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Help Center - StashAway

Help Center

StashAway’s investment products use ETFs because they are exchange-listed products with deep liquidity, high trading volumes, and have very low expense fees.
 
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To learn more about how StashAway selects ETFs, click <a href="https://www.stashaway.sg/r/how-stashaway-selects-etfs" target="_self">here</a>.

Why does StashAway invest in ETFs?

StashAway offers a wide range of low-cost investment options, unlike traditional advisors who charge high fees and offer one-size-fits-all investment packages.
 
We use advanced technology that maximises intelligence through complex algorithms that consider your personal goals, and market performance. StashAway is a more efficient alternative to a traditional advisor, designed by expert investors to manage portfolios.
 
Additionally, StashAway has no minimum deposit, no lock-up period, and no withdrawal fees, and offers an intuitive digital platform to keep track of your investments.

How is StashAway different from other financial advisors?

Fees are paid monthly with the 1% cash allocation in your account. Each of your portfolios will be charged proportionally for the fees owed by them.
 
Additionally, the cash allocation might be used for rebalancing and/or withdrawals. For example, when you request for a withdrawal, we would first use the cash in USD/GBP (based on the investment currency) for the withdrawal and if needed sell assets to fulfil the withdrawal. Subsequently, when rebalancing is triggered, we would sell assets to restore the cash USD/GBP allocation.

Why is there a 1% Cash allocation for my portfolio?

A Power of Attorney letter (POA) is a legal document that allows you to appoint a person to take charge of your StashAway account and make decisions on your behalf should you be unable to do so.
 For more details, contact our Client Experience team at +603 9212 4356 or email us at <a href="mailto:support@stashaway.my" target="_self" rel="undefined">support@stashaway.my</a>

What is a Power of Attorney letter and how does it benefit me?

What is it?
<ul>
<li>Want to get your funds invested for free? You're in the right place!</li>
<li>For every friend that you refer and who funds their account, both of you are entitled to a 6-month management fee waiver, for up to RM 30,000 of assets under management.</li>
<li>If you refer 2 friends and they both invest at least RM 1, RM 60,000 of your assets under management would be managed for free for 6 months. 3 friends, RM 90,000; and so on.</li>
</ul>
 
Is there a limit?
<ul>
<li>Refer as many people as you like! We don't have a limit for the number of people you refer.</li>
</ul>
 
Requirements
<ul>
<li>Your account must be funded (any amount).</li>
<li>Your referee must not have an existing account.</li>
<li>Your referee must sign-up via the referral link.</li>
<li>After your referee's registration, your referee's account needs to be funded within 30 days.</li>
</ul>
 
How to refer a friend
<ul>
<li>Log in to your StashAway account.</li>
<li>Click "Refer a friend" on the top of the page.</li>
<li>Copy your individual link, and send it to your friend(s) via email, SMS, or your favourite social media platform.</li>
<li>When your invited friend(s) register using your link and fund his/her account within 30 days, both of you have qualified for the referral programme.</li>
<li>Track your referee(s)' progress by looking at "Your Referral History" in "Refer a friend" section.</li>
</ul>
 
<div class="p-rich_text_section">Privacy Notice and Consent</div>
<ul class="p-rich_text_list p-rich_text_list__bullet" data-stringify-type="unordered-list" data-indent="0">
<li>Both referrer and referee must have an account with StashAway to enjoy the benefits of this Referral Programme.</li>
<li>This Referral programme is part of the service that StashAway provides to its customers and both referrer and referee will have agreed to the Privacy Notice, for StashAway to use their personal information as part of this service. </li>
<li>The referee has agreed that in signing up with StashAway via this program that their full name will be shared with the referrer for progress tracking purposes.</li>
</ul>

Referral Programme

General questions about how StashAway works

General Questions

Your security is incredibly important to us. As required by the Security Commission of Malaysia (SC) to verify your identity, we require you to upload a copy of your NRIC or Passport, as well as a Proof of Residence.
If you are transferring from a non-Malaysia bank account, there will be an additional verification required as per SC regulations. Our Client Experience Team will reach out to you accordingly for this.

How does StashAway verify my identity?

Your personal information is collected primarily for the purposes of verifying your identity, customising your investments (through understanding your investment knowledge, experience and needs) and meeting the requirements of all applicable laws and regulations including those pertaining to anti-money laundering and taxation.
You may refer to our <a href="https://www.stashaway.my/legal">Privacy Policy</a> for more information.

Why do you need to collect my personal information?

We ask you explicitly about your risk preferences during the initial financial assessment. Additionally, we give you the option to adjust the risk index for each portfolio as you wish.
 
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How do you understand my attitude towards risk?

During the account opening process, we ask questions about your preferences to gain an understanding of your current financial situation. 
 
In the financial assessment that customers are required to complete before opening an account, we ask about risk preferences, goals, current financial situations, and investment experience. 
We use this information to make recommendations for you. 
 
For example, based on the information you provided when filling out your profile, our algorithm may cap your risk limit.
 
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How is my portfolio personalised for me?

Not at the moment but it is in the pipeline. In the meantime, we accept deposits from joint bank accounts.

Can I open a joint account?

Frequently asked questions about opening an account and the app

Getting Started

The portfolio returns on our website and app are benchmarked against the MSCI All Country World Index (MSCI ACWI) for equities and the FTSE World Government Bond Index for bonds.
 
These benchmarks apply for the following portfolios:
<ul class="wysiwyg-text-align-justify">
<li>General Investing powered by StashAway</li>
<li>General Investing powered by BlackRock®</li>
<li>Responsible Investing</li>
</ul>
Like our General Investing and Responsible Investing portfolios, the MSCI ACWI includes exposure to equities in both developed markets (such as the US, Western Europe, Australia, and Japan) and emerging markets (such as China, Brazil, and India).

What are the benchmarks StashAway uses?

Trades are executed every business day.

How often does your investment team make trades?

It is entirely possible to have a positive TWR but a negative total return.
 
Your TWR is positive because your portfolio’s return has increased in value since the first deposit you made with us. You can see that in the graph of the “Performance” tab in your app.
 However, in this case, you could still have negative dollar returns if you deposited the majority of your funds in this portfolio when the market was higher than it is now.
 
Here’s a quick example of when this might be the case: Let’s say you deposited RM 100 in January in your StashAway account, and then the market goes up 10% by September. You’d have RM 110 in your account. Then, you get a RM 1,000 bonus and decide to invest it all at once, but the market goes down 5% over the next three months. In this scenario, your portfolio value would be RM 1,054.50 by December for a total of RM 1,100 invested. So you’d have lost RM 45.50;<img src="https://stashaway.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/360042964434/MY_Slide1.jpeg" alt="MY_Slide1.jpeg">
But this was not because the portfolio has performed poorly thus far- it went up 10% between January and September and then it went down just 5% between September and December. However, most of your money was invested right before markets went down. Your time-weighted return is positive because the performance of the first deposit of your investment has performed well between January and December, but your simple dollar return is still negative because of when you decided to make your deposits.

Why do I have a positive time-weighted return, but negative dollar return?

Questions about our portfolios and investment framework

Investments

General Investing powered by StashAway and Goal-based investing utilise the same exact investment strategy. The difference is that compared to the General Investing portfolio, the Goal-based Investing portfolio has an additional feature that includes a personalised investment plan to achieve a particular financial goal.
 
This means that it will suggest the appropriate risk level and monthly savings plan, whereas the risk level selection and monthly investment plan with General Investing are self-directed.

What is General and Goal-based Investing?

Yes, it's completely up to you; you can stop and resume your deposits anytime.

Can I stop sending deposits for a few months and resume investments after?

Yes, you can but the name of the bank account needs to be the same as the legal name of the StashAway account holder.

Can I withdraw to a bank account that is different from the one I originally made the deposit from?

Questions about our General Investing and Goal-based portfolios

General & Goal-based Investing

Both General Investing portfolios are designed to deliver long-term outperformance of their benchmarks. Where they differ is in their asset allocation strategy.
 
General Investing powered by StashAway keeps a portfolio’s risk exposure constant while optimising for long-term returns, which means you can expect occasional deviation from how the markets are doing in order to keep your risk level constant.
 
General Investing powered by BlackRock® provides broader market exposure, which means you can expect ups and downs that follow market trends.
 
BlackRock® is a registered trademark of BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates (“BlackRock”) is used under license.  BlackRock is not affiliated with StashAway and therefore makes no representations or warranties regarding the advisability of investing in any product or service offered by StashAway. BlackRock has no obligation or liability in connection with the operation, marketing, trading or sale of such product or service nor does BlackRock have any obligation or liability to any client or customer of StashAway.
For StashAway General Investing portfolios that are powered by BlackRock, BlackRock provides StashAway with non-binding asset allocation guidance. StashAway manages and provides these portfolios to you, meaning BlackRock does not provide any service or product to you, nor has BlackRock considered the suitability of its asset allocations against your individual needs, objectives, and risk tolerance. As such, the asset allocations that BlackRock provides do not constitute investment advice, or an offer to sell or buy any securities.

What’s the difference between General Investing powered by StashAway and General Investing powered by BlackRock®?

BlackRock® receives the total expense ratio of the ETFs purchased by StashAway clients.
 
Although BlackRock provides the investment strategy and asset allocation, the management fee for all General Investing portfolios covers all trade execution, deposits, withdrawals, rebalancing, and customer support, which are all handled by StashAway.
 
BlackRock® is a registered trademark of BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates (“BlackRock”) is used under license. BlackRock is not affiliated with StashAway and therefore makes no representations or warranties regarding the advisability of investing in any product or service offered by StashAway. BlackRock has no obligation or liability in connection with the operation, marketing, trading or sale of such product or service nor does BlackRock have any obligation or liability to any client or customer of StashAway.

Does BlackRock make money out of the General Investing portfolios powered by BlackRock®?

All General Investing portfolios available on StashAway are suitable for long-term investors. They are designed to outperform their respective benchmarks in the long term.
 
So how are the General Investing portfolios different?
In the pursuit of long-term returns, the objective of General Investing and Responsible Investing powered by StashAway is to keep a portfolio’s risk constant so that the investor is never overexposed to risk when seeking returns. What this could mean is that a StashAway-powered portfolio might behave better or worse than market conditions at times in order to keep risk constant.
In contrast, General Investing powered by BlackRock® provides an investor broader exposure to the market, which results in an investing experience that generally follows the ups and downs of the markets.
 
 So which one should you have?
You may want to ask yourself whether you prefer a risk-first approach or a strategy that follows the markets. Given that they have different approaches to achieving long-term results, some clients may prefer to diversify their investment strategies by having both.
Remember, whichever you choose, these are long-term investment strategies. Successful investing depends on deposit behaviour, so we highly recommend dollar-cost averaging to get the most out of any General Investing portfolio.
 
BlackRock® is a registered trademark of BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates (“BlackRock”) is used under license.  BlackRock is not affiliated with StashAway and therefore makes no representations or warranties regarding the advisability of investing in any product or service offered by StashAway. BlackRock has no obligation or liability in connection with the operation, marketing, trading or sale of such product or service nor does BlackRock have any obligation or liability to any client or customer of StashAway.
For StashAway General Investing portfolios that are powered by BlackRock, BlackRock provides StashAway with non-binding asset allocation guidance. StashAway manages and provides these portfolios to you, meaning BlackRock does not provide any service or product to you, nor has BlackRock considered the suitability of its asset allocations against your individual needs, objectives, and risk tolerance. As such, the asset allocations that BlackRock provides do not constitute investment advice, or an offer to sell or buy any securities.

How should I choose between General Investing powered by BlackRock® and General Investing powered by StashAway?

StashAway and BlackRock® have partnered to offer a suite of globally diversified multi-asset model portfolios that are built from BlackRock’s analytics and ETFs, which are managed by StashAway. The portfolios will be available to investors via the StashAway app.
 
BlackRock provides clients all insights and asset allocations to StashAway for General Investing powered by BlackRock. StashAway manages the trade execution, deposits, withdrawals, rebalancing, and customer support.
 BlackRock® is a registered trademark of BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates (“BlackRock”) is used under license.  BlackRock is not affiliated with StashAway and therefore makes no representations or warranties regarding the advisability of investing in any product or service offered by StashAway. BlackRock has no obligation or liability in connection with the operation, marketing, trading or sale of such product or service nor does BlackRock have any obligation or liability to any client or customer of StashAway.
For StashAway General Investing portfolios that are powered by BlackRock, BlackRock provides StashAway with non-binding asset allocation guidance. StashAway manages and provides these portfolios to you, meaning BlackRock does not provide any service or product to you, nor has BlackRock considered the suitability of its asset allocations against your individual needs, objectives, and risk tolerance. As such, the asset allocations that BlackRock provides do not constitute investment advice, or an offer to sell or buy any securities.

What is the relationship between BlackRock® and StashAway?

You can buy individual ETFs from their brokers but what we offer that isn’t available with a broker is the rebalancing and re-optimisation that only comes with professionally-managed portfolios.

I can access these ETFs on my broker. Why wouldn’t I just buy them there?

Questions about General Investing powered by BlackRock®

General Investing powered by BlackRock®

Thematic Portfolios are a long-term investment product which allows you to invest in what you believe could transform the world. They are aimed to maximise exposure to promising long-term trends within your risk preference. Thematic Portfolios are grouped around different promising trends and are composed of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as well as balancing assets (non-thematic instruments). You can learn more <a href="https://www.stashaway.my/r/introducing-thematic-portfolios" target="_self">here</a>.

What are Thematic Portfolios?

Thematic Portfolios can be a strong addition to a core investment strategy. Thematic Portfolios have a lot of long-term equity exposure, making them a great way to add diversification to your existing investment plan. 
Thematic Portfolios are at higher risk compared to our General Investing portfolios. This means that they’re certainly not a replacement for a balanced retirement plan and other savings plans, but they do have the potential to complement long-term financial plans. If you’re a starting investor we recommend you take a look at our <a href="https://www.stashaway.my/how-we-invest" target="_self">General Investing portfolio</a>.

How do Thematic Portfolios fit into my financial plan?

Our annual management fee for Thematic Portfolios ranges between 0.2% and 0.8%, average expense ratio charged by ETF fund managers is 0.52%. However, there's no minimum investment amount and no subscription, switching, and rebalancing fees. Learn more about our pricing <a href="https://www.stashaway.my/pricing" target="_self">here</a>.

What are the fees involved in Thematic Portfolios?

Our investment team has narrowed down hundreds of the world's best thematic ETFs by analysing three criteria. How efficiently the fund is managed by evaluating their tracking error versus the target asset class, how cost-efficient the fund is (total expense ratio), and how easy it is to redeem and invest into the fund (liquidity).

How are the thematic ETFs selected?

When you create Thematic Portfolios with StashAway, you choose the StashAway Risk Index (SRI). Based on the risk you select, we’ll maximise your exposure to the themes and add the so-called balancing assets as the remainder. Balancing assets are the non-thematic instruments included in your Thematic Portfolios to ensure your risk levels are under control.

What does ‘balancing assets’ mean?

We selected the themes while looking at the latest thematic investing trends and theme performance in the market. In addition, the demand for these themes also came from our clients - we did user research which showed a clear interest to invest in these topics.

How were these themes selected?

Our approach with Thematic Portfolios ensures maximum exposure to the selected themes while keeping your risk preferences in mind. In addition, the composition of our portfolios is designed to bring extensive diversity to your portfolios. Each Thematic Portfolio is intelligently diversified with ETFs that provide you exposure to multiple sub-themes.

Why should I invest in Thematic Portfolios with StashAway instead of doing it myself?

Conventional sector investing is investing in an industry or sector of the economy, for example, real estate or renewable energy. Thematic investing, in contrast, is investing in one topic, however, across several industries. Let’s take healthcare innovation, for example. Healthcare innovation, as a theme, has been adopted across various industries, such as biotech, genomics, medical devices, and many more. And this industry-wide spread approach, known as thematic investing, gives you a much greater diversification compared to sector investing.

What’s the difference between sector investing and thematic investing?

Responsible Investing is an ESG-optimised (Environmental, Social, and Governance) portfolio. When you invest in this portfolio, you are supporting a broad range of companies that make a positive social and environmental impact on society, and consider factors such as sustainability, diversity, inclusion, transparency, and community as part of their business operations. In other words, it is industry-agnostic. Through this portfolio, you have the option to build your core wealth with ESG aligned principles. 
 
In contrast, Environment and Cleantech focuses on the environment industry specifically. It is a thematic portfolio that invests in innovative low-carbon technologies and sustainable solutions to fight climate change, such as solar energy. The companies in this portfolio have business operations that are directly relevant to clean energy, green growth, clean water, and sustainable waste management. As with our other Thematic Portfolios, Environment and Cleantech provides an option to diversify your investments.

What is the difference between the Responsible Investing Portfolio and the Environment and Cleantech Thematic Portfolio?

We recommend investors take a longer-term mindset with Thematic Portfolios, and consider an investment period of at least 5-7 years. Thematic Portfolios are investments aimed to capitalise on long-term changes, and it takes time for full adoption of structural changes and the winners in each space emerge.

What’s the recommended investment timeline for Thematic Portfolios?

The StashAway Risk Index (SRI) for Thematic Portfolios ranges from 20% to 45%. Learn more about SRI <a href="https://www.stashaway.my/r/which-stashaway-risk-index-should-you-choose" target="_self">here</a>.

What’s the maximum risk I can choose with Thematic Portfolios?

It's really up to you! You can invest in multiple thematic portfolios with different themes and StashAway Risk Indexes.

How many themes can I invest in?

There’s no minimum amount to start investing in Thematic Portfolios.

What’s the minimum amount required to invest in Thematic Portfolios?

We don’t share expected returns or projections because thematic investing is inherently very volatile. In other words, projections based on historical returns for Thematic Portfolios could be misleading. What’s most important is to pick the most suitable SRI for your risk preferences: There will be short-term ups and downs, and riding them out is the key to capturing the large potential returns that can come with thematic investing.

What are the expected returns on Thematic Portfolios?

The composition of Thematic Portfolios can possibly change after some time. Thematic Portfolios, as with all our investment products, are subject to re-optimisation. The basis of our investment strategy is to build portfolios with particular asset allocations that are optimal for four different economic cycles. When our investment team identifies and signals a change in the economic cycle, our technology automatically re-optimises all portfolios' asset allocations. Re-optimisation is applied to keep your risk profile constant while maximising long-term returns. You can learn more about it <a href="https://www.stashaway.my/faq/360010099173-what-is-re-optimisation" target="_self">here</a>.

Will the composition and asset allocation of Thematic Portfolios always stay as it is right now?

No. The composition of our Thematic Portfolios are conventional ETFs, so currently this investment product is not shariah-compliant.

Are our Thematic Portfolios shariah-compliant?

You’re not able to access Thematic Portfolios either because you haven’t updated your app, or because you are a client with <a href="https://www.stashaway.my/faq/900000198566-what-is-domestic-ringgit-borrowing-drb" target="_self" rel="undefined">Domestic Ringgit Borrowing</a>. The composition of our current Thematic Portfolios doesn’t meet Bank Negara's <a href="https://www.bnm.gov.my/fep">Foreign Exchange Administration</a> requirements for customers with domestic ringgit borrowing. Therefore, we highly encourage you to explore our <a href="https://www.stashaway.my/how-we-invest">other investment products</a>. Reach out to our <a href="https://www.stashaway.my/contact" target="_self" rel="undefined">Client Experience </a>team if you have any more questions.

Why can't I access Thematic Portfolios in my StashAway account?

Thematic Portfolios

Responsible Investing is a more socially or ethically responsible form of investing that filters for companies and funds with high ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) scores. It takes ESG factors into account and invests in companies deemed to have positive social impact relating to sustainability, diversity, representation, corporate governance, and community. It also means reducing exposure from companies whose business operations have a negative social impact such as the sale of weapons, or may profit from unsustainable environmental practices such as the use of coal or fossil fuels. 
 
Since Responsible Investing is an ESG-focused adaptation of our classic General Investing Portfolios, it is optimised for both performance and ESG. In other words, it provides an option to build your core wealth with ESG aligned principles, making it ideal for long-term financial goals such as saving for retirement.

What is Responsible Investing?

You’re not able to access the Responsible Investing Portfolios either because you haven’t updated your app, or because you are a client with <a href="https://www.stashaway.my/faq/900000198566-what-is-domestic-ringgit-borrowing-drb">Domestic Ringgit Borrowing</a>. The composition of our current Responsible Investing Portfolios doesn’t meet Bank Negara's <a href="https://www.bnm.gov.my/fep">Foreign Exchange Administration</a> requirements for customers with domestic ringgit borrowing. Therefore, we highly encourage you to explore our <a href="https://www.stashaway.my/how-we-invest">other investment products</a>. Reach out to our <a href="https://www.stashaway.my/contact">Client Experience </a>team if you have any more questions.

Why can't I access Responsible Investing Portfolios in my StashAway account?

Questions about our ESG-focused General Investing portfolios

Responsible Investing (ESG)

StashAway Simple™’s projected returns are driven by the rate of returns of its underlying investments, net of all expenses, and rebates.
 
The math on the projected rate of returns is quite straightforward: StashAway Simple™ projected returns are the sum of the amortised yield from the underlying fund, minus fees charged by the underlying fund managers, plus any rebates. AmFunds Management rebates StashAway, and we distribute this full rebate to you when we receive it on a quarterly basis. 
 
We will update the projected rate should the stated projected rate change. In the case that the underlying fund's projected return changes, we may decide to rebate you an additional amount in order to deliver the stated projected rate (in 3 decimals) at the time.
 
The Total Expense Ratio (TER) for each fund includes the Management Fee charged by the Fund Manager, as well as other expenses incurred by the Fund (e.g., custody, marketing, compliance, shareholder services); as the TER includes fixed costs, it may slightly vary depending on the size of the funds.
 
This is an investment, and so the returns are not guaranteed. However, it is ultra low risk.

How is StashAway Simple™ Projected Rate Calculated?

Simple’s actual annualized returns take into account the performance of the underlying fund, the fees charged by the fund manager, and any rebates from StashAway or the fund manager that are paid out after the end of each quarter. Here are Simple's quarterly annualized returns for the last four quarters, with returns reinvested.
<img src="https://stashaway.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/11871654131993" alt="MY_Simple_3.png">
 
Past performance is not a guarantee for future returns. Last updated on 20 October 2022.

What are StashAway Simple’s past returns?

Questions about our cash management portfolio

StashAway Simple™

With Flexible Portfolios, you get the freedom to customise portfolios the way you want. You can choose which asset classes to include and adjust their allocations according to your preferences. You’ll also be able to create a portfolio from scratch or start with one of our template portfolios.

What are Flexible Portfolios?

We manage your portfolio by maintaining your asset allocations according to the proportions you set, including when market conditions change. We’ll also notify you if there are any major changes to your Flexible Portfolio’s Risk Level.

How does StashAway manage my Flexible Portfolio?

Our annual management fee for Flexible Portfolios ranges between 0.2% and 0.8%. There's no minimum investment amount and no subscription fees, switching fees, nor rebalancing fees. Learn more about <a href="https://www.stashaway.com/pricing">our pricing</a>.
 
You can also get free investing until 30 June 2023 on any fresh funds deposited into Flexible Portfolios with our <a href="https://www.stashaway.my/help-center/6430514813849-what-are-the-terms-and-conditions-of-the-launch-promotion-for-flexible-portfolios" target="_self">launch promotion</a>.

What are the fees involved in creating a Flexible Portfolio?

If you’re a client with <a href="https://www.stashaway.my/faq/900000198566-what-is-domestic-ringgit-borrowing-drb">Domestic Ringgit Borrowing</a>, you unfortunately won’t be able to access Flexible Portfolios. That’s because our Flexible Portfolios don't meet Bank Negara's <a href="https://www.bnm.gov.my/fep">Foreign Exchange Policy</a> requirements for customers with domestic ringgit borrowing. We encourage you to explore our <a href="https://www.stashaway.my/how-we-invest">other investment products</a>, and to reach out to our <a href="https://www.stashaway.my/contact">Client Experience </a>team if you have any other questions.

Why can’t I access Flexible Portfolios in my StashAway account?

Here are the gross returns for the benchmarks of different Risk Levels, assuming that distributions are reinvested. 
<img src="https://stashaway.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/8970088592921/202207-FAQs-Table-Flexible-Portfolios.jpg" alt="202207-FAQs-Table-Flexible-Portfolios.jpg" width="472" height="330">
 
The corresponding risk benchmarks are proxies for the MSCI World Equity Index (for equities) and FTSE World Government Bond Index (for bonds). Past performance is not a guarantee for future returns. Do note that gross returns are not inclusive of fees. All returns are in MYR terms. Last updated on 19 July 2022.

What are the benchmark returns for the various Risk Levels of Flexible Portfolios?

Questions about customizing your own portfolios

Flexible Portfolios

<span data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"There are no fees associated with opening or closing an account."}' data-sheets-userformat='{"2":573,"3":{"1":0},"5":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"6":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"7":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"12":0}'>There are absolutely no fees associated with opening or closing a StashAway account.

What does it cost to open and close a StashAway account?

Fees

All dividends of US-listed securities (regardless of whether the assets were bought through StashAway, or via your own broker) are subject to a 30% dividend withholding tax and the QII (Qualified Interest Income) rule. The latter rule applies to US-domiciled funds, especially US government bonds, of which some of the dividend withholding taxes can be claimed back.  
The WHT is held at source and the rest of the dividends are redistributed back to your portfolio(s) and reinvested automatically. Additionally, these taxes are held at source and would have already been deducted from the dividend payments shown on your 'Transactions' tab. Under the QII (Qualified Interest Income) rule, some of the dividend WHT from US domiciled funds (e.g. US government bonds) can be claimed back. Our broker will do this on your behalf and there is no involvement on the customer's part. We will do this once a year, and will notify you via email if you have any claimable WHT, which would be redistributed to your portfolio and automatically reinvested. For further illustration, you may like to view <a href="https://www.ishares.com/us/literature/tax-information/qualified-interest-income-qii-percentages-2020.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">this year's iShares report on QII ETFs</a>. Some examples of QII <a href="https://www.stashaway.sg/r/stashaways-etf-selection" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ETFs that StashAway invests</a> in are 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) and 10-20 Year Treasury Bond (TLH). Our investment team has given serious consideration to the 30% WHT and have considered other exchanges that have lower or no withholding tax. However, at the end of the day, we have decided to stay with US-listed securities despite the tax implications due to its deep liquidity, reputable fund management and most importantly, the lower tracking error. If you're interested to see a comparison between US-listed securities and foreign securities, <a href="https://www.stashaway.sg/r/etf-taxes-returns-and-tracking-errors" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a> is an article that presents its case.  
 
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/336719605" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>

Do my dividends get taxed?

For non-US tax residents, a 30% withholding tax (subject to QII rule) is applied on all dividends earned. 
 
Capital gains are taxed according to tax regulations of the country of your tax residency. We recommend that you consult a tax advisor for tax-related questions.

How do the securities in my portfolio get taxed?

Questions relating to capital gains and dividend taxes on your portfolios

Taxes

The categories and suggestions below, many of which may apply to your home as well as your office, are some suggestions which you can and should adopt to ensure a secure online experience: Protect your computer
<ul>
<li>Install anti-virus software and the latest security patch on the computer you use to access StashAway</li>
<li>Set it so that it performs automatic updates</li>
<li>Remove file and printer sharing, especially when connected to the internet</li>
<li>Consider the use of encryption technology and perform regular backups to protect critical data</li>
<li>Only allow trusted USB drives into your computer</li>
<li>Get in the habit of locking your account whenever you step away from your computer</li>
<li>Only use trusted devices and access trusted websites</li>
<li>Do not install or run programs that are not from trusted websites</li>
<li>Delete junk/chain emails</li>
<li>Do not access sensitive online sites or perform financial transactions over the public internet</li>
<li>Clear browser cache after each online session</li>
<li>Log off after each online session</li>
</ul>
 
Protect your mobile device
<ul>
<li>Always update your device to the latest available OS version; these patches normally carry security and bug fixes that will help secure your device and the information stored on it</li>
<li>Do not attempt to ‘jailbreak’ or ‘root’ your device</li>
<li>Keep your laptop, your mobile phone, and other portable devices that contain sensitive information with you at all times</li>
</ul>
 
Protect your network
<ul>
<li>Set a strong password for your WiFi network </li>
<li>Do not allow anyone to connect to your network without permission</li>
</ul>
You can also learn more about protecting your data and finances from our article <a href="https://www.stashaway.my/r/how-to-protect-your-personal-data-and-finances" target="_self" rel="undefined">here</a>

How should I protect my Devices and Computer Systems?

Your money is kept entirely unmingled with StashAway's finances, and your assets will always be held in large institutions. Your cash deposits will be held by our Trustees, Pacific Trustees, in their account at Citibank Berhad.
 
Citibank Berhad will then convert your RM into USD onshore, and transfer it to our broker (Saxo Capital Markets Pte Ltd), which purchases the ETFs on your behalf. Therefore, your investable cash and securities are held in a custodian account at Saxo. Pacific Trustees is a SC-licensed trustee that provides custodial services to StashAway Malaysia.
 
Your cash deposits are held with Pacific Trustees's Citibank Berhad account. Pacific Trustees has opened this account specifically to keep safe the assets of StashAway Malaysia's customers. Similarly, the account with our broker Saxo is also opened by Pacific Trustees. This provides additional security for customers and protects customers from the unlikely event that StashAway Malaysia goes bankrupt, as customers' funds are unmingled with StashAway Malaysia's.
 
We are regulated by the Securities Commission Malaysia. StashAway is the first robo-advisor in Malaysia to be awarded the Capital Markets License by the Securities Commission under the Digital Investment License Framework. You can find our license <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://easy.seccom.com.my:8222/entityprofile/1ca93ae1-4c0e-4c55-90e0-1850600e54f6" target="_self" rel="undefined">here</a>.

Where is my money kept?

Security

With our launch promotion, you’ll get free investing until 31 July 2023 on any funds deposited into General Investing powered by BlackRock®. Here are the terms and conditions for the promotion:
- There is no voucher code to be applied for this promotion. - The management fee waiver is valid until 31 July 2023 on any new deposits made into the StashAway app and invested into General Investing powered by BlackRock. - New deposits do not include inter-goal transfers within the app or funds withdrawn from the app and redeposited. - StashAway reserves the right to make changes to the promotion.
 
BlackRock® is a registered trademark of BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates (“BlackRock”) is used under license.  BlackRock is not affiliated with StashAway and therefore makes no representations or warranties regarding the advisability of investing in any product or service offered by StashAway. BlackRock has no obligation or liability in connection with the operation, marketing, trading or sale of such product or service nor does BlackRock have any obligation or liability to any client or customer of StashAway.
For StashAway General Investing portfolios that are powered by BlackRock, BlackRock provides StashAway with non-binding asset allocation guidance. StashAway manages and provides these portfolios to you, meaning BlackRock does not provide any service or product to you, nor has BlackRock considered the suitability of its asset allocations against your individual needs, objectives, and risk tolerance. As such, the asset allocations that BlackRock provides do not constitute investment advice, or an offer to sell or buy any securities.

What are the terms and conditions for the General Investing powered by BlackRock® launch promotion?

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