Podcast · Business

Chills with TFC

by The Financial Coconut · English · Business

Life is not always about learning from people that you already agree with. We believe perspectives shape a rounder thinker. Join our guests and hosts who consist of seasoned investors, financial analysts, and experts in their field to share more on how you can be smarter with your money and make b

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 48 min
Latest: 7 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 11 min

SGX UCITS ETFs: What Singapore Investors Need to Know [Chills 287 ft MoneyOwl & SGX]

Would you buy an ETF just because it is cheaper, more tax-efficient and easier to access from Singapore? With new UCITS ETFs coming to SGX, that choice is about to become much more relevant for local investors. But convenience is only one part of the equation. In this episode of Chills with TFC, Reggie, Dawn, Chuin Ting Weber and Kang Wei Chin unpack what investors should actually look at before choosing an ETF: the index underneath it, withholding tax, brokerage costs, bid-ask spreads, liquidity and whether “passive” really means passive. They also get into a surprisingly important…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E286 · 30 Sep 2026 · 50 min
Cancer at 34: Could You Afford a Year Without Work? [Chills 286, Sponsored by Prudential]
Most of us plan for the hospital bill. But what happens if you cannot work for months… or even a year? Daniel was chasing FIRE. Then cancer forced him to stop working… but not in the way he had planned. At 34, Daniel found a lump after a 5km run. Nine days later, he was diagnosed with stage 2B Hodgkin lymphoma. Six months of chemotherapy followed: 12 sessions, 13kg lost and a treatment bill of over $300,000. His hospitalisation plan covered the treatment. His employer continued paying him for six months, while an early Critical Illness payout provided additional support. The bigger lesson?…
E285 · 23 Sep 2026 · 40 min
Are You Getting the Most Out of Your Credit Card? [Chills 285, Sponsored by Trust Bank]
For years, the credit card debate had two camps: Team Miles or Team Cashback. Now, Trust Bank is adding a third contender, which is Stockback. This week on Chills with TFC, Reggie sits down with Dawn from SG Budget Babe, personal finance YouTuber Demi Zhuang and Johnathan Chua from The Daily Ketchup Podcast to compare how they reward their spending. Dawn reveals why becoming a mum pushed her from cashback to miles. Demi shares the surprisingly elaborate card strategy she uses while furnishing her new home. Johnathan knows firsthand how even a small oversight, like a forgotten S$17 Uber…
E284 · 16 Sep 2026 · 45 min
Indonesian Professional Pursues Singapore Dream with a $2.5M FIRE number [Chills 284 ft Pandeka]
His first salary in Jakarta was S$150 a month. He saved 40% of it. Eleven years on in Singapore, he sits seven or eight years out from a S$2.5 million FIRE number, with two kids and a helper. Meet Deka, the Indonesian professional who built 630,000 subscribers in eighteen months teaching the thing his banker friends in Jakarta had never heard of: index investing. No gurus, no hot tips, no McLaren on the feed. Just a fixed split of every payday, half of every bonus into IBKR the day it lands, and a household that runs on one salary. Deka breaks down how he outsaves his childless Singaporean…
E283 · 9 Sep 2026 · 58 min
NDR 2026 Experts Take: More Money, More Leave, But Will Singaporeans Have Kids? [Chills 283]
Singapore's National Day Rally 2026 changed how family support works. In the past, families got a bigger payout for each additional child, more money for the second child, even more for the third. That system is gone. Every child now receives the same flat support each year, no matter their birth order. Our guests explained why this matters more than the dollar amount itself: incentive-based payouts push people toward having more kids, while flat, universal support signals something different, that the government backs parenting itself, not a specific birth count. The change does not fix…
E282 · 2 Sep 2026 · 50 min
Are SGX Companies well governed and truly undervalued? [Chills 282]
Everyone says Singapore stocks are going cheap. So one guest pulled the Bloomberg numbers before walking into the studio: small caps here trade at 13 times earnings on average. Hong Kong? About four. Malaysia, 11. Her verdict: not undervalued. "Fairly priced." Meet Lawrence Loh, the NUS professor who has scored SGX-listed companies on governance for over a decade, and Hwee Li Ong, the SAC Capital CEO who takes companies to market. No sell-side spin, no vague optimism, no box-ticking. Just data, hard questions, and the odd coconut analogy. In this Chills with TFC, they break down why large…
E281 · 26 Aug 2026 · 37 min
Why Fixed Income May Matter More In Today’s Market [Chills 281, Sponsored by Aberdeen]
Most investors love talking about equities. But in a world of higher interest rates, geopolitical uncertainty, tariff risks, AI disruption, and shaky market narratives, fixed income may be more interesting than many people realise. Natalie Tan , Head of Wholesale for Southeast Asia, and Nathaniel Wilson , Fixed Income Investment Specialist at Aberdeen Investments, break down how bonds, credit strategies, investment grade, high yield, emerging market debt, frontier bonds, and short-duration fixed income actually fit into a portfolio. Not as “boring stuff for retirees”, but as tools that can…
E280 · 19 Aug 2026 · 51 min
Burnout Doctor broke Bond to pursue Barista FIRE [Chills 280]
Burnout stories are common. What is rare is someone who actually steps off the “helicopter track” and rebuilds life from scratch. Dr Faith Nadine Choo, The Side Quest Doctor, did exactly that. After clocking 70 to 80 hours weekly and surviving 30‑hour hospital calls, she realised she was running on empty. Her turning point came during a palliative posting, watching a patient her age face terminal illness. That moment forced her to confront what she was truly chasing. Dr Faith eventually broke her medical bond, paid a six‑figure penalty, and redesigned her life around freedom, health and…
E279 · 12 Aug 2026 · 41 min
How A Singapore Tennis Coach Built A Million-Dollar Portfolio [Chills 279 ft SGWealthJourney]
A millionaire tennis coach sounds like a flex… until you hear the grind behind it. Meet Jun Chong , a tennis coach who started the sport "too late" at 13, who runs Jun Tennis Academy in Singapore, and who today is a self-made millionaire investor behind SGWealthJourney. Explore his story on the early gains that made him cocky, the all-in earnings gambles that almost wiped him out, and the painful pivot to a calmer, emotion-aware investing approach. This conversation is a reminder that wealth is not built from one perfect strategy. It comes from work, skin in the game, painful feedback, and…
E278 · 5 Aug 2026 · 43 min
How Can AI Make You a Better Investor? [Chills 278 ft Tree of Prosperity, Steady Compounding]
Many retail investors chase tips, trends and rumours, yet overlook the one thing that consistently improves results: better thinking. We break down how AI‑style reasoning helps investors ask sharper questions, reduce emotional bias and build clearer decision frameworks. Learn: - Practical habits such as defining investment objectives, stress‑testing assumptions - Understand how data guides long‑term choices. - Gain a grounded look at how structured thinking supports confidence, especially in volatile markets. This is a useful watch for anyone who wants to improve discipline, avoid common…
E277 · 29 Jul 2026 · 42 min
From Broke Founder to $4M in 10 Years: FIREPath Lion's Comeback Story [Chills 277]
He failed his startup. Lay awake at night convinced he'd ruined his financial future. Ten years later, he's sitting on a $4 million portfolio. Meet FIREPath Lion , the pseudonymous Singaporean blogger who shares everything most personal finance creators won't: his exact salary, every bonus, every investment, every number on the way to FIRE. No gurus, no day-trading, no genius stock picks. Just Bogleheads-style passive investing, aggressive saving, and a brutal honesty about what failure taught him. FIREPath Lion breaks down how he climbed back from broke, why he believes the 4% rule changed…
E276 · 22 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 5 min
The Smarter Way To Build Wealth While Working Full-Time [Chills 276, Sponsored by Webull]
Most people want to get rich faster. But what if the smarter move, especially in your 20s and 30s, is not squeezing every dollar out of a tiny portfolio? For busy professionals, wealth accumulation may start with something less sexy but far more powerful: growing your income, managing your spending, and consistently investing the difference. Chris How (semi-retired, founder of retireby50.me ), Chris Chong (45K-sub FIRE YouTuber, ex-accountant), and Chris Ng (engineer-turned-CFA) break down what has aged badly in the investing world, from crypto hype to thematic funds, blind loyalty to jobs,…
E275 · 15 Jul 2026 · 37 min
Globally Diversified Funds Are Too Concentrated For The New World [Chills 275, Sponsored by Amundi]
Your “global” portfolio might not be as global as you think. Many investors buy a world index believing they are diversified across the planet. But if a large chunk of that exposure is still concentrated in the US, and especially in US tech, are you really spreading your risk? Reggie flew to Paris for the Amundi World Investment Forum and sat with Guy Stear, Head of Developed Markets Strategy, Amundi Investment Institute, to unpack what comes next. The hot take from one of Europe's largest asset managers: the next leg of AI won't be electrical engineering in Silicon Valley - it'll be the…
E274 · 8 Jul 2026 · 47 min
Can SGX consistently be a great investment market? [Chills 274 ft Louis Chua & Jamus Lim]
Why are more Singaporeans investing overseas instead of at home? In this episode of Chills with TFC, Reggie sits down with Louis and Jameis to unpack what it would really take to make Singapore’s stock market more vibrant again. The conversation goes beyond returns. It looks at the deeper issues behind the SGX, from company fundamentals and corporate governance, to liquidity, retail participation, and whether stronger local capital support could help create a healthier market. Singapore has built itself into a trusted global financial centre. But when younger investors think about equities…
E273 · 1 Jul 2026 · 56 min
Where can you live better? Paris vs Singapore [Chills 273, Sponsored by WeBull]
Would you move back to Singapore if your salary doubled? For some Singaporeans living in Paris, the answer is not as obvious as we think. Yes, France comes with higher taxes, strikes, smaller apartments, language barriers, and a very different pace of life. But the trade-off is also real: stronger healthcare coverage, more holidays, cheaper schooling, employee benefits, unemployment support, and a lifestyle where money is not always the only scoreboard. This conversation goes beyond the usual “Paris is romantic” fantasy. It looks at what life actually feels like when you compare salary,…
E272 · 24 Jun 2026 · 50 min
Can Feng Shui Help You Engineer Wealth? [Chills 272, Sponsored by Imperial Harvest]
We spend a lot of time talking about wealth strategies, career moves, investing, business, and personal growth. But what if some outcomes are shaped not just by effort, but also by timing, environment, and the patterns we keep repeating? Dawn, SG BudgetBabe and Anthony sit down with Grandmaster David from Imperial Harvest to explore a different lens on success: Ba Zi, Imperial Feng Shui, luck cycles, AI, decision-making, and whether people can shift their outcomes when they feel stuck. We discuss why some people seem talented but still face repeated roadblocks, whether AI can replace…
E271 · 17 Jun 2026 · 45 min
The Jobless Club: How They Are Building Their Way Out of Corporate Rat Race [Chills 271 ft Jobless Club]
Three Singaporean software engineers. One target: $30,000 monthly recurring revenue. One end goal: retire in Chiang Mai. Meet the Jobless Club — Sean, Joseph, and Jonas — a trio of full-time engineers spending their nights and weekends building side businesses that could free them from the corporate grind. Their bet against the lone-wolf indie hacker model? Three founders are more sustainable than one. They've already turned a knife sharpening side hustle into S$16K in revenue, killed off projects that didn't pay (a Be Real-style Telegram bot, an NUS matching tool), and built a quarterly…
E270 · 10 Jun 2026 · 47 min
Climbing Out of Poverty in Singapore (And Why So Few Actually Do) [Chills 270]
Singapore loves the story of social mobility. But behind the headlines, there's a quieter story: poverty is often an entrenched social class, and very few people actually climb out of it. Syainda Abdul was one of them. At 17 she was changing diapers. Married into an abusive relationship. Living in rental flats. Surviving on $900/month ComCare aid with $1,200 in expenses, and using $20 of that aid to buy a Canva subscription so she could cold-call companies and hustle freelance design gigs. Today? She works at a global bank. She's part of the middle class. And she's running another race.…
E269 · 3 Jun 2026 · 45 min
The Truth About the Asian Middle Class Life (And Why It Looks So Different Here) [Chills 269]
Two helpers. Two drivers. Two cars. That was middle class life back home for our guests in KL, Jakarta, and Hong Kong. So why on earth did they choose to leave it behind for a 4-room HDB and the MRT? Sit down with Shen, Music Programme Director, Mickey Salim, and Theros, Founder, Yinvest.co to unpack the viral IG post comparing middle class life across ASEAN. They get into the painful trade-offs: cheap drivers and lower living costs back home vs reliable healthcare, public transport, and shorter commutes here. They dig into the unspoken comparison Tetris with neighbours and church friends,…
E268 · 27 May 2026 · 46 min
Unemployment Maxxing: These Gen Zs Hitchhiked Their Way From Sg to Krabi [Chills 268]
What do you do when the job market is trash and you’ve got a Masters degree but zero interest in a cubicle? You hitchhike to Thailand, obviously. Hear from Yihui and Jake, two 'crazy guys' who went viral for hitchhiking from Singapore all the way to Krabi. But this isn't just a travel vlog, it’s a deep dive into the 'Fun Employed' lifestyle. We’re talking about the reality of 'unemployment maxing,' the pressure of seeing your peers get married and buy BTOs while you’re volunteering on a potato farm, and whether 'brand name' internships actually matter when the world is falling apart. Unpack:…
E267 · 20 May 2026 · 54 min
The Perpetual UNEASE felt by Singaporeans with Money explained [Chills 267 ft Teo You Yenn]
Why is it that in one of the wealthiest nations on earth, we still feel like we’re never quite 'safe'? Sit down with a true legend in the Singapore literary and academic scene. Eight years ago, she changed the national conversation with her bestseller This Is What Inequality Looks Like. Now, she’s back with a new project that might be even more uncomfortable…because this time, it’s about you. Introducing our guest: Teo You Yenn A sociologist, Associate Professor at NTU, and Director of the Centre for the Study of Social Inequality. You Yenn has a unique gift for taking heavy academic…
E266 · 13 May 2026 · 52 min
How a 26-Year-Old Freelancer Bought a $1M Condo at 26 [Chills 266 ft Chrissy Crossy]
She's 26, single, and just bought a near $1 million condo on a freelance income. The internet refused to believe it. Meet Chris Chross, Producer & Sound Recordist, Continuum Creatives - the Singaporean millennial whose TikTok went viral when she filmed her parents' reaction to her solo condo purchase. But the headline misses the actual story. Behind the viral moment is a brutal practical playbook: why she went condo over HDB (singles can't BTO), how she saved and earned $20K in 10 weeks for the down payment, the mortgage haircut every non-9-to-5 worker needs to know about, and why she still…
E265 · 6 May 2026 · 45 min
She Moved to Vietnam With 2 Cats, Now She Runs One of Hanoi’s Best Bakeries [Chills 265 ft Sheereen]
What happens when you leave Singapore at 21, move to Vietnam, and start life from scratch? Sit down with Sheereen Amran, Founder, Baked and Friends, a Singaporean entrepreneur who built one of Hanoi’s most loved bakeries after taking a leap into the unknown. Her journey wasn’t simple. She faced job rejections, cultural shocks, and even launched her bakery during the COVID lockdowns. But a simple cookie experiment at home eventually became the bakery’s signature product and helped build a loyal following. This episode explores what it really takes to build a business overseas, and how…
E264 · 29 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 3 min
War, AI, Singapore's Professionals are anxious, so what's the plan? [Chills 264 ft Ministry of Manpower]
Global shifts. Local wages. SMEs on the brink. What does it actually mean for your paycheck when elephants fight and grass gets trampled? We got a senior policymaker to cut through the noise and get straight answers on Singapore’s job market, foreign talent, and who really pays the price of growth. Guest: Dinesh Vasu Dash (Singapore’s Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) & Manpower (MOM), and Mayor of South East District) What you’ll hear: Singapore’s “job shortage” vs. skills mismatch How MOM investigates unfair hiring practices and foreign talent quotas Why SMEs are…
E263 · 22 Apr 2026 · 47 min
Chubby FIRE at 50! Travelling 120 Days a Year! [Chills 263]
What does retirement actually look like when you've done it right? In this episode, we sit down with Nicole and Edward, a Singaporean couple in their early fifties who've been fully retired for four years. They didn't inherit wealth. They didn't go all in on crypto. They built their exit the slow, boring, brilliant way, and now they travel 120 days a year, ski across Japan, and still have the financial runway to prove it works. But here's what makes this conversation different: they're not selling you a formula. Nicole spent decades in banking, watched every major financial crisis unfold,…
E262 · 15 Apr 2026 · 48 min
We Challenged a CEO Before His IPO… Here’s What Happened [Chills 262, Sponsored by Kin Global]
This audio is for information purposes only and does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation for sale or subscription of or solicitation or invitation of any offer to or recommendation to buy or subscribe for any securities. Any person wishing to subscribe for and/or acquire any securities in Kin Global Limited will need to make an application in the manner set out in the Offer Document dated 14 April 2026 registered by the SGX-ST, acting on behalf of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. You are responsible for your own investment choices. A copy of the Offer Document is…
E261 · 8 Apr 2026 · 35 min
My 'Boring' Uncle Portfolio Makes $200K a Year [Chills 261 ft Stocks.cafe]
Could you actually "quit" the Singaporean rat race and still pull in a massive annual income? Meet Evan Koh, the "nerdy engineer" and Founder of Stocks.cafe, who did exactly that. After a PhD and a decade-long stint in Japan, he returned to Singapore with a $200,000 annual passive income and a new mission: hitting the gym and living life on his own terms. From building tools for investors to creating a life funded largely by passive income, Evan shares pieces of a story that might challenge how you think about work, money, and freedom. If you’ve ever wondered whether financial freedom is…
E260 · 1 Apr 2026 · 49 min
The Art & Science Behind Building Diversified Portfolios [Chills 260]
Markets are volatile. Headlines are everywhere. Oil prices are rising, geopolitics is heating up, and investors everywhere are trying to predict what happens next. But what if trying to predict the market is the biggest mistake investors make? How should you actually invest in a world that feels unpredictable? Sit with Wei Dai, Global Head of Research, Dimensional Fund Advisors, to break down the science behind investing and why long-term strategies often beat trying to outguess the market. Wei Dai leads a global research team studying how markets behave and how academic insights translate…
E259 · 25 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 10 min
‘Love Is Not Enough’ Why Couples Must Talk About Money [Chills 259, Sponsored by OCBC]
Is talking about money before your wedding unromantic, or is it the ultimate act of love? From 'death files' to treating a marriage like an M&A merger, we’re peeling back the layers on how to build a financially stable future without the awkwardness. Dive into the uncomfortable but necessary conversations couples should have before and during marriage, and why avoiding them can lead to bigger problems later. Joining us are: Vasu Menon, Managing Director, Investment Strategy, OCBC Bank - a wealth management veteran who brought his expertise home to his own marriage Wong Kai Yun, Senior…
E258 · 18 Mar 2026 · 50 min
The New Scams Hitting Professionals (Most People Don’t See It Coming) [Chills 258]
🚨 Think you’re too smart to get scammed? Think again. Sit with Beaver Chua , Managing Director and Head of Group Anti-Fraud at OCBC Group - a former police officer now leading the fight against scams inside one of Singapore’s largest banks. Many scam victims today aren’t careless. They’re educated professionals and investors who thought they knew better. In this episode, we explore: Why white-collar professionals are prime scam targets How investment and government impersonation scams actually work The powerful role of pressure and secrecy in scam tactics How AI and new technology could make…

About Chills with TFC

Chills with TFC is a English business podcast from The Financial Coconut. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: The Financial Coconut
Language: English
Category: Business
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 48 min
Latest episode: 7 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1757885597

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