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Month: May 2021

Leveraging On Collective Investment Vehicles For Wealth Optimisation

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“What if I lose money?”

“The stock market is DANGEROUS!” 

“I do not know how to invest.” 

Do these statements sound familiar? This mindset is typical for many Malaysians, and their very conservative nature and trust in fiat currency often leads to them keeping most of their savings in fixed deposits (FD). Although many understand that collective investment vehicles are essential to any comprehensive financial plan, there are also many hurdles that prevent people from doing so. Here are some common problems that contribute to this mental block:

Poor investment literacy

On average, investment literacy among Malaysians is relatively low compared to other countries with a more advanced and robust economy. Many people lack basic knowledge about capital markets, as well as banking products and services. Thus, this leads to a heavy reliance on FDs, while others unfortunately get caught up in investment scams. This knowledge gap can often be the main reason for many Malaysians being reluctant to invest. 

Information overload

Many often look to get involved with the stock market just by doing basic research on Google or attending stock trading courses to discover the fundamentals. However, they can quickly find themselves being overwhelmed by the large amount of complex information and contradictory advice available on the internet. Worse still, some even hire unlicensed “gurus” or end up using suspicious investment platforms.

Lack of time

Investment isn’t a random game of chance – it requires deep homework and monitoring. As most people are busy with their daily life activities, it’ll be difficult for everyone to be able to do research and monitor their investment portfolio regularly, especially if it contains exposure to equities and derivatives which can be highly volatile. 

Without enough time, they may not be responsive enough to respond immediately to drastic change in financial markets, which may cause them to lose opportunities or suffer losses during market corrections. This can be compounded if investors are trading in overseas exchanges that operate in different time zones.

Limited capital

One of the biggest challenges most investors face is having limited capital available to invest, making certain financial instruments too expensive and beyond their reach. For example, the share prices of gigantic companies like Facebook, Apple, or Tesla are often much too expensive for a new investor to buy and own.

Leveraging investment through collective investment vehicles

The lack of capital can often be resolved by leveraging collective investment vehicles coupled with proper advice from financial professionals. Collective investment vehicles provide facilities for investors to participate and invest in a wide variety of investment asset classes with the help of fund management institutions. 

Examples include unit trusts, private retirement schemes, and even funds available via government agencies and statutory bodies such as EPF and Tabung Haji. It also includes exchange traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) and passive management vehicles such as exchange traded funds (ETF).  Collective investment vehicles can be either actively or passively managed. 

Benefits of investing through collective investments

There are many advantages when investing in collective investments, namely:

Diversification

For example, an equity based unit trust fund can easily invest into 30 to hundreds of quality companies depending on the mandate. It’d be better still if investors hold a basket of different kinds of funds with a combination of various asset classes and regions. The diversified nature of collective investment vehicles actually reduces the risk and volatility of the portfolio significantly, yet benefits from the return potential of the underlying assets. 

Professional management

Investing through collective investments allow you to tap into the expertise of experienced licensed fund managers where they have a wide range of resources to access crucial market information. Professional teamwork between fund managers, investment analysts and their research team ensures that the best efforts are made to safeguard investors’ interest in benefiting from market movements. Fund managers are also able to utilise sophisticated financial tools effectively, which aren’t able to be executed correctly by the average retail investor. 

Low entry costs

Investors can begin buying shares or units with a relatively small amount of money. This is because investment funds can be highly cost-efficient as they make “bulk-purchases” through a huge pool of investor funds. Some funds even allow investors to invest on a regular basis with contributions as low as RM100, which means the investor is actually buying into fragments of quality companies using that small amount of money. 

Flexibility

Many fund management companies administer several different funds, such as money market, fixed-income, dividend, balanced and growth funds. They allow investors to switch between funds within their fund with little or no charge. This enables investors to allocate and rebalance their portfolios as per personal needs or changes in market conditions.

Choice of sectors and regions

Investing into collective investments allows you to take advantage of a wide variety of investment sectors and geographical regions. You could invest in a fund that invests in several global regions, which can reduce your exposure against big market swings in any one area. Or you could target specific countries and regions, to take advantage of the growth of their markets and gain more lucrative profits.

Investing through institutions

Would a retail investor or an investment institution have the upper hand in investing? The answer is obvious. When you leverage your investment through collective investments, you’re participating in the market through institutional investors. The level of detail and analysis that an institution does is far superior to anything a retail investor can access. 

Though there are a relatively low number of investment institutions compared to hundreds of thousands (if not millions!) of retail investors in the market, the decisions made by the institutions often create a greater impact and opportunities compared to the retail as institutional funds are huge and professionally managed.

Summary

Investing through collective investments is meant to seek leverage on the expertise, time and convenience, minimise risk and optimise investment returns through professional and sizeable fund management. And while there are plenty of collective investment vehicles and fund managers, if you remain unsure which ones you should opt for, consider consulting a licensed financial adviser or planner to work out a tailor made solution for you!  

About the author

Lee Yee Xiong, (FAR AfRFP BAAcc) is a licensed financial advisor with an accounting background and is well-versed in a holistic, independent and unbiased advisory approach. He is among the very first batch of MDRT International Benchmark Awardee in the FA Channel.  He can be contacted at YeeXiong.Lee@yesfinancial.co

6 Tips on Financial Risk Management in the New Normal

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It’s been a tough year for the world, and Malaysia is no different with Covid-19 cases rising to a new high from 2,000+ cases to 6,000+ cases daily despite several Movement Control Orders (MCO).

It doesn’t seem that the pandemic is going to end anytime soon, so what’s the best way to manage personal risks in this new normal?

Managing personal risks means being prepared for the worst possibilities that may occur.

It also means that you should ensure that if something unprecedented does happen, it would leave little to no impact on your family finances and well-being. 

Here are six tips on how to manage your financial risks in this new normal:

1. Prepare a buffer of emergency funds

Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, the economy has been severely impacted and the unemployment rate is rising. Due to the restrictions set by the government, many businesses couldn’t survive, leaving them with no choice but to enforce pay cuts, retrench staff, or in the worst case scenario, shut down their businesses.

In addition, there are also businesses that are quick to adapt and move towards digitalisation which can often mean that human capital is then regarded as redundant, leading to further retrenchments.

This turbulent time has taught us that anyone can be at stake, which is one of the main reasons why it’s absolutely crucial for us to build up an emergency fund that can last at least 6-12 months.

Having this fund will provide a buffer of cash reserves to help us weather tough times if we are no longer able to rely on our active income or even when we experience pay cuts. It’ll also help us avoid relying on a credit card for essential expenses as a go-to fund will be in place to help us stay afloat.

2. Upskill or reskill to stay relevant

With the increasing unemployment rate, the job market is becoming more uncertain and tough. The supply of labour is now greater since more people are actively seeking jobs.

Thus, it’s essential to always ensure your skills aren’t obsolete and are still relevant. That way, if you’re still employed, your company will see you as valuable and thus increases the chance of job security. 

On the other hand, jobseekers will benefit from upskilling and reskilling as you’ll remain employable and at the same time stand out in the job market. There are tons of free and paid courses to explore online.

You can check out Linkedin Learning, Skillshare, Udemy, and Coursera to name a few, and you’ll be able to upskill and reskill whenever and wherever you are. 

The Employment Insurance Scheme (EIS) under the Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) also provides vocational training to eligible participants who have been retrenched. The training cost will be covered by them and you may also be eligible to receive a training allowance.

In addition to all these, do consider being flexible and open to any job even though it’s not paying as much, as this will not only help you with learning and using relevant skills but will also help to stretch your emergency fund before you land yourself a suitable role. 

3. Reduce the risk of getting infected

The number of cases has shown that the virus doesn’t discriminate or choose its victims. We also know that people who fall under vulnerable categories have a higher risk of getting infected, and it can even be fatal for them.

Regardless of which category we’re in, it’s important to follow the standard operating procedure to reduce the chances of getting Covid-19 and to ensure that we won’t become a carrier to those who are more prone to be infected.

Try to lead a healthy lifestyle; be it in terms of adopting a balanced diet or engaging in physical activity to boost our immune system. It’s easy to opt for a sedentary lifestyle these days, especially now that some of us can work in the comfort of our home without having to travel back and forth to the workplace.

In addition to that, it’s crucial to get vaccinated to prevent you from getting infected with Covid-19, and by doing so, we can also help reduce the spread of the virus. You can register on the MySejahtera app if you’re yet to do so.

4. Be prepared for unfortunate events

As much as we try our best to maintain a healthy lifestyle, we’re all exposed to risks other than Covid-19. Death is inevitable, while total permanent disabilities and illnesses are potential risks in life.

If we’re not prepared for such events, it may leave our family finances vulnerable and possibly break the bank or worse yet, spiral into debt.

These are scary events to think of, but we have to face the fact that not preparing for them is more detrimental. So how can we start? Think about how you would want your money to be managed in these events.

For instance, if you were to pass away, how would you settle your debts and ensure the continued survival of your dependents? This is imperative for parents with minors and those with special-needs dependents.

As for disabilities and illnesses, are your funds enough to take care of this, or is it cheaper to opt to be insured in the first place?

5. Take up financial initiatives by the government 

Since the first MCO, there has been much financial assistance offered by the government to safeguard the people’s welfare as well as to continue stimulating the economy.

While some financial initiatives announced aim to help vulnerable groups and daily wage workers, there are also optional initiatives like the EPF i-Sinar advance facility and loan moratorium where you can defer your loan repayment.

So who should take up this financial initiative? Those with little or no emergency funds, high-interest debts like credit cards and personal loans, at risk of getting retrenched, experiencing pay cuts or retrenchment, or a monthly cash flow deficit should consider taking these up.

Take this period of assistance as an opportunity to reset and improve your financial situation so it’ll be more resilient to withstand any shocks. Having said that, it’s also important to understand the impact of utilising these facilities.

The EIS by SOCSO also offers a job search allowance (JSA) for those who are eligible, and if you do, you can claim this allowance for up to six months. It will be reduced over the period so you won’t be able to fully rely on this, but it’ll certainly help your emergency fund last longer. 

6. Review your investments 

‘Should I redeem my investments?’, is one of the questions I received a lot during this hard time as people are uncertain about the market. If this is what you are thinking of, review your investments and ask yourself:

What is my investment objective for that particular investment?

The objective of investments will determine how long you should stay in the market. A longer time horizon should be able to withstand the turbulence as you’re not going to need the money in the short term.

This is also where the emergency fund plays a role to increase the holding power of your investment and you won’t need to cash out in times of emergency.

Am I able to withstand the ‘roller coaster’ movement of the investment?

If your answer to this is no, you may want to switch to a lower risk profile. This doesn’t mean that you’re exiting the market; it just means that you’re lowering your exposure to high-risk investments and increasing exposure to low-risk investments so you’ll not have to experience as much volatility.

Are my emergency funds enough?

It’s essential to have a buffer of funds prior to any investment. However, different people have different circumstances these days.

If you’ve suffered a job loss, and are currently living on your emergency funds, you may want to have the a final backup plan ie. selling your investment, should you exhaust your funds before you can secure a job. It’s a better option compared to relying on credit cards.

With the current work arrangements, you may also find that you have extra money to invest. If this is the case, regularly saving will help you get into the market at different times and you will benefit from the market dip where investments are on sale!

Conclusion

Being prepared with risks will give us peace of mind that things will be taken care of. A resilient financial situation will certainly help us weather this crisis. If you’re unsure about how to go about your finances and stuck, do seek unbiased professional help. It may be a daunting period but there are also lots of opportunities.

‘Tough times never last, tough people do.’ – Robert H. Schuller

About the author

Nursyahirah Mohd Ghazali (CFP, IFP) is a Licensed Financial Planner. She strongly believes that financial education starts from home and that parents play a huge role in raising financially savvy kids, and that a collective effort from parents in this matter will result in a more financially literate generation, helping to transform Malaysia for the better. She can be contacted at nursyahirah@wealthvantage.com.my

Get Out of Credit Card Debt

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Credit card debt has been an issue for decades, especially among Malaysians. According to a report from the Malaysian Department of Insolvency in December 2019​, credit card debt made up 10% of bankruptcy cases from 2015 to 2019.

A 2015 survey from the Asian Institute of Finance revealed that 47% of Gen Y respondents aged between 20 and 33 were engaged in expensive credit card borrowings​.

These days, spending future money is so easy with credit cards where a simple wave will do or shopping online for your favourite items and only worrying about paying it later.

Many people will continue to pile up debts and only make the minimum payment each month, making things worse. This leads to huge credit card debts that seem to last forever with no end in sight.

I have a friend that used an extreme method to manage her credit card debt – she physically cut her credit card into two and never owned a credit card again.

While not everyone will need to resort to such drastic measures, are there other ways to manage credit card debt?

For me, a credit card is still a very useful financial tool that allows us to make payment for big ticket items or for emergencies where we don’t carry much cash. 

Steps to get out of credit card debt

1. Stop using your credit cards until you pay them off

Credit card balances can grow rapidly due to very high interest rates of 15% to 18% (or more)!

People often find themselves on a debt treadmill, struggling to make minimum payments and helplessly watch their principal balance grow each month. 

Stop chasing your debt balances. Use cash or debit cards until your credit cards are paid off.  In this way, you can focus on paying down your balances and you won’t be tempted to spend more than you can afford.

2. Get organised and prioritise

If your credit card debt is spread across several different banks, get organised and prioritise payments on the credit card with the highest interest rate.

Here’s a tip – the interest rate of local bank credit cards are usually cheaper than foreign banks. Review your total credit card statements and settle the debts one by one in order of interest.

3. Never pay the minimum amount

I found that many people are in the habit of paying the minimum 5% of their credit card statement each month.

Do you know that all your statements clearly highlight the disadvantage of paying the minimum each month? However, many still choose to ignore it.  

You can refer to the table below. If your outstanding debts are RM10,000 and you only pay the minimum amount (RM500), then the repayment period will be 88 months.

However, if you pay a slightly higher amount (RM600), this repayment period shortens to just 20 months. Don’t ever underestimate the rate of compounding, especially when it comes to debt.

credit card debt table - getting out of credit card debt

4. Credit card balance transfer plan

Do pay attention to promotions or offers from different banks or credit card companies. You may be able to transfer the existing balance on your current credit card to a new or unused credit card​.

This can be used to consolidate the balance from multiple credit cards into a single credit card, making the debt much easier to manage. You also can take advantage of lower interest rates compared to your existing credit card interest rate, which means you’ll pay less in the long run.​

5.  Personal loans from banks​

This works by making full use of the difference in interest rates between the loan and the credit card. Current personal loan rates can range from 5% to 8% depending on the bank and terms and conditions.

If you can get a personal loan at 5% per annum compared to 18% in credit card interest, then you can save up to 13% in interest. That’s a lot of savings!

6.  Seek help from AKPK (Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency)

Many Malaysians may not know this but AKPK can help you better manage your debt. They’re a good resource for those who are straddled with debt and are worried about being unable to pay it off. 

AKPK will help you to develop a budget, explore options for getting out of debt, and provide you with a customised action plan. They can also help rebuild your credit and offer financial advice for free!  

I’d like to highlight and repeat that AKPK is FREE. There are some scammers out there using the AKPK name to charge fees to desperate people in debt. Do be careful and always call AKPK directly.

7. Manage cash flow and spending habits

Do some budgeting and manage your cash flow every month. There are many apps that help you to track your expenses so you can understand your spending pattern and look for ways to reduce or cut irrelevant purchases. 

For example, reduce the frequency of dining out or going to the cinema, and set a limit to online shopping time.

I’ve found that many young people have the habit of buying online everyday. They say “I’ll spend RM20 only” but that RM20 will add up to become RM600 each month.

Online shopping is a great temptation and while some may say that it releases stress, trust me that piling up debts is much more stressful – it’s just that the stress comes later!

After tracking your cash flow for a few months, you may find that your expenses always exceeds your income. If there’s really no way to reduce your spending, it means your income isn’t enough to sustain you.

Instead of spending your free time relaxing, you may consider using this time to find a part-time job or even start an online business. When your income increases, then you’ll be able to pay off your credit card debts and start leading a better life.

Let me borrow a phrase from Warren Buffet to make my point: “Don’t save what is left after spending; spend what is left after saving”.   

I advocate this habit to all my clients by putting regular savings in unit trust so they can grow their money rather than complain that they’ll only save if they have money left after spending.

By saving than spending, you won’t overspend because you’ve already saved the relevant amount.

The saved amount will have many objectives such as emergency funds, retirement planning, etc, which means you won’t be using a credit card as your emergency fund and build up credit card debt.

About the Author

Andrea Siew is a financial advisor, approved and licensed by Bank Negara Malaysia and the Securities Commission Malaysia. She can be contacted at andreasiew@harveston.com.my

Setting your Short- and Long-Term Financial Goals

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When I graduated and first started my career, I always loved buying coffee at premium coffee outlets each day. It’s widely accepted and seen as a cool thing culturally, and such outlets are also a frequent hang out for friends or colleagues. I wasn’t thinking about my financial goals.

In recent times, the very trendy and fancy boba tea and or yoghurt drink culture has led to multiple chains and outlets mushrooming everywhere in our country. It’s not uncommon to find entire streets or areas such as Subang Jaya dedicated solely to selling different brands of boba and yoghurt drinks.

What could you do if you save the money used to buy a cup of coffee or boba tea each day? Imagine if you could spend or accumulate these savings over a period of a month, a year, five years, or more than 20 years?

Here are some alternatives that you can consider:

Short-term

Charitable organisation

You could make a difference in other people’s lives by helping those less fortunate than yourself. For example, for as little as RM65 per month, you can sponsor a child through World Vision Malaysia – a charitable organisation dedicated to working with children, families, and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. If there are other causes that you are passionate about, why not consider using part of these savings to donate to those organisations? 

Fine dining

If you are a food lover, why not consider celebrating a special event with your loved ones, family, or friend at a fine dining restaurant or a hotel buffet? Based on the above assumption, you may just need to save up for at least two months of drink expenses for you to enjoy such a meal. However, it’s likely to be a memorable experience instead of a routine afternoon drink!

Holiday trip with your family

Where are your favourite places to visit? I spent around RM3,000 in total for my family trip (with my wife and parents) to Kota Kinabalu two years ago. When interstate travel is allowed or after the Covid pandemic, you may consider using the savings that you put aside for over a year to bring your family for a holiday and spend quality time together.  

Books or personal development course

With RM250, you could purchase up to 10 books with one of the leading online book retailers in town. You can also consider using part of the savings to pay for a subscription to join organisations like Toastmasters for you to become a better communicator and better leader. Also, you may want to allocate the amount saved to invest in one or two personal development courses that will eventually help you to become a better person.

“The best investment you can make, is an investment in yourself. The more you learn, the more you’ll earn” – Warren Buffett

Medium-term

Save for a wedding or downpayment for a house

If you can save RM250 per month from your daily coffee/drink, you would have accumulated up to RM18,000 in a five-year period. This amount would be good for you to plan for wedding and or other medium-term goals.

And if you saved the same amount over a 10-year period, you would end up with RM46,000 in addition to your other savings. This is likely to be sufficient to pay the downpayment for a house that you have been dreaming to own!

Long-term

Private Retirement Scheme

Private retirement scheme is a voluntary long-term savings that allows individuals to save more for their retirement. By regularly saving RM250 a month or RM3,000 a year, contributors not only save up for their retirement, but also can take advantage of the tax relief available until 2025 of up to RM3,000 each year. 

Assume an individual who is only 25 years of age saves RM250 diligently every month for over 30 years in a PRS fund that grows at approximately 8%. Taking compounding interest into account, he or she would have accumulated RM375,000 by the age of 55. This doesn’t even include any other investment vehicles, such as EPF and other savings that might have been invested or grown along the way.

Saving money on a cup of coffee / tea may seem like a small amount after a single day or even over a month. However, over a long period of time, this amount can grow to become quite substantial, where there are different choices available to spend, to save or even to grow, whichever resonates with your financial goals in life. 

The aim of this article is not to say that you can’t enjoy your coffee or drink once in a while, but to give you an idea of how decisions you make will have some financial implications in the future. It’s never too early to start thinking about financial planning!

Assumptions used for illustrations mentioned above: 

  • A drink costs RM12.50
  • Saving for 5 days a week (1 month = 20 days)
  • 1 month = RM12.50 x 20 = RM250
  • Invest in a vehicle that grows with annual compounding of 8% per annum

About the Author

Goh Chee Yong is a Licensed Financial Planner under Capital Markets Services Representative License (CMSRL) and Bank Negara approved Financial Advisor Representative (FAR). He can be contacted at cygoh@imaxfinancial.com.my

Saving Towards Your RM1 Million Goal

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Lots of us would like to reach our RM1 million goal, but how do we do it?

What is your MAGIC number to reach your first million?

While it may seem like a number that’s hard to achieve, let’s break it down to see how it’s possible to do so with discipline, time and the power of compounding!

When do you want to achieve your RM1 million?

Keep a time-based goal in mind.

For example, if you set a timeline of 30 years to achieve your first million, that will take you RM2,777.78 of savings a month.
But, if you want to achieve it in a shorter time span of 10 years for example, it requires you to save a whopping RM8,333.33 a month without compounding. Therefore, keep in mind that time is your best friend.

Longer time = lesser RM saved each month
Lesser time = more RM saved each month

So, the time is NOW! It’s just a matter of how much you want to commit to saving on a monthly basis.

What is your targeted return rate?

I’d like to introduce to you the rule of 72!

Some of you may be asking what this rule is so allow me to explain.

It’s a fast track to calculate how long it takes to double your money with a fixed interest rate without using a financial calculator.

How does it work?

For example, if you have RM100,000 in a fixed deposit that yields 3% interest, how long does it take to double your money?

Simply take 72 / 3 = 24. This means your RM100,000 will take 24 years to become RM200,000. If you were to get an interest rate of 5%, 72 / 5 = 14.4 years to double your money.

Below is a table with some examples of the rate of return that will affect the amount of years needed to double up. The higher rate of return, the faster you’ll achieve your goal of RM1 million.

Rate of Return Years it would take to Double Up
3% 24
5% 14.4
8% 9
10% 7.2
15% 4.8

For example, RM100,000 at a rate of return of 15% per annum will accumulate as per the table below. This means it will take 20 years to reach RM1.6 million!

Year Amount (RM)
1 100,000
5 200,000
10 400,000
15 800,000
20 1,600,000

How much would I need to save each month?

Let’s use an example of 8% return per annum.

This table below shows that the more money you set aside, the faster you can achieve your RM1 million.

If you were to increase your savings from RM500 to RM1,000 a month, you can achieve your first million eight years faster!

Monthly Savings Years to RM1 Million
500 33
1,000 25
2,000 18
3,000 15
4,000 12
5,000 10
10,000 6

Summary

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if you’re 10 years or 30 years away from your RM1 million target. Take some time to think of the three steps below and apply the rule of 72 to it.

1. When do you want to achieve your RM1 million?

2. What is your targeted rate of return?

3. How much am I saving monthly?

With the above information now set in stone, you’re now able to clearly plan your destination and search for a vehicle or investment products that are able to drive you towards your goals.

Saving as much as you can now will help you to reach your first million as soon as possible.

The more time you let your money grow, the less you’ll need to set aside each month, and this in turn will mean you can accept lesser returns to reach your designated amount and goal.

While lesser returns may not sound attractive at first, it also means you don’t have to expose yourself to much market risk and simply let time do the work for you.

As the saying goes, better late than never.

So keep in mind that it’s never too late to start saving now and I hope this will help you to achieve your goal with more clarity and direction!

About the author 

Nick Lim is a licensed financial planner under Capital Markets Services Representative License (CMSRL) and a Bank Negara-approved financial advisor representative (FAR). He can be contacted at nicklim@imaxfinancial.com.my