Is grass greener on the other side?

[Mat Bruce]

Malaysians are blessed with the British system handed down to us. I believed that the fact that English is widely spoken here in Malaysia has given many Malaysians an advantage over many Asian countries, especially in terms of a job. Many Malaysians are running multinationals and are holding high positions because of their good command of the language. Learning Chinese do not make you a millionaire too, plenty of pasar malam sellers speak and write Chinese better than me.
Since this thread is about if the grass is greener the other side, I think it is for some people and not for some people. I bought a property there that made me a cool myr2 millions if I sell it. My kids are educated to Uni and got their jobs, starting graduate pay at $55k per annum, their fees was Hecs, loans they will have to pay back via a monthly tax. My wife and I will retire with Medicare cover as a minimum, public amenities are clean and we can afford to drink coffee everyday. I know the price of Sunway medical and it is not cheap. Public hospital here are bare necessity only. And most people will not foot $100k to do a procedure, they rather take many risks. I know because I have seen it. Money is so hard to earn here, they rather pass the money to their kids, they contend themselves to not live too long as it is expensive to grow old and sick in Malaysia. Not trying to make anyone feel bad. Malaysia is better than lot of South East Asia countries.

[Mat Bruce]

Back from Ozland last week, phew! the food is nice but @##$ expensive after conversion. There i have a meeting with both of my children whether they want to come back it's their choice, I told them of my life after completed schooling ,had to find work as family cannot afford anymore ,and today with a few properties in KL and Subang. If they to stay put ,they have to struggle just like i had many years ago, if they back home ,everything is provided like car, house and inheritance. You choose! Next week i be there again.

This is true. If you have invested early, in Malaysia or Australia, your kids will not have to struggle like us! I had to borrow money from my uncle to continue my education in Australia. You have done very well if you have a few properties in Malaysia and if you bought early, you will have a lot of equity there. My children is the same, they want to stay in Australia. Over here, they have nice cars and big house to stay. Over there, they have to rent themselves and do everything themselves. But they are young so it is ok to let them enjoy their new freedom. Longer term, Australia will still be richer than Malaysia, not more competitive but luckier as they have lots of natural resources so their welfare and tax systems will give a comfortable social net for their citizens. Malaysia hard fought new government will bring some relief but god knows if it will be sustainable, we hope it is. In the meantime, I am not putting all my eggs in 1 basket. I heard stories of rich Vietnamese who was refugees in Malaysia but now in Australia, you will know the lessons from their stories. I know many of them personally. It is a journey like our forefathers who came to Malaysia from China. All the best in the journey, stay positive and take in as experience. There is no chains, if don’t like, can just fly back.

[Mat Bruce]

Today very free so I will explain a bit more about lucky Malaysia oil and Gas and the lucky Australia oil and gas. Malaysia, we have to do exploration to find new oil, and even joint venture with Thailand, Vietnam to explore oil and develop. So it is not a free ride, we have to take risks to get there. Australia gas reserves are equivalent to the whole middle east nations total reserves. So why is it not known? Why not dig it out? This is because they are saving it for the future generations. Sounds good to me.

[IanQ]

How many people are earning $300k per annum here? This is CEO salary here. In Australia, this is about $100k, a lot of people will reach this Aud100k . This is senior manager salary.

I concur... my example of RM 300K pa is a bit of oxymoronic on my part as it is way above average income in KL, although quite a few people do earn such easy. The key point correctly pointed out is that it is way above average income.
Nonetheless, AUD 100K in Australia is also not an average income, albeit more people as a percentage of population fall in this range vs the same equivalent RM 300K in Malaysia. However, taxation and cost of living (not standard of living) needed to be factored in.
Again the key is back on whether one is earning above the average, and with proper financial planning, will be able to have a decent standard of living.

In all earnestness, I find all Malaysia, Japan, Australia/NZ and America decent places to spend a few months each year in one's retirement. Not so much Singapore. But to be fair, if one wish to earn as much money as possible in one's 20s, then head to America or Singapore to accumulate. One of my first managers said this to me: best to earn in a high cost high income city and retire to a low cost low income city, and you are extremely lucky!

[jan tomaswaki]

How many people are earning $300k per annum here? This is CEO salary here. In Australia, this is about $100k, a lot of people will reach this Aud100k . This is senior manager salary.

Salary RM300K PA is about RM25K per month is about a senior manager post in Malaysia and you can find alot of them in Malaysia or maybe around RM15K per month is plenty in KL. My friend works as CEO in a big construction company in KL draws a monthly salary of RM160K per month with a Mercedes S400 hybrid and driver throw in.

[opulant]

Salary RM300K PA is about RM25K per month is about a senior manager post in Malaysia and you can find alot of them in Malaysia or maybe around RM15K per month is plenty in KL. My friend works as CEO in a big construction company in KL draws a monthly salary of RM160K per month with a Mercedes S400 hybrid and driver throw in.

For people who earn little salary in their entire life, people who are neither-here-nor-there will always think RM300K is a big deal, is CEO salary.These people can only look at the world from their pathetic little hole..

Since this salary topic is brought up, maybe is good I share my little earning when I started my work about 30 years ago. My 1st year take home pay is slightly more than RM260k but the good thing is not about the income, it is about the income tax. As I was recruited in Kemaman, Trengganu, I was regarded as Malaysian staff in which my payroll is from the office here even though I was posted abroad. Hence I can declare my income here and followed the tax rules here...

I fell so sad that some inggeris-speaking simpletons who migrated here migrated there never have a chance to smell such income in their entire life. I guess simpletons just don't know what they don't know...

[opulant]

Someone said " Learning Chinese do not make you a millionaire "

I'm a Chinese. My Dad sent me to Chinese school, I'm sure he didn't bother if I can or can't be a millionaire because learning mother tongue and able to recognise my own name in ancestral language should be something so natural, no $$$ should be in the equation.

Of course, they are shameless, pathetic folks who don't mind to become " #@^洋奴 " and hence every single thing including ancestral roots have to put on a money scale to seee whether it is worth it..

Btw, I found soooooo many inggeris-speaking neither-here-nor-there in this neighbourhood who speaking inggeris veri veri good than me but they aren't millionaire... Some have to migrate here migrate there and even have to sneak back here to work..

[opulant]

... if one wish to earn as much money as possible in one's 20s, then head to America or Singapore to accumulate. One of my first managers said this to me: best to earn in a high cost high income city and retire to a low cost low income city, and you are extremely lucky!

I think for now, if it is desk job... the place for good remuneration package is HK and Shanghai.

[opulant]

Today very free so I will explain a bit more about lucky Malaysia oil and Gas and the lucky Australia oil and gas. Malaysia, we have to do exploration to find new oil, and even joint venture with Thailand, Vietnam to explore oil and develop. So it is not a free ride, we have to take risks to get there. Australia gas reserves are equivalent to the whole middle east nations total reserves. So why is it not known? Why not dig it out? This is because they are saving it for the future generations. Sounds good to me.

This is a clear indication of your depth of understanding of the O&G topic (the lack of it, to be precise).

[opulant]

....My kids are educated to Uni and got their jobs, starting graduate pay at $55k per annum...

According to a detailed Australia salary survey - Graduate Career Australia.

http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/wp...2014_FINAL.PDF

" The median starting salary for bachelor degree graduates aged less than 25 and in their first full-time employment was AUD52,500.

Dentistry remained the highest-paid field of education at AUD75,000, followed by:

optometry (70,000)
engineering (62,000)
earth sciences (60,000)
mathematics (60,000)
medicine (60,000) "

I remember you mentioned somewhere that you son is in accounting line. So, I also browsed a salary survey of accounting graduate.

http://www.payscale.com/research/AU/...1c/Entry-Level

The medium salary for accounting graduate is AUD51,313 and the highest salary is AUD70,193.

It seems like your son's annual salary of AUD55K is just the mid-range salary, still far behind of those in the range of AUD70K.

Well, I guess people have different limitations due to different talent and qualification.

[opulant]

....Since this thread is about if the grass is greener the other side.... I bought a property there that made me a cool myr2 millions if I sell it..

Oh.. you will have MYR2 millions if you sell your aussie property.

Just to share (in case you don't know), many people here already have few millions, be it in bank accounts or retirement funds WITHOUT the need to sell any of their properties...

Your are the typical folk who like to blow big trumpet over small little achievement. I feel sorry for you... !!

[opulant]

Today very free so I will explain a bit more about lucky Malaysia oil and Gas and the lucky Australia oil and gas. Malaysia, we have to do exploration to find new oil, and even joint venture with Thailand, Vietnam to explore oil and develop. So it is not a free ride, we have to take risks to get there. Australia gas reserves are equivalent to the whole middle east nations total reserves. So why is it not known? Why not dig it out? This is because they are saving it for the future generations. Sounds good to me.

Normally, I am kind of lazy to teach simpleton things that they don't know..

But for the benefits of other forumers, and to confirm your shear stupidity, I make an exception this time…

[opulant]

Australia gas reserves are equivalent to the whole middle east nations total reserves.

Here are some numbers in the energy sector.

- From 1997 to 2017, the largest proven gas reserves are still in the region of middle east and CIS

[opulant]

Australia gas reserves are equivalent to the whole middle east nations total reserves.

Even looking at latest 2017 figures, CIS contributes 30.6% of world gas reserves and middle east is 40.9%, australia is only 1.9%

[opulant]

Australia gas reserves are equivalent to the whole middle east nations total reserves.

Even if you factor into production, and calculate the gas reserve in term of reserve/production ratio, Asia Pacific (in which Australia is there) is still far behind middle east, CIS and Africa.

Fortunately for you, stupidity however gross is not an offence in Malaysia...