[Personal Update]: 8 Months in – Wahed Invest Vs Stashaway – RM 10,000 Portfolio
This article is an 8-month update of my journey investing in two Robo-Advisors: StashAway and Wahed Invest. Everyone’s result will be different.
In my first review, I deposited RM 1,000 into each of my StashAway & Wahed Invest accounts and made some solid returns. This time around, I increased my portfolio value to RM 10,000 each to see if they still perform.
But before we continue, I previously made a mistake and need to address them:
Correction From Previous Post
Thanks to my viewers who commented on my YouTube video, several corrections need to be addressed before we move on:
- Robo-Advisors invests in ETFs.
- The most aggressive portfolio on Wahed is ‘very Aggressive’, my portfolio was the second most aggressive.
New Summary of Wahed Invest Vs StashAway
- I incrementally deposited up to RM 10,000 into each of my StashAway & Wahed Invest account.
- I withdrew some money from both StashAway & Wahed Invest to prove that you can withdraw your money from your own accounts.
| Description | StashAway | Wahed |
| Shariah Compliant? | No | Yes |
| Net Deposits | ~RM 10,000 | ~RM 10,000 |
| Portfolio | 2nd aggressive | 2nd aggressive |
| Actual Average Earnings | -RM 100 (1%) | RM 497 (5%) |
| Spread of Money | Spread all over the world, except Malaysia | US & Malaysia |
| Easy to Withdraw? | Quick & painless | Quick & painless |
I don’t look at the percentage gains displayed on the apps because are misleading. My calculation is simple, if I deposit RM 10,000 and I made RM 500 in profit, I assume my profit is 5%.
Overall, the pros of Robo-Advisors overcome the cons, and I will continue investing with them in the future.
Who I Think Robo-Advisors Are Perfect For:
- People who are new to investing & don’t want to spend time researching.
- People who want to keep things on autopilot and simple.
- People who can check on their investment anytime via a simple to understand the app.
- People who are not interested to read financial reports, charts, and financial reports.
- People who want the ability to withdraw their earnings at a simple push of a button, without having to call an agent or take a day off from work to queue up at the bank.
Who I Think Robo-Advisors Are NOT For:
People who enjoy the process of researching and picking out their investments.
StashAway Results (Personal)
I had the 2nd riskiest portfolio on StashAway. Here is what I did to my portfolio & how it performed after 8 months:
- I deposited RM 10,000 in increments starting in July.
- After July, my returns were always negative, hovering around -RM 100.
- In Oct, my portfolio plummeted to its lowest point, where I lost a staggering RM 500. or 5% of my portfolio’s value.
- Eight months since I invested with StashAway, I decided that StashAway was not for me. I withdrew all my money as soon as my returns returned positive (it was +RM 120 at the time).
When I requested to withdraw all the money, StashAway transferred all my balance to my bank account and automatically closed my portfolio. I could no longer access any historical chart after my account is closed 🙁
Here’s a snapshot from my previous article (back when I only had RM 1000 in my portfolio). I would imagine the spread would not be too far off from when I started:
- Most of the money (44%) in my StashAway portfolio is spread all over the world, mainly in North Americas & European equities.
- 35% of the money is invested in gold.
Wahed Invest Results (Personal)
I had the 2nd most aggressive portfolio on Wahed Invest.
After I deposited RM 10,000 in July, my portfolio returns were pretty steady. Around December, I profited RM 497 or ~5% from the original amount I’ve invested.
Wahed Invest seems to be performing predictably. Between StashAway & Wahed Invest, I choose Wahed Invest moving forward.
Wahed Invest’s Advisor Fees are also ridiculously cheap at around 0.05% of my portfolio value:
Here’s the breakdown of my Wahed Invest portfolio:
- US Stocks: 45%
- Sukuk: 25%
- Malaysian Stocks: 17%
- Gold: 10%
- Cash: 3%
Withdrawing Profits From Wahed Invest
I had a lovely anniversary dinner with my fiance and decided to withdraw a bit of my Wahed Invest’s profit to pay off the dinner:
What Would I do Next?
- I will continue to put more money in Wahed Invest every month.
- I have not entirely given up on StashAway and would want to give it another go in the future, but I’ll use a smaller amount this time.
Sign Up For Wahed Invest or StashAway:
I would like to point out that this is my experience, and yours could be different.
For example, some of my friends who invest in both just like me are profiting better on their StashAway rather than Wahed Invest. TIMING MATTERS.
To sign up for either Wahed Invest or StashAway, click on the links below and get rewarded!
WAHED INVEST: Use my link & insert my code: MOHHAS198 to get a bonus $2.5 into your account.
STASHAWAY: Sign up with my link and you’ll get up to RM 30,000 managed for free for 6 months:
![[Airbnb Business]: How to Analyze Your Competitors Before Starting](https://helmihasan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/analyze-your-airbnb-competitors-1-768x512.jpg)
![[Save on Coffee]: Should You Buy an Espresso Machine or a French Press?](https://helmihasan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Blog-1-768x512.png)
Good platform for those that want to invest but dont know any about investment.
Plan want to invest in Wahed just for moderate plan since im also trading in klse by myself.
Yup, great transparency for newbie to see whats up
Thank you for sharing your experience, it provides a lot of insights on Robo-Advisors.
I would like to know whether can I use Wahed Invest if I’m a non-Muslim and non-Bumiputera? Is is legal for me to start invest in Wahed Invest? Will I experience any limitations if I start invest in it?
Hi Leon,
Wahed invest is free to use for all. There are absolutely not barriers for who can use it. You don’t have to be a Muslim to use Wahed Invest. It only invests your money into things that are shariah compliant. Have a go with both and see which one works better for you. Happy investing!
In light of the recent announcement, I withdrew my investment from Stashaway too! Now thinking of investing in Wahed, your articles really helps! Thanks a bunch
Thanks for the support Nadia!
Hi Nadia. What announcements are those?
Thanks Mr Helmi!
Assalamualaikum,
Saya masih baru dalam wahed invest. hari pertama profit 4%. hari kedua negative 0.08%. betul ke bila drop, kita perlu pump in more money jadi bila positif semula, duit kita lebih banyak. atau salah konsep ni?
Bagi saya, ni mentality untuk speculator. Robo-advisor adalah untuk orang yang nak invest medium to long term dan tak nak kisah sangat market naik turun setiap hari.
Invest sekarp mungkin (contoh setiap bulan) dan lihat pulangan long term (lebih setahun). Kalau puas hati teruskan, kalau tidak, boleh consider benda lain.
Ini pendapat saya. Setengah orang suka speculate kena buat itu ini, kalau market macam ni, kena buat itu, bagi saya, orang yang berfikiran macam tu lagi sesuai beli saham sendiri.
Great articles! I just sign up on Wahed, forgot to use your referral code .
In portfolio allocation, i understand Wahed distribute our capital in few platform, but what it mean by Cash?
Depending on your portfolio risk, cash means they will keep a bit of your money in cash. You can think of it as putting it into a bank’s savings account. Low risk, low returns.
Hello, I see that earning in wahed is always changing everyday. Sometimes it is very good but tomorrow it will change.
I’m thinking about this, for example I put 1k, should I withdraw the earning everytime I got and put in separate bank account? Can I maximise my profit that way instead of withdraw the earning let say at the end of the year which I still don’t know the value yet?
I don’t think I am qualified to give you financial advice. You can do what you suggest and see how your returns are after a few years. If you’re happy, keep going, if not, try something else.