Hi all,

Let's be frank here. I can see the situation is quite gloomy now

1. Sales tax- price increase
2. Job market gloomy with the AI taking over jobs
3. Chinese people coming in taking some jobs
4. Gov reducing subsidy
5. Uncertainty in USA with Taco
6. War in Europe not ending soon
7. No headcount in your company even though people resign.

For people in the 40s and 50s are the most at risk. I mean you have reached a certain level of salary/remuneration it's very difficult to find a better position.

How do you prepare yourself?

For me I like doing house work like installing lights, water heater etc. Was thinking of taking some wireman course . I guess these are AI proof for noq.

How about you guys?

im preparing to die before shit hits the fan

If you have a family. Cannot la.

Just to add further. I saw a post sowmwthere where they ask children how they project the future

The 30s- train , mrt, futuristic city
The 60s - flying cars etc
The 80s - very green cities we probably solve pollution issues

Now- war, famine etc

So its really hard to blame the current generation of YOLO , preferring to work as grab driver or maybe lack ambition. They don't see hope and future. Even myself too.

dun burden yourself with things you can't control...

but what you can control is yourself, your life and your spending...

if things really go south... you can hybernate like a bear in the winter and come out the other side.... or lie flat like how the chinese doing it...

bcoz by 2030, /K will be a very quiet place pt1.

not there in 40s yet.

tbh, we are just living and trying to cope with the increasingly unbearable cost of a lot of commitments. can't even hedge off some earnings into savings because that's how bad it is.
gonna try to make a quick buck from selling stuffs in carboot sales, and save some items somehow. doesn't help when you're stuck in the customer service line.

can only take one step at a time, because the future is that uncertain.

also DIY work is good, as well as repairing tech/electronics. but if everyone become kaki DIY then no point having that as a side income.

Cooking is also a good skill . This kind of thing AI will never able to replace .

Either its coffee brewery , or street foods.

In my area, street coffees are blooming, and lots of people every time of the day! Perhaps I should take some barista training as well in the future ..

and yeah, agree with /ktard above, no use to hurt our mind thinking of things you can't control...

This post has been edited by MegaCanonF: Sep 24 2025, 08:36 AM

spending quality time with your loved ones

double

This post has been edited by hoonanoo: Sep 24 2025, 08:53 AM

no,3 is very true...with USA and Europe MNCs moving out, CCP companies more will be coming here. They will bring their working culture. It can be ruthless, so if you join them make sure you are below 40, if shit hits the fan, you can quit and find other jobs. After 40yo, you are virtually stuck and rely on them, unless they like you for your work.

no.1, be glad that govt is trying to balance the budget. Of course spending may not be fair among classes of people. But still, they are trying to manage. That is the important understanding. Things can get worse, if govt change to some crazy Puas run govt that don't understand GDP and budget deficit. They will spend spend on subsidies and take govt borrowing until they can't then print money to raise inflation to venezuela and afganistan levels.

Its gonna be hard even for my rich friends. The tariff war is hitting on their businesses. They used to be selling a lot of their products to USA but now they are seeing teir margins swiped by CCP companies eating into their market share.

Those handyman work only get paid well in countries like Australia, UK, USA

Passive income is the best. Like properties. Buy at good location.

I don't even know if I will be alive tmr.

Just live for today.

This post has been edited by GTA5: Sep 24 2025, 08:59 AM

This. Count yourself lucky no ABSD.. unlike us in SG, gets hit with 20%/30% tax for 2nd prop.

This post has been edited by gnc88: Sep 24 2025, 09:11 AM

Stop worrying about tomorrow,
the best way for you to survive is to have skills people actually need, in peacetime or war.

Learn traditional skills, ie coding, engineering, commercial drone flying, photography, cooking, mechanics etc.

Having money is nice but will be worthless if TACO decides US will not repatriate your funds, but no point to think of those unlikely scenarios.

Still have high RPGT...if you sell early

You can see robot is cooking now. Albeit simple one la. Like fried rice and fried noodle.

I guess taking up skill is for hobby and hopefully can be useful in the future.

It's not about worrying it also to prepare oneself la.

That's for sure. Especially if you have a kid. You will suddenly find your kid grow up so fast.

That and also with this visa free , they are coming in and not paying tax. For sure that is a different discussion.

Malaysia is stuck can move up the value chain and can bear to move back to the lower chain.

China people in order to survive this trade war are moving away from China and for sure coming to Malaysia. Easy speak Chinese unlike other countries.

The industry I'm in is affected and I am saying this from first hand experience.

So while there is nothing much we can do , just thinking what we can do for ourself.

In the future I feel we will be moving back to blue collar job. All white collar will be AI

Not really la . While property is cheap here how many are able to rent out and cover the loan.

Singapore anytime there will be takers.

Coding all goes to AI lor

I have always wondered in war time what can my white color skill do...nothing really.

I'm not actually sure what others are doing, if anything at all.

Everywhere I see is many people are full-on YOLO, buying latest iPhones, everywhere new cars, people going for holidays etc.

If you are single, its an opportunity to find China wife since many coming here.

Aside from that, yes its getting far competitive.

A lot of PRC companies are setting up here, and they prefer to hire 50% of their workforce their own people. So unless you are really good and stand out, they will prefer their own people.

You see, back in CCP land, their citizens are being squeezed with lack of job opportunities. Every year millions of graduates come out, government is very worried at where to land them jobs. There are even high top scorers that can't find jobs. The top leadership of course worried lah, if no job means unrest. Obviously there is a secret plan, to invest overseas, set up their version of MNCs but they ship these people overseas and be based there, hopefully one day they become citizens, inter marry. So the govt back home don't have to worry about them lying flat in their country.

what industry r you in? IT ?

Some machinery la. Not IT.

China lady not easy to handle ohhh

Some CCP boss is like HK boss.

Be careful of those like to target one.

Once you make a mistake...they will keep haunting you, target you over and over again...

until you collapse under pressure.

But then again some CCP bosses are nice...still...they may not understand when you need to take AL for your child sick, or no penjaga stuff like that.

Managing my spending and making lifestyle adjustments, cos that's where I have 100% control.

My retired parents punya spending is like 2k-3k/month at most. Mana ada traveling eating out spending macam youthful days pon.

It's not all doom and gloom

Find better ways of making money and be grateful in life

Welcome to the world of competition

The world always needed blue collar workers
If u got that machinery skills , u won’t die and will become even more valuable if economy are good

But for now as u predict that dark days ahead
U need to beware of your spending
If you are rich enough , it’s time to make deals by pinching others to low price

Because this is always the cycle , world will always go up and down

I am in my early 40s.

Like previous poster mention, I am accumulating low risk passive income stream, such as property with rental yield, EPF, broad index ETF.

While continue to live the b40 lifestyle to keep expenses to the minimum.

Single?

Married

If wife happy for B40 life then u have done well.

Wife no complain because I got married to B40 factory worker, she getting used to the b40 lifestyle.
I won't consider living b40 lifestyle as success.
True success is FIRE while still can buy anything without looking at the price tag.

Mostly funded on credit, BNPL.
Emergency funds and savings are not en vogue now.

people should vote for a better govt next time

So what's your plan to future proof yourself?

Most yolo because they don't see any hope. Why safe when you don't know what will bring tomorrow right?

I am not judging their choice. It's their life.

No experience with chinaman company first hand. But second hand got la. Local company boss very traditional, loud mouth like gangsta , totally unreasonable.

But one of his staff got cancer he paid for the medical. Still his other staff complain about him. Cos keep kena blame for low production when though he already told them the problem. All my quotation he won't buy. Cos said expensive.

Yeah sending is one thing. But apart from that?

What's your plan? For sure I am not blue collar. Am thinking to switch to it..maybe a little too late.

Passive income I am covered i guess. Investment , rental.

I am holding on to buying cars.

Yeah. It's good but these are passive. What about when you are retrenched or say AI starts to take over.

Safe and effortless investments like EPF, TH, ASB. The rest just live & work like normal, nothing extraordinary.

Appreciate ur local boss.

CCP bosses, usually more favor their own people.

They got classes one, if you member of CCP - no1 treatment (no blame can come to u), if you ordinary CCP citizen - second class, if u cainis know mandarin - 3rd class, if you cainis banana - this class they despise the most.

Racism? Only mention Chinese, no mention of Bangla too!

Thus the passive income, the whole idea is to have it fund the expenses should shit hit the fan.
Keep expenses to the minimum, save and invest as much as possible. Rinse and repeat.

all the best to you

Property in Malaysia is dead. Unlikely will revive anymore with the current demographics. Just a money pit.

Malaysia is at the tipping point. I expect green wave in the next 10 years. Best thing to do now is to save up, manage your lifestyle inflation and invest all of your savings abroad. You already have EPF which is a huge sum. Diversify your portfolio.

Just buy at good location

Myself I’m doing quite ok

Just continue your life because you still alive.

Which location can give yields above 5% now? Can choose any location with price from 2015 onwards. If you buy before 2011, then understandable.

I bought a few during Covid direct from developer. They were desperate so throw in huge discount

One of it I calculate my yield is 10.8% based on my low purchase price. House price also already increase 80%. Few months ago saw a property agent promote same neighbour unit upstairs and my jaw dropped when I saw the asking price. I won’t sell despite many agent cold calling. Will hold it for long

But China wife loyal or not??

grow own food, you dont need a big land for it...everything is on the internet, see you want learn or not only

How to live mininum if have wife and children?

I plan to transition myself into becoming a full-time spot market trader in the coming years...

I'm doing well already, and I earn in Dollars, so it's easily a lifestyle for me to sustain...

I think that is the next step for me as well. For now mine is also long term.

What platform are you using? Do you set target for yourself?

My only issue is, when the market drop i tend to just be passive.

This post has been edited by bengang15: Sep 25 2025, 08:12 AM

so far I see people married to china wife ok saje.

just that mebe their way of thinking is a bit different.

more materialistic and they have less understanding on religion matters if its a western thinking one

Er, luckily I don't have kids at the moment.

I think I mention quite a number of times in kuitam that I'm staying with parents and have 3 meals at home, no socialize with friend, no entertainment, no windows shopping, no cinema, etc. We just sleep, wake up, go to work, come home, eat, sleep and repeat. Many will disagree with this kind of lifestyle, but that's the life of b40.

Well that's a pretty ok lifestyle there. You made the point not to be burden by worldly commitment.

Never bought anything unnecessary
Never bought anything i cant afford outright
Min max is almost everything i can
Dont burden my thoughts with things i cant have direct control over

How do you do that. Easier said than done. Trying very hard to compartmentalize work

What you say is definitely a very big exception. Compared to Covid times, there are some appreciation, but compared to Pre-Covid, it is still the same at best. At least for areas that I am looking at.

For your purchases, really one of the rare ones. Industry trend definitely does not show that.

I also own properties that doesn't do well. Based on my experience dealing with properties I can share some lessons learnt and best practise:

1. Buy only at good location, even though they are very expensive. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION mantra is never wrong. Even during COVID time, after I collect my key the very next day I advertise it in Mudah (not a popular portal) - I still get 3 random calls from property agents in a day!

2. If you can get reliable cleaner go for short term let like Airbnb rather than yearly rent. Much higher yield because you charge daily rate

3. Target expatriates. I raised the rate so high that it filter out local peasants (sorry). Those that inquire and book generally the tenant profile are good. They are cleaner and can take care of your property very well. Some even check-in with their OWN MAID. Knowing that it gave me assurance that the unit will be well kept

Spend the money on necessary things only, and eat out less

Been working quite a long time, so savings / investments / properties etc mostly sorted for a reasonably comfortable retirement.

Your post has been reported. Dunno why. Lol..anyway chill a little.

Lol, damn funny. Like this also reported. Just stating observations and projections from current happenings.

Anyway, I am serious when I say diversify portfolio. Diversify into USD or SGD for wealth preservation.

Is good time to convert to sgd now. Myr strengthening.

I heard PRC girl's family mahu dowry at least RM 300k cash. Crazy...

Yeah, quite a good time now. I moved most of my liquid cash out oledi

Looks like your properties r all condo.

I am on the opposite end. Lol

I think can't generalize lah.

Sure got crazy people like that one even in Msia.

china got 1.4 billion people, I don't think everyone is like that.

Yea i agree with you. See how it goes hahaha

in caina there's automated cooking machine, put in the raw material and push a button the dishes are done in minutes.