What Is The Best Way To Invest RM100,000

Source:http://www.alantanblog.com/investment/what-is-the-best-way-to-invest-rm100000.html#more-3791

I got a lot of e-mail asking about they have RM100,000 cash and not sure what to do with the money or where to invest the money i,e Unit trust, Stocks, Properties, Gold, Silvers, Starting a new small business etc.

Some of them are very excited as they managed to save up or get a big windfall(bonuses). They wish  to increase that number by investing but don’t know how to.

Congratulations!

One of the first step to Financial Freedom is by taking control of your financial life. You cannot depend on others i.e Government to take care of your financial well being.

Personally, I feel instead of asking “where” to invest, focus on  the "what", "how long", "does it", "can you", and “who”.

You will get a clearer ideas on how deal with your money after answering the 5 questions below

Ask and answer yourself these 5 questions:

1. What is the Objective and Goal of this Investment?

The plan for Retirement planning and Investment Planning are totally different as every one has an unique Investment risk Profile

2. How long is the investment Horizon before I can cash out the money?

The time horizon for properties generally  is much longer than compare to stocks due the limited liquidity.(Unless your properties were is in  a hot location)

3. Does it effect with my financial resources?

I am sure you don’t want to put all your money into just one basket of investment vehicle,right? The the next question is Do you have time to learn and monitor all the investments?  Assuming to chosen to invest stocks futures using technical and fundamental analysis, can emotionally  not attached to it and would not effect your current job and financial resources

4. Can I live with the risk involved?

Investment in stock and stocks futures have a high price movement  volatility. Can you stomach the risk involved?

5. Who will managed the Investment?

It’s good to let other to managed the Investment. However this may not be the best choice. Do speak to your financial planner to find out more.

Once you are able to answer the above 5 questions, do invest some time to learn about different investment alternatives. This is a journey as it’s not something you can learn from a few days or months.

The doctor takes more than 4 years of studies before able to prescribe a medicine. What makes you think after a month of studies, you can be expert in a particular investment?

It’s impossible to be successful until you understand the behavior, basic fundamental and what you’re investing in.

There are many financial magazines, books and web sites such as Personal Money, Bloomberg etc, that would gave a good start for understanding the basics of personal finance.

In conclusion, the key is always Educate yourself in investing!

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Jalan menuju JUTAWAN

Ada 2 jalan untuk kita mendaki `Gunung Jutawan`: Jalan jauh dan jalan pintas/dekat.

Untuk permulaan mari kita bicarakan tentang `Jalan Jauh`.
`Jalan jauh` ini ialah jalan yang paling selamat dan mudah.
Kita boleh menjadi jutawan dengan melabur seminima RM1/hari.

Bagaimana pelaburan RM1/hari dapat menjadi RM1,000,000 (RM1 Juta)

RM1/hari Interest 3% ...untuk menjadi RM1 Juta perlukan masa 147 tahun

RM1/hari Interest 5% .. untuk menjadi RM1 Juta perlukan masa 100 tahun

RM1/hari Interest 10% ..untuk menjadi RM1 Juta perlukan masa 56 tahun

RM1/hari Interest 15% ..untuk menjadi RM1 Juta perlukan masa 40 tahun

RM1/hari Interest 20% ..untuk menjadi RM1 Juta perlukan masa 32 tahun


Apa akan jadi jika kita menyimpan RM1/hari dari hari pertama kita lahir sehingga usia kita 66 tahun

1.Simpan bawah bantal..0%...selepas 66 tahun ,jumlah terkumpul= rm24,000
2.Labur di saving account...3%...selepas 66 tahun ,jumlah terkumpul=rm77,000
3.Labur di Tabung Haji..5%...selepas 66 tahun ,jumlah terkumpul=rm193,000
4.Labur di ASB atau saham amanah 8% selepas 66 tahun ,jumlah terkumpul=rm1,000,000
5.Labur di tempat 10%...selepas 66 tahun ,jumlah terkumpul=rm2.7 Juta
6.Labur di tempat 15%..silver/gold/bisnis selepas 66 tahun ,jumlah terkumpul=rm50Juta
7.Labur di tempat 20%...bisnin/saham/emas/perak selepas 66 tahun ,jumlah terkumpul=rm1 Bil

Yang penting mulai dari saat ini kita perlu ada tabiat menyimpan dan melabur.
Semoga diharap tulisan ini dapat membuka minda kita.

PG
30 May 2011

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Advice for the 'Poor Rich'

Source:http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/110801/advice-for-the-poor-rich?mod=bb-budgeting
Everybody hates Todd Henderson.
In case you haven't heard, he's the University of Chicago law professor who unwisely blogged last week about his financial woes in a post headlined "We Are the Super Rich."

Mr. Henderson and his wife, an oncologist, make more than $250,000 a year, and apparently they're struggling to get by. If President Barack Obama gets his wicked way, and tax rates rise for those earning more than $250,000 a year, Mr. Henderson says it will mean real sacrifice in his family.

It's too easy to pelt Mr. Henderson with rotten eggs, as so many have now done. (He yanked the post, but way too late—and on the Internet, one's blunders never die.) But can we, instead, give him some useful advice?

Sure.

Adjust your expectations. "I can show you a client of mine right now who lives in a suburb of Chicago, he's a doctor, makes $350,000 a year, and he routinely racks up $25,000 on his credit cards," says Michael Kalscheur, a financial planner at Castle Wealth Advisors in Indianapolis. The reason? Too many people have "unrealistic expectations," says Mr. Kalscheur. They figure they should be vacationing in Italy, driving expensive cars, the whole deal. "We need to knock him upside the head. He's got to stop spending money." Every financial planner will tell you the same thing: The real challenge is tackling the psychology.

Refinance your mortgage. I have no idea how big and expensive your home is, but you can now get a 30 year jumbo mortgage at around 5.3%. Even on a $1 million loan that comes to $5,500 a month, and it's tax deductible. If your home is so expensive that you can't even afford it at these rates, you can't afford it. Sell it and move somewhere more affordable. If you're underwater on the mortgage, talk to the bank. Forget about "equity," which may not exist, and look at the cashflow.

Get a grip on your discretionary spending. Carry a pocket notebook with you for a month, and write down everything you spend. Get your wife and children to do the same. It will help you understand where your money is going. Almost every financial planner will tell you that this is invariably a huge eye-opener. As Jonathan Sard, a financial advisor in Atlanta, says, you may find you spend $100 in Target every time you go in for lightbulbs, or spend $300 taking your kids to a White Sox game. With everyone it's different, but you need to know where the losses are. If writing everything down is too much of a challenge: Junk the plastic, and just carry cash. This is instant budgeting. If you carry $500 a month, that's all you can spend.

Stop blaming the government. According to the Congressional Budget Office, a household earning $265,000 a year is in the top 20% in the country, and one earning $395,000 is in the top 10%. (The relevant thresholds are $190,000 and $290,000, respectively. And those figures were from 2007, a more prosperous time). So you're near the top of the tree in the richest country in history. At the same time, contrary to what you seem to think, federal taxes are not extortionate by modern historical standards. According to the CBO, families in the top 20% pay average federal taxes of 25.1%. The figure in President Reagan's final year in office: 25.6%.

Think about relocating. No kidding. It's not about how much you earn, it's about how much you get to keep, and if you are paying too much to live in an expensive town like Chicago, you may be much better off earning less somewhere cheaper. You and your wife both have highly portable jobs. According to the ACCRA Cost of Living Index, someone earning $350,000 in Chicago could get the same standard of living on just $230,000 a year in, say, Austin, Texas or Cincinnati.

Reconsider the investments. You say you're putting money into the stock market each month, even though you are paying off huge student loans. You need to do the math. If your investments are through a 401(k), they make sense: They're saving you taxes, maybe taking advantage of a company match. But if they are in addition to your 401(k) plan, they may not make sense right now. You are probably better off using the money to pay down that debt.

Rethink the two cars. Are you leasing them? How much are they costing you a month? This is one of the biggest ways middle class families blow their cash. I can't believe the number of people who think these moving white elephants are a status symbol. When I see an expensive car go by, all it tells me is that the owner is (a) insecure and (b) has no sense. These days you can get a decent set of wheels for a lot less than $10,000. Buy used. Pay cash. Run it till it dies.

Rethink the schools. You're sending your children to private school. But how much is it costing you? I take your point about terrible local public schools, but can you move to a neighborhood with better public schools? Or downscale to less-expensive schools?

Talk to a tax accountant. You say you're using TurboTax. With your income, you might benefit from some professional assistance. Are there deductions you can take that you're not using? Are you subject to Alternative Minimum Tax? Should you make your fourth quarter state and federal tax payments before Dec. 31? You may be able to help your financial position.

Go after all the little costs. You're hemorrhaging money. Get the kids to mow the lawn or do it yourself. Bake your own bread. Cook your own meals. Buy generic brands and bulk brands. Go to Costco, Sam's Club and other discount clubs. Junk the landline. Junk cable for Netflix. Rethink your banking: You're probably bleeding money through needless "fees" every month. Forget the "conspicuous consumption." Go for the conspicuous unconsumption. Brag about how little you spend. Find new ways to avoid spending money.

Oh, and one more thing. Never, ever, ever again blog about how hard it is to live on $300,000 or $350,000 a year at a time when one middle-aged man in four can't find a full-time job, and one in five can't find any job at all.

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What's Your Billionaire Age?

Source:yahoo finance
The concept of a billion dollars is pretty hard to fathom, which is okay because about 99.999% of us will never really have to deal with it. According to Forbes, the world has 1,011 billionaires out of nearly seven billion people, so it's not exactly an everyday occurrence. Those that do become billionaires seem to do it through a mixture of ingenuity, intelligence and timing, or they just inherit it. For the rest of us - those working average jobs, investing normally and living an average lifestyle - how long would it take to become a billionaire? Is it even possible?

If you're making around $50,000 per year, it won't take forever to amass a million dollars, and indeed, many people will be able to achieve that in their lifetime. But a billion dollars? That'd be 1,000 lifetimes, kind of. We'll check out a range of jobs in the U.S. and some typical investments to see how long it would take someone to become a billionaire. We'll be using the saving rate of 10% of someone's income for the year, which may be a little bit optimistic, but it gives a good picture of how long it takes to become a billionaire on an average joe's salary.

Teaching Your Way To a Fortune

There are more than one million teachers in the U.S. according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the mean salary for elementary and secondary school teachers is $55,210. If you're a teacher and are able to put aside 10% of your salary every year ($5,521) then it will take around 186 years for you to become a billionaire if you have your money in a long-term savings account paying 5% interest compounded annually. This means, if you start saving when you're fresh out of college and never touch the money, you could be a billionaire when you're 208!

If you invested in a more lucrative vehicle, like the stock market, you can become a billionaire much quicker. Looking at the returns of the Dow Jones over the past 40 years, there is an average return (CAGR) of 6.68% per year. If these returns are similar for the coming years, then the teacher who puts away 10% of his or her salary per month could become a billionaire in just 145 years. If you only wanted to become a millionaire, it would take you between 46 and 47 years in a 5% savings account and around 39 years if you followed the 6.68% returns of the Dow.

High Earners

It seems nearly impossible to become a billionaire making the salary of the average American teacher, but that's not really a surprise. How about if you're in a higher salary range, like a surgeon or another specialized doctor? An average anesthesiologist in the U.S. makes $211,750, according to the BLS, and if that anesthesiologist was able to put away 10% of his or her earnings every year into our savings account it would take around 160 years to become a billionaire.

And if that anesthesiologist put their savings into an index that tracked the Dow, it would still take more than a lifetime at 124 years. With that kind of salary it seems like you just can't get there on hard work alone.

To give you more perspective, it would take a postal worker (mean salary $48,940) around 188-189 years to become a billionaire using a savings account, and 146-147 years investing in the market. It would take a lawyer (mean salary $129,020) 131-132 years to make a billion in the markets, and 168-169 to make a billion in a savings account. So, when you think of it, whether you're a lawyer, a teacher, a postal worker or a surgeon, the great equalizer is that you'll never be a billionaire.

Out of Reach?

So, who can become a billionaire? How much would you have to have on hand every year to invest and be a billionaire at a time where you could still spend it? If you could put away $1 million a year, you're still looking at about 80 years of saving or 64-65 years of investing before the big payoff. Even actors and athletes who can make millions a year, rarely have the staying power to make it every year for 80 years.


So, sorry to come to such a heartbreaking conclusion, but it's hard for anyone to become a billionaire using traditional methods. To see a billion dollars during your lifetime (40 years of saving), you would need to put nearly $5.5 million into a fund that mirrors the Dow's average growth of 6.68%.

The Bottom Line

Though there are over 1,000 billionaires in the world, it's still an exceptional occurrence, and is owing to momentous business dealings, kick-starting an industry, inventing a much-desired service or concept, and other extraordinary events. For the rest of us, maybe we'll just have to make due with a million.

___

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Property Millionaire’s share their secrets

Source:http://investkk.com/property-millionaires-share/
It has been done over and over – making money out of property investment, but it is not without its share of peril.

It has been done over and over – making money out of property investment, but it is not without its share of peril. At recent Property Convention, four proeprty millionaires shared their journey towards financial freedom. The convention was organised by Paysolution Technologies Sdn Bhd. The company’s founder, Michael Tan, 34, channeled positive energy and vibes through a “motivational” approach by eliciting “I” from his questions. “Who wants to be a property millionaire?” and the crowd goes “I”. “Do you want to be financially free in five years?” And the crowd hollers, “I”. You get the picture.

The convention was also interspersed with stretching exercises and participants giving one another high fives. Additionally, each participant was given an egg to take care off. So right off the bat, it was an eye-opener for many participants.

Tan’s financial advice
Tan has been involved in property investment for approximately four years, with wealth accumulation of more than RM2.28 million. Through his mortgage broking firm, he has taught more than 220 students within 8 months and has helped them purchase properties worth more than RM8.07million.
property millionaire

He also advised all to find out how much one can borrow, to find out how much one is worth. “If you currently have rentals, then your income (level) goes up. For example, if your monthly pay is RM10,000 and rental income is RM2,000, the amount that the bank will calculate is based on RM12,000. Therefore the (borrowing) limit goes up,” Tan explains.

Tan also provided a few formulas. One included determining one’s Finish Line, which translates to determining how much you need to have in order to retire within your limits. Not surprising, all 150 participants’ figure ran up to the millions.

“Last time, to be a millionaire is a privilege. Now, it is becoming a necessity due to money inflation,” he explains.

Tan’s formula – calculate your required Pension Fund
Pension Fund (PF) is the amount you need when you arrive at your desired retirement age, in order to receive your Desired Monthly Income (passive income).
property millionaire

DI (Desired Income) = Ideal passive income monthly

CA (Current Age) = Current age, rounded down to closest 5 years (e.g. 48 becomes 45)

RA (Retirement Age) = Ideal retirement age, rounded up to 5 years (e.g. 48 becomes 50)

POA (Passing On Age) = Age of passing, rounded up to 5 years (e.g. 81 becomes 85)


PF = DI x (POA-RA) x 12 months
For example:
PF = RM10,000 x (75 – 45) x 12 months
= RM3,600,00

Which means, I would need to have RM3,600,000 in savings, so that I can retire by 45 years old and enjoy a passive income of RM10,000 per month (assuming that I pass on at age 75)!

Chin’s investment strategies
One of Tan’s convention co-sharer, Juanita Chin, 39, became a property millionaire in less than five years. She currently owns RM5.6million worth of properties comprising resort condos, shop offices and office suites. She cautioned would-be-investors to be rational and not emotional. It is all about money and sense.
property millionaire

All her properties are in Penang and her first property was with a low downpayment of RM5,000. The property was in Gurney Drive. Chin said, “It was a balance unit. On the 4th floor. Facing a graveyard. Leasehold.” After the chatter of amazement eased, she added that she did research and discovered that Japanese community favoured living in the area and preferred the lower floors. The first unit was rented out and fetched a positive cash flow of RM400. She has since purchased two more units and is getting a total of RM3,000 in rental from the three units.

Some of the strategies that she employs include:
• Knowledge – the more you know, the less mistakes
• Leverage on assets – refinance properties for extra capital to reinvest
• Joint-loans with family members
• Know your banker
• Look out for discounts and early bird specials from developers
• Find a group of people and negotiate for a “bulk” discount

Yee’s practical approach
Dr Peter Yee, a guest speaker at the convention, has benefited many times from property auctions. So far, he has purchased 14 properties, including terraced houses, bungalows and shop offices. Rental income and the sale of six properties have earned him profits of more than RM1million.
property millionaire

His straightforward candour and funny anecdotes during his sharing session were more than well received. He is perceived to be like a family’s funny uncle. His area of expertise is in the auction and secondary markets. He mentioned that he has paid tens of thousands in “tuition fee” – monies lost from bad purchases. As the years progressed, he stopped paying tuition fee, but instead made a tidy sum.

He also shared that it is important to know what’s going on. “See this shoplot. Beside the two lots owned by the same person. The owner of the two lots beside mine, did not know the next lot was going to be auctioned. I bought it and then the owner purchased it from me. I like people like this. Busy, hardworking people who don’t know what’s going on,” he said cheekily.

Yee also added that it is important to know an area well and adopt a wait-and-see approach. Look out for signboards at properties. If the owners are desperate, the prices will drop in time. Or if a piece of land is priced at a low value, due to the owner’s mistake, then it is to Yee’s benefit.

Doshi’s principles
Milan Doshi, a Singaporean residing in Malaysia and the convention’s second guest speaker, has been involved in investment property for more than 10 years. Currently, he has 19 properties, with one in Singapore. The loans amount to RM11million, with a positive cash flow of RM15,000 to RM20,000 per month.
property millionaire

“When I started working, my friends were driving second-hand cars. Two to three years later, they were driving new cars and I was still taking the bus and LRT. I knew something was not right,” Doshi shared.

“My first job was as a commodity trader. My boss told me that the sooner I learn that the four years in university is nothing but rubbish, the earlier you become useful to me,” he continued. It was years later that he found out what his boss meant because everything he learnt was theory, not real-world practical learning.

When he began investing in units in HDB flats in Singapore, he was doing well, until one friend told him to buy the most expensive property that he cannot afford. It made sense at the time, because the more the asset appreciates, the bigger the gain. But alas, as values can increase, it can also nosedive.

He has since moved on and has made many good purchases. To date, he has more than a handful of shoplots at Berjaya Times Square. Some of these lots are lesser than 1,000sq ft and were purchased for a price tag of more than RM1million each.

The six principles that he strongly advocates are:
• Learn as much as you can – from sales people, the market, entrepreneurs, experts
• Network – it’s who you know
• Earn as much as you can, as fast as you can
• Savings – invest in yourself e.g. save RM200 and spend RM200 on books, etc.
• Borrow – as much as you can and invest to gain returns that are more than interest rates
• Invest wisely, as much as you can



property millionaire



The egg
Back to the egg. What was it all about? It was to represent a loved one and the reason one is striving financial independence for. In short, be grounded and remember loved ones and those in need even when one joins the millionaire club.

My point of view… Learn is a process and I fully agreed that “applied knowledge is POWER”!!! I know a lot of property investor invest a lot in learning the basic of investing. But at the end of the day it seem like they still repeating their mistake and the worst it do not really helps in growing their wealth. Beside wasting time and money, they will also feel frustrated and at the end of the day they might give up. As a beginner of property investor you have to learn the basic that is Save, Save and Save your monthly income and lives below your means to raise your investment capitals then start investing in smaller properties ie BELOW RM100K. Your guts eventually will be developed to digest bigger investment when you are ready. When the number grows, I believe your road to financial freedom are clearer…

Happy Investing



You cannot Grow Land..CK Wong & MY DAD

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10 Steps To Retire A Millionaire

Source:http://www.investopedia.com/articles/retirement/08/retire-millionaire-million-dollars.asp
Having a million-dollar portfolio is a retirement dream for many people. Making that dream come true requires some serious effort. While success is never a sure thing, the 10 steps outlined below will go a long way toward helping you achieve your objective.

In Pictures: 10 Retirement-Wrecking Moves

1. Set the Goal
Nobody plans to fail, but plenty of people fail to plan. It's a cliché, but it's true. "Plan" is the leading self-help advice from athletes, business moguls and everyday people who have achieved extraordinary goals. (Read Plan To Retire Rich for additional insight into how to develop a course of action to achieve your goals.)

2. Start Saving
If you don't save, you'll never reach your goal. As obvious as this might seems, far too many people never even start to save. If your employer offers a 401(k) plan, enrolling in the plan is a great way to put your savings on autopilot. Simply sign up for the plan and contributions will be automatically taken out of your paycheck, increasing your savings and decreasing your immediate tax liability.

If your employer offers to match your contributions up to a certain percentage, be sure to contribute enough to get the full match. It's like getting a guaranteed return on your investment. Finding the cash to stash may be a challenge, particularly when you're young, but don't let that stop you from pursuing future riches. (Read Invest On A Shoestring Budget for some additional tips on how to get started.)

3. Get Aggressive
Studies have shown that the majority of the returns generated by an investment are dictated by the asset-allocation decision. If you are looking to grow your wealth over time, fixed-income investments aren't likely to get the job done, and inflation can take a big chunk out of your savings.

Investing in equities entails more risk, but is also statistically likely to lead to greater returns. For many of us, it's a risk we have to take if want to see our wealth grow. Asset-allocation strategies can help you learn how to make picking the right mix of securities the core of your investing strategy. (Achieving Optimal Asset Allocation can help you minimize risk while maximizing return. Asset Allocation: One Decision To Rule Them All explains how to treat all your investments as a single portfolio to maximize returns.)

4. Prepare for Rainy Days
Part of long-term planning involves accepting the idea that setbacks will occur. If you are not prepared, these setbacks can put a stop to your savings efforts. While you can't avoid all of the bumps in the road, you can prepare in advance to mitigate the damage they can do. (Read Build Yourself An Emergency Fund to help structure your finances to avoid financial disaster.)

5. Save More
Your income should rise as time passes. You'll get raises, you'll change jobs, and maybe you'll get married and become a two-income family. Every time more cash comes in to your pocket, you should increase the amount that you save. The key to reaching your goal as quickly as possible is to save as much as you can. (Read why it might not be better for one spouse in a two-income family to leave work in Consider The Outcomes When Cutting An Income.)

6.Watch Your Spending
Vacations, car, kids and all of life's other expenses take a big chunk out of your paycheck. To maximize your savings, you need to minimize your spending. Buying a home you can afford and living a lifestyle that is below your means and not funded by credit cards are all necessities if you want to boost your savings. (The Beauty Of Budgeting can help you figure out how to make it to the end of the month before you run out of money.)

7. Monitor Your Portfolio
There's no need to obsess over every movement of the Dow. Instead, check your portfolio once a year. Rebalance your asset allocation to keep on track with your plan. (Read Rebalance Your Portfolio To Stay On Track to learn more.)

In Pictures: How To Make Your First $1 Million

8. Max Out Your Options
Take advantage of every savings opportunity that comes your way. Make the maximum contribution to tax-deferred savings plans and then open up a taxable account too. Don't let any chance to save get away. (Read Not All Retirement Accounts Should Be Tax-Deferred to learn the advantages of a taxable account.)

9. Catch-Up Contributions
When you reach age50, you are eligible to increase contributions to tax-deferred savings plans. Take advantage of this opportunity! (For more ways to save money and increase your nest egg for the fast-approaching golden years, read Retirement Savings Tips For 55- To 64-Year-Olds.)

10. Have Patience
"Get-rich-quick" schemes are usually just that - schemes. The power of compounding takes time, so invest early, invest often and accept that the road to riches is often long and slow. With that in mind, the sooner you get started, the better your odds of achieving your goals. (Read For IRAs, Time Is Money for a discussion of the value of compounding.)

The Reality Of Retirement
Retirement might seem far away, but it when it arrives nobody ever complains about having too much money. Some people even question whether a million dollars is enough. (To find out why this magic number has lost some of its luster as a retirement savings target and to temper your expectations regarding the lifestyle you will be able to afford during retirement, read Can You Retire On $1 Million?)

That said, with lots of planning and discipline, you can reach your retirement goals and live a comfortable life after work.

Read Managing Your Income During Retirement to find out how to make your hard-earned savings last as long as you need them to.

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How Much To Save To Become A Millionaire

Source:http://www.investopedia.com/articles/05/032105.asp
"You have to buy real estate!" Now how many times do you hear that during a real-estate bubble? If you take this advice, it may be wise to ask yourself if you have too much money tied up in your home and not enough in savings. With all the talk of a diminishing social security system, the need to save more for retirement seems inevitable. So, let’s look at some of the options for building that million you need to retire in style.

Where Are Our Savings?
If you have a great deal invested in your house, remember, listed homes and other property can take anywhere from two weeks to more than a year to sell. Ask any agent who sold homes back in the 1980s, when prime interest rates were averaging over 11%! Still, property seems to be priority. In 2004, the household savings rate averaged a meager 0.8% of disposable income (the rate was 7% over the three previous decades). This 0.8% is the lowest level since the Great Depression (Business Week Online, "Our Hidden Savings", January 2005). Is this because Americans are putting too much of their savings into their homes or are we just bad at saving money?

So exactly how much should you save annually for your retirement? Although there is no correct answer here, most financial planners will tell you that you should be saving around 15-20% of your annual gross income. This figure may sound unattainable for many, but suppose your employer matches contributions of up to 6% of your salary - now you need to save only 9%!

Sizing up the Options
Let's look at how some retirement savings vehicles can help you reach your goals:

401(k), 403(b) and Other Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans
These are perhaps the best savings vehicle for most of the working population. You need to take advantage of your company plan if one is available. Not only do the earnings in the account grow tax-deferred, but a simple contribution of 6% can help reduce your tax bill if hte contributions are made on a pre-tax basis, as pre-tax contributions are excluded from your gross income for income tax purposes.

Traditional and Roth IRAs
Individual retirement accounts are available to those individuals with qualified compensation. Traditional and Roth IRAs are funded with after-tax dollars. However, if your income level qualifies, you can receive a tax deduction for contributions to your traditional IRA. The major difference between the two IRAs is that earnings in the Traditional IRA grow tax-deferred, while those in the Roth IRA grow tax-free. (For a more detailed comparison, see Roth Or Traditional IRA...Which Is The Better Choice?)

Simplified Employee Pension (SEP)and SIMPLE IRAs
The SIMPLE IRA is a tax-favored retirement plan that certain small employers (including self-employed individuals) can set up for the benefit of themselves and their employees.

SEP IRAs are plans that can be established by the self-employed or those who have a few employees in a small business. The SEP lets you make contributions to an IRA on behalf of yourself and your employees. The SEP and SIMPLE IRAs are popular because they are simple to set up, require little paperwork and allow investment earnings to grow tax-deferred.

Taxable Brokerage Accounts
These allow you to invest additional funds after you have maximized all of your retirement account options. Brokerage (cash) accounts can serve also as good savings vehicles for a particular goal such as a home or yacht. Be aware, you’ll need to pay taxes on the income generated in these accounts in the year that it is paid. (For further reading on how finding a broker, see Brokers and Online Trading.)

Getting Disciplined
So you know about some of the powerful savings tools, but you may be wondering where you get the extra cash to invest. Well, there can be a number of places - it first starts with your budget. Match up your monthly income with your expenses for the month. Can you cut back on your dining out? Do you really need that manicure once a week? Can you save money on your current insurance? Try shopping around for other carriers for better rates. Do you really need permanent life insurance (whole or universal life) when you could be saving hundreds with term insurance? (see Buying Life Insurance: Term versus Permanent)

After you’ve skimmed down the budget, there are three keys to making your million dollars. First, as we already mentioned, you must take advantage of any type of employer match program. If you have a 401(k) plan at work and the employer matches up to 6% of your pay, you should contribute at least 6% of your pretax income to the plan. Second, set your accounts up on automatic investment plan, so each month income goes to forced savings. And lastly, invest in the best savings plans first and weed out the bad.

Reaching $1,000,000 with Ease
To take full advantage of your retirement savings vehicles, try to contribute the maximum limit. In 2009, you can contribute up to $16,500 to a 401(k) plan ($22,000 if you are age 50 or older by the end of the year); you can also contribute $5,000 to a Traditional or Roth IRA of your choice ($6,000 if you are age 50 or older by the end of the year). Keep in mind that the eligibility to contribute to a Roth IRA has some income limitations.

Let's take a look at how an average person, let's call him Joe, can reach this million-dollar goal by the time he retires at age 67 (27 years from now). Joe (single, age 40) has an annual gross income of $50,000, and his employer has a 401(k) plan and matches contributions up to 5% of Joe’s salary. Joe is also committed to saving $4,000 a year in a Roth IRA. We'll assume his investments have a 10% return.

Joe takes full advantage of the employer match and defers 5%, or $2,500, of his salary each year. His employer will then contribute $2,500 each year as per the matching agreement. (Assume Joe’s salary remains the same until retirement) Here's the breakdown of his savings over the 27 years.

401(k)	Roth IRA
Annual contributions of $5,000	Annual contributions of $4,000
Compounded at 10% for 27 years	Compounded at 10% for 27 years
Equals $605,500	Equals $484,400

Grand Total of $1,089,900. Welcome to the Millionaire Club! If Joe had started his plan at different ages, here's what his results would look like:

Starting Age	Annual Investment	Annual Return	Value at age 67
25	$9,000	10%	$4,838,732
30	$9,000	10%	$2,970,355
35	$9,000	10%	$1,810,239
40	$9,000	10%	$1,089,900
45	$9,000	10%	$642,624
50	$9,000	10%	$364,902
55	$9,000	10%	$192,458

At younger ages, you still have the time to be a little more risky with your investment selections and seek out investments that have the potential to get you that 10% return or more. If you're looking at certificates of deposit and money-market investments think again - you need to consider other investments such as equities to achieve returns that can outpace inflation. (see Guide to Stock Picking Strategies.)


The chart above also demonstrates the value of compounding interest, one of the most valuable tools to accumulate significant wealth - the key is to start while you’re young and stay disciplined. (see Delay in Saving Raises Payments Later On.) Stick to your plan! The ride may be slow and boring at times, but you’ll be pleased with the long-term results.

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5 Billionaires Who Live Below Their Means

Source:http://financialedge.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0410/5-Billionaires-Who-Live-Below-Their-Means.aspx?partner=yahoofin
At least once in your life - maybe even once a week or once a day for that matter - you have fantasized about coming into a lot of money. What would you do if you were worth millions or even billions? Believe it or not there are millionaires and billionaires among us who masquerade as relatively normal, run-of-the-mill people. Take a peek at some of the most frugal wealthy people in the world.

Warren Buffett
Millions of people read Buffett's books and follow his firm, Berkshire Hathaway's, every move. But the real secret to Buffett's personal fortune may be his penchant for frugality. Buffett, who is worth an estimated $47 billion, eschews opulent homes and luxury items. He still lives in a modest home in Omaha, Nebraska which he purchased for just $31,500 more than 50 years ago. Although he's dined in the best restaurants around the globe, given the choice he would opt for a good burger and fries accompanied by a cold cherry Coke. When asked why he doesn't own a yacht he responded "Most toys are just a pain in the neck." (Find out how he went from selling soft drinks to buying up companies and making billions of dollars. Read Warren Buffett: The Road To Riches.)

Carlos Slim
While most of the world is very familiar with Bill Gates, the name Carlos Slim rarely rings a bell. But it's a name worth knowing. Slim, who is a native of Mexico, was just named the world's richest billionaire – that's right, richer than the uber-famous Microsoft founder. Slim is worth more than $53 billion and while he could afford the world's most extravagant luxuries he rarely indulges. He, like Buffett, doesn't own a yacht or plane and he has lived in the same home for over 40 years.

Ingvar Kamprad
The founder of the Swedish furniture phenomenon Ikea struck success with affordable, assemble-it-yourself furniture. For Kamprad, figuring out how to save money isn't just for his customers, it's a high personal value. He's been quoted as saying "Ikea people do not drive flashy cars or stay at luxury hotels." That goes for the founder as well. He flies coach for business and when he needs to get around town locally he either takes the bus or will head out in his 15-year-old Volvo 240 GL.

Chuck Feeney
Growing up in the wake of The Depression as an Irish-American probably has something to do with Feeney's frugality. With a personal motto of "I set out to work hard, not get rich," the co-founder of Duty Free Shoppers has quietly become a billionaire but even more secretively given almost all of it away through his foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies. In addition to giving more than $600 million to his alma mater Cornell University, he has given billions to schools, research departments and hospitals.

Loath to spend if he doesn't have to, Feeney beats both Buffett and Kamprad in the donation category, giving out less grants than only Ford and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations. A frequent user of public transportation, Mr. Feeney flies economy class, buys clothes from retail stores, and does not wast money on an extensive shoes closet, stating "you can only wear one pair of shoes at a time". He raised his children in the same way; making them work the same normal summer jobs as most teens.

Frederik Meijer
If you live in the Midwest chances are good that you shop at Meijer's chain of grocery stores. Meijer is worth more than $5 billion and nearly half of that was amassed when everyone else was watching their net worth drop in 2009. Like Buffett he buys reasonably-priced cars and drives them until they die, and like Kamprad he chooses affordable motels when on travel for work. Also, like Chuck Feeney, rather than carelessly spending his wealth Mr. Meijer is focused on the good that it can provide to the community. (For more on the benefits of charity, read It Is Better To Give AND Receive.)

The Bottom Line
The dirty little secret of some of the world's wealthiest people is that they rarely act like it. Instead of over-the-top spending, they're busy figuring out how to save and invest to have that much more in the future. It's a habit you might want to consider in order to build up your own little storehouse of cash

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The Malaysia Rich List

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19 Things Your Suburban Millionaire Neighbor Won't Tell You

Source:http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id1151-19-things-the-millionaire-next-door-wont-tell-you.html
That’s right. Although having a million bucks isn’t as impressive as it once was, it’s still nothing to sneeze at.

In fact, Reuters reports that in 2009 there were 7.8 million millionaires in the United States.

That’s a lot of people, people. And the odds are one or two of them are living near you.

Heck, one of them might even be your neighbor. In fact, the odds are very good that it is your neighbor.

But, Len, you don’t know my neighbor. That guy doesn’t look anything like a millionaire.

Well, guess what? Your suburban millionaire neighbor called (oh yeah, we go way back) and the two of us had a nice little chat.

Here’s a few things he shared with me – but apparently doesn’t want to tell you. (No offense, I’m sure.)

1. He always spends less than he earns. In fact his mantra is, over the long run, you’re better off if you strive to be anonymously rich rather than deceptively poor.

2. He knows that patience is a virtue. The odds are you won’t become a millionaire overnight. If you’re like him, your wealth will be accumulated gradually by diligently saving your money over multiple decades.

3. When you go to his modest three-bed two-bath house, you’re going to be drinking Folgers instead of Starbucks. And if you need a lift, well, you’re going to get a ride in his ten-year-old economy sedan. And if you think that makes him cheap, ask him if he cares. (He doesn’t.)

4. He pays off his credit cards in full every month. He’s smart enough to understand that if he can’t afford to pay cash for something, then he can’t afford it.

5. He realized early on that money does not buy happiness. If you’re looking for nirvana, you need to focus on attaining financial freedom.

6. He never forgets that financial freedom is a state of mind that comes from being debt free. Best of all, it can be attained regardless of your income level.

7. He knows that getting a second job not only increases the size of your bank account quicker but it also keeps you busy – and being busy makes it difficult to spend what you already have.

8. He understands that money is like a toddler; it is incapable of managing itself. After all, you can’t expect your money to grow and mature as it should without some form of credible money management.

9. He’s a big believer in paying yourself first. Paying yourself first is an essential tenant of personal finance and a great way to build your savings and instill financial discipline.

10. Although it’s possible to get rich if you spend your life making a living doing something you don’t enjoy, he wonders why you do. Life is too short.

11. He knows that failing to plan is the same as planning to fail. He also knows that the few millionaires that reached that milestone without a plan got there only because of dumb luck. It’s not enough to simply declare that you want to be financially free.

12. When it came time to set his savings goals, he wasn’t afraid to think big. Financial success demands that you have a vision that is significantly larger than you can currently deliver upon.

13. Over time, he found out that hard work can often help make up for a lot of financial mistakes – and you will make financial mistakes.

14. He realizes that stuff happens, that’s why you’re a fool if you don’t insure yourself against risk. Remember that the potential for bankruptcy is always just around the corner and can be triggered from multiple sources: the death of the family’s key bread winner, divorce, or disability that leads to a loss of work.

15. He understands that time is an ally of the young. He was fortunate enough to begin saving in his twenties so he could take maximum advantage of the power of compounding interest on his nest egg.

16. He knows that you can’t spend what you don’t see. You should use automatic paycheck deductions to build up your retirement and other savings accounts. As your salary increases you can painlessly increase the size of those deductions.

17. Even though he has a job that he loves, he doesn’t have to work anymore because everything he owns is paid for – and has been for years.

18. He’s not impressed that you drive an over-priced luxury car and live in a McMansion that’s two sizes too big for your family of four.

19. After six months of asking, he finally quit waiting for you to return his pruning shears. He broke down and bought himself a new pair last month. There’s no hard feelings though; he can afford it.

So that’s it. Now you know what your millionaire neighbor won’t tell you.

Oh, and, um, would you be so kind to keep this just between you and me? I’d hate to ruffle anyone’s feathers or cause of any kind of neighborly spat.

Please?

Thanks. You’re a peach.

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Why a million $$ goal?

Sumber:http://kclau.com/retirement/why-million/
by SAYEED 31.3.2010

Sayeed is a senior manager in a large MNC in Penang. Following his association with the world of investments focused in the past 5 years, both Sayeed and his wife are confidently leading to a financial successful lifestyle, his wife retired as an employee and today runs her own business, blessed with 2 kids, this couple have learnt through tough times about their financial literacy. Sayeed is currently focus in accumulating wealth and dreams of helping others achieve financial success. You can read his first post here.

Recently sitting in a restaurant, my buddy, commented on the few articles I have written before at KCLau.com; “Sayeed, why are you so materialistic. You wanna have big house, big car, million ringgit, various properties, just to show others, and how well you want to do!?” he continued, “Is this a satisfaction to you?, or show off to others of what you’ve got?”. Well, being a friend of mine, I didn’t really expect him to ask such a question, but to a certain extent he was really looking at the other side of coin that I have not seen yet. I knew that the reason I shared my story in earlier blog was to give hope and support to others that if I suffered, yet able to do it, so can you, and also put in a few strategies that may help others. Well, good, at least his question had me to share an interesting concept, on reasons why I want to have a Million.
Let’s go back to our current lifestyles, we live on an income, and we have expenses and tax that are unavoidable. Let say our household income is $10k a month, with expenses of house mortgage, car loan (some people got 2), child care, utilities bills (water, electric, phone, internet etc), credit cards, groceries, pocket money (inclusive of petrol money, food, drinks, movies); and finally let say we save $2000 a month, which means that our monthly living expenses would be $10 income – $2k saving = $8k expenses. While assuming all our months are same in terms of daily activities and expenses, which is not true, we need $8k to survive without savings. Now, I am not saying that all of us have $8k lifestyle, some people only live on $3k, $5k, while other may live on $15k, $20k depending on the lifestyles. So let’s take the example of $8k expenses monthly. Which means in a year, we need $8k x 12 to survive, which is $96k per annum. Do you agree so far? Now I am not putting in other expenses like holidays, festive season shopping etc with assumption we have had buffer in the $8k lifestyle.

The question would be, if we are not working after 55, or 60, our expenses remains the same and the source of income that stops for those employees and most employment in Malaysia are without pension schemes. So where is your source of income comes from ? Most people have a few options :

a. Live with their children, baby sit the grand children so that you get roof and food daily. – the lifestyle have changed, no free meals, even from our children in future. I know many may disagree with me but this is the truth.

b. Work part time while you can, but with the part time job, you may not earn as much as you were an employee, so re-size your lifestyle to what you can earn while keeping yourself fit for the job – better option would be not to retire anyway.

c. Have savings to earn up and replace your salary with similar returns as passive income, retire with a stagnant income as per your employment or even better.

I guess, you have already got the option right. (c.) Have savings to earn up and replace your salary……but there is an interesting twist to this. So I am very worried about my future now, what would happen to me when I pronounce retired!!, I wouldn’t want to be at (a.) or at (b.) that is a choice for now and the only way we can, while we can, change that is now to plan our future.

First of all, is the question of what type of passive income business is there with ROI for us to generate $96k lifestyle per annum ? Well, if we barely look into cash and savings accounts, at 3% interest, it would be $3.2M savings, if 5% then we need $2M and if 8%, we need $1.2M, finally with 10% returns, we still need $1M. So, if there is a savings or investment scheme (proven/legal/working) that gives us a 10% return per annum, year in year out, we need to have a saving of $1M!!.

The news is if you are 30 years old and plan to retire at 60, for the next 30 years every month you need savings of $2K to achieve that million (assuming all the compounding interest). Now that is if you have a place with 10% returns!! It doesn’t exist, what would be the best return rates that we have in market today – 5%?, 7%?, or 8%? The fix deposit is hardly at 3%, EPF 4%….so let say we got the best deal of 7% somewhere, Bank A; then we need to have savings of $1.4M !!, again if you are 30, and retiring at 60, so you need to start saving $3.5k a month, you can do the math.
So whether it is, fortunate or unfortunate, savings may be only one of the options here. But those already hitting at a million, you are save for now. I am not going to confuse all of us with the inflation rates and so on because your $8k lifestyle may not be the same in terms of buying power in next 10-15-20 years. But let’s assume, we are okay with that number and hope Malaysia will rule the world in terms of economy and the inflation doesn’t goes that high up. We have high hopes, Malaysia Boleh!!. What would be the other options ? That is part of the strategy that you ought to put into your plans, how are you going to achieve these retirement planning? Can the financial advisor and an insurance agent sit down with you to outline the retirement plan, if yes, then sit with them and have a plan, with a goal that when we say “RETIRED”, we want to retire in style.
I don’t see anything wrong, if we want to retire with a monthly steady income from our investments, with that income not only we are able to survive, but be able to provide to others, our spouse (that is a great time travelling and spending time together), our children (although earlier I said no free meals, but parents are always parents), our grand children (imagine them having to come to grandparents house to be pampered), and have our health taken care ( that should come from our insurance policy and not savings).
Do you have your plan ready ? Have you thought about it? Remember, procrastinating each day, you are losing the interest rates and days in mathematical calculations for your saving plan. We are still lucky to have started at 35. You?

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What I do before 28 to make my first millions？

Sumber:http://investkk.com/make-first-million/
Live below my means

Life is fantastic when you received your first paid salary after so many years of parent support. A lot of youngster started their fancy life to convince themselves that they have the right to enjoy all of their salary because of the whole month of hard work and pressure. But this will hurt badly especially when they start to spend on the thing that they don’t “NEED” to impress other people. On average younger people is spending 90% of their income (or more) to maintain their life style. That is excluding economical support from their parent mainly free accommodation, free transport, and free of 2 meals per day.
Save money as much as possible to buy property

Earning money is tough but saving what you have earned is even tougher. But if you would like to have healthy financial life after you are 30, actually you mainly have no choice but to save any many as possible to start your property investment life. I started working at the age of 20 and only save enough to buy my first property at the age of 24!
Avoid luxury holiday

Few local airlines are giving fantastic deal to Malaysian to travel all over the world at very much cheap rate. But if you look at it from financial view, after saving from the travel fare, you still need to pay for the travel expenses like hotel, transport, food and shopping expenses. Just to share my personal “holiday life” with all of you. I started working in year 2000 and my first holiday is four years after that! Life is all talking about “delay gratification”.
Avoid over spend on credit card

Having credit cards is good. At least you don’t need to carry so many cash and its convenience and easy to use. But a lot of youngest using credit cards as their sources money to spend. And for your information, young adult is the easiest to be influence. Just to share with you all about my credit card usage;

1. Insurance payment
2. Petrol expenses
3. Occasional shopping expenses

On average my credit card expenses is below RM1,000 per month and I will make full payment before my due date. Are you practicing the same? I know some of you are not. Let me list out what is your credit card expenses listing;

1. Insurance
2. Petrol expenses
3. Shopping
4. Restaurant
5. Movie
….
20. Bank interest
21. Bank late payment

This can be avoid and it need to be avoid if you would like to have healthy financial life after 30.
Surrounded by good friends / partners

For me, all my surrounding friends are lawyer, valuers, real estate agent, bankers and property owners. You need to be surrounded by all the above people to have better deals on real estate.

Lawyer – give you advise on the deal and the most important discounted legal fees

Valuers – give you the information about the property, potential risk and return of the project.

Real Estate agent – Give you the “Good Deal”

Bankers – Give you the loan facility at the better rate, good margin, and fast approval

Property owner – Sharing of information and experience which can help you to save time & money
Read, gather and get more experience through sharing

My journey on investment started at year 2000 when I was reading “Robert Kiyosaki” books. The book really opens my eyes on how important we need to have financial literacy. From there onwards I keep updated myself by reading and sharing experience with all property owners and friends. From there my knowledge grows tremendously. It’s a fast track to financial freedom.

Above are all secret that I have to earn my first million before I’m 28. I’m gearing myself to achieve first five millions before I’m 33 as I’m confident on it! Furthermore millionaires nowadays can’t help much in giving me better life. I need to be multimillionaires.

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The Important Lessons I Learned On Investment

Sumber:http://kclau.com/wealth-management/important-lessons-investment/
I learned about managing finances when I was a child from my parents especially from my dear mom who has given me life and also taught me how to be prudent with money. I modeled my mom in several ways. We were not rich then, my dad was in business debts and I have to give tuition at age 13 to pay for my school fees and other expenses. However I thank them for giving me a fantastic learning environment ,virtues and values which has helped me in my later years.

Although I do high risk investment at times, I believe I am conservative as I usually invest with what I have. My mom’s investment rule is never borrow to invest & she is successful in investment, owning houses & stocks without debt , getting good passive incomes for retirement. My opinion is that it is ok to borrow from the financial institutions, in fact most investors and businessmen leverage on the banks too; it depends on our risk appetite and how well we manage it.

For me, I tried to keep it low because of my mom’s teaching. Also, I believe that greed and fear are buddy, it comes in a package. When we make friend with greed, we accept fear too. As I find fear draining my energy, disturbing me and making me lose my focus for bigger things in life, I choose to stay away from greed as much as I can.

Whether my approach in investment suits you or not will depend on individual. It worked well for me and I hope my sharing will help you too .By the way, I am not trained ininvestment and I have no background on crunching financial data, I learned through the many mistakes I made and they are my best mentors. My passion is on leadership & personal development.

Although investment is a different subject altogether, I find what I have learned in self development helps in my investment’s strategies and also in other areas of my life. I believe it is the attitude, character, belief & value system that make or break us. Luckily, all of these can be changed if we have a willing heart…

Firstly, I learned from the books I read that my hard earned money need to be protected, further I also need to make it work harder for me rather than sitting in the bank.
Lesson 1: Never Believe in “lobangs”

The no 1 lesson I learned : “Never hear say some lobangs and jump into it”, only a fool does that. Always do homework, there is no free lunch and we have our part to play if we want to be an investor . I saw people attracted by the money in the stock market or property market and follow blindly. When the investment fall apart, they usually lay blames. When we justify our self, we learn nothing. Take charge of our own action and be responsible. Instead, review what are the lessons we gain. If we got the right answer, we will soon be on the road to winning and success in life. God gives us a great mind to think, do not store it in the store room or backyard….

Now assume we did the homework and understand the investment well, do not start yet unless we want to lose our money. Understanding the ups and downs, features and options of an investment is an external exercise; we also need to do the internal exercise which is our self. Most of the investment’s consultants talk about checking our capital, our risk level, to invest long or short term etc which I called technical stuffs, I find understanding our attitude, belief & behavior pattern in different situations and outcomes are equally important.

This is the psychological part of a human being and we react based on the experiences, expectations ,values & beliefs. This is important because when there is sudden change ininvestment ’s climate , or so called good lobangs etc, our emotion will decide how we play the game, our logical mind no longer take control under such situations.

For eg, we can be easily influenced; if most of our friends had did it and make money, I believe you will not want to be left behind. When so called “opportunity” strike, even low risk takers are convinced to park their money there and expect to flip it soon… Knowing our self well is like knowing our enemies in the battlefield as quoted in the Sun Tzu’s Art of War. Ininvestment, we are our biggest enemy,it is crucial to know our self well so that we can discipline our thoughts when necessary
Lesson 2: Never invest with the attitude of gaining big overnight

Lesson no 2: Never invest with the attitude of gaining big overnight. Big gain comes with big risk…and unless we are well prepared for that. Maybe we strike it right the 1st time but believe me money that comes easy, will go easy too. There are people who were destroyed by their previous success and ended up worst than before. And I can assure you, more people lose money ininvestment than winning from it. If investing is as easy as 123, there is no poor people around. If you win it big overnight, it is luck and I suggest you to keep the money properly and be really careful in futureinvestment
Lesson 3: Invest to Win

Lesson no 3: Invest to win. The confidence of winning must be 75% and above before we put the money in. Why do we want to play a game that has 50% or probably lower chance of winning? Isn’t this like gambling ? Yes, I agree ininvestment , there is risk and there is no sure win, but we do have our choice not to play the loser game ( 50% or lower is loser game for me) . I saw many doing this…when the market is hot, they rush in, worry they may miss it…When the market plunge, they panic and dump it. They have no idea where the market is heading… they react because of fear. Actually, fear can only attack us when we do not have confidence or we lose our confidence for the future. If we have confidence with the company, the industry and the economy outlook, what will we do instead? Robert Kiyosaki has recently said in an interview that such economy downturn has got little or no impact to professional investors; it only gives them more opportunities. The professional investors do value investing, and they don’t fizzle out when the investment’s climate change. They invest with confidence and there is only one reason for them to invest, that is to win.
Lesson 4: Perpare to make mistakes

Lesson no 4: Prepare to make mistakes .Even professional investors make mistakes, so do we. Accept it and see if there is anything for us to learn from the experience. Here, I like to share one of my past experiences of having an invitation in year 2000 to participate in a pre-IPO private placement by Robert Kiyosaki’sinvestment team as I get to know one of them while helping them facilitate the popular cash flow game. The company was in the mining industry preparing for listing. Will you jump onto the opportunity since they are gurus? IPO is a hot subject then… is it risky? Very! But want to take it? why not, is a rare chance to tag along professional investors.

I was ruled by greed, believing they can’t be wrong and I jumped in with little information on the industry plus never familiar with the listing criteria in the Canada Stock Exchange, all the information I had were hear say….The IPO never succeed (so guru make mistakes too) I held a paper loss and has written it off long ago. Is the experience painful? Well, actually I am glad I had a chance to learn my stupidity at my early age; otherwise the losses may be bigger now. There is no sure win, the question here is can we afford to lose when we make a mistake ? Do we move forward or dwell on it ?
Lesson 5: Action

And last but not least, lesson no 5: Action. I saw some friends who done every checks but still worry so much when fear start to take control. This is what I shared previously on taking actions. If we stay in our comfort zone, definitely it will not be the track to success; in fact it is a fast track to nowhere. Start small if we are fearful…, my opinion is that, it is good to be fearful so that we can be prudent with our money, however, do not let fear paralyze us. If we have done our best to check out what we don’t know, let’s have faith, step out with courage and confidence. If we want to change our current lifestyle, changing our self is inevitable; let’s embrace change with the right attitude and I assure you, the speed of your change in the right direction will determine the speed of your success in life.

I hope the above sharing helps, but if you are looking for professional tips on investment, I afraid I might have disappointed you. The above are valuable lessons that I have learned and it has helped me make wise decisions for my investments.

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I achieved financial freedom at 38-by WaiYin

Sumber:http://kclau.com/make-money-tips/financial-freedom/
I like to thank KCLau for the opportunity to write here so that I can share my experiences and journey to financial freedom at the age of 38. I find KC is a man that has his reader’s interest at heart wanting them to gain the knowledge and wisdom to financial independent. And to allow me do so, I am a person with no writing skill and neither do I know how to handle techno , KC has provided me guidance and support to get me started. I am thankful for this chance to allow me to share so that I can grow at the same time.

I thought over for the last 1 week or so for this first article that I am writing with regard to what I did to be where I am now and I felt my belief and attitude has helped and guided me most in my journey.
Dream

1) Dream: I have many dreams since I was little, dream to be my own boss, dream to have my property and finally dream to be able to retire with passive income in properties. I was running my own business at the age of 28, and retired 10 yrs later at age 38. I have my first property at the age of 24. Now at age 42, I have passive income from 3 properties. Man with no dreams shall perish, so start with today, think big and have a big dream being the first step tofinancial freedom. Those who think dreaming is a silly thing to do will miss out a lot . Dare to dream , dream big !
Learn

2)Learning : A mentor always said this to me ” When we stop our learning, we are die-ing”. There are so much for us to learn, financial literacy, EQ, etc etc. Make a a new learning day everyday, anytime, anywhere. If we are observant and rise our awareness, we can learn from anybody as long as we see strength in them. Look at their positive side of the person and we will be able to learn this strength from almost everyone and not just those who are smarter or have a better education than us. On top of that, I also read quite a fair bit, not on TV or fashion magazines but on self help materials . There are so much wisdom in there .
Value Time

3) Value Time : God is fair to give each and every one of us 24 hours a day, 168 hours per week, how to effectively use this time will determine how fast we can achieve in life. As we chose where to invest our money, we should even be careful where we invest our time. However this does not mean that we cannot watch TV and lay back and rest. Rest time is equally important too as we need to have a balanced well being so that we can achieve more in life
Integrity

4)Integrity : I once told a friend, my biggest asset is my integrity. Money when we lose it, we can make it back but once our integrity is lost, it takes many years and much effort to gain it back. Our integrity build the impression of others to us, when we lost it, we lost everything. A person with integrity attracts a lot opportunities. I am very thankful to all my friends that have trusted me and given me a chance to work along with them all these years
Embrace Change and Challenges

5) Embrace change and challenges : I believe ALL successful people went through some form of challenges and changes in their journey to success, we cannot avoid this just like when we learn to walk when we are still a baby, we will fall first before we master the art of walking gracefully. It is only through the challenges that we grow to become stronger and stronger each day, so instead of avoid it, love it and embrace it .
Blessing and Appreciating

6) Blessing and appreciation : Stop complaining and start to count our blessings. No one like to mix with negative people or complain king/queen. Being negative and keep complaining stop the flow of good energy
Develop passion

7) Develop passion : No matter what job or work we accepted, develop the passion in it. When I first started my business, I started a laundry shop. Before that, I was a marketing manger in a MNC. It is such a great contrast to the work I handled before and after. As a manger, I wore jacket suits to office, attend meetings in air-con rooms and etc. But when I run mylaundry shop , I am a general worker, rolled up my sleeves, wear t-shirts, shorts and do “dirty” work, sometimes it can be very hot too when I was at the factory sorting out clothes for ironing. But I am passionate with both my work and customers. I want to delivery my best to them and our customers can feel it too. One year later, I opened my 2nd outlet…

The above are some important attitudes and beliefs that helped me in my journey to achieve what I have today. I hope you will be able to benefit from my sharing.

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Inside the mind of Singapore's Youngest Millionaire - By Adam Khoo

Some of you may already know that I travel around the region pretty frequently, having to visit and conduct seminars at my offices in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Suzhou (China). I am in the airport almost every other week so I get to bump into many people who have attended my seminars or have read my books.

Recently, someone came up to me on a plane to KL and looked rather shocked. He asked, 'How come a millionaire like you is travelling economy?' My reply was, 'That's why I am a millionaire. ‘He still looked pretty confused. This again confirms that greatest lie ever told about wealth (which I wrote about in my latest book 'Secrets of Self Made Millionaires’). Many people have been brainwashed to think that millionaires have to wear Gucci, Hugo Boss, Rolex, and sit in first class in air travel. This is why so many people never become rich because the moment that earn more money, they think that it is only natural that they spend more, putting them back to square one.

The truth is that most self-made millionaires are frugal and only spend on what is necessary and of value. That is why they are able to accumulate and multiply their wealth so much faster. Over the last 7 years, I have saved about 80% of my income while today I save only about 60% (because I have my wife, mother in law, 2 maids, 2 kids, etc. to support). Still, it is way above most people who save 10% of their income (if they are lucky). I refuse to buy a first class ticket or to buy a $300 shirt because I think that it is a complete waste of money. However, I happily pay $1,300 to send my 2-year old daughter to Julia Gabriel Speech and Drama without thinking twice.

When I joined the YEO (Young Entrepreneur’s Organization) a few years back (YEO is an exclusive club open to those who are under 40 and make over $1m a year in their own business) I discovered that those who were self-made thought like me. Many of them with net worth's well over $5m, traveled economy class and some even drove Toyotas and Nissans (not Audis, Mercs, BMWs).

I noticed that it was only those who never had to work hard to build their own wealth (there were also a few ministers' and tycoons' sons in the club) who spent like there was no tomorrow. Somehow, when you did not have to build everything from scratch, you do not really value money. This is precisely the reason why a family's wealth
(no matter how much) rarely lasts past the third generation. Thank God my rich dad (oh no! I sound like Kiyosaki) foresaw this terrible possibility and refused to give me a cent to start my business.

Then some people ask me, 'What is the point in making so much money if you don't enjoy it?' The thing is that I don't really find happiness in buying branded clothes, jewelry or sitting first class. Even if buying something makes me happy it is only for a while, it does not last. Material happiness never lasts, it just gives you a quick fix. After a while you feel lousy again and have to buy the next thing which you think will make you happy. I always think that if you need material things to make you happy, then you live a pretty sad and unfulfilled life.

Instead, what makes ME happy is when I see my children laughing and playing and learning so fast. What makes me happy is when I see my companies and trainers reaching more and more people every year in so many more countries. What makes me really happy is when I read all the emails about how my books and seminars have touched and inspired someone's life. This happiness makes me feel really good for a long time, much much more than what a Rolex would do for me.

I think the point I want to put across is that happiness must come from doing your life's work (be in teaching, building homes, designing, trading, winning tournaments etc.) and the money that comes is only a by-product. If you hate what you are doing and rely on the money you earn to make you happy by buying stuff, then I think that you are living a meaningless life.

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Teknik Pelaburan Strategik Cara Jutawan

Sumber:http://www.buatbisnes.biz/usahawan/teknikpelaburanjutawan.html
Teknik ini biasa digunakan oleh jutawan dalam mengandakan wang mereka. Terdapat 3 prinsip simpanan yang biasa mereka gunakan.


Prinsip Pertama:
Lebih cepat anda menyimpan lebih senang
Tahukah anda seorang yang berumur 25 tahun menyimpan sebanyak RM100 sebulan (RM1,200 setahun) akan mengumpul RM349,000 apabila beliau berumur 65 tahun ( faedah sebanyak 8% setahun)? Jika beliau bertangguh selama setahun, “kerugian” sebanyak RM27,800. Jika beliau menunggu selama 5 tahun, jumlahnya kurang sebanyak RM120,000 selepas mencapai tempoh persaraan, dan jika menunggu sehingga 10 tahun jumlah akan berkurangan sebanyak RM200,000! Dengan RM100 sebulan, jumlah yang disimpan selama 10 tahun ialah RM12,000 tetapi kekayaan yang hilang ialah RM200,000.
Ini adalah satu impak daripada faedah kompund iaitu wang yang dilaburkan akan dikenakan faedah setiap tahun. Ia seperti pengembala kambing yang mendapat 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256 dan seterusnya apabila kambing-kambingnya beranak dan beranak.
Adalah sesuatu yang rugi jika anda masih menunggu, dan ia seakan tregedi jika anda tidak menyimpan langsung. Mulakan menyimpan hari ini, kerajaan telah menyediakan ASN, ASB, Wawasan 2020 dan sebagainya untuk anda mula menyimpan.


Prinsip Kedua:
Bila anda menyimpan sama penting dengan berapa banyak anda menyimpan
Katakan dua orang yang sama umurnya telah menyimpan RM5,000 setahun selama 15 tahun. Jumlah ialah RM75,000. yang pertama menyimpan dari umur 20 hingga 35, sebelum berkahwin. Orang yang kedua menyimpan jumlah yang sama tetapi selepas anak-anaknya bekerja. Beliau menyimpan sebanyak RM75,000 dari umur 55 hingga 65.
Semasa berumur 65 tahun, orang yang pertama jumlah simpanannya menjadi RM750,000! – 10 kali daripada jumlah yang disimpan. Ia merupakan satu perbezaan yang besar daripada orang yang kedua yang mengumpul hanya RM75,000, walaupun kedua-duanya menyimpan jumlah yang sama. Perbezaannya ialah bukan berapa banyak yang disimpan tetapi bila simpanan itu mula dibuat.

Kesimpulannya ialah kita perlu menyimpan seberapa banyak yang boleh dan seawal yang boleh!

Prinsip Ketiga:


Berapa banyak anda simpan adalah lebih penting daripada berapa banyak pendapatan anda
Nampaknya seperti membingungkan, tetapi anda tidak perlu mempunyai pendapatan besar untuk menjadi kaya. Dinegara maju, ramai orang dengan pendapatan biasa sahaja telah menjadi kaya kerana mereka berjimat dan menyimpan lebih banyak daripada orang lain.
Mereka yang dengan konsisten boleh menyimpan lebih daripada 10 peratus akan menjadi lebih kaya dengan cepat daripada mereka yang tidak menyimpan. Contohnya satu keluarga yang berpendapatan RM30,000 setahun. Katakan mereka berjimat dan berjaya menyimpan 25% daripada pendapatan sebulan dibank, menjadi RM7,500 setahun (RM625 sebulan). Selepas 25 tahun, pendapatan yang dikumpul ialah RM594,000.


Sekarang bandingkan dengan keluarga yang berpendapatan RM50,000 setahun, tetapi mereka suka membazir dan hanya menyimpan sebanyak 5% daripada pendapatan atau RM2,500 setahun (RM208.33 sebulan). Selepas 25 tahun, pendapatan terkumpul dibank ialah hanya RM198,000.
Sekarang anda sudah mengetahui rahsia teknik pelaburan yang biasa digunakan oleh professional dan jutawan.

Bincangkan bersama-sama keluarga anda dan saya harap anda dapat menyimpan secepat mungkin!

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