I realised that it wasn't exactly easy to find the list of products or services I am currently using, or simply recommending them. Some of you have been kind enough to text / email me privately / leaving comments to ask for the referral codes - which I truly appreciate (although not my primary objective to start the blog!) so I have decided to compile them.
Here's a list of products or services which I am currently using, or are recommending. Some may contain affiliated link (marked with *) where I may earn small commissions/benefits from successful referrals; and some do not - and are purely a recommendation from my side. Some products or services also has referral benefits for both parties.
I will always be transparent and declare exactly what I stand to gain where contractually allowed. Otherwise I may mask the actual numbers but will still declare it, anyway.
Simply the easiest & cheapest way for Malaysians to own foreign bank accounts with no fees, from comfort of your home via CIMB FastSaver Account.
A cheaper, faster way to send money abroad with a fuss-free experience. Best part? Money arrives instantly in most cases. Use my Wise referral link below and part of the commissions will go to a non-profit community charity foundation.
* I will get 30 GBP for every 3 successful referrals
Another cheap way to send money abroad, though I seriously prefer Wise more if the rates are similar (<$1 differences) as InstaRem takes 4++ hours just to perform a transfer.
One of the best money app in Malaysia, providing you with a prepaid card accepted by most (if not all) merchants, with unbeatable exchange rate (spot rate). Definitely a must-have for my travelling needs or purchases in foreign currencies!
* sign up with my BigPay referral code below and we will both get RM10 upon successful registration
Cash Upfront Account "Value Trade" with minimum Trading Fees of RM8.48 or 0.106% flat of contract value (whichever is higher)
"Cash Upfront" Account with minimum Trading Fees starting from RM7 (trades below RM1k) / RM9 (trades between 1k - RM10k) / 0.1% flat of contract value (trades between 10k - RM100k) / RM100 (trades above RM100k)
* For every successful sign-ups using my Rakuten Trade Referral link, I will get 500 RT Points
Frankly I'm still skeptical of crypto but no harm to expose <5% of my portfolio in crypto through custodial wallet Luno Malaysia, approved by Securities Commission of Malaysia
* sign up with my Luno referral code below and we will both get RM25 worth of bitcoin when you deposits and buys MYR 250 in any crypto from Luno's Instant Buy or Sell (Luno Exchange not included)
My favourite method of investing - in an automated and simplified manner. Less hassle, less worrying!
* sign up with my StashAway Referral link below to get 50% off your management fee for the first 6 months up to RM100,000 portfolio managed! I will get a very small commission in low 2-digits for every successful sign ups!
If there's an option for me to diversify my EPF funds outside of Malaysia, like low-cost ETF options, I'll definitely do it. I'm definitely not a fan to have >70% invested locally in the country. At this juncture, the only choice is to do it through unit trust funds, with 0% upfront load/sales charge for limited time.
From their proven track records the past 7 years, I'm mostly invested through Principal's Fund for China, APAC, and Global; based on my asset allocation at point of investment
* sign up with my Principal Referral code below and we will both get free Touch n' Go reload pin when you invest a minimum of RM3,000 from your EPF i-Invest facility.
My one-stop-shop for my international buy-and-hold investments across various markets - US, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, and all the other 150 markets in 33 countries around the world!
* By using my Interactive Brokers sign-up link, you will be indirectly supporting my blog as I get a very small token of commission for every successful click by unique visitors.
** Alternatively, if you plan to deposit >= USD 10,000 within the first 30 days and maintain the liquidity for a year, you can use this sign-up link instead and receive 1% worth of free IBKR shares based on your deposit amount.
A plausible alternative for those looking for easy-to-use international brokerage with focus on Mobile App's user experience, with low-cost (not the lowest though!) access to US, Hong Kong, China, and Singapore stocks.
* Sign up with my moomoo referral link and get 1 free AAPL share (worth ~200 SGD), with 180 days worth of commission-free** trading! If happen to complete the initial funding of $2,700 SGD between 17 - 30 Sep 2021, you will also get an additional SGD 88 cash coupon which you can withdraw back to your bank account.
** commissions free trading waives only the trade commissions and you will still be incurring the platform fees or exchange houses clearing fee. For those who wants to read the full terms and condition: Mid-Autumn Special Promo | Welcome Package
I stopped using TradeStation Global effective July 2021, read more here.
Unless of course if Interactive Brokers again reintroduces their famous monthly $10 inactivity fee ...
You Need A Budget. No, seriously! Stop living paycheck-to-paycheck, get out of debt, and save more money. I've been using this application since the era of YNAB4 and it really helped me with the money-jar zero-based budgeting system.
Use my YNAB referral link for free 1-month trial! (p/s usually extendable up to 2 months by messaging Support)
* I will get 1-month subscription for new successful subscribers
UPDATE NOV 2021: YNAB decided to up their price to usd100/year for all customers and I've decided that it's no longer worth it. I DON'T recommend the app now with their outrageous pricing, but at least follow their 4 rules. Will update once I found a better alternative that serves the envelope budgeting approach.
I was using AWS Free Tier for my self-hosted WordPress, until when the 12-months lapsed and I had to seek out for alternatives. Was initially planning to move onto either Amazon Lightsail or continue with Amazon EC2 which'll cost me up to $10/month depending on the package I take, but after some research I decided to opt for Vultr which has the best price-to-performance ratio.
WARNING: Technical know-how required to deploy basic LAMP stack
My favourite go-to (online) bookstore with free delivery to Malaysia. Plus, books there are always on sales! Do take note on the pricing tho - as the discount may fluctuate on different days.
* If you make a purchase after clicking my link, I will be getting some (approx <5%) kickback from commissions (subject to T&C)
For those living in high-rise (like myself) - if you are lucky (or if your JMB are strong enough to lobby for TIME Internet) - you'll have their coverage at your building! Definitely one of the best Internet Service Provider in Malaysia in terms of Speed, Quality, and Pricing.
Experience the ultimate 1Gbps plan at just RM149 for 6 months and get FREE mesh WiFi on top of it! Get started now at below link.
* For every successful referral using my TIME Internet referral link, I will get RM100 discount on my internet bill
How can I miss out this? One of my favourite cashback mechanism on things that I'm already gonna spend on anyway (e.g. buying books, restocking my care products from Watsons, etc.). To date I've gained at least RM700++ from Shopback alone, not proud of it though as majority of the earnings were racked up during my reckless days in 2016-2018...
* For every successful referral using my Shopback referral link and fulfils the criteria, I will get RM5 cashback
If you haven't realised already - I'm definitely a huge fans of ordering stuff from Taobao, and when I start ordering, I simply can't stop as I always get the urge/sensation that "it's not worth if I just freight forward that one parcel..."
Been using this freight forwarder for 2-3 years now - not the cheapest, but competitive enough pricing with very good service/care attendance.
HJ-EX International （佛山市豪杰国际公司）*
For affordable alternatives of direct-to-consumers Insurance Product Offerings!
* For every successful referral using my link below with certain criteria fulfilled, I will be getting some kickback from comissions (subject to T&C)
Nowadays almost everything's on Lazada & Shopee - and I almost never need to visit hypermarket unless when I need the items within the day itself!
* If you make a purchase after clicking my link, I will be getting some kickback from commissions (subject to T&C)
Again, referral benefits isn't my main objective hence you'll see quite a number of these recommendation do not come with affiliated links (or I'm just lazy :P)
For those that have signed up using my affiliated links - I can't thank you enough, and I sincerely appreciated it!
Cheers,
Gracie