1. Standard Chartered SG is hard to open. Can give a try. No harm. Most likely unsuccessful. Maybank can be opened from Malaysia. DBS no problem but you need to convince them why you need a DBS bank account. Best is tell them you want a DBS Vickers. For their broker account, you have no choice but to head down to Singapore.
See this for more info: https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1440794
IMHO, SG is still cheap compare to US as SG is still 3x our currency but US is already 4.5x our currency already. There's are complicated tax for SG unlike US. To fund it, just find the cheapest bank with the cheapest TT rate/bring cash over. Then use a SG bank which does not charge on incoming TT. After that just transfer using FAST (Singapore version of IBFT but FOC).

So you are just paying TT charges (RM10+ from malaysia side) + bank rates (which is not as cheap as bringing cash over) + brokerage fees. Heck, DBS Vickers told me I am excluded from their GST.

2. Yes. That's right. The bad thing is in the event Standard Chartered SG, Maybank KE go kaput, your shares also go kaput. Other than that, you save on brokerage charges.

This post has been edited by Ramjade: Jan 20 2017, 05:42 PM

But if you factor in the cost to travel from Malaysia to Singapore, it might be more expensive than the bank rates?

This post has been edited by RayleighH: Jan 20 2017, 05:52 PM

boy... u have waded into this "open accounts in sg to do fx and foreign stocks".

search... there are several threads on this, heavily discussed.

Haha..will do, will do. Any knowledge is valuable. Thanks.

Nope. One can save at least SGD60 by bringing cash over there provided the air ticket is RM59 and you are coming back by train. I calculated against the best bank TT rates.
Downside: waste 2 days as train from SG > MY is at 2345.

Atm, I don't have the time to browse through the other threads, but are there people who actually do that?

Bro,.. I have not traded at Bursa,... Maybank Securities asked me not to bring my funds back !

1) YES,... at most is you wasted the time.

2) You just lose on transport for once, then the moment you earn your first and second divvies, you would have covered this expense ! Then subsequent divvies will be for you to enjoy,...

Bro,.. are you sure of the above ?? I checked earlier and discovered the shares are kept with a trustee. Even if the custodian should wrap up, the beneficial ownership of the shreas still remained with the purchaser.

Yes. Our sifu Hansel does that + others. But if got no time, just TT. Don't use money changer because it could raise alarm bells with BNM and MAS. I am planning to do that before I start work!


My mother's whose friend husband worked as banker at maybank suggeested:
1) buy gold as gold is priced in USD. It will "protect" your worth.
2) keep SGD/USD cold hard cash/or open a bank account in SG and keep cold hard cash there


Well will need to plan for times when no time to go down. Already planning for it... Since once I start working, I am not able to get leave for 4 years!!! Right now ok la. Waiting for graduation/job offer. Can afford to fly down. Btw, what's the max one can deposit via their CDM? Is there any amount I need to be aware or it might set off alarm bells?

According to few Singapore financial blogs. Saw it being mentioned by 2 different authors like that. They were talking about Standard Charted being custodian. WHy is not good.

This post has been edited by Ramjade: Jan 20 2017, 08:07 PM

U know what i mean...

U may not hv traded in bursa but u must hv traded as a "local" in sg or oz.

The poor guy.... only starting, jumping right into fx and foreign stocks... man.... can get killed easily.

And u hv others asking him to go to sg, do exotic stuff.

As one who has been thru losses, i understand the temptation to think one is so smart.




Not for u, for all., pls....

One's hard earned savings is blood sweat n tears.... may never make it back, will suffer.

Pls do not make it like eating nasi lemak or burgers.


Sorry for being grumpy... if u hv not seen the devil, u will not cry, so they say.

It takes a lot of work, time, patience and experience to make some profit from the desk.

If it is so easy, there will be no farmers or salespeople or politicians... all humans stocks n fx trading n do nothing else!

Fully agreed with these statements. That's why I am trying learn as much as possible in shortest time. One more thing, seeing your currency drop by 6.xx% pa can also make you

This post has been edited by Ramjade: Jan 20 2017, 08:29 PM

i'll be the devil's advocate here heheh.

The best way to learn "to swim is to be thrown into the deep blue sea".
With losses happening when younger and with LESS $ to lose VS when one is older, the long term impact, if one doesn't give up & keeps learning + doing,
VS
those skeddy cat until older, then gungho go in.

Definitely the "IF willing to get back on the horse" is the make or break in any bad situation

This post has been edited by wongmunkeong: Jan 20 2017, 08:42 PM

Bro and bros,... I think we are,.. relatively,.. smaller players,.. not worthy for our central bank to go after,... so, I think, no need to waste time being too careful,... it'll be an overkill. Furthremore, even if we bring down or out more than USD10K per trip per person,.. I think nobody will notice lar,... provided we don't do it long term.

Bro,.. your mother's friend's husband is not totally right ! See below for counter-comments :-

1) buy gold as gold is priced in USD. It will "protect" your worth.

Counter-comments : Gold has no income tied to it. Owning gold makes one wait for appreciation. If you keep the gold at home, either the thieves or the MACC will come and search you out. If you noticed those who are raided by the MACC, they will have gold either in their hse, or in their office or at the kampung hse.

2) keep SGD/USD cold hard cash/or open a bank account in SG and keep cold hard cash there.

Counter-comments : Keeping SGD/USD cold hard cash at home ? This banker must have advised those people caught by the MACC.... Everytime the MACC raided some suspect's house, surely they will find foreign currency cash in the house. SOmeitmes it's good also that MAS restricts Msians opening accounts, then these people will not be able to siphon the funds out so easily anymore.

Keeping cold hard cash in a bank account in Sgp ? Earning the FD there ? Well,... everybody knows he interest rate there.

I think 'better I become the banker'.

Frankly,... if our RM is not as it is,.. we really don't need to think abt investing outside !

I understand what you said bro,... but I still stand on the position that one must still try, but try carefully !

I understand that earning through investing/trading is anything but simple. I would like to think that I am not greedy and do not look to make quick money, else I would definitely be in forex and actual stock trading.

However, everytime I research on methods to investing, I come across many who would recommended investing long term in index funds, particularly vanguard funds even for your everyday average joe/jane. Most of them mentioned that index funds:
1. In the long term would provide decent returns. Nothing too fancy, amazing nor terrible which is what I am looking for.
2. In the long term, it is rather stable due to their diversification (Equity across the whole US economy and the whole world's economy + Bonds which covers the whole US economy)
3. In the long term, if one can weather the major dips and not pull out, eventually after many years it will eventually recover. Whereas, one may stand the chance lose all their money in other types of investment.

All these points mentioned by other websites recommending Index funds make it sounds like it is something which one can buy and be relatively comfortable that it is quite unlikely to lose all their investment in the event of a major financial crisis, provided one can weather the downturn period and not pullout. That is why it seems quite interesting to me.

The only downside and blocker at the moment is the fact that I am earning in MYR which translate to the huge sum which is required in order to make the investment worthwhile be it through a US or SG brokerage.

I do acknowledge that there are risks involved by investing in index funds, although I may not be able to properly size/feel it due to my inexperience. Like you have mentioned "if u hv not seen the devil, u will not cry".

However, at the moment, I can only think of three major risks with regards to investing in Vanguard index fund ETF. Please do enlightened me on any other risks of investing in Vanguard index fund ETF.
1. MYR/USD forex fluctuation.
2. Risk of fees eating up profit if investments amount is too small.
3. US & World economy downturn (though, wouldn't this also affect other funds/investment types in other countries to an extent?)

This post has been edited by RayleighH: Jan 20 2017, 09:05 PM

Well I think the advise his for those people who scared to lose money/take risk.
(i) Keeping gold (paper gold - because works in maybank - either business must be bad until need to promote or something else...) because he believe RM will slide further.
(ii) Your normal malaysian folks really want to go though all the hassle of opening account in Singapore? I don't think so. Those people will just buy cold hard cash and keep.

Investing in index is not popular in Malaysia. Why?
1) The UT industry in Malaysia will make sure ETFs are not within the normal Malaysian reach as it will eat into their rice bowl.
2) We have not nice ETF (KLCI) and since we have no demand, foreign companies will not want to sell their product here.

When you research, those articles are written by white people who have access to index fund. We Malaysian don't have that. Even our neighbors Singapore are just discovering index fund.

And trading usually requires insider info. Cause the person who sells/buy first are usually those with info. However, if you are keeping for long term, then it's ok. Occasional trading should not be a problem.

if u are really a novice in investing, then u hv a good mind and attitude, imo.

i can't comment on "vanguard index funds" becos there are at at least 25 of such funds:
http://www.marketwatch.com/tools/mutual-fund/top25largest

and those are US based, $ based. i would not put all in them but over a variety of markets, currencies and types - diversification is impt.



yes, the world is round... nothing is ever the same. more so with fast tech now, cycles are shorter, reactions in seconds rather than hours or days.

what i can say... something close to my own learning over the years...

one's "investing lifespan" is maybe... 30 years? the time you start to earn and save enough till the time u have no fulltime job... say 30 to 60...?

30 years will invariably see at least 2-3 cycles of boom, recession, (maybe superboom or depression) in stocks, real estate, gold, commodities, fx, etc. - foreign or domestic. over 30 years, one will never get it right all the time for all cycles. the key is to be able to spot a couple of cycles correctly and with some "luck", ride on them when they occur. ride on the disasters, u lose big time, never to recover. and too old, run of out time.

if one is able to have success in more cycles than in failures, that's enough.

to be an overall winner over 30 years is to be an angel, good enough... no need to be god!

of course, the conservative ones can stay in savings and fd, only to be oblivious to what happened, which is OK too.