Need For Speed: The Time Value Of Money [Infographic]

Written by Iris Lee Illustration by Michelle Leong

This article is sponsored by Securities Commission Malaysia, under its InvestSmart initiative.

The most fundamental key to investment is to know that your money has a “time value.” Simply put, a Ringgit you receive today can be invested and grown to more than a Ringgit after some time. Understanding the time value of money will bring you far in your investment journey.

The infographic below highlights the importance of time value of your money, and how it will benefit you in the long run.

Everyone has different financial goals that are expected to be fulfilled at different stages of their lives. More often than not, we have more than one goal. Therefore, it is important for us to identify these goals, the timeline and how to achieve them.

For a short-term objective like saving up for your housing down payment, first you need to know what your goal is. Are you planning to buy a property that costs RM500,000? This means you will need to save up at least RM50,000 in cash. Next, you need to decide on your timeline. How much time will you give yourself to save up that amount?

Know Your Timeline

Knowing your timeline will also help you in deciding the best investment vehicle to put your funds into. For a short-term goal like this, a five-year period should be sufficient.

Investment is also closely related to risks. Knowing your risk appetite will help you allocate your assets wisely. The longer your time horizon is, the bigger the risk you can afford to take. Having a low risk tolerance doesn’t mean you stay away from higher risk investments like stocks. It just means that you allocate lesser assets in high risk investments.

With time on your side, you can use the power of compound interest as leverage. The longer your money is left to be compounded to the rate of return of a particular investment or fund, the faster your fund will grow.

Knowing the difference between purely saving your money (stashing it in a savings or fixed deposit account) and investing your money (in higher yield investments), will get you closer to realising your financial goals.

Dreaming of fulfiling your financial goals? Here is why it’s crucial for young investors to get started as soon as possible. 

© Securities Commission Malaysia (SC). Considerable care has been taken to ensure that the information contained here is accurate at the date of publication. However no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made to its accuracy or completeness. The SC therefore accepts no liability for any loss arising, whether direct or indirect, caused by the use of any part of the information provided. The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be regarded as an offer or a solicitation of an offer for investment or used as a substitute for legal or other professional advice. For enquiries regarding sharing, republishing or redistributing this content please write to: admin@investsmartsc.my.