I like the previous CEO of EPF. (Earlier article here). I think a good CEO can do a lot, regardless of company. For current one, we will only know in a year or two later on the results. EPF has just announced the payout for 2018. I know, everyone has their own version of what happened. It’s high! Some will be happy because this is 50% higher than the Fixed Deposit rate. It’s low! Some may say it’s too low because their returns from some other investments are higher. Reported in all media outlets: The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has declared a dividend rate of 6.15% for conventional savings, with a payout amounting to RM43bil. It has also declared a 5.9% dividend rate for syariah savings, with a payout amounting to RM4.32bil. In total, the payout for 2018 totalled RM47.31bil – a marginal decrease of 1.7% from 2017. An article here in star.com.my for reference.
In a statement, it said, “With a real dividend of 3.93% for conventional savings and 3.68% for syariah savings on a rolling three-year basis respectively, the EPF has exceeded its mandate of delivering a dividend of at least 2.5% on a yearly basis and at least 2% real dividend on a rolling three-year basis.” EPF chairman Tan Sri Samsudin Osman added, “More importantly, we consistently deliver above-inflation returns to preserve and increase the value of our members’ savings over the long term and help them to achieve a better retirement future.” 2018 was a difficult year due to downtrend in global markets from the US-China trade war and four rounds of US interest rate hikes in the year alone. Equities continued to be the main contributor of income last year with 57.55%, amounting to RM29.28bil. In 2017, EPF declared a dividend rate of 6.9% for conventional savings and 6.4% for syariah savings. For reference, article in star.com.my here
An old friend who just came back from overseas after working there for many years asked me this question. “The 6.15% declared by the EPF is based on the amount in the account for 2018 or for the WHOLE account?. Sorry for asking this silly question.” Seriously, there’s no such thing as a silly question. I calculated the same many years ago! Anyway, the 6.15% is based on TOTAL amount. So, if we have RM100,000 in the account now, we will have a dividend of RM6,150 for the whole of RM100,000. As for comments, let’s just understand that our EPF works hard too. They are definitely more qualified than majority of us, so if they have done well, we get higher dividends. Period. Yes, I am happy with 6.15%. Happy following and wishing ALMOST the same for a tough 2019.
written on 17 Feb 2019
Next suggested article: An assessment on EPF not too long ago. (even when compared to the European and the US funds)
Leave a Reply