The Street Articles

If you are looking for tips on how to grow the first RM10,000 or more in your savings, here are the seven smart ways you can invest and grow it. Read this article to find out. What would you do if you had RM10,000 in your savings right now? Some may splurge it on themselves or use it for their necessities, while others may stash it away for their own investments. Knowing how to manage that money is crucial, especially in this day and age where inflation, almost always, cuts through our money, making it harder for us to retain the value of our savings. In this article, we will explore the different ways you can invest and grow RM10,000. Following the announcement that contributors who are financially impacted by the pandemic could withdraw up to RM10,000 of savings from their Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Account 1, we were intrigued by what a person could actually invest in with RM10,000. Big disclaimer: we’re not advocating that you withdraw RM10,000 out of your EPF savings – what mo...

DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ You all know that cancer is a great threat to our life, but did you know that certain foods you eat every day will cause cancer? Here is a list of 21 cancer-causing foods you probably eat every day. 1. Canned Foods Most cans contain a chemical called bisphenol-A, or BPA which affects the way genes work inside the brain. So most canned foods are responsible for causing cancer. 2. Soda Pop Sodas, loaded with sugar, are a main cause of the nationwide obesity and can lead to inflammation, insulin resistance, and gastro-esophageal reflux disease. 3. Farmed Salmon Farmed salmon are fed on unnatural diets and can become contaminated with chemicals, antibiotics, pesticides, and other known carcinogens. 4. Microwave Popcorn Microwave popcorn bags contain perfluorooctanoic acid, a toxin linked to infertility in women and increases the risk of kidney, balder, liver, pancreas and testicular cancers. Most popcorns use soybean oil which can cause stomach problem...

With the new year upon us, it’s easy to say “I will save more this year” but what you might not have brainstormed is “How can I save more this year? What are the practical ways to go about it?” The good news is that even small efforts can add up to big savings over time. No matter what you’re saving money for - whether it’s to reach a savings goal, pay off debt faster or plan ahead for a holiday or first home - these simple suggestions will help you get there faster. With 16 simple suggestions, there is surely at least one that would suit you and will help you stick to your goal or resolutions this year! Treat yourself to a birthday freebie. Most restaurants, if you tell them it’s your birthday, will give you a little something just for dining with them. The key is signing up to be a member early.  Raid your drawers for unused gift cards. If you probably won’t put them to good use, re-gift or sell them.  Cancel unused subscriptions for magazines, gym memberships, for example....

  Around this time of the year, many people start to make resolutions – things they want to start doing or stop doing, to improve their life. It is not uncommon for saving and investing more to be in people’s top five resolutions.  Not sure what your new year’s money resolutions should be? Here are some ideas.   Commit to paying yourself first  When you get your paycheck, many people often spend first and then save what is left over. The problem with this is that it doesn’t guarantee any regular savings; your savings could become dependent on how much you spend each month (and often in an unplanned fashion).  In 2021, strategically pay yourself first by setting aside a fixed percentage of your income towards saving and investing (for example the 20% from your paycheck), and then spending with what is leftover.  If this is your resolution, then automation is your friend. You can set the money straight out of your spending account before you have a chanc...

 What is an anti-aging secret that not many people know about? This is not a secret, but it is something a lot of people don't know about. I am sure in the future more people will pay attention to this particular “tip”. If you want to age well, reduce sugar consumption. You must be wondering, how is sugar connected to aging at all? Here’s how: sugar has been proven to be responsible for the creation of AGEs (Advanced Glycation End Products) when it binds to proteins. AGEs are key players in skin aging. AGEs don’t just float around in our bodies. We have specific receptors called RAGE that receive them. The activation of these receptors triggers oxidative stress and inflammation. Guess what? We have RAGE receptors in our dermis! AGEs affect the removal of old collagen from the skin; in fact, glycated collagen leads to a decreased transformation of collagen III fibers into collagen I. Decreased collagen turnout is responsible for the loss of elasticity and wrinkles’ formation. Avoidi...

  KUALA LUMPUR: Perjanjian bagi pembelian 12.8 juta dos vaksin COVID-19 daripada syarikat farmaseutikal, Pfizer Inc akan terbatal jika vaksin itu gagal didaftarkan dengan Pentadbiran Makanan dan Ubat-ubatan Amerika Syarikat (FDA) dan Bahagian Regulatori Farmasi Negara (NPRA) Kementerian Kesihatan.  Perkara itu dimaklumkan Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah menerusi Twitter, hari ini.  Ia susulan pengumuman Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin semalam bahawa Malaysia sudah memeterai dua perjanjian yang memberi jaminan untuk negara mendapatkan bekalan vaksin COVID-19 bagi menampung keperluan imunisasi 30 peratus rakyat.  Ia termasuk perjanjian dengan Pfizer Inc yang berpangkalan di Amerika Syarikat (AS) yang dimeterai pada 24 November lalu membabitkan bekalan 12.8 juta dos vaksin untuk 20 peratus atau 6.4 juta rakyat.  Perdana Menteri turut menegaskan, syarikat itu bagaimanapun masih perlu mendapatkan kelulusan FDA dan NPRA sebelum vaks...

 KUALA LUMPUR: The Employees Provident Fund's (EPF) i-Sinar facility is now accessible to all members who have lost their jobs, given unpaid leave, or have no source of income. Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz told the Dewan Rakyat today that the decision to widen eligibility for withdrawals was made after a meeting with EPF this morning. "Whether you have lost your job or experienced pay cuts; whether your do formal work or are self-employed; whether you are an active member or not, you can apply for the i-Sinar facility. "From the two million eligible members before this, now more than eight million members will be eligible," he said during his winding-up speech on the 2021 Budget in Parliament today. Zafrul said the maximum eligible withdrawal amount has also been increased from RM9,000 to RM10,000. "Members can apply for this online, or go to an EPF office. Just show proof of job loss or pay cuts." During the tabling of the 2021 Budg...

  PETALING JAYA: Beginning Dec 14, employers can submit their employee's EPF applications to maintain the statutory contribution rate for employees at 11%. "All submissions for this purpose are to be done via the i-Akaun (Employer) portal only. This is in line with the EPF’s efforts to ensure physical distancing and minimise face-to-face interactions to prevent the spread of Covid-19," EPF said in a statement on Saturday (Nov 28). EPF said that it is limiting employers from coming to its branches, as well as restricting officer visits to employer premises. "Employers can only be at EPF branches for the purpose of employer registration with an appointment made via Janji Temu Online. "Payment for monthly EPF contributions, as well as Late Payment Charges & Dividend, can be done via i-Akaun (Employer), Internet banking, and appointed bank agent counters," it said. For other matters including advisory services and account management, EPF said employers can ...

 Here are some Investing and Economic insights: Bonds are a form of debt. It is a loan from investor to a company or government. So, bond investors are paid interest. The Islamic equivalent of bonds are called sukuk. Sukuk form a large chunk of the Malaysian bond market. As at end-October 2020, 63.5% of the Malaysian total bond market size of close to RM1.6 trillion1 were sukuk. Why do government issue bonds / sukuk? Government issue bonds / sukuk to raise money for development expenditures, working capitals and to promote the growth of the country. Malaysian Government Securities (MGS) and Government Investment Issues (GII), which are long-term bonds, are issued by the Malaysian government to raise money for development expenditures. Meanwhile, Malaysian Treasury Bills (MTB) and Malaysian Islamic Treasury Bills (MITB) are short-term bonds issued to meet the government’s working capital requirements. Why do companies issue bonds / sukuk? Companies issue bonds or sukuk to raise mone...

 Scrambled, poached, or boiled, eggs are a popular breakfast food the world over. Yet the health benefits of the humble egg might not be all they’re cracked up to be as new research from the University of South Australia shows that excess egg consumption can increase your risk of diabetes. Conducted in partnership with the China Medical University, and Qatar University, the longitudinal study (1991 to 2009) is the first to assess egg consumption in a large sample of Chinese adults. It found that people who regularly consumed one or more eggs per day (equivalent to 50 grams) increased their risk of diabetes by 60 percent. With the prevalence of diabetes in China now exceeding 11 percent — above that of the global average of 8.5 percent — diabetes has become a serious public health concern. The economic impact of diabetes is also significant, accounting for 10 percent of global health expenditure (USD $760 billion). In China, diabetes-related costs have exceeded USD $109 billion. Epi...