SWRC is proud to announce that Employees Provident Fund (EPF) — the largest institutional fund in Malaysia, with over RM730 billion total investment assets — is launching Belanjawanku on March 1, 2019. The financial planning guide for individuals and families is timely and important to help decision makers plan for their future so that they will be financially sound and secure.

Belanjawanku is a reference budget for Malaysians, comprising baskets or collection of goods and services that are considered necessary to achieve an acceptable standard of living.

 Reference budgets are usually estimated for many different individual and family situations. Aside from spending on just basic necessities, a reference budget also includes items that allow individuals or families to lead a dignified life with active involvement in society.

It is the minimum expenditure required to not just survive, but to thrive in society.

Since a reference budget is a useful tool on many levels, University of Malaya’s Social Wellbeing Research Centre (SWRC) has started a research programme aimed at compiling a “Reference Budget for Malaysians”, aptly named Belanjawanku.