Episode 079 – Personal Finance In Malaysia | Suraya from Ringgit Oh Ringgit
Hello FI Europeans! Today we talk with Suraya from the Malaysian personal finance blog Ringgit Oh Ringgit: in her blog she analyses many aspects of personal finance management and life in general in Malaysia, and with her we talk about the personal finance scene, how she became a writer and her aspirations for the future. Enjoy!
We also talk about:
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- Malaysia’s ethnic diversity
- Malay fiscal status
- Financial education in Malaysia
- The utility of reddit’s communities
- Personality quizzes and personal finance
- Saving/spending balance
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What do people struggle with the most in Malaysia money-wise?
Suraya explains that maybe the biggest economical problem in Malaysia is that salaries don’t increase: a lot of people struggle with it, and in a country with a very diversified ethnic and cultural composition this diffuse state of uncertainty could lead to tensions between different groups. Suraya traces back to the educational system as one factor that could be improved to overcome the situation.
Suraya’s approach to personal finance
Suraya started very early being interested in personal finance, and she has always been very open and curious about her finances and its management. Through her blog she tries to raise the awareness of Malaysia’s citizens to face the double challenge of job quality and quantity in an active way through a responsible use of their finances.
The many benefits of blogging
She started her blog as a portfolio to showcase her skills as a finance writer while looking for a job, and suddenly started to receive offers to work as a freelance writer in business and finance. She then made the switch and went self-employed, and she’s still able to write two articles per week for the blog, where she keeps sharing her experiences and meet people. She tries to have a different approach than the ‘top-down’ approach typical of many financial blogs and that she finds very present in the Malaysian education system.
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