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The older they get, the more Malaysians regret waiting to invest
Many Malaysians apparently wish they had started investing sooner, and that regret becomes more common with age.
According to a survey of 1,333 Malaysians conducted by Malaysian digital wealth and savings platform Versa, 64% of Baby Boomers and Gen X said they wished they had learned to invest earlier in life. That was higher than the proportion among Gen Z at 60% and Millennials at 58%.
The finding suggests that financial experience does not necessarily make people more confident about the future. Instead, older respondents were more likely to look back and feel they had missed opportunities to build their money earlier.
Across all generations, 60% of respondents said they wished they had learned how to invest rather than simply save earlier in life.
Older Malaysians are also more worried about what comes next
The survey found a similar generational divide when respondents were asked whether the next generation would have a harder life.
Among Gen Z respondents, 45.1% believed the next generation would face a more difficult economic environment. That increased to 51% among Millennials and 61.1% among Gen X and older respondents.
In other words, the Malaysians who have had the most time to experience changes in the economy are also the most pessimistic about what younger people will inherit.
Cost of living was the biggest concern overall, with 43% of respondents identifying it as the main challenge for the next generation. Housing affordability, healthcare costs, and job security ranked behind it.
People browse for produce under Malaysian national flags at a fruit market in Kuala Lumpur on 28 April/
Image via Mohd Rasfan/AFPInvesting early is now seen as something worth passing on
Despite the anxiety surrounding the future, there was broad agreement on one piece of financial advice.
Some 68% of respondents said the most important financial habit to pass down to the next generation was to start investing early, even with small amounts.
That was ahead of saving a fixed percentage of income and staying out of debt.
The survey also found that 27% of respondents would choose a lower cost of living as the single financial advantage they would guarantee for future generations, rather than higher pay or better pensions.
The findings come ahead of Budget 2027, with cost-of-living relief and raising household incomes already identified as government priorities.
Versa said the survey was conducted through its app among 1,333 users, comprising 488 Gen Z respondents, 516 Millennials, 306 Gen X respondents, and 23 Baby Boomers.
Because of the small number of Baby Boomer respondents, Versa combined them with Gen X as a "Gen X and above" group for relevant findings.
