Dividend Magic

Saving and Investing towards Financial Independence in Malaysia

Dividend Magic

Tiger Brokers Review

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Filed Under: Dividends, FI/RE, Financial Independence, Investment, Investment Portfolio, Sponsored, US Stocks 2

I have had an account with Tiger Brokers since 2020 but have yet to utilise it apart from trying out their interface and depositing a small amount in there.

If you are looking to trade international stocks and have yet to open an account with Tiger Brokers, you will be glad to know that there are huge perks to opening an account now.

Tiger Brokers Account Opening Referral and Promotion

Account Opening Rewards

  • 1 unit of Grab share
  • Unlimited commission-free trades for HK, SG, and China A-Shares for 365 days.
  • Unlimited commission-free trades for US stocks for 180 days. 

Account Funding Reward (Initial Deposit of SGD1,000 or more + execute 5 BUY trades)

  • SGD88 cash

The full T&C can be viewed hERE. The promotion lasts till 12 October 2022.

Why Tiger Brokers?

Fees

First off, as always, fees. Tiger Brokers’ zero-commission trading is huge and beats many other international brokers.

Now, zero commissions do not mean that trading of US shares is totally free because there is, of course, a platform fee of USD0.005 per share or a minimum of USD1 per trade. It is a fee, but it is cheaper in comparison to many other brokers. So, keep that in mind.

As I’ve mentioned many times, fees are important because they eat their way into your investment and you’ll find yourself paying a lot more than 1% at the end of day, say, 20 years.

You may think a 0.1% or a 1% fee is of no significance but with the compounding nature of long-term investing, we, as average investors, are looking at hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in our investments at the end of the day.

Regulation and Protection

Tiger Brokers (Singapore) Pte Ltd is regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

Elsewhere, they’re also regulated by the SEC in the US, ASIC in Australia and HKSFC in Hong Kong. They’re compliant in all the countries they operate in so they’re safe. Apart from that, customer funds are held in a segregated trust account with DBS Bank Ltd. Custodian of investors’ shares is with the Central Depository (CDP) as well as overseas brokers.

Another important safety factor is that Tiger Brokers is listed on NASDAQ and under the ticker TIGR. This, in my book, adds credibility to Tiger Brokers as a brokerage platform. Their books and reports are easily accessible should you feel the need to refer to them as well.

Rewards

There’s a built-in rewards system for users of Tiger Brokers – Tiger Coins. By completing certain tasks (which aren’t all that hard) you’ll be credited with Tiger Coins which can be used to redeem rewards such as commission-free trades.

Account Opening and Registration

So, you’ve decided to open an account. Two types of accounts are available at Tiger Brokers – Margin and Cash Upfront. I’ll always recommend a cash upfront account to start with. If you’ve been trading and investing for a long time and are confident in your abilities, you can always move up and open a margin account.

Link to register hERE.

Funding Your Tiger Brokers Account

The are many ways to move your funds to Tiger brokers but the best I’ve found and that’ll save you fees in the future is this: You’ll have to open a bank account in Singapore. Basically, you transfer your monies to an SG bank account (you can use services like Transferwise etc to save on fees) and then from there into your Tiger Broker’s account.

Another transfer method to note is to use Wise which is integrated directly into the Tiger Trade APP, as part of a collaboration with Tiger Brokers. This method is fast and easy once it is set up. More info can be found here: https://www.tigerbrokers.com.sg/help/detail/87168024.

What I’ll be Using

Because of Tiger Broker’s low fee structure, I’ll be looking to add a ton of long-term international stocks here. Especially US shares.

Love the rewards I get from trading as well in the form of Tiger Coins.

End.

Account opening rewards are looking good and you get rewards as you trade and invest.

If you’ve yet to sign up and want to, use the registration link hERE. Check out the full details of the promotion hERE.

This post is sponsored by Tiger Brokers.

Carsome Review – My Experience Buying and Selling My Car with Carsome

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Filed Under: FI/RE, Financial Independence, Financial/Life Hacks, Investment, Other, Travel, food and the finer things in life 1

So I bought a car!

I love cars and I’ve never bought a brand new vehicle in my life. The car I just sold off was a 21-year-old BMW e46. I got the car back in 2013 and have been using it as my daily drive.

The reason I had to let go of the car was the cost of maintenance. I had been consistently spending thousands of ringgit a year for part changes and enough was enough. This is why you shouldn’t ever keep an old continental car as your daily drive.

The options available to me were to sell the BMW and get another newer car or sell the BMW and use Grab. I decided on getting another vehicle as I actually like driving and after doing some simple calculations, owning my own car made more sense.

Selling my Car

I had been getting ads on Instagram from both Carsome and myTukar regularly by this time. Went car-browsing on both sites and spent hours sifting through.

Some stuff to take note of, myTukar doesn’t accept cars over 20 years old. Carsome does.

Also, both of them gave me much higher prices compared to the local dealers you can find on Mudah. I predict a swift and timely death to 2nd hand car dealers all over Malaysia soon. They just can’t compete anymore.

So, took the plunge, sold my car to Carsome and got the best possible price (it was still a really shit price) and went browsing for my next car at Carsome.

Buying my Secondhand Car.

For years now, I already knew the brand and car model I wanted (it is a hatchback). And that’s about as much as I’d like to disclose about my vehicle for now.

All I had to do was look out for one that had low mileage and was in good condition. I had already done my research on the car with all the known issues and what to look out for. There were only two real choices for me. The hatchback or the very compact and fuel-efficient Perodua Axia. Also a low mileage and good condition one of course.

I was in no rush to sell the car so I think I spent about a month or two just sifting through and browsing cars on Carsome and myTukar. I had about 6 tabs open on my browser every day on cars. The car I wanted came on sale in January on Carsome. It was the model I wanted and it had done about 50k in mileage. Same models were at 80-100k mileage and priced the same on sites like Mudah.

Made the call, went through the process and paid a refundable deposit of RM1,000 for the car. I had the salesperson bring the car over to KL all the way from Johor for a viewing.

Steps to Buying a Secondhand Car

Now I’m sure there are plenty of resources on buying secondhand cars online you can go through. Heck, some of you here may even be veterans and are better at it than I am. But here is what I did.

1. Inspection

One of the reasons I chose Carsome was for its inspection and checking system. There is a detailed report on the problems found on each car listed on their website.

Despite this, the very first thing I did was bring the car to a friend’s workshop and garage for a full inspection. Did an Onboard diagnostic (OBD) to make sure the car wasn’t tampered with. Paid RM150 for the inspection.

We checked for rust at the bottom and made sure no rust was found on the car’s mainframe. We noticed significant rust on the car’s front right absorber and mounting.

The salesperson from Carsome was a really good one and a friend of a friend. He agreed to have the car sent back to their workshop and to change the parts if there were issues found.

2. Test Driving

After waiting for about a week for the car parts to be fitted, I brought along a very kind friend who was a mechanic for the first viewing and test drive. Let him take the wheel and right off the bat we heard weird sounds coming from the front whenever the car went over a speed bump.

And guess what? It was back to the workshop again! In total, I think I went for 3 test drives because of the sound from the front. Carsome changed: Absorbers, Mounting, Dust Covers, Bearing and even did the alignment for the wheels. At the end of like 4 test drives over the span of a month, there was still some sound coming from the front over speed bumps but it was significantly less, I was already feeling really embarrassed for the back and forth and decided to just go ahead with the purchase. I decided that I will refit the parts on my own time later.

I think only companies like Carsome and myTukar will do this for you. If you’re purchasing from a secondhand car dealer, forget it.

3. Loan Application and Payment

I got the salesperson to submit my hire purchase application to a few different banks, and settled on CIMB as they offered me the lowest rate at 3.1% for a 7-year loan. The loan came with a few conditions.

  1. Open a savings account with CIMB;
  2. Take the first year’s motor insurance with them; and
  3. Snatch Medz for one year.

Snatch Medz is a sort of life insurance where if I were to die or suffer a total disability, the loan would be paid off. This one cost me RM430 for the first year.

Used my credit card for the deposit, had a problem increasing my credit limit with Maybank so I had to delay the purchase for another few days. Managed to get it settled eventually so a tip here is to get a hold of your bank earlier if you’ve already decided on the car. Get your points from the deposit! It is worth it.

Additional Stuff I Asked For

If you’re going to get a vehicle from Carsome or myTukar, don’t forget to ask for additional freebies!

You can check out Carsome hERE.

Change all faulty parts!

Change in parts that were broken. As mentioned earlier, I got a lot of parts replaced. If you’re getting your car from a dealer like Carsome, you should do your inspection and ask for a change in faulty parts. Ask for everything!

Car plate number interchange

I got a discount for the exchange of my car plate number. I bought my own number through JPJ’s auction and had Carsome replace it at a discount. I think it was around RM200 cheaper to do it through their agent.

Promotions

Always remember to check what promos the dealer is having. It so happened Carsome was having a TnG wallet promo and I asked for that.

They were also giving a RM1K discount if you sell your car to them and subsequently buy from them after. I qualified for that and got RM1K off as well.

Petrol vouchers

And after getting everything sorted, I got my guy at Carsome to get me petrol vouchers! I got about RM300 worth of it.

End.

So I’ll most likely be using this car for at least another 10 years. Will be keeping it in good condition. I have still yet to buy a new car for myself. This article has taken a pretty sharp turn away from investing, but hey, buying a car costs money and making a good decision here is vital to investing too.

If you’re looking to sell or buy a car, head over to Carsome’s website. I’ve had a good experience with them. I can even get my salesperson to give you a call so drop me an email or a DM on Instagram.

Aaaaand, if you’ve been following me on Instagram, you would’ve noticed me posting pics of another vehicle occasionally. I invested in an old classic car and I’ll be posting much more about it soon!

Dividend Magic’s Yearly Review

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Filed Under: FI/RE, Financial Independence, Investment Portfolio 0

I’ll be using this anchor page to keep track of my overall investment portfolio. Updated yearly so I’ll be able to track and show a yearly gain/loss.

Moving forward, I’ll aim to keep my recording simple and clear-cut. So I’ll be able to track my yearly gain more easily. No more IRR, just simple yearly gain, including fresh capital and dividends reinvested.

The Year 2021

It has been a turbulent year. In terms of my portfolio, it has more or less stayed the same, which I am grateful for. The first half of 2021 saw prices plunge and then go up again in the latter part of the year.

My dividends have also increased ever so slightly to RM15,595.07 per annum in 2021. This is despite me having a smaller portfolio compared to 2020. Which is a win. Still, a long way to go to RM36K a year in dividends.

I’ve also managed to maintain a respectable savings rate in 2021 despite a drop in my income. Got a sizeable war chest ready to be deployed and I’m keeping an eye on a few local stocks as well as US ones. It has been a while where the Freedom Fund has been stagnant around the RM500K mark.

On the other hand, my crypto portfolio almost doubled in value from a year ago, this is after factoring in the huge year-end dip. I’ve also been consistent in putting money into my StashAway account. Returns have dropped compared to last year, but in the long run, I’m confident. My US portfolio has seen a drop come year-end, but we’re still positive.

My Investments

The Freedom Fund

Market value: RM501,858.09
Cash: RM100K
Dividends: RM15,595.07
Dividend yield: 3.33%

The Freedom Fund (US)

Crypto Portfolio

Gross investment: RM10,273
Market value: RM67,004
Capital gain: +552.23%

StashAway

Dividend Magic – Risk (36% Risk Index)
Gross Investment – RM48,000.01
Current Value – RM48,575.13
Time-weighted return – 10.19%
Money-weighted return – 2.79%

Dividend Magic US – Risk (30% Risk Index)
Gross Investment – RM10,000.00
Current Value – RM11,433.23
Time-weighted return – 14.33%
Money-weighted return – 14.33%

StashAway Simple
Gross Investment – RM4,500.00
Current Value – RM4,769.28

TOTAL
Gross Investment – RM62,500
Current Value – RM64,777.64
Gain/Loss: +3.64%

My Overall Investment Portfolio

Freedom Fund: RM601,858.09
Crypto: RM67,004
StashAway: RM64,777.64
Total: RM733,639.73

Goals for 2022

I will focus on getting my dividends up. I’ll be adding more positions throughout the year. I’m looking at you Scientex!

Also, will be looking to do a monthly DCA into Vanguard’s S&P 500 ETF. As of now, I’ll be purchasing it through Rakuten Trade until a better brokerage becomes available.

The Year 2020

What a year it has been. My portfolio tanked in March when Covid hit. It even went into the red, a first for me. I missed the glove boat.

Bet on the recovery and my portfolio managed to sail through 2020 with an almost 10% gain y-o-y. As the portfolio increases in value and diversification, long gone are the days of 15-20% capital gains. I’ll be aiming to rebalance and refocus my portfolio next year. Cutting underperforming stocks and adding more winners.

I’ll also be focusing on my US portfolio moving forward. I’ve also made a decision to keep my US portfolio hidden to maintain some form of privacy. Don’t worry you’ll still be able to view it in percentage (%) form.

My Investments

The Freedom Fund

Market value: RM545,778.21
Cash: RM46,350.83
Dividends: RM15,415.64
Dividend yield: 3.33%

The Freedom Fund (US)

Crypto Portfolio

Gross Investment: RM13,808
Market Value: RM34,424
Capital Gain/Loss: +149.30%

StashAway

Dividend Magic – Risk (36% Risk Index)
Gross Investment – RM14,001.00
Current Value – RM15,378.03
Time-weighted return – 8.01%

Dividend Magic US – Risk (30% Risk Index)
Gross Investment – RM10,000.00
Current Value – RM10,603.19
Time-weighted return – 6.03%

StashAway Simple
Gross Investment – RM12,500.00
Current Value – RM12,559.17

TOTAL
Gross Investment – RM36,501.00
Current Value – RM38,540.39
Gain/Loss: +5.6%

My Overall Investment Portfolio

Freedom Fund: RM607,544.68
Crypto: RM34,424.00
StashAway: RM38,540.39
Total: RM679,125.07

Goals for 2021

The Freedom Fund and StashAway performed solidly for me in 2020. Obviously, I’ll want to see my dividends go up in 2021. It dropped a little this year with a few companies in my portfolio electing to withhold dividends.

I hope to see dividends surpass RM20K per annum barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Also, I want to eventually have my total investments (excluding my US portfolio) reach RM750K in 2021 and RM1 million by 2025. Setting the bar a little low there I know but I’ve learnt that the key to happiness is low expectations. And with RM1 million in investments, I should be able to hit my dividend target of RM36,000 per annum.

On the other hand, I will also be pumping money into my US portfolio (which as mentioned above will be tracked only in %).

Now, to the best performing asset for me in 2020 – Bitcoin and Ethereum. Almost at a 150% return for me at the time of writing and it is increasing. I set out to keep crypto to a maximum of 10% of my portfolio. I’ll continue to hold onto them coins for now.

dividendmagic.com.my

I consider every one of you reading as a stakeholder of Dividend Magic. So an update of the website at the end of 2020 would be apt.

As mentioned on my About page, at the rate the blog is growing, we will definitely be hitting a million (and more) views next year. A big thank you to everyone that has been frequenting the blog and interacting with me on social media. I appreciate every follow, like, comment, and share you’ve been so generous with. I love the community we’ve built and the friends I’ve made along the way. We’re a small but tight-knit bunch in Malaysia.

If you haven’t already, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and now YouTube to keep up to date.

To those that have been wondering if I’m making money via ads on the blog, the answer is finally a yes. But it isn’t much, unfortunately.

I’ve opted for the minimum amount of ads as well as the best-optimized placement for readers.

Right now, ad revenue itself is able to cover the running costs of the blog which I’m super grateful for. I don’t see this growing significantly, maybe I’m doing something wrong with the ads. With running expenses covered, Dividend Magic will be here to stay.

End.

Dividend Magic - We can do it!

That is all there is to update. 2020 was scary, thankfully, my investments are doing all right now. As always, it is important to stay invested and to attack when the opportunity presents itself. There will of course be some missed opportunities and lessons to be learned along the way. All my mistakes, all my wins, you’ll be able to see them here on the blog.

I’ll be updating my portfolios on a monthly basis as usual come 2021. Have a happy new year and I’ll see everyone in 2021.

The Dividend Magic Show

This will serve as a sort of home page for my YouTube channel.

I’ll list out all the episodes for stock investments as well as other playlists for easy navigation.

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

The Main Dividend Magic Show

This is where we talk about stocks in general as well as delve deep into each individual stock.

#001 – Our Investment Goals and Strategies
#002 – Common Stock Investment Mistakes
#003 – Duopharma Analysis – Hold or Sell?

My Reveal Video

My first ever video. Excited and nervous at the same time. I did this together with my good friend Aaron Tang aka Mr. Stingy.

The $1000 Challenge, Charity Portfolio

Did this one with my good friend Suyin Ong of Suyinvests.

This will be an ongoing charity drive for both of us where we donate dividends every year. Forever.

Dividend Income Update 2020

By
Filed Under: Dividends, Investment 19

A list of my past dividend income and updates can be found below:

December

Freedom Fund as of December 2020
Dividend Income (Dec) –  RM351.47
Dividend Income (2020) –  RM15,415.64
Dividend Yield – 3.54%

You’ll notice a drop in dividend yield compared to November as I added and sold stocks.

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

Acquisition and Disposals

Added more QL Resources, TGUAN. Sold BURSA and some DSONIC.

Axis REIT

December 2020 Dividends – RM211.47
December 2019 Dividends – RM221.82
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM726.01
Dividend Yield – 4.18%

Nestle (M) Berhad

December 2020 Dividends – RM140
December 2019 Dividends – RM140
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM560
Dividend Yield – 4.19%

November

Freedom Fund as of November 2020
Dividend Income (Nov) –  RM960.04
Dividend Income (2020) –  RM15,064.17
Dividend Yield – 3.53%

Received RM960.04 for November from a total of 2 companies.

Acquisition and Disposals

Bought 1,000 units of TENAGA, lowering my average buy price to RM11.7950 per share.

Also bought a little more TGUAN as it went way down during November.

Bought MYEG for RM1.54 per share.

Bought and sold BURSA for some quick gain as it went above my valuation.

Sold off some MAYBANK and PBBANK shares, taking a little profit along the way.

Thoughts

As can be seen from my buy and sell transactions above, I’m still actively purchasing shares as they fall below my valuations. I’m also freeing up some money as I am building up and maintaining my cash position of about 10-15% of my portfolio right now.

IGB REIT

November 2020 Dividends – RM701.47
November 2019 Dividends – RM622.82
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM2,144.76
Dividend Yield – 4.14%

Sunway REIT

November 2020 Dividends – RM258.57
November 2019 Dividends – RM312.26
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM1,081.05
Dividend Yield – 2.32%

October

Freedom Fund as of October 2020
Dividend Income (Oct) –  RM1,530.48
Dividend Income (2020) –  RM14,104.13
Dividend Yield – 3.30%

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

Received RM1,530.48 for October from a total of 7 companies!

Acquisition and Disposals

Bought both Thong Guan (TGUAN) and Tenaga in October. The price and amount will be updated when I do the year end review.

I sold some Scientex AGAIN in October to lock in profit. Hoping to buy back if and when prices dip in the future.

Also sold off Aeon Credit to free up some cash. Including dividends received, a small gain of 2.78% was recorded.

Thoughts

Just like current market conditions, my portfolio and dividends have taken a hit in 2020. Looking to at least get close to last year’s RM16,322.27 in dividends. We’re only at RM14,104.13 today.

That being said, I am still grateful to be able to continue getting dividends this year. And also thankful that the portfolio is still in the green as of this moment. It’s a race towards the end of 2020!

Nestle Malaysia Berhad

October 2020 Dividends – RM140
October 2019 Dividends – RM140
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM420
Dividend Yield – 3.14%

Axis REIT

October 2020 Dividends – RM203.28
October 2019 Dividends – RM221.82
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM514.54
Dividend Yield – 2.96%

Datasonic Group Berhad

October 2020 Dividends – RM78.50
October 2019 Dividends – RM –
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM78.50
Dividend Yield – 0.40%

QL Resources Berhad

October 2020 Dividends – RM67.50
October 2019 Dividends – RM –
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM67.50
Dividend Yield – 0.46%

Tenaga Nasional Berhad

October 2020 Dividends – RM660
October 2019 Dividends – RM600
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM2,060
Dividend Yield – 5.50%

CB Industrial Product Holding Berhad

October 2020 Dividends – RM280
October 2019 Dividends – RM280
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM560
Dividend Yield – 2.51%

Aeon Credit (M) Berhad (SOLD)

October 2020 Dividends – RM101.20

September

Freedom Fund as of September 2020
Dividend Income (Sept) –  RM459.50
Dividend Income (2020) –  RM12,573.65
Dividend Yield – 2.84%

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

Received a total of RM459.50 in dividend income for September. A drop compared to 2019’s RM1,336.98. We missed out on PBB, Homeriz and Scicom’s dividends.

Note: Amended dividends and yield a little as I forgot to take into account dividend from stocks I sold. Also amended the Freedom Fund’s latest update.

I know many of you have been asking for my list of purchases and disposals. I’ll try my best to list them all down here as well as the reasons for said transactions.

Disposals

Duopharma

I sold 7,000 units of Duopharma stocks, taking an estimated 200% profit. Will be looking closely at this company in the coming weeks/months to maybe purchase more or dispose of all my holdings.

Homeriz

I’ve also disposed of all my Homeriz stocks with a 37% gain. I’ve been holding this one since 2014 and its been a pretty good ride with decent dividends. Reason for the disposal is that I want to free up some cash and cut my portfolio down a little.

Scicom

This one hurts. Holding Scicom since 2016, sold all for a 43% loss. I though I understood the company well and the industry but lesson learnt. Will not be looking at them any time soon.

Scientex

Scientex has always been my diamond in the rough. A true gem and I’ve recently disposed of some 2,000 units. Took a profit of around 125%. I still hold 9,800 units of Scientex and will continue to hold for the long term. Will of course be on the look out for when the price drops to add more to my portfolio.

Purchases

Bursa

Purchased 1,500 units of our very own bourse. Looking to hold this one for the long term and I’m hoping that the participation of retail investors will continue long after the pandemic is over.

Dsonic

Bought this one in anticipation of some projects. Dipping my toe in this new industry and learning a lot from my peers and members from our FB group.

QL Resources

I’ve been looking at QL for the longest time, if I recall I did actually own some shares of QL previously but sold it off. Would’ve made a handsome profit if I continued to hold the shares. Shoulda, woulda, coulda.

I like the management, they’re in a very steady industry and you know – Family Mart.

Thoughts

So those are my disposals and my purchases from March to September 2020. I’ll be looking to start discussions on individual stocks on my YouTube channel very soon. If you haven’t already, please do subscribe and I’ll see all of you there.

Now on to September’s dividend income!

Genting Malaysia Berhad

September 2020 Dividends – RM228
September 2019 Dividends – RM288
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM760
Dividend Yield – 4.40%

Sunway Construction Berhad

September 2020 Dividends – RM4.50
September 2019 Dividends – RM12.60
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM4.50
Dividend Yield – 0.77%

IGB Berhad

September 2020 Dividends – RM227
September 2019 Dividends – RM227
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM454
Dividend Yield – 4.30%

August

Freedom Fund as at August 2020
Dividend Income (Aug) –  RM872.67
Dividend Income (2020) –  RM12,114.15
Dividend Yield – 2.71%

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

Received a total of RM872.67 in dividend income for August. A slight increase compared to 2019’s RM832.21. A 5% increase.

Thoughts

With Q4 closing in fast, I’m keen to see my investment portfolio reach the 3% mark in dividend yield. Pretty sure we won’t be able to surpass 2019’s yield of 4.16%, but you never know!

I think markets will continue to be volatile and stock prices do not accurately reflect the Malaysian economy right now. This is the first time I’m seeing such market enthusiasm during a pandemic and when businesses all around us are closing down.

I’ll continue to hold on to more cash as I sell off some positions. I’m looking to purchase more Real Estate Investment Trust (REITs) stocks and a few good companies I’m currently holding right when the price is right.

As I’ve mentioned a few times, my Malaysian portfolio will be built and centered around dividends right now. While my US stock portfolio will be more focused on growth and capital gains.

Duopharma Biotech Berhad

August 2020 Dividends – RM500.00
August 2019 Dividends – N/A
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM500.00
Dividend Yield – 3.55%

I’ve been selling off this stock and taking profit over the past few weeks/months. All in all, I’ve probably made close to 200% profit on average from the aforementioned sell off.

IGB REIT

August 2020 Dividends – RM207.01
August 2019 Dividends – RM609.37
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM1,443.29
Dividend Yield – 2.78%

Sunway REIT

August 2020 Dividends – RM515.66
August 2019 Dividends – RM298.38
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM822.48
Dividend Yield – 1.77%

July

Freedom Fund as at July 2020
Dividend Income (July) –  RM1,722.67
Dividend Income (2020) –  RM11,241.48
Dividend Yield – 2.62%

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

Received a total of RM1,722.67 in dividends for July this year. Comparatively, in 2019, I received RM1,409.95. That’s a 22% increase.

To compare against last year’s performance, I’ve compiled and combined all 2019’s dividend income update hERE.

With the interest rates in Malaysia at an all-time low right now, conventional FD’s are no longer attractive. It is times like these that strong, stable companies with their consistent dividend payments shine. We are only in July and my yield is already above the board rate.

Aeon Credit Service (M) Berhad

July 2020 Dividends – RM154.00
July 2019 Dividends – RM379.95
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM154.00
Dividend Yield – 1.22%

Aeon Credit has been hit hard in Q2. Will be looking to maybe trim down a little to pounce on future buying opportunities.

Scientex Berhad

July 2020 Dividends – RM1,180
July 2019 Dividends – RM1,030
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM2,210
Dividend Yield – 4.05%

Dividends increased a little as I added more units of Scientex to my portfolio during the MCO period.

The company has managed to keep their dividend payments unchanged amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

Axis REIT

July 2020 Dividends – RM198.67
July 2019 Dividends – RM221.71
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM311.26
Dividend Yield – 1.79%

Genting Malaysia Berhad

July 2020 Dividends – RM190.00
July 2019 Dividends – RM –
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM532
Dividend Yield – 4.73%

June

Freedom Fund as at June 2020
Dividend Income (June) –  RM112
Dividend Income (2020) –  RM9,518.81
Dividend Yield – 2.27%

Dividend for 2020 has also gone a little haywire I guess. May’s dividend income was exceptionally high and now in June, as expected, I’m experiencing an unprecedented low.

However, cumulatively, dividends for 2020 are still higher compared to 2019.

Scicom (MSC) Berhad

June 2020 Dividends – RM112
June 2019 Dividends – RM112
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM280
Dividend Yield – 1.25%

May

Freedom Fund as at May 2020
Dividend Income (May) –  RM5,155.98
Dividend Income (2020) –  RM9,406.81
Dividend Yield – 2.24%

As investing sentiment improves together with the gradual lifting of Malaysia’s MCO, my portfolio has seen some improvements as well.

I received a total of RM5,155.98 in dividend income for the month of May, a huge increase compared to last year. In fact, The Freedom Fund is at 2.24% in dividend yield right now. Companies that contributed were Maybank, TNB, Nestle and IGB REIT.

Malayan Banking Berhad

May 2020 Dividends – RM2,830.23
May 2019 Dividends – RM1,052.16
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM2,830.23
Dividend Yield – 4.77%

The increase in dividends was due to my additional purchase of Maybank shares. However, the amount and yield has definitely increased, the total yield for the whole of 2019 was 4.49%. We’ve already surpassed it with the first dividend of 2020.

Tenaga Nasional Berhad

May 2020 Dividends – RM1,400.00
May 2019 Dividends – RM230.00
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM1,400.00
Dividend Yield – 5.38%

TNB paid out more this time around as this round’s dividend includes a special dividend.

Nestle (M) Berhad

May 2020 Dividends – RM280.00
May 2019 Dividends – RM280.00
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM280.00
Dividend Yield – 2.09%

IGB REIT

May 2020 Dividends – RM645.75
May 2019 Dividends – RM647.04
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM1,236.28
Dividend Yield – 2.38%

April

Freedom Fund as at April 2020
Dividend Income (Apr) –  RM1,686.39
Dividend Income (2020) –  RM4,250.83
Dividend Yield – 0.97%

The Freedom Fund has taken a hit due to recent events. Capital wise, we’ve moved into the positive range as of 30 April and no longer in the red.

If you’ve been following my Facebook and Instagram, you would’ve been able to pick up on some buys I have made during the MCO.

The most recent being DPHARMA and additional units of MAYBANK and SUNREIT.

However, if you’ve missed it, I will be updating my portfolio in June as per usual. So fret not.

Scicom (Msc) Bhd

April 2020 Dividends – RM168
April 2019 Dividends – RM168
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM168
Dividend Yield – 0.75%

Same amount in dividends received as last year. Same amount of disappointment. Awaiting some good news from Scicom.

IGB Berhad

April 2020 Dividends – RM227
April 2019 Dividends – RM227
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM227
Dividend Yield – 2.15%

The same amount will be expected from IGB’s preference share every year. No surprises here.

Public Bank Berhad

April 2020 Dividends – RM560
April 2019 Dividends – RM222
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM560
Dividend Yield – 2.23%

The huge increase is due to my recent addition of 800 units of Public Bank shares.

Genting Malaysia Berhad

April 2020 Dividends – RM342
April 2019 Dividends – N/A
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM342
Dividend Yield – 3.04%

I bought the shares after April 2019 so there’s nothing to compare to.

Sunway Berhad

April 2020 Dividends – RM389.39
April 2019 Dividends – RM309.12
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM389.39
Dividend Yield – 3.34%

A 25% jump in dividends received . =D

March

Freedom Fund as at March 2020
Dividend Income (Mar) –  RM663.91
Dividend Income (2020) –  RM2,564.44
Dividend Yield – 0.61%

I received a total of RM663.91 in dividends for the month of March from the companies – Homeritz, Axis REIT and Sunway REIT.

The dividend schedule of companies are all messed up again thanks to the Covid-19 virus.

Homeritz Corporation Bhd

March 2020 Dividends – RM244.50
March 2019 Dividends – RM366.75
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM244.50
Dividend Yield – 1.73%

Axis REIT

March 2020 Dividends – RM112.59
March 2019 Dividends – RM243.74
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM112.59
Dividend Yield – 0.65%

Sunway REIT

March 2020 Dividends – RM306.82
March 2019 Dividends – RM281.52
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM306.82
Dividend Yield – 1.55%

All Aboard the Dividend Train

On a side note, our friends at Rakuten has been working on a page that provides information on companies and their dividend payment date. It can be found hERE. I’m also told the page will be updated monthly.

Please note that there is no merit to chasing dividends blindly. Especially yields. A company can show high yields because dividend yield is calculated based on their previous declared dividend.

Make sure you’ve done your research and the yields are backed by equally strong underlying assets.

Also, if you’re signing up for a new Rakuten Account, please do give the blog your support and use my referral link – hERE.

You’ll receive RT points signing up with my link and it’ll go a long way in helping keep Dividend Magic running.

February

Freedom Fund as at February 2020
Dividend Income (Feb) –  RM590.53
Dividend Income (2020) –  RM1,900.53
Dividend Yield – 0.46%

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

IGB REIT

February 2020 Dividends – RM590.53
February 2019 Dividends – RM487.48
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM590.53
Dividend Yield – 1.45%

January

Freedom Fund as at January 2020
Dividend Income (Jan) –  RM1,310.00
Dividend Income (2020) –  RM1,310.00
Dividend Yield – 0.33%

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

Scientex Berhad

January 2020 Dividends – RM1,030
January 2020 Dividends – RM1,030
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM1,030
Dividend Yield – 2.32%

Received the same amount from Scientex last year. Expecting a >4% yield again for 2020.

CB Industrial Product Holding Berhad

January 2020 Dividends – RM280
January 2020 Dividends – RM280
Total 2020 Dividends –  RM280
Dividend Yield – 1.26%

Same amount was paid out last year.

What to Do During a Bear Market in Malaysia

By
Filed Under: Dividends, Financial Independence, Investment 8

What is a Bear Market?

In general, bear markets are markets in which the prices of securities fall by more than 20% amid widespread negative investor sentiment and fear. It can last from weeks to decades.

So, don’t be so quick to call a market a BEAR.

Things You Should Do During a Bear Market

Always Stay Invested

I’ve said this countless times, and it stays true time and time again. In the long term, you’re always better off staying invested.

And if you’ve been a reader of the site, I would like to assume – like me, you’re a long term investor.

”Wouldn’t it be better to sell off my stocks now and buy when the market bottoms out?”

This is the most frequent question I got during the last few weeks of turbulence. I even came up with a standard reply to copy and paste.

The above theory is sound, but I for one will never know when a market ‘bottoms’ out. And neither would you.

Instead of chasing that bottom, I’d suggest averaging down your stock positions regularly. And when a market rebounds, and trust me it will, you’ll be in prime position for the biggest upside of your life.

Remember the Fundamentals

Don’t panic. Don’t sell. Don’t panic sell.

Remember the reasons you bought into the stock and your portfolio in the first place. During a bear market, the company’s fundamentals will not have changed.

Do not just sell because the stock price is dropping. That goes against conventional wisdom.

What I am Doing

The Freedom Fund isn’t spared the current market downturn. In fact, my return right now is at a measly 0.91%. Since inception.

However, I’ve received and will continue to receive dividends every month. Which is why there’s no panic selling from my side.

Of course, there will always be regrets in hindsight where I wished I had sold stocks earlier so I’d have more money to spend now. But I’m happy where I am – receiving dividends while the market goes crazy.

So this is what I’m actually doing – I’m purchasing stocks and averaging down on my positions. And to continue doing this for the next few months or even years, I’d need cashflow. AND Dividends = Cashflow.

The money I’ve actually saved up in Fixed Deposits and in my savings account will be utilized and used to make more buys.

It is the Best Time to Start Investing

If you’re ever on the fence and wondering if you should start investing, the time is now.

You can read up on how to start investing hERE.

If you’ve yet to open a brokerage account, I’d recommend Rakuten Trade. They offer one of the best rates and you can do everything online right now.

And if you don’t want to invest on your own, I’d suggest a robo-advisor like StashAway.

End.

Now, this isn’t a call for everyone to take up arms and buy, buy, buy.

Instead, I am telling you to keep a calm mind and purchase more stocks if you are able to. Do not go over your risk threshold.

It is also a reminder to always, always stay invested.
Onwards and upwards my friends.

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

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