The Straits Times Podcasts

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S1E22: How financially literate are Singapore’s youth? Feb 27, 2023

Show notes

Why youths do not want financial advice from a 'suit', but from those they can identify with.

Synopsis: Every second and fourth Monday of the month, The Straits Times takes a hard look at social issues of the day with guests.

ST's podcast editor Ernest Luis and business journalist Tay Hong Yi invite two young Singaporeans in their early 30s to share their own financial literacy awareness, and concerns about the financial knowledge level of youth in the country.

Shubaashini Vijayamohan is a lead designer with ThinkPlace Singapore and Kenneth Lou was previously the co-founder of personal finance community Seedly till last year, and he is now looking at new start-up ventures in the healthcare sector.

They discuss highlights from a new poll on youth financial literacy commissioned by the National Youth Council. The survey had 500 youth participants aged 16-34. The full poll results will be out on March 1 at the Youthopia website: https://str.sg/wFbN

This episode is brought to you by the National Youth Council, in support of Forward Singapore: https://str.sg/wFbx

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:45 Over half of survey respondents said they engage in financial planning, with a quarter saying they plan to

6:15 Why financial confidence still not high among youth

10:40 Why youth want a source of unbiased and factual truth that is not what financial institutions push; rise of 'FinFluencers' (financial influencers who are not dressed in suits)

13:28 Tips for youth: Using robo-advisors, avoiding being a 'leaky bucket'; dealing with 'fear of missing out'

20:25 Investments rank the highest goal in terms of financial literacy for those surveyed: Why insurance and protection should be foundationally important

22:55 Context: Big difference between a child's pocket money and when an adult gets the first pay cheque, credit card

Listen to Pt 1: Mentoring youths and how professionals can drive Mentoring SG - https://str.sg/ikqK

Listen to Pt 2: Listen to 2 singles react to new youth poll on public housing priorities - https://str.sg/wtPm

Listen to Pt 3: Listen to a young married couple reacting to new youth poll on public housing priorities - https://str.sg/wtPW

Read more: https://str.sg/wvu6

Produced by: Deepanraj Ganesan (gdeepan@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis & Eden Soh

Edited by: Eden Soh

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Special edition series:

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2

Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn

Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB

Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa

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S1E94: Why future is dim for US-China crisis management: Asian Insider Feb 20, 2023

Show notes

Why perceptions of being “soft” on China will increasingly be a political liability in the US.

Synopsis: Each fourth Friday of the month, The Straits Times' US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh presents an Asian perspective of the biggest global talking points with expert guests.

Relations between China and the US are in for more rough weather with bipartisan consensus on China in the United States, a new House Committee hawkish on China, and visits to Taiwan by US lawmakers imminent which are bound to upset Beijing.

Find out why intensifying political contestation in the United States in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election will have an impact on relations with China.

In this episode, to assess the path ahead for the contentious and fragile relationship, Nirmal Ghosh hosts Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for South-east Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Dr Adrian Ang, Research Fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:31 After the Xi-Biden summit in Bali in November 2022, both sides were searching for a base in the relationship

2:41 No dedicated hotline unlike during the Cold War; Biden’s China policy is tougher than Donald Trump’s

5:10 New House Select Committee on China will put more pressure on the Administration to be tougher on China

06:13 House Committee on China Chair visiting Taiwan in late spring will further strain the relationship

7:08 China is the last bipartisan issue in which there is consensus in the United States; no daylight between the parties

Produced by: Nirmal Ghosh (nirmal@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim and Fa’izah Sani

Edited by: Hadyu Rahim and Fa’izah Sani

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Asian Insider videos: https://str.sg/wdcC

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Special edition series:

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2

Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn

Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB

Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa

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S1E9: Retirement planning mistakes to avoid: Invest Talk Feb 19, 2023

Show notes

Find out how to generate as many as 8 streams of income for retirement.

Series synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get our tips on working smarter, getting ahead in your career and investing like a pro with ST's business correspondents and editors.

Host Lee Su Shyan - associate editor at The Straits Times - offers you an extra edge in managing your hard-earned money.

In this episode, Su Shyan speaks with Mr Jonathan Chan, a senior financial services director at PhillipCapital, Singapore’s largest retail brokerage. Mr Chan has nearly three decades of experience in the finance industry and has been conducting retirement planning seminars since 2015.

Mr Chan highlights some of the common mistakes that investors make, such as keeping too much cash. Instead, he offers tips on how people should look at using their capital to set up multiple income streams, which will then allow them to enjoy a more comfortable retirement.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:10 Outlook for inflation and interest rates

2:21 Common mistakes made by investors in retirement planning

4:48 How much cash should you be keeping?

6:27 Hear about creating as many as 8 different retirement streams

8:02 Property as a retirement stream? Crucial factors to consider

Produced by: Lee Su Shyan (sushyan@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Teo Tong Kai and Eden Soh

Edited by: Teo Tong Kai

Follow ST's new Your Money & Career Podcast channel here:

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Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m

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Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX

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Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL

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Special edition series:

True Crimes Of Asia (new): https://str.sg/i44T

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2

Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn

Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB

Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa

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Do note: All analyses, opinions, recommendations and other information in this podcast are for your general information only. You should not rely on them in making any decision. Please consult a fully qualified financial adviser or professional expert for independent advice and verification. To the fullest extent permitted by law, SPH Media shall not be liable for any loss arising from the use of or reliance on any analyses, opinions, recommendations and other information in this podcast. SPH Media accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever that may result or arise from the products, services or information of any third parties.

#moneycareer

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S1E93: Forest carbon offsets - scam or climate saviour? Feb 19, 2023

Show notes

Our expert guest offers his evaluation of a recent investigation by British media outlet The Guardian.

Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change.

Forests are one of nature’s ways of soaking up large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), helping apply the brakes to climate change. This explains why halting deforestation and replanting forests makes sense. Investors who do this, want to earn a return for their efforts by selling tradeable “offsets” representing a tonne of CO2 removed, or avoided from being emitted, such as protecting a forest under threat from clearing.

Forest carbon offsets have become big business, helping offset buyers to reduce their carbon footprint and meet their climate targets, in addition to other carbon-cutting steps that they must take. But rainforest carbon offsets are controversial because of concerns over the quality of the credits and projects and whether the forests will really remain standing for the long term. And do these projects really lead to big reductions in deforestation?

The issue has come to the fore after a recent investigation by The Guardian, which concluded that rainforest carbon offsets issued by Verra, the world's main certification body for offsets, were mostly worthless. Though widely panned as being flawed, the conclusions by The Guardian have highlighted the need for further tightening of the standards and scrutiny of forest carbon offsets.

In this episode, ST's climate editor David Fogarty hosts Professor Koh Lian Pin - director of the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions - who has been working to boost the integrity of nature-based carbon offset projects. He looks at the pros and cons of rainforest carbon offsets.

Highlights of conversation (click/tap above):

1:19 What are forest carbon projects?

4:56 How much carbon are we talking about?

7:15 Why have these projects been so controversial?

12:15 “The good must continually get better” in carbon accounting and monitoring

17:08 “The highest quality carbon offset is actually the one we don’t need.”

Produced by: David Fogarty (dfogarty@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Hadyu Rahim

Edited by: Hadyu Rahim

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Follow David Fogarty on Twitter: https://str.sg/JLM6

Read his stories: https://str.sg/JLMu

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Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX

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Special edition series:

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2

Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn

Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB

Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa

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S1E1: Budget 2023: Audio highlights from DPM Lawrence Wong's speech Feb 14, 2023

Show notes

Parliament will next debate the Budget and the spending plans of various ministries from Feb 22 to March 6.

Synopsis: In this episode, you will hear audio highlights of Budget 2023, as delivered by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong on February 14.

He announced more support measures and payouts to help households, workers and businesses deal with inflation in his Budget speech. DPM Wong loosened the Government’s purse strings in a $123.7 billion proposal - about 18.2 per cent of Singapore’s GDP.

Highlights (click/tap above):

0:43 More help for prioritised first-timers to secure BTO flats

3:00 Baby Bonus cash gifts

6:50 More payouts from Assurance Package; new Cost-of-Living Special Payment

9:45 CPF monthly salary ceiling to be increased to address future retirement needs of ageing population

More Singapore Budget 2023 stories and full details at: www.straitstimes.com

Audio courtesy of Parliament of Singapore

Produced by: Ernest Luis (ernest@sph.com.sg), Hadyu Rahim and Teo Tong Kai

Edited by: Hadyu Rahim

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Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX

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Special edition series:

True Crimes Of Asia (new): https://str.sg/i44T

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2

Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn

Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB

Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa

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S1E22: How the US and China reacted to the 'Balloon': Power Play Feb 13, 2023

Show notes

Why the US wanted to send a strong signal to China and how this was also about domestic politics.

Synopsis: The Straits Times examines various facets of the US-China rivalry and its implications for Asia.

Join Charissa Yong and Danson Cheong - ST’s US and China correspondents respectively based in Washington DC and Beijing - as they take a look at America’s response to the alleged Chinese spy balloon, and the global fallout.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:10 Why China was dismayed

2:28 Why Biden responded the way he did

4:27 China’s unusually conciliatory stance

7:25 The US-China spiral of suspicion

Produced by: Charissa Yong (charyong@sph.com.sg), Danson Cheong (dansonc@sph.com.sg), Teo Tong Kai and Fa’izah Sani

Edited by: Teo Tong Kai and Fa’izah Sani

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Follow Danson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dansoncj

Read ST's Power Play articles: https://str.sg/3xRE

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Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX

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Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL

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Special edition series:

True Crimes Of Asia (new): https://str.sg/i44T

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2

Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn

Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB

Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa

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S1E21: Does my banana look like your banana? Intellectual property in the art world Feb 12, 2023

Show notes

Are copycat art pieces going to become a legal battleground?

Synopsis: The Straits Times takes a hard look at social issues of the day with guests.

Three years ago, Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan sold a banana duct-taped to a wall for a cool US$120,000 (S$167,000) at Art Basel Miami. But according to American artist Joe Morford, it was plagiarised from his own artwork of a duct-taped orange and banana.

Did Morford sufficiently prove that Cattelan's banana infringed his banana? And will a legal victory for Morford against Cattelan embolden others to proceed with similar legal actions against literally hundreds of thousands of "copycat" images found on every corner of the Internet?

Here to make sure no one goes bananas is Mr Ryan Su, an art and intellectual property lawyer at OC Queen Street LLC, who had personally seen the infamous banana at Art Basel Miami in 2019. Deputy news editor Grace Ho hosts him in this episode.
Highlights (click/tap above):

1:20 Ryan describes his personal experience of seeing the banana artwork at Art Basel Miami

6:47 How does one determine if copyright infringement has taken place?

8:58 Different kinds of copying

10:50 How difficult it is to prove that one has previously seen and copied an artwork

15:50 What lessons the rest of the art world can draw from this case

Read the article here: https://str.sg/wvZa

*Regular host and Insight editor Grace Ho has changed portfolios at The Straits Times to become its deputy news editor this year but will return later to partner podcast editor Ernest Luis in hosting for certain episodes.

Produced by: Grace Ho (graceho@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Hadyu Rahim

Edited by: Hadyu Rahim

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Discover ST's special edition podcasts:

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2

Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB

Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa

Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn

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Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7

Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf

Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN

Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m

Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX

#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad

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Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas

Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ

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S1E59: Zoom CEO Eric Yuan on when he knew his app was going to be big Feb 12, 2023

Show notes

Synopsis: Listen to audio snippets as The Straits Times' executive editor Sumiko Tan gets up close with newsmakers over lunch - and a selfie.

China-born American billionaire Eric Yuan is a businessman, engineer, and the CEO and founder of Zoom Video Communications.

Read Sumiko Tan's full stories here: https://str.sg/Jbhe

Lunch With Sumiko videos: https://str.sg/wPrB

Produced by: Sumiko Tan and ST Video team

Edited by: ST Video team and Penelope Lee

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Discover ST's special edition podcasts:

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2

Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB

Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa

Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn

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Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf

Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN

In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt

Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m

#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad

ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE

Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas

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S1E2: Edison Chen sex photogate (Pt 2): Can I Tell You Something Crazy? Feb 10, 2023

Show notes

The shocking sex scandal that forced him actor and pop star Edison Chen of Hong Kong's film industry.

Synopsis: Host Jan Lee takes a look at how the saga unfolded in a new scripted series under the #PopVultures banner, titled Can I Tell You Something Crazy.

Actor and pop star Edison Chen was at one time one of the hottest, most promising young celebrities in the Hong Kong entertainment industry. But a shocking sex scandal forced him out of the city's film industry.

Now, 15 years after the scandal, and in this second episode, host Jan Lee covers how the police responded to the case, including their bungled first arrest of the entire saga - Chung Yik-tin - which led to netizens marching on the streets in protest to demand for his release.

She looks at the trial of Sze Ho-chun, a computer technician eventually sentenced to jail for stealing the photos off Chen's laptop, Chen's CNN interview following the trial and his comeback in Hong Kong entertainment.

After sharing her thoughts about how the scandal was covered, Jan wraps up by giving updates on the lives of Chen, Chung and Cheung now.

Find Part 1 here: https://str.sg/wv4r

Find the series' episode on Leslie Cheung here: https://str.sg/iZ9z

Produced by: Jan Lee (janlee@sph.com.sg) & Penelope Lee

Edited by: Penelope Lee & Teo Tong Kai

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