Author: Steve Ngai

Some might know but some might not know this. Some car insurance which you bought does provide you some extra benefits such free car towing service or bring you a new car battery and replace it on the spot. All you need to pay is just the car battery cost (about RM215 for dry car battery) and if you return the damaged car battery to them, you will get extra RM10. discount. I am glad that my Etiqa car insurance has such benefits. This week, I could not start my car because the car battery has spoil. I call Etiqa auto assist and within 40-45 minutes, the mechanic came to my apartment and replace a new dry car battery. I suppose to pay him RM215 for it, but because they accept old spoil car battery for RM10, I only pay him RM205. And if my broke down, I can also car Eqita Auto Assist and they will send someone to tow my car to the nearest mechanic for free of charge as well. So, do check with your car insurance for such services. Otherwise, you might need AAM, which cost you another RM90 per year for car towing service or car battery replacement services. If you don’t have such services, car towing can cause you few hundred just for one trip. By the way, if you pay Etiqa online, you will also get extra 10% discount on top of your NCD (No Claim Discount).

If you plan to invest into Public Mutual’s unit trust fund, I would like to recommend you to do so via EPF. The reason is because the sales charges when one invest unit trust via EPF is only 3% (The sales charges for investment via cash is 5.5-6%!). But, the catch is no all the fund you can via if you choose to invest from EPF.

Here are the only public mutual funds you are allowed to invest via EPF: Public Aggressive Growth Fund, Public Balanced Fund, Public Dividend Select Fund, Public Equity Fund, Public Focus Select Fund, Public Growth Fund, Public Index Fund, Public Industry Fund, Public Islamic Dividend Fund, Public Islamic Equity Fund, Public Islamic Income Fund, Public Islamic Money Market Fund, Public Islamic Optimal Growth Fund, Public Islamic Select Treasures Fund, Public Ittikal Fund, Public Regular Savings Fund, Public Savings Fund, Public Sector Select Fund, Public Select Bond Fund.

Next, what fund should I invest then? I also did a quick research for all above’s fund performance for the past one year and I also look into their rating from Lipper and MorningStars. At the end, my recommendation will be (not in any sequence): Public Dividend Select Fund, Public Focus Select Fund, Public Growth Fund, Public Islamic Dividend Fund, Public Islamic Equity Fund, Public Islamic Optimal Growth Fund, Public Islamic Select Treasures Fund, Public Regular Savings Fund

But before you make any decision to invest, it is wise for you to gain more other basic investment knowledge, do more ‘homework’ and to have asset allocation plan ahead and etc. Investment into unit trust need years to see the result. This is also because the high sales charges “invested” right in the beginning. If you want some quick bucks, unit trust investment is not for you. By the way, I am not an expert in this area nor a unit trust agent, still much to learn. I would say, my agent has recommended me good fund many years ago and because of that, it helps me to kind of gets me interested into this. And a little ‘luck’ also helps me too in during certain investment decisions. Happy investing!