{"id":42740,"date":"2020-03-23T17:58:44","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T09:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/?p=42740"},"modified":"2020-03-27T10:59:49","modified_gmt":"2020-03-27T02:59:49","slug":"managing-money-economic-downturn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/managing-money-economic-downturn","title":{"rendered":"8 Steps To Manage Your Money During COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019re all aware of what\u2019s going on in the market today. Some call it the perfect storm &#8211; crippling effects of a viral pandemic, an unexpected change of government, a dramatic drop in oil prices \u2026 and the list goes on. When we look at the value of our investments compared to the start of the year, we can\u2019t help but wonder if it\u2019s better to sell out first to weather the storm, before reinvesting when the water is calmer. Fortunately, COVID-19 and its effects are deemed as events. And we have historical data to give us some idea on what to expect when faced with such events.<\/p>\n<p>If we can leave you with just one thought to ponder on this matter (given that you\u2019ve probably been inundated with various views already), it\u2019ll be this: <strong>Time in the market is superior to timing the market.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/static.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/23174906\/Bloomberg-10-year-return.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-42745 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/static.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/23174906\/Bloomberg-10-year-return-800x400.jpg\" alt=\"10-year return on investment\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/23174906\/Bloomberg-10-year-return-800x400.jpg 800w, https:\/\/static.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/23174906\/Bloomberg-10-year-return-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/static.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/23174906\/Bloomberg-10-year-return-768x384.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/23174906\/Bloomberg-10-year-return.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h6><em>Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P., iFAST compilations<\/em><\/h6>\n<p>If you started to invest after the Global Financial Crisis (March 2010), you would have gained a 9.8% annualised return as of 16 March 2020 \u2013 a very impressive feat considering that the figure is inclusive of the drawdown over the last two weeks. However, if you missed the best 10, 20 or 30 days of the market during this 10-year period, your investment returns would have paled in comparison. As such, we continue to take comfort that unless we have a crystal ball, our better bet is to remain invested. Nevertheless, what can we do in such trying times?<\/p>\n<p>We would like to propose (or remind you about) the 8 steps to manage your money more effectively any time (the golden rules):<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1-Ensure-that-you-have-the-required-cash-reserves-in-place\"><\/span>1. Ensure that you have the required cash reserves in place<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>If job \/ income security is not a major concern \u2013 then ensure you have at least 6 months\u2019 worth of expenses as cash reserves. Otherwise, increase this as you deem fit. Retirees should have at least 3 years of expenses as cash reserves<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2-Review-your-risk-profile-and-remain-invested-according-to-your-risk-tolerance\"><\/span>2. Review your risk profile and remain invested according to your risk tolerance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>If your risk profile is unchanged \u2013 remain steadfast with your current investments. Otherwise, consider reducing the risk level of your investments by a notch or two if it helps you sleep peacefully at night<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3-Invest-according-to-your-strategic-asset-allocation\"><\/span>3. Invest according to your strategic asset allocation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Review your ideal allocation of investable assets in low, moderate and high-risk assets. If you have too much in any asset class \u2013 consider rebalancing your position<\/li>\n<li>Investing according to your ideal strategic asset allocation will ensure a more robust and resilient long-term growth (a.k.a. growing your money with higher certainty)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4-Remain-diversified\"><\/span>4. Remain diversified<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Ensure that you invest in diversified portfolios that span across different asset classes (local bonds, regional\/foreign bonds, local equities, regional equities, global equities, REITs, commodities, etc.), geography (Malaysia, regional, global) and currencies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5-Remember-your-purpose-for-investing\"><\/span>5. Remember your purpose for investing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Are you investing for your retirement, child\u2019s tertiary education, purchase of a new property, a wedding or a pilgrimage? Has the timeline for these goals changed? If these haven\u2019t changed, perhaps you shouldn\u2019t too<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6-Be-greedy-when-others-are-fearful\"><\/span>6. Be greedy when others are fearful<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>If you have cash on hand after fulfilling all the steps above, then consider this a special offer period with steeply discounted prices. As such you should look for buying opportunities<\/li>\n<li>We can\u2019t be sure when\u2019s the bottom, so stagger your investments to pick up on dips. Once you strategise your investment approach \u2013 follow through over the pre-set time frame<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7-Review-and-monitor\"><\/span>7. Review and monitor<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>As things remain fluid, do continue to review and monitor your financial position and take the necessary corrective action, if any<\/li>\n<li>This does not mean that you should track the performance on a daily basis as this might emotionally trigger you to take actions that you might later regret<\/li>\n<li>Remind yourself of your \u201cWHY\u201d to invest \u2026 and stay the course<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"8-Get-a-second-opinion\"><\/span>8. Get a second opinion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>If all the above seems daunting to do alone, seek advice from our licensed financial planners for a second opinion<\/li>\n<li>Now is as good as any time to start charting your holistic financial plan (if you haven\u2019t got one yet) for better clarity, confidence and control over your finances<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"block\"><div>Felix Neoh is a director (financial planning) at *Finwealth Management Sdn. Bhd. He has provided this investment commentary for the benefit of iMoney readers. <\/div><\/div>\n<h6><em>Disclaimer: We have based this document on information from sources we believe to be reliable, but we do not make any representation or warranty nor accept any responsibility or liability as to its accuracy, completeness or correctness. Expressions of opinion contained herein are those of Finwealth Management Sdn. Bhd. only and are subject to change without notice. This document should not be construed as an offer or solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe or sell any investment products through Finwealth Management Sdn. Bhd.<\/em><\/h6>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Read-more\"><\/span>Read more<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/coronavirus-impact-malaysia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Everything You Need To Know About COVID-19 In Malaysia<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Instead of panicking, start planning now with these investment tips from an expert.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":42743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[271,1,267],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-investment","category-share-trading"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How To Manage Your Money During Covid 19<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you are an investor, are you thinking whether you should buy or sell now? 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