Financial aptitude

We often hear people complaining that the young today do not know what is hardship and therefore do not appreciate the value of money.  To a great extent, it is true.  Hence it is important for our teens and tweens to be financially literate.

The school only teaches mathematics but does not focus on financial aptitude.  The end result?  They will end up like most of us who will work hard all our lives for money and never know how to let the money work for us.  Furthermore gone are the days of pension schemes.  Job security is almost non existent.

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Emotional quotient

What is emotional quotient?

Simply put, EQ is the ability to manage oneself and others.  In this Internet age, nearly everything is just a click away.  The huge challenge is to teach our young about the value of delayed gratification and exercising self control.  EQ deals with both intrapersonal and interpersonal skills.  For example, a teenager may have a creative idea within him but lack the self confidence to express himself or not know how to communicate in a succinct manner.  This will impede his ability to succeed and will minimise instead of maximising his potential.

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Character building

Abraham Lincoln said `Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it, the tree is the real thing.'

Our character is much more than just what we try to display for others to see, it is who we are even when no one is watching. The statement carries weight and good character is doing the right thing because it is right to do what is right.  Solid character starts with us, being a good role model.

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Budget 2014

Budget 2014 has been unveiled.  It saw the complete removal of sugar subsidy and we understand the rationale behind this as this is long overdue.

However with the removal of sugar subsidy does it mean an increase in prices of food and drinks. Owners of food outlets may seize this opportunity to increase the price of drinks and food.  We strongly believe that the removal of sugar subsidy is manageable and there is no need to increase the price. Food owners should know what's dear to them are their valued customers, including yours truly who may `abandon ship' should they unnecessarily raise the prices of food and drinks at the slightest opportunity that comes.

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Moment of Truth

Benjamin Franklin once remarked, `Half the truth is often a great lie.'

Consider a situation whereby during high school when your mum asked you over dinner what you had been doing at a friend's place after school that day. You would have told her we were studying for exams, but you conveniently left out the part about how long you had actually studied and that, you had in fact spent the rest of the afternoon watching IV.

This got me wondering how much about truthfulness is really about negotiating with our fears.  Like the fear of being out for not having anything significant to say, or adding anything substantial to the conversation; the fear of contradicting myself while claiming to be neutral on a stance.

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Retirement Plan II

  When is the best time to have a retirement plan?
   There is no best time, anytime is best time.
   You may have to work out with your Agent as to your suitability of the plan.
  For example if you have a cash flow problem find out what you can live without.  Look through your monthly expenses as to what you can give up.  Then have a plan that suits your financial standing and ability.


 

Retirement Plan

If you have never really made your nest egg grow all these years, it is also never too late to create the retirement life you want. Take the first step to carve out a small portfolio that suits your lifestyle. Look through your previous investments - have you been a short term trader nad have not stayed the course on your investments?  Can you turn short term profts into longer term returns<

It is time for action.  It is never too late to do something especially when it comes to your finances.

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Ah Beng jokes II

Ah Beng had just bought a new computer and was using it when he encountered some problems.  He decides to use the `Help' command after some tries.  Soon after, be become very irritated and called the computer retailer for support.
Ah Beng: `I pressed the `F1' key for help... but it's been over half an hour and still nobody has come to help me ?????

Ah Beng with two red ears went to his doctor. The doctor asked him what had happened to his ears and he answered, `I was ironing a shirt and the phone ring lor, but instead of picking up the phone, I accidentally picked up the iron and stuck to to my ear, so kena lor!'
`Oh dear!' the doctor exclaimed in disbelift. `But, what happened to the other ear?'
`Aiyah! That stooopid dumbo called back`'

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Merdeka

It is the time of the year when we celebrate our Independence Day.
It is the day when we reflect on our past achievements.
It is another year of cheers and success.
Malaysia has established a foothold in the world.

Happy Merdeka, Malaysia.

Ah Beng Jokes

Ah Beng to a long-distance telephone operator:
`Could you please tell me the time difference between Taipei and Las Vegas?'
Operator: `Just a minute ...'
Ah Beng: `Thank you.' and hangs up.

At a bar in New York, the man to Ah Beng's left tells the bartender, `Johnnie Walker, single.' and his companion says, `Jack Daniels, single.'  The bartender approaches Ah Beng and asks, `And you, sir.'
Ah Beng replies `Tan Ah Beng, married.'

After completing a jigsaw puzzle he'd been working on for quite some time, Ah Beng proudly shows off the finished puzzle to a friend. `It took me only 5 months to do it,' Ah Beng brags.
`5 months? That's too long,' the friends exclaims. `You are a fool.'
Ah Beng replies, `No-lah, see this box, it is written `for 4 - 7 years lah'

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Codes for sharing

Well, well it is talking of codes.
In this world, we are just talking of codes all the times.
However, when someone has changed the codes just imagine what will happen?  Look carefully at the expression and relate it to the saying.
Sometimes it is very true as the expression tell a story.

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Joke for the Day

The kindergarten class had a homework assignment to find out about something exciting and relate it to the class the next day.  When the time came for the little kids to give their reports, the teacher was calling on them one at a time.  She was reluctant to call upon little Johnnie, knowing that he sometimes could be a bit crude.  But eventually his turn came. Little Johnnie walkjed up to the front of the class, and with a piece of chalk, made a small white dot on the blackboard, then sat down.  Well, the teacher couldnt figure out what Johnnie had in mind for his report on something exciting, so she asked him just what that was.

`It's a period.' reported Johnnie.

`Well, I can see that.' she said `but what is so exciting about a period.'

`Damned if I know.' said Johnnie, `but this morning my sister said she missed one, then Daddy had a heart attack, mommy fainted and the man next door shot himself.'

Jokes about Titanic

The Titanic was sinking and there werent enough lifeboats, so the captain had to persuade male passengers to jump into the icy waters to make room for women and children.

To the British he said: `You must act like gentlmen.' They jumped.
To the Amercians, he said: `You can be heroes.'  They compiled.
To the Germans, he said: `It's the rule.'  They obeyed.
To the Japanese, he said: `It's the consensus.'  They obliged.

Then came the group of Singaporeans. And they just werent budging until he came up with the appeal: `Free life jackets for those who jump.'

Then came a group of Malaysians.  Before the captain could think of what to say, they yelled `Malaysia Boleh' and they jumped.

Before and After Marriage

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Time to reflect and look back

Half a year is almost gone. It is amazing how time flies and we do not realize it. With half year to go, are we half way to our targets, be it personally or financially?

Many of us started the new year outlining great plans or resolutions - making more money, reducing debts, increasing savings , starting to exercise or eating healthier - that are to be accomplished this year.  However, the problem tends to be with actual implementation.

Well, it is time to review our goals and if it falls short, then take corrective measures to bridge the gap.  With just six months to go, it is never too late to start working on our goals again.

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Haze go away

The haze is back again. There is no doubt the haze has become an annual phenomenon in Malaysia as well as in South East Asia region. The haze happens almost at the same time of the year.

We are all well informed on where the haze is coming from - Indonesia.  However the current continuous flow of news relating to the haze has it that the country is not the only one to be blamed.   In the past, Indonesia had always been accused of open burning of its forests in order to make way for agricultural activities.  Finger pointing will not solve the issue at hand.

Burning may be the cheapest method for land clearing but it cannot be carried out at the expense of people's health and a country's economy.  Since the solution is not in place, let's just hope that the haze episode will not prolong.

Financial Freedom

What is financial freedom?
Some people see financial freedom as having more than enough money to cover their cost of living without having to work actively.  While for young people, they may see financial freedom as the ability to earn sufficiently without the need to burden their parents.  It could also relate to the freedom of being able to do things whenever they want.

People do not want to worry about money should something unexpected like the loss of a job or a natural disaster strike.

Are we in a position to say that we have financial freedom?

Something for us to ponder

Money is the root of all evil

Most people believe that the love of money is the root of all evil. In the long history of mankind, there are many examples of how money led to the destruction of many societies.  Even now, whether we like it or not we live in an age where life is centred on money.

We need money to buy things, be it for our necessities or our desires.  We may ask ourselves, why we do have to work and spend eight hours or more at our office, even though we may not like the environment, our superiors or our colleagues?

The fact is we must go to work every day simply to earn money.  We need money to maintain our health, to pursue our studies and much more.  Seen in the right context, money can give us a meaningful life.

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Never say never

At times, I ponder whether it is too late to start planning financially or too old to think about investments.  When we are younger, we were too busy with our lives to plan financially as our priorities were different as we were establishing our foothold in our career.  We sometimes also lack the experience and knowledge to invest financially.  Later, we think we should have done more to organize our financial investments.  Our excuse now is that it is too late to do anything more.

Looking backwards will never get us to the finish line.  Forget and forgive your past mistakes.  If we believe we can start now, there are many areas for improvement in our financial life.

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Reactions vs response

At a restaurant, a cockroach suddenly flew from somewhere and sat on
a lady. She started screaming out of fear. With a panic stricken
face and trembling voice, she started jumping, with both her hands
desperately trying to get rid of the cockroach.

Her reaction was contagious, as everyone in her group also got
panicky.

The lady finally managed to push the cockroach away but ...it landed
on another lady in the group.

Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to continue the
drama.

The waiter rushed forward to their rescue.
In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the waiter.

The waiter stood firm, composed himself and observed the behavior of
the cockroach on his shirt.
When he was confident enough, he grabbed it with his fingers and
threw it out of the restaurant.

Sipping my coffee and watching the amusement, the antenna of my mind
picked up a few thoughts and started wondering, was the cockroach
responsible for their histrionic behavior?
If so, then why was the waiter not disturbed?
He handled it near to perfection, without any chaos.

It is not the cockroach, but the inability of the ladies to handle
the disturbance caused by the cockroach that disturbed the ladies.

I realized that, it is not the shouting of my father or my boss or
my wife that disturbs me, but it's my inability to handle the
disturbances caused by their shouting that disturbs me.

It's not the traffic jams on the road that disturbs me, but my
inability to handle the disturbance caused by the traffic jam that
disturbs me.

More than the problem, it's my reaction to the problem that creates
chaos in my life.

Lessons learnt from the story:
I understood, I should not react in life.
I should always respond.
The women reacted, whereas the waiter responded.

Reactions are always instinctive whereas responses are always well
thought of, just and right to save a situation from going out of
hands, to avoid cracks in relationship, to avoid taking decisions in
anger, anxiety, stress or hurry.

The WHY factor

Great Leaders, companies and even innovators always start with the WHY and then the HOW and lastly the WHAT.  This inside out model is unconventional compared with the conventional outside in model where we tend to focus on WHAT needs to be done.  HOW it has to be done and lastly WHY it has to be done.

Great companies like Apple have a very strong WHY which inspires the HOW and then the WHAT is the end outcome.  For example, Apple's WHY is to `Think different', this is its compelling reason for existence and this inspires the HOW which is to create innovative, easy to use computers and lastly WHAT happens at the end.

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Sharpening your axe III

Sharpening the axe is an activity.  You too can sharpen the axe of your life.

Here are examples of axe-sharpening activities:

o  Read a book every day;
o  Get out of your comfort zone by changing jobs.  A new job forces you to learn;
o  Have deep conversation with ome one your find interesting.  Sharpen your axe through that interaction;
o  Pick up a new hobby.  Stretch yourself physically, mentally or emotionally;
o  Study something new;
o  Overcome your fear you have or quit a bad habit;
o  Have a dily exercise routine or take part in some competition;
o  Identify your blinds spots.  Understand, acknowledge and address them;
o  Ask for feedback and get a mentor;
o  Learn from people who inspire you.

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Sharpen your axe II

So, what is exactly is sharpening your axe?  It simply means increasing your personal production capacity by daily self care and self maintenance.  Most people fail to understand what it means and mistake it for taking a break or vacation.  If you are overworking yourself and your productivity drops, take a break.  However that isn't sharpening the axe - that's putting the axe down.

When you put down a dull blade and rest, the blade will still be dull when you pick it up. The woodcutter does need downtime to rest, but it is not `sharpening the axe'.  The woodcutter only becomes more productive by sharpening his blade, analyzing new wood cutting techniques, exercising to become stronger, and learning from other woodcutter.  That is what is mean by sharpening the axe.

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Sharpen your axe

A few years ago there was a story of a woodcutter who asked for a job with a timber merchant.  He got the job with a good salary and a decent work conditions.  And so, the woodcutter was determined to do his best for his boss.

His boss gave him an axe and on his first day, the woodcutter chopped down 15 trees.  The boss was pleased and said, `Well done, good work!'

Highly motivated, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he only could bring down 13 trees.  The third day, he tried even harder, but he was only able to bring down 11 trees.  Day after day, he tried even harder but he was only able to bring down a small number of trees.

He apologized to the boss claiming he could not understand why.

`When was the last time you sharpen your axe?' the boss asked.

`Sharpen?  I had no time to sharpen my axe.  I have been too busy cutting down the trees.'

He sharpened his axe and immediately was back to felling 15 trees a day.  And since that, he begins the day by sharpening his axe.

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Happy Valentine

Happy Valentine Day.
It is just another day in the year.
What is so special on this day?
If there is a need to express your love, it can be on any day.
However it is a day for courting guy to express his love to his beloved.
Valentine Day is a special day for wedding anniversary due to its significance.
Valentine Day is not only exclusively for couples, it is also for friendship as we have friendship love, family love just to mention a few.

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Chinese New Year 2013

It is the time of the year again when celebration is everywhere.
Chinese New Year for 2013 is just round the corner.  As usual, there is always last minute shopping and the rush for tickets back to hometown. There is an urge to indulge in good food during the Chinese New Year.
We should always remind ourselves to eat in moderation and cultivate the habit of eating healthily.  Reduce the intake of salt is always the key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

May every step in the Year of the Snake bring us closer to health, happiness and prosperity.

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Half empty, half full 2

Is the cup half empty?
Or is the cup half full?

Be an optimist and see the cup as being half full.
Before long, your attitude will rub off on others.
You can make the world a better place by simply making yourself a happier person.
If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.

Here's one to get you started.
Have a good day.

Half emply/half full

   Is the cup half empty?
   Is the cup half full?
   It is amazing how our preception can be changed by our attitude.
   Follow these advices and you can improve your life in 2013.
   Always remember that you are loved even when it doesn't seem like it.
   Don't let anything get you down, always bounce back up.

Set goals for your future and never settle for anything less.
Realise that there are others in the word with much bigger problems than you. Appreciate the good things in your life and be thankful for the time you have with your loved ones.
Spend more time with your family and friends.

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Self talk

Sometimes we develop the habit of self talk.  Is self talk an affirmative of our internal thought and action?

If we develop the habit of positive self talk, it will boost our confidence.  Self talk is also the practice of auto suggestion.  For example,  we can tell ourselves `I can handle the situation', `I can do it' or `I have an excellent memory.'  Auto suggestions alter our belief system by influencing our subconscious mind.  As our behaviour is a relection of our belief system, positive auto suggestions will help improve our behaviour and soon enough become a self fulfilling prophecy.

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Make a fresh start

It is the sixth day in year 2013.
It is not too late to make new year resolutions.

There are 4 rules to begin with
Rule 1: Make one resolution at a time
You have  to remain focus when making new year resolutions. It would be prudent to make one resolution at one time. You have to be very specific and tell yourself what are the end results that you wish to achieve.
If you start the New Year thinking, `I will lose weight, exercise four times a week, be a better person and make more money,' you will be overwhelmed and won't focus on anything.

Rule 2: Record it down
You have to keep track of your progress and in this way your goals won't be forgotten or changed.

Rule 3: Hold yourself accountable
You must be held accountable for our resolutions.  Designate a friend, a member or a coach to monitor your progress.

Rule 4: Be persistent
No goal will happen unless you keep working. 
This is where you need to use the third rule - have someone help you be accountable.

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