ASB Plus: A Smart Way to Diversify
Many of us are comfortable with low-risk investments like ASB and ASB 2 because they’re stable, easy to understand, and most importantly, they deliver consistent and competitive annual returns.
However, even with the peace of mind that comes from low-risk investments, it’s natural to feel tempted to explore moderate- or higher-risk instruments that offer the potential for greater returns.
If you’re thinking about diversifying your investment portfolio but still want to protect your capital from major losses, ASB Plus can be an excellent way to start learning and gaining hands-on experience.
With ASB Plus, you get exposure to both low-risk and moderate-risk assets in a single package. Specifically, 70% of your investment is allocated to Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB), a fixed price fund, while 30% goes into ASN Imbang 2, a variable price fund.
What makes ASB Plus even more attractive is the additional 1% dividend on the ASB portion of your investment. This extra return acts as a cushion, helping to reduce the overall risk of loss.
By investing in ASB Plus, you’re essentially applying a smart diversification strategy, by spreading your risk across two different asset classes while maintaining stability and growth potential.
Without needing to worry about balancing multiple products yourself, ASB Plus offers both stability and potential growth. The ASB component provides steady income with the bonus dividend, while ASN Imbang 2 gives you a chance to benefit from capital appreciation, especially when market conditions improve.
ASN Imbang 2 is considered a higher-risk investment because its unit price fluctuates daily based on the Net Asset Value (NAV). However, if the selling price exceeds your buying price, you stand to gain capital profits. Therefore, it’s important to monitor unit prices before investing to maximize your chances of making gains when you sell.
Although many new investors hesitate to invest in variable-price funds due to market volatility, ASN Imbang 2 can actually deliver more competitive long-term returns if you stay invested.
As a balanced fund, ASN Imbang 2 is managed by Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) and invests across a mix of asset classes such as equities, bonds, and cash to balance risk and return.
ASB Plus includes a 12 months holding period, which encourages you to stay invested long enough to enjoy the optimal returns. While some may view this as a restriction, it’s actually designed to help you develop emotional discipline, which is a vital skill for any investor.
Emotional control is especially important when dealing with medium- to high-risk investments. Many investors have made losses simply because they let fear or greed dictate their decisions.
For beginners, this holding period serves as valuable training, helping you stay calm and make rational choices, an essential step toward becoming a resilient, long-term investor.
Through a smaller exposure to ASN Imbang 2, you’ll gain the opportunity to understand how price fluctuations work, have the opportunity to earn annual dividends and potential capital gains, learn the true costs of investing, and develop emotional control. This is a complete learning experience to help you be familiar with the world of medium-risk investments before moving on to higher-risk opportunities. This makes ASB Plus not just an investment, but a complete introduction to the world of moderate-risk investing, preparing you for higher-risk opportunities in the future.
ASB Plus isn’t just another investment product, it’s a learning platform and the first step toward understanding real-world investing. With the combination of ASB’s stability and ASN Imbang 2’s growth potential, you can diversify confidently without worrying about losing your entire capital.
Let’s start investing strategically, not ruled by emotion.
Key Takeaways
1. Smart Diversification ASB Plus combines 70% ASB (stability) and 30% ASN Imbang 2 (growth potential) to deliver stable returns while giving you exposure to higher returns when market sentiment improves.
2. Additional 1% Bonus Enjoy an extra 1% dividend from ASB, acting as a buffer to reduce potential losses.
3. Limited Downside Risk Only 30% of your capital is exposed to market volatility.
Example of 3-Year Return Simulation in ASB Plus
Based on the 3-year performance, ASN Imbang 2 recorded a total return of 37.40%, while ASB achieved 17.25%. With the additional 1% return from ASB through ASB Plus, your estimated total return after three years is projected to be approximately 24.0%.
With an investment of RM100,000, your total value could grow to approximately RM123,995 after three years, thus showing a solid outcome for a balanced and educational investment like ASB Plus.
*3-year estimated ASB total return (dividend & bonus), based on 2024 total return: 5.75% #ASN Imbang 2 3-year total return (30/9/2022 – 30/9/2025: Fund Fact Sheet October 2025) The above 3-year total return projection for ASB is a rough estimate.
Is ASB Plus the Right Investment Option for You?
