Always have an emergency fund.. i would suggest 6 months salary in savings, FD or bond fund. Never to be touched.

Investment can be a huge word, it does not necessary mean only stock market.. it includes FD, Bonds, gold, funds, ETF, property and stocks, each has it's own merit. Heck there are people who invest in art and wine.. Not all is suitable for everyone. Even for stocks there are different combinations, REITs, growth stock, dividend stock, value stock...

I have a combination of all the above in different percentages.  except art and wine LOL!

Emergency fund is to tide you over for short term.. you can always look for a new job.

Different people have different strategy.. i cannot comment on others. You must have your own convictions, not every investment is suitable for you. I for 1, will not buy until I have done in depth study on a stock or it fits my overall stratergy.

And also as you get older you move your capital gain stocks  more into income generating stocks/bonds which is less volatile to 'fund' your retirement. 

You should be a long term investor in stock market. Study a stock for its fundamental, invest for dividend yield and also slow steady increase in share price. Don't bother about short term price fluctuation. Just hold long term

Google Lattitud, Liihen, VS, SAM, Magni. Even Poh Huat which went down a lot one time. FLBHD also has gone up past 1 week.

Ok-lah, give one tip, Padini's dividend is at 7% at the current price of RM1.40. When market was dropping badly, it's lowest was only RM1.28, unlike others which can give heart attack.

Scores of stocks have dividends more than 4.2%, even the reits do that.

Is this the case of cannot read or dont want to understand? I have already said please get adequately insured in the past posting. Anyway god forbid if i lose my job and hand tomorrow, my investment income is more than enough for my family to live on.

Past 30 years? LMFAO! If you had just put your money in a good blue chip like pbbank, your yield on cost will be likely double digit %. Not to mention triple digit % capital gains.

In 30 years time, high likehood I would be dead  . 30 years from now, we would have gone 2 to 3 economic slowdowns, many2 things will change.
Loonnggg before that 30 years I would switch change whatever the stocks if they fall, world trends change. They dont even have to be here in 10 years time. I would have made profits from them, more than what Tenaga, Pos or TM can bring.

Of course, if you want stability, go for it then.

I dont have to guarantee to you and you dont have to guarantee to me. You want to invest in overseas stocks fine too, it's your money anyway. Most important which ones can make more money for retailers like us next few months/years.

Compared if you put the same amount in fd.. how much did you get? 

Your number crunching account for the dividend  reinvestment as well? 

It's either that, or its someone who is

1. Reach an age who is thinking of financial freedom and retirement in the future
2. His calculator shows his FD cannot give him financial freedom and carefree retirement
3. Read this forum and found out you guys making good money
4. Become jealous and do some "30years" flawed calculation of some stock. Missed out some parameters like dividend, share split, bonus issue or rights issue and conclude even PBB's return is same as FD
5. See current volatility and crisis and conclude at anytime, stock market experience the same turmoil and risky
6. Hence don't see a way out and become extremely confused about his future

The usual reaction from a skeptical, negative, risk averse person. A person a financial planner experience nightmare to talk to. A ultimate hurdle for a financial planner. If he can convince him, he can convince anybody

He needs help. A lot of help.

Please do allow me to add some comments, as I think you must have many questions unanswered in your mind.

First of all, I think it is important for us to know what's your idea of the next best alternative to stocks (I believe is FD), and your own answer to uncertainties. What would you do if you lose your job? Or your hand? What is your idea of the best course if such unfortunate events happened to you?
To me, just like many forummers mentioned here, it is important to have some diversity. I have medical and accidental insurance to cover my immediate expenses, and a FD account to cover for the next few months. I also invest in some stocks, and trade in futures, as a side income. I am also doing business (full time now), which fortunately has now been able to cover my monthly obligations. Therefore, to me, the investment in the market is extra income for me, either to reinvest, to spend on some luxury, or to save for a rainy day.

It is important for us to understand risks too. For every investment that could give a return, there are risks, including FD. A bank could go insolvent and bankrupt, although very unlikely (therefore FD is safe, but with low return). You may consider unit trusts as your next option, and then stocks, and then perhaps futures or warrants. You asked how do we know what's gonna happen next. We can't predict, just like you can't know when would the bank change the FD rate from 4.2 to 4.4, and then maybe a sharp drop to 3.5%. In this case, you may earn less. In our case, there are risks of losing money.

How do we know what company is good or bad? What's the fair price? When to let go? There are of course no way to predict, but we try our best to understand and forecast. We read financial news, we analyse the financial reports, we ask in forums, we study the fundamentals, the industry, the chart, the political situation…many more, to be as informed as possible. From there, we make a decision that is as sound as possible to ourselves, and we bear our own risk. We won't know for sure, but we try to minimize our risk. You can't possibly tell us that FD rate won't go down to 3% for sure right?

You also mentioned the word "stable" for a few times. In my opinion our market is stable enough, this is just a particular time where it is volatile. Stability is not just buy into a stock and hope that it will yield you some good profit. You can do that, but the return, again, won't be too high. It will generate you good income only when you put in effort to analyse and re-analyse, and make good decisions continuously.

Finally you have to know what's your aim. You want to make a living entirely from the market? Or you just want to use this as extra income? Or you want to use this to cover your monthly expenses and you day job as extra income? We are all in here for different reasons, with different aims, different methods, and different risk appetite. The only thing we share in common is that we want to make money.

So how about you?

Wow. After 2 days the discussion still haven't end? Lol.

I remember he started because of what I posted. Actually thought he's experienced like Boon, or gark they all. So many stars ma. Lol.

That wasn't a post to insult you man. First impression la.

You came across as a NATO. If you've taken any action before, you would not be asking any such questions anymore. You would have been invested in those many stocks in foreign markets that you have identified as great holdings. These actions would have more than answered all your questions as you're the beneficial owner.

By they way, why don't you share the long list of those many great stocks for the benefit of other readers? Some readers of this forum are not aversed to foreign market investment even at this exchange rate. They may already have cash holding in foreign currency; forex is not a concern. ROI or yield is.

I have given up trying to talk sense to you. You hold very tight to your point of view in approaching your way of investment in stock market. No investment can satisfy your "ideology"

Basically, you want "100% guaranteed and a company which will last forever" (ie no risk like FD), and expect "cheap undervalue and significantly higher return than FD". How old are you now to expect that ?

"I know of this and what u guys been doing is wrong. Prove me wrong...
...
...no lar u guys are still wrong"

"I know of this yet I won't act because of that that that and that"

Tell everyone here then. For the benefit of everyone.

I give you benefit of the doubt

Why avoid giving your list of foreign markets which you say is good ?

Inaction at least is an "known' action

What he did was just saying "Foreign markets so many good things. KLSE is no good. Prove me wrong" 

Then your "foreign markets so good" is just your imagination ? All the sifu here are wasting their time on your imagination ?

Ok as I mentioned in an earlier post.. Con Ed is one. Southern Co is another one. Royal Mail is yet another. I could just go on and on. So you see, what I am asking for is not unreasonable, but for some reason it does not exist on KLSE.

If he so believe in those stocks' "30 years future", in spite of the current forex volatility, the future growth and dividends of those stocks are gonna negate all that risks.

Haven't you heard that the only guarantee in life is death? How can you ask people to guarantee something that they have no control of? Why don't you call the board of directors of each public listed company and ask them to guarantee that their company will be around for 30 years or more and that their share prices will keep going up and will give better returns than FD?

If you can find such in other markets, then good for you. Invest in them then. Since you cannot find any such in KLSE, then don't invest in this market. Since you feel KLSE may not be stable or profitable or it may be risky or overpriced , then don't invest in it.