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Starting a Malaysian Dividend Portfolio: A Strategic Step Toward Retirement in Johor

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As someone who has spent years building an investment portfolio in Singapore, I finally made an important financial move to open a Malaysian investment account with FSMOne Malaysia.  Starting in the second quarter of 2026, I plan to begin a new investment journey focused on Malaysian dividend stocks.  This decision is not just about diversification, it is also about currency strategy, retirement planning, and income stability. Why I Am Investing in Malaysia Instead of US Market Retirement Plans in Johor Bahru Although I currently work and invest in Singapore, I am Malaysian and intend to retire in Johor Bahru in the future.  As such, my retirement expenses will likely be denominated in Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) and building a dividend investment portfolio that generates MYR income makes perfect sense.  Instead of the need to constantly converting Singapore Dollars (SGD) to MYR and inevitably worry about the foreign exchange rate, I can rely on dividends paid by Ma...
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Moving Towards ETFs in This Crisis

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The recent market turbulence has prompted me to make a gradual shift in my portfolio strategy.  Over the past month, I have started reallocating part of my holdings away from individual securities and into exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Specifically, I sold part of my holdings in Hong Leong Finance (HLF), Mapletree Logistics Trust (MLT), and Frasers Logistics & Commercial Trust (FLCT).  The proceeds were redeployed into two Singapore listed ETFs, namely Amova StraitsTrading Asia ex Japan REIT ETF (CFA) and the UOBAM Ping An FTSE ASEAN Dividend Index ETF (UPD). One key reason for this shift is diversification.  An ETF holds a basket of securities, which helps reduce company-specific risks that come with holding individual stocks or REITs.  In the case of the CFA ETF, it invests across multiple REITs in the Asia-Pacific region (excluding Japan), thus, its price movements tend to be less volatile compared to holding a single REIT.  UPD ETF also allows me expos...
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The Price of Fear-Of-Missing-Out (FOMO) Is Expensive

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The market has a way of humbling me. In mid February, my portfolio was hitting all time high in value, and I got over-confident.  In fact, I was ignoring the greedy sentiments on the ground, and I chased Development Bank of Singapore (DBS), Aims Apac REIT (AAR) and CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust at above SGD 57.50, SGD 1.50 and SGD 2.45 respectively.  At that point, prices were running, sentiment was strong, and the urge to “just get in before ex-dividend date” felt rational.  After all, as a dividend investor, being able to get more dividend income in the next payout seemed to have more pros than cons?  However, the fact is ex-dividend date is 2 months away, and I could have waited for price to correct and valuations to be more reasonable before dipping my toes into buying the shares. Lo and behold, then the Middle East war headlines hit.  Risk sentiment turned immediately and the classic “dog and owner” analogy returned, where prices (the dog) runnin...
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Second Month of Phase 1 Barista FIRE

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This post is just for personal reference, to record my personal income and expenses in my journey towards Barista FIRE. For the month of February, I am pleased that I have survived another month with surplus.  As this month coincides with Chinese New Year, I get some "Ang Bao" money, and I also prepared small "Ang Bao" for the elders in my family, recorded under "Miscellaneous Spending".  This is the time of the year where I am able to gather with my extended family and enjoy meals with them, because tutoring means I am usually busy on weekends and I seldom see my relatives.  It is definitely a blessing that I can have an enjoyable reunion dinner with them.   Great Spread For Reunion Dinner This month I went for a movie treat to watch "镖人", which I thought was a fantastic action movie, but somehow lacking in storyline.  Nonetheless it was an enjoyable movie. Nice Movie! Besides miscellaneous spending, "Fixed Spending" remains my larg...
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Portfolio Update for February 2026

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This will be a relatively short post to update on my portfolio and transactions for the month of February.   For the month of February, it remains a volatile month for global stock markets, with uncertainty spilling over into Singapore equities as well.  The biggest driver was a sharp rotation of monies out of tech stocks, sparked by renewed doubts over AI valuations.  After months of optimism, investors began questioning whether earnings could justify lofty prices, triggering sell-offs and increased volatility across markets, including Singapore. At the same time, interest rate expectations remained stubbornly high.  The FED signaled no urgency to cut rates, keeping bond yields elevated.  This is especially so with the latest higher than expected PPI numbers.  This weigh on rate-sensitive sectors in Singapore such as REITs and high-dividend stocks, as investors compared equity yields against safer fixed-income alternatives.  Adding to the unease...
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