What does your role as Chief Executive Officer at Smart Investor (Malaysia) entail?
As a CEO, I oversee the company's entire operations. With competent managers of respective departments, I have no problem delegating the work to the team, as they know their work better than me.

I’m also looking for new ways to diversify our income streams, as we can’t depend on magazine subscriptions alone. I believe smart partnerships are the way to go rather than building something from scratch.

What sets Smart Investor (Malaysia) apart from other investment magazines?
Smart Investor has been around since 1995, and I’m proud to say that the fact that we still exist today is an achievement on its own. We have seen other competitors close shop or move entirely online, whereas we still maintain our physical magazine as there’s still a niche to it.

What sets us apart is our content which is of the highest quality. We can combine a subject matter expert’s opinion and make it into more layman’s terms, so it can reach a wider audience. This allows us to bridge the gap between experts in the field and the man on the streets.

We also partner with the authorities, for example, the Financial Planning Association of Malaysia (FPAM) and the Federation of Investment Managers Malaysia (FIMM), where they recognise our magazine as an approved reading material, which allows their members to claim for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points. 

What is the most important thing that this role has taught you about personal financial management?
I had prior financial management and investment knowledge before taking up this role, and I work with a licensed financial planner who is taking care of my personal finances. But after joining Smart Investor (Malaysia), I have access to more experts, regulators, and higher-ranking officials, which I could only dream of before this.

It is true that ‘your network is your net worth’, hence I have been upgrading myself by connecting and mingling with an entirely new crowd. I’ve also recently taken up the Islamic Financial Planner (IFP) certification to better equip myself with industry knowledge. This combination allows me to go deeper and allows me access to instruments that were not accessible previously. With this knowledge, I can impart more meaningful and impactful sharing to the Smart Investor community.

What sort of pitches would catch your eye? How can PRs work with you to create a win-win situation for everyone?
I welcome anyone with an exciting idea or pitch about the financial and investment industry to work together, so we can increase Malaysia’s financial literacy to a higher level. My goal has always been to help as many people as possible, and nothing is more satisfying than seeing them succeed in life.

What are the editorial plans in the coming months? What kind of content can readers expect from Smart Investor (Malaysia)?
In the coming months, we will cover more on youths, technology, strategies, and SMEs as we brace for the upcoming recession. We are already in a period of high inflation and interest rates, with many struggling to make ends meet. I sincerely hope these insightful content will help our readers weather the storm.

You worked with investment titles for many years, what are some of the key / significant investment patterns that you have observed from Malaysia’s investment market over the past two years while the investors are hit by ringgit depreciation?
The key here is diversification. We’ve all heard the famous saying, ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket’. I have a little bit here, a little bit there - stocks, property, robo-advisor, unit trust, private mandate, digital assets, gold, equity crowdfunding, NFT. I hold on to this advice very strongly. The reason is that this diversified portfolio will allow you to absorb shocks that may come along the way. For example, I made huge gains with the stock market and cryptocurrency in 2020 & 2021, but the market plunged in 2022.

All my investments were in the red last year except for my EPF and ASB. With diversification, you don’t have to worry about the market being bullish or bearish, you just continue to invest. If history taught us anything, the market would always go up. Except for a downturn every 10 to 12 years, which is a necessary correction.

In your opinion, where do you see ChatGPT going in future of investment management?
I’m very impressed with what ChatGPT can accomplish. Now that we have ChatGPT-4 or ChatGPT+, the AI is even more intelligent and powerful. Regarding the future of investment management, yes, it can suggest where to invest or what stock to buy, but can it be personalised to an individual?

As we all know, everyone has their level of risk tolerance and preference, so the answers might not be tailor-made and very specific. You still need an investment advisor or a licensed financial planner to really understand an individual before being able to suggest or recommend an investment plan.