The Employees Provident Fund or EPF is Malaysia's statutory solution for retirement savings. Every salaried employee and his/her employer is mandated by law to contribute into this fund. The fund takes the contributions and invests generally in equities, fixed income, and real estate. These investments are made both within and outside of Malaysia. At the… Continue reading Why EPF’s 2024 Report Signals Lower Returns
Tag: Malaysia
EPF’s Negative Surplus and Reserves
EPF of Malaysia just released its 2023 Annual Report on 30 October 2024. It is astounding that it took such a prominent entity in Malaysia almost a year to release this report. I guess most Malaysians do not read the annual report of their retirement savings fund. Otherwise they may be wondering what's the big… Continue reading EPF’s Negative Surplus and Reserves
Currency Exchange Rates
The Malaysian Ringgit began strengthening significantly against the US Dollar from around mid-July this year. It went from RM 4.67 for 1 US Dollar then to RM 4.33 for 1 US Dollar today. This means if you hold Malaysian assets, the asset value has increased by 7% in about 90 days when it is valued… Continue reading Currency Exchange Rates
Looking back at 2023
2023 has been a welcoming year for the world of investments, particular for equities. Strong 2023 for the US The S&P 500 index is up more than 20% this year, erasing almost all the losses from 2022. What started as a rally mainly with the big tech stocks early in the first half of the… Continue reading Looking back at 2023
Should I Buy or Rent?
Back in 2018 I wrote about owning a home as part of one's asset allocation strategy. A home is a unique asset because you can simultaneously enjoy staying in it while watch its value go up over time if it is in a good location. When you have retired, an unencumbered home with a paid… Continue reading Should I Buy or Rent?
2022, It’s A Wrap
Today is the last day of 2022, a year that most in the investing community would treat with humility. After years of runaway gains and heady valuations in stocks, bonds, properties and digital coin prices, we've now been brought back to reality. As Warren Buffet famously said, "it's when the tide goes out that you… Continue reading 2022, It’s A Wrap
The Negative 10-Year Return of the KLCI
Source: Yahoo Finance The goal of investing is to generate long term returns that beats your personal inflation rate and achieve your financial goals in life. If you've put all your investments in the Malaysian stock market for the past 10 years, you would have soundly failed your goal. As of today November 26th 2022,… Continue reading The Negative 10-Year Return of the KLCI
2020 Stocks Review
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash 2020 proved that you can never really predict what's going to happen in the stock market or the economy. As we all remember, there was a flash of panic in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic but things quickly recovered as central banks around the world printed trillions in… Continue reading 2020 Stocks Review
2020 – Lessons to be Learnt on Property Investment
2020 has been a particularly tough teacher in the Property 101 class. The Covid-19 pandemic absolutely wrecked everything in the short term rental space as tourists stopped visiting Kuala Lumpur and many business owners were affected by the movement control orders (MCO) in Malaysia. The first sign of trouble for me was a tenant suddenly… Continue reading 2020 – Lessons to be Learnt on Property Investment
The Long Journey to Financial Freedom
It is not uncommon to hear from those who are tired of their jobs that they wished they could simply stop and do something else that they might enjoy. However, reality usually strikes them in the form of bills and/or mortgages to be paid. So they simply suck it in and continue with the drudgery… Continue reading The Long Journey to Financial Freedom
The Finance Durian 