Buying a house and turning it into a home is on the wish list of most but due to high building material and labour cost, how should you budget for your renovation? Kenneth Tan, a first time home buyer shares his experience so that we can avoid the expensive mistakes but also know where the cost savings are.



Ringgit & Sense is powered by InsureLit from Sun Life Malaysia. Life is brighter under the sun.

Buying a house and turning it into a home is on the wish list of most but due to high building material and labour cost, how should you budget for your renovation? Kenneth Tan, a first time home buyer shares his experience so that we can avoid the expensive mistakes but also know where the cost savings are.Ringgit &amp; Sense is powered by InsureLit from Sun Life Malaysia. Life is brighter under the sun.

Sharper and stronger than a double espresso. The Morning Run stretches your mind and braces you for the business day. It's your fast track into work where you can hit the ground running. From 6am to 10am weekdays, the Morning Run brings you the biggest stories and must-listen-to interviews. Stay enlightened, make educated business and investment decisions.

Ringgit and Sense

We explore financial themes and help you make sense of the world of finance. From setting financial goals, managing finances, investing and understanding the various issues that affect our wallets. Ringgit and Sense wants to help you understand personal risk profiles, realistic investment horizons, retirement planning, managing education loans and health insurance plans, as well as breaking down the various personal finance products that are available.

Ringgit & Sense

Home Renovations No Small Change 

From mortgages and car loans to credit cards and BNPL schemes, most Malaysians aren't managing just one liability, they're juggling a whole portfolio of debt. Should you tackle the highest-interest loans or the smaller ones first?

Rajen Devadason, CEO of RD WealthCreation and Licensed Financial Planner with Manulife Investment Management Malaysia, returns to Ringgit and Sense to share practical strategies for conquering multiple debts.

He breaks down mathematical efficiency versus psychological momentum, whether an emergency buffer should take priority over debt repayments, and how to weigh debt-free living against optimising debt over time.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

From mortgages and car loans to credit cards and BNPL schemes, most Malaysians aren't managing just one liability, they're juggling a whole portfolio of debt. Should you tackle the highest-interest loans or the smaller ones first?Rajen Devadason, CEO of RD WealthCreation and Licensed Financial Planner with Manulife Investment Management Malaysia, returns to Ringgit and Sense to share practical strategies for conquering multiple debts.He breaks down mathematical efficiency versus psychological momentum, whether an emergency buffer should take priority over debt repayments, and how to weigh debt-free living against optimising debt over time.Image Credit: Shutterstock

High Interest vs Small Loans: Which Debt To Kill First?

Borrow money for an asset, that’s good debt. Borrow money for a holiday, that’s bad debt. It sounds simple, but is personal finance ever actually that black and white?

Rajen Devadason, CEO of RD WealthCreation and Licensed Financial Planner with Manulife Investment Management (Malaysia), joins Ringgit and Sense to explain why the line between good and bad debt isn't as clear as we think. 

He breaks down the one metric that actually matters and why even solid investments can turn sour. Plus, we look at the psychology of stretching for things we can't afford, and why paying off your home mortgage early might be worth it, even if the math says otherwise.

Borrow money for an asset, that’s good debt. Borrow money for a holiday, that’s bad debt. It sounds simple, but is personal finance ever actually that black and white?Rajen Devadason, CEO of RD WealthCreation and Licensed Financial Planner with Manulife Investment Management (Malaysia), joins Ringgit and Sense to explain why the line between good and bad debt isn't as clear as we think. He breaks down the one metric that actually matters and why even solid investments can turn sour. Plus, we look at the psychology of stretching for things we can't afford, and why paying off your home mortgage early might be worth it, even if the math says otherwise.

Good Debt vs Bad Debt: Is It Really That Simple?

Reaching retirement with a sizable nest egg doesn't guarantee long-term security if longevity, healthcare inflation, and unexpected shocks erode your capital. Wan Saifulrizal Wan Ismail, CEO of AmMetLife Insurance Berhad, joins Ringgit & Sense to discuss why Malaysians need to look beyond capital accumulation and pay closer attention to post-retirement financial risks. 

Wan Saifulrizal shares his three-bucket model for managing retirement savings and risk, highlights the practical limits of medical insurance, and offers basic steps to stress-test your finances ahead of retirement.

Reaching retirement with a sizable nest egg doesn't guarantee long-term security if longevity, healthcare inflation, and unexpected shocks erode your capital. Wan Saifulrizal Wan Ismail, CEO of AmMetLife Insurance Berhad, joins Ringgit &amp; Sense to discuss why Malaysians need to look beyond capital accumulation and pay closer attention to post-retirement financial risks.&nbsp;Wan Saifulrizal shares his three-bucket model for managing retirement savings and risk, highlights the practical limits of medical insurance, and offers basic steps to stress-test your finances ahead of retirement.

Home Renovations No Small Change

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