In the last 30+ years, myr depreciated against USD, sgd, jpy, rmb, thb, etc. Given current market sentiment, myr is likely to continue on the down trend.

If one work as expat in middle East, Cambodia, Burma, Singapore, hk, etc could fi/re without much difficulty. Which quite a few do. Only those find comfort in coconut shell find the world is the coconut shell.

It is meaningless to judge low or high income based on currency denomination. a Maggi Mee may cost x cents, few bath, hundreds rupiah, thousands rial or millions dollars. In practice, one rationalized to USD or myr for comparison.

Sifu Icemanfx, you still an Economics undergrad, or, already working n swimming with investment?

I mean it respectfully, as I m trying to understand as forumers are of diff demographics, risk aversion, etc.

People like myself, no hope liao. Thankful to be healthy, working, etc... But nothing much to look forward to financially.

But, the things u all describe is like moon n stars leh. Malaysia OK place to stay mah. Why forumers complain? My uncle last week go KL GH, got this abdominal artery anuresym... We cannot afford mah, reference letter, n only KL can do Ops n hospital stay rm211.

I think if in Singapore, my uncle already cover white cloth liao.

Ahhh! Got you. Thank you again.

So for my category type of people how to FI/RE?
If really no chance. I can quit this thread...

As till now, no clear actionable recommendations.

Have to agree on this.
Overseas, no money, no medical insurance, please do not get sick.
Even dental cost a lot. Here Rm1 or Rm2, (forgot which, few months ago just go to gov hospital to have teeth filing on few teeth)

Malaysia is actually quite a economic place for retirement.

bro, from what i've been reading, U already gave up in your earlier post. please forgive me if i'm mistaken.
FIND YOUR REASON(s) to NEED FI or FI/RE, else no point.

Yes, it is. If you can retire... some would have to work till they dropped dead as like the news of the 63yr old bus driver in Penang.

Anyway, the thread is on retiring early, meaning retiring much earlier than the mandatory retirement age of 60. The last few pages were more on seeking wealth and asking for stock tips. LOL.

This is more for elite people and few percentage people.
In current capitalism world, rich become richer only, just like a pyramid tree. Only a number of top people can afford to do so.
Most work until last breath or until retirement age.

The "few percentage people" who plans and set to be financially independent as early as possible as opposed to those who seek to spend as much as they earn and carry a housing loan of 35 years or more.

It is a matter of the individual's opinion of what comes first, the chicken or the egg.

In this case, it is a matter to choose between being financially independent earlier by buying a cheaper house with a shorter loan tenure or finding the most expensive house to finance for many more years.

So, its is not "only a number of top people can afford to do so", it is a matter of personal choice if the person is earning slightly above average.

Low minimal wage earners, no need to say lah... they are living from hand to mouth and just making ends meet. And also those on pension plans... where they have to put in the required number of years to qualified for pension.

If you browse back the first several pages in this thread, there were mentions that the retirement savings can be as low as RM400k, provided of course the house is already fully paid off and truly debt free.

RM400k in EPF of approx. 6% interest/dividen is equivalent to RM24k per year, or RN2k a month, which is sufficient for some to live on the interest alone without touching the RM400k at all.

Hence, they can live off the interest for life and don't have to worry about  running out of money before they die.

So, if you can set an amount like RM600k and thinks it is sufficient for you to live on its interest alone, then it is a matter of personal choice. It dispels the notion that one has to have millions to retire early.

Have to agree on this.
Overseas, no money, no medical insurance, please do not get sick.
Even dental cost a lot. Here Rm1 or Rm2, (forgot which, few months ago just go to gov hospital to have teeth filing on few teeth)

Malaysia is actually quite a economic place for retirement.

Yes, it is. If you can retire... some would have to work till they dropped dead as like the news of the 63yr old bus driver in Penang.

Anyway, the thread is on retiring early, meaning retiring much earlier than the mandatory retirement age of 60. The last few pages were more on seeking wealth and asking for stock tips. LOL.

This is more for elite people and few percentage people.
In current capitalism world, rich become richer only, just like a pyramid tree. Only a number of top people can afford to do so.
Most work until last breath or until retirement age.

U have to factor in inflation, otherwise your 400k will be gone too.

Scenario: Debt free since 40 years of age (about 10 years ago), all investment properties paid off, generating positive income, no bonds or stocks bought on leverage, regular dividend and coupon payouts. No major liabilities, no parents to support, no children to worry about. Health insurances bought to the hilt - should we fall ill, everything is covered.

Converted (using a simple assumption of S$ = AUD = RM x 3), the passive income ranges from RM90,000 to RM150,000 per month. The variation is due to certain months, more than 1 bond pays me the coupon due. There’ll also be an annuity that kicks in when I’m 65 years old, that will add an additional RM30,000 per month as retirement income.

We’re both working in Singapore. I’m a medical specialist, she’s an accountant. In Singapore, we are considered upper middle class (I do not presume to claim that we’re amongst the top earners, but we are comfortable with what we have). We’re both looking to retire in Sydney, as I have family there and Australia isn’t exactly too far away from our other relatives in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. We also like the outdoors and the idea of long drives to nowhere excites me.

Outgoings: land taxes, property taxes, council taxes, utilities, food/groceries/dining & the maintenance of 2 cars (we’ll both be driving in Australia), medical insurance premiums, holidays outside and within Australia. I can’t think of much more. We have always lived simply even in Singapore.

My concerns: is 50 too young to retire? Obviously, I won’t completely retire - but part time work on a “want to” basis is quite different. What if I hate working part time? What if there‘s no professional pride or a feeling of accomplishment? Once I walk out of my private practice in Singapore, there’s no looking back. I will need to hand over my patients portfolio to a colleague (obviously it’s the responsible thing to do), and should I hate working in Australia, I won’t have a back up plan to come back to Singapore to start all over again. Won’t be fair to my patients and won’t be fair to my colleague.

Will what we have be enough to retire? Am I worrying too much? As a part time physician, I reckon it’s reasonable to expect a pay cut from what I’m making now. Obviously, even a full time physician in the same specialty and with the same seniority in Australia would make a fraction of what Singapore can pay me. International patients (from Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia and Vietnam for example) are good paymasters - and those will definitely be missing from my roster in Sydney. What more a part time physician.

I reckon what we can make should be more than enough to cover our living expenses and all outgoings in Sydney, yet, there’s always that niggling fear (as irrational as my wife says it is - she should know, she’s the accountant) that “what if it isn’t enough”?

Although we live very modest lifestyles in Singapore, we love the fact that we don’t ever have to think twice (or blink twice, for that matter), should we ever need to put money down for a purchase, or any reason at all. When my uncle needed money to help my cousin pursue her Masters degree, I didn’t hesitate in fronting up the money.

When my Malay friend’s business fell on hard times and he needed help to pay for his 2 children’s education at Marlborough College, I made good my promise and supported them until his business turned around. He hasn’t paid me back yet, but it’s not an issue because I’m not in a hurry to chase.

When my aunt in Hong Kong had lung cancer, we flew up there multiple times over several weekends (up to Hong Kong on Saturday, back to Singapore on Sunday) to spend time with her. These are meaningful things that bring us (and the recipients) joy, and these are things that we are used to doing - all that might have to stop when we retire (we obviously have to start keeping track of our outgoings then), and I don’t know how I’ll react to it.

Money matters aside, there’s also the worry about all this time on my hands and nothing to do. Will my wife and I end up bickering day in day out? As much as I love her and as much as she loves me, we’ve never spent every single minute of our lives together - and retirement might just force us to do that. And we might get into each other’s hair.

On the one hand, I can’t wait to hang up my stethoscope and do the things that I’ve always wanted to do but never had the time to do so - before I’m too old to do it. Like drive from Sydney to Perth, or take a train from Perth to Sydney. Like cycle from Sydney to Wollongong. Or go fishing. Our house is just a stone’s throw away from the water.

On the other hand, is 50 too young to retire from full time work? I’m not money minded in the sense I don’t need to make my next million and the million after that. I’m actually contented with what I have at present, and by all logical assumption, our wealth will probably outlast our lifetimes. It’s the fear of retirement that worries me. The fear of trying to find new things to do, because I’m bored of the old ones. The fear that my intellect will be blunted by its lack of use and the lack of challenge. The fear that I will fade into irrelevance earlier than I should.

Thank you for letting me put my thoughts on the forum. Thank you for taking time to read my concerns, and I welcome any opinions or thoughts you might have - especially from those in a similar age band (pushing 50) or older, and who might actually have entertained a similar consideration previously (or presently).

Thank you for pointing me to the existence of this helpful thread! I’ll go through the reading material here - and I’m sure I’ll find it helpful!

Thank you very much again!

Everyone see your figures went speechless already. Yet, you still have some doubt whether enough or not? More than enough la, especially with no kids. Without kids, your budget is going to be very flexible . In the very very very unlikely  event that u run low on funds , can always down your standard of living a notch ...btw, no kids is by choice or what? And, I think you need to consider how flexible is the part time hours in Australia ... part time still “block out” a lot of time ...like if u work 2 hours every alternate days, can u take extended breaks for weeks or months few times a year for holidays? Otherwise , u r like working full time , not retired...

Hmm, I wud think most people become doctors to nobly serve society till a ripe ol age. Well, maybe not all.

If really stressed out n need a break, maybe shud take upcountry catfishing or net-tralling (dun know spelling)... Very relaxing!

Everyone see your figures went speechless already. Yet, you still have some doubt whether enough or not? More than enough la, especially with no kids. Without kids, your budget is going to be very flexible . In the very very very unlikely  event that u run low on funds , can always down your standard of living a notch ...btw, no kids is by choice or what? And, I think you need to consider how flexible is the part time hours in Australia ... part time still “block out” a lot of time ...like if u work 2 hours every alternate days, can u take extended breaks for weeks or months few times a year for holidays? Otherwise , u r like working full time , not retired...

Hmm, I wud think most people become doctors to nobly serve society till a ripe ol age. Well, maybe not all.

If really stressed out n need a break, maybe shud take upcountry catfishing or net-tralling (dun know spelling)... Very relaxing!

What is the size of your portfolio ? Do you have a blog that charts out your investment journey please ?

I'm sure even fund managers would like to learn from you !!!

SGD40K equates PER MONTH equates to SGD480K PER YEAR. THIS IS A VERY STRONG ACHIEVEMENT.

You record would better most, if not all of the SG financial bloggers whose articles that I have read, though I may not have read all,... Please share your blog.

High yield bonds is available from private bank.

Believe debt free by early age e.g 40 y.o is a key to fi/re.

Hnwi need not advertise or announced to the world. Most if not all financial bloggers are wannabe or like poorperly guru, should take with a pinch of salt.

Your sentences 1 and 2 are obvious,... even high-yield bonds need money to buy. HY Bonds is part of the instruments, part of the overall portfolio. Of course, it's preferable to pay-up one's debts first before investing,... 4but not necessarily, though,... if returns made from investing is more that the interest-servicing for loans, then it would be better to invest,... safely, don't loose the principal.
Blogging is NOT advertising, you're wrong there. Blogging is a journal of one's journey for record purposes (his own reference too), and well,... if others wish to see and learn from the blog, then the blogger would have done a good deed there by helping others to invest.

If one does not trust bloggers, then what we write here can be taken with a pinch of salt too... as in everywhere else.... this talk will never end. A discussion in an open forum like this needs to be conducted with a certain level of trust. Otherwise,.... it's a waste of time.

Or,... sometimes, there may be a need to 'demonstrate documentary proof' for more convincing effects. I saw some forummers doing this, the most recent being Dividends Warriors putting a shot of his confirmation slip of Rights Application from a DBS ATM.

I'm not too sure if this is good or not,... among friends in a closed group chat is okay-lar,...but in an open forum like this ???

Then again, I can always challenge,.. is that his slip ? Since he covered the personal details,... maybe he picked up the slip from somewhere ?