The Ringgit appreciated to RM4.1895 against the US dollar this morning. 📈

Could this be due to the ASEAN Summit and PMX?

Yes, but it’s not the only driving factor.

Allow me to explain. 🧵 1. Currencies fluctuate due to supply and demand.

Many factors influence this balance, such as:

• Interest rates by central banks
• Domestic growth & trade
• Foreign investor confidence and capital flows
• Inflation

🗣️What apps are you using to manage your money?

Me: AEON Bank (My Main Spending Account):

✅ Earn 3% pa in Savings Pots

✅ Up to 4% cashback on grocery spending

✅ 0.50% cashback on debit card spending

✅ Protected by PIDM

✅ Shariah-compliant

If one was born B40, how does one get out of it? 😯

This powerful question was posted on Threads recently, and it quickly went viral.

Allow me to share the top answers. 🧵 1. Almost every reply revolved around the power of Education.

One user shared how his father was a rubber tapper and his mother a labourer.

Today, he’s a medical lecturer and a general surgeon.

A few positive things from DOSM’s recent salary report:

• Malaysia’s median wage rose to RM3,000 in March (+5.5% y-o-y).

• The pay gap between genders is now almost equal.

• Wages went up for all age groups.

More numbers. 🧵 1. Looking across age groups,

the most notable increase is among workers under 20, whose median wage surged by 13.3% to RM1,700.

^ This is probably due to the implementation of the minimum wage of RM1,700.

EPF, ASB, and ASM take one year to generate 5-6% returns.

It’s safe, stable, and consistent.

But if you want to retire earlier (or more comfortably), you have to explore different assets to maximize your returns.

Let me explain. 🧵 1. Assuming your investments generate ~5% per year, it will take about 14.4 years for your current funds to double.

This is a LOONG TIME.

1.18 billion units of ASM, ASM2, and ASM3 are now open for all Malaysians to invest.

For non-Bumis, this is the highest paying place for you to grow your emergency funds.

If you’re a beginner, here’s an unsponsored guide on everything you need to know.

🧵 1. ASM, ASM2, and ASM3 are unit trust funds that offer stable returns with low risk.

Each unit is always fixed at RM1, so you can plan your investments without worrying about price swings.

There are also 3 other fixed-price funds (ASB, ASB2, ASB3), but they're only for Bumis.

I read through the 222-page SST document.

Here’s (almost) everything the current govt considers as “non-essentials”.

🧵 1. IMPORTED FRUITS

- Apples
- Oranges
- Starfruit
- Ciku
- Lemons
- Rambutans
- Jackfruit
- Longans
- Papayas

As long the fruit is imported, it will be taxed, regardless of whether its counterpart is locally produced.

I went to Kyoto and Osaka for 9 days.

These are the travel tips I wish I knew.

🧵
1. Book a hotel that’s within walking distance of the subway station.

Don’t hesitate to spend a bit more for a comfortable and spacious room.

An extra 30 sq ft means A LOT, especially when you’re carrying big luggage.

It’s not just Nasi Lemak.

White Rice: +73.7%
Chicken Satay: +113.7%
Roti Canai: +71.1%
Beef Meat: +98.6%
Cockles: +400.3%
Big Onion: 139.4%

🧵

https://twitter.com/ByJasonNg/status/1917144400326697312

1. Meanwhile, the reported national inflation rate during this period (2011-2024) was 28.7%.

The annual average was 2.05%.

What are tariffs anyway?

And what does Trump aim to do with them?

If you have no clue of what’s happening and how it will impact you, read on to understand more.

🧵

https://twitter.com/NewsBFM/status/1907598984790908974

1. Tariffs are a tax placed on foreign goods entering the country.

They are usually implemented to protect local producers and strengthen domestic supply chains.

This is why buying local stuff is (usually) cheaper than imported goods.

I read the financial statements of 4 different insurance companies.

Can you guess how many made net profits and declared millions in dividends in 2023?

🧵

https://twitter.com/NewsBFM/status/1903990152663609709

The answer: All FOUR of them.

Prudential
• Revenue: RM5.07 billion
• Net profit: RM963 million
• 2023 dividend: RM451 million
prudential.com.my/en/.galleries/…

AIA Bhd
• Revenue: RM7.22 billion
• Profit after tax: RM1.41 billion
• 2023 Dividend: RM582 million
aia.com.my/content/dam/my…

By age 30, your savings should fall into one of these categories:

• Basic: At least RM38,000 😅

• Adequate: At least RM47,500 👌

• Enhanced: At least RM85,400 🤑

This is according to EPF’s Retirement Income Adequacy (RIA) Framework. 🧵 1. Why these figures?

Each category represents a different retirement goal:

• Basic: Aims for RM390,000 by age 60

• Adequate: Targets RM650,000 by 60

• Enhanced: Puts you on track for RM1.3 mil by 60

I went to Japan for 9 days and paid with 4 different travel cards.

Here’s an unsponsored review of which is the best. 🧵 1. GXBank is still the best travel card, for now.

Though the purple bank’s cashback on local spending has been reduced to 0.1%,

The cashback on foreign spending is still 1% and covers almost everything, including:

• Petrol
• Hotels
• Flight tickets
• Bill payments

etc.

5.80% is EPF’s highest payout in 3 years.

I honestly think EPF deserves more credit than it actually gets.

Allow me to explain why. 🧵 1. If your salary is RM5,000 and below:

• You’ll contribute 11% of your pay

• Your employer contributes 13% of your pay

Total retirement savings: 24% of your salary every month.

Housewife shares on Facebook how she manages to save RM200-250 per month on husband’s RM1,500 salary.

After EPF deductions, the take-home pay is only RM1,335. 😬

Quite a few things to learn about budgeting from here.

Allow us to break it down for you. 🧵 1. In the post, she mentioned that she is a full-time housewife, her husband is the sole breadwinner, and they have three children.

She is currently staying in a People’s Housing Program (PPR) flat and pays RM124 per month for rent.

Petronas is in trouble.

And the rakyat is going to suffer from it.

The oil and gas giant is expected to lose 30% of its revenue due to the gas distribution agreement with Petroleum Sarawak (Petros).

Read on to understand what’s happening. 🧵 1. Back in May, Sarawak signed a deal with Petronas to take over all of the gas distribution in the state.

It is part of Abang Jo’s plan to “go solo” in managing the state, rather than relying on the Federal Government for development.

This is how I’m currently managing my salary and investments.

Allow me to explain why I’m doing it this way.

🧵 1. Budgeting: 50/30/20.

This rule is simple and allows me to live in the moment while saving for the future.

You can adjust these percentages to fit your budget, but make sure to allocate some (at least 10%) for your savings.

It’s true.

The government is giving out RM500 bonus for voluntary EPF contributions.

Here’s how you can get it. 🧵 1. Under EPF’s i-Saraan initiative, members are eligible to receive 20% bonus for voluntary contributions if they are:

• Unemployed
• Self-employed
• Gig workers without a fixed income

The bonus is capped at RM500 per year, with a lifetime limit of RM5,000.

Two similar posts from different accounts.

Both are Unit Trust Agents from Kenanga Investment.

Both say that you can achieve RM1.3-1.5 mil in EPF by 55.

But here’s one very important thing that they did not tell you. 🧵 1. RISK.

Using your Acc 1 to invest in Unit Trusts will POTENTIALLY turbocharge your returns, but only if you know what you’re doing.

I’ve seen cases where people followed agents blindly, only to end up making a much bigger loss than just leaving the sum in EPF.

EPF released two things yesterday:

i) Belanjawanku 2024/2025: Estimates how much you need to maintain a “reasonable standard” of living.

ii) Retirement Income Adequacy (RIA) Framework: A new savings guide for retirement.

Allow us to break everything down for you. 🧵 i) BELANJAWANKU 2024/2025

This is an expenditure guide that offers realistic estimations on the monthly cost of living in different cities.

It categorizes spending into several areas such as:

Have you read the data consent form of this company?

For RM670, you are selling:

• High resolution images of your irises and eyes

• Images of your face in multiple spectrums, including 3D depth images

• Email, First name, Last name, Year of Birth, First letter of first name of both parents

This is way more personal data collected than your typical registrations. 1. In Worldcoin’s previous consent form, they even collected your heartbeat, breathing, and vital signs.

This was removed later because the company said it “never implemented vital sign detection techniques”.

Then why was this written in the first place?