work on weekends, my rest days.

I need to learn how to relax and shut off. Any of you in the same boat? What helped?

That’s it for this round, catch you next time! Want to submit a link you thought was great? Reach out to me on
FB
 or
Twitter
.

To read past link roundups, please click
here
.


Link Roundup #18: 10 Things to Know This Week

Accelerate your personal finance knowledge with this regular feature on Ringgit Oh Ringgit – the Link Roundup! I promise you’ll find these 10 links informational 🙂

1.
This Is What Life Without Retirement Savings Looks Like
 – The Atlantic

One of my biggest fears in life is being forced to work to cover my living costs when I’m old and in pain. This article interviews people who are exactly in that situation.

Read the article, then note how you feel. For me, it was fear, helplessness and renewed motivation to work my ass off while I’m still young – in that order. If I have this much time to plan, I don’t have any excuse for letting the worst-case-scenario happen to me, do I?

2.
Starting 1 Jan 2019, M’sians in B40 Group Can Get Free National Health Insurance
 – WorldOfBuzz

Amazing initiative for the financially vulnerable in our society. The health insurance, called the B40 National Protection Scheme is for 4.1 million people in the B40 income group, who is between 18-55 years old. The protection lasts 5 years.

There’s an application process (ie it’s not automatic enrolment). If you or your friends/family are eligible, keep an eye out for the announcement.

3.
Fashion History Lesson: The Iconic Hermes Birkin

– Fashionista

I personally wouldn’t have clicked on that headline and read the story, but the tweet version got me:

Birkin bags are actually a better investment than stocks or gold:
https://t.co/hxcCVuOw1y

— Fashionista.com (@Fashionista_com)
December 30, 2018

“A recent study showed Birkin bags are actually a better investment than stocks or gold, increasing in value by 14.2 percent on average each year.”

Holy cow. 14.2% increase? PER YEAR?
For a bag?

Yes yes, I know it’s not the bag itself, it’s the branding of the bag, how the company has successfully made it desirable even at $12,000 price tag (minimum). It makes a fascinating case study. You can say what you want about it, but 14.2% ROI is 14.2% ROI. I even dug up
the study
 – apparently, the waiting list for the bag is
6 years
.

It’s not a bad idea to buy handbags based on its investment potential. I mean, why not, right? You get to wear it and then sell it off when you’re bored with it. According to
Fashionista’s 5 Classic Handbags Worth the Investment
 article, some handbags do have high resell value (around 80-ish percent of its original value), but it seems that the Hermes Birkin is on a class of its own –
gaining
value instead.

Btw, Rosmah has
at least
12 Birkin bags. Can we take them and use the money to pay off 1MDB debts please.

4.
How Much of the Internet Is Fake? Turns Out, a Lot of It, Actually.

– New York Magazine

I can’t believe the lengths people would go to make money. I
want
 to believe that people are essentially good, but honestly by this point I’m just jaded.

I never tire of looking at videos of Chinese click farms. It’s just so surreal to see hundreds of phones playing the same video for the purposes of fake engagment.
pic.twitter.com/bHAGLqRqVb

— Matthew Brennan (@mbrennanchina)
December 10, 2018

While we’re on this topic, I want to share one of my favourite Reddit forums,
r/HailCorporate
. Here, redditors call out ‘secret ads’, or fake ads published to look like native ads. I highly recommend you to subscribe to this forum so you’ll develop some scepticism against shady tactics marketers use to sell products and services.

I also want to be more diligent with reviewing crap products that have amazing, overblown reviews on Lazada and Shopee.

5.
This Is What ‘Self-Care’ REALLY Means, Because It’s Not All Salt Baths And Chocolate Cake

– Thought Catalog

Such a beautifully-written piece. It made me more aware of products that are marketed as self-care and pampering products, when actually what I
really
 need is to force myself to do the things that are actually good for me. At the end of the day, I want a life that I love, not a life that I want to regularly escape from.

6.
Some of the biggest livestreamers in China are not teenagers, but farmers

– TechInAsia

What a
fascinating
phenomenon, and a genius way for rural farmers to reach new customers! I can understand why some people would want to tune in – I find myself romanticising the idyllic farming life, too!

7.
Why Insecure People Buy More Things
 – BigThink

My first thought after reading the article: Ha! So those people are just insecure after all! Show off lah your purchases some more, that just makes you look more pathetic!

My second thought: Wtf Suraya why are you so judgemental why do you derive pleasure out of this you sick woman.

My third thought: You’re not that unmaterialistic yourself, you know, you wannabe minimalist. Look around yourself. You’re surrounded by shit you don’t use.

My fourth thought: Do better. Also notice when you feel like buying stuff – it’s likely that you’re simply feeling insecure then.

8. The Give Back Box Allows You To Donate Old Clothes From Home
– Money

What a simple, yet efficient way to make donations! My mind is blown! Can someone implement the same for Malaysia please?

9.
We’re Already in A Bear Market – We Just Can’t Admit It Yet
 – Pelham Blue Fund

I really enjoyed this insightful post about stock trends in Malaysia, especially the industries that find themselves struggling after enjoying the ‘premium’ status for many, many years. It’s a brilliant thought article about the upcoming recession.

I think 2019 may be the year I finally get into stocks. The plan is to curate a list of say 20 or so companies, follow their news, make 8-10 picks based on how value for money they are and their likelihood of surviving the recession, and buy them when their prices are low, to keep for long-term. Those of you who are into stocks – what do you have to say about this strategy?

10.
30 Online Purchases That Will Start Saving You Money on Day One
 – MoneyTalksNews

Can I just say that you don’t really need all the items in the article? Sometimes I feel that things that are marketed as a ‘money-saving’ item is just a ploy to get you to buy more stuff.

Take reusable bottles, for example. Yes, it’s great to use them. No, you don’t need the fancy RM120 tumblers.

Or how about reusable bags? Yes, awesome, save yourself 20 cents per plastic bag, and great for the environment, too. But instead of buying a pretty bag, how about re-using the freebie totes that companies give you during events and stuff?

Sometimes I get sucked into the whole narrative, too. I’ve considered buying a sprouts growing kit so that I can ‘save money’ on fresh sprouts. I’m tempted to get coupon books to get access to deals, all while aware that it will encourage me to spend more money to make the purchase ‘worth it’.

That said, I’m not about to stop reading these articles. Something about ‘being allowed’ to make these purchases if I want to is just super appealing to me. But yeah. I have to remember my rule often: ‘use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without’.

That’s it for this round, catch you next time! Want to submit a link you thought was great? Reach out to me on
FB
 or
Twitter
.

To read past link roundups, please click
here
.


Link Roundup #19: 10 Things to Know This Week

Accelerate your personal finance knowledge with this regular feature on Ringgit Oh Ringgit – the Link Roundup! I promise you’ll find these 10 links informational 🙂

1.
16 Influencers Shared Their Best Money Tips in 2019

– Mr Stingy

Mr Stingy aka Aaron Tang compiled money tips from 16 personal finance thought leaders in Malaysia and beyond, including: Lee Ching Wei (of iMoney), KC Lau, Pakdi, Julian Ng, DividendMagic, Stanley Lim, Charles Tan of KopiandProperty, GenXGenYGenZ, Natalie Pringle of The New Savvy, RinggitOhRinggit (me!), Dawn of SGBudgetBabe, Farid Bahrudin, Mohd Kauthar, Faiz Wahab, Kevin L of Turtle Investor and Lionel Yeo of The Cheerful Egg.

Will you find money tips that’ll work for you? With 16 people, chances are you will, so go give the article a read!

I also want to use this space to gush about Aaron, who truly is a wonderful human being <3

View this post on Instagram

It’s very surreal to have your mentor think so highly of you… Thank you for including me in the list Aaron aka Mr Stingy! . Back in May 2015, when I haven’t even started Ringgit Oh Ringgit, I sent @aarontang84 a fanmail. He replied the same day, inviting me to a meetup with another personal finance enthusiast. I remember him assuring me that the location is at a public area, and I am free to bring a companion for safety reasons. . He didn’t have to do it. I was a nobody, yet he extended the offer, and made sure I would feel comfortable too. That’s just the kind of person he is. . Fast forward until now. We have met up a few times, even shared a stage. We have sought each other’s advice. Thank you for the friendship and support bro, I’m very happy and grateful to have a person like you in my life . OK done sappy sappy 🙂 Find yourself an Aaron, it’s seriously the best 🙂 also, go read the article at Mr-stingy.com! . #bloggerfriends #malaysianbloggers #bloggermalaysia #hestaken

A post shared by
 Suraya
 (@surayaror) on
Jan 15, 2019 at 7:57pm PST

2. How to Ask Your Boss for a Raise by Barbara Corcoran – Business Insider

I first knew of Barbara Corcoran from Shark Tank, and I love her direct-style responses. If you want to get a raise this year, the video below is well worth a watch. There’s also specific observations about men vs women negotiating for raises.

Good tips from
@BarbaraCorcoran
 on how to ask for a raise
pic.twitter.com/VMyYTfXUf9

— norizan sharif (@nobisha)
January 10, 2019

3.
John Bogle, who founded Vanguard and revolutionized retirement savings, dies at 89.
– r/Investing

(Note: he actually went with the name Jack Bogle, rather than his birth name John)

I admit that I didn’t know about Jack Bogle before this, although I have seen his name around in the investment circles. When I saw news of his passing, I was blown away by the level of respect people have for him for his life’s work – to make low-cost investing possible. I saw the top personal finance gurus thanking him for his service. I saw members of personal finance communities giving him tributes online.

There are many articles out there about Jack Bogle and his amazing work. I chose to link the Reddit thread in r/investing so you get to witness how raw gratitude looks like from actual people. In the thread, you’ll see anecdotes of Jack Bogle’s ethics, wit and drive.

4. Your best & worst purchases in 2018

– RoR mini-forum

In early January, I asked the following question in RoR Twitter and
RoR Facebook
.

RoR mini-forum: Tell me your best and worst purchase in 2018?

— Suraya Zainudin (@surayaror)
January 8, 2019

I love the replies. Click the tweet above to read them. I love how varied the answers are! Thank you so much for the insightful peek into your life <3

best: Ikea Markus swivel chair

worst: RM2000++ whitening injections plus products for my body scars. the scars still apparent lol. later might invest in lasers instead.
https://t.co/z4H01df4pv

— ami with the good hair. (@silentami)
January 8, 2019

Best: got an IPhone X. Hugeeeee upgrade and quality of life improvement from my 5 year old 5s

Worst: brought my whole family to NY Steak House. Worst RM300 dinner bill I got for the food and service quality
https://t.co/z5RxEsxiAA

— k_nazran (@khairulnazran)
January 8, 2019

Best purchase: Bought a 250g pack of locally sourced coffee grounds monthly to curb my coffee drinking habit instead of buying instant coffee/coffee takeaways, saved a lot on that.

Worst purchase: a 3rd party replacement cable for my AT earphones, only lasts for a few weeks 😡
https://t.co/cBGNVKtAHZ

— ••||•|||•• (@iqrarzahin)
January 8, 2019

Best : Bowers & Wilkins P9 Headphones. Totally devoted my life to music ever since. Superb first-rate sound experience.

Worst : Signed up and paid for a marathon run and ended up overslept for the day.
https://t.co/YKtaACifR3

— 神の目 sam (@shafiqhaikal)
January 8, 2019

5.
JAKS – My Most Expensive Mistake

– Koon Yew Yin

Mr Koon Yew Yin is known as ‘one of Malaysia’s best stock pickers’. That’s why I included this article in here – it’s extremely rare that someone with that recognition would come clean with their mistakes, especially one as big as a RM64
million loss
. The transparency just made me respect him more. After attending a few stocks-related seminars, I know enough that most self-proclaimed gurus/coaches/mentors tend to brag more about their stock wins, and not their losses.

(In fact, some may make it seem that they didn’t suffer any financial losses at all! They build up this image then ask people to shell 4 to 5-figures to sign up to their courses.)

6.
Senarai Terkini Sekuriti Patuh Syariah oleh Majlis Penasihat Syariah Suruhanjaya Sekuriti Malaysia

– Kapital.my

Nice Malay-language article containing updates of latest Shariah-compliant securities as per Securities Commission’s Shariah advisory body. I didn’t know that a solid 76% (689 out of 902) securities listed in Bursa Malaysia is Shariah-compliant!

The article also explained the methodology behind Shariah classification, what makes those securities Shariah-compliant or not. Good read for everyone. By now you *should* know that (1) Malaysia is one of the leading Islamic finance hubs in the world, (2) the demand for Shariah-compliant financial products are growing
fast,
and (3) the money in an Islamic finance career is good (and open to people of any faith).

7.
SC Imposes Deadline For Crypto Exchanges Before They are Deemed Illegal
 – FintechNews My

Oh my my my. The biggest development for the Malaysian cryptocurrency scene of late. Tighter regulations for crypto exchanges in Malaysia, the place where many Malaysians get and keep their crypto holdings.

Because I have friends in the crypto world and belong to a few online communities, I know some updates. I know that urgent meetings have been set up between the SC and cyrpto exchanges operating in Malaysia, and I know some legit platforms are committed to follow the full extent of the law.

This development does not surprise anyone tbh. We knew tighter regulations are coming, it’s a worldwide trend. It’s progress in the right direction, fundamentally speaking.

8.
The Top 10 Side Gigs for 2019 (Infographic)
 – Entrepreneur

This is such a great infographic. Not only it tells you what types of freelance gigs are most in demand, but also the percentage of people making over a certain amount per hour. For example, almost half (46%) of freelancers in the highest-paid category, Accounting+Finance, earn over USD50 per hour! It’s also awesome to know that a lot of people in the Design+Creative category make good money.

9.
Talent is worldwide. Opportunity is not. How can we redistribute it?
– World Economic Forum

Talent is everywhere, but not everyone gets equal access to opportunities. You and I know that much. But the reason why I shared this article is for the introduction to
WorldQuant University
, ‘a nonprofit organization, which offers students around the world an
online master’s program in financial engineering
 as well as a module in which they can learn about data science. WQU is tuition-free, enabling those with the interest and talent, but perhaps not the opportunity, to expand their skills in areas that are in high demand today.’

Share this information widely to your networks.

10.
You obviously don’t *have* to loan friends money, but here’s what to do when they ask
 – Well+Good

Friends asking for money. It’ll happen sooner or later (it may already did). You should probably know what to do when it does.

That’s it for this round, catch you next time! Want to submit a link you thought was great? Reach out to me on
FB
 or
Twitter
.

To read past link roundups, please click
here
.


Link Roundup #2: 10 Things to Know This Week

Accelerate your personal finance knowledge with this new regular feature on Ringgit Oh Ringgit – the Link Roundup! I promise you’ll find these 10 articles informational 🙂

1.
Consumer Reports Tested 73 Sunscreens, and This Formula Got a Perfect Score
 – Byrdie

You already know how important it is to wear sunscreen, but not all of them are created equal. Some formulas give next-to-nothing protection even if applied – a big money waster, if you ask me. The honour for the perfect sunscreen formula apparently goes to a product called Anthelios Clear Skin Dry Touch Sunscreen, produced by the company La Roche Posay. It costs $20 for 50ml, so I don’t think I’ll get it (even if it’s available in Malaysia).

BUT there are near-perfect formulas that are a lot more affordable! Anyone know where I can get these in Malaysia? Share in the comments section!

Sport Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50
 by Equate ($5 for 237ml);

Quik Gel Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50
 by Bull Frog ($9 for 147ml);

Water Babies
 and
Ultra Guard
 by Coppertone ($7 for 237ml);

Pure & Free Baby Mineral Sunscreen by Neutrogena
 ($11 for 88ml).

2.
6 Entrepreneurs Share the Brilliant, Crazy Ways They Took Their Companies From Pennies to Profit
 – Entrepreneur

Laughed out loud to some of the ways these resourceful individuals did for the sake of their companies, especially the woman who lied to her parents and pretended she was still working a stable job for 18 months to not disappoint her Asian parents (I can relate!). There are a lot of think-outside-the-box-type tips here, love it.

3.
What to Do Right Away After Inheriting Money
 – Vice

While you certainly shouldn’t
expect
 to come into a sudden windfall, it could happen, and you should know what to do IF it does. Here it is: nothing. Don’t tell anyone, and don’t touch the money for at least a few months so you have time to digest it.

4.
The Next Time You Want to Complain At Work, Do This Instead
 – Harvard Business Review

Fascinating article exploring how useless and unproductive complaining is. Title is a bit of a clickbait, since what the author suggests is complaining still, but directly to the person who is pissing you off, instead of complaining to your colleagues, which does absolutely nothing to the problem. In a respectful way, of course.

5.
The 4 Words Every Hiring Manager Wants to Hear, According to a Headhunter
 – Money

‘I want this job’. The longer version in the article is very nicely drafted, too. Go on and use it the next time you have a job interview, to make yourself stand out.

6.
Body Wash is a Scam and You Fell For It
 – Lifehacker

After my current body wash stash runs out, I’ll go back to body soap. It’s true – soap is much cheaper. I have no idea why I switched in the first place. Every little bit helps! #frugalism

7.
Most successful entrepreneurs are older than you think
 – The Ladders

The average age for successful entrepreneurs is actually… 45. Not young 20-something college dropouts that we constantly read about – those are the exception, not the norm.

I find this article oddly assuring. We compare ourselves to our peers a lot, and we always see our friends doing great things. It’s important to remember that people only tend to share good things on social media, not the bad ones.

8.
Meet America’s Highest-Paid CEO, a 66-Year-Old Immigrant From Malaysia Who Calls Himself a ‘Frugal Guy’
 – Money

I didn’t know about Hock Tan before this, either!

9.
I Want to Be Rich And I’m Not Sorry
 – The New York Times

Written by a woman who is absolutely unapologetic about wanting money for the power it brings. This particular paragraph hit me hard: ‘This trickles down to the way we socialize kids — girls are expected to be caretakers, boys the ones who will deliver a return. If you want to create your own wealth, the confidence to take calculated risks is a necessary skill. Placing the needs of others above your own is not.’

Yes, women do tend to spend more time caring for others, and in doing that, we reduce our income potential. I’m not saying here to stop caring for your loved ones (it’s not freaking binary), but I do want to say to women reading this: are you happy with your income level now? Can you cut/outsource any of your unpaid care work (house chores, children, elderly care) to your spouse while you focus on improving your income?

10.
Survey shows Malaysians prefer to buy a home than rent
 – Free Malaysia Today

A whopping 92% of you would prefer to own a home than rent if you can afford it, finds the survey results. Family and peer pressure are strong, ay? Can’t blame ya, I find home ownership appealing too, if only to get my perfect Pinterest dream home. But that dream will have to wait, because I know perfection is expensive. A home with a great location in Kuala Lumpur that comes with all the amenities and designs I want will cost me about a million ringgit, realistically speaking.

That’s it for this week, catch you next time! Want to submit a link you thought was great? Reach out to me on
FB
 or
Twitter
.

To read past link roundups, please click
here
.


Link Roundup #20: 10 Things to Know This Week

Accelerate your personal finance knowledge with this regular feature on Ringgit Oh Ringgit – the Link Roundup! I promise you’ll find these 10 links informational 🙂

1.
7 Ways To Deal With Burnout, According To Science
 – Bustle

“There are.. three main elements to burnout: “exhaustion, cynicism (less identification with the job), and feelings of reduced professional ability.”

The last one, woah. That one hit me hard the last time I experienced major burnout. It wasn’t fun. I remember overcoming it by deciding to do focus on passion projects in 2018, but I wish I knew about these tips earlier. The recommendations in the article are solid advice:

Do emotional intelligence exercise

Understand the roots of burnout

Take control of your commute

Prioritise rest

Challenge perfectionism with cognitive behavioural therapy

Practice mindfulness

Challenge organisations to do better

Not all of the tips may apply to you. For example, as a self-employed person who works from home, #3 and #7 doesn’t apply to me. Maybe you can’t reduce your commute time. Maybe you are not able to carve in more sleeping time. Still, I think it’s a good starting point.

Hugs to everyone reading this who’s feeling overwhelmed and burned out right now. You’ll be alright. This is temporary.

2.
Science Has Just Confirmed That If You’re Not Outside Your Comfort Zone, You’re Not Learning
 – Inc

If you’re not challenging yourself, you’re not learning. We kinda knew this right? No pain, no gain and all.

But what I love about the article is the section on how to add strategic instability in your life. Great suggestions all around:

Travelling abroad.
Learning guaranteed, especially about your own capabilities, likes, and values.

Changing your routine.
Even a new lunch joint or afternoon activity might jolt your brain into learning mode, helping you master new skills or see old ideas in a new light.

Starting a new project.
 It might fail but you’re guaranteed to learn something.

Searching out weird, new ideas.
 Here’s
a list of sources
.

Talking to people you disagree with.
 It’s both an empathy and a learning booster.

Personally, I’m obsessed with learning new things – it helps that I score high on the ‘openness’ trait under the
Big Five Personality Dimension
. I go to one or two new countries almost every year – in fact, at writing time, I just came back from a short trip to Luang Prabang, Laos. And I did start a new project, the Best Deals Malaysia website (which might fail, but yes I did learn something, so no regrets).

Tell me how you challenged your comfort zone recently?

3. Malaysia has become the world’s top destination for plastic waste – Al-Jazeera English

Malaysia has become the world’s top destination for plastic waste.
pic.twitter.com/gSt3fz4Xu9

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish)
January 28, 2019

WHAT. Since when?? How many of you know this? I didn’t!

Ok, beyond the yes plastic waste is obviously bad for the environment and we should do better and climate change and all (
do join the Zero Waste Malaysia FB group to see how everyday Malaysians reduce their plastic usage
), I also want to talk about… unsexy industries. I don’t think many people grow up thinking, hmm you know what I’m
really
 passionate in?
Plastic waste disposal
.

There are many, many industries out there that only exist because the founders saw the gap in the market and decided to capitalise on it. Despite the ethics of plastic waste disposal, I actually find myself admiring the type of people who create a lucrative business in industries that not many people hear about, let alone want to go into. They just saw opportunities, took the risk, and if it pays off, it pays off
well
.

What other industries do you know of that are fairly ‘unsexy’?

4.
No, wealth isn’t created at the top. It is merely devoured there

– The Guardian

There is an ongoing discussion on the ethics of hoarding vast sums of money. It divides people – on one end, some people argue that wealthy people ‘deserve’ their wealth because they ‘worked hard and smart to gain that money’. On the other end, why would one keep that much money
untouched
 knowing that billions of people around the world still lack access to the most basic things to survive – food, water, medical attention, etc?

This (bloody good) article illustrates exactly how wealthy people have been ‘leveraging’ on the effort, time, and yes, lives of others in order to increase their wealth. It’s a good rebuttal to the ‘trickle down economy’ argument. And it exposes the sheer greed which exists in the financial system that we all have no choice but to be a part of. I’m pissed off by how much wealthy people have gotten away with.

5.
6 secrets from highly ambitious (and successful) people
 – Ladders

Ambitious people make fascinating conversation partners. I love talking to them. They tend to be unapologetic about how they want to live their life, even if it may be a bit ‘unconventional’. I also love finding out their ‘why’, their motivation to succeed, one of the ‘secrets’ in the article.

If you want to be more successful in what you do, and even if you don’t consider yourself ambitious (I don’t), read the article for some tips. Some of the paragraphs made me think. I hope it does the same for you.

6.
Government to Regulate Low-Cost Property Prices and Rental

– Property Insight Malaysia

What I learned from the article:

Putrajaya will be introducing the Rent Control Bill to clamp down on profiteering, and aimed at low-cost homes

Rent will be capped at 25-30% of household income (note: B40’s household income? B40+M40 combined? Not sure yet)

The move was made because
enough
 people (‘property investors’) have been snapping up cheap properties to flip them for profit, or renting them at high prices, making rent affordable for the people who’s supposed to benefit from low-cost housing

7.
Money (Personal Finance) in 9 Diagrams
 – Mr Stingy

Simplifying vague concepts into visuals is not an easy task, but Aaron did it. I got a couple of ‘aha!’ moments myself, too!

8.
Julian NG’s 5 Money Pro-Tips: “Rent, Don’t Buy a House”

– BBazaar Blog

Julian Ng’s five tips are:

Automate your investments to get rich

Buy insurance policies online

Rent, don’t buy a house

Don’t buy a car

Learn to cook

Disagree with any of the tips above? Do me a favour and comment
after
you understand where Julian is coming from – watch the videos in the article.

You can get more of Julian at the
Very Long Run
 and on BFM’s The Breakfast Grille.

9.
The Ethics of Design: Fyre Festival
 – UX Collective

Just because something looks good and appeals to you, doesn’t mean it’s the best for you.

Something to keep in mind, because the companies
love
 telling you how they only have your best interest at heart. They want you to think they are the best for you. Nope, not always. Doesn’t hurt to be more sceptical in this day and age.

10.
5 Tips to Make Your Employees Feel Appreciated
 – Enterpreneur

And last but not least, I love this article listing steps you can do as an employer (now or in the future) to make your employees feel appreciated. Apparently,
42% of employees are unhappy in their jobs
. We’re better than many other countries, but we can do better definitely.

That’s it for this round, catch you next time! Want to submit a link you thought was great? Reach out to me on
FB
 or
Twitter
.

To read past link roundups, please click
here
.


Link Roundup #21: 10 Things to Know This Week

Accelerate your personal finance knowledge with this regular feature on Ringgit Oh Ringgit – the Link Roundup! I promise you’ll find these 10 links informational 🙂

1.
Malaysia Hits Deflation for First Time Since 2009 Global Crisis

– Bloomberg

The deflation IS JUST FOR JANUARY 2019. As someone on
Ringgit Oh Ringgit FB
 rightfully pointed out, one month’s stats is not a trend made. Plus, the deflation only occurred because Transport category fell so much (-7.8%).

But still, while we’re on the topic, I wanted know if deflation is good or bad. Learning opportunity and all right. This short video is the easiest way to learn about the effect of deflation.

I hope this deflation trend doesn’t get out of hand.

2.
My girlfriend and I spend less than $150 a month on groceries and eat at home 5 nights a week — here’s exactly what we buy

– Business Insider

My monthly groceries bill is RM439.29 (on average, as per my
2018 expenses report
). Assuming 25 meals per week or 100 per month (estimation), that’s RM4.40 per meal, on average.

Look, groceries is one aspect of my budget that I splurge a little bit on. I buy (mostly) good, healthy ingredients. I thought I can’t reduce the amount any more, not without downgrading my ingredients.

Not until I read this article.
There are many great tips in this article, but one tip in particular jumped out. Guys, I think I can reduce my groceries bill by… removing breakfast. Call it intermittent fasting if you want, make it sound fancier a bit. It may even help with my weight management!

What do you do to eat well on a smaller groceries budget?

3.
 ‘Don’t feed the monster!’ The people who have stopped buying new clothes
– The Guardian

You already know that fast fashion is bad for the environment. Nothing new there.
Millennials are already leaving fast fashion in droves anyway
. Many of you, myself included, now curate simpler, smaller, higher-quality wardrobes. Related:
Save Money on Fashion: 5 Steps I Use to Optimise My Clothing Budget

But what if you really, really like clothes but absolutely refuse to buy new ones at all?

Of all the ideas in the article, I really like the community clothes exchange. Clothes swap parties should be a thing. It could even be a business idea! Think about it,  RM20 entry fee (covers venue cost, F&B etc) and participants can bring all of their unused-but-in-good-condition clothes to swap with other clothes. All leftover clothes can be kept for the next round. Good idea no?

4.
7 ways being single could help you save more money

– Ladders

Sharing for the truth of #3 – You have more time to hustle. Yup singles do tend to have more time.

Unless, of course, if you and your partner with ways to work on money-making projects together?

5.
So, You’re Retired but Don’t Have Enough Money to Be Retired. Now What?

– Barron’s

I’ve always kinda assumed that people who don’t have enough money for retirement are people who neglected to work hard and make money during their careers.

That’s not the case. Sometimes, one could retire with a healthy sum but the retirement money simply dwindles at a faster rate than they thought..

The author of the article talks about the shame and humiliation that comes with downgrading her lifestyle, a decision she rationally (and rightfully) made to make her retirement money last.

Despite all we can do to prevent being in a similar situation, this might happen to you and me. All it takes is a stroke of bad luck. Remember that many scammers do target retirees, and their methods get more and more sophisticated by the day.

IF that happens, I can only hope that my downgraded lifestyle will still be able to bring me joy in my retirement years.

6.
TIME FOR HAPPINESS: Why the pursuit of money isn’t bringing you joy — and what will

– Harvard Business Review

Brilliant article originally shared on
Mr Stingy’s FB page
. Some amazing new concepts in here, like time affluence and time poverty. Briefly, someone who is time-poor find that they lack the time to do what they
want
 to do each day. Instead, they do what they think they
have
 to do to make themselves happy, which is work in exchange for money.

If you find that this describes your situation, click on the article, read it, and especially focus on the ‘how to start (reduce your time poverty)’ section.

7.
50 Ways to Live Life on Your Own Terms
 – Ladders

One of the best articles I’ve read in my life. That’s all I have to say about it.

8.
I Lost Something In My Pursuit For Financial Independence
 – Elizabeth Tai

‘I have a confession to make.

In terms of money management, I’ve come really far. In 2008, I had a six-figure debt and was living paycheck to paycheck. I didn’t have enough savings to pay my bills for a month if I lost my job.

Now, I have enough to last a year (or two) without a paycheck. Back in 2008, my network was probably in the negative. Now, it’s positively positive.

It took a lot of sacrifice, grit and discipline to get where I am today.

But I think I lost something along the way.

I think I have lost the courage to live life the way I want.’

Love this article by Elizabeth, who bared her soul with us. Thanks for the transparency.

9.
The Modern Trap of Turning Hobbies Into Hustles
 – ManRepeller

This article was shared by Nicole from
I’m Funemployed’s FB page
. After reading it, I felt better. I now feel like I’m ‘allowed’ to do something just for the sheer joy of it. I don’t
have
 to monetise everything I enjoy doing.

10.
Yes, You Can Make Money Playing Video Games. Here Are 7 Ways to Do It
 – The Penny Hoarder

HAVING SAID THAT. It’s still cool to know the options available to you IF you want to monetise your hobbies. In case you fall into hard times and need to find new ways to get cash, what better way to start than doing what you’re already good at, ie your hobbies?

You know what I’m always fascinated by? The many, many ways available for people to earn an income from any niche at all, including something that is stereotypically ‘unproductive’ like gaming.

For example, in this article along, I’ve learned that there are such things like  ‘amateur tournaments’ and ‘gaming tutors’, among others.

Any of you made a career out of your passion? Share what you do in the comments!

That’s it for this round, catch you next time! Want to submit a link you thought was great? Reach out to me on
FB
 or
Twitter
.

To read past link roundups, please click
here
.


Link Roundup #22: 10 Things to Know This Week

Accelerate your personal finance knowledge with this regular feature on Ringgit Oh Ringgit – the Link Roundup! I promise you’ll find these 10 links informational 🙂

1.
The Batshit Lengths These Guys Go to Retire by Age 40

– MEL Magazine

THIS. Finally someone said it. This is why I never identified with the FIRE community.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of FIRE (financial independence, retire early), I really do, but what they say and do can be too much. The FIRE community idolises FIRE gurus like Mr Money Moustache and Jacob Lund Fisker of Early Retirement Extreme, who promote
extreme
 frugalism as a way of life.

That would be fine. You-do-you and all. But it *is* annoying when some male members of the community complain about how hard dating is for them. They want wives who find their extremely frugal life appealing – the unwashed clothes and all. They label women who want a little bit more in life as ‘gold diggers’, and thinks the majority of women are ‘shallow’ because we like pretty things.

Moderation. Is. Key.

2.
KL To Paris Via Land: The Journey Of A Lifetime

– Astro Ulagam

Omg omg omg bucket list alert bucket list alert. Oh wow it would be super cool to travel all the way to Paris by land! Look at this route!

I love that the article included not just which transportation methods to take, but also the estimated cost for busses, trains and visas. You definitely need more than RM5k (and over 2 weeks, by the looks of it) to complete the journey.

3.
Even Millennials with Money Are Miserable Now

– Vice

Excuse me while I hyperventilate. Technology makes our world exciting and fast-paced, yes, but wow does it make you anxious about the future too.

This article is a mess to read btw. It doesn’t make that much sense, neither does it have an assuring or conclusive ending. One may argue that makes it perfect as a metaphor for life too I guess.

4.
Read This Before You Activate Maybank’s New E-Wallet
 – VulcanPost

I’m a simple girl. I see new ewallet. I know they will give perks and discounts to get new users. I download.

At the moment, they have a simple game where you can win money. I saw some people won up to RM4+ in a single game! Ok la for <1 min of work.

The puns are a bit annoying. MAE-hem la. It’s gotta be MAE la. But oh well.

Find Maybank’s MAE app in the Maybank app or at playstore/Appstore. Use code sbz0515 to get..? not sure but hey you never know, insert je la.

5.
Foreign Leaders Showered the Trump Family With Over $140,000 Worth of Gifts in 2017
– Time

What do world leaders gift each other? Lots of expensive but useless trinkets, it appears.

Unless it appears in some trivia or game show quiz, I will probably never need the information in this article. Yet I find myself clicking the headline anyway. Apparently,

‘
Chinese President Xi Jinping
 gave Trump and first lady Melania Trump the two most expensive presents in 2017: an ornate calligraphy display and presentation box worth $14,400 and a porcelain dinnerware set that includes plates imprinted with the pink house at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort worth $16,250′;

‘The Saudis and Gulf Arab states gave at least $24,120 in gifts to the Trumps. Those included a $6,400 ruby and emerald pendant necklace from
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman
, a gold-plated fighter jet model worth $4,850 from
Bahrain’s crown prince
, a $3,700 bronze statue of three oryx from the
 crown prince of Abu Dhabi
, a set of gold-plated Kuwaiti coins worth $1,610 from
Kuwait’s emir
 and “royal” perfume in a reptile-skin carrying case worth $1,260 from the
 deputy prime minister of Oman
‘;

‘The Trumps received a personalized hardcover book of Psalms worth $4,500 from the
rabbi in charge of the Western Wall in

Jerusalem
, a gold and diamond necklace and similar pendant from the
 Church of the Holy Sepulchre
 valued at $5,800 and a mother-of-pearl Nativity scene worth $4,200 from the
Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem
‘

And more. Some gifts are pretty blatant attempts at ass-kissing too

Again, this information is useless. I don’t know why I’m including it here. Sorry to waste your brain cells.

6.
Report Finds Industry Salaries Well Into Six Figures

– MediaPost

I majored in communications – Diploma in Mass Comm, Degree in Media Comm and Culture, and Masters in Corporate Comm.

When I took Mass Comm back in mid-2000s, the subject (and the students) were kind of… looked down upon? No one was impressed by it, not like engineering or law or medicine. I want to say I didn’t care, but of course I did.

Interestingly, and fortunately for me, the world took a different turn. We are now super in-demand. If you know what you’re doing, communications practitioners across different specialisations can fetch a high price in the job market.

You might argue that this is not the case for Malaysia. Marketing and communications-related jobs never offer that much here!, you may say. And you are right. But only because salaries for ALL (or most?) industries are not too hot at the moment.

REGARDLESS. If you have a comms/marketing/similar background, know that you can make serious bank with your skills. You just have to find the right employers.

7.
22 Crypto Exchanges Now Seeking Approval from Securities Commission Malaysia
 – FintechNews Malaysia

TL;DR – There were 42 crypto exchangers operating in Malaysia. Securities Commission Malaysia said no-supervision play time is over, come report to us. 22 crypto exchanges reported. The rest close shop (or will face legal action).

Click to see the list of crypto exchangers that will be ceasing operations in Malaysia.

8.
An Oxford researcher says there are seven moral rules that unite humanity
 – Quartz

The group ‘studied ethnographic accounts of ethics from 60 societies, across over 600 sources’ and came up with the following seven moral rules that unite humanity:

Help your family

Help your group

Return favors

Be brave

Defer to superiors

Divide resources fairly

Respect others’ property

‘The team found that these seven cooperative behaviors were considered
morally good in 99.9% of cases across cultures
‘.

In a nutshell, we could be of different races, cultures, countries, religions etc but the majority of us hold the same moral values. Isn’t that
fascinating.

9. EPF’s Belanjawanku Expenditure Guide
– Compiled by
Cilisos.my Twitter account

The Belanjawanku guide estimates the
 minimum expenses
 of households in the Klang Valley. I have to bold that part before *some* of you say the guide is out of touch with everyday Malaysians. Minimum okay.

Many media outlets published the guide, but I like the one compiled by Cilisos.my. They really do have a knack for delivering ‘heavy’ messages in easy-to-read way la. Here are some of them:

EPF assumes the “minimum expenses” are what ugaiz would need to:

1. Afford basic needs

2. Have a social life

3. Live a meaningful life

They put together this guide based on surveys, focus groups, and gomen data.
pic.twitter.com/1GmkBb7Qsd

— Cilisos (@cilisosmy)
March 4, 2019

If you’re single and use public transport, the guide estimates you need a minimum of RM1,870 if you live in the Klang Valley and are renting a room.
pic.twitter.com/QqWRz4JBWm

— Cilisos (@cilisosmy)
March 4, 2019

Budden if you’re single and have your own transport, your minimum budget jumps quite a bit.

We’re wondering what car/vehicle this figure is based on.
pic.twitter.com/FoOvIqE8cC

— Cilisos (@cilisosmy)
March 4, 2019

If you’re a married couple without kids, the minimum expense calculation according to the budget is RM4,420 (about RM2,210 per person?).

This is less per person than the RM2,490 needed if you’re single, assuming couples share some of the costs of living together.
pic.twitter.com/Ijf5EAteXD

— Cilisos (@cilisosmy)
March 4, 2019

Become a mummy and daddy, and a couple’s minimum expenses jump almost 30% to RM5,730. Have another bb and it increases by another 15% to RM6,620. 👶🏽 🍼
pic.twitter.com/AU7VkKQXui

— Cilisos (@cilisosmy)
March 4, 2019

For elderly couples whose kids have spread their wings and flown away, the guide estimates minimum expenses of RM3,090.

Assuming you retire at age 55 and want to die at 75, that means you would need savings of… RM741,600. And we haven’t even included inflation yet. 💸
pic.twitter.com/5x0SFCcb8T

— Cilisos (@cilisosmy)
March 4, 2019

Again, the figure above is the minimum. Or as Cilisos.my puts it:

Gais, pls understand that this report is based on assumptions of MINIMUM expenses. Ya la, ya la, we get it. Ugaiz spend more on skincare, cinemas, gas, rent, etc.
#WeirdFlex

#ButOK

— Cilisos (@cilisosmy)
March 4, 2019

10.
Minimum Wage is Now RM1100. But How Did The Gomen Actually Calculate it? We Investigate
– Cilisos.my

SO. We know that we need
at least
 RM1870 if we don’t have dependents, car or housing commitments, and the minimum wage is set at RM1100. No one can say the gap is not there.

I like how the Cilisos.my article explains how the calculations are made and most importantly, why we can’t simply,
magically
 raise the minimum wage too much too soon.

Cilisos, you guis did a good job with ending the article on a good note. Thanks for reminding us the promises made by the PH government.

That’s it for this round, catch you next time! Want to submit a link you thought was great? Reach out to me on
FB
 or
Twitter
.

To read past link roundups, please click
here
.


Link Roundup #23: 10 Things to Know This Week

Accelerate your personal finance knowledge with this regular feature on Ringgit Oh Ringgit – the Link Roundup! I promise you’ll find these 10 links informational 🙂

1.
4 things millionaires have in common, backed by research

– The Ladders

What millionaires have in common:

Many are self-employed

They choose their careers strategically

They’re not geniuses but they have a strong work ethic

They’re cheap (read: frugal)

I highly encourage you to read the article because this is not some opinion piece, telling you some inspirational bullshit. The article is backed by research and every other sentence will make you rethink your whole life, like this one: ‘you’d need to earn 2.5 times as much money to be as
happy
 as someone who is self-employed.
‘

2.
12 Fintech Events Happening in Malaysia You Need to Check Out in 2019

– FintechNews Malaysia

If you’re in the fintech scene or interested in fintech (who isn’t? we love our ewallet cashbacks amirite), take note of these events. Lots of sub-niches including Islamic finance, blockchain, startup weekend and more.

3.
The Problems in Remote-Working
– by Product Hunt’s Ryan Hoover

I greatly admire Ryan Hoover, the founder of
Product Hunt
. I browse there because it’s useful, but stayed for the community. Ryan is a ridiculously good community leader, a real giver. His
tweets
 are always full of insight.

The article itself discusses problems in remote-working, all of which I face myself. But even if you don’t work remotely or not even interested to, browse through Ryan’s many articles. Something is bound to be useful for you.

4.
Where millennials turn for financial advice
– Financial Times

“Shunned by traditional advisers, younger investors use apps and digital platforms”

Relatable. I know there are platforms that make it easy for me to hire financial advisors in Malaysia (
Smart Finance
), but I still feel like there’s this barrier, something that stops me from even getting a quote from them.

Don’t get me wrong though. I believe in paying for advice. I see the value of having a specialist supporting and guiding me through hard financial decisions. But still I ask myself – what if I don’t have enough net worth to make the session(s) worth our time?

So… financial advisors reading this. Can you help to answer that? When should we consider engaging in your services?

5.
How To Put Together A Self-Care Routine For $0

– The Financial Diet

Because I hate those Facebook and Instagram ads that tell you to ‘treat yo’self’ by splurging on shit you don’t need just to make yourself feel better. Some of them even say things like, ‘buy now, think later’. WTF???

Eff you. I can feel better by using the things I already have, on ZERO budget, thank you very much.

6.
Companies Are Using Job Candidates as Free Labor and That’s Just Plain Wrong

– Inc

TL;DR – if a company asks you to come up with ‘assignments’ as part of their ‘hiring process’, run far, faaaaar away.

These assignments can range from:

Making graphics

Writing articles

Preparing whole presentations and concept papers

And stuff that’s beyond whats reasonable to expect from a job candidate

Read the article to find out ways to defend yourself against exploitation.

7.
This 19-year-old is paying her way through college by naming over 677,000 Chinese babies

– CNBC

She made over $400,000 by providing a solution that Chinese parents are willing to pay for: what English names to give to their babies. Hired people to do the algorithm for her and everything, then she automated the process to make it a source of passive income. Freaking smart, sis.

8.
Scroll, Tap, Buy: The New Instagram Checkout Allows You to Make Purchases Directly From Your Feed

– The Ringer

Tbh I’m just surprised it took Instagram this long to include the checkout feature. People love window-shopping from Instagram. I know that because (1) common sense and (2) I have TWO sisters who own and operate their own Instagram-based businesses.

(Btw – dropping their wares here to show support. Click the images to go to their respective pages!

Marquise.my

 MalaysiaPlusSize Instagram

9.
Are You Working on the Next Fyre Festival?: Identifying a Toxic Workplace

– Bitches Get Riches

There are bad workplaces, then there are
toxic
 workplaces. I wouldn’t wish toxic workplaces on my worst enemy. The article shares how you can identify toxic workplaces. Even if you don’t read it, I need you to know this super-important fact:

10.
Pennywise Show Ep 2: Ringgit Oh Ringgit and Money Stories with Suraya Zainudin

– Leaderonomics

Last but not least, my biggest thanks and gratitude to the Leaderonomics team for having me on the Pennywise show! We talked about my personal finance journey, money motivations and money projects – all my favourite topics!

The link above will take you directly to the podcast, hosted on Spotify 🙂

That’s it for this round, catch you next time! Want to submit a link you thought was great? Reach out to me on
FB
 or
Twitter
.

To read past link roundups, please click
here
.


Link Roundup #24: 10 Things to Know This Week

Accelerate your personal finance knowledge with this regular feature on Ringgit Oh Ringgit – the Link Roundup! I promise you’ll find these 10 links informational 🙂

1.
The 11 M’sians On The Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia List And Why They’re So Outstanding

– VulcanPost

If I’m honest, I’m a little bit jealous, but mostly proud of their achievements. Being featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia List is a big deal!

I’m also particularly happy that Bobby Ong and TM Lee of
CoinGecko
 made the cut. I know both of them personally (and at one point, wrote some articles for the website), and they’re great.

I thought that Malaysians would be happy, but discovered some people are dismayed by the lack of racial representation *coughMeleiscough*. I’d be more sympathetic if they weren’t so bitter and toxic about it.

2.
When less is more: the beauty bloggers exposing the industry’s wasteful secret

– The Guardian

This article zooms in on PR companies that send influencers products on behalf of the beauty brands they represent. It’s a wasteful practice, so it’s good that influencers are speaking out.

Two points that I want to make:

Make no mistake –
the wastage is not limited to the beauty industry
. PR companies representing fashion, technology and other industries also send out a lot of products to influencers so they’d promote it

Consumers are reacting positively to the less-waste movement
. Anti-hauls*, project pans**, empties*** and declutter videos get higher and higher views on YouTube. Companies have their work cut out for them to increase growth

///Glossary///

Anti-haul – Where people talk about products they’re NOT going to buy

Project pans – Where people use up their makeup ‘until they see the pan of the eyeshadow/etc’

Empties – Where people show off a completely used-up product

3.
Bank Negara Malaysia to Pave the Way for Neo Banks
 – FintechNews MY

Neo banks = banks that are 100% digital, with no physical branches. The idea is, less money spent on rent and personnel will translate to competitive rates for consumers like you and me. Here are some neo banks operating in Asia:

Malaysia is a bit slow but we may see some sort of guidelines and requirement for virtual banking license by the end of 2019. If true, THIS IS SERIOUSLY EXCITING, GAME-CHANGING STUFF. I can’t wait to hear the development.

4.
Want to visualize inequality? View cities from above
– National Geographic

Johnny Miller’s ‘Unequal Scenes’ series show how ‘drone photography exposes the economic divide within cities. Roads, canals, and fences become barriers that split the land separating the rich and poor.’

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Johnny Miller (@millefotosa)
 on
Jan 18, 2019 at 6:53am PST

5.
Yale Let Anyone Take Its Most Popular Class Ever for Free. Here’s What 1 Guy Learned in 5 Weeks.
– Inc

How amazing is it that Yale’s most popular class,
The Science of Well-Being
 – taken by a whopping 1 in 4 students – is all about how to be happy and is
available for FREE at Coursera
???

If you can’t take the 10-week course at the moment, do yourself a favour and at least click on the article to find out the types of ‘assignments’. The first one is a quiz that helps you
figure out your strengths and best qualities
, WHICH IS ALSO FREE*.

The internet is an amazing place, seriously.

*The comprehensive reports cost money though

I took the test myself. According to the VIA Survey, my top 10 Character Strengths (out of 24) are:

FREAKING GRATEFUL THAT CONTENT CREATION AS A CAREER PATH ALLOWED ME TO USE MY BEST CHARACTER STRENGTHS!!!!

6.
Kondo Craze Hits Retail

– AdAge

No, I am not tired of the ‘Spark Joy’ movement yet. I freaking love Marie Kondo.

So does millions of other people, apparently. Enough to see big retail shifts, like:

Increase in sales of storage products

Increase in secondhand apparel business (not mentioned: decrease in fast fashion)

In the bigger picture, I think we’ll also see companies making less of those cheap branded swag. You know, the ones that they give out at events. Nobody wants them, it messes with the #clutterfree aesthetic. I’ve personally politely declined these items, giving ‘thanks, but I just decluttered’ as an excuse too.

7.

This Is What Small Businesses Look Like Around The World

– Buzzfeed

Say what you want about Buzzfeed, but this is one of the most beautiful opening paragraphs I’ve ever read in my life:

Photographer Vladimir Antaki has

traveled the world to document the unique and curious spaces where passion becomes business
. His new book
 The Guardians,
published by Kehrer Verlag, is a collection of portraits from his journeys that capture shopkeepers in their places of work.

What’s revealed is something that can’t be bought or sold online — humanity.

You know, we idolise big businesses and corporations a lot – we see their products in the stores, buy their stocks, keep up with their news – but often we forget that some businesses just cannot scale the way they do, thus they remain small and passion-driven rather than profit-driven.

I absolutely love this article. There’s a lifetime of stories behind each picture. Some favourites:

 Mario Antonio Hernández Escamilla, sculptor and restorationist in Mexico.

 Denise Acabo, chocolatier in Paris.

 Dominique “Ménick” Perazzino, barber in Montréal.

8.
Malaysian workers receive lower wages than peers in advanced economies
– News Street Times

Are Malaysians underpaid? A big, fat YES. Bank Negara said if a Malaysian worker produces output worth US$1,000, he would be paid
US$340, as opposed to US$510
 by a worker in benchmark economies. Productivity levels factored in.

Well then what can we do about it? BNM has some answers:

Are Malaysian workers paid fairly? What should Malaysia do to improve on the situation? View infographic for more info.(Part 1)
pic.twitter.com/qf1yiiBLxU

— Bank Negara Malaysia (@BNM_official)
April 2, 2019

Are Malaysian workers paid fairly? What should Malaysia do to improve on the situation? View infographic for more info.(Part 2)
pic.twitter.com/HQLfK0P1oQ

— Bank Negara Malaysia (@BNM_official)
April 2, 2019

9.
Does having kids make couples happier? New study says yes, but …

– MedicalXpress.com

This study is noteworthy because a lot of other studies say that
having children reduces parents’ happiness levels
. However, ‘The Dartmouth College-University of Paris Economics research team concluded that having children makes adults happier,
as long as they don’t make it too hard to pay the bills
.’

How hard is too hard though? No idea, the article didn’t expand on that part. Send me links to new studies if/when you find them.

10.
21 job interview questions that are designed to trick you
– Ladders

Nervous about an upcoming job interview? Worried about not being able to impress your interviewers? Then this article will help you greatly. Listing the tricky interview questions below:

Can you tell me about yourself?

How would you describe yourself in one word?

How does this position compare to others you are applying for?

Can you name three of your strengths and weaknesses?

Why do you want to work here?

Why do you want to leave your current job?

What are you most proud of in your career?

Have you ever considered being an entrepreneur?

Have you ever stolen a pen from work?

What kind of boss and coworkers have you had the most and least success with, and why?

If you could work for any company, where would you work?

How do you define success?

What career regrets do you have?

Why were you laid off?

What would you do if you won $5 million tomorrow?

Have you ever been asked to compromise your integrity by your supervisor or colleague?

Can you give us a reason someone may not like working with you?

Why have you been out of work for so long?

Tell me about a time you disagreed with a company policy.

How did you make time for this interview? Where does your boss think you are right now?

What’s a difficult situation that you turned around?

I think the article is worth a read even if you’re not actively job-searching – some really out-of-the-box, brilliant answers in there. If you *are* looking for work, all the best in your upcoming interview(s) 🙂

That’s it for this round, catch you next time! Want to submit a link you thought was great? Reach out to me on
FB
 or
Twitter
.

To read past link roundups, please click
here
.


Link Roundup #25: 10 Things to Know This Week

Accelerate your personal finance knowledge with this regular feature on Ringgit Oh Ringgit – the Link Roundup! I promise you’ll find these 10 links informational 🙂

1.
Super-Productive People Do 3 Things That Others Don’t, According to This MIT Productivity Test

– Inc

Anyone else obsessed with finding productivity tips and hacks? I know I am. I’m fascinated by both (a) the habits of the super-productive (click the link to read about it) and (b) the productivity test itself, taken by almost 20,000 people. You can take it yourself
here
.

Pozen Productivity Test is a 21-question survey based on seven habits of productivity:

developing daily routines

planning your schedule

coping with messages

getting a lot done

running effective meetings

honing communication skills

and delegating tasks to others

I took the test, and scored 65 out of 105. To be fair, many of the questions are not applicable to me (I don’t work in a team most of the time, and neither attend regular meetings nor delegate work to subordinates). But it definitely gave me some pointers on areas to improve.

What’s your score?

2. 7 Staggering Facts about Inequality
– World Economic Forum

When wealth inequality as a topic comes up, you’ll usually see two extreme viewpoints: “Hoarding money is morally wrong as it comes at the expense of workers” vs “The wealthy has the right to make and keep as much money as they can because they took the biggest risk”

I’m still… learning about this topic. Two excellent videos came up in my Twitter timeline. Sharing them here:

26 billionaires own the same wealth as 3.8 billion people.

📕 Read more:
https://t.co/mmXubFkt6A

#inequality

#economics

pic.twitter.com/2bOvuvqr6w

— World Economic Forum (@wef)
April 15, 2019

A breathtaking, three-minute takedown of banking fatcat Jamie Dimon. h/t
@JonnyGeller
pic.twitter.com/B2sbGqzs8N

— Ian Fraser (@Ian_Fraser)
April 13, 2019

3.

“What are the best SaaS platforms you’ve used? What was great about them?” Answer by @NikkiElizDeMere
 – NicholeElizabethDemere.com

SaaS = Software as a Service, in case you’re not familiar with the term.

There are a LOT of SaaS platforms out there, and usually getting one that works for you (and your team) is a trial and error thing.

In this article, Nichole shared 14 SaaS recommendations, ranging from SEO tools to user onboarding checklists to social media management platforms and many more.

It’s a must-read for everyone interested in using tech in business.

Also: 10/10 would recommend following Nichole on Twitter. Follow them
here
.

4.
The Best Skin Care Trick is Being Rich
 – The Atlantic

OMG YES! If I see another rich person attributing their beauty to just ‘drinking enough water, eating well and getting enough sleep’, I’m going to pull my hair out. This part of the article is 100% true:

The guidance usually comes from the wealthy, who have all the access in the world to the best skin products and treatments, and it tends to overemphasize the importance of lifestyle while sweeping under the rug the actual cost of tinkering with your facial chemistry.

Ah well. I think this is something all of us know, a ‘finally someone said it’ moment. I’m not angry or anything.

Plus it’s hard to be angry at beautiful women. Damn some women are so fiiiiine you’re a work of art I tell you. Keep on rocking sis I’m not about to hate on you and bring another woman down nuh uh.

Just don’t promote or sell hyped-up / dangerous beauty products to your followers though. That’s not cool.

5.
‘Influencer Fraud’ Costs Companies Millions of Dollars. An AI-Powered Tool Can Now Show Who Paid to Boost Their Engagement.

– Entrepreneur

Social media marketing is SO fast-paced it makes my head swim.

One subset of it is influencer marketing, where the industry is still kind of figuring itself out. As we speak, best practices and hacks to beat algorithm changes are being developed and implemented.

Honestly it’s quite fun to see how influencers and companies try to out-smart each other. Companies used to only hire influencers with high followers count. Those can be bought now.

Then companies wisen up and look at engagement too (usually, the followers:likes/comments ratio). And what do you know, influencers can arrange for that too.

And now there are tools designed to uncover influencers who fake their engagement numbers. I wonder what is the next move by influencers.

6.
I just cleared out my Gmail using a simple trick that took only a few minutes — here’s how to do it

– Business Insider

Simple, step-by-step article to clear out a lot of old junk taking up space in your Gmail account. May this info stretch out the time until you finally have to upgrade and pay for more Gmail storage, Amin.

Protip: if you frequently send large attachments, follow
Google’s own tips
 too to clear A LOT of storage.

7.
When You Pitch an Idea, Gestures Matter More Than Words

– Harvard Business Review

This opening para summarised it all:

Joep Cornelissen of Erasmus University and his team asked experienced investors to watch a video of an entrepreneur pitching a new device.

He did four versions of the presentation: One used a lot of figurative language; one included frequent hand motions; one deployed both; and one used neither. People who saw the video with only the frequent gestures were on average 12% more
interested in investing.

The conclusion:
When you pitch an idea, gestures matter more than words
.

Something to think about the next time you’re doing a presentation!

8.
What it’s like to work at the most successful hedge fund in the world, where 30% of new employees don’t make it and those who do are considered ‘intellectual Navy SEALs’

– Business Insider

Ray Dalio is the latest ‘personality’ that I’m fascinated with. He’s the founder Bridgewater Associates, the biggest hedge fund in the world and author of Principles: Life & Work which is recommended by people I respect.

In fact, at time of writing, someone in my social circle just mentioned the book again. I really have to get my hands on it soon.

But until then, I’ve been reading this article, and
 the video
 (which CBS doesn’t allow me to embed) with lots of interest. Highly recommend if you’d like to see radical transparency in action within the workplace setting.

9.
7 Ways That 2019 Mirrors The Dotcom Bubble
– Investopedia

Another doomsday article, lol. But it’s fun (and educational) to see the parallels. The 7 ways are:

Venture capital investments in tech companies at excessive levels

A rush of highly-touted tech IPOs coming to market

Financial crises in emerging market countries

The Fed paused interest rate hikes in 1998, as they have now

Tech stocks lead the market in 2019, as they did in 1999

Almost daily gains in stock prices, with little retreat

Growth stocks outperforming value stocks

Note that this is a US-focused article. Impact to Malaysia,
if
 when the bubble bursts, is unknown.

10.
Ambik Kau was an April Fool’s Prank to Copy Other Sites Content. And it Got Copied Too

– Cilisos.my

As a content creator myself, I read about Cilisos’s April Fool’s prank with much joy. Did you know I discovered some portals have been stealing my content and posting it as their own? It pisses me off, but I’m not about to give them free publicity, those bleeping bleep.

Imagine someone taking your awesome FB post or tweet then passing it off as their own. Angry not? Angry right? Same la.

So do me a favour. Share work by original content producers like Cilisos.my, Rojak Daily, Soya Cincau, AskLegal etc and less of copiers like Malaysia Today, The Coverage, Malaysia Chronicle, World of Buzz etc.

That’s it for this round, catch you next time! Want to submit a link you thought was great? Reach out to me on
FB
 or
Twitter
.

To read past link roundups, please click
here
.


Link Roundup #26: 10 Things to Know This Week

Accelerate your personal finance knowledge with this regular feature on Ringgit Oh Ringgit – the Link Roundup! I promise you’ll find these 10 links informational 🙂

1.
6 things you must organize to be healthy, wealthy, and happy

– The Ladders

Sometimes I’m not sure if I’m a ‘go with the flow’ type of person, or an organised person. I guess I’m a little bit of both, like most people.

On a scale between 1-10, how well-organised are your environment, money, relationships, health/fitness, spiritual life and time? Answering that is like doing a regular checkup, a self-assessment.

If you’re giving yourself a low score, the checklist in the article is pretty helpful to get you back on the right track.

2.
4 things you should never buy refurbished (and 4 things you should)
– Reviewed

According to the article, you shouldn’t buy these items refurbished: HDDs or SSDs, phones, televisions and printers

While these things should be safe to buy refurbished: laptops and tablets, vacuums, headphones and household appliances

It’s a very US-centric article though. What do you think? Agree with the above or no? What items do you buy refurbished?

3.

The benefits of having a fuck-off fund

– Quartz

TL;DR – If you don’t agree with what your company is doing because it violates your principles, it’s *really* nice to be able to quit in protest.

4.
Fresh Grad 101: Evaluating a Job Offer
 – Silent Confessions by Syaza Nazura

Syaza is a rare one. Currently pursuing her Masters in Education (Youth & Community) in the UK, she is passionate about helping fresh graduates navigate their careers.

She recently shared the newly-released 2019 Malaysia Salary Guide produced by Kelly Capita. You can view the pdf
here
.

Here are some highlights of the report:

Some info about 2019 Salary & Hiring Outlook, as well as some “hot jobs for 2019”.
pic.twitter.com/CeF0WBOQJR

— Syaza Nazura (@nazu2308)
April 27, 2019

Salary range for some Engineering positions.
pic.twitter.com/Ni8wjxfnFw

— Syaza Nazura (@nazu2308)
April 27, 2019

Salary ranges for some Finance & Accounting and Human Resources & Administrative positions.
pic.twitter.com/doMIckYykQ

— Syaza Nazura (@nazu2308)
April 27, 2019

Salary ranges for some IT positions.
pic.twitter.com/C5K0mlxkwq

— Syaza Nazura (@nazu2308)
April 27, 2019

Salary ranges for some Marketing & Sales positions.
pic.twitter.com/9n8s9mgJ0Y

— Syaza Nazura (@nazu2308)
April 27, 2019

Salary ranges for some Property & Construction and Supply Chain & Logistics positions.
pic.twitter.com/EeOXWjDbmI

— Syaza Nazura (@nazu2308)
April 27, 2019

Are you being paid fairly for your work? If yes, good, continue your course. If no, negotiate a salary increase or switch to another company. The article linked above is a good guide to evaluate your new job offer.

5.
The next gig economy will be on-demand knowledge
– World Economic Forum

The intro says it all:

“In a world with an overwhelming amount of information available, it is sometimes not easy to figure out how to apply it.

Business models based on advertising revenue and marketing tools such as influencer content have diminished our trust in information on the internet. We need to filter in our mind whether or not the information is credible, as many websites feature content sponsored by brands and businesses.

Recommendations from online reviews are also questionable, as businesses have been known to pay strangers to write positive reviews. (In fact,
fake review writers
 can be hired at $5-$10 per review on Fiverr.com.)

Similarly, the credibility of answers on Q&A sites like Quora also suffers over time, as more and more businesses post answers on the platform as a part of their marketing strategy.

We need to efficiently cut through the clutter. By and large, rather than taking our chances with Google, we can benefit from talking to the right person with relevant knowledge—someone with the ability to apply information based on his/her experience and expertise.

Fairly soon, systems will emerge to enable instantaneous knowledge sharing and monetization at scale. It could be as ubiquitous and easy as a Google search is today.

The right person with the right answer is already out there. We just need to index human know-how and work out how to provide on-demand access to it.”

Imagine this: an AI-powered platform that knows your exact preferences exact, then matches you with the best person. It’s a bit scary, but also very cool and convenient.

6.
Goldman, Bank of England and stock exchange targeted by climate activists in London

– Reuters

I was wondering why climate activists target the financial industry, specifically. To the extent of glueing themselves to the road outside Goldman Sachs European headquarters on Fleet Street.

Then I remember this video I watched a while back, arguing against capitalism and growth.

I’m still learning about this stuff myself. Like many of you, I’ve been told that growth = great too. But watch it, for a different perspective.

Brilliant. This is brilliant.
pic.twitter.com/8a6TJcRGHy

— James Corden (@JKCorden)
April 12, 2019

7.
Here’s How You Can Design Your Own Product in Less Than 24 Hours

– Inc

Did you know there are print-on-demand services that you can use to sell your designs without keeping inventory? I actually have friends – a combination of designers and people who know how to hire designers – who do this for a living or as a side income.

Personally, I’ve been tempted to earn a side income this way. Imagine if I sell mugs or notebooks or t-shirts with text like ‘Future Millionaire’ or ‘It’s so
rude
 how everything costs money’? I bet some of you would buy that.

8.
7 signs that you’re actually a problem employee

– The Ladders

What if, just what if, it’s not them, it’s
you
?

Scary thought, but if
you
 were the problem, it’s better to know it sooner rather than later. It may suck now but it’s probably better for you in the long run.

Here are the 7 signs of a problem employee:

You have trouble finding past managers willing to serve as references for you

You can’t think of a single boss whom you’ve liked

You do exactly what’s required of you… and never anything more

You’re very invested in office gossip

You struggle with punctuality, even after managers have raised the issue with you

When you make a mistake, you seek someone else to blame rather than accepting responsibility

You overstep your role during your interactions with coworkers

Click the article to read the full version.

9. How much capital you need to open a franchise business

Depends on what franchise you want. Some cost a lot, but if you choose the right location, you can make serious bank.

I’m linking the tweet below to let you know there is such a thing as Franchise Asia Magazine, sold in major bookstores like MPH. I’ve also seen them in MyNews.

Berapa modal kena ada untuk bukak bisnes francais.

Bisnes francais untung dia adalah permasaran dikelola oleh HQ brand tersebut. Contohnya Mcd, kita fokus kat operation je. Marketing apa semua dah settle dh.
pic.twitter.com/G479igxhKJ

— Twt Bajet (@twt_bajet)
April 23, 2019

You can also browse the online directory
here
.

10.
15 As Seen on Shark Tank Products You’ll Want at Home

– The Family Handy Man

I want 7 out of the 15 things on the list, how about you?

Sigh, Shark Tank is such a great show. Best of all you don’t feel like you’re wasting time because you’re learning about entrepreneurship, lol.

That’s it for this round, catch you next time! Want to submit a link you thought was great? Reach out to me on
FB
 or
Twitter
.

To read past link roundups, please click
here
.


Link Roundup #27: 10 Things to Know This Week

Accelerate your personal finance knowledge with this regular feature on Ringgit Oh Ringgit – the Link Roundup! I promise you’ll find these 10 links informational 🙂

1.
9 things no one tells you when you’re starting a business
 – The Ladders

It’s a bit oversimplified, but serves as a nice checklist of things you probably don’t know when you’re starting a business, especially if you’re jumping from salaried life to self-employment life.

The 9 things are:

Begin with revenue.
 Your ideas are great, but how will it bring in the money?

Protect your IP
. Things get stolen all the time.

Market yourself.
 Not just your products and services.

Know your ‘why’
. The reason for it all.

Understand yourself so you can make great hires.
 Hire people who are good at what you’re not good at. Take the
DISC personality test
.

You are NOT the boss.
 The customers are the boss (but that doesn’t mean you can’t fire them.)

Build a structure and find balance.
 Find a routine that works and won’t burn you out.

Build a tax savings account and emergency savings.
 Practical

Embrace change and challenges.
 You’ll be putting your problem-solving skills to the test.

Any of you want to add on to this list? Add them in the comments section.

Related:
11 things I learned about self-employment in Malaysia

2.
France Seeks to Stop Fashion Brands From Destroying Unsold Goods

– Business of Fashion

You know how some industry practices utterly shocks and disgusts you? This one is pretty bad, for a glamorous industry. Here’s the open secret: some fashion brands would rather destroy unsold stocks to ‘protect their reputation’ and avoid it being sold at discount stores and end up owned by ‘poor people’.

And no one, no country, has taken action so far. France is the first one. It’s surprising, considering it’s a widespread practice. Burberry got caught, but every other luxury brand does it too.

3.
Five easy ways men can reduce the burden of emotional labor at work

– Quartz

What is emotional labour, you ask?

Emotional labor is the invisible work women do to keep those around them comfortable and happy, encompassing both mental load work and emotion management. It holds women back in the workplace by reinforcing double standards, eating away at focused work time, and creating a more emotionally exhausting workday.

Here’s what you can do to make the workplace better for women:

Curtail interruptions.
 Women are more likely to be interrupted during conversations. Redirect the focus back to her after it happens. Say: “That’s a great point, but I’m interested to hear what Sarah was saying. I don’t think she was finished speaking.”

Listen fully.
 It ensures that women’s ideas are being heard, properly credited, and elevated.

Take your own notes
. Don’t ask your female peers to take notes for you, to photocopy something you could copy yourself, or to send out summary emails. Don’t expect them to organize all the office parties.

Create cultural change.
 If ‘locker room talk’ exists at your workplace, simply saying “That’s not funny” or “Why did you say that?” is enough to upend the comfort and confidence of those engaging in toxic behaviour.

Think outside your work.
 Support your own partner and family members.

4.
How a Costco-Lover Eats for $125 a Week in Greenville, S.C.

– The Kitchnn

I enjoyed reading this type of food diary – it’s literally someone’s day-to-day, meal-to-meal account, complete with grocery shopping trips.

I like how she fits in meal prep and recipes that work for her busy lifestyle. It’s really cool that she eats mostly healthy but also not annoyingly ‘too healthy’ – there are marshmallows and frozen foods, and also celebratory meals with friends and family. It’s so much more relatable and sustainable than most food accounts I follow.

5.
I Was Happy to Marry a Poor Man. Then Things Changed.

– Bitches Get Ritches

I love this article so much, even though the title *is* a bit of a clickbait. My heart was so full by the end of the article. The writer’s partner ended up earning $160k per year, from $20k when she first met and married him (and when she was the breadwinner).

I want to be in this kind of relationship too. The one which my partner and I do our best to out-happy and out-support each other, using our money as a tool to enable each others’ happiness and life fulfilment.

Seriously, doesn’t that sound like the best thing ever? *Happy sigh*

Related:
[PERSONAL] How Money Affects My Dating Life

6.
The 5 Best Books to Take Hold of Your Finances in 2019

– The Ascent from the Motley Fool

Because which RoR reader doesn’t want more personal finance book recommendations? I got you.

Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence
, by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez
 – for a healthy relationshop with money

Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together
, by Erin Lowry
 – for those in their 20s-30s

The Little Book of Common-Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns
, by John C. Bogle
 – for passive investing via index funds

One Up on Wall Street
, by Peter Lynch
 – to learn about stocks

The Millionaire Next Door
, by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko
 – to understand the lifestyle and habits of the wealthy

For more book recommendations, hit up
10 Best Books to Learn About Investing, According to Malaysians (With Video Summaries)

7.
This Is What It Takes to Be in the 1% Around the World

– Bloomberg

This chart absolutely blows my mind. Somehow it didn’t occur to me that 1% is defined differently around the world? Of course it does, duh Suraya.

Look at freaking U.A.E.* and Singapore, blowing past everyone else. Holy hell.

*The 1% in U.A.E. also doesn’t have to pay income tax.

8.
Meet the 2019 CNBC Disruptor 50 companies

– CNBC

This is one of the most deceptively simple article I’ve ever come across. It compiles the best disruptors in the private sector, sure, but along with it they also included super-short descriptions of each of those companies.

It’s honestly brilliant copywriting at work. I don’t know many of the companies on the list, but the descriptors immediately tell me what it is. Some of my favourites are:

Casper – Bed in a box

Duolingo – Gōntan ao ūndegon Tymptir Dēmalȳti mōrī bantis? (I googled this – it seems like it’s High Valyrian, of GoT? Lol)

Textio – A.I. for help-wanted ads

Coursera – 50% off master’s degrees (BRILLIANT COPYWRITING)

Niantic – the wand chooses the wizard

Go ahead and check the full list. It won’t hurt to be familiar with the names of these companies. Go and quickly find out what they do.

9.
Malaysia ranks 4th in the world for being crazily obsessed with properties

– Mashable SE Asia

According to a HSBC Malaysia online survey,

Malaysia ranks 4th in the world after the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Taiwan

On average, a whopping 4.37 hours in a week is spent by Malaysians when it comes to viewing properties

Malaysians spend longer time viewing property than they do keeping fit at the gym, reading books, or reading and watching the news

More than 26% of these Malaysian extreme property addicts spend between 7 and 9 hours searching for properties online

One out of five Malaysian is crazily obsessed about properties. Extreme house hunters are estimated to spend more than 10 hours hunting for properties by sifting through magazines or online websites.

38% of Malaysians are impulsive buyers while 55% of them are put off by difficult neighbours

I don’t know who needs to hear this but chill down a bit, properties are not going anywhere.

10.
After men in Spain got paternity leave, they wanted fewer kids

– Quartz

Domestic work is hard. It seems easy because the majority of it has always been performed by women, a type of invisible work.

An amazing experiment on Moroccan men
pic.twitter.com/NdkQiMvuyO

— Captain Morocco🇲🇦 (@AtIasLion)
May 10, 2019

Part 2
pic.twitter.com/wKmLDGvJQK

— Captain Morocco🇲🇦 (@AtIasLion)
May 10, 2019

Childcare is one type of domestic work, and this fascinating study showed how men wanted fewer kids after getting paternity leaves.

The researchers of the study, Farré and González ‘think that spending more time with their children—or the prospect of having to do so—may have made men more acutely aware of the effort and costs associated with childrearing’.

Makes one think, no?

That’s it for this round, catch you next time! Want to submit a link you thought was great? Reach out to me on
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