Dividend Magic

Saving and Investing towards Financial Independence in Malaysia

Blog

Dividend Income Update 2019

By 0

Before we get to the serious stuff, this is how my 2019 went.

December Dividend Update

The Freedom Fund yielded a total of RM779.50 in dividends for the last month of 2019 as opposed to RM1,111.65 last year. A 29.88% decrease.

Axis REIT

December 2019 Dividends – RM327.24
December 2018 Dividends – RM437.30
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM1,015.53
Dividend Yield – 5.85%

I received an additional RM105.42 in dividends from Axis REIT not shown in the above voucher.

Sunway REIT

December 2019 Dividends – RM312.26
December 2018 Dividends – RM310.35
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM1,214.75
Dividend Yield – 6.12%

An increase in yield from 5.95% in 2018 to 6.12% this year. A win.

Nestle (M) Berhad

December 2019 Dividends – RM140
December 2018 Dividends – RM140
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM560
Dividend Yield – 4.19%

An increase in yield from 4.11% last year to 4.19% this year.

End.

I’ll have my full review of 2019 coming up soon including the goals for 2020.

Freedom Fund as at December 2019
Dividend Income (Dec) –  RM779.50
Dividend Income (2019) –  RM16,322.27
Dividend Yield – 4.16%

As always, Facebook and Instagram. Follow, keep up to date.

November Dividend Update

The Freedom Fund yielded a total of RM1,001.07 in dividend income compared to RM1,806.62 the same time last year. That’s a 44.59% decrease in dividends.

Aeon Credit Service (M) Berhad

November 2019 Dividends – RM378.25
November 2018 Dividends – RM378.25
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM758.20
Dividend Yield – 3.36%

The exact same amount of dividends received for both November 2018 and 2019. The company has been a solid performer in the Freedom Fund so far.

IGB REIT

November 2019 Dividends – RM622.82
November 2018 Dividends – RM615.37
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM2,491.92
Dividend Yield – 6.14%

One of the few darling stocks in my portfolio. The yield has dropped slightly compared to last year’s 7%.

End.

This post is coming a little late so be ready to catch my December update soon. The year-end review will be included as well.

Freedom Fund as at November 2019
Dividend Income (Nov) –  RM1,001.07
Dividend Income (2019) –  RM15,542.77
Dividend Yield – 4.16%

As always, Facebook and Instagram. Follow, keep up to date.

October Dividend Update

The Freedom Fund yielded a total of RM2,267.94 in dividend income compared to RM599.64 the same time last year.

That 278% increase in dividends is because the dividend payment from companies this year has gone haywire. Cumulatively, I’m still down about RM1K this year.

Malayan Banking Berhad

October 2019 Dividends – RM839.25
October 2018 Dividends – RM813
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM1,891.41
Dividend Yield – 4.49%

The full-year yield at 4.49% is lower compared to last year’s 6.99% as I added more units in September this year.

Genting Malaysia Berhad

October 2019 Dividends – RM288
October 2018 Dividends – 0
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM288
Dividend Yield – 1.96%

Nothing to compare to last year. Bought GENM a few months back and I’ve already got a 2% yield on it.

Many of you have messaged me with concerns on GENM regarding the management. Yes, I do share the same concerns but the company as a whole will be able to pull through. Provided no more fuck-ups by the management.

Tenaga Nasional Berhad

October 2019 Dividends – RM600
October 2018 Dividends – RM302.70
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM830
Dividend Yield – 3.19%

Comparing is useless in this instance as I purchased TNB shares this year as well. Yield has dropped a little as well compared to last year.

Nestle Malaysia Berhad

October 2019 Dividends – RM140
October 2018 Dividends – RM140
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM420
Dividend Yield – 3.14%

A slight increase in yield compared to last year. One more dividend to go in December.

Sunway Berhad

October 2019 Dividends – RM257 + RM143.65
October 2018 Dividends – RM296.94
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM709.81
Dividend Yield – 6.16%

The reason I split the October dividends is because Sunway distributed its profits in cash as well as in shares. Yield increased to 6.16% compared to 4.84% last year.

Sunway has been growing steadily and silently over the years for me and now that it hit the 6% yield mark, I think people will start paying more attention to the group.

End.

We are at a total dividend income of  RM14,541.70 . Giving the Freedom Fund a yield of 3.70%. 

Freedom Fund as at October 2019
Dividend Income (Oct) –  RM2,267.94
Dividend Income (2019) –  RM14,541.70
Dividend Yield – 3.70%

As always, Facebook and Instagram. Follow, keep up to date.

September Dividend Update

September’s total dividend tally – RM1,336.98. That’s a 25.71% reduction compared to September last year.

However, as I’m writing this now in October, I’ve gotten much more this month compared to last year. So.. not all hope is lost. Wait for my next October update.

Public Bank Berhad

September 2019 Dividends – RM198
September 2018 Dividends – RM192
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM420
Dividend Yield – 3.78%

Marginal increase, from 3.57% last year to 3.78% in 2019. An increase is still an increase.

Sunway REIT

September 2019 Dividends – RM298.38
September 2018 Dividends – RM274.18
Total 2019 Dividends (so far) –  RM902.49
Dividend Yield (so far) – 4.55%

The dividends and yield are increasing as well from Sunway REIT. One more distribution to go in December.

Homeritz Corp Berhad

September 2019 Dividends – RM489
September 2018 Dividends – RM244.50
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM855.75
Dividend Yield – 6.06%

An increase from 5.54% in 2018 to 6.06% this year.

Sunway Construction Berhad

September 2019 Dividends – RM12.60
September 2018 Dividends – RM12.60
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM25.20
Dividend Yield – 4.29%

A drop in dividend yield from 4.60% last year.

IGB Berhad

September 2019 Dividends – RM227
September 2018 Dividends – RM227
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM454
Dividend Yield – 4.30%

These are preference shares from IGB. Figures will remain constant in the years to come. I wrote about it hERE.

Scicom (MSC) Berhad

September 2019 Dividends – RM112
September 2018 Dividends – RM336
Total 2019 Dividends (so far) –  RM392
Dividend Yield (so far) – 1.76%

It’s getting from bad to worse from Scicom. I’ll be looking to offload some, if not all of my holdings and allocate it to higher-yielding companies. Depending on how the company does in the coming months.

End.

We are at a total dividend income of  RM12,273.76. Giving the Freedom Fund a yield of 3.13%. 

Freedom Fund as at September 2019
Dividend Income (Sept) –  RM1,336.98
Dividend Income (2019) –  RM12,273.76
Dividend Yield – 3.13%

As always, Facebook and Instagram. Follow, keep up to date and tengkiu.

August Dividend Update

This post is coming a little late as I was waiting to receive my dividend vouchers in the mail.

I received a total of RM12,802.23 in dividend income for August. That is in comparison to RM574.55 for the same month last year.

The huge jump as most of you know is from AirAsia’s special dividend of RM11,970. This is a one-off payment from AirAsia as they disposed of assets and I’ve made the decision to not add this to my yield.

That being said, August’s dividend income minus the one-off special dividend is RM832.21 vs RM573.55 last year. That’s a 44.85% jump.

The reason being Axis REIT paid a few days earlier this year and made the payment in August instead of September.

The current dividend yield of the Freedom Fund stands at 3.02%.
We’ve passed the 3% mark!!

Axis REIT

August 2019 Dividends – RM222.84
August 2018 Dividends – RM373.35
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM688.29
Dividend Yield (so far) – 3.96%

If you’ve been following the site, I disposed of off half of my Axis REIT shares earlier this year. So the dollar amount in dividends will be lower compared to 2018’s. Yield is about the same though.

IGB REIT

August 2019 Dividends – RM609.37
August 2018 Dividends – RM574.55
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM1,869.10
Dividend Yield (so far) – 4.60%

That’s about a 7% growth in dividends for the 3rd round of dividends. IGB REIT has been one of my best performing stock purchases for the Freedom Fund.

REITs were always intended to be a defensive stock in my portfolio but it looks like they’ve outperformed almost every other stock I have. I’ll be looking to add more REITs to my portfolio as and when the opportunity comes.

End.

We are at a total dividend income of  RM11,433.16. Giving the Freedom Fund a yield of 3.02%. 

Freedom Fund as at August 2019
Dividend Income (August) –  RM832.21
Dividend Income (2019) –  RM11,433.16
Dividend Yield – 3.02%

As always, Facebook and Instagram. Follow. Tengkiu.

July Dividend Update

August has been a busy month of late, hence the late dividend income update for July. The Freedom Fund only managed a total of RM1,409.95 from two companies – Aeon Credit and Scientex.

Compared to RM4,176.64 in July last year, that’s a –66.24% drop in dividends. Fret not, because last year, we had AirAsia’s special dividend come in July. We will have a special month of dividends sometime later this year.

The current dividend yield of the Freedom Fund stands at 2.85%.
I know some of you has surpassed the 3% mark. 😉

Aeon Credit Service (M) Berhad

July 2019 Dividends – RM379.95
July 2018 Dividends – RM340
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM379.95
Dividend Yield (so far) –1.68%

We’re poised to go over 3% in dividend yield for the first time for Aeon Credit again this year. We did 3.18% in 2018. They’ve been on a lending spree of late and should see profitability increase.

Scientex Berhad

July 2019 Dividends – RM1,030
July 2018 Dividends – RM920
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM2,060
Dividend Yield – 4.64%

Scientex’s final dividend came in at RM1,030. Total dividends for the year is RM2,060. Compared to RM1,840 last year. That’s an 11.9% increase.

Scientex’s full-year dividend yield is an amazing 4.64% for me. I’ve held shares of the company since 2014 and as the business has grown, so has my dividend yields. The company’s prices are attractive right now and I might be adding some more to my portfolio.

Busy August

August was a busy month for yours truly and it’ll get a little busier in the coming weeks. I’ll be on holiday but will have an article or two out before and after (hopefully).

Meanwhile, don’t forget to follow me and my holidays etc on Instagram. @dividendmagic. Next week will be a fun one.

I don’t post these on the blog and on Facebook. See you on Instagram 😉

End.

We are at a total dividend income of  RM10,348.31. Giving the Freedom Fund a yield of 2.85%. 

Freedom Fund as at July 2019
Dividend Income (July) –  RM1,409.95
Dividend Income (2019) –  RM10,348.31
Dividend Yield – 2.85%

June Dividend Update

We’re at the halfway mark everyone! I took a long hard look at my portfolio the Freedom Fund. It’s time to trim and spruce the fund up a little in the coming weeks. I’ll also be updating the figures next week to reflect Q2.

Moving on – Dividends. I received a total of RM1,783.04 for the 6th month of 2019 from a total of 5 companies – Axis REIT, IGB REIT, Sunway REIT, Scicom and Cypark.

Compared to June back in 2018, I received 10.48% more in dividend income. The 6 months cumulative total for 2019 also came in higher compared to 2018’s. RM8,925.76 vs RM8,003.52. Big Whoop!

The current 2019 dividend yield of my portfolio is at a nice 2.39%.

Axis REIT

June 2019 Dividends – RM221.71
June 2018 Dividends – RM362.63
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM709.19
Dividend Yield (so far) – 2.68%

IGB REIT

June 2019 Dividends – RM647.04
June 2018 Dividends – RM667.52
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM1,259.73
Dividend Yield (so far) – 3.10%

Sunway REIT

June 2019 Dividends – RM322.59
June 2018 Dividends – RM298.11
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM604.11
Dividend Yield (so far) – 3.04%

Scicom Berhad

June 2019 Dividends – RM112
June 2018 Dividends – RM224
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM280
Dividend Yield (so far) – 1.25%

Cypark Resources Berhad

June 2019 Dividends – RM479.70
June 2018 Dividends – RM459.20
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM479.20
Dividend Yield (so far) – 2.71%

A look at 2019 so far

5% Dividend Yield

The most important goal of 2019 for the Freedom Fund is to achieve a 5% yield. Looking at how it is at the halfway mark, we look to be heading in the right direction.

Markets are on the up again and I’ve been slowly building up my net cash position. I’ll be adding stocks to the portfolio soon when the markets go down.

Accumulate Dividend Aristocrats (Malaysian version)

This is a new goal and target of mine.
Let me define a Dividend Aristocrat – The Dividend Aristocrats are S&P 500 index constituents that have increased their dividend payouts for 25 consecutive years or more.

That’s the US version of a dividend aristocrat. Now you’ll be hard pressed to actually find a handful of companies on the KLSE that have been operating for more than 25 years, let alone one that have increased their dividend payouts consecutively.

Sadly, as a Malaysian, I’ll define Malaysian Dividend Aristocrats as Companies listed on the KLSE that have increased their dividend payouts for 5? consecutive years.
Or should it be 10. Lemme get some buddies together and do some research.

End.

We are at a total dividend income of  RM8,925.76 . Giving the Freedom Fund a yield of 2.39% now. 

Freedom Fund as at June 2019
Dividend Income (June) –  RM1,783.04
Dividend Income (2019) –  RM8,925.76
Dividend Yield – 2.39%

I hope everyone else’s portfolios are doing well as we close Q2.

May Dividend Update

Took a pretty long break during the Raya holidays, hence the kinda late post. I received a total of RM1,332.16 for the month of May.

Only two companies contributed to my dividend income last month – Malayan Banking Berhad and Nestle Malaysia Berhad.

Compared to the same month last year, I only collected RM667.52. That’s a 69.51% increase in dividends. Total dividends stand at RM7,142.72. Dividend is at a healthy 2.04% so far.

Malayan Banking Berhad

May 2019 Dividends – RM1,052.16
May 2018 Dividends – RM1,040.64
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM1,052.16
Total 2018 Dividends –  RM1,853.64
Dividend Yield (so far) – 3.92%

Received a total of RM1,052.16 as dividends. Some in the form of shares via Maybank’s dividend reinvestment plan. Full details of the DRIP are hERE.

Nestle Malaysia Berhad

May 2019 Dividends – RM280
May 2018 Dividends – RM270
Total 2019 Dividends –  RM280
Total 2018 Dividends –  RM550
Dividend Yield (so far) – 2.09%

End.

We’ve broken the 2% dividend yield mark. Should hit 3% in a month or two. June is gonna rock!

As of the month of May, my total dividend income so far is 4% higher compared to 2018. In simpler terms, my dividends are increasing.

We are at a total dividend income of  RM7,142.72 . Giving the Freedom Fund a yield of 2.04% now.

Freedom Fund as at May 2019
Dividend Income (May) –  RM1,332.16
Dividend Income (2019) –  RM7,142.72
Dividend Yield – 2.04 % 

April Dividend Update

I’m not sure what it is but 2019 has been a peculiar year. Dividends that were supposed to come in their respective months didn’t. Leaving my y-o-y dividend income in a deficit for January, February and March so far.

The fourth month of the year is putting things back in its place though – I raked in a total dividend income of RM2,415.12 this time around. A 400% increase when compared y-o-y.

Total dividend income up till April stands at RM5,810.56 right now. 1.55% higher than it was April last year.

Tenaga Nasional Berhad

April 2019 Dividends – RM230
April 2018 Dividends – nil (I bought TNB at a later date last year)
Total 2019 Dividends – RM230
Total 2018 Dividends – RM782.40
Dividend Yield (so far) – 1.63%

TNB is taking a beating in the stock market lately. I’m prepared to purchase additional shares any time soon now. Follow my Instagram and Facebook for live and immediate updates.

AirAsia Group Berhad

April 2019 Dividends – RM1,596
April 2018 Dividends – RM1,596
Total 2019 Dividends – RM1,596
Total 2018 Dividends – RM1,596
Dividend Yield (so far) – 3.85%

I missed the chance to grab some shares of the aviation company at RM2.40 levels. Yields have been great so far at 3.85% even at my relatively high purchase price per share.

CB Industrial Product Holding Bhd

April 2019 Dividends – RM280
April 2018 Dividends – RM420
Total 2019 Dividends – RM280
Total 2018 Dividends – RM700
Dividend Yield (so far) – 1.26%

Overall bad performance from CBIP. The stock has dipped to very, very low values in the past few months.

Sunway Berhad

April 2019 Dividends – RM309.12
April 2018 Dividends – RM254.52
Total 2019 Dividends – RM309.12
Total 2018 Dividends – RM551.46
Dividend Yield (so far) – 2.71%

I’ll be monitoring Sunway for purchase opportunities. Dividends have increased y-o-y and I like that that issued the dividends this time around via additional shares.

This adds tremendous value to shareholders and shows the management’s confidence in the company itself.

End.

A tremendous April as my dividend income has finally caught up to the previous year’s levels. We are at a total dividend income of RM5,810.56. Giving the Freedom Fund a yield of 1.66% now.

Freedom Fund as at April 2019
Dividend Income (April) – RM2,415.12
Dividend Income (2019) – RM5,810.56
Dividend Yield – 1.66%

I’ve started a fun side project compiling AGM door gifts hERE.

Been receiving many pictures from everyone and adding to the list. The next time you’re at an AGM, do take a pic of the gifts and meal if possible and send it to divvymagic@gmail.com.

Thank you in advance!

Let’s see if we can get a handle on which company gives the best gifts soon.

March Dividend Update

We did good in March. Raking in RM1,265.27 in dividend income from a total of 5 companies. Compared to RM2,166.98 March last year.

Don’t let the figures fool you though, there was a one-off gain from the takeover of Goldis Berhad last year, netting me RM1,441.68.

New faces include Homeritz (which traditionally declared dividends in February) and my preference shares from Goldis (which you can read about hERE)

Homeritz Corporation Berhad

March 2019 Dividends – RM366.75
March 2018 Dividends – RM537.90
Total 2019 Dividends – RM366.75
Total 2018 Dividends – RM782.40
Dividend Yield (so far) – 2.60%

A dip in dividends for the furniture company.

Public Bank Berhad

March 2019 Dividends – RM222
March 2018 Dividends – RM204
Total 2019 Dividends – RM222
Total 2018 Dividends – RM396
Dividend Yield (so far) – 2.00%

A 10% increase in dividends from Public Bank this year.

Sunway REIT

March 2019 Dividends – RM281.52
March 2018 Dividends – RM297.30
Total 2019 Dividends – RM281.52
Total 2018 Dividends – RM1,179.94
Dividend Yield (so far) – 1.42%

A decrease in dividends from Sunway REIT. Hmmmm.

Scicom Berhad

March 2019 Dividends – RM168
March 2018 Dividends – RM224
Total 2019 Dividends – RM168
Total 2018 Dividends – RM1,008
Dividend Yield (so far) – 0.75%

IGB Berhad (formerly Goldis Bhd)


March 2019 Dividends – RM227
March 2018 Dividends – RM227
Total 2019 Dividends – RM227
Total 2018 Dividends – RM227
Dividend Yield (so far) – 2.15%

End.

A pretty good month. The total dividend is lower due to the aforementioned one-off proceeds from IGB Berhad.

All in all, dividend income actually increased.

Freedom Fund as at March 2019
Dividend Income (March) – RM1,265.27
Dividend Income (2019) – RM3,395.44
Dividend Yield – 0.92%

We’re almost at 1% there. Hoping to reach 5% in dividend yield this year.

End of the first quarter so I’ll be updating the figures in the Freedom Fund soon.

February Dividend Update

My February wasn’t all fine and dandy. I received only RM1,099.48 in dividend income from two companies – IGB REIT and Axis REIT. As compared to RM1,732.06 in 2018.

That’s a 36.52% drop in dividends compared to the same month last year. The main reason being – Homeritz declared in February last year, but I received their dividends in March instead, in 2019.

Also, if you’ve been following me on Facebook and Instagram, I’ve actually sold half my holding in Axis REIT after receiving their dividends.

IGB REIT

February 2019 Dividends – RM612
February 2018 Dividends – RM1,007.99
Total 2019 Dividends – RM612
Total 2018 Dividends – RM2,865.43
Dividend Yield – 1.51%

A huge 39% drop in dividends from IGB REIT.

Axis REIT

February 2019 Dividends – RM487.48
February 2018 Dividends – RM186.17
Total 2019 Dividends – RM487.48
Total 2018 Dividends – RM1,359.45
Dividend Yield – 1.42%

A 162% increase in dividends for Axis REIT.
The REIT is back on track and I foresee future growth in share price. My reason for disposing of half of the stock is because the yields are still below par for my portfolio.

End.

Freedom Fund as at February 2019
Dividend Income (February) – RM1,099.48
Dividend Income (2019) – RM2,129.48
Dividend Yield – 0.58%

Dismal dividends for the first 2 months of 2019. Still optimistic for the rest of 2019 though!

Onwards and upwards. How has everyone’s portfolio performed?

January Dividend Update

Welcome back to 2019 ladies and gents.

Markets have somewhat rebounded but sadly I didn’t make any purchases during the slump.

The first month of the year brought me a total of RM1,030 in dividend income. That’s a 23% drop in dividends compared to January in 2018.

CBIP failed to declare dividends in January as they did last year. The only company that paid me this month is good old Scientex Berhad. Their dividends increased by 12% from RM920 last year. 

Scientex Berhad

This Month’s Dividends – RM1,030

Total 2019 Dividends – RM1,030

Total 2018 Dividends – RM1,840

Dividend Yield – 2.32%

A big 12% increase in dividends compared to the same time last year.

End.

Freedom Fund as at January 2019
Dividend Income (January): RM1,030
Dividend Income (2019): RM1,030
Dividend Yield: 0.28%

This has been a short one as only Scientex paid out dividends for January. As we head into February, I’d like to wish everyone a happy Chinese New Year.

I’ll be heading back to my kampung soon. So follow me on Instagram for more of my CNY celebration and shenanigans. =D

Cashback Galore – Watsons

By 0

This article is authored and brought to you by one of our long-time readers – Alan Toh.

I did some minor editing. Enjoy!

Shopping for personal care products, skincare, cosmetics, and health supplements

Surely all of us have been to Watsons’ chain of pharmacies at some point in our lives. Be it to purchase personal care products, skincare, cosmetics or health supplements. And who wouldn’t like to receive cashback for all these purchases?

Well, I am here to introduce – the ULTIMATE guide to earn cashback from all of our purchases from Watsons’ .

Method 1 – Watsons’ VIP Membership

One may think that this is a pretty straight-forward way of earning points for every RM spent by just simply flashing the Watsons’ VIP membership card (or phone number registered with the membership) upon checkout at the cashier. You’re wrong.

As the Watson’s VIP Membership card comes with a built-in Touch n Go feature, users are encouraged to pay for their purchases at Watsons’ with Touch n Go by giving out very generous points multiplication.

Right now, for every RM paid with the Watsons’ VIP – Touch n Go card, users will be rewarded with 10x the points.

As an example, or every RM20 spent with the card, users will receive 200 points, equivalent to RM1 in cash value. That in itself is a generous 5% cashback (uncapped, of course). Not only that, Users can be rewarded with an additional 5x – 10x points for some selected products (just look for the tags on the aisles at Watsons).

Of course, in order to use the Watsons’ VIP membership card’s Touch n Go feature for payment, you need to have sufficient balance in the card. The card can either be reloaded without any fees at any Watson’s store using cash or with a credit card (note: accumulate credit card cashback or rewards points for every top-up performed) at any of the locations. You may double confirm the locations hERE.

In conclusion, not only do we get rewarded with Watsons’ VIP points worth between 5% – 7% in cashback, we would also be able to collect credit card cashback or rewards points as well. That could mean about 10% worth of cashback for our shopping at Watsons.

If you take a look at the example above of a purchase that I recently made using my Watsons’ VIP membership card, you can see that I received 6248 VIP points for my purchase of RM472.45. The value of the points received is worth RM31.24, which translates to a cashback value of 6.6%. In other words, I get to use the points earned for my next purchase at Watsons’, saving me a total of RM31.24 in value.

As of Jan 2020, Watsons’ may have reverted the 10x points to 5x.

Method 2 – BOOST Your Purchases

The second option would be to use Boost to pay for your purchase at Watsons’ store. The cashback reward for this method would usually turn out to be lower than the first method, but if reloading Touch n Go is a bit of a hassle for you (or if you are one who owns a credit card which rewards cash back for online purchases), then Boost is the way to go for.

The method here is fairly simple though, you’ve got to reload your Boost with a credit card (note: DO NOT use a Maybank Card to reload as you will not receive any reward), then flash your Watsons’ VIP Membership card together with your Boost QR code for payment upon checkout.

Remember to shake your Boost for coins (it’s the only way you would receive cashback from Boost). The typical cashback amount you would receive from Boost is between 2.2% – 8.8% depending on your luck with the Bonus coins reward and your Boost level. On top of that, you would receive up to 5% cashback from your credit card (usually capped at RM50 per card) and the usual 1 VIP point per RM spent from your Watsons’ VIP membership card (equivalent to 0.5% of cashback).

All in all, you may receive up to 18.8% of cashback using this method (up to 6.6% from Boost, up to 5% from credit card and up to 5% from Watsons’ VIP membership card if the item rewards with 10x points) if lady luck is on your side.

Method 3 – Mother of all Cash-Backs with Touch n Go eWallet

The final method, which could probably be the BEST method for earning cash back from Watsons’ store would be payments made using Touch n Go eWallet. You see, Touch n Go eWallet would occasionally collaborate with Watson’s to reward users with the Ultimate cashback of up to 16% (yes, you heard right, Watson’s and Touch n Go eWallet would give you RM8 in cashback for a minimum spending of RM50 and above in a single receipt).

Bear in mind though, each Touch n Go eWallet user is entitled to receive this cashback only ONCE throughout the campaign period and to make matters worse, the RM8 cashback is only limited to the first 25,000 transactions at all Watsons’ stores. So if you would like to earn up to 16% + up to 5% cashback for your purchases of RM50, then be sure to be one of the earliest to pay with your Touch n Go eWallet for your purchase at Watsons’.

Do keep in mind that the cashback from Touch n Go eWallet is capped at RM8 for purchase of RM50 and above in a single receipt, so try to use a combination of payment methods if your purchase amount is higher than RM50 in order to maximize the amount of cashback you could receive.

Watsons’ new campaign as of 2 Jan 2020 – 26 Feb 2020 is RM8 cashback for a RM60 minimum spend.

Bonus Money Saving Pro-Tip

Occasionally, Watsons’ would give out RM5 cash vouchers during their own campaign period, which is claimable the following week after the end of their campaign period. These vouchers would entitle customers to get RM5 off for purchases of RM50 and above in a single receipt. That is another massive 10% rebate on top of all the cash backs above!

End.

The amount may be a little small for some of you but cashback is cashback to me. Also, TnG’s eWallet is one of the most worthwhile ones out there currently.

Thank you again Alan.

A list of recommendations and stuff I use can be found hERE.
As always, Facebook and Instagram. Follow, keep up to date.

[Sponsored] Bursa Market Place – MLT Platform

By 0

My MLT Platform Portfolio

I go by the name Dividend Magic on Bursa’s MLT platform and the above is my portfolio’s current performance.

I’m currently mirroring the stocks from 3 different analysts, using the platform to try my hand on penny stocks based on the analysis of the Traders.

If you are however a first-time investor, do focus on the more established stocks. I’d suggest looking at a stock on your own, do your own analyses and then compare what you found to the licensed Traders on the MLT platform. Trust me, you’ll be able to pick up a lot in no time at all.

How You Should Use It

I had the pleasure of meeting with the Bursa MLT team last month. The two main purposes of the new platform are to encourage participation in the stock market as well as to educate Malaysians on sound and effective investing.

There are opportunities in investing in the stock market that Malaysians are missing out on, especially the youths. As I’ve always been advocating, investing should begin as early as possible.

If you are a total beginner, Bursa’s MLT platform serves as a good place for you to start and familiarize yourself with stock investing and trading.

There are currently 9 analysts on there from which you can follow and mirror their trades. These are investment analysts that are licensed in Malaysia to research and come out with reports on companies in the stock market and recommend if you should buy, hold or sell a stock.

The analysts on the platform actually follow up on their reports on the companies they cover and perform virtual buy or sell trades on the individual stocks.

What does this mean for you as an investor? You get to understand the WHY.

Why did Analyst A actually purchase Stock B yesterday? It’ll be in their commentary on the platform and if you’ve got any additional questions, fire away in the MLT Community tab.

I’d suggest new investors to start mirroring the Traders on the platform and trade virtually. Eventually, once you’ve familiarized yourself with it, start putting in actual trades on your own trading account and start investing for real.

If you’re interested in opening an account, you can start hERE.

My Review

The platform serves as a really good way for first-time investors to start investing in the stock market. You as an Investor would be given a virtual starting capital of RM100K. Thereafter, based on the Traders’ analysis and picks on the stocks in their portfolios, you choose which stock to mirror.

By mirroring the stocks, you effectively add them to your own portfolio and its all autopilot from there. The platform automatically calculates your profit or loss based on your very own virtual portfolio.

One thing many of you highlighted as Investors was that you were unable to find and mirror your own individual stocks. Instead, you had to find it in a Trader’s portfolio and mirror it from there. I believe this is built in such a way so that as an Investor, Bursa wants you to learn from licensed analysts so that you understand why trades on the stocks were decided based on their fundamental reasons and technical analyses.

How to Sign Up

Firstly, the MLT platform is only open to residents of Malaysia. Users must be individuals 18 years of age or older as at the date of entry into the platform.

Also, another reason to sign up is the monthly lucky draw giveaway.

You may find the link to sign up hERE.

Here’s a video on MLT:

ASNB – Getting Fixed-Priced ASM Units

By 13

Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad, more commonly known as ASNB handles the funds found below.

ASB and ASM

The coveted fixed-price funds are what we will be focusing on today.
A thing to note – ASNB provides two kinds of funds. The first is the fixed priced funds – namely Amanah Saham Malaysia (”ASM”). The others, let’s just say they’re like mutual funds and you all know how I feel about them.

I’ve been trying to get my hands on additional units of the ASM funds 1, 2 and 3 for ages now. I managed to get RM17,500 worth of it a few weeks ago and here’s how I did it.

Now, if you’re a Bumiputera of Malaysia, you’re in luck. You’re automatically allocated units in the ASB funds. These typically give above 6% returns, with bonuses and stuff it’ll be in the 10% region.

Non-Bumiputeras, you don’t get to touch the ASB funds. The next best thing are the fixed-priced ASM funds I mentioned earlier. These are lower in returns compared to ASB though.

You’ve heard of aunties and uncles queueing up every damn day at banks just to ask the lady at the counter to query the system for available ASM units. This isn’t hearsay. I too do this on occasion.

The common belief is that during festive seasons, there will be a higher chance of available units as people tend to sell their units then. I’ve never gotten it this way.

In fact, I count myself among the lucky few because my mother had got me about RM3K worth of ASM units when I was younger.

Getting Additional ASM Units

The traditional way of purchasing additional units is as follows:

  1. You queue up and ask the bank if they’ve got available units. Chance? 0% for me
  2. You sign up at ASNB’s website and try to purchase online. You save time queuing but I have yet to get any.

Here’s the third way. I managed to get RM17,500 worth of ASM3 units a few weeks ago through my relationship manager at Maybank.

A few things you should know beforehand if you’re new to the blog.

  1. I’m a Maybank Premier Wealth customer and I have a relationship manager (”RM”).
  2. This is a campaign by Maybank. I ain’t sure if it’s only for Premier Wealth customers but my RM brought it to my attention.

OK. So this was the text I got:

Upcoming ASNB VP & FP Bundle Campaign 2019- Phase 3

Campaign Period: 10 – 20 Sept 2019 Bundle :
ASN IMBANG 1 or 2 & ASM3
Minimum: RM30k
Ratio: 65% ASN Imbang1/2 : 35% ASM3

The ASM3 units are limited and available on a first come first serve basis.

I had to basically put in a minimum of RM30K in. 65% will go to ASNB’s variable fund and the remaining 35% into its fixed-priced ASM3 fund.

ASNB is basically trying to promote and get you to invest in its variable fund which charges a 4% sales charge. I forgot the management fee per annum. But yeah, mutual funds.

I decided the 4% sales charge was worth it in the long term and invested RM50K into it total. Which gave me that RM17,500 in ASM3 funds.

As you can see, I was charged 4% immediately and the variable fund dropped in value since.

End.

That’s how I got RM17,500 worth of ASM funds. At a cost of RM1,300. Effectively, a 7% sales charge on it. Do you think it’s worth it?

I hope this one will help people get their ASM funds in the future. I’ll be sure to post an update whenever I receive news of new campaigns from my RM in the future. So follow me on Facebook and Instagram to get quick and immediate updates.

Emergency Funds & Fixed Deposit Laddering

By 7

I’ll teach everyone how to set up your emergency funds using fixed deposits right here.

I know some of you veteran investors will already know all about FDs, but this one is for the newcomers.

You wouldn’t believe the number of inquiries I’ve had on FDs from readers. FDs are, by large the first form of investment everyone should have. They are a risk-free, interest generating financial product offered by the good banks here in Malaysia.

In this article, I’ll show you how to set up your Emergency Fund with FDs.

What are Fixed Deposits?

Fixed deposits or FDs as we will call them is, first of all, a financial instrument. Here in Malaysia, they’re provided by banks and gives a higher interest rate than a typical savings account.

The usual terms of a Fixed Deposit here in Malaysia:

1. You place a fixed sum with the bank for a fixed period of time.
2. The bank agrees to pay you a fixed interest rate.
3. You don’t touch that money. After the said period, you get your money back PLUS interest.

What if you were in an emergency you say?
And you needed to uplift the FD before it matures? Well, you’ll most likely lose all your interest. But your initial sum will NEVER be touched.

This right here is a liquidity problem with fixed deposits. Don’t worry I have a solution.

My Emergency Fund

An emergency fund is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a certain amount of money, easily accessible and put away in case of an emergency.

Exactly how much to put away? You’ll first need to know your average expenses and spending per month. After figuring that out, you’ll want at least a 6-month emergency fund.

Using myself as an example – On average, I spend around RM5,000 per month. All in.

So, a 6-month emergency fund would be RM30,000. But I try to keep a 24-month emergency fund going. Just cause. Which gives me around RM120,000 in liquid cash.

Now, the key ingredient for a good emergency fund is LIQUIDITY.

My emergency fund is 90% Fixed Deposits and 10% Savings Account and/or Cash. But an FD isn’t that liquid. So here’s how you make it liquid.

Why an Emergency Fund?

An emergency fund in my opinion serves two purposes.

The first one is to help you avoid a situation where you have to liquidate your investment assets in a crisis. As an investor, your portfolio can take a huge hit if you sell at the wrong time.

Imagine having to sell your stocks or that investment property due to a medical emergency.

The second reason is psychological. Knowing you have a safety net gives you a sense of security and peace of mind. It’ll give you a boost in confidence and has helped me as an investor focus on investing. I don’t have to worry about my expenses or my needs during an emergency.

I am genuinely positive that my emergency fund has helped me make better investing decisions.

Fixed Deposit Laddering

FD Laddering. This should address all the liquidity problems you have with your fixed deposits. Here’s how I do it.

Remember that RM120,000 emergency fund? It won’t make much sense if you put the whole chunk of it into one FD.

Say next month you needed to get your car fixed and it’ll cost you RM1,000. Uplifting that RM120,000 FD would mean you lose your interest. 3% on 120K is RM3,600 in interest per annum. That’s no chump change.

Solution? Break that RM120,000 up. I personally use Maybank so I’ll be giving you an example of it. The minimum FD placement is this – RM5,000 for 1 month.

My FD Ladder

If you’re up for it, you can go right ahead and break them up into 24 tiny chunks.

I differentiated mine into RM10K and RM20K FDs, with a mixture of 1-month and 3-month periods. It’ll look something like this:

The longer you place your money in an FD, the higher the interest the bank pays you. It is, however, a negligible difference because you’ll be compounding your money if its a monthly one anyway.

Also, try to make sure you place your FDs on different days of the month. I have them in the beginning, the middle and the end of the month. This will allow you to eventually uplift the one that’ll cost you the least in interest in the event of an emergency.

Fixed Deposit Perpetuity

I always select the following 2 options whenever I place an FD.

1. Credit interest earned to the principal.
This essentially means you’re compounding your interest automatically.

2. Renew FD at maturity.
This means I never have to look at my FD Ladder again. It’ll run by itself.

End.

I know most of these are common sense to some, but I still hope I managed to bring value to everyone reading this.

I’m sure some of you have more sophisticated FD hacks and tricks. Please, do share!

Maybank 2 Cards Premier – Best Air-miles Card

By 15

There are two components to Maybank 2 Cards. You get a Visa / Mastercard and an American Express card. 2 cards.

The card we will want to focus on is the Amex card, as it gives 5x Treatspoints per RM1 spent whereas the Visa / Master gives 2x Treatspoints.

To keep it simple – You spend as much as you can with your Amex. The Visa / Master is the fallback card for places that don’t accept Amex.

Cashback vs Air-miles

First off, if you’re new to the world of credit cards, allow me to explain. To me, credit cards for the first 10 years of my life were about cashback. I have since yesterday, switched to air-miles mode.

I’ve done the research, I’ve done the numbers. You get a better bang for your buck with the air-miles approach. A caveat: Your spending will need to be in the above the RM36K per annum range.

How to get Maybank 2 Cards Premier

Maybank recently revised the minimum income required for their Maybank 2 Cards Premier to RM100K per annum. Even if you don’t fulfill this requirement, I’ll tell you how you can still get them cards.

I was a little short on the income front. Maybank doesn’t care about your dividend income.

I spoke to my relationship manager in the bank and to my surprise, a simple FD pledge would allow me to get the Premier cards.

So, if you’re short on the income/salary front, talk to someone in the bank. This is not a foolproof method and it goes on a case-by-case basis.

Also to note, if you’re planning on getting the 2 Cards Premier, your existing Treatspoints cannot be carried over. This is because the redemption rate is much more favourable to the premier cards.

Maybank 2 Cards Premier Annual Fees

Now, one last thing before you jump on the premier card bandwagon. Apart from the RM25 mandatory fee from the government, the premier cards have an annual fee of RM800.

The cards are free for the first year. For subsequent years, you’ll need to have an annual spending of RM80,000 to get the fee waived.

You know I’m frugal and there’s no way I have that much of an annual spending every year.

My strategy for this? I am utilizing the 4 free supplementary cards provided by the cards. Combining the spending of all cards should get me to RM80K a year. And yes, Maybank allows you to total up the spending per annum of the principal and supplementary cardholders.

What’s in it for the supplementary cardholders? Well, they get the same 2x or 5x treatspoints as you, the same redemption rate for air miles. Basically, everything is the same for them as supplementary cardholders!

I’ve got the first year to test this out. We’ll see how it goes.
I do solemnly swear that the RM80K target will not cause me to spend more than I usually do.

Meantime, do follow me on Instagram and on Facebook for updates.

End.

As I’m writing this, I feel an unexplainable urge to go on a rampage on the benefits of a credit card. As opposed to cash and debit cards. Instead, I’ll keep myself controlled for now and have a long-ass article on it soon.

I know most of you reading this are masters and sifus at optimising your credit cards. Please do let me know if you have better cards out there to recommend for air-miles and cashback for other readers.

And for those of you that are attending our little meet up on the 8th, I’ll see you all real soon.

Learn Investing

Join my mailing list to get a FREE basic financial plan, as well as notifications of new posts when they are published.