6 finance and investment resources for young Malaysians
In today's world of endless knowledge, it can be hard for young Malaysians to identify relevant financial and investment resources from which to learn. This isn't easy even for parents, uncles and aunties who want to mentor the younger generation.
According to the Securities Commission (SC) Malaysia, young people cite the following as the biggest barriers to investing:
Risk appetite (cited by 82% of respondents): concerns over investments being high-risk; frauds and scams; losing money.
Well-being and accessibility (74%): not enough money to invest, lack of time and financial education.
Knowledge (69%): lack of know-how or reliable sources of information.With this in mind, here are seven finance and investment resources online that could be useful for young Malaysians.
1. Financial Education Network (FEN)
The Financial Education Network could be the best resource with which to start. The interface is accessible and interactive as it first asks you which life stage you are at – student, youth, adult, or retiree.
From there, you can decide on which financial objective you'd like to learn about. For example, by choosing 'youth', you are then able to select from 'earn', 'save', 'manage', 'grow', 'protect', or 'business'.
Each option brings you to a list of resources you can refer to.
Note that FEN is more of a gateway that connects you to relevant websites and organisations that have content. It also has some engaging and informative infographics on personal finance.
2. Belanjawanku by EPF
This publication by the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) provides estimates of monthly spending on various goods and services to achieve a 'reasonable' standard of living in major cities in Malaysia, by family size. These goods and services include:
food;
housing;
healthcare;
utilities;
childcare;
personal savings;
adhoc;
social participation;
transportation; and
personal care.
By providing guidance on what spending should look like, Belanjawanku is a good reference point for young Malaysians to plan their current and projected expenses and income, and to initiate conversations regarding career path, investments, budgeting, goal setting and so on.
3. RIA by EPF
While retirement is very far away for young people, it is a very important topic to think about. According to the Khazanah Research Institute, many young Malaysians in the workforce are unprepared and unable to save for their retirement.
The Retirement Income Adequacy (RIA), set to be published by EPF in January 2026, will set out targets in Malaysians' EPF accounts to achieve the following savings amounts by age 60:
adequate savings: RM650,000;
basic savings: RM390,000;
enhanced savings: RM1,300,000.
The publication also provides a table that lists how much young adults should ideally save for retirement:
The power of compounding is your friend.
By being aware of retirement figures, youngsters can better plan their finances so as to take into consideration the amounts they ought to set aside. The earlier they begin, the less demanding the sum, especially as they harness the power of compounding.
4. Kelab Pelaburan Bijak (KPB) by ASNB
For teens in secondary school who are keen to learn more about their personal finances, KPB could be a good place to go.
The programme, established by Amanah Saham Nasional (ASNB) and available in many schools in Malaysia, is like a co-curricular club that exposes students to personal finance and investments.
According to the SC, 51% of youths consider talks and seminars to be the most effective in learning. As such, a club in school can help students gain access to such events as well as online resources.
However, not every school has a KPB. Check the website for more details, and do talk to your child's school principal or parent-teacher association to get conversations rolling.
5. Invest Smart by the SC
Invest Smart was established by the SC in 2014 to help everyday folks learn more about investments, particularly scams. It offers several ways of delivering information that could be appealing to young adults:
infographic visuals – mainly about the latest scams and how to avoid them, such as the one below;
videos, primarily anti-scam content;
webinars and podcasts, specifically 15-series podcasts about investments in Malaysia.
(Invest Smart pic)
Fun fact: Invest Smart recently collaborated with local comedian Douglas Lim to talk about anti-scam topics!
6. Money Smart by the FDIC
This US government financial literacy programme is targeted at young adults and run by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Money Smart is free and consists of 12 personal-finance modules applicable to almost everyone regardless of country. These are:
banking;
setting goals and making financial decisions;
making the most of your income;
your spending and saving plan;
saving for your goals and future;
building your credit history;
borrowing basics;
charge it right (credit cards);
protecting your money and identity;
buying a car;
paying for education and training; and
living on your own.
If you are the parent of a teen or young adult, consider sharing these resources with them to further develop their financial knowledge. Initiate conversations and get them to talk about what they are learning.
Who knows, you might learn a new thing or two, too!
This article was written by Su-Wei Ho for MyPF. To simplify and grow your personal finances, follow MyPF on Facebook and Instagram.
Read more articles from MyPF here.
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