Your Money with Michelle Martin

Money and Me: Is Headline DPU Hiding the Truth About Your REIT?

Are investors focusing too much on headline DPU when evaluating Singapore REITs? Michelle Martin examines why the familiar distribution-per-unit number may not tell the full story. In this episode of Money and Me, we explore whether investors should shift their focus from the quantity of distributions to the quality and sustainability behind them. REIT specialist and Wealth Advisory Director Kenny Loh introduces a new framework - the Management Efficiency Index (MEI) - meant to help investors evaluate how effectively REIT managers generate and protect long-term income. The conversation also unpacks the risks behind 100% payout strategies, accounting optic moves, and the impact of management fees paid in units. With AGM season approaching, Kenny shares the key questions retail investors should ask management teams to better understand the resilience of distributions. Any investor heading to a REIT AGM would benefit from knowing the right questions to ask to dive beyond the numbers to get at management "sweat equity". See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Market View: Oil at $100, China’s AI Lobster Craze & Adobe’s AI Reckoning

Are you “raising a lobster”? A new open-source AI agent called OpenClaw - created by an Austrian developer - is sparking a frenzied wave of experimentation across China. The AI agent can draft reports, organise your inbox and even book you a flight. Its rapid adoption has spawned a cottage industry of small businesses helping Chinese households set up the software (you need a cloud server to run OpenClaw). Michelle Martin steers the show with markets on edge as oil surges past US$100, with tensions around the Strait of Hormuz threatening global supply and rattling investors. Meanwhile in the US, Adobe faces a leadership transition as markets question whether generative AI could disrupt its long-dominant creative software business. In our UP or DOWN segment, we take a closer look at CrowdStrike and PayPay. And in today’s Last Word, Michelle spotlight's the global rise of K-pop storytelling. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Money and Me: What you need to know about CPF’s 2028 new investment scheme today!

There will soon be a new way to grow your CPF savings, what do you need to know? In this episode of Ask CPF! Michelle Martin puts your questions to Wu Meei, Director of Investment Schemes at CPF Board. Will you still have access to CPFIS? What sort of products might you be able to invest in? How does portfolio rebalancing happen? Has this scheme been successful elsewhere? What sort of returns are possible? We also explore how the “glide-path” strategy works to grow your wealth, the fees and the key risks involved with using the scheme. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Market View: Oil War Shockwaves - Why Insurance, Defense and AI Are Suddenly Market Movers

Oil markets are on edge as Middle East conflict threatens one-fifth of the world’s oil supply moving through the Strait of Hormuz. Michelle Martin and Ryan Huang unpack the ripple effects across energy markets, global equities and insurance. Hosted by Michelle Martin with Ryan Huang, the show explores why oil prices are rising even after the International Energy Agency released a record 400 million barrels of emergency reserves. We also examine why defense stocks are suddenly being treated as safe havens by investors. In corporate news, Netflix is making a massive AI bet, while Indonesia’s GoTo surprises markets with stronger earnings guidance. Closer to home, DFI Retail surges on investor optimism while UI Boustead REIT’s public offer draws strong demand. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Money and Me: Expensive Mistakes When Market Shocks Hit

When markets shake, your instincts may tell you to run  and turn your equities into cash - but history suggests, that action may be an expensive mistake. Michelle Martin speaks with Tim Phillips, Founder of TimTalksMoney, about why investors instinctively flee equities during turmoil - and why that move may actually be self-sabotage. What separates disciplined investors from panicked sellers in turbulent times? We find out in this episode of Money and Me hosted by Michelle Martin. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.