How I Reached Financial Freedom and early retirement at 52 – A Malaysian’s Honest Journey
In this maiden post, I would like to share a down-to-earth story about how my spouse and I managed to achieve financial freedom by our early 50s without resorting to get-rich-quick schemes. As I write this post, we are both already approaching our mid-50s.
I have always believed in living simply and spending within my means. Thankfully, my spouse feels the same way, and that’s made a huge difference in how we manage our money as a family. Because we are on the same page, we have been able to save a good chunk of our household income over the years—just in case life throws us a curveball.
As we got closer to our late 40s, we started getting more serious about financial independence. It was not just about saving money anymore—it was about creating a lifestyle where we did not have to rely on a job forever. So, I came up with a plan and stuck to it. Here's what worked for us:
- Clear off debts and stay debt-free – no loans hanging over our heads.
- Get enough insurance coverage – both life and medical, just to be safe.
- Save for our kids' overseas education – we kept the money in safe, no-risk term deposits.
- Top up our EPF (Employee Provident Fund) accounts whenever we could – thanks to the voluntary contribution scheme.
- Invest extra cash in solid, dividend-paying blue-chip stocks – slow and steady wins the race.
The pandemic years—especially the lockdowns in Malaysia from 2020 to 2022 (MCO, as we called it)—really drove home the importance of financial freedom. We were lucky. Neither of us lost our jobs or income, and being stuck at home meant we were able to save even more. But I know that wasn’t the case for many others.
A lot of Malaysians had to dip into their EPF savings just to get by. That’s worrying, because those funds were meant for retirement. Now, people are facing the real possibility of not having enough to live on in their later years. Just look at some of the recent reports—some of the numbers are honestly quite scary:
- 81% of EPF members saw their savings drop by 50% due to pandemic withdrawals
- Shockingly low EPF figures raising alarm
- You may need RM1 million to retire comfortably
- EPF estimates RM600,000 for a comfortable retirement
Then in late 2022, I had a bit of a health scare. It wasn’t anything dramatic, but it was enough to make me realize that the stress from work was doing me no favors. That was when I decided it was time to walk away from full-time employment and finally put my financial plan into action. I wanted to spend more time doing things that actually matter to me instead of just chasing money.
That’s one of the reasons I decided to start this blog—to share my journey towards financial independence from the perspective of an ordinary, working-class Malaysian. I’m not a financial guru or expert — just someone who tried to plan ahead, made some decent choices, and learned a few things along the way. Hopefully, what I’ve been through can help others do the same.