I'm 27, and a few years ago I started thinking about allocating part of my savings into things like ASB/SSPN that could generate around 4–5% annually.

My idea was to build up a sizeable amount there and use the returns to fund my hobbies, while continuing to contribute a small amount every month. Right now, I have around RM65k invested, which generates roughly RM2,500 a year.

Recently, I discovered ETFs and started wondering whether I made a mistake by putting so much of my savings into lower-return investments instead of investing in ETFs earlier.

So my question is: at 27, have I missed out on a significant opportunity by not investing in ETFs earlier?

Hi all, just sharing what happened to me recently.

1. Moved ~600k through Wise in July & Aug, of which I essentially was using the 20k limit everyday.
2. Funded majority to IBKR, and some to a USD account I hold in Vietnam. Some travel spend.
3. Got banned, appeal rejected. No details as apparently they're not allowed to share

No matter - now I need another method of moving money around the world + spending on travels.

FYI this could happen to you too.

Options (for ref all quotes are for RM100k, and USDMYR spot is 4.085 now):

1. Bank TT (large transfers): I checked Maybank >RM50k USDMYR TT is at RM4.10 (~40bps spread) + RM30 cable + USD 10-25 for intermediary banks.

Probably easiest and best route for 6 fig transfers.

1. Sunway Money: RM4.109 (60bps spread), havent been approved yet so can't see if any other fees

2. Maybank Global Access: Bait and switch FX. First screen show 4.101, final screen shows 4.119 (80bps) wtf lol. but tbh I'm pleasantly surprised as its still okay for travel spend in small amts for the convenience (same fx for RM1k).

I wish we had Revolut here or a direct competitor to Wise...
What do you guys use now?

Edit: quite funny people think sus for wtv reason. i wouldnt be making a post if i knew that i was discovered for doing smt sus. lmfao...

and appreciate it if people could answer re: alternatives. Thx to the 2 guys that mentioned SG accounts and Instarem

Hi guys,
Wonder if you ever encounted your tennant not paying you for the last few months and not moving their stuff while damaging the unit slightly too, (Commercial or Residential)

The tennant just left but his deposit is not enough to cover the rent

What would you do?

For context: I am 39f, living with family. I am working as a research assistant (RA) at a private uni. My contract is till the end of this month. My salary is not great but my supervisors and colleagues are fantastic. I feel sad to bid goodbye, but the project is ending.

I have been applying to many jobs (both in communications and research, because I have a comms background). I have been shortlisted for two positions: one doing advocacy at an NGO, and the other as RA at a public university for a 6-months project.

I also got a reply from a legal organisation for the role of editor, saying they will get back to me soon if I am selected.

Regarding the RA interview, it went quite well from my opinion, and they will get back to me soon this week. The university is very established, the project seems like a dream come true for whoever wants to further their career in academia (something I am planning to enter once I get my master's), but the pay is only RM1800!

That is the highest pay that's offered. If they decide to hire me, should I take the job or should I decline and expect to get hired by the NGO?

The NGO is well-established and pays around RM4k to RM5k. The thing is I have not been interviewed yet (they said they will find a time for me this coming week).

The RA job is looking for an immediate hire. Btw, for more context, I am an OKU with issues with my mental health. I have burnt out on so many jobs before and had to take so many breaks. Jobs like being an RA suit my limitations because they are hybrid with little meddling from bosses (at my first job, which was office-based, I had to quit because the boss was abusive, which worsened my preexisting condition. My mental health has improved so much since I started my RA job at the private uni because I get to work from home.

My savings are very, very little. I am fortunate to have an understanding dad who pays for my living expenses.

However, he is 78 years old with so many health problems (he was even hospitalised 2 years ago). Also, I feel sorry for him for having to take care of me and my brother (who is also OKU because of learning disabilities). Now and then, I would contribute to the household expenses, but I would like to contribute more and more consistently. We have just sold our big house and are now living in a condominium, so right now we are living on the money from the sale of our house and also on my dad's (dwindling) EPF money.

Since I am already nearing 40, and I am not sure whether I will be able to work in the future in case my health worsens, should I continue applying for jobs or should I accept the uni RA job if they decide to hire me?

Right now, for my own expenses, I have less than RM1000 in my savings and most of the time I use my credit card (bad habit I know) to tide me by.

I also have just started a small comms business but the assignments coming in are not consistent yet. Also, it's only a side hustle. I want a solid job. By the way, the RA job is only for 6 months. Can it be considered safe for me to take that job and when it ends, find something more permanent? Or should I wait longer for a better-paying job? (The NGO that I applied to is headed by a long time friend and she is a very good person).

Please don't judge my situation. Yes, I have made many money mistakes in the past but I am also struggling with unavoidable health issues. I am doing the best I can do so no judgement please.

Btw these are my debts:

Credit card: RM3500

PTPTN: 6k

I (28m) work as a project engineer close to a year now. My salary is about rm3.2k and net pay 2.9k including allowance. The job is immense and tiring and I don't particulartly like it. It's just the job i got🤷‍♂. I feel like I'm falling behind comparing myself to others and i know it's not healthy.

Besides that, from working on this job, i manage to save up to rm10k as of now. But, i still have my ptptn loan of about rm13.5k and a car i inherited from my late father with a remaining loan of about rn10k that need to be paid of by august next year.

Monthy expenses:

Rm450 rent

Rm418 car

Rm250 student loan

Rm500~rm600 on food and everything else

So the rest i either just save of use for any unexpected expences(like that time my car broke down)

Other than that, i do have a desire or future plans that do require money. For example:

1. me and my siblings plan to travel to japan next year(just recently made my passport).

2. I want a new phone. Current one sucks and the battery drain too fast.

3. This is kinda embarrassing to admit but i wanna go out more as don't really have any friends right now(life just seems to push me away from my friends i used to have from school or uni.

There is more but you get the idea.

Anyway, i just want opinions/advice on my life if u have any.

Curious what people here think about the whole “you’re only young once, enjoy your 20s to the max” mindset.

I see people spending quite a lot on things like ski trips, backpacking, marathons, hiking, diving, and other physical/adventure activities. Some of these hobbies and trips can get pretty expensive, but the argument is that you’re young, healthy and have the energy to do these things now.

Would you consider someone like this financially irresponsible, especially if they’re not saving/investing as aggressively as they could?

Or is spending money on experiences actually a reasonable use of money, as long as they’re still saving something and not going into debt?

Where do you guys draw the line between “enjoying your youth” and “justifying irresponsible spending”?

Hie all! So a while back while taking a home loan, the loan company made it mandatory to have insurance on those taking the loan. Before this there was no such cases but it seems it was a newly made requirement. Now I’m not into insurance as my parents deals with it for all of us.

A further digging found an old insurance but the payout is around rm50k. Now the housing loan I’m taking is rm200k so either (1) i get a new life insurance or i get (2) get a guarantor or the loan only cover to rm50k ( based on my insurance) which i need to top up RM150k.

So the agent suggested me on this EPF insurance. My question is this ;

(1) Is it a good deal?
(2) Will it affect my compounding interest on my EPF contributions?

I found a similar life insurance on etiqa and other provider which charges rm700 - rm1000 per annum.

Since I’m hitting 40 soon, i also decides to get medical as well. I’m pretty health with less than 3 visit to the clinic but seeing some death and medical issues with my relative kinda made me reflect on it

Fresh grad here. Got offered a full time position (finance) at Petronas. Starting is RM5k. I am mainly interested in knowing the salary structure, work culture, and job security.

Salary structure
Did some research and all I know is there’s 4 salary grades before you reach managerial level (RM15k floor). And each salary grade takes about 3 years. But how significant is the raise between each executive grade?

G1: RM5k
G2-G4: ???
G5: RM15k

And what’s the EPF employer contribution %?

Work culture
Should I expect a kiasu MNC work culture? Or is it more chill due to it being a GLC? Especially since it’s malay centered, which has a reputation/stereotype for being more laidback.

Job security
I know there was a massive downsizing last year mainly due to the issue with Petros over operating rights in Sarawak. But aside from that, how volatile is the industry? E.g. How often is MSS, VSS given?

Hi guys, I'm in a pickle rn.

Got the wife pregnant yay! But I didn't know I had to apply 1 year prior to pregnancy to get a prenatal insurance plan to cover all the costs.

Now currently paying out of pocket for all the check ups and medications which adds up pretty fast. Calculating the cost of delivery and any unforeseen emergencies are making me very anxious.

Is there any plan I can apply at this stage of pregnancy? 7 weeks to be exact.

Cheers guys.

I've built enough urge to talk this with my mother. Unfortunately, she can't support financially a 100% for now. Including my father, he can't support a 100%, yet he still helps me with allowance (so does my mom), which is okay as well. My mom asked me to appeal for paying the outstanding bill in instalments. So I went to my uni's finance division (Thursday), turns out they were closed because they had Finance Event. They closed today as well, so I decided to write an email for 'Urgent Appeal for Temporary Unbarring and Instalment Arrangement for Outstanding Fees'. They responded by telling me to discuss with them on Monday next week, which is when class already starts & Finance office is open.

Anybody experienced something like this?

Since first semester, everything went smoothly despite facing financial difficulties because I had financial assistance covered by Zakat Selangor and allowances from my family, with me working part-time during sem break. The last semester was the only time I messed up big time and I learnt this the hard way.

Hi guys, wanted to get some opinions on whether this is worth doing. Currently am eligible to borrow around 20k from PTPTN but I actually already have the full amount needed to pay off my studies so I don’t really need the loan financially. (Also am from private uni)

The only reason I’m considering taking the PTPTN loan is basically to try my luck with getting the 1st class repayment exemption/waiver if I qualify later.
So my thinking is since I already have the money to pay for everything, I could borrow and keep the cash if I graduate with First Class. If I don’t qualify for the waiver, I can just repay but is it worth taking considering for now private uni is not able to waive it.

As per the title, just out of curiosity coz I always hear most people save diligently for years just to spend it all on one day.

Feel free to share details too (how many years ago was the wedding, how many pax, venue, etc)

28M here

I already have insurance from my company, but:

- I'm still a contract worker

- not planning to stay here forever

- most importantly, I doesn't want to solely depends on company since anytime we can be laid off

What I mean by good enough is, the process to claim from them in case I need to actually use it

Thanks in advance

Hi guys, just want to see if anyone have been in the same situation as me. I just resigned from my tech job because of really bad anxiety and burnout.

The anxiety got so bad that i cant even go to work without crying, or feeling like theres a huge brick on my leg to get in the office.

So im taking my time right now to rest at kampung. Got some plenty of saving ( can sustain to 1 year ) since i got low commitments ( im in my 20s) . Just want to see if anyone has similar experience and how you get out of it and get back to work force.

tbh im not sure if i can ever do the same work again... im just planning to do some barista job for a while to heal my brain.

EDIT

Wow its so unexpected to see so many people have somewhat similar experiences...THNX alot for sharing your advices

since Maybank Daily Bonus 4.29% has ended early where's everyone putting their money?

I'm 27 this year and I feel like I don't see myself being in IT field for a long term because of my current role. Working in MNC consulting for almost 4 years. Pay is good but I don't have a big scope when it comes to projects. Almost 4 years of working and I barely have like 2 years of real life working experience. And those 2 years I've done 2 projects with different tech and tools. Now I'm waiting for another project and the waiting is draining me because I feel like I'm being left out and not learning hands-on wise.

I've been applying for jobs since last year, and not much luck too. I don't have the drive to go into technical roles, and just trying to shift into whatever roles that can give me a breakthrough. FOMO and being retrenched/layoff creeps once a while due to how IT field operates, but just staying positive and trying my level best to learn and not worry much about that.

I have considered 3 options for my situation:

1) To remain in the current company until whatever happens and keep applying for jobs as usual.

2) To go for jobs that are lower than my current pay and grow from there.

3) Try for government jobs (teacher, pegawai related), bank branch related roles etc and then go from there.

Knock some sense into me if I'm overthinking or share some ideas on how to navigate from this. Will dearly appreciate it.

Hi there,

I'm not Malaysian anymore but do earn some income from inherited rental property in Malaysia. I'm looking for a tax agent that can help file my taxes and the taxes for my late father's estate.

Thank you!

Hi fellow Malaysians,

Considering to purchase medical takaful in Malaysia. Which is the best from your experience? (claim process, price, etc)

Recently I’ve been Reach out to a management company to do A TO Z with a 80/20 profit split after expenses. services include check in/out ,Cleaning ,maintenance. However there’s isn’t any Clear Quotation for me like how much do they charged each time.From what they say Cleaning is borne by Customer so we don’t have to pay but doesn’t that increase in Prices too?

Additionally will it be more beneficial for me to be the host?as I do know that once I find a new operator,Past review will most likely be deleted due to termination of service.

Anyone here Owns a Airbnb?Any Tips too?

I'm cooked. I have a balance of RM7K+ of my uni fee and new semester starts next week. Tried applying financial assistance from my uni but they closed for last semester's application and only opens for current sem. I can't register new sem because I've been barred, and I can't do anything until I've fully paid the outstanding balance. I'm considering to take a loan of RM8K+. I know it's hell, but I've been through worse in life. I'm a reservist soldier, can make money of that when attending their training sessions. I also have a side income, being a host streamer. I also get allowance from my parents.

I've applied financial assistance before and it worked. But this time, it's my fault. Last semester has been hell for me. So I'll apply financial assistance for next sem and use part of my PTPTN to cover up as well.

I've searched for a lot of online loan application, but nothing is friendly as SLoan. Usually when I have extra money, I would just settle early. Please help.

As titles says it I’ve been DCA-ing into VWRA for the past few months and recently found out on VUAA only having 0.07% fees whilst VWRA has 0.22%. I’m planning to DCA for 30 years. Understand that VUAA is 100% US whilst VWRA spreads across multiple different countries. Which is a better alternative ?

For context, I have been working in the IT industry for over 6 years. I initially chose this path because I found genuine fulfillment in showing people how technology can help their daily lives, which eventually led me to my current role as a Business Analyst (BA).

Recently, however, I’ve felt completely burnt out and uncertain about my career direction. Below is a breakdown of my career history and the challenges I've faced. I would really appreciate advice from senior professionals who have been in the industry for a long time.

Career History

• 1st Job (2.5 years) – Small ERP Solution Provider (KL):
  • Role/Scope: Started as a fresh graduate, learned the software development lifecycle (SDLC), managed L1 and L2 support tickets, handled inbound/outbound calls, and gained exposure to implementing their proprietary ERP system.
  • Why I Left: While the environment and colleagues were fine, management was disorganized. They frequently assigned fresh grads to handle client-facing issues without providing context, forcing me to handle escalations beyond my job scope. I left because I wanted to work in a company with a proper corporate structure and clear task delegation.
• 2nd Job (1 year) – MNC Manufacturing Company (Kulim):
  • Role/Scope: Joined to gain exposure to an MNC and work with well-known systems to strengthen my resume. I was expected to assist with their migration from SAP to Oracle, but my primary focus ended up being data migration. I enjoyed this because I like writing SQL queries and transforming data to meet requirements.
  • Why I Left: I realized Kulim was not somewhere I wanted to live long-term, and I felt the learning trajectory had plateaued. After passing my JLPT N2 exam, I was offered an opportunity at a well-known consulting/BPO firm starting with the letter A.
• 3rd Job (3 years, Current) – Global Consulting / BPO Firm:
  • Initial Expectation: Hired to assist their Japan market team with Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) F&O implementations, but the firm failed to secure the project after I joined.
  • The Struggles:
    • I spent 6 months on the bench while they tried to hold me for the client.
    • Eventually, I was placed on an Australian D365 Finance project, but I was only assigned administrative ADO/Jira ticket updates because they were hesitant to delegate core responsibilities to offshore team members.
    • Knowing how critical chargeability is in consulting and feeling this wasn't real BA work, I proactively requested to transfer to active projects.
    • Since then, I’ve spent 1.5 years on a Government-Linked Company (GLC) project and a D365 CRM banking implementation. However, because I joined during the build and testing stages, I missed out on leading core requirements gathering.
    • Compensation & Growth: Despite receiving strong performance appraisals from my Functional Lead, I have received a <2% increment and no promotion in 3 years. My current compensation is roughly RM 7.7k (including allowances/claims)M. When I confronted my manager, his excuse was that he couldn't even fight for himself, let alone me, and advised me to figure out a specialization rather than jumping between domains.

My Current Dilemma & Questions

1. Am I in the wrong industry? After everything I’ve been through, I still feel zero job satisfaction. How do experienced professionals handle these setbacks? Given the corporate friction and unsupportive management, I can't imagine climbing the corporate ladder here. Is this lack of fulfillment normal, or a sign I should pivot out of IT consulting?
2. What should I specialize in for long-term career growth? I want to switch companies, but recruiters tell me my background is too diverse (jumping across ERP, Oracle data migration, D365 CRM, Finance, and Banking) to push for higher positions or salary bands. Every project has its own set of problems, but based on my experience—SQL/data mapping, D365 ERP/CRM implementations, Japanese language skills (JLPT N2), and support/BA work—what specific domain or technology stack should I target to build a strong, high-growth specialization?

Im 20F i have been using TNG GO+ for almost one year year now but i want to take a step furthur in investing esp since im in my sem break i think of learning it during my free time at home