Susan, 29, had avoided checking her EPF balance for years. She wasn’t lazy. She was worried the balance would be lower than she expected.

One afternoon, a colleague asked if she was going to the EPF session. She almost said no, but she decided to attend.

The Number That Surprised Her

At the session, the officer showed everyone how to log in to the app and navigate their accounts. Susan typed in her details carefully and waited for the dashboard to load. The figure that appeared was RM52,000.

It was not enough to quit her job or travel the world, but it was more than she expected. She realised that over the years, her employer’s contributions, her own mandatory 11%, and annual dividends had been steadily growing. Her money had been working quietly in the background, without her noticing.

Taking The First Steps

That evening, she opened her laptop and looked at her finances with curiosity instead of dread. Seeing RM52,000 made her realise she could automate other savings too.

ASM had just reopened for new investors, so she took it as a sign. She opened an ASNB account and set up a RM100 monthly auto-debit from her salary account.

She also set up a standing instruction where RM200 went straight to her savings account on payday, before she could even see it. Most banks let you do this through online banking. It took her ten minutes to set up and she hasn’t had to think about it since.

For her subscriptions, she got a cashback credit card that gives 8% back on online spending. She uses the cashback for her Spotify and Netflix, and it covers most of her Grab rides too.

These were small changes, but they removed the mental load of deciding to save every month. The system just ran itself from there.

Watching The System Work

Months later, Susan’s EPF had grown to RM60,000, her ASM balance was increasing steadily, and her emergency fund had reached six months of expenses. The ASM dividends come in once a year without her doing anything. 

She now checks her accounts occasionally. Each time, she sees her money has been growing steadily without her attention.

Iman Aminuddin

Iman writes about personal finance with curiosity. She is interested in the stories behind money, the hesitation around big decisions, and the small habits that shape financial futures. Off the clock, she is either dissecting a film or climbing her way up the leaderboard in her favourite games.

About THE AUTHOR

Iman Aminuddin

Iman Aminuddin

Iman writes about personal finance with curiosity. She is interested in the stories behind money, the hesitation around big decisions, and the small habits that shape financial futures. Off the clock, she is either dissecting a film or climbing her way up the leaderboard in her favourite games.

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