This is my first collaboration as a columnist with The New Straits Times, and Tradeview, the author of Once Upon A Time In Bursa.
Together we will be churning out weekly stories featuring retail investors who will talk about their investment journey, personal finance, portfolio diversification, among others.
Money and finance have always been my favourite subjects. “Money no enough” (钱不够用) is a popular Singaporean film which came out in 1998, followed by a sequel in 2008. The movie resonated with a lot of people.
Moreover, my name is Meijin (美金), so I guess money or finance should be my niche. Meijin means US Dollar.
I was a journalist with The New Straits Times from Oct 1999 to Aug 2017. I then joined Forest City – Country Garden Pacificview Sdn Bhd in Sept 2017, and left the corporate world in Nov 2019.
From NST to Forest City … from journalist to columnist. I like the way my life is unfolding.
Most importantly, I hope you all will like this collaboration.
Since 2019, I’ve been trying out content creation, affiliate marketing, e-commerce and I write every once in a while. There are endless things to learn, and learning keeps you young or at least makes you feel young. So one should never stop learning and investing in oneself.
Back to the collaboration with NST and Tradeview, let’s get to know Timothy Teoh a little better. He’s a software architect at REA Group Asia and a tech whizz who co-founded KitaJagaKita, PulangMengundi and also the former Chief Technology Officer of Nuffnang.
Timothy Teoh, the tech whizz
Picture Byline — feels like coming back home again
This is the first collab, and hopefully it won’t be the last. Anyone out there in Malaysia who’s passionate about money, especially if you’re a retail investor — whether you have a good or bad experience investing in stocks — do get in touch with me at
We read about scams, we hear about friends getting scammed, and we always think it won’t happen to us.
But there are many ways to skin a cat and scammers prey on our emotions, so even people who are intelligent, streetwise, knowledgeable and (maybe they were curious) sometimes let their guard down and fall for it.
Like many others, I’ve received wierd messages via WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, etc. I’ve also received phone calls from the LHDN (Inland Revenue Board).
And there was one time when “my uncle” sent me a message in Messenger asking me how I was. The person had hacked into my uncle’s account, and after a brief exchange I knew it was not my uncle.
With so many types of scams mushrooming, one really needs to be very. discerning and alert.
These scammers also employ phishing attacks, so be aware of those too.
Besides money scam syndicates, love scam syndicates, there’s also a sea of fake gurus lurking in every corner.
It’s time people learn to separate the real deal from the fakes.
ACCESSTRADE Malaysia, a popular affiliate network, was also not spared and in case you missed the story, read about it in the link below.
It’s good that the scam victims came out to share their personal encounters. Sharing is caring. Please learn from others’ mistakes, and do not believe that it will not happen to you.
Stay safe!
(This is a media collab with ACCESSTRADE Malaysia)
Only red zones should be locked down while businesses in green zones should be allowed to operate in order to revive the economy.
Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels
By Michael Tay, who is the Johor Covid-19 Pandemic Taskforce chairman, and also Johor MCA Government Coordinating Chairman.
It is not logical nor does it make economic sense to lock down the safe zones or compare Johor with other states that have a high Covid-19 infection rate.
I would urge the Federal Government and also the Johor Menteri Besar to allow eateries, hair salons and shopping malls which are not in the red zones to reopen.
It’s not about getting vaccinated anymore. People’s savings are depleting due to the pandemic. Some have already started using their retirement funds.
We should follow Sabah’s model. The Federal Government should not impose excessive restrictions on any state which do not have a high infectivity rate.
I once again urge the Federal Government to let the Menteri Besar and his committee of health professionals from the state to draw up their own SOPs in battling the pandemic.
The Menteri Besar should know the red zones, the safe zones, and the landscape and demography of his state better than anyone else. If the Menteri Besar of a state is not a health expert, then the health personnels from the top hospitals should be tasked to advise him.
The public would thank the Federal Government if businesses can re-open, as many entrepreneurs and industries are hanging by a thread over the continued lockdown.
Food court and restaurants that offer only takeaways are not earning enough to sustain their business.
The Federal Government should adopt a decentralized approach. Let each state have its own SOP.
I sympathise with the healthcare workers but I also hear the pleas of small business owners and those who have lost their jobs, who have depleted all their savings and are turning into paupers, some are resorting to a life of crime while some are contemplating suicides.
It has been reported that textile and apparel factories have ceased operations since last year, leaving about 6,000 employees retrenched. The chain reaction of that was numerous small-medium enterprises have also shut down or downsized causing about 15,000 to lose their jobs.
The problem with Selangor having such huge spike in the number of Covid-19 cases is because of the foreign workers in factories. Many of these workers are believed to be illegal, so they try to avoid getting caught. Majikan perlu ambil tanggungjawab saring pekerja asing
Factory owners should conduct tests at their own premises and isolate the workers who tested positive. This would prevent the infected ones from spreading the virus to others.
Targeted lockdowns should be practiced, and those who have received two doses of the vaccine should be allowed more freedom, if they are well. So, please don’t miss your appointment if you have been called up.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in Your Say are those of the contributor, not the blog owner.
I came across a RM800+ dart set recently and saw that it could be bought with BNPL (Buy Now, Play Later). As BNPL is currently trending, I’m just wondering if you think the facility is a boon or a bane?
It made me 心痒痒 (heart itch) when I saw the merchant offering this facility. But then, with so much economic uncertainty, unemployment and animal shelters needing help in our midst, buying a dart set really shouldn’t be a priority, especially if you’re looking at BNPL.
I decided to write about this because a BNPL provider had approached the company I work for recently. I had attended the webinar and everything looked groovy, like the zero per cent instalment and how merchants could gain the competitive edge if they have this alternative payment method.
Sure, I could own the dart set by paying in instalment but I’ll also be getting myself into a debt trap. Besides I still owe the vet RM4,000. My previous story Precious Furkids
So buying a new dart set is a definite “No No”. Don’t even think about it!
Think of instant gratification vs delayed gratification everytime you look at something which you want but do not really need. The brand new dart set may make you very happy today and the next day, and maybe the next three days, but three months later, you would be eyeing something else that you think will make you happy.
BNPL is also not regulated by Bank Negara by the way.
If you were to miss a payment, you will have to pay additional fees. Because the facility is so user-friendly, one might use it without a second thought, and easily spend more money than one should.
So many people are borrowing against the future, and they may not even know it. Or maybe they know, but don’t care. With life being so uncertain, they just want to live in the Now.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you see BNPL as a boon because of the flexibility it offers or as something to be avoided?
Here are my affiliate links in case you’re in the mood for some online shopping. Spend wisely, not extravagantly!
appeared in the print version of The New Straits Times (July 12, 2021)
Analyse Company Before Investing
KUALA LUMPUR: It has been almost 24 years since the 1993-1997 Bull Run that the Malaysia stock market witnessed such a huge influx of retail investors.
Many new retail investors are turning to the stock market due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, seeing it as a way to ease their financial constraints.
However, this has also prompted many opportunists to emerge on social media platforms taking advantage of retail investors.
“Many retail investors are genuinely good, hardworking people who are just trying to live a better life. Sadly, they fall victim to those who consider them as “lambs to slaughter” and capitalise on their lack of knowledge,” said financial columnist and author Ng Zhu Hann, better known as Hann.
Hann is the author of Once Upon A Time in Bursa – The Money Equation. Before writing the book, he had blogged under the pen name Tradeview and is well known among retail investors.
Little was known about the writer behind the moniker until the launch of the book in May 2021.
Hann, a lawyer by profession and formerly the Chief Strategist of a Fortune 500 Corporation, was referring to the recent viral video clip where a radio host had received a distress call from someone who was contemplating suicide after following the advice of a group of “fake gurus”.
The victim had purportedly lost his job due to the pandemic and was hoping to make some income from stocks. However, he lost all his savings after allegedly following the advice of the “gurus”. The man then thought of taking his own life so that his aged parents would get the insurance payout.
“Many say the stock market is a zero sum game designed for the rich and powerful. I beg to differ. If one were to invest in well-managed companies for the long-term, one’s investment will grow along with the companies’ earnings at no one’s expense.
“The stock market only becomes a zero sum game when people adopt a punter’s mindset. I grew my investment portfolio by setting aside some money to invest in companies that I like every month.
“Of course I made plenty of mistakes and lost money as well but learning from your mistakes is crucial,” Hann said.
Hann explains that the stock market was originally premised on harnessing the collective strength of investors to help fund a company’s growth. However, what started out as a good idea morphed into something that can also cause tragedies, owing to man’s greed.
“Often it is the common people that suffered the brunt of any stock market collapse or pump and dump schemes.
“In spite of all the tragedies, many retail investors still hope to “get rich quick” speculating in the stock market leading to a vicious cycle. Ignorance is not wrong but ignorance coupled with greed is a lethal combination,” he said.
Fake Gurus and The Real Deal
“These fake gurus mostly rely on social media platforms to draw in unsuspecting victims by flaunting their expensive watches, cars or mansions.
“Truly successful investors on the contrary are humble. Warren Buffet, Peter Lynch, Dr Neoh Soon Kean and Fong Siling are good role models,” he said.
Hann’s Once Upon A Time In Bursa hit the bookstores on May 30, making it the only book by a Malaysian author to top the MPH Bestsellers’ List for Business Reading in June.
Publishing company AcePremier chief executive officer John Lim said financial education is still at its infancy stage among Malaysians, and this was a cause for concern.
He started AcePremier 12 years ago and started specialising in the publication of financial books two years ago.
“While scouting for a financial author, I came across Tradeview’s articles and I like the way Hann shares his own investment journey. He encourages people to analyse a company before investing in a stock.
“Instead of opting for a shortcut by going to an investment guru, why not learn how to analyse the stock yourself and make an informed decision?”
Meanwhile TED Optimus Sdn Bhd chief empowerment officer Warren Mak, who is former Bursa vice-president (Investor Education) said the Securities Commission is doing a good job updating the public on the latest scams and unlicensed entities.
“However, people always think they will never fall victims to scams. Sometimes the people conducting investment courses may not be “fake gurus”. They may have the theoretical but lack the practical knowledge.
“Then of course there are the “syndicates”, or what we call the “Big Boys” who show up on social media platforms to offer free training only to lay market traps for unsuspecting retail investors,” Mak said.
With 28 years of investment experience, Mak’s advice for retail investors is not to be emotional.
“Do not panic when the share price goes down. If you invest in a fundamentally strong company over the long-term, one almost always makes money,” Mak added.
Article appeared in Business News (July 12) of the New Straits TimesThank you NST
I would like to thank Life of Annie for mentioning me in her latest post Thanks UCSI Vaccination Team. She even featured my Instagram post. As my vaccination was done at another center, I would like to thank the team at MITEC.
Obtained My Covid-19 Vaccination Digital Certificate
I had a very pleasant experience with the MITEC vaccination team. MITEC stands for Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre and I received both of my sinovac doses there.
There was a heavy downpour yesterday as I was on the way for my second dose. I was quite worried whether the 2nd vaccination was going to be as smooth-sailing as the first.
My 1st dose on June 19 turned out pretty well.
In fact, I would say the 2nd appointment was even better, as the team was more gracious and friendlier than the one I met during my 1st appointment.
Making A Living
On my way to the vaccination centre, I had a wonderful chat with the Grab driver — a young man who was in the sales line before he lost his job. Now he drives Grab for a living.
“We all just want to make a living. We don’t even dare to dream of prosperity anymore,” he said, adding that even those who currently have jobs are feeling insecure.
“A company that used to have a sales team of 10, for example, will bring the number down to 5. These 5 will still get the same basic salary but the sales target set by the company will be two-fold or three-fold, making it almost impossible to hit. So it’s a “take it or leave it” situation, and most will accept it if they have a family to feed.
“If you say the target is impossible to achieve, the company will say you’re now given the accounts of those colleagues who have left, how can it be impossible?”
The Grab driver fears that the wealth gap would only widen in the near future as the rich will have the opportunity to buy over a struggling enterprise.
Save The SMEs
SME Association of Malaysia president Datuk Michael Kang Hua Keong also said in a Nanyang Siang Pau (July 10) report that SMEs will choose to sell or close their business if they can’t see a future beyond the pandemic.
He said the closures of SMEs will cause a chain reaction as large companies will lose the supply chain and this could lead to layoffs, bankruptcies and a wave of unemployment.
Kang said the initiatives introduced under the National Economic Plan for MCO 1.0 and 2.0. cannot be copied and regurgitated for MCO 3.0.
Life Is About The Giving
That’s all for today. A prayer for everyone in the world battling with Covid-19 right now. May you recover soon.
Those who are in a position to help should lend a helping hand to those in need, and many Malaysians are responding to the White Flag movement.
Giving is its own reward, and life is about the giving not the getting.
People queueing for food items contributed by a restaurant here.
Is it time to wave a white flag (bendera putih)? Our existing SOP is obviously ineffective and perhaps a change of strategy is needed. This uphill battle must be exhausting!
By Michael Tay, who is the Johor Covid-19 Pandemic Taskforce chairman, and also Johor MCA Government Coordinating Affairs Chairman.
The total number of Covid-19 cases stood at 751,979 nationwide on June 30, with 6,276 new cases and 62 deaths.
Should we be reviewing our Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and maybe consider a change of strategy to fight the coronavirus?
The first Movement Control Order (MCO) was introduced to break the chain of Covid-19 on March 18, 2020 and since then, there has been the Conditional Movement Control Order, Recovery Movement Control Order, MCO 2.0, MCO 3.0
And Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin reportedly said that the MCO will only be lifted when daily new Covid-19 cases are less than 4,000.
Since the number is not going down and doesn’t look like it’s going down anytime soon — and the Prime Minister is having diarrhoea! — why not delegate the task of reducing the number of Covid-19 cases to the Menteri Besar (MB) or Chief Minister of each state?
We can follow the US model where a country with 50 states, each has its own SOP.
If the MBs are empowered to come up with their own SOPs instead of following a standardised SOP, would this bring down the infection rate?
The MB should know the red zones, the landscape and demography of his state better than anyone else.
It’s going to be a monumental task, so the MB and his own committee comprising personnels from the top hospitals in the state, will still need the assistance of the Federal Government.
But if given more power, the MB may be able to do a better job. He could draw up another SOP to complement the standardised SOP. A case in point is, the re-opening of the MPH bookstores at Vivacity Megamall and The Spring in Sarawak on June 29 based on a statement from the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee, while outlets in other states remain closed.
I believe if Johor can reduce the number of Covid-19 cases, it would be able to regain the confidence of its neighbours and attract the Singaporeans to shop and invest in the state again.
This is a win-win situation as it will also ease the burden of the Prime Minister, Senior Minister (security) Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah and National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who are the ones calling all the shots right now with one SOP implemented nationwide.
It should not be a centralised system, like what we are practising now. Delegation is a management skill that will lead to specialisation. This is not a call for Tan Sri Muhyiddin and his team to surrender. They just need to review and revamp the existing SOP and come up with a more effective SOP. It is also about time the MBs shoulder more responsibility and show their leadership in reviving the state economy and curbing the infection rate as the vaccination programme is carried out.
I take this opportunity to thank the Prime Minister for announcing the National People’s Well-Being and Economic Recovery Package (PEMULIH), which is going to alleviate the financial burden faced by those who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
The RM300,000 which will be distributed to all Members of Parliament, regardless of which camp they are in, is a good move but it should be done quickly and properly to ensure the money is channeled to those who are in financial distress.
On another matter, many people are happy with the 6-month bank loan moratorium, but we also mustn’t overstrain the banks by having one moratorium after another. I know some banks have already closed a number of their branches. You’re unlikely to see banks waving a bendera putih or white flag as they’re consolidating. They’ll just collapse.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in Your Say are those of the contributor, not the blog owner.
Michael Tay got his first jab on May 23rd.Mild side-effects after the jab.
By Michael Tay, who is the Johor Covid-19 Pandemic Taskforce chairman.
I would like to inform the public that I have received my first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine on 23rd May and the side effects were pretty mild. I’m looking forward to getting my second shot on the 13th of June.
I’m saying this to reassure some people who have come up to me and expressed reluctance to sign up for vaccination out of fear that there’ll be adverse effects after the vaccination.
I assure you there is nothing to worry about. Everyone will react differently to the vaccine but for a person who has been vaccinated, the chances of dying from Covid-19 is significantly reduced.
So, I urge everyone to sign up at MySejahtera if they have not done so yet. There are some who have registered since January but have not received any notifications yet. I would like the relevant authorities to expedite the vaccination for those who have already registered.
For those who do not know how to register, please reach out for help as there are numerous support channels. Please get yourselves registered to have better protection against the virus.
I experienced only mild side effects after the first dose in May, but reading these articles is really making my head spin. No, there’s nothing wrong with the news reports but the figures are mind-boggling.
In this article, it was stated Johor will receive up to 100,000 more Covid-19 jabs so that the Johor-Singapore borders can be re-open in June.
In another report, as of May 17, the number of people who have been vaccinated in the state was not even 10 per cent. Only 104,263 or 8.49 per cent have received their first dose while 70,488 or 5.74% have received two doses. The number of people who have registered was reportedly 1.22 million.
In another report, several community leaders noted that 1.5 million of Johor’s 3.6 million residents have registered for the vaccines but there were only 26 Covid-19 centres throughout Johor. This translates to about 50,000 people or 100,000 doses of vaccine per vaccination centre.
And most recently, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad said the state is trying to get half a million doses of vaccines from Singapore and China to boost the State’s Immunisation Programme?
All is good. Everyone’s making the effort to battle the coronavirus.
For Johor to achieve herd immunity through vaccination, about 80% of the population will need to be innoculated.
With the Movement Control Order enforced, the number of cases is still very high. I can’t imagine what the numbers will be if there were no MCO.
But what still baffles me is the numbers. I would like the coordinating minister for the National Immunisation Programme, Khairy Jamaluddin to provide us more concrete answers and not just utter promises.
Are we able to achieve the target if those who have registered in January are still waiting for their turn? And what about those who have yet to register?
Even after the Singapore-Johor borders are re-opened, I doubt the situation will return to normal anytime soon as the spending power of the people and mindsets have changed due to the pandemic.
With 2.8 million of the population in Johor still waiting for their vaccination in order to achieve herd immunity in the shortest possible time so that the economy can thrive again, we’re really counting on the Federal Government, our neighbour and also China for some assistance.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in Your Say are those of the contributor, not the blog owner.
Malaysia has gone into another round of national lockdown but I’m pretty optimistic about June. It is important to embrace self-care and self love, and maintaining a positive mindset will get us through Movement Control Order 3.0
Do not despair. There’s so many things one can do during a lockdown. We just need to get creative. Clean up the clutter in our rooms, learn to cook, take up baking, read a book, etcetera.
Start a skincare routine, if you don’t already have one. Or start pampering yourself a bit more.
Here’s a video by Sara Mack Lubis, a lawyer by qualification and journalist by profession, sharing with us her simple skincare routine, which I hope you all will enjoy.
Sara starts off with cleansing with the Georganic Red Yeast Rice Facial Foaming Cleanser, followed by toning with the Georganic Hawaiian Deep Sea Mineral Toner to restore the skin’s pH balance.
The third step is serum, and Sara has chosen the Orinbe Hyaluronic Acid Energy Ampoule. There are many different types of serums, each with a unique purpose and ingredients. The Hyaluronic Acid Energy Ampoule features the skin fitting membrane technology to keep skin soft, moist and supple.
She then uses the AHC eye cream, followed by moisturising with the Georganic Goat Milk Brightening Cream before finishing up the skincare routine with Orinbe’s 4 Season Moist Sun Cream.
Thank you Sara for sharing your skincare routine with us.
So many of us have dreamed of having flawless skin. Seeing Korean stars like Jun Ji-hyun, Gong Yoo, Park Bo-gum, Kim Go-eun, among many others, make us go gaga and set our hearts fluttering.
So when I came across this article in Getaranmy written by Amirah Abu Bakar, it got me interested. Click on the picture to get to the write-up.
5 Cara Dapat Kulit Persis Orang Korea!
In the article, the writer says Koreans through generations have used seaweed, ginseng, rice water and water among their skincare and diet regimen to maintain their skin, health and wellness.
Meanwhile, Georganic from Korea has skincare products which feature ingredients such as bifida ferment lysate extract, centella asiatica extract, goat milk extract, galactomyces ferment extract, propolis and red yeast rice extract, and is brought to Malaysia exclusively by Modern Essentials.
Now, if you’re in Malaysia and would like to try Georganic products, there are a few ways to get them. Of course the fastest way is to head over to Modern Essentials now and buy the products, which are also found on Shopee and Lazada.
Modern Essentials is also having a Flash Sale this Saturday (June 5th, 2021) at Shopee Modernessentialsme from 4pm to 8pm where you can enjoy up to 50% OFF on selected products.
And the third way is to go to the Getaranmy where there’ll be a Giveaway but the details will be announced by the news portal in due time. Good Luck, and stay safe.
For peace and racial harmony to prevail, Americans need to unite against hate crime. Love thy neighbour, love one another not hate!
By Michael Tay, Johor MCA Government Coordinating Affairs chairman.
Kudos to the New York police commissioner and chief for taking swift action in arresting and charging the 38-year-old man who had attacked a defenceless 65-year-old Asian woman outside a luxury apartment building.
I have nothing but praise for NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea who said all who lived in the city was a New Yorker and NYPD chief Rodney Harrison who urged the people to say or do something if they were to come across any hate crime, such as calling 911.
I also want to thank New York Governor Mr Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Mr Bill de Blasio, who both played a vital role in ensuring justice is delivered and expressing their outrage and disgust for the hate crimes.
Photo by Nothing Ahead from Pexels
Americans, regardless of their ethnicity and race, have to stand united against hate crime and be part of the solution in order for the hate and violence to stop.
Today marks the 53rd anniversary of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. The Civil Rights leader was gunned down in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968.
Martin Luther King Jr. had said “judge not by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character” and “all men are created equal”.
Has the younger generation forgotten the struggles of their forefathers and the legacy of this great leader, who had signed the Emancipation Proclamation which came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of black slaves?
The Asian Americans are facing challenging times now. Being a minority in America, they are feeling isolated and living in fear.
I also support President Joe Biden’s call on congress to pass a ban on weapons and tighten gun laws. There’s been too many reports of mass shootings and senseless killings. The President certainly has a Herculean task of uniting the different races in America.
Assault weapons with high-capacity and semi automatic and automatic rifles should be banned in all states. The National Rifle Association has to beef up on gun control acts and legislators to create a more effective gun control policy. They need to take more stringent measures such as conducting background checks on people who are buying guns.
Guns should only be bought for the sole purpose of protection and self-defence, not for venting anger and frustration.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in Your Say are those of the contributor, not the blog owner.
Roam with Bee 