Your Top Money Questions Answered: Savings Tips, Insurance, Stocks, and More!

Author

The Futurizts
July 01, 2025

I conducted an AMA session on Instagram on Sunday.

Over 50 people tuned in live, and we had some solid back-and-forth conversations on a wide range of topics: Trump’s tariffs, medical cards, gold & Bitcoin, financial habits, and more.

This newsletter sums up a few of the key questions that came up during the session, but it barely scratches the surface of everything we covered.

As always, I highly recommend watching or listening to the replay:

Q1: If you had to choose between Bank Stocks or REITs, which would you prefer?

Bank stocks, without a doubt.

They have a strong track record of paying dividends and are often seen as more “stable” compared to other stocks. To clarify, this doesn’t mean they’re risk-free—bank stocks can still fall—but their drops are usually not as steep as others.

Banks tend to do well when the economy is strong, and fall when there’s a downturn or recession. Unlike growth stocks that aim for big returns or defensive stocks that stay steady, banks usually move in a slow upward trend, bouncing between highs and lows over time.

Maybank has oscillated between RM7 to RM11 in the past decade.

Banks are also extremely consistent in paying dividends.

Take Maybank as an example. Over the past 10 years, its dividend yield has stayed between 5% to 7% per year—even during the COVID-19 crisis, it stayed above 5%.

Even during the covid pandemic, Maybank managed to maintain its payout above 5%

Fund fact: Four of EPF’s top five local stock holdings belong to banks—Maybank, Public Bank, CIMB, and RHB.

Q2: What is one Financial Habit that has made you who you are today?

For me, it’s the habit of “paying myself first and last.”

I know it sounds cliché—everyone talks about it—but that’s because it really works.

By setting money aside at the start of the month, you give yourself more options. You’ll gradually build an emergency fund, and eventually have enough to start investing and growing your money.

So, if you find it hard to save, try this next month:

  • As soon as you get paid, transfer 10–20% (or any amount you’re comfortable with) into a separate bank account or cash app.

  • Then, at the end of the month, carry forward whatever’s left to the next month.

That’s it—just repeat. I like to think that I earn 10-20% less and budget my expenses accordingly. Many people do it the other way around, which could be why some struggle to save.

This method works well especially if you tend to spend what you see. And over time, those savings will add up more than you expect.

Pay yourself first, then carry forward any leftovers to the next month.

Q3: How much equities (ie. stocks) should I allocate in my portfolio if I’m 28 years old?

A simple way to figure it out is by using the Rule of 100. You take 100 and deduct it with your age—that’s the percentage of risky assets (ie. stocks, crypto, etc.) that you should allocate for your retirement.

100 - Your Age = % of Risky Assets for Your Retirement Portfolio

Since you’re 28, your portfolio should be about 70% invested in risky assets such as:

  • Gold

  • Bitcoin

  • US Stocks & ETFs

  • Malaysian Stocks

  • Aggressive Unit Trusts

This is to ensure that you’ll generate a healthy return (9-11% pa), which is crucial for a more comfortable retirement.

The exact breakdown doesn’t matter as much. What’s more important is to start investing early so you can grow your money over time.

Q4: Gold and Bitcoin are at all-time highs. Still a good opportunity to buy?

Gold and BTC are rallying due to several reasons:

  • Geopolitical tensions have never been this high. At least for our era.

  • Central banks have reduced interest rates. This makes borrowing cheaper, causing more money to flow in the economy.

  • Lost of confidence in the dollar. Looking at how Trump played the world with its tariffs and interjected itself between the Israel-Iran war, investors are beginning to doubt the capability of the US government to lead.

  • China, France, Russia, and India are aggressively accumulating gold. This is perhaps the most important factor to gold’s rally.

It’s ALWAYS a good time to buy if you’re underexposed.

Hann (the advisor of The Futurizts) has frequently told people this: stop speculating, start allocating.

Rather than waiting for prices to drop, you should be asking yourself how much you plan to allocate in these assets and begin investing as soon as possible.

Here’s an example:

Imagine you’re the unluckiest Bitcoin investor. 

In the past 6 years, you bought at the highest price each year.

  • Dec 2020 - $28,900 (You bought RM1,000)

  • Nov 2021 - $67,500 (You bought RM1,000)

...and so on.

Your total capital over these years is RM6,000.

If you held onto the asset, you would’ve doubled your capital in those 6 years (+107%), which works out to a compounded annual return of 31.83%.

If even the worst investor can make a profit, it explains a lot about attempting to time the market for the best opportunity to buy.

Q5: How much is too much to pay for medical cards?

I’ll be using myself as a reference.

For a 28 y/o male, you really shouldn’t be paying more than RM150-200 per month. Generali, FWD, Kaotim, and eTiqa medical cards (subscribed online) cost between RM50-120, and their coverage can go above RM1 million, cashless.

Kaotim Medikad (RM50-75/month for a 28 y/o)

  • RM1.1 mil annual limit

  • RM200 room and board

  • Cashless admission

  • No lifetime limit

Etiqa OneMedical (RM80-90/month for a 28 y/o)

  • RM150,000 annual coverage

  • RM360 for room and board

  • Cashless admission

  • No deductibles

FWD i-Med (RM60-70/month for a 28 y/o)

  • RM90,000 annual coverage

  • RM250 room and board

  • Cashless admission

  • No deductibles

AXA Affin SmartCare Optimum Plus (RM80-90/month for a 30 y/o)

  • RM1.1 million annual coverage

  • RM180 room and board

  • Cashless admission

  • No deductibles

^ I am not sponsored by any of the providers above.

Very often, insurance becomes more expensive because of the “add-ons” that you’ve subscribed to, most notably “Investment Linked Plans.”

In most cases, these plans don’t keep up with inflation, so you’re effectively paying for an investment product that loses you money overtime.

Hann puts this perfectly: Buy insurance for protection. Not investment. You don’t use a refrigerator to cool down your house.

Q6: How are you dealing with the SST increase? Everything will increase right?

Not everything will increase—but many things will. A better way to put it: items affected by the SST hike will see an increase.

Here’s a glimpse of what’s being taxed under the new SST rules:

  • Premium fish like salmon and tuna

  • Preserved meats (beef balls, ham, etc.)

  • Shellfish (scallops, oysters, octopus)

  • Imported fruits (except apples and oranges)

  • Yogurt

  • Premium salts

(Not the full list)

Also, SST covers service tax—which now affects commercial rentals above RM1 million/year. This means many shoplots in malls will likely raise prices to offset the 8% service tax.

How I’m dealing with the SST hike:

Substitute where possible: I’m cutting back on imported items and buying more local produce. It’s not the time to be overly picky.

Stock up in advance: Like how Americans stocked up before Trump’s tariffs—I’m building up inventory of frozen or shelf-stable goods (like salmon or premium meats) before prices go up. Of course, this doesn’t apply to perishables like fresh fruits or veggies.

Budget a little extra: I’m adding a 3–5% buffer to my monthly spending. This helps me absorb price increases without stress—and saves me from being caught off guard.

Thanks for reading till the end!

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this newsletter is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing herein shall be construed to be financial, legal, or tax advice. The opinions of this newsletter are solely that of the publisher.

Watch or listen to the full session:

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