Merdeka 2025: Financial Freedom as Our Next Chapter

In this Merdeka month, let’s make Financial Freedom our next step to a stronger nation.

As Malaysians come together to celebrate Merdeka Day 2025, we honour the courage, resilience, and sacrifices that gave us independence 68 years ago.

Today, while we enjoy the fruits of political freedom, many Malaysians are still struggling with another kind of independence: financial freedom.

The New Struggle: Financial Independence

The challenges Malaysians face today are not about colonial rulers, but financial burdens. Our “chains” are different whether it’s mortgages, car loans, credit card debt, medical bills, and the rising cost of living.

According to the Finance Ministry, household debt-to-GDP increased to around 84.2 % in 2024. While debt itself is not always negative, excessive commitments weigh heavily on households and limit financial flexibility.

Many families also face: 

• Debt dependency — where monthly commitments consume most of their income, leaving little savings for emergencies and other goals.

• Financial uncertainty — where rising costs of living, education, and healthcare dampen Malaysian household spirit.

• Misinformation and scams — where many fall prey to unlicensed advice and “get-rich-quick” scams.

  
  

True Merdeka in the modern age means the ability to make informed, confident financial decisions that protect our loved ones and secure our future.

Building Your Personal Financial Merdeka

Financial freedom doesn’t happen overnight. It requires discipline, foresight, and a trusted framework. Like the journey to independence, it starts with small but determined steps:

1. Know Your Resources – Start with clarity. Track your income, expenses, savings, and commitments. Just as a nation must account for its resources, you too must understand where your money comes from and where it goes. Likewise, you need clear financial goals. For examples:  

• Short-term goals: build a 6-month emergency fund, pay off credit card debt.

• Medium-term goals: buy a home, fund children’s education.

• Long-term goals: retire at 60 with dignity, leave behind a legacy

2. Plan with Purpose – Merdeka was driven by a vision of a better tomorrow. Similarly, align your financial strategies with long-term goals. Align your financial strategies such as retiring comfortably, funding your children’s education, or leaving behind a meaningful legacy.

3. Guard Against Risks – Independence came with challenges and uncertainties. Protect your wealth with the right wealth protection mechanism and emergency funds. These safeguards are your personal defence system, ensuring setbacks don’t derail your journey.

4. Seek Licensed Guidance – Just as independence required wise leadership, financial freedom benefits from licensed financial planners who can provide unbiased, holistic advice.

In Malaysia, you can seek: 

• Licensed Financial Planners registered with the Securities Commission.

• Financial Advisers Representative under Bank Negara’s approval list.

  
  

Be wary of self-proclaimed “gurus” who promise quick riches. Licensed planners focus on your holistic financial health, not commissions.

5. Cultivate Discipline & Mindset – Above all, financial Merdeka requires a mindset shift. Live within your means, avoid lifestyle inflation, and practice delayed gratification. Independence is not just about what you earn, but how wisely you manage it.

A Shared National Aspiration

As Malaysians, we often speak of “Merdeka spirit”, the belief that with unity, perseverance, and wise choices, we can overcome any obstacle. That same spirit can guide us in achieving financial being. Imagine a Malaysia where:

• Employees are empowered with financial literacy,

• Entrepreneurs grow sustainably without mixing personal and business funds,

• Individuals plan not just for today, but for generations ahead.

This is the next chapter of our national independence story where financial wellness becomes part of the Malaysian identity.

Celebrate with Vision

This Merdeka, as we wave our flags and remember our history, let us also look forward. Let us commit to not just being free as a nation, but also financially free as individuals. Because true Merdeka means having the confidence to say:

I am in control of my financial future.

Selamat Hari Merdeka 2025 🇲🇾

About The Author

Carol is a Registered Financial Planner (RFP) under the Malaysian Financial Planning Council (MFPC). She also holds a Capital Market Services Representative License (CMSRL) and Financial Adviser Representative License (FAR) from Securities of Commission (SC) & Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).

Carol joined the financial industry back in 1998, starting with providing singular solutions in life insurance products.

Since Carol resolutely decided in taking a holistic, personalized approach to bring all the pieces of her clients’ financial life together, she is now a Licensed Financial Planner with Wealth Vantage Advisory (WVA).