This is the depressing reality of our currency today:

In the past 5 years, the ringgit has declined by 12% against the US dollar and 13% against the Singapore dollar.

In fact, from 2022-2024, the returns of the Singapore dollar exceeded EPF’s 5-year annualized returns.

You don’t even have to invest the money into FDs - you’ll gain 15.95% just by holding the currency alone. 🥲

As Malaysians, it’s normal for our investments to be heavily denominated in ringgit assets.

But during economic downturns and currency decline (cases like this), your portfolio will undoubtedly experience a significant loss.

This is why diversification is important.

Here are 3 funds in Versa that invest in Singapore and the US.

1. Versa Global-i

With holdings in Microsoft, Apple, and other big names, this fund aims to provide investors with global exposure to Shariah-compliant equities over a medium to long-term period.

• 1-Year Annualized Return: +28.50%

• Exposure: The US and global market.

• Top Holdings: Microsoft, Google, Visa, Apple, and Amazon.

• Shariah compliant.

• Fees: 1.85% annual management and trustee fee.

2. Versa Growth

Classified for long-term growth, this fund invests largely in US ETFs and equities.

You’ll get exposure in the entire US stock market, including fixed income assets and short-term corporate bonds.

• 5-Year Annualized Return: +12.70%

• Exposure: Mainly the US market.

• Top Holdings: iShares Core S&P 500 ETF, Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF.

• Not Shariah compliant.

• Fees: 1.04% annual management and trustee fee.

3. Versa SGD

This fund is mainly for moderate-risk investors who seek exposure to SGD-denominated assets.

Expect to receive a steady income distribution and decent growth in capital.

• 10-Year Annualized Return: +6.01%

• Exposure: The Singapore market.

• Top Holdings: DBS Group, OCBC, UOB, and Singapore Treasuries.

• Not Shariah compliant.

• Fees: 1.58% annual management and trustee fee.

“The fees are quite high.”

There are generally 3 types of fees for mutual funds:

• Sales Fee (Versa does not charge this)

• Annual Management Fee

• Annual Trustee Fee

The sales fee is an upfront cost that you’ll have to bear upon investing.

Public Mutual’s funds typically have a 3-5% sales charge, which means you’ll lose RM30-50 off the bat when you invest RM1,000, and more if you invest regularly.

This fee is not charged by Versa, which already gives it an upper hand versus other fund providers.

Meanwhile, the annual management and trustee fees are based on the Net Asset Value of the fund, not your investment amount.

If the fund makes a profit, the size of it increases, thus the management and trustee fee will seem higher. This is conversely true if the fund makes a loss.

So no, you won’t be charged 1-2% annually based on your initial investment amount.

In fact, the 1-2% management and trustee fees by Versa is standard across the industry. Most mutual and unit trust funds set their annual fees at this range.

“How do I start investing?”

1. Download Versa.

2. At the homepage, select “Manage”.

3. Tap on “Cash In” to choose your preferred fund.

For new users, be sure to key in our referral code “THEFUTURIZTS” to receive RM10 for your first deposit of RM100 and above!

Automate your investments, get 1% pa extra reward.

If you’re one that regularly forgets to set aside money for your future, you can use Versa’s Auto-Debit feature to automate your investments.

The app will deduct a set amount (determined by you) at the 5th of every month from your bank account and invest them into any fund of your choice.

If the 5th day of the month falls on the weekend or a public holiday, the deduction will happen on the next working day.

To use this feature, head over to “Manage” and select “Auto-Debit”.

By activating this feature, you’ll get an additional 1% pa reward on your balances in Versa Cash or Versa Cash-i on top of the base return rate.

• Auto debit min. RM200/month to any Versa Invest Funds (except Versa Gold): +1% pa for your first RM10,000 in Versa Cash or Versa Cash-i.

• Auto debit min. RM500/month to any Versa Invest Funds (except Versa Gold): +1% pa for your first RM30,000 in Versa Cash or Versa Cash-i.

Example: Versa Cash’s performance was 3.77% pa, you will earn 3.77% + 1% pa = 4.77% pa for the month!

Note that this reward will only apply if you auto-debit into Versa Invest funds (ie. Versa Growth, Versa Moderate, Versa Growth-i, Versa Moderate-i, Versa SGD, Versa Global-i, Versa REITS) except Versa Gold.

Read the full Terms and Conditions here.

Interested in trying out Versa?

Be sure to sign up with our referral code!

You’ll get RM10.00 for your first deposit of RM100 and above – that’s an instant 10% return on your investment!

Download the app from the app store and enter “THEFUTURIZTS”.

If the referral code above doesn’t work, you can use our default code “QMVRYPRT” instead.

DISCLAIMER: This article is sponsored by Versa and contains an affiliate code. Investing in a mutual fund has its own risks and is different from opening a deposit account with a financial institution. You should speak to a financial planner before making any investing decisions. ⚠️

Thanks for reading till the end!

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