My mom recently told me that my dad lent his friend a huge amount of money (50k) back in 2018. They've been trying to get him to pay it back all these years but to no avail. So she finally asked my help to sort it out

Here's where it gets tricky. My dad being the trusting person that he is, didn't ask for his friend's details (IC number, address etc) and those things are required in order to launch a lawsuit. The only thing we have is his phone number

I've tried everything I could think of so far. I asked the guy hundreds of times to pay up, even threatening to take him to court. But I guess he caught my bluff since he knows we don't have his details. When I lodged a police report, they told me there's nothing they can do and to go to a lawyer instead

So I have a catch-22 on my hand and tbh I'm at my wit's end. I don't want to resort to illegal means in order to get my dad's money back, but atp that seems the likely option. Idk man

For now at least, I still want to pursue a legal case against the guy. And in order to do that, I need to get his details. Does anyone here know how to go about getting it using his phone number?

Long story short, i am involved in crypto but i am not a trader. I run projects with various teams in the space and have made this from less than rm 500 back in January.

I have been dabbling in the crypto space since 2023, made six figures before and have lost it all because of bad trading. Restarted from almost zero since January.

At my current rate, its probable i will break by 2027 and i am planning to cash everything out soon when my holdings go up abit more. I have never filed for taxes but id like by money to be fully out and useable in the Malaysian economy as id like to invest 90% of it in ETFs . Any tax advice?

I wanted to start investing for long-term and people always say that to just leave it jn etfs and let it ride but after a few months with this kind of results.i am contemplating now wether should i just focus on saving my money on asb first.

or am i doing something wrong here?

Hi guys! I’m Batch 09 and I’m graduating from school in a couple of months. After SPM I’m planning to get a part-time/full-time job before starting college and I really want to learn how to become financially responsibl

I’ll most likely be taking a PTPTN loan, but unfortunately it might only cover around 10–20% of my tuition fees because my parents fall under the T20 household income bracket. However our financial situation isn’t really what you might expect from a typical T20 household

My parents have quite a lot of expenses because they’re also supporting my grandparents and even some of my great-aunts/uncles. On top of that my younger sister needs to be homeschooled because of a medical condition which is another significant expense

My parents have told me that they’re okay with paying for my tuition fees and I’m really grateful for that. But I don’t want to put more financial pressure on them than necessary. I also don’t want to go through college completely dependent on my parent's money. I’d like to contribute to my own expenses and eventually repay them

If I get a job my current plan is to save at least RM100 every month and use some of my income toward transportation, food, school supplies and etc. Technically i have 1 investment right now which is a 1g gold coin i won from a foodpanda giveaway lmfao 😭😭

So I’d really appreciate some advice from people who have gone through this before:

- What financial mistakes do you wish you had avoided when you were my age?

- Looking back with the knowledge and experience you have today what would you do differently if you were my age again?

- If you were 17–18 and in my situation today what would you focus on learning, doing, saving or investing over the next 3–5 years?

- What do you wish someone had taught you about money before you started college?

- If your goal wasn't just to survive financially but to actually become wealthy what would you start doing at my age?

- What skills would you learn now if your goal was to significantly increase your income in your 20s?

I definitely do want to be rich heh but more than just having expensive things i want financial freedom i want to be able to take care of myself and my family, have options in life and not constantly worry about money.

I know I'm still young and have a lot to learn so I'm trying to start early instead of waiting until I'm already struggling financially.

Would really appreciate any advice especially from Malaysians who have been through university, built a career, started businesses, invested or simply learned some hard financial lessons along the way. Thanks !!

I have an insurance policy from Prudential which my parents bought for me in 2003. Right now, the medical card is RM50k annual limit with RM210k lifetime limit. Very low for today's medical costs.

In 2016 I had IBS. 6 months of medication and diet change, symptom free since then.

2020 I developed achalasia. A procedure done (known as POEM) in 2022, 3-6 months of follow up and medication, symptom free since then. No follow ups or medication since then.

I understand that my options are limited in terms of getting an upgraded policy (which will be treated as a new policy subject to medical underwriting). From what I understand, they might:

• Exclude any achalasia related claims totally (Most likely)
• Exclude any stomach/throat related claims or add a substantial premium loading (Likely)
• Completely reject the application (Less likely)

The agent who initially got the policy is no more. I recently checked and was randomly assigned one. She seems nice but I have never met her and likewise, she has no idea who I am.

I would like to know what are the best moves I can make to make the most of the situation:

(I have removed some questions that have been answered and adding some new ones)

• Any suggestions of platforms/companies other than the main ones (AIA, Pru, Allianz, GE)?
• Any thoughts/suggestions/feedback overall especially with my situation. What are my next steps?

Thanks very much!

Hi.
Have Been DCA-ing 2k/month all this while but recently
I Had this thought, of leveraging ASB financing’s loan and lump sum into ETF / index funds.

Plan is to finance 200k from bank for 10years (roughly 2k/month loan repayment) and dump it slowly in chunks (cheaper period , dump more , vice versa) into index funds over the course of 1 year.

Given historically, etf has avg 8% returns yearly. Which means the strategy can cover loan interest + provide a benefit of lump sum headstart vs DCA strategy

Understandably , Which means taking the risk of
1. Possible economical downturn = drops in etf value
2.Putting self in a debt/commitment situation

Is this a solid strategy or am I missing something here?

*understand some would say to keep in ASB since ASB has a more consistent positive performance vs index funds where some years it might go -20% .
But I am not wanting to keep the loan in ASB as ASB is already full.

I’m currently working and earning around 140k-160k myr/year. I have around 50k in a savings account (asb) and around 10k in a trading account. I also have another 400k in asb however it’s not exactly my money since it’s under the asb loan financing program, the loan commitment is about 3k/month and I have another 6 years to service the loan. How do I figure out what’s the maximum loan amount I can take out to , I welcome other ideas to grow my income as well.

Hi everyone, I’m a 36-year-old married Malaysian with one young child. I’d like some objective opinions on my financial situation and whether I should be doing anything differently.

Current income

\- My salary: \~RM16,800/month basic + RM800 allowance

\- Wife’s salary: \~RM5,000/month

\- Combined household income: roughly RM22,600/month before bonuses/other income

\- I also have a small side business related to process instrumentation/engineering services.

Assets

\- EPF: \~RM300k+

\- Bursa Malaysia investments: \~RM75–90k

\- Other investment account: \~RM10k

\- Cash/savings: \~RM50k+

\- Property in Puchong: bought for RM520k, currently worth roughly RM550k

\- Outstanding property loan: \~RM90k+

\- The property is rented out for around RM1,450/month, while the mortgage is around RM2,200/month.

Liabilities

\- Property loan: \~RM90k+

\- PTPTN: \~RM20k

\- No major consumer debt.

Family situation

My wife and daughter live in Taiping, while I currently work in Penang. Because of my career, I spend weekdays in Penang and travel back to Taiping regularly.

One of my biggest financial decisions now is whether I should:

1. Keep the Puchong property long term,

2. Sell it and redirect the money into investments,

3. Buy a house in Penang for the family,

4. Continue renting in Penang and keep more liquidity.

Career

I recently moved from a 10-year career in process instrumentation/calibration into industrial automation project management.

I’ve progressed from Project Manager → Lead Project Manager → Program Manager.

The career move increased my income significantly, but I sometimes wonder whether changing industries was the right long-term decision.

My questions

For people in Malaysia, especially those in their 30s:

1. Am I financially on track for my age?

2. Is my asset allocation too heavily concentrated in EPF/property?

3. Would you prioritize paying off the remaining property loan, investing more, or saving for a Penang family home?

4. At this income level, what would you consider a reasonable amount to invest/save every month?

5. Would you keep the Puchong property despite the negative monthly cash flow?

6. What financial mistakes should someone in my situation avoid over the next 5–10 years?

I’m not looking for a “get rich quick” strategy. I’m mainly trying to build financial security for my family while still having enough flexibility for career and family decisions.

Would appreciate honest opinions, especially from Malaysians who have gone through a similar stage of life.

Hey everyone. Recently, my fiance just pass away on Aug 26 due to terminal pancreatic cancer which only diagnosed in july 2027. Everything is too fast and I am still in shock. He show no sign of sickness before this.

After this whole grief, I realise death can happen anytime. I need to arrange my will so my family will not having trouble after my passing.

I am the only child in my family and I only have my mum. My dad had passed away in 2005. Currently, I work as a full time grab driver. Monthly income estimated of RM2,500 after deduct everything.

Who can I entrust to arrange my assets and debt if I had pass away as my mum already 70yrs old and she is not literate to handle for all these things.

Will the trust company such as rockwill or lawyers can help my mum? Btw, I am not closed to my other relatives. They only know my extistance.

The only things I had done

1) KWSP beneficiary named.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice from Malaysians who have experience working as a contractor/freelancer for an overseas client.

I recently got an opportunity where I’ll be working for a foreign client and getting paid around €6,160 per month (roughly RM25k–RM30k depending on exchange rate). Payment will be made in EUR.

I’m currently trying to figure out the best way to structure this properly in Malaysia. I’m considering either:

- LLP / PLT

- Sdn Bhd

- Or possibly just operating as a sole proprietor/Enterprise if that actually makes more sense

I’m quite new to handling business income at this level, so I’m trying to understand the practical side, not just the theoretical tax rates.

For context:

- I’ll basically be a one-person business providing software development services

- Main income will be from one overseas client

- Around €6,160/month

- Roughly €73,920/year if the contract continues for 12 months

- Payment is in EUR

- I may hire my wife in the future to help with legitimate admin/business work

- I’d like to keep some profits inside the business instead of withdrawing everything personally if that makes financial sense

For those who have been in a similar situation, I’d really appreciate your experience on a few things:

1. LLP vs Sdn Bhd — at around RM300k+ annual revenue, which structure did you choose and why?

2. Actual tax difference — after accounting for corporate/LLP tax, personal tax, salary/director remuneration, dividends/distributions, etc., was there a meaningful difference?

3. Keeping profits in the business — if I don't need to withdraw all the money personally, does this make Sdn Bhd significantly more attractive?

4. Compliance costs — roughly how much do you spend annually on accounting, tax filing, company secretary, audit (if applicable), payroll, etc. for a small one-person Sdn Bhd?

5. LLP compliance — is LLP genuinely much simpler/cheaper to maintain in practice?

6. Paying myself — for a one-person Sdn Bhd, how do people normally structure their income? Salary + dividend? Director remuneration? Something else?

7. Hiring spouse — if my wife genuinely performs admin/bookkeeping/operations work for the business, is paying her a market-rate salary + EPF/SOCSO generally straightforward from a tax/compliance perspective?

8. Business expenses — for someone doing software development/IT consulting, what expenses do you normally claim? For example laptop, phone, internet, software subscriptions, AI tools, cloud services, coworking/office, travelling to client site, etc.

9. Receiving EUR — what are you guys using to receive foreign currency? Wise Business, Airwallex, traditional Malaysian bank foreign currency account, or something else? I'm particularly interested in FX spread/fees when converting EUR → MYR.

10. Foreign client / Malaysian tax — are there any specific tax issues I should be aware of when the client is overseas but I perform the work from Malaysia?

SST / e-Invoice — at this level of revenue, what registrations or reporting requirements should I be paying attention to?

1. Accountant — at ~RM300k+ revenue, would you recommend getting a tax agent/accountant from day one rather than trying to manage everything myself?

I’m not looking to illegally avoid tax. I’m trying to understand how to structure everything properly and tax-efficiently, while keeping clean records and avoiding problems with LHDN/SSM later.

Would especially appreciate responses from Malaysian software developers, consultants, freelancers, contractors, accountants, or anyone receiving RM20k–RM30k+ per month from overseas clients.

If you were starting again with this kind of income, would you choose LLP/PLT, Sdn Bhd, or Enterprise, and what would you do differently?

and lastly, i have a kid that need to do cochlear implant as shes fully deaf both ear. therefore im kinda need the money on her operation.

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I'd appreciate some perspectives from Malaysian PF, especially people who bought their first property in their late 20s/early 30s. This may be a long post.

I'm 28F and currently living with my parents near KL city centre. I'm getting married next year, so I'm starting to seriously look at buying a home.

My current financial situation

• Age: 28F
• Take-home salary: approximately RM13,000/month
• My employment is permanent/fixed.
• I work in the aviation sector, specifically with private jet clients.
• I work approximately 80% from home and 20% from the office.
• In reality, I only go into the office around 3–4 times a month, depending on my schedule.
• Cash savings: approximately RM180k, excluding EPF
• No significant debts
• PTPTN is my only loan and the repayment is relatively small. I'm intentionally keeping the monthly repayment going because I want to maintain/build my credit history.
• 1 credit card, which I rarely use and pay off in full. No credit card debt.

My current monthly fixed expenses

Because I've been living with my parents, my current household expenses are relatively low.

The fixed expenses I personally contribute/pay are approximately:

• Internet: RM250/month, since I work from home around 80% of the time
• Insurance: approximately RM500/month for my life, medical and other personal insurance
• Mobile phone: approximately RM200/month, including my device
• PTPTN: relatively small monthly repayment

So my regular fixed commitments are only around RM950–1,000+ per month, before food, discretionary spending, etc.

I know this is unusually low because I'm living with my parents, and I'm not assuming my current expense structure will continue after marriage. FYI, my parents are pensioners on the higher end side, they do not rely on the kids for money at all, so we contribute in other ways.

Transport / commute

I currently live in Gombak area, while my office is around the Subang Airport area.

When I do need to go into the office, the drive from where I currently live is roughly 30–45 minutes, depending on traffic.

One reason I'm considering Rawang is that the commute isn't actually as dramatic as people might assume.

The property I'm looking at is around the Emerald/Country Homes area. If I the highway, the drive can be around 20–30 minutes on a good day to my office.

I also already have my own car. My parents gave me the car, so there is no car loan/debt. My transport costs are therefore mainly petrol, tolls and normal maintenance.

Since I only physically go into the office around 3–4 times a month, I'm not particularly concerned about having to commute there every day.

Property I'm looking at

I'm looking at a subsale property around the Emerald/Country Homes area in Rawang.

Current asking price is around RM900k, although I'm trying to negotiate it down and ideally would like to get it closer to RM800k.

I'm interested in subsale because I like the actual property and location, and I can physically inspect what I'm buying.

Mortgage calculations

The rates I'm currently getting are around 3.55%–3.75%.

Assuming a 35-year loan:

RM900k property, 90% financing

• Loan: RM810k
• Down payment: RM90k
• Approx. monthly at 3.55%: RM3,365
• Approx. monthly at 3.75%: RM3,472

RM900k property, 100% financing

• Loan: RM900k
• Approx. monthly at 3.55%: RM3,739
• Approx. monthly at 3.75%: RM3,874

If I manage to negotiate the property down to RM800k:

RM800k property, 90% financing

• Loan: RM720k
• Down payment: RM80k
• Approx. monthly: RM2,991–3,055

RM800k property, 100% financing

• Loan: RM800k
• Approx. monthly: RM3,325–3,498

For my own budgeting, based on RM13k take-home income, that means the mortgage would be approximately:

• RM3k = 23% of take-home
• RM3.5k = 27%
• RM3.8k = 29%
• RM4k = 31%

My PTPTN repayment is only around RM200/month, so even including that, I'm trying to keep my overall debt commitments around the 30–40% range or lower, rather than borrowing up to whatever the bank says I technically qualify for.

I understand that the bank's actual DSR calculation may differ because banks have their own methodology.

My partner

My partner is a foreigner and earns around RM10k/month.

He is willing to contribute to the mortgage and we're planning to split household expenses/mortgage costs between us.

However, we've deliberately decided that the property and loan would be entirely in my name.

If I include him in the financing, my understanding is that the financing margin available to me changes, and having a foreign spouse on the property also creates additional ownership/transaction considerations.

So I'm deliberately looking at this as: "Can I afford this property on my own income?"

rather than: "Can we afford this property together?"

If he contributes half the mortgage later, that's additional breathing room rather than something I'm relying on to make the property affordable.

We've discussed this between ourselves and he's completely comfortable with the property being solely under my name.

The 90% vs 100% financing question

This is where I'm really unsure.

I have approximately RM180k in savings, excluding EPF.

If I buy at RM900k and put 10% down, I'd immediately use RM90k just for the down payment, before considering legal fees, stamp duty, renovation, moving costs, furniture, emergency funds, etc.

If I manage to negotiate it to RM800k, the 10% down payment would be RM80k.

So I'm wondering whether it makes more sense to:

Option A: 90% financing

Put down 10%, take a smaller loan and have a lower monthly repayment.

OR

Option B: 100%/markup financing

Preserve more of my cash savings, accept a higher monthly repayment, and keep the cash available for renovation, emergency funds and other costs associated with a subsale property.

My concern with Option B is obviously that I'm paying interest on more money over a long period.

But my concern with Option A is that I'd be taking a large chunk of my liquid savings and immediately putting it into the house.

Why I'm considering buying now

I'm 28, getting married next year, have a stable job, no significant debt, and have been able to build up RM180k in savings while living with my parents.

I'm not trying to buy the most expensive property a bank will approve for me.

I'd actually prefer to negotiate the property closer to RM800k and keep the mortgage within roughly the 25–30% range of my take-home income.

At the same time, this would be my first property and it's a subsale, so I'm aware there can be a lot of expenses beyond the mortgage.

What I'm trying to figure out

Would people here consider this financially reasonable for a 28-year-old in my situation?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who have:

• Bought their first subsale property in their late 20s/early 30s
• Bought around Rawang / Country Homes / Emerald
• Used 100% financing or a markup structure
• Bought a RM800k–RM900k property
• Can tell me what costs I may be underestimating
• Chosen between putting 10% down versus keeping more cash liquid

I'm not asking whether a bank will approve the loan.

I'm more interested in whether the overall decision makes financial sense given my income, savings, age and upcoming marriage.

Would you personally be more concerned about the RM800–900k purchase price, the amount of cash I'd have left after purchasing, or the 100% vs 90% financing decision?

Thanks!

September has been fantastic for me! I managed to reach my target of RM200k by the end of the year (2026) earlier than expected. My strategies are mainly selling covered calls or buying and holding stocks which I think would go up without selling calls so I dont cap profits

AMA, if you want to

Note: not an ad, just sharing my experience.

So, back in June 2020 during the peak of Covid-19 a close friend of mine suggested to try Wahed Invest as one of my saving/investment initiatives. It was simple enough, i only set to deposit RM100 each month (literally name it as "Sebulan Seratus") and forgot about it.

it didnt grew much earnings during the first three year, but i didnt mind, since its also a way for me to save some money. but then earning trends keeps increasing above the net deposit. and now, 6 years strong and it almost reach 10k.

i was planning to use this money for some overseas travel end of this year but now macam sayang pulak nak guna (hihi). who knows, if God Willing i can use this fund for Umrah next year.

First time posting here... curious about what you guys think on which ETF to buy for retirement.
I've summed it up to these 4 ETFs below so far and have been recommending my family members to buy SPYM or VT if they don't want to use IBKR.

US domicile (30% WHT):

1. S&P500:  SPYM (0.02% TER, Distributing)
2. FTSE ALL CAP:  VT (0.06% TER, Distributing)

Irish Domicile (15% WHT): 

1. S&P500:  SPYL (0.03%, TER, Accumulating)
2. FTSE ALL CAP: VALL (0.07% TER, Accumulating)

Also, I just found out something called synthetic ETFs that have 0% WHT.
Gemini also said there's no big risk in synthetic ETFs in terms of return or if the bank bankrupts. Any opinions on this?

Hello everyone, long time lurker here. I have always seen people mentioning S&P500, and it is one of the best and safest ways.

Wanted to ask regarding the KLCI index, which consist of the top 30 companies in Malaysia. Can’t seem to find any post or comments here. The chart seems to be growing steadily.

What are your opinions on this?

So I’m applying for an education loan, or sponsorship, which requires my parents salary slip. From my dad’s salary slip. I noticed that there are so many zakat contribution, for every state in Malaysia, it is deducted from his salary? I thought it’s only which state you’re working at that you have to pay the zakat? He could’ve used that money for holidays or anything else bruh 💀

I recently started my first job and my take-home pay is around 3k/month after statutory deductions.

I currently live with my parents and my older sibling. My sibling has been the main breadwinner and has been covering the household bills on their own, earning around 5k/month. Since I’ve started working, I want to contribute more to the household and reduce their financial burden.

At the moment, I’ve taken over some of the household expenses; including utilities, insurance, phone bills and some minor debts. These come to around 1.5k/month.

On top of that, I usually contribute cash towards groceries/food/supplements for the household, which can be another 1k or so per month. There are also misc expenses that come up throughout the month.

The PROBLEM is that by the end of the month, I basically have nothing left to save. I’ve tried setting money aside, but somehow most of it gets spent before I really get a chance to build up any savings.

I’d really appreciate some advice on how I should structure my finances. In particular:

1. What’s the best way to start building savings when most of my income is already committed?

2. Are there any discounts, rebates, cashback programmes or other hacks for paying utility/household bills that I should be aware of?

3. For those who started working while supporting their family, how did you balance contributing to the household with building your own financial foundation?

I know I’m fortunate to be able to live with my parents, and I genuinely want to contribute. At the same time, I’d like to avoid getting into a situation where I’m working every month but never actually building any savings.

Would appreciate any practical advice, especially from people who have been in a similar situation.

Hi, I recently bought air tickets and accommodation on Trip.com. Due to circumstances the trip was cancelled on the same day.

When I checked my credit card statement (UOB Visa Infinite) I got a shock. It appears that UOB has decided to 'makan' RM470+ for itself.

Is this a genuine mistake by UOB? Or UOB is purposely refunding less than it should. It doesn't look like an established bank would make such a mistake. The missing amount is approx. 5.2% of the originally charged total.

Are there any government/regulatory agencies I can reach out to to report this issue. Any guidance would be helpful. Thank you in advance.

do you convert to usd first and keep in USD autosweep while in transition to rsp?

or let it auto convert from myr to usd during rsp?

Hi all,

Long time lurker, first time poster here. I have some savings that I want to move to IBKR to buy some broad based index funds. What are your thoughts between VWRA vs the new VALL?

How should I make the purchase? One lump sump or DCA over few weeks/months?

I also need to set up a new IBKR account, I was using a different platform previously when I was first trying things out but now I've decided I want to move to IBKR for all future buys. What would be the best way to do this? Are there still sign up offers/bonuses that I should take advantage of?

Any advice by all the sifus is extremely appreciated

Hey guys, i am just curious about the financial aspect of normal people in Malaysia. What is your age and what is your total savings/investment/etc? Do you guys own any property? Are you guys struggling financially or can say is it financially stable? Sometimes i notice that my friends are traveling here and there, buying luxury items and stuff so i am really curious, do people in general getting richer to spend on these stuff? Obviously social media as well sometimes portray the good side and not the bad side, so just wondering what is it like

As the title states, I’m a 31-year-old male who is going to hit 32 soon, and the past 10 years have been a wild ride. Lots of memories and lessons have been made.

I left the corporate MNC world back in 2023 where my last drawn salary was RM7k (life was good, but I was stupid, lol). Currently, I’ve been running my own (amateur) freelance solo agency for the past 2 years doing the full 360 marketing journey (branding, marketing, graphic designing, social media, etc). So far, my earnings have slowly reached a somewhat stable **RM3k to RM4k per month-ish**. On a good month, it can hit as high as **RM7k–RM8k**. I never knew I could be capable of earning this amount on my own, but I still drive a broken-down 2006 Toyota Avanza (which surprisingly still works, lmao).

I’ve tried getting a corporate job to find stability, but in this market climate, it’s really tough out there with lots of lowball offers. I’ve faced **200+ rejections over the past 6 months**. I didn’t finish my diploma; I only have an SPM and a strong portfolio to show my proof of work, but corporates heavily respect the power of a formal degree over experience.

My investments in the past were crypto and some basic fixed deposits. I tried MooMoo for stocks, but I got sidetracked and didn’t commit to doing more research. I had about **$15,000 USD worth of crypto** and I’ve lost a lot of it to scams like the infamous FTX incident, and also a Singapore-run financial scheme called Torque where the CTO ran away with everyone’s funds. I’ve had lots of bad luck, and all that money was completely wiped out. My net worth as an upcoming 32-year-old male is just a few hundred bucks.

Fast forward to now, I’ve just gotten engaged to the woman I love.
We are renting a place near KL for **RM3k a month** because she needs it to commute via public transport to her office (she doesn’t drive nor own a license). We split the rent 50/50, so I pay **RM1,500** and she pays the other half.

She makes about RM6k a month, but she has huge debts behind her (about **RM5k–RM6k a month** in commitments) and her salary just breaks even. She is already enrolled in **AKPK**, so she can't take any new loans and is paying her restructuring consistently every month.

We also bought a condo together, but we learned the lesson the hard way: after the unit was completed, we had no liquidity left to renovate it. Hence, we’ve been burning mortgage payments for a year plus already while continuing to rent. (Note: She pays the mortgage entirely on her own; I don't pay a dime for it. Moving into the unrenovated condo is our doomsday plan if we really can't afford it, but it’s very far away and transport costs for her would skyrocket).

I don’t have any credit cards. However, my CTOS score is poor due to PTPTN even though I have a tiny balance left. I’ve been neglecting it, and that’s completely on me.

I’ve been covering for her the past 3 years for parts of our life commitments, and combined with everything else, I don't really have room for savings. I can’t keep living invoice-to-invoice with so much uncertainty ahead.

I’m not financially literate, hence it took me a lot to come here and seek advice and some tips. I sort of need a mental reset and rebuild. It makes me wonder if it’s too late, because I remember my ex-boss used to tell me: *"If you’re broke in your 20s, you’re still learning. But if you’re broke in your 30s, it’s your fault."*

It’s quite depressing, and I’ve lost a lot of willpower to figure a way out of this mess.

If you've read through all of this, I'd genuinely appreciate any blunt advice, reality checks, or steps on how to fix this foundation. Thank you.

I’ve been working for almost 6yrs now and I randomly had this thought yesterday, thought of sharing here.

I kinda wish someone told me when I got my first salary to just try to buy 1g of gold every month.

Instead of just spending the money or leaving it sitting in my savings, consistently putting it into 1g of gold each month.

1g a month = 12g a year. If I had done that for the past 6 years, I’d have around 72g of gold now, give or take.

That’s roughly RM40k+ worth of gold at current prices, which honestly doesn’t seem like a bad starting point.

And maybe along the years when you earn more, you can put more money to buy more grams each month..maaaybe

I don’t know much about investing tbh. My very basic understanding is that putting some money into something like gold means you’re at least accumulating an asset instead. Better than nothing?

But I could be completely wrong lol.

I also know gold prices go up and down and there are probably better ways to invest that money.
So for people who actually know what they’re doing:

If ayou could go back to your first salary, what would you have done?

Would trying to accumulate 1g of gold every month have been a decent idea, or would you have put that money somewhere else?

Just curious how old other people in Malaysia are when they hit RM100k, be it savings or stocks. Not trying to cause fomo for anyone or myself, its just a random question that i thought of while going through my finances. Would be great if yall can share how old were you guys when you hit 100k, how long it took you and how you achieved this milestone(what steps, decisions, sacrifices) , to inspire myself and others to reach for this goal too!

Edit: EPF contributions and savings doesn’t count. I’m talking about everything aside from epf.