The Financial Coconut Podcast

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 stepping outside Singapore can completely reshape your perspective on life, work, and success.👍 If you enjoy stories of entrepreneurship, travel, and building a life outside your comfort zone, subscribe for more conversations like this.---🎧 The Financial Coconut: Your weekly source for empowering financial knowledge and unlocking possibilities. We explore personal finance, investing, and entrepreneurship to help you build a richer life. Join us as we explore personal finance, investing and more.Get ready to take control of your financial future and live your best life, financially wise: https://linkin.bio/thefinancialcoconut📍 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBESpotifyApple PodcastYouTube🔗 CONNECT WITH USGet daily tips, insights, and community:InstagramTikTokTelegramWhatsappNewsletter📺 MORE FROM OUR NETWORKDiscover our other shows and deep dives on YouTube⚠️ Disclaimer:The content discussed in this episode is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. The information provided is based on our understanding at the time of recording and may not reflect the current regulations or market conditions. The opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily represent those of The Financial Coconut. Please do your due diligence before making any investment or financial decisions.

Most Singaporeans don't realise our neighbour up north has been quietly building a franchise empire for over three decades, and 2026 might be the biggest edition yet.We sit down with Kairul Azman Mohd Yusoh, Secretary General of the Malaysia Franchise Association, at the Marrybrown Sentosa flagship to unpack why FIM (Franchising International Malaysia) 2026, happening 21–23 May at KLCC, is officially the longest-running franchise event in the region. We're talking 150+ companies, 250+ exhibitors, and a 70/30 local-international mix.From homegrown icons like Marrybrown (45 years strong), Manhattan Fish Market, US Pizza, Global Art and Smart Readers, to the National Franchise Policy 2030 with its five strategic pillars, this is a masterclass in how a country systematically scales SMEs into global brands.If you've ever wondered whether franchising is a smart, lower-risk way to start a business, this conversation is your starter pack. Watch now.---🎧 The Financial Coconut: Your weekly source for empowering financial knowledge and unlocking possibilities. We explore personal finance, investing, and entrepreneurship to help you build a richer life. Join us as we explore personal finance, investing and more.Get ready to take control of your financial future and live your best life, financially wise: https://linkin.bio/thefinancialcoconut📍 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBESpotifyApple PodcastYouTube🔗 CONNECT WITH USGet daily tips, insights, and community:InstagramTikTokTelegramWhatsappNewsletter📺 MORE FROM OUR NETWORKDiscover our other shows and deep dives on YouTube⚠️ Disclaimer:The content discussed in this episode is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. The information provided is based on our understanding at the time of recording and may not reflect the current regulations or market conditions. The opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily represent those of The Financial Coconut. Please do your due diligence before making any investment or financial decisions.

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 mismatchHow MOM investigates unfair hiring practices and foreign talent quotasWhy SMEs are struggling despite rising costs and stagnant revenueThe real effectiveness of upskilling, Place-and-Train, and grit programsWhat the government is doing to protect local wages in a volatile global economy---🎧 The Financial Coconut: Your weekly source for empowering financial knowledge and unlocking possibilities. We explore personal finance, investing, and entrepreneurship to help you build a richer life. Join us as we explore personal finance, investing and more.Get ready to take control of your financial future and live your best life, financially wise: https://linkin.bio/thefinancialcoconut📍 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBESpotifyApple PodcastYouTube🔗 CONNECT WITH USGet daily tips, insights, and community:InstagramTikTokTelegramWhatsappNewsletter📺 MORE FROM OUR NETWORKDiscover our other shows and deep dives on YouTube⚠️ Disclaimer:The content discussed in this episode is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. The information provided is based on our understanding at the time of recording and may not reflect the current regulations or market conditions. The opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily represent those of The Financial Coconut. Please do your due diligence before making any investment or financial decisions.

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, and used that fear to build something bulletproof. Ed? He wrote poems about his job, and then one day decided it wasn't worth it anymore.We dig into:How they set their retirement target in the 1990s with zero internet and no Google - and why the number they picked still holds up todayTheir 50/35/15 portfolio split - and why they don't think you need to be a stock-picker to winThe "UAT" approach to retirement - how they tested living abroad in Bangkok and Japan before committing to the lifestyleWhy they don't believe in retiring too early - and the age bracket they think is the sweet spotPost-retirement identity, purpose, and what actually keeps you fulfilled when the title and the payslip are goneThis isn't a story about being lucky or childless or rich. It's about making decisions consistently over 20 years, and what that actually buys you.---🎧 The Financial Coconut: Your weekly source for empowering financial knowledge and unlocking possibilities. We explore personal finance, investing, and entrepreneurship to help you build a richer life. Join us as we explore personal finance, investing and more.Get ready to take control of your financial future and live your best life, financially wise: https://linkin.bio/thefinancialcoconut📍 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBESpotifyApple PodcastYouTube🔗 CONNECT WITH USGet daily tips, insights, and community:InstagramTikTokTelegramWhatsappNewsletter📺 MORE FROM OUR NETWORKDiscover our other shows and deep dives on YouTube⚠️ Disclaimer:The content discussed in this episode is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. The information provided is based on our understanding at the time of recording and may not reflect the current regulations or market conditions. The opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily represent those of The Financial Coconut. Please do your due diligence before making any investment or financial decisions.

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 about earning more, investing smarter, or designing a completely different lifestyle… this episode might make you rethink the path.🎧 Tune in to hear Evan’s full story, and the lessons hidden between the numbers. ---🎧 The Financial Coconut: Your weekly source for empowering financial knowledge and unlocking possibilities. We explore personal finance, investing, and entrepreneurship to help you build a richer life. Join us as we explore personal finance, investing and more.Get ready to take control of your financial future and live your best life, financially wise: https://linkin.bio/thefinancialcoconut📍 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBESpotifyApple PodcastYouTube🔗 CONNECT WITH USGet daily tips, insights, and community:InstagramTikTokTelegramWhatsappNewsletter📺 MORE FROM OUR NETWORKDiscover our other shows and deep dives on YouTube⚠️ Disclaimer:The content discussed in this episode is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. The information provided is based on our understanding at the time of recording and may not reflect the current regulations or market conditions. The opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily represent those of The Financial Coconut. Please do your due diligence before making any investment or financial decisions.

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 into real investment portfolios. In this conversation, she explains why disciplined, research-driven investing may matter more than reacting to headlines.We discuss:Why market prices already contain more information than most investors realiseThe difference between active investing, passive investing, and systematic investingThe real drivers of long-term stock returns: size, value, and profitabilityHow professionals avoid value traps and falling knivesWhether geopolitics and oil prices should affect your portfolioThe truth about global diversification (and why many investors aren’t truly diversified)Why predicting markets is far harder than people thinkWhether you're a beginner investor or someone building a long-term portfolio, this conversation offers a deeper look into how markets work and how disciplined investors navigate uncertainty.---🎧 The Financial Coconut: Your weekly source for empowering financial knowledge and unlocking possibilities. We explore personal finance, investing, and entrepreneurship to help you build a richer life. Join us as we explore personal finance, investing and more.Get ready to take control of your financial future and live your best life, financially wise: https://linkin.bio/thefinancialcoconut📍 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBESpotifyApple PodcastYouTube🔗 CONNECT WITH USGet daily tips, insights, and community:InstagramTikTokTelegramWhatsappNewsletter📺 MORE FROM OUR NETWORKDiscover our other shows and deep dives on YouTube⚠️ Disclaimer:The content discussed in this episode is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. The information provided is based on our understanding at the time of recording and may not reflect the current regulations or market conditions. The opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily represent those of The Financial Coconut. Please do your due diligence before making any investment or financial decisions.

After nearly a year of conversations with founders, creators, and entrepreneurs, the TFC Business Show is wrapping up its current format.But before we move into the next phase, we’re looking back at the most memorable stories, unexpected insights, and biggest lessons from the journey.From founders who built businesses from scratch to creators turning passion into thriving ventures, this episode reflects on what it really takes to build something meaningful.Expect honest reflections, behind-the-scenes moments, and a few unfiltered thoughts about entrepreneurship.🔔 What’s NextThe TFC Business Show isn’t ending—it’s evolving into something new.Make sure to follow the show so you don’t miss the next chapter.If you enjoy conversations about business, founders, and entrepreneurship, like the video and subscribe for more.---🎧 The Financial Coconut: Your weekly source for empowering financial knowledge and unlocking possibilities. We explore personal finance, investing, and entrepreneurship to help you build a richer life. Join us as we explore personal finance, investing and more.Get ready to take control of your financial future and live your best life, financially wise: https://linkin.bio/thefinancialcoconut📍 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBESpotifyApple PodcastYouTube🔗 CONNECT WITH USGet daily tips, insights, and community:InstagramTikTokTelegramWhatsappNewsletter📺 MORE FROM OUR NETWORKDiscover our other shows and deep dives on YouTube⚠️ Disclaimer:The content discussed in this episode is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. The information provided is based on our understanding at the time of recording and may not reflect the current regulations or market conditions. The opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily represent those of The Financial Coconut. Please do your due diligence before making any investment or financial decisions.

After 160 episodes and 3 years of conversations, the entire Wise and Shine team is back together for one final discussion.But this episode is different.We’re sharing the real story behind the show, the lessons we learned, and why we’re pressing pause on the podcast… for now.From its humble beginnings to becoming a platform for honest conversations about careers, personal growth, and the changing world of work, Wise and Shine has explored the realities that professionals face today.But the world of work is changing faster than ever.Hear from our host and co-hosts:Reggie – Founder of The Financial CoconutDawn Cher – Author of Take Back Control of Your Money and SG Budget BabeAlex Loh – Next Coach helping professionals navigate career transitionsCheryl Lau – Producer behind the recent evolution of Wise & ShineSo what happens next?💬 Question for you: What was your favourite Wise & Shine episode or lesson?Let us know in the comments.If you’d like the show to return in a new format, tell us what topics you want us to cover next.---🎧 The Financial Coconut: Your weekly source for empowering financial knowledge and unlocking possibilities. We explore personal finance, investing, and entrepreneurship to help you build a richer life. Join us as we explore personal finance, investing and more.Get ready to take control of your financial future and live your best life, financially wise: https://linkin.bio/thefinancialcoconut📍 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBESpotifyApple PodcastYouTube🔗 CONNECT WITH USGet daily tips, insights, and community:InstagramTikTokTelegramWhatsappNewsletter📺 MORE FROM OUR NETWORKDiscover our other shows and deep dives on YouTube⚠️ Disclaimer:The content discussed in this episode is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. The information provided is based on our understanding at the time of recording and may not reflect the current regulations or market conditions. The opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily represent those of The Financial Coconut. Please do your due diligence before making any investment or financial decisions.