Since launching her anonymous account, @mymoneycanvas has been sharing her personal finance journey with a mix of honesty and practicality; tracking expenses, experimenting with side hustles, testing out investing strategies, and reflecting on the lessons learned along the way. It started out as a private outlet to talk about money and has evolved into a space where she documents both wins and struggles, showing that building wealth is as much about resilience as it is about spreadsheets.
In this interview, we explore her money management style, how “F-you money” gave her the courage to leave a toxic job, the systems she uses today to stay on track, and her ambitious plan to grow her net worth from RM100K+ to RM300K by 30.
Start Investing in the S&P 500 the Easy Way as a Malaysian
- Rakuten Trade – Buy US ETFs like VOO on a local platform and earn 1 RT Point for every RM1 in brokerage fees. Start investing here.
- Wahed – Get Shariah-compliant global investing with S&P 500-style exposure and receive an RM10 bonus when you deposit RM300 with my referral code “PAAEMI1”. Start investing now.
- Moomoo Malaysia – Invest in US ETFs using a beginner-friendly app and enjoy chances to win Tesla shares, Apple stock rewards, plus up to 5% p.a. on idle cash. Sign up & get rewards.
- StashAway – Invest hands-free with S&P 500 ETF exposure and get up to RM30,000 managed for free for 6 months. Start investing today.
- Wise – Fund your US investments at real exchange rates with zero fees on transfers up to £500. Create a free Wise account.
Q1: Let’s start with you! Tell us a bit about yourself: who you are, what you do, and what inspired you to create @mymoneycanvas.
I prefer to stay anonymous, so I won’t be sharing too much about myself.
I’ve always been interested in investing and personal finance, and I happened to stumbled across a finsta account randomly on IG, and it kind of inspired me to start sharing and documenting my own journey, since money is not an easy topic to bring up in real life so having an anonymous account to share feels like a nice outlet.
My account name @mymoneycanvas comes from the idea that life is a canvas and I’m the painter.
Sometimes the painting turns out great, sometimes it’s messed up but it’s mine to decide.
Q2: What sparked your interest in personal finance? You’ve tracked your expenses for 7 years! Was there a specific moment that made you take money seriously? Did you ever feel like giving up, and what helped you stay consistent?
It probably started back in primary school, where I was taught how to manage my pocket money and given the independence to keep my ang pow money, I’ll save up for things I wanted. That’s where I started building good money habits.
I have always taken money seriously. The thought of giving up honestly never crossed my mind, like seriously waking up dreadfully every morning to go to work is enough of a daily reminder.
Even though I enjoy my work sometimes, trading my time to build someone else’s dream just isn’t for me.
Having a strong desire for time and financial freedom helped me stay consistent. It’s one of those things that is non-negotiable in my life. Like Warren Buffet once said “If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die”, so for me all my money has to be either invested somewhere or on myself.
The end goal is to have choices and be work optional in life. I personally think that it’s miserable if I have to work for a company or someone else until 60 or even 65.
Q3: You’ve freelanced, run a small business, and returned to full-time work. What inspired you to try freelancing and entrepreneurship in the first place? What were some of the biggest money or mindset lessons you picked up from juggling all these roles?
Freelancing is just something that I picked up along the way because I wanted extra income and didn’t want to rely fully on my full time job.
I grew up surrounded by people who ran their own businesses, so the idea of working for myself was always in the back of my mind. And seeing my boss buy new houses and cars also made me question: Why am I spending my time building someone else’s dream?
Biggest lesson: Learn how to delegate and outsource to free up my time for more important things. Time and energy is limited and I really need to be intentional with how I spend them, I can’t do everything alone. Paying for convenience and peace of mind wasn’t something I’m used to but along the way I realised it’s necessary.
Be “thick skinned”, pitch your ideas, promote your brand, negotiate. To my surprise, it’s easy for me to do all these because the harder I work the more I earn, the best feeling ever.
Testing out ideas and learning to trust my own decision. And most importantly it’s fun! The feedback and reward cycle is so much faster than my full time job, I love the adrenaline rush, the potential and possibilities are endless.
Q4: You mentioned leaving a toxic job thanks to your savings. Can you walk us through what happened, and how having “F-you money” gave you the confidence to leave? What does your emergency fund strategy look like today?
I won’t share too much, but basically the company has all the red flags, from bad management, office politics to unprofessional colleagues, the list goes on.
I had already been saving to quit, by the time my net worth was close to 100k and freelance jobs were picking up, I ran the numbers and decided it’s time to “F-the company”, it’s not worth staying any longer.
My strategy for an emergency fund is simple: I keep about 1-1.5 years of expenses in a money market fund, easy to access and gives me around 4% annually.
Q5: What does your money system look like today? How do you track your income, expenses, and net worth? Any tools or routines that help keep you on track?
I use Google sheets to track everything now.
Most of the apps I used last time were discontinued by the developers and I had to keep switching in and out which caused a huge mess in my data, I got really tired and started using Google sheets.
It’s been working well for me for the past few years, takes a bit of manual setup but the peace of mind is worth it.
For investment, I’m still exploring between a few apps and tools like Google finance.
I usually record my expenses during “in-between” time, like waiting for the lift or waiting for food. I review my finances and net worth quarterly or whenever I feel like it, no super strict routine.
Q6: You started with robo-advisors and now pick stocks! How did you build confidence as an investor? Any wins or early mistakes that shaped your approach?
I took it step by step.
I researched a lot and made a list of investments to try ranked by risk.
Once I am comfortable, I’ll move up.
I started with FDs, individual stocks and slowly moved up to options, adjusting my risk appetite along the way.
One of my early mistakes was falling for an investment scam.
Back then, resources for Malaysians were limited, we don’t really have an affordable and regulated platform like now, where everyone can invest easily. I became very risk averse after that and decided to learn properly.
So I started reading books and took courses on Coursera and a few other educational websites, which gave me a structured foundation on general knowledge like risk management, financial planning, money personalities, insurance, etc.
I also learned how to track net worth through one of the teaching materials. Best part, it’s free! I never have to pay for any guru’s class.
Some beginner-friendly courses I recommend:
Financial Planning for Young Adults:
https://www.coursera.org/learn/financial-planning/home/module/1
Introduction to Personal Finance:
https://www.coursera.org/learn/personal-finance-introduction/home/module/1
Fundamentals of Investing:
https://www.coursera.org/learn/investing-fundamentals/home/module/1
I was also lucky that when I started, IBKR was easy to access and there’s no inactivity fees. During COVID, I managed to grab some stocks at a huge discount, though it was quite scary that time.
Also, I highly recommend @ZietInvest on Youtube, his videos really helped me kickstart my US stock journey.
Q7: You’ve explored multiple income streams like option trading and selling stock photos. How did you get into these? Which ones are showing the most promise? And how do you decide where to focus your time and energy?
Right now, I mainly focus on my business, so I don’t really focus much on these.
I first got into option trading after silently following @themoneyloaf on Instagram for about 2 years. The concept was really interesting to me, so I signed up for a paid course, but to be frank I honestly never had the time to properly digest and practise it.
As for stock photos, it just felt like too much upfront effort. You have to take and edit tons of photos, the acceptance rate isn’t that high, and platforms take a big cut from sales. You really need a huge library to see decent income, so I eventually stopped.
I think both of these income streams require active effort to maintain.
With business, though, once you create a product that works, you can just keep selling it.
It feels more like a one-time effort with long term returns, and I also feel I have more control over the outcome compared to the passive nature of some of these income streams, which is why I prefer to put my energy into building it.
That said, to each their own, I really still want to master option trading in the future when I have a big enough capital, it’s a highly valuable and high income skill.
Q8: What’s one money decision you’re really proud of and one you’d approach differently today?
I’m really proud that I started investing no matter how small the amount was.
I used to save every single cent away coming from a scarcity mindset but now I allow myself to spend on things that make me happy.
Inflation is gonna increase the price anyway, so I might as well enjoy it now but with moderation.
Q9: You’re aiming for RM300k net worth by 30, which is a big goal to set! What’s your plan to get there from RM100k+ today? How are you balancing saving, earning, and investing?
I plan to grow active income and savings mainly through my business and my day job salary as the stable backbone that pays the bill.
I also invested heavily in tech stocks and S&P500, because I believe technology is where growth and advancement come from. I also hold some Malaysian dividend stocks for steady income, and a bit of crypto just for the hype (#not financial advice).
I follow value-based spending inspired by Ramit Sethi. I spend on what I really care about and cut back in areas I don’t, prioritizing what I truly value.
Q10: Lastly, what advice would you give to other young Malaysians who are just starting their financial journey, especially those without a family safety net?
1. Build your own safety net, save up emergency funds first before investing.
2. Take calculated risk while you’re young.
3. Work hard but also work smart. If your company is toxic, leave ASAP, loyalty is overrated.
4. Be frugal but don’t neglect yourself.
Final Thoughts
A huge thank you to @mymoneycanvas for sharing her journey with such openness and clarity. Her story shows that building wealth isn’t just about numbers on a spreadsheet; it’s about courage, intentional choices, and creating systems that work for you.
Here are three takeaways we loved from this interview:
- Your money is your safety net. Save enough to walk away from situations that don’t serve you.
- Simple systems work best. Consistency with a Google Sheet can go further than fancy apps.
- Balance matters. Invest, save, but also spend on things that bring you joy.
You can follow her journey on Instagram @mymoneycanvas for more insights, reflections, and practical money tips from a fellow Malaysian navigating her path to financial independence.
