Do You Need A Whole Life Insurance Policy?

Source:http://www.moolanomy.com/3181/do-you-need-a-whole-life-insurance-policy/
Do you need a whole life insurance policy? When it comes to life insurance, most people knows very little about the subject, and the many alternatives available only add to the confusion. Typically, we don’t take enough time to sit down and understand each type of life insurance policy and which one is the best for our situation. The sad truth is that many insurance reps will start out by praising the virtues whole life insurance policy. But why?
Why Insurance Agents Love Whole Life Insurance?

Ahhh…I hate to say it, but money talks! The truth is that the whole life insurance policy is one of the highest commissioned products for an insurance representative. Since they can get more commission on a sale of whole life insurance compared to other products (for example, term life insurance), they most likely convinced themselves that whole life is the right product for everyone.

However, this doesn’t mean whole life policy is right for you!
What is a whole life insurance policy anyway?

In short, a whole life insurance policy can be summed up as:

* You pay your monthly premium.
* In return, the insurance company provides you with an amount of death benefit — let’s say $100k.
* If you die while the coverage is active, your estate or your beneficiaries will receive the $100k.
* As long as you pay your premiums on time, your coverage is active and can last your whole life (and this is why it’s called whole life insurance policy).

Now, if you want to go deeper into the product:

* Some policies allow you to stop paying premiums after a period of time, but the coverage still remains. Basically, the money you have paid into your policy now earn enough to cover future premiums without the need for you to add more fund.
* However, you may receive a call from your insurance rep after several years saying that “there is not enough money in the policy to pay the premium” and that you will have to start making payments again. Usually, this happens when the stock market goes south.
* You can use your whole life insurance policy as a tax sheltered investment.
* In addition to the death benefit, there are a ton of options, such as increasing your coverage without medical exams in the futures, borrowing against your policy, etc.

How much insurance do you need?

To answer this question, I would take a look at:

1. How much debt do you owe that need to be paid off at the time of your death (such as a mortgage)?
2. Do you have financial dependents that will need the equivalent of a portion of your salary to maintain their lifestyle once you are gone (e.g., kids or a spouse with a much lower or no income)?
3. Do you want to leave extra money behind?

And the life insurance policy should also cover:

* Basic funeral expenses (about $15,000 to $25,000).
* Money for taxes (if you have important capital gains to declare at your death such as a rental property under your name).
* Other amount that would be required if you pass away.

Do you need a whole life insurance policy?

The key question to answer this question is to ask yourself: Will you still need this money if you pass away 15 to 20 years from now?

Here are a few things to consider:

* For a mortgage, a term insurance is a better fit as you will likely have a paid off mortgage in 25 years.
* For your kids, chances are that they won’t need your money in 10-20 years.
* For your spouse, you want to leave enough behind so that he or she can maintain the lifestyle without you.

Personally, I am not a big fan of whole life insurance; however, having coverage of $50,000 to $100,000 is a good idea (to provide liquidity and pay for funeral expenses). The rest of your insurance needs would be better served by term life insurance.

Overall, the best advice I can give you is to have your insurance needs reviewed by an expert. If the recommendation is one huge whole life insurance policy, challenge him on the reasons why he offers only one product instead of a combination.

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Koperasi Felda 2 ditubuh

Source:utusan.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR 30 Julai - Kerajaan hari ini mengumumkan penubuhan Koperasi Permodalan Felda 2 (KPF2) yang dibuka khusus untuk generasi baru Felda.

Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak berkata, ia bertujuan membolehkan generasi baru Felda terlibat dalam aktiviti pembangunan dan perniagaan syarikat Felda melalui koperasi.

Beliau berkata, sebelum ini hanya peneroka dan kakitangan yang diberikan peluang itu menerusi penglibatan mereka di dalam Koperasi Permodalan Felda (KPF).

''Generasi baru Felda pada masa ini tidak dibenarkan menjadi ahli KPF sedangkan jumlah kumpulan tersebut semakin bertambah serta mereka yang berminat untuk terlibat dalam kegiatan ekonomi semakin meningkat.

''Justeru bagi mengekalkan semangat keluarga Felda dan faedah generasi baru, kerajaan telah bersetuju untuk menubuhkan KPF2 sebagai model pembangunan ekonomi generasi baru,'' katanya dalam satu kenyataan di sini hari ini.

Najib berkata, sebagai permulaan Felda akan menyediakan dana sebanyak RM10 juta dan keahlian dibuka kepada semua generasi baru Felda tidak kira di mana mereka berada.

''Oleh yang demikian saya bagi pihak kerajaan ingin mempelawa semua generasi baru Felda untuk terlibat dengan koperasi ini di samping merebut peluang dalam aktiviti pelaburan yang dijalankan oleh anak-anak syarikat Felda.

''Kerajaan berharap usaha ini akan disambut baik oleh generasi muda Felda dalam usaha memastikan nasib keluarga peneroka seluruh negara terus terbela,'' ujar beliau.

Dalam pada itu katanya, koperasi itu tidak akan menjadi pesaing kepada KPF tetapi ia akan menjadi pelengkap serta menambah rantaian ekonomi sedia ada.

Sementara itu beliau berkata, pada masa ini KPF menguasai 51 peratus pemilikan dalam Felda Holdings dan ahli-ahlinya terdiri daripada warga peneroka.

''Sehingga kini KPF yang telah ditubuhkan 30 tahun lalu berjaya memenuhi hasrat ahli-ahli dan mendapat pulangan memuaskan setiap tahun.

''Dividen yang dibayar KPF setiap tahun secara puratanya 14 peratus dan merupakan satu daripada yang tertinggi di negara ini. Ahlinya berjumlah 189,415 orang dan memiliki pegangan modal saham berjumlah RM1.2 bilion,'' ujarnya.

Bagi mengekalkan dividen sekurang-kurangnya 10 peratus setahun, Perdana Menteri berkata, KPF menetapkan dasar iaitu modal pegangan saham dihadkan tidak melebihi RM1.5 bilion.

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Hukum Melabur dalam ASB -by Pakdi

Source:http://www.pakdi.net/hukum-melabur-dalam-asb/

Para pembaca blog saya yang setia barangkali sudah mengetahui saya ada mencatat beberapa kali tentang hukum pelaburan dalam Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB). Malah, dalam buku Rancang Wang Dari Sekarang, mukasurat 42-43 saya ada menghuraikan selaku orang awam (yang tidak dilatih dalam disiplin usul fiqh khususnya) apakah sikap yang mesti kalian ambil dalam isu ini.

Hari ini saya terbaca catatan seorang rakan FB mengenai isu ini, lantas membawa saya kepada catatan di website Prof. Dr Mahmood Zuhdi yang merupakan seorang pensyarah di UIAM yang juga terlibat menjadi panel Shariah dan fatwa di beberapa institusi fatwa, instusi kewangan di dalam dan luar negara.

Tulisannya bertajuk Hukum Melabur Dalam Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB). Saya salin semula tulisan beliau dalam blog ini untuk bacaan kalian. Sekiranya ada permasalahan, komen dan sebagainya saya sarankan agar terus disalurkan kepada beliau sendiri melalui website beliau. Saya tidak menjawab bagi pihak beliau.

Hukum Melabur Dalam Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB)

Pendahuluan:

Amanah Saham Bumiputra (ASB) adalah satu jenis saham amanah yang bertujuan untuk membantu kaum Bumiputra meningkatkan ekuiti mereka dalam kekayaan negara. Caranya ialah dengan mengumpulkan dana dari kaumbumiputra untuk dilaburkan dalam syarikat-syarikat yang menguntungkan. Malah berbagai inisiatif telah dilakukan bagi menjadikan pelaburan berkenaan sangat menguntungkan, termasuk dengan menggunakan hak istemewa kaum bumiputra sebagaimana yang dijamin oleh perlembagaan.

Sebagaimana maklum, pegangan kaum bumiputra dalam kekayaan negara berada pada paras yang sangat rendah berbanding dengan sesetengah kaum di negara ini. Antara sebabnya ialah kedudukan ekonomi kaum Bumiputra telah diabaikan begitu lama sekali oleh kaum penjajah, sementara beberapa pihak lain mendapat peluang yang jauh lebih baik berasaskan polisi penjajahan yang begitu lama sekali diamalkan dalam Negara ini.

Sehingga hari kemerdekaan,ekuiti kaum Bumiputra dalam kekayaan Negara boleh dikatakan sebagai kosong peratus. Bagi mengatasi keadaan yang sangat tidak adil ini kerajaan telah menetapkan pencapaian 30% bagi kaum bumiputra melalui Dasar Ekonomi Baru yang dilaksanakan di Negara ini. Salah satu daripada program yang dilaksanakan bagi memenuhi agenda Dasar Ekonomi Baru berkenaan ialah skim amanah untuk Bumiputra yang dinamakan ASB ini.

Sejak mula ia dilancarkan, skim amanah ini telah memainkan paranan yang berkesan, di samping berbagai skim lain lagi dalam mempertingkatkan pegangan ekuiti kaum Bumiputra di Negara ini. Walaupun matlamat 30% belum dicapai sehingga Daras Ekonomi Baru sudah tamat tempohnya namun kaum Bumiputra di Negara ini boleh dikatakan sudah mempunyai tapak untuk berpijak dalam ekonomi Negara. Sehingga pada suatu peringkat matlamat itu hampir dapat dicapai dengan sepenuhnya.

Malangnya kekalutan ekonomi dunia pada akhir tahun sembilan-puluhan telah meninggalkan kesan buruk kepada pegangan ekuiti kaum bumiputra di Negara ini. Malaysia sendiri sebagai sebuah Negara mengalami kesan negatif yang parah daripada kemelut yang datang secara mendadak itu. Namun kesan buruk itu dapat diatasi dengan jayanya. Lain ceritanya tentang kaum Bumiputra. Sudahlah matlamat 30% belum tercapai, apa yang sudah dicapai pun tidak dapat dipertahankan. Sebelum ekonomi dunia merudum kaum Bumiputra di Negara ini boleh dikatakan telah mencapai lebih 20% dari keseluruhan kekayaan Negara. Malangnya angka tersebut telah menjadi kurang daripada 20% selepas krisis berkenaan. Sampai kehari ini ternampak sukar sekali angka tersebut untuk ditingkatkan. Salah satu daripada sebabnya ialah sikap negatif kaum Bumiputra sendiri dalam hal ekonomi dan kewangan.

Menyedari pentingnya pencapaian matlamat 30% ekuiti Negara oleh kaum Bumiputra ini, bukan sahaja untuk mereka tetapi juga untuk kestabilan Negara, kerajaan telah menegaskan semula untuk mencapai angka tersebut melalui berbagai cara dalam tempoh pelaksanaan wawasan 2020. Antara acara tersebut ialah melanjutkan program-program amanah seperti ASB ini.

Permasalahan

Walau bagaimana pun, pelaksanaan skim amanah ASB ini dengan segala cara dan objektif yang ada menghadapi berbagai rintangantermasuk daripada kaum Bumiputra sendiri. Antara rintangan tersebut ialah persoalan tentang hukum menyertainya dalam Islam. Ada terdapat dikalangan umat Islam di Negara ini yang meragui kehalalannya dari segi Syarak memandangkan keterlibatan skim amanah tersebut dengan pelaburan di beberapa kaunter haram, misalnya yang melibatkan penjualan arak, perjudiaan, pengambilan riba dan sebagainya.

Sebagaimana maklum, skim ASB ini terbentuk berasaskan kepada dasar perkongsian keuntungan, iaitu suatu alternatif yangmemberi jaminan halal berbanding kaedah konvensional yang berasaskan kepada peratus tetap keuntungan. Mengikut hukum Syarak, kaedah peratus tetap boleh melibatkan riba yang diharamkan oleh Islam. Sedangkan kaedah perkongsian untung tidak melibatkan hal seperti itu. Oleh yang demikian status halal bagi skim ini, dari perspektif ini tidak berbangkit. Malah inilah kaedah yang sentiasa digunakan oleh skim-skim yang berlabelkan Islam dalam Negara ini, juga di Negara-negara Islam yang lain, seperti perbankan Islam dan sebagai nya.

Apa yang menjadi persoalan, sepertimana yang telah disebut di atas ialah penyertaan ASB dalam pelaburan di beberapa kaunter haram. Mengikut pendapat sesetengah umat Islam di Negara ini penyertaan yang tidak sepatutnya itu telah menjadikan skim yang berasaskan kepada kaedah halal berkenaan menjadi haram.

Antara alasan yang diberikan ialah adanya percampuran antara yang halal dan yang tidakhalal dalam skim itu. Kaedah yang digunakan ialah “ ??? ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ???? ??????“ yang bermaksud “apabila berlaku percampuran antara yang halal dan yang haram maka yang haram akan diutamakan (dalam menentukan hukum). Dengan kata lain, sesuatu yang halal itu akan dengan sendirinya menjadi haram apabila bercampur dengan sesuatu yang haram.

Antara contoh yang diberikan sebagai aplikasi kepada kaedah tersebut ialah apabila sekawah gulai dimasuki oleh sedikit tahi ayam maka gulai yang sekawah itu walaupun banyak akan menjadi najis kerana tahi ayam yang sedikit itu. Bandingannya samalah dengan pelaburan ASB di kaunter-kaunter haram. Walaupun nisbahnya sangat sedikit tetapi ia boleh menjadikan nisbah pelaburan di kaunter halal yang merupakan majoriti besar dalam skim berkenaan menjadi haram.

Kekeliruan

Walau bagaimana pun pandangan tersebut tidak berasaskan kepada metod penentuan hukum yang sebenar sepertimana yang terdapatdalam pengajian hukum Islam. Ia lebih berasaskan kepada sikap umum Syariat Islam yang sangat tidak suka kepada perkara haram. Sikap umum ini merupakansuatu prinsip yang sangat baik. Kerana ia menggambarkan idealisme Islam itu sendiri yang unggul. Bagaimanapun dalam merialisasikan idealisme ini dalam kehidupan sebenar, dalam Islam sendiri terdapat berbagai kaedah dan cara untuk menjadikan aplikasi tersebut benar-benar rasional dan praktikal. Dengan kata lain, pandangan di atas adalah benar sebagai suatu idealisme yang tinggi tetapi sebaliknya bila dilihat dari sudut praktikal yang sebenar sebagaimana yang dikehendaki oleh Islam.

Secara ringkasnya, hubungan anatara ASB sebagai satu skim amanah pelaburan dan para pelabur sebagai peserta dalam skim tersebut adalah bersifat hubungan antara dua pihak yang bermuamalah dalam suatu kontrak yang halal, iaitu pelaburan berasaskan perkongsian untung. Dalam hubungan ini ASB adalah satu badan halal yang berniaga berasaskan kaedah yang halal. Iabukan suatu badan tidak halal, seperti kilang arak atau kedai judi yang tabiat kerjanya sendiri haram.

Bandingannya samalah dengan penyertaan seseorang dalam skim perkhidmatan awam di Negara ini. Asasnya ialah memberi khidmat berasaskan upah, iaitu satu kontrak yang jelas halal. Dalam hubungan ini, kerajaan sebagai majikan merupakan badan halal. Kerana ia menawarkan khidmat kepadamasyarakat secara halal. Ia bukan badan tidak halal seperti gerakan bawah tanah yang menjalankan kerja-kerja yang haram.

Apabila ASB melabur dalam beberapa kaunter haram sifatnya sebagai badan halal tidak boleh bertukar dengan begitu sahaja. Seorang muslim yang menerima akidah dan kehidupan Islam secara umum tidak akan bertukarmenjadi kafir apabila melakukan sedikit sebanyak maksiat yang tidak menukarkan identitinya daripada seorang muslim kepada bukan muslim. Cuma orang itu berdosa dan perlu bartaubat. Urusan muslim lain dengannya tetap sah di sisi Syarak. Isteri atau suaminya tidak tertalak dengan kerana itu. Kalau bapanya mati dia masih tetap boleh menerima pusaka dan banyak lagi contoh yang boleh difahami secara mudah.

Samalah juga denga kerajaan yang mengambil cukai arak, cukai pelacuran dan sebagainya. Ia tetap kerajaan yang sah dan halal di sisi Islam. Perbuatannya itu adalah dosa untuknya sahaja dan tidak menjadikan kerajaan berkenaan sebagai badan tidak halal dari segi Syarak. Semua pegawai kerajaan tidak boleh bertukar menjadi orang yang makan harta haram kerana perbuatan kerajaan seperti itu, apalagi perlu meletakkan jawatan masing-masing.

Satu aplikasi mudah bagi prinsip percampuran antara yang halal dengan yang haram ini boleh dilihat kepada banyak contoh prinsip Istihalah dalam hukum Islam. Antaranya ialah air musta’mal menjadi mutlaq apabila bercampur dengan air mutlaq yang lebih dua Qullah. Ucap Salam assalamu alaikum kepada khalayak yang bercampur antara orang Islam dan bukan Islam dibolehkan, bangkai dalam air mutlaq yang banyak tidak boleh menjadikan air itu najis selagi ia tidak mengubah warna, rasa atau baunya, lalat mati dalam secawan teh tidak boleh menjadikan teh itu najis dan banyak lagi contoh- contoh yang sangat mudah difahami.

Malah kalau kita bijak menganalisis Maqasid al-Syariah dalam hukum Islam dan kedudukan ASB sebagai salah satu cara untuk menjamin survival umat Islam di Negara ini tentu sekali kita merasa tidak bijak untuk mengatakan ASB itu haram. Cuma ulasannya sangat panjang dan perlukan kepada kefahaman asas dalam teori hukum Islam untuk memahaminya.

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Skim cepat kaya tumpas

Source:utusan online
Oleh ASSIM HASSAN
pengarang@utusan.com.my


KUALA LUMPUR 28 Julai - Hanya berbekalkan risalah-risalah dan memandu kenderaan mewah, satu skim cepat kaya di Lembah Klang, bergerak aktif menipu orang ramai sejak lebih setahun lalu.

Sepanjang tempoh itu, mereka licik mencari mangsa supaya melabur dalam skim terbabit dengan jumlah minimum RM10,000 sehingga RM41,000.

Malah bantuan mendapatkan pinjaman daripada bank dan koperasi turut diatur oleh skim terbabit bagi bakal-bakal pelabur yang berminat.

Namun skim pelaburan haram itu akhirnya tumpas diserbu penguat kuasa semasa beroperasi di beberapa restoran di Mentari Court, Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya dekat sini malam tadi.

Dalam serbuan kira-kira pukul 9 malam itu, 59 ejen skim terbabit ditahan ketika cuba menyakinkan kira-kira 80 bakal pelabur baru.

Serbuan dilakukan pegawai dan anggota Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Komersial (JSJK) Bukit Aman, polis Selangor dan Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan ekoran laporan-laporan polis yang dibuat mangsa.

Kesemua ejen ditahan berusia 20-an hingga 30-an dengan kebanyakan mereka terdiri daripada golongan muda yang baru tamat pengajian di peringkat universiti.

Ketua Penolong Pengarah Operasi JSJK Bukit Aman, Asisten Komisioner Rohaimi Md. Isa berkata, polis turut memburu dalang skim terbabit yang dipercayai masih berada di dalam negara.

Menurut beliau, setiap ejen akan menyakinkan bakal-bakal pelabur baru dengan memandu kereta mewah seperti BMW, Nissan Fairlady, Toyota Alphard dan Mercedes-Benz.

"Syarikat skim cepat kaya itu turut dikesan memaparkan logo-logo media rasmi termasuk Utusan Malaysia pada risalah sebagai penaja bersama.

"Penggunaan logo media itu dilihat sebagai bukti skim itu diiktiraf dan boleh dipercayai," katanya ketika ditemui di pejabatnya di sini hari ini.

Tambah Rohaimi, siasatan mendapati skim itu menjanjikan pulangan di peringkat awal sebanyak RM2,500 kepada pelabur dalam masa tiga hari.

"Semua pelabur di peringkat awal benar-benar memperoleh pulangan dijanjikan tetapi mereka yang lambat akan menghadapi masalah.

"Selain itu, semua ejen menggunakan nombor pendaftaran kenderaan mewah 8282 dan 925 sebagai tanda ahli skim terbabit yang telah berjaya," katanya.

Beliau berkata, kesemua mereka terbabit kini ditahan bagi membantu siasatan mengikut Seksyen 420 Kanun Keseksaan kerana menipu.

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Pulangan Purata dalam setahun

Source:simpanduit.com
Simpanan biasa (akaun bank, simpanan tetap & insurans tradisional) : 1% - 5% setahun,
Amanah saham (ASB, Unit trust, investment-linked) : 7% - 15% setahun,
Hartanah & Emas : 15% - 30% setahun,
Melabur dalam perniagaan orang lain (bursa saham, direct) : 20% - 100% setahun
Melabur dalam perniagaan sendiri (own business) : 30% - 200% setahun

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Passive Income Bukan Untuk Jadi Malas-by Pakdi

Source:http://www.pakdi.net/passive-income-bukan-untuk-jadi-malas/
“Sambil tidur pun income masyukkk.” Kenyataan salah sebuah salesletter yang saya baca.

“Duduk diam diam dapat duit!” Fuh. Memang ayat mengancam jiwa yang dibebani hutang.

“Bangun-bangun tidur, masih belum gosok gigi, bukak Facebook tengok-tengok duit dah masuk.” Dakwa salesletter membunuh yang lain.

Betul. Dalam buku Rancang Wang Dari Sekarang (RWDS), saya ada menerangkan mengenai pendapatan pasif (passive income). Pekerjaan yang membolehkan kita memperoleh pendapatan berulang kali secara konsisten tanpa memerlukan kita buat kerja tersebut setiap hari.

Malangnya, ada pihak (khususnya yang tidak baca blog Pakdi dan RWDS) yang membawa fahaman yang salah mengenai passive income ini di dalam masyarakat. Mereka seolah-olah menyatakan tidak perlu buat kerja, lepak-lepak kedai kopi dan goyang kaki pun duit akan masuk dalam poket.

Sedangkan kita perlu gigih bekerja pada peringkat awal untuk memastikan pendapatan pasif itu berterusan masuk ke dalam akaun bank kita. Selepas kita mendapat satu asas yang kukuh, barulah kita boleh menikmati pendapatan ini.

Ya. Anda perlu berusaha gigih terlebih dahulu.

Tanam pokok rambutan pun, pada peringkat awal kita kena jaga, baja, siram secukupnya sebelum pokok tersebut mula mengeluarkan buah rambutan yang merah dan manis rasanya. Selepas mengeluarkan buah pula, kita masih perlu sapu sampah daunan kering, mencantas dahan tertentu dan memberi sedekah kepada orang lain.

Jadi, sekiranya anda memikirkan passive income = tidak buat kerja maka anda perlu buang pemikiran tersebut jauh-jauh. Pendapatan pasif yang lumayan hanya untuk orang-orang yang rajin sahaja.

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Info:Bank Persatuan

Info dari Buletin Hasanah bil 6 07/2010 menunjukkan baki syer telah melebihi 300j..
baki syer spt pada 30/6/2010,
anggota -------------bil---------------------baki syer (rm)
individu---------49,658 org---------299,260,629.76
koperasi-------319 buah-----------26,312,440.30
jumlah---------------------------------325,573,070.06

Komen PG: Cepat-cepat lah labur dalam Bank Persatuan sebelum ia ditutup seperti mana telah berlaku pada Bank Rakyat sebelum ini.

PG
`Sharing is Caring`

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Bank Persatuan:Bank Koperasi ke-2

Source:Berita Harian
Tiga lagi koperasi mohon tubuh bank
Oleh Zuraidah Mohamed
zmohamed@bharian.com.my

KEMENTERIAN Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan menerima tiga lagi permohonan bagi menubuhkan bank koperasi di negara ini.

Menterinya, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, berkata ia termasuk Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Bhd (Angkasa) yang mahu mengubah statusnya kepada bank koperasi dan menumpukan perkhidmatan kepada perbankan korporat.

Beliau bagaimanapun, enggan mendedahkan nama dua lagi koperasi terbabit yang mengemukakan permohonan bagi tujuan itu, tetapi menegaskan jika permohonan berkenaan diluluskan, bank koperasi berkenaan tidak akan bersaing sesama sendiri kerana menawarkan perkhidmatan berlainan.

“Kami sudah menerima tiga lagi permohonan untuk menubuhkan bank koperasi, bagaimanapun koperasi berkenaan perlu memenuhi syarat yang ditetapkan Bank Negara Malaysia dan Suruhanjaya Koperasi Malaysia (SKM),” katanya selepas menyaksikan pemeteraian memorandum persefahaman (MoU) bagi kad pelbagai guna koperasi (Kad Co-Op) antara Bank Kerjasama Rakyat Malaysia Bhd (Bank Rakyat) dan Angkasa di Kuala Lumpur, semalam.

Bank Rakyat diwakili Pengarah Urusannya, Datuk Kamaruzaman Che Mat, manakala Angkasa oleh Yang Dipertuanya, Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Ali Baharum. Hadir sama Timbalan Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan, Datuk Tan Lian Hoe; Pengerusi Bank Rakyat, Tan Sri Dr Syed Jalaludin Syed Salim dan Pengerusi Eksekutif SKM, Datuk Mangsor Saad.

Ismail Sabri berkata, jika permohonan Angkasa diluluskan, ia bakal menjadi bank koperasi ketiga di negara ini selepas Bank Rakyat dan Bank Persatuan.

Katanya, Bank Persatuan yang sebelum ini dikenali sebagai Koperasi Bank Persatuan Malaysia Bhd dijangka mula beroperasi sebagai bank koperasi pada pertengahan tahun ini.

Sementara itu, Kamaruzaman berkata, kad Co-Op ditawarkan kepada 4.98 juta ahli 3,906 koperasi yang bernaung di bawah Angkasa.

Katanya, kad berkenaan yang akan dilancarkan pertengahan tahun ini boleh digunakan sebagai kad ATM, kad debit, kad diskaun daripada Rakan Diskaun Bank Rakyat dan juga kad loyalti bagi mata ganjaran.

“Pemegang kad Co-Op boleh menikmati kemudahan transaksi ATM seperti pengeluaran tunai, pembayaran bil setempat, tambah nilai prabayar telefon bimbit, pembayaran zakat dan perkhidmatan Tabung Haji menerusi 7,000 rangkaian MEPS di seluruh negara,” katanya.

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Bagaimana Kita Terjebak Dengan Hutang Lapuk? -by Pakdi

Source:http://www.pakdi.net/bagaimana-kita-terjebak-dengan-hutang-lapuk/
Barangkali kalian tidak pernah merancang bila sepatutnya berhutang. (Ya! merancang hutang juga perlu.) Tahu-tahu sahaja komitmen hutang terlalu tinggi menyebabkan setiap bulan duit gaji cukup-cukup sahaja.

Hati-hati kepada kalian yang belum mengalami situasi ini. Rancang wang (dan hutang) dari sekarang!

Berikut adalah 5 situasi yang selalu menyebabkan kita berhutang yang bersifat hutang lapuk (bad debt):

1. Hutang kerana perkahwinan

Perbelanjaan kahwin pada hari ini amatlah besar. Dalam buku Rancang Wang Dari Sekarang (RWDS), saya menganggarkan kos perkahwinan di bandar khususnya mencecah paling sedikit RM 30,000.

Justeru, kalian yang masih belum berkahwin tetapi sudah berpacaran, jangan terlalu seronok bercinta sahaja. Rancang bagaimana kita boleh berkahwin tanpa berhutang.

2. Hutang membeli kenderaan

Penjual kereta, institusi kewangan dan bank bukan tukang rancang wang kita. Mereka adalah tukang ambil wang dari poket kita. Justeru, walaupun kita layak dan mampu membuat bayaran bulan-bulan kereta sebanyak RM 900 misalnya, belum tentu kita patut beli kereta tersebut. Awas!

Pembaca buku RWDS kini sudah mengetahui 3 cara untuk menentukan kita layak membeli kereta yang mana satu.

3. Hutang kad kredit

Kad kredit adalah bagus untuk kalian yang berdisiplin sahaja. Sekiranya kalian bukan seorang yang mampu mengajar diri sendiri disiplin kewangan yang ketat, lupakan sahaja hasrat kalian untuk mempunyai walaupun satu kad kredit.

4. Hutang membeli rumah (untuk diduduki)

Sekali lagi saya perlu mengingatkan, agen hartanah, syarikat rumah, institusi kewangan dan bank bukan perancang kewangan anda.

Kita perlu merancang dengan baik bagaimana untuk membeli rumah. Sekiranya kalian masih bujang, atau baru berkahwin cukuplah membeli rumah yang biasa-biasa sahaja seperti apartment 3 bilik tidur 2 bilik air sahaja terlebih dahulu.

Jadikan rumah yang anda bakal duduk selama 10 tahun pertama misalnya sebagai salah satu pelan pelaburan selepas 10 tahun sebelum anda membeli rumah lain yang lebih sesuai untuk pembesaran anak-anak.

5. Hutang membeli kelengkapan rumah

Banyak penjual perabot dan elektrik hari ini telah mula memperkenalkan skim ansuran mudah. Bayar serendah RM 10 sebulan selama 24 bulan misalnya. Satu perkara yang perlu kalian ingat adalah, barang elektrik hari ini cepat rosak. Adakah berbaloi untuk membeli kelengkapan rumah berharga RM 300 misalnya dengan berhutang selama 2 tahun ?

Ya, ini belum campur dengan bil-bil tertentu yang dibayar setiap bulan dengan kad kredit!

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Pengumuman:Dividen Koperasi Tentera

Dividen Koperasi Tentera akan dibayar pada 16 August 2010..Anda boleh pergi ke Koperasi Tentera yang terdekat pada hari itu untuk mengambil dividen.

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Pengumuman Bayaran Dividen Bank Persatuan

Source:www.bankpstn.com.my

Bank Persatuan:Bayaran Dividen 10% bagi tahun kewangan berakhir 31 Disember 2009 akan mulai dibayar pada 19 Julai 2010.

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Here are some learning points I got from the convention

Source:http://terra-nusa.blogspot.com/2010/07/property-convention-2010-4jul2010.html
.......Here are some learning points I got from the convention:

1- invest in yourself - buy books, attend seminars & talks
2- have a correct mindset & positive thinking
3- seminars and books are good but not good enough. You need a support group. So you are encouraged
to find a suitable and compatible, fellow property investors
4- leverage on the others' experiences, skills and network
5- act now .. take action .. not just action .. massive action
6- start investing as 'baby investor'. Don't try to prove to others that you can do better than them buy buying
the most expensive property. Learn to crawl, walk then only run.
7- Start with +ve cashflow, follow by capital appreciation. Ideal would be a combination of both.
8- the number of property you bought is not important but how much your +ve cashflow is
9- Pros and cons of residential property vs commercial property investment
10- Which property to buy if you want financial freedom and financial independence
11- Have a plan for both entry and exit.
12- Don't get too emotional or attached to your property.. You should love the deal not the property
13- Invest at your own level, experience, skills and financial capabilities. For newbies, go for residential
properties. Smaller capital appreciation and less cashflow but less risky
14- Money management & many-many more

Although I knew all of the above, from reading books and attending various seminars, it is always good to listen to it over and over, especially coming from successful persons.

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Love Heals

Source:selfgrowth.com

Love Heals - By Martin Brofman

When I decided to heal myself of terminal cancer in 1976, I heard the idea that "love heals." Everyone seemed to know this, and since healing myself was now a matter of life and death for me, I decided it would be a really good idea to add this to my self-healing arsenal.

I had been diagnosed with a spinal cord tumor at the level of the neck, and it had been declared inoperable and untreatable. I had been given one or two months to the year before, and by some miracle, I was still alive -- perhaps because something in my consciousness had changed in terms of my attitude toward life.

I still had to find a way to get rid of the cancer, and the idea of using love for that sounded like something I could use. The only problem was that I was not really sure what love is, and I felt like I needed to be sure in order to use it for my healing.

I looked around at what people were calling love, and much of it didn't make sense to me as a healing force. It looked more like domination ("I love you, therefore now I tell you what to do" ) or slavery ("If I ever found him with another woman I would do this or that to him..."). Certainly, there were a lot of different ways of expressing love, but these were not the emotion itself that I needed to use.

I went to hear a conference entitled, "What is love?". The person talked for two hours, and the conclusion of the talk was, "Love is." Perhaps that made sense to the person speaking, but I knew no more than I did before.

One evening I was alone at home in a meditative space, considering the question of love, and a symbol appeared on the wall, which I understood as a message from my Spirit. It was heart with light shining from the center, and the number "1" visible through the center and extending to the outside of the heart, with the word, "Acceptance," written below.

For me, this was the key to the opening of my heart chakra, understanding the true nature of love, and knowing when I was feeling that force that heals.

I used the symbol as a visual meditation, seeing different messages in it each time I looked, and understanding that this was because of the nature of my perceptual filter each time I looked at it, according to what I was feeling or going through that day.

One day it said to me, "Acceptance is Number 1." Another day the message was, "Open your heart. Look inside. See the light." Another time it was "Accept your individuality, and the individuality of others."

I could relate to Acceptance as something I could use to raise my vibration from a solar plexus place to a heart space. Accepting "what is" allowed me to emotionally accept the situation that existed, to remove the emotions about what was happening in order to be in a clear space from which I could change the situation. Accepting people as they are, rather than deciding how they should be, allowed me to let go of control, which I understood to represent tension in the solar plexus chakra, and see them from a clearer sense of freedom in the solar plexus, and in fact, to see things about them that I could appreciate, at the level of the heart chakra.

I found that if I thought of someone I judged, and the quality about them I thought was "wrong," I could ask myself if I could remember a situation in which someone else could have used those words to describe me -- and I always could. Of course, I could easily tell myself that when I was in that situation I had a good reason for doing what I was doing -- and then I could understand that perhaps, that other person might have the same good reasons -- and then I could see the other person with compassion, and perhaps not so different from myself.

I recognized when I was feeling the love, by the sensations in my heart, and I felt I had something to work with, something I could add to the other tools I was using to heal myself.

I decided that in a meditation I would surround myself with people who I know loved me, and to feel the love, the connection I felt with them. I could then take the feeling, the physical sensation that I recognized that went along with the emotion, and direct it to the part of the body that needed it, feeling that part opening to the love, accepting it, and feel something happening there, a little more each time I did it, until I felt no more symptoms. Eventually, when I went back to the doctors for a new examination, they decided they must have made a mistake.

There is a way to read the body as a map of the consciousness within, in order to determine the inner cause to a physical symptom. The key to this map is the chakras, the energy centers found in Hindu philosophy. Each chakra represents certain parts of the consciousness and certain parts of the body. When there is a symptom in a particular part of the body, we can see that it represents tension in the person's consciousness about something specific happening in their life at that time.

There is a personality profile associated with each symptom, a way of being that is not really who the person is, but rather what they have been doing. There is another personality profile associated with having no symptoms, a way of being that is always accessible in the person's consciousness, and that is who the person really is. Healing is about releasing the stressed way of being and returning to our natural state of balance. We can say that anyone with a symptom has not been themselves.

Why would someone choose to not be himself or herself? Either as an expression of love, to change in some way in order to be loved, or as a reaction to the perception that they are not loved, or would not be loved for who they really are.

When we don't feel the love, we look for evidence that it is there or not. "He did that, therefore he loves me," or, "...therefore he does not love me."

We are surrounded by people we love. An interesting question to ask ourselves is, "How much time do I spend during my day feeling the love that I have in my heart?"

Do we focus on the love, or on other issues that we have allowed to get in the way of the perceptions of love? If we have been filling our consciousness with the fears, anger, insecurity, and issues that are not really that important, we can choose instead to hold our attention on the love, and feeling the contact, reminding ourselves if we need to that this is really the most important thing in our lives, and what we need to do to remain healthy.

The more time we spend feeling the love that is always there, the more we strengthen our immune system, making it easier to release any symptoms and maintain our natural state of health and balance.

Love really DOES heal!

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Buy paper or physical?

Source:Property Times 18 March 2006 issue
By P. Rajan
If you had the cash, would you rather buying a property for investment or put your money to the fast-growing Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) market?

PropertyTimes sought the views of industry players on the pros and cons of investing in either of the two options.

“I am more in favour of REITs for the simple reason that they are highly liquid,” said Rosnani, an analyst with a research house.

“Anytime you want to cash out on your investment, you can readily do so. By comparison, properties are illiquid … try getting rid of a condo in a not-so-hot location and you’ll see what I mean.”

Besides liquidity as one of the attractions for investing in REITs, others have cited the attractive yield the instrument offers.

“The bulk of a property’s rental income flows back to the investor,” said an industry observer with ECM Libra. “It is locked-in, and the hassles of running after tenants for rent and other housekeeping issues do not arise.”

For these people, REITs, in a nutshell, offer comparatively decent returns and are easily tradable instruments, without the problems or attendant risks associated with property ownership.

Not so, according to C.S. Yow, a property investor and industry watcher as well.

“The yields one derives from REITs are regarded as passing yields obtained by renting a physical property,” he said.

“However, physical properties offer more. Besides just a yield, which may be on par with that of a REIT, it also has the propensity to appreciate.

“Over the last three decades at least, the internal rate of return (made up of recurring rent plus capital gain) of a property in general has been between 10 per cent and 15 per cent per annum, implying that values can double every seven to 10 years.

“Can a REIT do that?” he asked.

“Capital appreciation for properties,” said Rosnani, “is only in selected areas. This may not be the case in many secondary markets or new townships, where it can get worse as you wait for amenities to be put in place.”

But as Yeow pointed out, physical property is a different animal compared to a REIT and has attributes that cannot be matched easily. For instance, he said “property purchased as an investment can also be used to live in, or passed on to future generations”.

“One cannot stay in a REIT,” he added wryly.

“You should not compare a REIT with physical property investment - it is more accurate to measure it against other investment instruments, such as equities, bonds and unit trusts.”

Others concur with the view that REITs are somewhat between equities and bonds, providing yields of between six per cent and eight per cent while providing upsides for price appreciation.

In a simple survey to determine the ideal composition of a typical middle-income household’s investment portfolio, PropertyTimes discovered that currently, 40 per cent would be put in physical property; 25 per cent in bonds; 15 per cent in equities; 15 per cent as Fixed Deposit; but only five per cent in REITs.

But with avenues opening for investors to put their money in REITs containing foreign property as in the case of the AmGlobal Property Equities Fund, it could be a matter of time before there is a reprioritisation of this order.

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Nasihat dari seseorang-dari forum bicarajutawan.com

Source:http://www.bicarajutawan.com/forum/thread14019-9.html
Saya sendiri bermula agak lewat kerana tak tahu apa pasal finance ni, tak ada minat pun. Yalah sibuk kais pagi makan pagi kata org. Walaupun dpt tawaran masuk U, saya pilih untuk kerja pada umur 18 thn, gaji saya cuma RM400 masa tu. Ingat ada rumah teres sebuah dapat gaji seribu sebulan, ada bini sorang dan anak dah cukup la tu, syukur. Tak ada cita-cita langsung. Mana nak senang kalau tak ada hajat nak berjaya dan rasa puas hati dengan apa yang ada.

So bila komitmen dah bertambah mula rasa gelisah. Kena pula saya jual rumah at a lost. Mulalah terfikir macammana boleh jadi camtu? org kata beli rumah takkan rugi?? Dari situ mulalah fikir macammana agaknya nak perbaiki keadaan. Barulah minat nak tanya sana sini. Masa tu internet pun baru at its infancy so maklumat taklah berleluasa seperti sekarang ni. terpaksalah beli buku berjudulx, hadir seminar berbagai, cari maklumat korek sana korek sini, agaknya inilah yg dikatakan invest in yourself/knowledge. Saya rasa Dr tengah melalui fasa ini, which is a good thing sebab pendapat saya fasa ini tak pernah stop.

Bila dah tahu sikitx, mulalah teragakx apa nak buat ya? Ni kena jawab sendiri. Saya rasa banyak cara dan bentuk pelaburan yang disyorkan oleh mereka yang pakar dan jujur di forum ni sangat baik dan berkesan, cumanya you must decide which is best for you. Interm of specific, tak ada apa yang saya boleh tambah. Kalau tidak duduklah termanggu-manggu sudahnya paralyse terkena sindrom 'over analysed' . Pada saya knowledge tu cuma potential power.

Bila rasa dah sedia saya pun mulalah berjinak-jinak dengan bentuk perlaburan yang saya rasa selesa dan ada cukup pengetahuan nak buat sesuai dengan keadaan saya. Saya ni pun makan gaji, ada masanya kesibukan saya menyebabkan saya terputus hubungan dengan dunia luar weeks on ends. But I love my job. The things is you need to start somewhere.

Selepas saya pilih beberapa cara, saya mula bandingkan. Saya dapati semuanya lebih kurang sama seperti yang saya pelajari, maksudnya ada yg untung ada yg rugi, ada yg untung besar, kecil, cukupx makan, rugi pun sama. Semuanya sesuai dengan risk-reward ratio masingx. Tetapi saya dapati ada satu perkara yg membawa perbezaan besar antara berbagai instrumen pelaburan tersebut, at least for me. Disiplin. Kalau tak ada benda ni, memanglah kita hanyut mengikut arus. Kejap buat kejap tidak, hangat-hangat tahi ayam ni memang satu penyakit yg 'terminal' pada pandangan saya. Especially pada org kita (kena banned jugak saya nanti) Kalau dah rancang nak DCA, tentukan ikut. Kalau dah set 'trailing-loss' pastikan execute. Kalau nak simpan dalam ASB biarkan dia compound. Kalau nak terlibat dalam property buat persediaan dan cari sampai dapat. Bukanlah maksud saya kita kena rigid, tetapi mesti beri komitmen pada apa yg dah kita putuskan.

Dalam mengintai-intai peluang tu kalau tiba-tiba ada yang baik jangan, never ever back off, sayangnya kalau buang masa berjamx/harix/bulan mencari peluang lepas tu cold feet. Dah berapa kali kita dengar cerita "dulu rumah/tanah tu harganya XX ribu je, masa tu ayah/mak teh/pak ngah/pak long/uncle/......(fill in the blanks) tak ada duit/nak/ambil/sibuk". Even if at first it looks over whelming. Note of caution, saya tidak advocate supaya you 'over gear' atau ambil excessive risk. Tetapi kita kena ada 'Guts' . Kena berani. Kalau tidak back to square one. Duduklah kita dimana kita bermula tanpa sebarang improvement.

Dalam pada melabur sana sini tu, jangan lupa tampung lubang yang bocor atau sekurang-kurangnya biarlah dia kekal kecil. Tak guna kalau makin banyak masuk, makin banyak jugalah keluar. Tapi saya rasa bagi org macam kita yang pernah susah, ini tidak menjadi masaalah. Being frugal has always been part of life. Memang kita sasarkan nak senang, tapi apa salahnya kita prctice 'delayed gratification', insyaallah it will be much more gratifying later. Walaupun net worth saya dah agak ok, tapi saya tak rasa kaya. Walaupun duit pelaburan liquid saya lebih pada 7 angka, pada saya ianya cuma nombor. Saya pakai kereta jenis biasa, sesuai dengan keperluan saya, bukan jenis yang besar menjalar dan mahal walaupun saya rasa berkemampuan, biarlah dulu. Walaupun saya ada rumah yang disewakan bulanan pada kadar 5 angka, saya lebih selesa duduk dirumah saya dan tak bercadang pun untuk tinggal dirumah tersebut, pada saya ianya cuma pelaburan masa depan. (sebelum terlupa - hutang saya pun 7 angka jugak ) Bukan tujuan saya nak menunjuk tetapi sekadar berkongsi pengalaman. Saya yakin, you akan lalui benda yang sama or even better in no time.

Satu lagi, fenomena yang saya rasa agak unik dalam masyarakat kita. Kita akan ada perasaan bersalah bila kita dah senang. It does not help when our surrounding always deemed the rich as typically bad guys. Asal org kaya saja, mesti rasuah/crony/songlap/percent/.....(again fill in the blank) basically melalui cara yang tidak betul. Jadi nasihat saya jangan pedulikan pandangan org yg negative. Saya berfikir begini, kalau saya senang saya boleh beri jaminan kepada masa depan anakx saya. Sekurangxnya mereka dan anakx mereka tak duduk setinggan dan mandi kolah macam saya. Saya boleh beri kesenangan yang tak sempat dirasai oleh org tua saya kerana dulu mereka tidak berpeluang merasa senang kerana nak membesar dan memberi pendidikan/peluang supaya saya/anak cucu mereka boleh hidup senang. Umumnya saya boleh bantu org yang memerlukan dengan lebih berkesan. Inilah gunanya kekalkan low profile ni. Kalau org nak iri hati sekalipun, biarlah asalkan nawaitu kita mesti tetap dan betul. Saya rasa Rasullullah pun nakkan umatnya cemerlang dalam segenap bidang, dan pada pandangan saya zaman sekarang ni kekuatan ekonomi adalah kuncinya kepada segala-galanya.

Eh banyak dah saya membebel, I wish you and semua yang mungkin boleh dapat munafat dari coretan ni, selamat maju jaya, kalau dah kaya esok saya datang klinik nanti boleh lah bagi panadol free.

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The Secret to Getting Out of Debt: Forget Snowballs and Interest Rates

Source:http://frugaldad.com/2010/07/14/the-secret-to-getting-out-of-debt/
I was in debt for nearly ten years, and for ten years I tried every debt elimination method known to mankind. I was like the overweight person who has tried every diet, but years later finds themselves more overweight than when they started.

The last two years of my personal journey to debt freedom something finally clicked. It didn’t matter how I ordered my debts, how many half payments I made, how many times I transferred balances from card to card chasing a lower rate, or how many times I consolidated my credit card balances. The only thing that was going to get me out of debt was boosting my income.
The 70-Hour Workweek

If you don’t do something radical to improve your income, you will be in debt forever. I hate to break that news to those still in debt who spend their nights creating elaborate repayment plans while dropping Netflix memberships to create an extra $15 to throw towards a $37,000 credit card balance. That’s like trying to dip out the ocean with a teaspoon. You obviously need a much bigger spoon.

So how does one go about increasing their income – particularly those already busting their butt 50 hours a week in a full-time job, trying to be a devoted spouse, a parent to their kids and run a household? The answer: more work.

For a short period of time you need to find more work. Easier said than done, particularly in an economy where unemployment is high and even part-time jobs are scarce. I started my final push to debt freedom in December 2007, so I understand just how bad timing can be. But you can’t use the broader economy as your excuse to staying in debt, limiting your opportunities and stifling your dreams of financial independence.

Exactly what am I saying here? I’m saying you need to work another 20-30 hours a week earning money for the sole purpose of repaying debt. I don’t care what you do (as long as it is legal), but maximize those 20-30 hours to earn as much as possible.

Part-time retail work at minimum wage may not be the answer. Starting your own business may require capital – something you probably don’t have much of if you are in debt. At great risk of sounding like a back-of-the-magazine ad, I highly recommend considering a low-cost opportunity you can do from home. Maybe something related to your full-time gig that doesn’t conflict with your full-time gig.

If you are a teacher, consider tutoring at night and on the weekends. If you are a programmer, consider doing some freelance work. If you like doing yard work, offer to mow lawns for friends and neighbors. And no matter what you decide, start a blog and write about it – landscaping, programming, child care, pet sitting, delivering pizza – all interesting topics that you can develop into an interesting blog if you put your personal touch on it.

I was interested in finance and frugality. I used to work in the financial industry. I also enjoyed writing. It only seemed natural to declare my side hustle writing about finances (after mowing lawns and part-time work wasn’t yielding enough money to make significant dents in our debts).
Idle Hands are Useless at Paying Off Debt

So that’s not quite how the saying goes, but comparing debt to the devil’s workshop was a stretch (then again, maybe not). The point is that while you are sleeping in, watching television, or “just relaxing,” you are essentially wasting time that could be spent developing a second income stream to pay off debt.

I know you work hard, and you have a family, and you deserve a break. You can rest after you are debt free. For now, you need to work.

After starting Frugal Dad, I made a goal to get up every morning at 4:30am to answer emails, comment on other blogs, write new content, research and do anything else I could do to help build my blog before heading off to my full-time job. Those three hours each weekday morning were some of the most productive times of my life. I was completely focused on my mission.

On lunch breaks, I carried a memo pad and pen and brainstormed ideas for topics. At night, after the kids were in bed, I set things up for the next day, reviewed daily statistics, etc. On the weekend, I carved out a few hours dedicated to trying to get ahead for the next week. I banked a couple posts, cleared my inbox and read 20 other blogs in the personal finance niche to stay current.

It wasn’t easy. My first month blogging I earned $33.88 – that’s only a fraction more than a dollar a day. But I pushed ahead. In six months, I had earned a total of $4,600 (after taxes) to go towards debt repayment. Now I was getting somewhere.

I stayed at it for two more years from that point, and my family just recently celebrated debt freedom. I can’t say it was easy. There were a couple times I wanted to quit. There were many setbacks. There were more than a couple times we were tested with a medical emergency, or something breaking, but we just refused to stop until we got back to zero.
Snowballs, Interest Rates and Spending are Still Important

The order you pay back your debts with the money you earn from your 70-hour workweek is still important. And of course, if you don’t reduce, or at least hold firm, your spending, you will simply spend all this new money and remain in debt (I like to describe this as running faster on the treadmill while someone increases the speed – you’ll sweat a lot harder, but get nowhere).

There are risks associated with working a 70-hour workweek. It puts a strain on your physical health. Relationships may be strained as well. Your social aptitude will suffer. You won’t have a clue who won American Idol, that Lost is finally over, or who’s playing in the Superbowl. It’s alright; you can catch up later.

Despite the risks, the rewards are 100% worth the effort. Since paying off our credit card and school debts, my wife and I have felt more freedom to enjoy life than any point in our 12-year marriage.

We were able to buy our first home (and now we’ll work to pay off our mortgage early, though not quite as hard). We own our cars free and clear. We have an emergency fund for the first time in our lives. We are beginning to learn about investing and savings products that we could never afford. And most importantly, we have options.

Debt has a way of trapping you – in bad jobs, in bad relationships, in bad locations. It’s a suffocating financial cancer that eats away at your future dollars, and your current enjoyment. It adds immeasurable risk to your life. It is not to be ignored for another moment.

You simply cannot win, financially, while you keep debt around. Draw a line in the sand today – no more new debt…ever. Make a plan to boost your income. Make a plan to reduce your expenses. Throw every single extra dollar that comes into your life towards that debt. You aren’t throwing it away, you are investing it in your financial future.

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Berita KPF

MESYUARAT AGUNG PERWAKILAN TAHUNAN KE 29, BERSETUJU 10% DIVIDEN DAN 4% BONUS DIBAYAR TUNAI.

Mesyuarat Agung Perwakilan Tahunan (MAT) Koperasi Permodalan Felda Malaysia Berhad (“KPF”) Yang Ke 29, telah diadakan pada hari Khamis, 24 Jun 2010, jam 3.00 petang bertempat di Dewan Perdana FELDA, Jalan Maktab, Kuala Lumpur. Mesyuarat ini telah dihadiri seramai 1,040 perwakilan dari seluruh negara.

MAT ini juga telah memperakui 10.0% dividen dan 4% bonus dibayar tunai. Pengiraan dividen dan bonus ini adalah secara purata berdasarkan baki syer terendah bulanan dan kekal menjadi anggota sehingga 31 Disember 2009. Dividen dan bonus ini dibayar setelah ditolak zakat perniagaan.



Bagi bayaran awal, hanya 10% dividen dibayar kepada anggota mulai 1 Julai 2010, manakala baki 4% bonus akan dibayar apakala mendapat kelulusan Suruhanjaya Koperasi Malaysia kelak.

PRESTASI 2009



ANGGOTA DAN MODAL SYER

Anggota KPF bertambah sebanyak 6.69% kepada 207,913 (2008:194,873) manakala modal syer anggota meningkat sebanyak 12.15% kepada RM1.46 bilion (2008:RM1.30 bilion).



Bilangan anggota Kumpulan Peneroka bertambah sebanyak 6.9% kepada 182,578 (2008:170,800). Kumpulan ini merupakan 87.81% daripada jumlah anggota KPF.



Jumlah modal syer yang dimiliki oleh peneroka dan keluarga mereka turut bertambah sebanyak 9.36% kepada RM1.02 bilion (2008:RM0.94 bilion). Jumlah modal syer yang dimiliki oleh Koperasi peneroka pula ialah sebanyak RM28.33 juta (2008:RM25.68 juta). Kumpulan Peneroka merupakan pemilik terbesar modal syer iaitu sebanyak RM1.05 bilion yang merupakan 72.08 % daripada keseluruhan modal syer, dengan purata pemilikan sebanyak RM5,763 (2008:RM5,634).



Anggota daripada Kumpulan Kakitangan pula iaitu seramai 25,335, merupakan 12.19% daripada jumlah anggota KPF. Kumpulan ini memegang syer sebanyak RM407.58 juta ataupun 27.92% daripada keseluruhan modal syer anggota.


PELABURAN

Pelaburan KPF telah mencecah RM2 bilion iaitu mencatatkan pertumbuhan sebanyak 18.14% (2008:RM1.69 bilion). Teras utama pelaburan KPF ialah pemilikan ekuiti dalam 11 buah Syarikat Kumpulan FELDA melalui pegangan sebanyak 255.89 juta unit saham dengan kos pelaburan sebanyak RM353.6 juta.



Sepanjang tahun 2009, pelaburan-pelaburan utama KPF ialah urusniaga pasaran sekuriti (RM547.24 juta), pelaburan usahasama/terokaan modal (RM385.34 juta), hartanah (RM235.55 juta), bon (RM64.83 juta), Amanah Raya Berhad (RM70.26 juta), Bank Koperasi (RM37.68 juta) dan Saham Amanah (RM20 juta).



KPF terus mengambil peluang memiliki saham dalam syarikat luar yang berdaya maju apabila mengambil 20% pegangan ekuiti dalam syarikat Teo Seng Capital dengan nilai pelaburan sebanyak RM18.60 juta. Pelaburan KPF dalam 15 buah syarikat usahasama/luar meningkat kepada RM385.34 juta iaitu pertambahan sebanyak 38.04% berbanding pada tahun lalu (2008:RM279.14 juta).



Pelaburan hartanah bernilai RM235.55 juta (2008:RM174.71 juta) telah mencatatkan pertumbuhan sebanyak 34.82%, melalui pembelian bangunan korporat Southgate di Jalan Sg. Besi berharga RM226 juta, 2 lot tanah di Bandar Baru Bangi berharga RM11.64 juta dan sebuah rumah kedai tiga tingkat di Pusat Komersil Bandar Jengka, berharga RM0.59 juta. Bangunan korporat Southgate dijangka siap sebelum akhir 2011, manakala lot-lot tanah di Bandar Baru Bangi dirancang untuk pembinaan sebuah kompleks yang menempatkan sebuah hotel, “Service Apartment” dan “Garden Restaurant”.



Pelaburan hartanah ini dijangka mampu memberi pulangan sekurang-kurangnya sebanyak 8% setahun.


KEUNTUNGAN

Pada tahun 2009 KPF memperolehi pendapatan sebanyak RM369.19 juta, meningkat 45.25% berbanding tempoh yang sama tahun lalu (2008:RM254.18 juta), mencatatkan pencapaian yang tertinggi sejak ditubuhkan 30 tahun lalu. Dividen kasar daripada Syarikat-syarikat FELDA telah memberikan pulangan sebanyak RM289.69 juta, menyumbang 78.47% daripada jumlah pendapatan keseluruhan KPF (2008: 75.86%).



Keuntungan bersih sebelum cukai ialah sebanyak RM328.72 juta, meningkat sebanyak 40.26% berbanding tahun lalu (2008:RM234.36 juta).



Pada tahun ini zakat perniagaan yang akan dibayar ialah sebanyak RM10.90 juta meningkat 62.13% berbanding RM6.72 juta pada tahun lalu.



Keuntungan selepas bayaran cukai dan zakat iaitu sebanyak RM211.80 juta, meningkat 31.86% berbanding tahun lalu (2008:RM160.62 juta).





TIGA PEGAWAI KANAN FELDA DAN TIGA PERWAKILAN KEKAL MENGANGGOTAI LEMBAGA KPF SESI 2010/2011

Tiga orang Pegawai Kanan yang dicalonkan oleh FELDA dipilih menganggotai Lembaga KPF bagi sesi 2010/2011, untuk jawatan-jawatan berikut:



Nama


Jawatan


Jawatan

Y.Bhg. Dato’ Dzulkifli Abd Wahab


Pengarah Besar


Pengerusi

Encik Suhaimi Zainuddin


Timbalan Pengarah Besar

(Pembangunan


Setiausaha

Encik Abidin Abd Rahman


Timbalan Pengarah Besar

(Pengurusan & Kewangan)


Bendahari


Tiga Anggota Lembaga yang tamat tempoh perkhidmatan mereka Encik Abdul Latif Othman (Seremban), Encik Abdul Majid Abdullah (Bukit Ramun) dan Puan Saodah Sudi (Air Tawar 5) turut dipilih semula sebagai Anggota Lembaga bagi sesi 2010/2011.

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7 Perkara Tahyul Dalam Pelaburan -by Pakdi

Source:http://www.pakdi.net/7-perkara-tahyu-dalam-pelaburan/
Kita semua adalah manusia biasa. Ada buat salah dan silap. Apa yang penting jangan sampai buat perkara yang menjadi dosa besar. Antara dosa besar adalah kita percaya perkara tahyul, iaitu perkara yang karut-marut ini.

Apabila kita mempunyai tanggapan yang tidak betul, maka kita akan silap dalam langkah seterusnya tidak akan buat untung dalam pelaburan. Maklumlah, ada sahaja idea dan kefahaman salah yang kita pegang.

1. Percaya ada produk pelaburan paling sempurna

Beli hari ni, tutup mata, tidur, esok lusa untung. Amboi amboi …

Cari bidang pelaburan yang anda faham. Misalnya, pasaran saham sifatnya cair. Er, mudah nak beli dan jual semula. Walaupun begitu, saham yang dibeli boleh jadi tidak bernilai walaupun harganya tinggi sewaktu kita beli.

Bukan saham, emas, hartanah, pasaran hadapan, MLM dan sebagainya yang jadikan kita kaya, tetapi apa yang kita tahu mengenai bidang-bidang tersebut yang menjadikan kita berduit.

2. Percaya ada teknik pelaburan paling sempurna

Sudahlah mahu cari produk yang paling sempurna, mahu pula tahu teknik pelaburan yang paling hebat. Sedangkan, tidak ada teknik pelaburan yang sempurna.

Walaupun rumah lelong dibeli dengan harga di bawah harga pasaran, tetapi jika kita tidak buat site inspection terlebih dahulu tidak mustahil kita beli rumah yang sudah rosak teruk. Apa yang kita perlu buat adalah cari teknik yang kita faham, bukannya holy grail system.

3. Percaya sifu sentiasa betul, jadi ikut sahaja

“Hari ni sifu beli CPO harga berapa?”

Warren Buffett, manusia paling kaya hanya dengan aktiviti pelaburan pun pernah buat silap dengan kerugian beratus US$ juga. Sifu juga manusia biasa. Cumanya, perbezaan utama anak murid dan sifu adalah …

4. Percaya cara masuk (entry) lebih penting dari keluar (exit strategy)

Pelabur professional sentiasa ada jalan untuk keluar, baik ketika rugi mahupun ketika untung. Masuk cukup cuma satu pintu, tetapi untuk keluar mesti ada banyak pintu. Malangnya, ramai dari kita hanya berminat mahu tahu yang mana satu pintu masuk tetapi pintu keluar langsung tidak mahu ambil tahu.

Jangan beli beli dan beli sahaja tetapi tidak tahu bagaimana untuk jual.

Ya, exit strategy adalah lebih penting dari entry strategy. Semua orang boleh beli, tetapi bukan semua orang boleh beli dan jual semula dengan keuntungan.

5. Percaya high risk mesti high return

Saya pemalu orangnya bila masuk bab memasak (ayat cover untuk beritahu saya tidak pandai masak). Adakah patut Istana Negara melantik saya menjadi chef untuk majlis santapan diRaja? Orang kata high risk high return bukan ?

Risiko ditentukan sejauh mana kita faham dengan sesuatu pelaburan dan bagaimana kita menguruskan risiko.

6. Mesti sentiasa optimis. Fikir untung untung untung.

Betul, kita melabur untuk buat untung. Tidak ada orang melabur untuk rugi.

Sesungguhnya untuk menjadi pelabur yang berjaya, kita perlu fikir yang buruk-buruk dahulu kemudian baru fikir yang untung. Sekiranya kita terus fikir yang untung-untung sahaja, kita akan dikuasai emosi; emosi pula adalah satu alam misteri.

7. Orang lain akan fikirkan pelaburan saya

Jangan perasan. Tiada siapa fikirkan mengenai diri kita.

Cuba fikir semula, bila kita menatap gambar kita yang diambil beramai-ramai dengan rakan kita, wajah siapa yang kita cari dulu? Diri sendiri, Sudin, Hawa atau Tom ?

Kita pun tak tengok orang lain dulu dan peliknya, kita berharap pula orang lain tengok diri kita dulu. Begitu juga dalam pelaburan. Orang lain tidak ambil peduli mengenai kita melainkan kita ada sesuatu untuk mereka.

Be in control of your own investment.

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Good Debt vs. Bad Debt

Source:http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/109993/good-debt-vs-bad-debt?mod=oneclick

Debt is a concept as intricately intertwined with America these days as baseball, Mom and apple pie.

The amount of personal debt in this country is ever-increasing, and a large part of the reason is that credit has never been easier to get. Whereas credit card issuers previously looked for customers who could repay, today card issuers relish the chance to reel in those who'll continuously charge beyond their means at 18 percent or 20 percent.

But debt is a complex concept. Not all of it is good -- a fact a surprising number of Americans fail to realize until they're in the hole -- and yet not all of it is bad. When used intelligently, debt can be of tremendous assistance in building wealth.

One of the secrets, therefore, to being smart with your money is to differentiate between good debt and bad debt. While the differences often seem logical, it is a logic that apparently is missed by many Americans.

"When you buy something that goes down in value immediately, that's bad debt," says David Bach, CEO of Finish Rich Inc., and author of "The Finish Rich Workbook." "If it has no potential to increase in value, that's bad debt."

Good Debt

"Good debt is investment debt that creates value; for example, student loans, real estate loans, home mortgages and business loans," says Eric Gelb, CEO of Gateway Financial Advisors and author of "Getting Started in Asset Allocation."
Robert D. Manning, a professor of finance at the Rochester Institute of Technology, also recommends taking on debts that are tax-deductible and debts that produce more wealth in the long run.

Good Debt

• Mortgage
• School Loan
• Real Estate Loan
• Business Loan

Bad Debt

• Credit Card
• Store Credit Card
• Auto Loan

"If you are talking about reducing current debt, that's where it starts to get nuanced," says Manning. "If you take a home equity loan because you have 17 percent credit card, and you go with a 6 percent loan that's tax-deductible, that's good debt."

These general rules of thumb set some clear delineations -- buying a home or refinancing to get rid of excessively high rates is usually good debt, as is generating debt to buy high-return stocks, bonds and other investments.

Bad Debt

The concept of bad debt comes in when discussing the purchase of disposable items or durable goods using high-interest credit cards and not paying the balance in full.
"The trouble is most people are not organized enough to retire the entire balance before the due date," says Gelb.

Every month that you make a partial payment on your credit account you are charged interest. The disposable or durable item you purchased continues to lose value, and the amount you paid for it continues to increase.

"When you buy clothes, they're probably worth less than 50 percent what you pay for them when you walk out the door," says Bach. "So if you borrowed to pay for them, that's bad debt."

Credit Rating Effect

Not to mention what that debt could potentially do to your credit rating. "Total personal debt should not exceed 36 percent of your total income," says Gelb.
Keeping the debt-to-income ratio in mind, it's also important not to miss payments. "Missed payments are trouble," he says. "A representative of Citibank said if you don't pay within 30 days, they report that to the credit bureaus."

When it comes to buying durable goods that won't contribute to wealth generation, Bach offers a basic rule of thumb. "My grandma used to say that if you're going to buy something that doesn't go up in value, and you can't afford to pay cash, then you can't afford it."

Exacerbating the bad debt factor is that people will apply for store credit for the savings offers that say if you open a credit card account today, you can take 10 percent to 20 percent off the cost of your purchase. What people often don't realize is how much of that savings will be destroyed by the high interest rate on the card if they fail to pay for the items immediately.

"You can open a store credit card account," says Bach, "and what they're not telling you is that after the first few months, the rate jumps to 20 percent or greater."

Driving Into Debt

Another bad debt area is auto debt. While most people need an automobile, and the ultimate cost of an auto is higher than many people can pay in one lump sum, the way people go about it -- namely, purchasing more car than they need -- turns it into bad debt.

When is it worth it?

"What we would normally consider bad debt can turn into good debt in certain circumstances," says Catie Fitzgerald, a personal finance coach and registered investment adviser in Henderson, Nev. "If you use debt to buy a car that gets better gas mileage than your old vehicle, you could end up better off financially."

Bach considers auto debt a Catch-22. "People borrow to buy cars before homes," says Bach, "and that's unfortunate. For most people, their first major loan is a car loan. That's guaranteed to go down in value. So you really want to borrow less. For example, instead of rushing out to borrow to buy a $50,000 BMW, you'd be better off buying a $25,000 car."

The Best Debt

The best type of debt is debt that builds wealth over the long run, and the No. 1 example of that is mortgage debt.

"Home values have increased an average of 6.5 percent a year over the past 30 years," says Bach. "So when you borrow to buy a home, chances are that's good debt. You'll build value."

Bach heavily promotes the idea of homeownership, saying that everyone needs to own where they live. "About 40 percent of Americans are renters," says Bach, "and the fastest way to wealth in America is buying where you live."

Bach cites some shocking numbers to back this up. "The average renter has a median net worth of $4,000, and the average homeowner has a median net worth of about $150,000."

Manning also emphasizes what a good time this is to build wealth through debt. "This is the most advantageous time ever to be in debt," says Manning, "in terms of opportunities to get low-interest loans or to renegotiate or refinance."

Duh, Debt?

One of the reasons so many Americans seem mired in bad debt (Bach reports that the average American carries approximately $8,400 in credit card debt) is that financial education is pratically nonexistent. "This type of commonsense stuff isn't taught in school," says Bach, "and most Americans don't realize how bad high-rate credit cards are hurting them."

Fitzgerald advises teaching your children the difference between good debt (debt that's used to buy assets that grow in value over time) and bad debt (debt that's used to buy things that will lose value) early on.

Gelb opts for a more hands-on approach. "Give your children an allowance (without strings) beginning when they're in kindergarten and offer them the opportunity to perform extra jobs around the house for money. Stop buying them everything, and teach them how to make choices with their own money-buying decisions." The mistakes they make will help them learn and grow.

"People are getting in debt before they have a job," says Manning. "Education is important. We used to encourage kids to save, and that has been missed. Students now refer to their credit cards as 'yuppie food stamps'. They see cards as entitlement, and see they will be in debt all their lives."

Fitzgerald recommends teaching by example. Treat credit cards like emergency safety nets and your children will likely learn some money management skills. "If you have to use your credit card, immediately revise your budget, paring back on nonessential spending. Allocate the saved dollars to a pay-off plan to bring your debt balance down to zero as soon as possible," she says.

Leslie Hunt contributed to this story.

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Investing for Cash Flow vs. Capital Gain

Source:kclau.com
2008 you bought an apartment directly from a well-known developer. 2010, you sold the apartment and make RM100,000. It was a handsome profit!

2007, you subscribe for a new company IPO (initial public offering). You successfully purchase a few thousand units. 2009, you liquidate all your holding of the shares and make RM50,000 net gain. It was a successful trade!

1st of May, 2009, the domain name Ad.com was sold for the hefty sum of $1.4 million, ranking it among some of the year’s top-selling premium names. Its cost is just a few dollars to the first owner who registered it.

Undoubtedly, you can make a lot of money by flipping – buying something at a lower price and then sell it for a higher price, provided that you can find the willing buyer. This is called “investing for capital gain”.

This breed of investors makes lots of money. But there is another style of investing, besides investing for capital gain.
Different style of investing (not for capital gain)

Case #1
Mr. Tan bought an existing three-storey shop in 2004. The commercial building is rented to a restaurant at the ground floor, an insurance agency on the second floor, and a tuition centre on the third floor. He has a positive cash flow of RM2000 per month and keeps increasing year after year due to rental inflation.

Case #2
John bought a blue chip share during the economy crisis back in 1997. The public company is a manufacturer of daily products and pay handsome dividend annually. John never thought of selling the shares. He is very satisfied with the dividend payment cheque he receives every year.

Case #3
Fannie bought an existing blog in 2008. She changed a couple of things on the website and poured her hard work into marketing it. She is now making a few thousand dollars from the blog every month, even though she had retired from the active role of managing the website by the way of outsourcing.

Now, you can see that these cases are different from the flipping strategy we discussed earlier. Mr. Tan, John and Fannie make money by “investing for cash flow”. Although they do not consider selling their investment possessions, I believe that the value of their investment had increased. The capital gain is just a bonus if they choose to liquidate the investment.
Which investing style do you prefer?

Which style do you prefer? Which style of investing is safer, in your opinion? and WHY?
Tell us in the comment section below. And also please make your vote.

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BFR & BLR Increase Again From 6.05% to 6.30% Effect From 13 July 2010

Source:http://www.horlic.com/bfr-blr-increase-again-from-6-05-to-6-30-effect-from-13-july-2010/

Base financing rate (BFR) and base lending rate (BLR) increase again!!! With effect from 13 July 2010, both BFR and BLR will be raised to 6.30% per annum from 6.05% per annum.

First Increment (March 2010) = 5.55% to 5.80%
Second Increment (May 2010) = 5.80% to 6.05%
Third Increment (July 2010) = 6.05% to 6.30%

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The Nature of Character

Source:http://www.anthonyfernando.com/
James Glover, a newly graduated teacher, stood at the front of his classroom preparing for another battle.

He glanced at the students as they filed into class – Worn out sneakers, shirts untucked, shoulders slumped. What could his English class give these kids that would help them with the problems they faced in the real world?

He had tried reaching out to them and he knew that he’d failed, but today he was going to try a different approach.

“OK everyone, grab a seat and listen up!

“Today we’re going to talk about the nature of character. So… Damon, what does character mean to you?”

The heavyset boy in the second row shifted in his seat uncomfortably before replying, “Umm, character is the people in a story?”

“You’re right Damon, characters are the people in a story, but the nature of character goes much deeper than that. Let me show you something.”

James lifted two plastic trays up on to his desk so that everyone in the class could see them. In each tray sat a large sponge. He then produced two glass jugs. The first contained clear water and the second contained dark brown drain water.

The young teacher poured the clear water into the first tray and the brown water into the second tray.

“OK, who can tell me what’s happening here?”

“The sponges are soaking up the water?” replied the usually quiet Sharon.

“That’s right Sharon, the sponges are soaking up the water that surrounds them.

“And that’s exactly how we develop our sense of character. We absorb the ideas of the people around us just like these sponges soak up the water.

“If we surround ourselves with supportive, optimistic people we gradually develop a positive character,” said the young teacher indicating the tray containing the clean water.

He then motioned towards the second tray.

“On the other hand, if we continually associate with pessimistic and cynical people, we gradually develop a negative character.”

James paused and noticed that the background chatter that usually filled the class was absent.

“Now what happens when I take the sponges out of the water?” he asked as he lifted up the sponges, one in each hand.

The class looked puzzled.

“How do they look?” prompted James.

“They look the same to me” said Damon and the class responded with a ripple of laughter.

“You’re right Damon, they do look the same on the outside, but there’s one important difference.

“Watch what happens when I squeeze the sponges.” James squeezed the first sponge and clear water flowed back into the tray. He then squeezed the second sponge and released a steady stream of dark liquid.

“You see, even when I remove the sponges from their trays, they still carry their water with them. Its only when I squeeze the sponges that we can really see what’s inside them.

“The same thing happens with us,” continued James, “When we leave our familiar environment, we still carry our character inside us and when life puts us under pressure, our true character emerges from within.”

The class was quiet as they reflected on James story.

For Damon Washington, this was a timely message. Since moving schools he’d been spending time with a group of neighborhood kids who had a very negative view of the world.

In a moment of insight that belied his years, Damon realized that his new ‘friends’ were a lot like the dark brown water in Mr. Glover’s second tray. Perhaps his Mom was right after all – perhaps he did need to find some new friends…

At the end of the period, as the students filed out of the classroom, James Glover received the most rewarding compliment of his teaching career when Damon paused at the door and said, “That thing with the sponges was pretty cool Mr G.”

—

Today I’d like to encourage you to take Mr Glover’s lesson on board.

Make the decision to spend your time with motivated, optimistic people. By doing this you will gradually soak up the thoughts and ideas necessary to develop a positive character.

And when the time comes and life puts you under pressure, you’ll be able to draw upon this reservoir and your true character will emerge from within.

Until next time,
Dare To Dream,
Anthony

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How Much Money Do You Need to Be Satisfied?

Source:http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/110009/how-much-money-do-you-need-to-be-satisfied

Two new research papers argue that money can buy life satisfaction, but not happy feelings -- and that earnings beyond $75,000 a year don't buy a lot more happiness.

First, a Gallup survey of 136,000 people in 132 nations found higher income is strongly correlated with how people evaluate their lives, but only moderately with day-to-day positive feelings. The study appears in the July issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

"Does money make people happy? We must say it increases the likelihood that they will be satisfied a lot," says study co-author and psychologist Ed Diener of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in a statement. "In our study of richest people, there were a few very unhappy people."

Researchers crafted several ways to measure different types of well-being: First, they asked respondents to do big-picture assessment of their lives, ranking themselves on an imaginary ladder from zero to 10 (with 10 representing "the best possible life for you" and zero the worst possible life). They found that life satisfaction rises significantly with household income.

"Life satisfaction is a judgment about life -- one sits back and reflects," Diener explains. "People spend most of their time making and spending money, and it is one of the big long-range goals for most people, and so it affects life satisfaction." That link between money and satisfaction was consistent across different nations, age groups, economic classes, gender and both rural and urban dwellers.

The survey also measured happiness in another way: Respondents were asked about their experiences of the previous day: Did they have a lot of positive feelings (enjoyment and smiling/laughing) or negative feelings (anger, sadness, worry and depression)? Were they treated with respect? Did they have the opportunity to do what they do best, learn something new and choose how their time was spent?

Using the Ladder

These attributes -- what Diener calls "social capital and mastery" -- had a more significant impact on day-to-day positive feelings than income. "Social capital means having others one can count on, being respected, and so forth -- and this predicts positive feelings," Diener explains.

"Mastery means learning new things and using one's abilities -- again, this predicted positive feelings. Whereas life satisfaction reflects whether people are obtaining their values and goals in a long-term and big-picture sense, positive feelings seem to arise from momentary things that are prewired, since feeling good about the support of others and about using skills are both necessary for humans to thrive and survive."

In separate study, Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton of Princeton University analyzed more than 450,000 responses to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, a daily survey of 1,000 U.S. residents from 2008 to 2009. This survey also used the "ladder" scale and asked questions about emotional experiences in the prior day.

The authors found that while hedonic well-being -- or happy feelings -- rises with income, it plateaus around $75,000 -- although life satisfaction ratings continue to improve. Moreover, lower income exacerbated the emotional pain associated with poor health, divorce and being alone.

"More money does not necessarily buy more happiness, but less money is associated with emotional pain," the authors write. "Perhaps $75,000 is a threshold beyond which further increases of income no longer improve people's ability to do what matters most to their emotional well-being: spending time with people they like, avoiding pain and disease and enjoying leisure. It is also likely that when income rises beyond this value the increased ability to purchase positive experiences is balanced, on average, by some negative effects.

"Our data ... do not imply that people will not be happy with a raise from $100,000 to $150,000, or that they will be indifferent to an equivalent drop of income," they continue. "Changes of income in the high range certainly have emotional consequences. What the data suggest is that above a certain level of stable income, people's emotional well-being is constrained by other factors in their temperament and their life circumstances."

Both studies raise an important question: What is it about income that makes people satisfied with their lives? Is it the stack of cash in the bank; the means to afford basic needs and luxuries; psychological intangibles that tend to come with money, such as status; or the ability to achieve important long-term values and goals -- such as funding a child's college education?

"I wonder if the 'strong' association between income and satisfaction is really a surrogate for something else, such as having a successful career, or having travel or experiential opportunities that you don't otherwise have," argues Kennon Sheldon, psychologist at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Researchers in the global study did examine some of those issues by asking households a range of other questions, including whether there were times in the past year when they did not have enough money for food or for shelter; whether they felt satisfied with their standard of living; and whether they had a television, computer and access to Internet.

Not surprisingly, the one-quarter of respondents who said basic needs were not met reported lower life satisfaction. But researchers were surprised to find that the satisfaction with standard of living and the overall evaluation of life were more highly correlated in wealthy than in economically underdeveloped nations.

This undermines the notion that money is most important when it helps meet basic needs -- and suggests that the connection between higher income and life evaluation rests on the ability to fulfill material aspirations.

Relatively Speaking

Part of the reason may be that people in developed consumer economies have been socialized to value both material achievements and competition, and so they feel satisfied if they have more than the Joneses.

The "ladder" scale invites relative comparisons, says Carol Graham, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of the new book "Happiness Around the World: The Paradox of Happy Peasants and Miserable Millionaires."

"More framed questions -- such as the best possible life ladder -- put the whole thing in relative terms, and then it is not a surprise that people think more in income terms and their relative position," she explains. "More open-ended questions, like 'generally speaking how happy are you with your life' or even an even more pure measure of effect, such as 'how frequently did you smile yesterday' elicit other emotions/conceptions of happiness and correlate much less closely with income. The ladder question relates more to how people think about what they want to achieve in their life, the latter questions about how people feel about their lives, relationships and so on."

Graham tested these questions against each other in a survey of people in Afghanistan. "I found that people in Afghanistan were happier than the world average and smiled as often as Latin Americans did, but Afghans scored much lower than the world average when asked the framed best possible life question," she notes. "They know where they stand in relative terms, in other words, despite being naturally cheerful."

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Land Story

Source:http://investkk.com/land-story/
This acticles contributed by selfmade deca-millionaire, CEO of listed company and currently venture into property development in KK. His meja project comprising mix development expected to be launched soon. Let us learn from the best..

The relativity of long term, medium term and short term- depending on the trade you are in, this has different meanings in actual time. For the commodity speculator, long term could be a week and short term could be a few hours! But for most of us, long term could mean around 5 years, medium term would be around 1-3 years and short term would be less than 6 months. For most retail investors in property, the above criteria would hold true. But the big money is made by people who can think even generations ahead! I realized that one reason why the Chinese as a race become relatively wealthy, no matter where in the world they are, is due to their willingness to think, act and invest in relatively longer terms than most other races. Chinese parents invest their resources not just for themselves or their children but also for their grandchildren AND great grandchildren! The implications of this trait which has become a habit, are quite revealing because it influences how they invest. Many Chinese families who started as small holders, tapping rubber, cultivating palm oil, cocoa, pepper etc have now amassed huge acreages of land which have become very valuable as development in the towns and cities reach their boundaries. Bangsar, Damansara, Kenny Hills, Ampang, Petaling Jaya, Subang were once plantation land. The ability to finance land banking through cash flow generated from agriculture is probably one of the savviest and safest ways to invest! Many of the big plantation companies in modern day context have built up extremely valuable land banks and are poised to reap the benefits from both an agricultural commodity boom as well as land development boom. Companies like IOI, Asiatic Development, KL Kepong, Guthries, Boustead, Sime Darby are some examples. Many years ago, the CEO of a multinational palm oil company remarked to me “We have been in the palm oil business in a big way for over 100 years yet the sale of this 1 estate eclipses all the accumulative profits we made from palm oil operations since we began!”- that estate was in Damansara!

My idea…

Land is the first property that I ever accumulated in my portfolio. I always believe that land has no market value and its worth to buy as long as its reasonably priced. Land prices continue to go up in general and it has been proven that wealth main booster is vacant land. Looking backwards when I started accumulating vacant land in Kudat (year 2005), the prices are ranging from RM4K – RM12 per acres @ RM0.10-RM0.30 per square feet which is very cheap. Comparing to current transacted prices which is ranging from RM25k-RM35K per acre @ RM0.60-RM0.80 per square feet. On average market value has up by 600% over my invested cost. Imaging if you own 30 acres @ RM 150K / RM5 per acres..now easily worth RM 750K! Yes capital appreciation of RM600K within 5 years. As long as I dont sell, I believe the value will gradually maintain and going up consistently with current inflation rate. So far I haven’t found a very good reason why I should let go the land for fast profit. I might keep all my land under my portfolio for my next generation. At current lifestyle, spending habits and attitudes of acquiring new asset, I believe whatever I have is more than enough for myself. These I’m more into building asset for my next generation.

Time will proof how well your investment strategy works over time. There is no magic in this games. You only need some capital, time and guts to built your wealth!! Remember waiting is the cost for those who keep waiting for the right prices. Profit will be rewarded for those who already own the land and the longer they wait the higher the profit will be. These buy and wait is still proven the best strategy!!

As mention above by my close friend, even big listed corporation entire 100 years profit also can’t even match the profit of selling of one of their estate!! Happy Investing.



You cannot Grow Land..CK Wong & MY DAD

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Rahsia Kekayaan Pelabur Paling Kaya -by Pakdi

Source:http://www.pakdi.net/rahsia-kekayaan-pelabur-paling-kaya/
Nasi lemak yang ada hanya sambal tumis, sedikit kacang tanah, satu atau dua hiris timun dan suku telur rebus, di kebanyakan tempat di Kuala Lumpur dijual dengan harga RM 1 sebungkus.

Kita semua pasti tidak mahu beli nasi lemak biasa-biasa sebegitu sekiranya sebungkus dijual sehingga RM 2 misalnya. Kita boleh dapat nasi lemak dengan telur goreng mata dan sedikit sambal paru dengan harga setinggi itu.

Manakala Ahmad, seorang penjual nasi lemak yang biasa-biasa itu sebenarnya tidak tahu pun memasak nasi. Dia cuma mendapatkan bekalan nasi lemak setiap hari dengan kos RM 0.70 sebungkus.

Seorang penjual nasi lemak yang lain bernama Aminah memperoleh bekalan nasi lemak yang sama dengan kos lebih murah, RM 0.50 sebungkus.

Tetapi dalam pelaburan, ramai dari kita membeli nasi lemak biasa-biasa dengan harga yang sangat mahal. Harga pasaran yang sebenarnya sepatutnya RM 1, tetapi disebabkan percayakan cakap orang lain bulat-bulat kita pun percaya nasi lemak biasa-biasa itu harganya boleh mencecah RM 5! Jadi, kalau beli RM 3 sebungkus pun masih bagus, sebab nanti harga akan naik jadi RM 5.

Kita sepatutnya menjadi seperti Ahmad, beli nasi lemak dengan harga diskaun 30%. Sekiranya kita berusaha lebih gigih,kita pasti boleh membeli dengan harga diskaun 50%.

Walaupun kita menyediakan RM 5 untuk sarapan pagi, tidak semestinya kita membelanjakan semua duit tersebut untuk beli nasi lemak. Walaupun kawan kita asyik beritahu kepada kita harga akan naik sampai RM 5 sebungkus.

“Jangan risau, hari-hari orang makan nasi lemak,” kata seorang kawan yang tidak mahu namanya didedahkan di blog Pakdi.net.

Ya, ini lah rahsia kekayaan pelabur paling kaya di dunia.

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Why keeping up with the Joneses?

Source:http://kclau.com/wealth-management/joneses/
When you see your neighbour’s latest TV set (higher resolution, wider screen, brighter colour, thinner and trendier), you want one for yourself. So you decide to buy even a bigger one, just to show off that you can do the same, or even better than your neighbour.

That’s called “keeping up with the Joneses”.

“Keeping up with the Joneses” is a catchphrase in many parts of the English-speaking world referring to the comparison to one’s neighbour as a benchmark for social caste or the accumulation of material goods. To fail to “keep up with the Joneses” is perceived as demonstrating socio-economic or cultural inferiority.

Since this is always not a smart reaction for someone who is financial savvy, why keeping up with the Joneses? In fact my question is not “why you want to keep up with your neighbours”. It is why “Joneses”? Why not “Tans”? Why not “Ramli” or “Muthus”? But “Joneses”!

The answer is available on the Internet.

This term is 20th century American. It originated with Arthur (Pop) Momand’s Keep Up With The Joneses comic strip in the New York Globe. The strip was first published in 1913 and became popular quite quickly. By September 1915, a cartoon film of the same name was touring US cinemas.

Keepin up with the Joneses Comic

The ‘Joneses’ in the cartoon weren’t based on anyone in particular, and they weren’t portrayed in the cartoon itself. Jones was a very common name and ‘the Joneses’ was merely a generic name for ‘the neighbours’.

Have you done anything just to impress your neighbour? Tell us what you’ve done to keep up with the Joneses.

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The Six Mistakes Young Families Make

Source:http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/110012/mistakes-young-families-make
It's one thing for husbands and wives to spend freely when they have relatively few responsibilities. But add a small bundle of joy to the equation, and everything changes. In addition to the rent (or mortgage) and car payments, parents must worry about ballet lessons, soccer cleats and, oh yeah, college. It's enough to keep people up at night.

Mistakes are inevitable. The good news is that it's almost never too late to get back on track. Here are six of the most common financial errors that young families make. In this case, forewarned is forearmed: Avoid these mistakes now, and you'll be way ahead of the game later on.

1. 'What's Wrong With a Little Debt?'

The biggest mistake young families make is carrying too much debt, says Stewart Welch, a certified financial planner and author of the "10 Minute Guide to Personal Finance for Newlyweds." "It happens very early on in a marriage," he says. And once couples owe several thousand dollars, they find it gets harder and harder to crawl out from under that burden.

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It's OK to carry some debt. Families just need to make sure they don't overextend themselves. Generally speaking, lenders believe that a mortgage shouldn't eat up more than 28% of a couple's gross income. Overall debt, including car loans, student debt, and credit cards, shouldn't exceed 40% of gross income. Some financial planners, however, believe that these guidelines are a bit lax. Welch recommends total debt of no more than 30% of take-home pay (not counting 401(k) contributions). That's quite a difference.

Auto debt is a bit tricky. On the one hand, financial planners agree that it's best not to borrow money for a depreciating asset. But sometimes, it just can't be avoided. Few young families can afford to pay cash for a new car -- especially if they just used up all of their savings for a down payment on a new home. The solution: Keep your car long after the loan is paid off. That way, you can cut back on auto payments and start saving some money for your next vehicle, says Marilyn Steinmetz, a certified financial planner based in West Hartford, Conn. A good Japanese car, for example, should hum along for 10 years.

2. Flying Without a Budget

A close cousin to the debt problem is poor budgeting. Young couples tend to underestimate their expenses by 20%, says Steven Kaye, a Watchung, N.J.-based financial planner. The problem: They spend first and plan to save whatever is left. Unfortunately, there's often nothing remaining in the kitty at the end of the month.

Kaye recommends couples make a budget. First, tally all expenses, including savings goals for retirement and college planning. Then families can spend whatever is left. Be warned: This may be an eye-opening experience. "We generally find even the most intelligent people have holes in their [budgeting] plans," says Kaye.

3. Retirement Is Decades Away, Right?

Many young couples just can't get their heads around the importance of saving for retirement. While they focus on short-term goals, such as saving for a new minivan, they fail to max out their 401(k), or even contribute enough to qualify for their employer's match, says Steinmetz. That's like walking away from free money.

Couples need to understand that the longer they wait to start saving for retirement, the more they'll need to stash away later on. While someone in his 20s can get away with investing just 10% of his income in his 401(k), someone in his 30s will have to set aside at least 12-15% in order to fund a comfortable retirement, says Welch. If he waits even longer, he'll find himself working long after his peers have hit the golf course full time.

4. Who Needs Insurance?

Let's face it: There's a lot of bad advice out there on insurance. Perhaps that's why so many young couples are underinsured. The most common error people make is that they buy expensive products, like whole life insurance, for too little coverage. "They might purchase $100,000 of whole life when they could have had $1 million of term [life insurance] for a quarter of the premium," Welch says.

As a general rule, most young people should have a term life policy worth five to 10 times their annual income. The planners we spoke with said parents shouldn't be surprised to find they need at least a $1 million policy. A 35-year-old healthy, nonsmoking male can purchase a 30-year term life policy for roughly $830 a year, according to Insure.com.

Another shortfall: inadequate disability coverage. Most Americans get some from their employers. But unless you think you can live on, say, 60% of your salary, you'd better purchase more coverage, either through your employer or on the open market, to fill in as much of the gap between your employer's plan and your current income as possible. How much will this cost? It varies greatly based on health, income, occupation and other factors. Just as an example, a 35-year-old healthy male working at a desk job can pick up a policy for about $30 a year for every $100 a month in coverage, according to insurance provider UnumProvident.

5. College Tuition Is How Much?

SmartMoney.com projects that in 18 years, a four-year private university education will cost more than $300,000. Parents who want to help their children pay for school should start saving now. Fortunately, there are a couple of tax-friendly vehicles, including 529 plans and education savings accounts, that can help get the job done. Setting aside a little bit every month can prevent a lot of headaches later.

Sometimes, of course, there isn't enough money to go around. Yet many parents continue to set aside funds for their children's education when they don't have enough to pay off their high-interest credit-card debt or fund their own retirement accounts. You might not want to hear this, but junior's education should be down toward the bottom of your list of priorities. While he or she can borrow money for college, couples can't borrow for retirement, says Kaye.

6. What Rainy Day?

You've heard it before: Everyone should set aside three to six months of salary for a rainy day. That way, there should be enough to live on in case of an unexpected job loss or medical emergency. Unfortunately, this can feel like an impossible goal for folks with small kids. Who has that kind of cash saved up after buying a new home or car or paying for childcare? Don't let the difficulty of the task dissuade you from trying. In a weak job market, it's more important than ever to create an emergency account. Remember, every little bit counts.

Here's another idea for those with some self-restraint. Welch suggests applying for a home-equity line of credit. Just promise yourself that you won't tap into it unless there's a true emergency (and, no, a plasma television doesn't count). According to Bankrate.com, a homeowner can get a home-equity line of credit with an interest rate below 8%. That's much lower than the average credit-card rate, which sits somewhere in the midteens. And Uncle Sam will even allow most homeowners to write off the interest payments on a loan of up to $100,000.

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