With Apple’s latest iPhones pushing prices higher than ever, are monthly subscriptions and leasing plans the answer instead of paying cash upfront? Idham Idris, Director of Corporate Treasury Investment Services and Licensed Financial Planner at Wealth Vantage Advisory, joins Ringgit and Sense to break down how much it really costs when we spread out the payment of a smartphone.

Are these "phone-as-a-service" options good, bad, or complicated?

Idham unpacks how monthly pricing can trick our brains into overspending, and why financing options potentially trap us in perpetual upgrade cycles. He also breaks down what to watch for in telco bundles, how to set practical budget guardrails, and where to redirect your money once a phone is finally paid off.


Image Credit: Shutterstock

With Apple’s latest iPhones pushing prices higher than ever, are monthly subscriptions and leasing plans the answer instead of paying cash upfront? Idham Idris, Director of Corporate Treasury Investment Services and Licensed Financial Planner at Wealth Vantage Advisory, joins Ringgit and Sense to break down how much it really costs when we spread out the payment of a smartphone.Are these "phone-as-a-service" options good, bad, or complicated?Idham unpacks how monthly pricing can trick our brains into overspending, and why financing options potentially trap us in perpetual upgrade cycles. He also breaks down what to watch for in telco bundles, how to set practical budget guardrails, and where to redirect your money once a phone is finally paid off. Image Credit: Shutterstock

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

iPhones Are Expensive. Should You Subscribe Instead?

With trillions passing to heirs globally, preparing successors involves far more than transferring financial balances. 

Lim Eng Ping, Maybank’s Head of Wealth Management Malaysia, and Abdul Halim Abdul Rashid, Maybank’s Head of Islamic Wealth Management Malaysia, join BFM’s Ringgit and Sense to discuss how families can successfully navigate intergenerational succession.

They unpack why instilling financial discipline, business values, and stewardship early in children is essential to long-term wealth preservation. They also detail how values-aligned Shariah-compliant solutions, including Hibah, trusts, and Zakat planning, protect family-owned businesses, align values with wealth, and prevent bitter estate disputes before life events make planning urgent.

With trillions passing to heirs globally, preparing successors involves far more than transferring financial balances. Lim Eng Ping, Maybank’s Head of Wealth Management Malaysia, and Abdul Halim Abdul Rashid, Maybank’s Head of Islamic Wealth Management Malaysia, join BFM’s Ringgit and Sense to discuss how families can successfully navigate intergenerational succession.They unpack why instilling financial discipline, business values, and stewardship early in children is essential to long-term wealth preservation. They also detail how values-aligned Shariah-compliant solutions, including Hibah, trusts, and Zakat planning, protect family-owned businesses, align values with wealth, and prevent bitter estate disputes before life events make planning urgent.

How Will Your Wealth Be Passed to the Next Gen?

How should you value a stock? There are numerous ways and models to value a company, but using the wrong one can give a very misleading picture of what a business is actually worth. Pankaj C. Kumar, Managing Director of Datametrics Research and Information Centre (DARE), joins BFM’s Ringgit & Sense to break down the variety of valuation methods and explain when each is appropriate.

He dives into the P/E ratio, discounted cash flow (DCF), price-to-book price-to-sales, and EV/EBITDA, illustrating how to match specific metrics to the right industry sectors, how to evaluate analyst target prices with healthy skepticism, and when buying ETFs is smarter than picking individual stocks.

How should you value a stock? There are numerous ways and models to value a company, but using the wrong one can give a very misleading picture of what a business is actually worth. Pankaj C. Kumar, Managing Director of Datametrics Research and Information Centre (DARE), joins BFM’s Ringgit &amp; Sense to break down the variety of valuation methods and explain when each is appropriate.He dives into the P/E ratio, discounted cash flow (DCF), price-to-book price-to-sales, and EV/EBITDA, illustrating how to match specific metrics to the right industry sectors, how to evaluate analyst target prices with healthy skepticism, and when buying ETFs is smarter than picking individual stocks.

P/E, DCF, or Price to Sales: How Should You Value Stocks?

Should individual investors avoid investing in IPOs?

With data showing that two out of three IPOs in Malaysia trade below their listing price within a year, separating genuine long-term value from short-term market hype is harder than ever.

Ng Zhu Hann, CEO of TradeView Capital, joins BFM’s Ringgit and Sense to discuss why first-day price pops and high over-subscription rates can be deceiving, and what it really takes to evaluate an initial public offering (IPO).

He reveals critical prospectus red flags to look for before placing a bid, from subtle governance warnings in Related Party Transactions to single-customer concentration risks. He also shares key metrics for assessing how listing proceeds are allocated and how investors should evaluate pre-IPO dividend payouts.



Image Credit: Shutterstock

Should individual investors avoid investing in IPOs?With data showing that two out of three IPOs in Malaysia trade below their listing price within a year, separating genuine long-term value from short-term market hype is harder than ever.Ng Zhu Hann, CEO of TradeView Capital, joins BFM’s Ringgit and Sense to discuss why first-day price pops and high over-subscription rates can be deceiving, and what it really takes to evaluate an initial public offering (IPO).He reveals critical prospectus red flags to look for before placing a bid, from subtle governance warnings in Related Party Transactions to single-customer concentration risks. He also shares key metrics for assessing how listing proceeds are allocated and how investors should evaluate pre-IPO dividend payouts.Image Credit: Shutterstock

iPhones Are Expensive. Should You Subscribe Instead?

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