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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Anda Yang Mana?

Hari ni saya nak share one story yang dihantar oleh business associate saya melalui email, which I find very interesting. If you have read or heard of this story before, I recommend you read it again. This is one of the stories that I would read whenever I feel down and it helps to block the negative voices in my head.
Lets take a minute to reflect on the people who mean something to us; those who have touched our life and inspired us in one way or another; those who make us smile when we really need it; those who make us see the brighter side of things when we are really down; those whose friendships we appreciate.
This story inspires me, so I hope it does for all of you too.
Enjoy!
Carrots, Eggs And A Cup Of Coffee
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed the eggs and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She finished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed them in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see.”
“Carrots, eggs and coffee,” she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked her daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.
The daughter then asked, “What does all this mean, mother?”
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. But each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however.  After being boiled, they had changed the water.
“Which one are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?”
So, it’s time to ask yourself. Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a break-up, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavour of the coffee bean. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to make you happy.
The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on forgotten past; you can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you are the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

7 Steps To A Great Attitude

Alhamdulillah, I just finished reading a very interesting book titled, Get Fired Up Without Burning Up by Carol Grace Anderson. Actually buku ni saya beli back in 2002. Dah baca dah pun sebelum ni and I think this is my third time reading it. So this time saya nak share 7 langkah untuk mendapat attitude yang hebat supaya kita menjadi seorang yang sentiasa berfikiran positif.
1.Bergaul dengan orang positif
Kita kena berjumpa dan bergaul dengan orang orang yang positif  dan bertenaga. We need to build our network of friends where we are surrounded by good, enthusiastic, determined and positive people. Jika kita dikelilingi oleh persekitaran yang positif, secara tak langsung, kita juga akan menjadi positif because a great attitude is contagious.
2. Membaca buku yang memberi inspirasi
Kita semua tau reading is powerful. Apa yang kita baca akan mempengaruhi minda kita. Manakala minda pula akan mempengaruhi tingkah laku kita. So, filling up on wonderful books is great nourishment for the attitude.
“Lalu terjumpa satu formula kejayaan di mana lebih banyak buku yang saya baca, maka saya bertambah kaya”
- Azizi Ali
Teringat saya pada kisah mentor Jutawan Dr Irfan Khairi. Semasa beliau belajar di United Kingdom, beliau sanggup bekerja sebagai tukang cuci di sebuah pasaraya dan tandas selama 2 tahun semata mata untuk mengumpul wang bagi membeli buku-buku berkenaan internet dan juga buku-buku motivasi. Lihatlah beliau sekarang, kesemuanya telah memberi pulangan berlipat ganda.
3. Mendengar tape/CD motivasi
Apabila kita mendengar mesej mesej positif dan berinspirasi yang disampaikan dalam motivational tapes/CDs secara berulang ulang, secara tak langsung kita akan menjadi lebih positif because it overpowers so much negative we are all exposed to. Repitition makes a difference!
4. Mendengar muzik yang boleh memberi semangat dan inspirasi
Sama seperti mendengar tape/CD motivasi, mendengar inspiring music juga boleh memberi kesan positif kepada minda kita secara tidak langsung. Muzik sebenarnya adalah salah satu instrumen yang boleh memberi kesan kepada perasaan kita. Dengan muzik kita boleh merasa sedih, gembira, romantik dan sebagainya because music is the magic of the soul.
Kalau tak percaya, cuba tanya those yang pernah study kat oversea dulu yang tak dapat pulang beraya di Malaysia. Pagi pagi raya tu bila dengar lagu arwah Sudirman “Dendang Perantau”, perghhh! Mesti tangkap leleh.. :-D
So, filling our lives with inspiring music is a powerful way to get a great attitude.
5. STP – Self talk power
Positive Self-talk adalah percakapan kita kepada diri kita sendiri menggunakan dialog dialog yang optimistic and uplifting yang boleh menaikkan semangat. Apabila kita bercakap dengan diri kita sendiri secara positif, secara tak langsung we will be more likely to do something favorable in our life as our brain will be programmed to do positive things!
6. Act “as if”
Penulis buku ni kata kita kena act “as if” kita ada attitude yang hebat kerana lama kelamaan act kita tu akan jadi habit dan genuinely kekal bersama kita. :-D
7. List everything going right
Penulis mencadangkan agar kita list down all the good stuff yang berlaku pada kita. Apabila kita fokus kepada just the good stuff, secara tak langsung kita akan melatih minda kita untuk fokus kepada perkara perkara yang positif sahaja.
Sebenarnya tak susah untuk menjadi positif. Insyaallah kalau kita amalkan, kita boleh jadi orang yang sangat hebat.  Walau macam mana pun, getting and keeping a good attitude ni macam kita lepas pantang dan nak kurus la. Kita tak boleh expect to be healthy and back to pre-beranak punya figure dengan hanya jogging sekali. It has to become part of our routine and makan pun kena la contol. Sama lah juga untuk dapatkan great attitude ni.
One step at a time brings great results. Keeping at it is the key.
Semoga kita semua berjaya, InsyaAllah!

Compound Interest – Senjata Jutawan

assalamualaikum dan salam ceria buat pembaca yang dihormati,
Kali ini saya ingin berkongsi sebuah artikel yang ditulis oleh Jutawan Internet kita, Dr Irfan Khairi pada suatu ketika dahulu.  Dalam artikel ini, beliau menulis mengenai kehebatan compounding interest apabila kita menyimpan di mana beliau merujuk compounding interest sebagai alat yang paling utama dalam memberi kekayaan kepada orang-orang kaya di dunia.
Malahan, Albert Enstein juga pernah mengatakan compounding interest adalah the eighth wonder of the world atau keajaiban kelapan dunia. Jadi, apakah yang dimaksudkan dengan istilah compounding interest ini? Secara ringkasnya, ia adalah nilai terkumpul yang akan diperolehi untuk tempoh tertentu dengan kadar faedah yang tertentu. Sebagai contoh, jika anda menyimpan wang di bank sebanyak RM100,000 dengan kadar faedah 3.5% setahun, berapakah nilai terkumpul yang akan anda perolehi selepas 10 tahun atau 20 tahun kemudian.
Kunci utama kepada compounding interest ialah dengan memulakan penyimpanan atau tabungan seawal mungkin, walaupun dalam jumlah yang sedikit tetapi haruslah secara konsisten dan memilih tempat yang memberikan  pulangan yang tinggi untuk menyerlahkan lagi kehebatan compound interest ini. Dr Irfan Khairi turut menyentuh mengenai simpanan di mutual fund ataupun unit trust sebagai contoh medium simpanan yang memberikan pulangan 12% setahun secara purata.
Saya harap anda semua teruskan membaca artikel beliau di bawah ini dan semoga ianya dapat membuka minda kita semua tentang kuasa compound interest, seterusnya dapat mempraktikkannya di dalam kehidupan kita. Saya berdoa agar kita semua menjadi hambaNya yang bukan sahaja hebat dan berharta, tetapi pemurah kepada saudara-saudara kita yang lain.
Selamat membaca dan selamat beramal!
P.S. Jika anda ingin mendapatkan maklumat lanjut bagaimana anda boleh memulakan pelaburan unit amanah melalui pelaburan secara tunai ataupun melalui Skim Pelaburan Ahli KWSP, anda boleh menghubungi saya di talian 013 351 0301 atau email kepada emeldemarcos@yahoo.com. Saya sedia membantu anda mencapai objektif kewangan anda, Insya Allah.
Compound Interest – Senjata Jutawan
Sumber : Newsletter Jutawan Internet Irfan Khairi
Sering saya ditanya “Apakah rahsia untuk menjadi kaya?”. Apakah perkara yang boleh kita lakukan untuk memastikan kita menjadi jutawan?
Jawapannya amat mudah- infact, ianya bukan lagi rahsia oleh kerana di dalam apa jua buku kewangan peribadi di dunia, sudah pasti terdapat satu bab menceritakan cara ini. Cara yang 100% sekiranya digunakan akan menjadikan kita jutawan. Ya, anda juga boleh menjadi jutawan sekiranya mengikut cara ini. Tidak kira latar belakang pendidikan kita, tidak kira tahap intelegent kita, tidak kira apa kepakaran kita, terdapat satu cara yang akan memastikan seseorang itu menjadi jutawan. Namun, tidak ramai yang benar-benar mengambil kesempatan ini!
Caranya bukanlah cara cepat kaya, tetapi cara pasti kaya. Hendak tahu apakah caranya? Izinkan saya jelaskan dengan satu gambaran…
Bayangkan seorang bayi apabila dilahirkan, pada setiap hari, ibunya meletakkan RM 1 ke dalam tabung untuk bayi tersebut. Sehari satu ringgit. Sebulan jumlahnya menjadi RM 30. Setahun, jumlahnya menjadi RM 365. Teruskan simpanan ke dalam tabung bayi tersebut dan ketika bayi itu berumur 40 tahun, jumlah yang terkandung di dalam tabung tersebut adalah RM 14,600.
Wang yang disimpan tidak berkembang. Mungkin tabung yang digunakan perlu upgrade menjadi tabung yang lebih besar. Tetapi, let’s face it… RM 14,600 dari simpanan selama 40 tahun bukanlah jumlah yang besar.
Sekarang, bayangkan sekiranya wang tersebut di simpan di dalam unit simpanan yang memberi pulangan interest sebanyak 12% setahun dan RM 1 di simpan setiap hari sejak dilahirkan. Wang yang sepatutnya hanya RM 14,600 kini menjadi RM 352,943.18 selepas 40 tahun.
RM 352,943.18 ??? Dari mana datangnya lagi RM338,343?
Ini adalah jawapan kepada soalan bagaimana hendak menjadi kaya dengan pasti. Penambahan RM 338,343 tersebut datangnya dari kuasa faedah terkumpul atau compound interest.
Compound interest adalah alat yang paling utama yang memberi kekayaan kepada orang-orang kaya di dunia. Elbert Einstein pernah di tanya mengenai compound interest. Jawapan yang diberikan olehnya amat mudah. Katanya, compound interest adalah “the greatest invention of all time”.
Sememangnya contoh saya mengenai bayi di atas agak tidak lojik. Takkan pula seorang ibu boleh memasukkan RM1 setiap hari sehingga umur bayi tersebut 40 tahun. Tetapi, contoh saya tersebut adalah untuk menunjukkan bahawa walau betapa kecilnya simpanan kita, sekiranya dilaburkan pada jangka panjang, ia akan menjadi amat besar!!
Saya mempunyai kenalan yang tahu mengambil kesempatan di atas kuasa compound interest. Mereka adalah pasangan suami isteri sederhana. Pendapatan suami adalah RM 2,500. Pendapatan isteri juga RM 2,500. Mereka hidup dengan sederhana dan tidak boros. Sehinggakan, segala perbelanjaan untuk menampung hidup dibayar oleh suami- kediaman, kereta, makan minum dan segala keperluan dibayar oleh suami. Manakala, gaji isteri disimpan ke dalam unit amanah yang memberi pulangan 12% (Kini di Malaysia, pulangan 12% adalah agak biasa sekiranya anda membuat rujukan di syarikat-syarikat Mutual Funds).
Pasangan tersebut sebenarnya adalah di dalam jalan yang akan membawa mereka menjadi jutawan!!
Bagaimana?
Dengan menyimpan RM 2,500 setiap bulan dan diberi pulangan 12% atas simpanan mereka, katakan mereka mulakannya pada umur 25 tahun (kahwin muda). Sebelum umur mereka mencecah 45 tahun, kekayaan mereka berjumlah RM 2,439,315.77. Ya, hampir RM 2.5 juta! Dan ini dengan hanya menganggap gaji isteri yang disimpan langsung tidak naik selama 20 tahun tersebut. Pasangan tersebut mencapai status jutawan pada umur 38 tahun!! Kesemua ini adalah hasil kuasa compound interest!
(Kalkulator bagaimana nilai ini diperolehi boleh dirujuk di sini)
Sekiranya anda tidak teruja dengan angka-angka ini, biar saya jelaskan lagi mengenai kuasa compound interest dan apakah kunci kejayaan compound interest. Kunci untuk compound interest adalah MULAKAN DENGAN CEPAT!! Sekiranya anda berlengah memulakan simpanan anda, kesan compound interest diperlambatkan.
Perhatikan senario ini.
Zahid menyimpan RM 200 setiap bulan sejak mula bekerja pada umur 20 tahun. Asri pula lambat mengambil tindakan. Asri mula menyimpan pada umur 27 tahun. Tetapi, Asri menyimpan RM 400 setiap bulan. Dua kali ganda lebih dari Zahid.
Mari kita lihat apabila mereka berdua menjangkau umur 38 tahun.
Simpanan pelaburan Zahid adalah RM 115,124.39
Simpanan pelaburan Asri pula adalah RM 108,758.34 – walaupun Asri menyimpan dua kali ganda dari pada Zahid.
Ini menunjukkan keputusan Zahid melabur awal – walaupun sedikit jelas memberi pulangan yang lebih berbanding dengan Asri yang mengambil keputusan melabur lewat – walaupun dua kali ganda!!
Sekarang, mungkin antara pembaca mengeluh
“… tapi Irfan- menunggu 20 tahun adalah masa yang lama! Menunggu 15 tahun adalah masa yang lama untuk mencapai kekayaan.”
Anggap compound interest sebagai alat untuk menjadi kaya!!
Walaupun mungkin mengambil masa yang lama, namun, ia adalah cara yang PASTI. Teringat saya tentang cerita sang arnab dan kura kura, di mana arnab dengan pantas dan bongkak memulakan perlumbaan. Tetapi, di akhir perlumbaan, sang kura-kura yang perlahan yang tersenyum riang memenangi perlumbaan!
Buat pesanan akhir, tanya diri sendiri.
“Bolehkah anda menyimpan RM10 setiap hari mulai hari ini ke dalam akaun pelaburan yang memberi pulangan 12% setahun?”
Jika boleh, tuan-tuan dan puan-puan, dalam masa 30 tahun, anda juga adalah seorang JUTAWAN!!
Salam cemerlang!
Nota: Untuk melipat kali gandakan pendapatan melalui compound interest, tambahkan hasil pendapatan anda, mungkin dari memulakan perniagaan secara sambilan dan gabungkannya dengan pendapatan melalui compound interest ini.

Article To Share: Mengapa Kita Tak Kaya Kaya?

Artikel kali ini mungkin kata-kata yang biasa kita dengar dalam kehidupan seharian kita. Namun suka untuk saya kongsikan juga sebagai peringatan. Manusia itu kan mudah lupa, jadi harus diingatkan selalu. Mungkin sesetengah orang akan bertanya pada Allah “kenapa aku masih hidup miskin sedangkan aku bekerja kuat dan tak putus-putus berdoa”.
Kenapa agaknya?
Kalau soalan “kenapa” tentu hanya Allah yang boleh menjawabnya. Tapi soalan saya “kenapa agaknya”.
Dari segi logik akal kenapa Allah tidak memakbulkan doa kita untuk menjadi kaya?
Mungkin,
1. Allah tahu jika kita menjadi kaya kita akan menjadi sombong
2. Allah tahu jika kita menjadi kaya kita akan lupa berdoa kepadanya
3. Allah masih mahu menguji kita sejauh mana kita akan bersabar dengan ujian berada di dalam kemiskinan / kesederhanaan sama ada kita merungut, atau tidak
4. Belum masanya Allah mahu berikan kita kesenangan kepada kita dengan kemewahan
Terlalu banyak kemungkinan yang kadang-kala tidak terjangkau oleh pemikiran kita. Allah tahu sesuatu yang kita tidak ketahui.
Allah mahu kita sentiasa meminta dan merayu kepadaNya. Tetapi jangan pula kita meminta yang bukan-bukan. Jika sekadar meminta dan berdoa pun tanpa usaha jangan bermimpi Allah akan tunaikan hasrat kita. Allah akan memberi mengikut kemampuan kita. Tapi tidak mustahil juga Allah akan memberi sesuatu kepada hambaNya walaupun hambaNya kurang usaha dan itu dinamakan Istidraj. Itu juga adalah salah satu bentuk ujian.
Manusia kadang-kala nampak kekayaan itu hanya dari segi material sahaja. Kaya harta belum tentu bahagia. Kebahagiaan itu juga adalah satu kekayaan. Pernah tidak kita rasa “mudahnya urusan aku” , satu perkara selesai tanpa ada masalah yang serius. Mungkin doa kita dah dimakbulkan cuma dalam bentuk yang lain.
Allah tak berikan kita kekayaan tapi Allah permudahkan urusan kita. Apa guna banyak duit tapi banyak kesulitan dalam hidup? Apa guna gaji besar tapi hutang keliling pinggang. Pernahkah kita terasa duit yang ada pada kita sekejap sahaja habis dan kita tidak nampak apa yang kita beli? Mungkin ini juga ada kaitan dengan keberkatan. Ada orang gajinya kecil namun mampu membeli macam-macam. Simpanannya, juga sudah banyak berbanding kita yang gaji lebih besar tapi langsung tak ada simpanan. Fikir-fikirkan.
Allah menurunkan ujian kerana Allah mahu kita sentiasa ingat padaNya. Contohnya, ujian perasaan. Kadang-kala kita merintih kenapa Allah seksa jiwa dan perasaan kita kerana masih ingatkan kisah cinta yang mungkin dah berakhir 4 atau 5 tahun lepas sehingga kita tutupkan hati kita pada orang lain.
Sedangkan si dia dah bergembira bersama orang lain? Kenapa? Manusia sering bertanya kan. Persoalan-persoalan yang dicipta itu sangat bagus jika kita fikirkan sebab musababnya. Bukan merintih kenapa dan terus merintih. Kerana Allah mahu kita sentiasa dekat padaNya. Sentiasa menyebut namaNya. Percayalah suatu hari nanti pasti Allah akan gantikan perasaan itu kepada insan yang benar-benar layak untuk kita.
Kita juga kena ingat dan terapkan dalam diri kita, kekayaan itu satu ujian. Memang saya pun kalau boleh inginkan harta yang banyak, nak beli apa pun boleh tetapi kalau dengan menjadi kaya mampu membuatkan saya melupakan Allah, saya redha jika saya hanya berada di level sederhana. Cukup makan dan pakai serta boleh membahagiakan keluarga.
Letakkan keyakinan dan kepercayaan pada Allah swt. Put your belive in Allah. InsyaAllah.

Inflation Is Still A Concern

Inflation Is Still A Concern
- The Star Online, 24th May 2011
Inflation may accelerate, should there be more cuts to the fuel subsidy or hike in electricity tariffs.
Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz said the inflation rate would be revised upwards, depending on price increases.
Malaysia’s inflation rate rose to a 24-month high of 3.2% year-on-year in April after a 3% increase in March.
A rise in inflation, of between 3% and 3.5%, has been priced into the central bank’s projections, Zeti told reporters yesterday following the launch of “Leading Voices,” a new global thought leadership platform by the International Centre for Leadership in Finance (ICLIF)
However, the country’s diversified economy is now better able to withstand inflationary pressure compared with the period prior to the July 2008 price peak for crude oil. Prices then had reached US$147 per barrel compared with today’s US$97 to US$98.
“We’ll not be immune to price increases but the impact will be less as we’ve enhanced efficiencies in the economy,” Zeti, also ICLIF chairman, said.
Economists expect inflation to pick up in the second half of the year as subsidies continue to be further rationalised.
The expected hike in electricity tariffs this week, according to analysts, would likely be in the vicinity of 5% to 10%. With the costs of subsidies rising this year to over RM20bil from RM10.3bil last year, more cuts in subsidies would be in the offing with even a review of RON 95 petrol, currently retailing at RM1.90 per litre.
AmResearch senior economist Manokaran Mottain said in a report dated May 19 that the need to assist economic recovery and fund Economic Transformation Programme projects would likely pressure the central bank to keep the benchmark overnight policy rate (OPR) at 3% for the rest of the year.
Bank Negara last raised the OPR by 25 basis points on May 5. The central bank also increased the statutory reserve requirement by 100 basis points to 3%.
“Inflation will likely accelerate further in the near term due to the recent rise in global crude and food prices as well as the Government’s plan to implement the subsidy rationalisation programme.
“With the subsidy cut already factored in the central bank’s inflation estimate of 2.5% to 3.5%, we do not expect any policy review in the monetary policy, especially the OPR in the short-term,’’ he said.
In his latest report, Manokaran said if the government wants to maintain prices at current levels, an increase in subsidies would mean a reduction in other expenditures, be it operating or development. The Government may introduce austerity measures to operating expenditure, such as reducing ministries’ expenses like overheads and promoting fiscal prudence.
However, trimming development expenditure especially will be detrimental to economic growth and welfare of the country. In this context, the Government has no other option other than to introduce a gradual cut in subsidies. Despite lower commodity prices currently, the policy-tightening cycle in Asia was not over yet, said Hong Kong-based Societe Generale SA fixed income strategist Chong Wee-Khoon. Economic fundamentals and growth data in emerging Asia were still strong and upside price pressure remained acute, he said.
“Strong credit and lending growth warrants further monetary and liquidity tightening, both in terms of reserve requirements and policy rate hikes, even if food and commodity prices level off in the coming months, as the base effect kicks in,” Chong said.
On another note, Zeti said the central bank had not discussed with the Finance Ministry over nominations to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) managing director post after incumbent Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned following his recent arrest.
She said the trend of a European heading the IMF would most likely continue.

Source: The Star Online, 24th May 2011

Article To Share : People Are Funny

Sometimes, I have to hide a smile when I look at the antics of some people. Certain things they do or say, well, do not quite add up. Check out the following examples:
Some people say, “My life has changed 360 degrees” – to imply that they have undergone a total transformation and are totally different person now. Actually, a 360 degrees change in direction will bring them right back to their starting place. What they should have said is, “My life has changed 180 degrees”.
Some people say, “Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may still wind up in the stars.” I don’t know where they learnt their astronomy but aren’t the stars a lot further away than the moon? So, even if you missed the moon, there is no way you’ll wind up in the stars. You’re more likely to wind up back on earth!
Some people believe that an investment adviser is an expert in investments. They think he knows all there is to know about investments, and then some. They believe the investment adviser has their best interests at heart. Actually, the reason they are called “investment adviser” is that “speculation advisers” do not sell as many products!
Some people believe that a successful formula will bring in excellent results forever. They repeat the formula over and over again because it has been making money. So, even though the world and regulations have changed, they will continue to use the same formula. This partly explains why some people become ex-millionaires! They are stuck in a rut.
Some people rush to buys properties because the CEO of the housing developer told them that prices will soon rise. Don’t they realise that it is the CEO’s job to say that? After all, he is hired to sell as many properties as he can.
Some people think they can make money from options and futures and currencies when they already have a hard time making money from properties, which is actually the easiest, simplest and time-tested way to make money in Malaysia. Isn’t that a little like trying to beat a grandmaster at chess when you cannot even win at checkers?
Some people spend much time, effort and money to research a particular investment. The good news is all that research tells them, yes, the time is right for the investment. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, instead of investing a meaningful amount into the investment, they put in just a small amount of money – RM10,000, RM5,000 or perhaps even less. The problem with this is that the money is too little to be of any significance. For example, if they managed to get a 100% return on investment, which is superb and out-of-this-world return, their RM5,000 becomes RM10,000. While it is certainly a newsworthy performance, the extra RM5,000 will hardly change their financial situation. Had they invested RM100,000 or, even better, RM500,000, in return would have made a huge difference to their situation. This explains why some people never get rich even though they chose the right investment – their investment is too little.

Some people want to become rich but do not want to do anything different. Instead, they want to continue doing what they are currently doing, even though it is not bringing them the desired results. That’s like wanting to see the sunset but heading east to catch it! It just cannot happen!

The Rich, The Good And The Ugly

Soo Ewe Jin, The Star Online, 16th May 2011 Sometimes, we get the impression that people of a certain social class must know one another quite well.
So when we talk about the super-duper rich, we presume that they not only appear on the same Forbes list each year, but they probably have each other’s private numbers on their smartphones.
And it does not really matter which country they come from, or which industry they belong to, because their extreme wealth is the common denominator.
So if you look at the richest men on the 2011 list, you can imagine Bill Gates, at No 2, giving Lakshmi Mittal of India, at No 4, a call that goes something like this, “Hi, Mittal, how much richer are you since I last called? Steel prices are rising but I am not doing too bad myself. Microsoft just dished out US$8.5 bil to buy up Skype. Small change, my man!”
But what is the reality? I suspect that while the pursuit of money drives these people, and they may share mutual public platforms, real friendship among them may not be as common as we think.
Gates and Warren Buffett recently brought together 61 American billionaires to a resort in Tuscon but it was not so much a gathering of old friends but total strangers.
Buffett reportedly knew only 12 of those invited though by the end of the evening, he had made 40 new friends.
The one thing in common for these ultra-rich philanthropists is that they belong to the special club of people who had pledged to give away at least half of their wealth under the Giving Pledge initiated by Buffett and Gates.
So what did these people talk about all evening? Apparently, since there was no real bond of friendship, they saw the meeting as a chance to “meet each other, compare notes, eat and laugh.” At least that’s what the Associated Press pieced together by talking to a few of the diners after the event, which was totally off-limits to the press.
When my growing-up boys asked me about the important and rich people whom journalists get to meet in the course of work, I used to tell them that, like the rest of us, “the men pee standing, and have to put on their trousers one leg at a time.”
It was my way to remind them that there are more important things that make up a person’s worth than wealth and position.
But there is no denying that these philanthropists have the potential to initiate sea changes if they put their hearts in the right place.
And it is good that other rich people around the world, including in Malaysia, are also embracing this concept of giving away part of one’s wealth to address the world’s many problems.
I was pleasantly surprised that our very own Dr Jane Cardosa, one of the three dynamic Cardosa sisters with roots in Convent Green Lane and Penang Free School, is a recent recipient of a US$100,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to further her research into a vaccine for polio and hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD).
Hopefully, we will see more Malaysian philanthropic ringgit being made available to produce positive social returns.
Maybe someone should propose a study on how to eliminate the bigots and extremists in our midst who seek to build walls that divide, rather than bridges that unite.
And a further study on foot-in-the-mouth disease, which seems to be pretty rampant among the politicians.
Deputy executive editor Soo Ewe Jin realises that there is much good on the Internet that allows us to connect with worthy causes. But it seems that Malaysian misuse of cyberspace is what gets us the headlines.

The Cost of Waiting To Invest

Mark Riepe, Senior Vice President, Schwab Center for Financial Research Imagine for a moment that you’ve just received a year-end bonus or income tax refund. You’re not sure whether to invest now or wait. After all, the market recently hit an all-time high. Now imagine that you face this kind of decision every year — sometimes in up markets, other times in downdrafts. What’s a good rule of thumb to follow?
Our research definitively shows that the cost of waiting for the perfect moment to invest far exceeds the benefit of even perfect timing. And because timing the market perfectly is, well, about as likely as winning the lottery, the best strategy for most of us mere mortal investors is not to try to market-time at all. Instead, make a plan and invest as soon as possible.
FIVE INVESTING STYLES
But don’t take my word for it. Consider our research on the performance of five long-term investors following very different investment strategies. Each received $2,000 at the beginning of every year for the 20 years ending in 2006 and left the money in the market once invested.(1) Check out how they fared:
1. PETER PERFECT was a perfect market timer. He had incredible skill (or luck) and was able to place his $2,000 into the market every year at the lowest monthly close.
For example, Peter had $2,000 to invest at the start of 1987. Rather than putting it immediately into the market, he waited and invested after month-end November 1987 — that year’s monthly low point for the S&P 500® Index (a proxy for the stock market).
At the beginning of 1988, Peter received another $2,000. He waited and invested the money after January 1988, the monthly low point for the market for that year. He continued to time his investments perfectly every year through 2006.
2. ASHLEY ACTION took a simple, consistent approach: Each year, once she received her cash, she invested her $2,000 in the market at the earliest possible moment.
3. MATTHEW MONTHLY divided his annual $2,000 allotment into 12 equal portions,which he invested at the beginning of each month. This strategy is known as dollar cost averaging. You may already be doing this through regular investments in your 401(k) plan or an Automatic Investment Plan (AIP), which allows you to deposit money into mutual funds on a set timetable.
4. ROSIE ROTTEN had incredibly poor timing — or perhaps terribly bad luck: She invested her $2,000 each year at the market’s peak, in stark defiance of the investing maxim to “buy low.” For example, Rosie invested her first $2,000 at the end of August 1987 — that year’s monthly high point for the S&P 500. She received her second $2,000 at the beginning of 1988 and invested it at the end of December 1988, the peak for that year.
5. LARRY LINGER left his money in cash (using Treasury bills as a proxy) every year and never got around to investing in stocks at all. He was always convinced that lower stock prices — and, therefore, better opportunities to invest his money — were just around the corner.

THE RESULTS ARE IN: INVESTING IMMEDIATELY PAID OFF

We looked at how much wealth each of the five investors had accumulated at the end of the 20 years (1987–2006). Actually, we looked at 62 separate 20-year periods in all, finding similar results across almost all time periods.
Naturally, the best results belonged to Peter, who waited and timed his annual investment perfectly: He accumulated $146,761. But the study’s most stunning findings concern Ashley, who came in second with $141,856 — only $4,905 less than Peter Perfect. This relatively small difference is especially surprising considering that Ashley had simply put her money to work as soon as she received it each year — without any pretense of market timing.
Matthew’s dollar-cost-averaging approach delivered solid returns, earning him third place with $134,625 at the end of 20 years. That didn’t surprise us. After all, in a typical 12-month period, the market has risen 75 percent of the time.(2) So Ashley’s pattern of investing first thing did, over time, yield lower buying prices than Matthew’s monthly discipline and, thus, higher ending wealth.
Rosie Rotten’s results also proved surprisingly encouraging. While her poor timing left her about $18,262 short of Ashley (who didn’t try timing investments), Rosie still earned significantly more than double what she would have if she hadn’t invested in the market at all.
And what of Larry Linger, the procrastinator who kept waiting for a better opportunity to buy stocks — and then didn’t buy at all? He fared worst of all, with only $61,622. His biggest worry had been investing at a market high. Ironically, had he done that each year, he would have still earned more than twice as much over the 20-year period.

THE RULES DON’T CHANGE OVER TIME

Regardless of the time period considered, the rankings turn out to be remarkably similar. We analyzed all 62 rolling 20-year periods dating back to 1926 (e.g., 1926–1945, 1927–1946, etc.). In 52 of the 62 periods, the rankings were exactly the same; that is, Peter Perfect was first, Ashley Action second, Matthew Monthly third, Rosie Rotten fourth and Larry Linger last.
But what about the 10 periods when the results were not as expected, as illustrated in the table? Even in these periods, investing immediately never came in last. It was in its normal second place four times, third place five times and fourth place only once, from 1962 to 1981, one of the few periods of persistently weak equity markets. What’s more, during that period, fourth, third and second places were virtually tied.
We also looked at all possible 30-, 40- and 50-year time periods, starting in 1926. If you don’t count the few instances when investing immediately swapped places with dollar cost averaging, all of these time periods followed the same pattern. In every 30-, 40- and 50-year period, perfect timing was first, followed by investing immediately or dollar cost averaging, bad timing and, finally, never buying stocks.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR INVESTORS: DON’T WAIT

If you make an annual investment (such as a contribution to an IRA or to a child’s 529 plan), and you’re not sure whether to invest in January of each year, wait for a “better” time, or dribble your investment out evenly over the year, be decisive. The best course of action for most of us is to create an appropriate plan and take action on that plan as soon as possible. It’s nearly impossible to accurately identify market bottoms on a regular basis. So, realistically, the best action that a long-term investor can take, based on our study, is to invest at the first possible moment, regardless of the current level of the stock market.
If you’re tempted to try to wait for the best time to invest in the stock market, our study suggests that the benefits of doing this aren’t all that impressive — even for perfect timers. Remember, over 20 years, Peter Perfect amassed less than $5,000 more than the investor who put her cash to work right away.
Even badly timed stock market investments were much better than no stock market investments at all. Our study suggests that investors who procrastinate are likely to miss out on the stock market’s potential growth. By perpetually waiting for the “right time,” Larry sacrificed $61,972 compared to even the worst market timer, who invested in the market at each year’s high.

CONSIDER DOLLAR COST AVERAGING AS A COMPROMISE

If you don’t have the opportunity, or stomach, to invest your lump sum all at once, consider investing smaller amounts more frequently. Dollar cost averaging has several benefits:
* PREVENTS PROCRASTINATION. Some of us just have a hard time getting started. We know we should be investing, but we never quite get around to it. Much like a regular 401(k) payroll deduction, dollar cost averaging helps force yourself to invest consistently.
* MINIMIZES REGRET. Even the most even-tempered stock trader feels at least a tinge of regret when an investment proves to be poorly timed. Worse, such regret may cause you to disrupt your investment strategy in an attempt to make up for your setback. Dollar cost averaging can minimize this regret because you make multiple investments, none of them particularly large.
* AVOIDS MARKET TIMING. Dollar cost averaging ensures that you will participate in the stock market regardless of current conditions. While this will not guarantee a profit or protect against a loss in a declining market, it will eliminate the temptation to try market-timing strategies that rarely succeed.
As you strive to reach your financial goals, keep these research findings in mind. It may be tempting to try to wait for the “best time” to invest — especially in a volatile market environment. But before you do, remember the high cost of waiting. Even the worst possible market timers beat not investing in the stock market at all.

Money Matters – What Should You Do If You Have Extra Ringgit?

Source: Calibre, April 2012
Money doesn’t come easy. So what should you do when extra Ringgit come your way? We outline five essential considerations that merit the extra Ringgit.
Not many people have the privilege of saying they have more than enough cash to spare. Most will tell you they struggle to pay the bills that seem to grow faster than their increments can keep pace.
However, we do happen to chance on some extra bit of cash occasionally, either from our increments and bonuses or a profitable investment or when we finish paying off a debt. But before you blow that bit of extra cash that slips your way on random whims, here are some sensible options to chew over to put your money to good use.
1. Paying Off Your Debts
Looking into the details of your debt may seem like an overwhelming task but it can be accomplished by focusing on one item at a time. You need to know the exact amount of each of your debts as well as their interest rates and minimum payments.
Make two lists of your debts: in order from lowest to highest amount and in order from highest to lowest interest rate. Most people will pay the highest interest rate debts first. That makes sense for the most part, particularly if you want to save money on debts with ridiculously high interest rates. But, opting to pay off your lowest amount first may give you the satisfaction and motivation to continue reducing your debts. Assess the pros and cons of paying off each debt. You should take it on a case-by-case basis though. Weigh how much you owe against the interest rate to see which method is better for you.
2. Spending Wisely
Of course now that you’ve come into some extra money, you may want to indulge a little and allow yourself a small splurge. Make a list of things that you want to get and look at what you can afford in that list. Know how much you can spend before you enter the store and do your research to ensure you are getting the best price for your purchases. It may be an indulgence, but remember to spend within your means.
Then again, you can choose to spend the money on necessities such as your auto maintenance or things to get for your home. Consider expenditures that will add value to what you have, for example, a house renovation. Or you can go for purchases that can grow in value like an art piece or an antique that would fit well in your home.
3. Intelligent Investing
There are several investment ideas worth considering if you find yourself with some cash on hand. After all, it is not wise to keep your money idle.
Those looking to invest for the long term can look at equity unit trust funds. Unit trusts offer investors a simple, convenient and less time consuming method of investing in various securities. There is a wide array of equity unit trusts available in the market to suit investors’ risk appetite. Generally, funds with high risk profile will generate higher returns and vice versa.
Investors are also advised to keep a toehold in fix-income assets to diversify their portfolio and generate regular income stream. Fixed income funds invest mainly in Malaysian Government Securities, corporate bonds and money market instruments.
Alternatively, if you prefer to hold cash, you can opt to look at money-market funds that are considered very liquid and safe. However, note that money market securities offer significantly lower returns than most other securities because of their conservative nature.
4. Improving Yourself
Perhaps one of the best investment options is to invest in yourself. Most times, we are so engrossed with making the extra ringgit to build a better life that we forget to actually use it to improve ourselves. So what does “investing in yourself” mean? This depends on what your goals are and where you plan on putting more time, money and thought.
Generally, there are three big areas that you might want to consider to improve yourself in; your appearance, skills and health. Focusing on one’s appearance may seem like a shallow thing but remember that your appearance has a huge effect on your confidence. So it’s ok to spend some money on making yourself look and feel good.
Also, everyone has a certain skill set suitable for a particular job, hobby or for a day-to-day experience. Identify the skills that you want to develop and enrol in courses or get books to improve yourself. And never hold back money when it comes to your health. Know that investments made to better yourself will never go to waste.
5. Prepping For Rainy Days
If there is no immediate need for money, then make a generous contribution to your emergency fund. While keeping money in a savings account will yield lower returns, it is important to have easily accessible cash to cover any unexpected expenses. Having a stash of emergency cash is becoming more important in the time of uncertainties.
Besides, it never hurts to have buffer cash.

Article To Share: 5 Reasons Why Most Don’t Become Wealthy

Brian Tracy, Dec 19, 2011
“Why is it that people don’t become wealthy?”  In a country like ours, with the opportunities that we have, why is it that so few people retire financially independent?  And I eventually found the answers. Here are what I consider to be the five reasons why people don’t become wealthy.
Who Me?
First, at the top of the list, is that it never occurs to them.  The average person has grown up in a family where he has never met or known anyone who was wealthy.  He goes to school and socializes with people who are not wealthy.  He works with people who are not wealthy.  He has a reference group or a social circle outside of work who are not wealthy. He has no role models who are wealthy. If this has happened to you throughout your formative years, up to the age of twenty, you can grow up and become a fully mature adult in our society, and it may never occur to you that it’s just as possible for you to become wealthy as for anyone else.
This is why people who grow up in homes where their parents are wealthy are much more likely to become wealthy as adults then people who grew up in homes where their parents are not.  So the first reason why people don’t become wealthy is it never occurs to them that it is possible for them.  And of course, if it never occurs to them, then they never take any of the steps necessary to make it a reality.
Make a Decision!
The second reason that people don’t become wealthy is that they never decide to.  Even if a person reads a book, attends a lecture, or associates with people who are financially successful, nothing changes until he makes a decision to do something different. Even if it occurs to a person that he could become wealthy if he just did certain things in a specific way, if he doesn’t decide to take the first step, he ends up staying as he is. If you continue to do what you’ve always done, you’ll continue to get what you’ve always got.
The primary reason for underachievement and failure is that the great majority of people don’t decide to be successful. They never make a firm, unequivocal commitment or definite decision that they are going to become wealthy. They mean to, and they intend to, and they hope to and they’re going to, someday. They  wish and hope and pray that they will make a lot of money, but they never decide, “I am going to do it!” This decision is an essential first step to becoming financially independent.
Maybe Tomorrow
The third reason that people don’t become wealthy is procrastination.  People always have a good reason not to begin doing what they know they need to do to achieve financial independence.  It is always the wrong month, the wrong season, or the wrong year.  Business conditions in their industry are no good, or they may be too good. The market isn’t right. They may have to take a risk, or give up their security. Maybe next year.
There always seems to be a reason to procastinate. As a result, they keep putting it off, month by month, year by year, until it’s too late.  Even if it has occurred to a person that they can become wealthy, and they have made a decision to change, procrastination will push all their plans into the indefinite future.
Pay the Price
The fourth reason that people retire poor is what economists call the inability to delay gratification.  The great majority of people have an irresistible temptation to spend every single penny they make and whatever else they can borrow or buy on credit.  If you cannot delay gratification, and discipline yourself to refrain from spending everything you make, you cannot become wealthy. If you cannot practice budgeting as a lifelong habit, it will be impossible for you to achieve financial independence.
As W.Clement Stone said, “If you cannot save money, the seeds of greatness are not in you.”
Take the Long View
The fifth reason that people retire poor is perhaps as important, if not more important, than all the others. It is lack of time perspective.  In a longitudinal study conducted by Dr Edward Banfield at Harvard University in the 1950s and published in 1964 as The Unheavenly City, he studied the reasons for upward socio-economic mobility.  He wanted to know how you could predict whether an individual or a family was going to move upward one or more socio-economic groupings and be wealthier in the next generation than they were this generation.
All his research brought him to a single factor that he concluded was more accurate than any other in predicting success in America. They called it time perspective.  This was defined as the amount of time that you take into consideration when planning your day-to-day activities and when making important decisions in your life.  Time perspective referred to how far you projected into the future when you decided what you were going to do or not do in the present.
An example of long time perspective is the common habit of upper class families in England to register their children at Oxford or Cambridge as soon as the child is born, even though he or she will not be attending for eighteen or nineteen years. This is long time perspective in action.  The young couple that begins putting $50 dollars a month aside in a scholarship fund so that their newborn child can go to the college or university of his or her choice is a couple with long time perspective. They are willing to sacrifice in the short term to assure better results and outcomes in the long term. People with long time perspective almost invariably move up economically in the course of their lifetimes.

If You Work Hard, Good Things Will Happen

Really? Yes, it is. I know you’ve heard it a thousand times before. But it’s true – hard work does pay off, especially dalam bisnes ni. Last Friday dapat berita seorang lagi associate yang saya anggap sifu iaitu En Mohd Farabi telah dinaikkan pangkat daripada Agency Supervisor ke Agency Manager. I am so proud and happy for him (walaupun dalam hati sudah terbakarrrrrr dan jelesss sebenarnya!! :lol: ) He deserved this promotion as he is very persistent and tak pernah give up dalam bisnes ni.
Believe in yourself, and the rest will fall into place. Have faith in your own abilities, work hard, and there is nothing you cannot accomplish. ~Brad Henry
En Farabi telah membuktikan bahawa dalam bisnes ni, every effort is paid off. Of course, there are twists and turns along the way. Biasa la tu. Hidup ni kan penuh cabaran. Yang penting, macam mana kita hadapi cabaran tu. Do we easily give up or do we stand up to obstacles and do something about them? Yes, you may get lucky sometimes, but that is not always the case.
Lets take Michael Jordan as an example. Michael Jordan is thought by many to be the greatest basketball player of all times. Guess what? His success did not come easy. He failed to make his high school basketball team, but he did not quit. His small defeat fueled his desire to practice, practice and practice until he propelled himself to the top of his game and ultimately became one of the top players in the NBA. Sounds familiar?
Same goes to any one of us. Jika kita ingin berjaya, berusaha dengan gigih dan jangan mudah berputus asa dalam mencapai matlamat kita. InsyaAllah kita akan mendapat ganjaran yang setimpal dengan usaha kita. Trust me, hard work never goes wasted. Allah kan Maha Adil.
Really? Yes, it is. I know you’ve heard it a thousand times before. But it’s true – hard work does pay off, especially dalam bisnes ni. Last Friday dapat berita seorang lagi associate yang saya anggap sifu iaitu En Mohd Farabi telah dinaikkan pangkat daripada Agency Supervisor ke Agency Manager. I am so proud and happy for him (walaupun dalam hati sudah terbakarrrrrr dan jelesss sebenarnya!! :lol: ) He deserved this promotion as he is very persistent and tak pernah give up dalam bisnes ni.
Believe in yourself, and the rest will fall into place. Have faith in your own abilities, work hard, and there is nothing you cannot accomplish. ~Brad Henry
En Farabi telah membuktikan bahawa dalam bisnes ni, every effort is paid off. Of course, there are twists and turns along the way. Biasa la tu. Hidup ni kan penuh cabaran. Yang penting, macam mana kita hadapi cabaran tu. Do we easily give up or do we stand up to obstacles and do something about them? Yes, you may get lucky sometimes, but that is not always the case.
Lets take Michael Jordan as an example. Michael Jordan is thought by many to be the greatest basketball player of all times. Guess what? His success did not come easy. He failed to make his high school basketball team, but he did not quit. His small defeat fueled his desire to practice, practice and practice until he propelled himself to the top of his game and ultimately became one of the top players in the NBA. Sounds familiar?
Same goes to any one of us. Jika kita ingin berjaya, berusaha dengan gigih dan jangan mudah berputus asa dalam mencapai matlamat kita. InsyaAllah kita akan mendapat ganjaran yang setimpal dengan usaha kita. Trust me, hard work never goes wasted. Allah kan Maha Adil.

Kepentingan Perancangan Kewangan

Masyarakat yang merdeka memiliki kebebasan kewangan. Bebas membuat pilihan dan keputusan dengan kemahiran kewangan serta tidak terikat dengan kongkongan hutang, keterbatasan kuasa beli, kelegaan dari liabiliti jangka panjang dan beban psikologi krisis kewangan. Fenomena terkini yang amat ketara ialah skim pembelian secara ansuran mudah mendapat sambutan yang amat menggalakkan. Perkara ini timbul kerana wujudnya permintaan yang merangsang pertumbuhannya. Tanpa disedari, ramai pengguna memilih membeli barangan menerusi skim ini kerana keupayaan kuasa beli untuk membeli secara tunai terhad. Situasi ini secara tidak langsung juga menggambarkan hilangnya sikap menyimpan dan melabur.
Secara umum, kita tidak mempunyai sumber pendapatan yang aktif dan terlalu dinamik sekarang dengan keadaan ekonomi yang tidak menentu, lebih ketara lagi apabila berada dalam tempoh persaraan. Kita cenderung memilih untuk menghabiskan tempoh lazim persaraan dalam keadaan yang tenang dan santai. Sedangkan, kos sarahidup tidak pernah bersara malah semakin hari semakin meningkat terutamanya perbelanjaan perubatan. Dalam masa yang sama, kita masih leka tentang kepentingan pelaburan. Kalau dulu kita berada dalam suasana kampung, hidup di dalam satu institusi keluarga yang kukuh. Setelah bersara atau tidak bekerja, ibubapa yang tiada pendapatan tinggal bersama anak-anak mereka atau dalam kelompok kejiranan berdekatan serta saling bantu membantu. Inilah pegangan masyarakat kita dahulu yang memegang nilai sebagai landasan hidup. Dengan pendapatan yang kecil, mereka berjaya membesarkan anak-anak dengan kecukupan pendidikan, akhlak, keperluan asas dan sebagainya. Berbeza dengan situasi sekarang. Kemudahan pinjaman, keperluan seharian dan pengaruh persekitaran menjadikan kita keliru dan terkadang gagal menjustifikasikan tindakan. Persediaan yang sepatutnya perlu dibuat bermula dari sekarang iaitu membuang sifat negatif terhadap kebendaan dan membina nilai diri dan keluarga dengan keperluan dan kelengkapan sarahidup yang bukan sahaja dari aspek kewangan malah ilmu pengetahuan serta pengisian menyeluruh rohani, mental dan fizikal.
Ini adalah kerana peningkatan kos dan kadar inflasi tidak menentu meningkat. Nilai yang berada di dalam pegangan kita juga ikut tidak menentu menurun dengan kenaikan harga barang atau penyusutan kuasa beli wang kita. Tidak kurang juga pengaruh luaran lain memberi kesan kepada nilai yang kita ada. Hubungan songsang diantara nilai pegangan dengan kos, kadar inflasi dan lain-lain ini menuntut kita berbuat sesuatu supaya kita tidak terus rugi atau sekurang-kurangnya dapat mempertahankan nilai wang yang kita pegang. Nilai aset kita tidak statik, begitu juga dengan umur dan keupayaan kita. Sekiranya baik sikap dan tindakan kita, maka baiklah hasilnya. Walaupun masa yang sama diperuntukan kepada setiap orang iaitu 24 jam sehari, tetapi terdapat berbagai tahap keupayaan kewangan di antara individu. Yang cuai dan mengikut nafsu akhirnya terkandas di waktu-waktu kritikal apatah lagi setelah umur menjangkau ke tahap kurang produktif.
Rasullullah s.a.w berpesan, rebutlah lima perkara sebelum datang lima perkara, iaitu masa muda sebelum masa tua, sihat sebelum sakit, masa berharta sebelum masa miskin, lapang sebelum sibuk, masa hidup sebelum mati. Maka sewajarnyalah hadith ini diaplikasikan untuk kebaikan dengan perancangan kewangan yang bijak Yang jelas, pelaburan mesti direbut dengan bertindak dari sekarang.
Bayangkan sekiranya kita hanya mempunyai kurang daripada RM50,000 wang KWSP apabila tiba umur persaraan dan dalam keadaan kita tidak bekerja. Jumlah ini sememangnya tidak mencukupi untuk menampung kehidupan di masa umur emas. Dengan peruntukan sebanyak RM1,000 sebulan, duit tersebut boleh habis dalam tempoh 4 tahun sahaja. Itupun dengan andaian sekiranya RM1,000 sebulan dibelanjakan dan belum diambilkira dari segi kos-kos yang wajib dalam menyelesaikan liabiliti tertangguh sebelumnya.
Langkah penting dalam perancangan kewangan adalah pelan pelaburan. Perancangan ini hendaklah bermula dari sekarang. Pelan pelaburan bukan lagi satu pilihan malah menjadi�suatu kemestian kepada setiap individu. Seorang ketua keluarga perlu merancang ketahanan sumber pendapatan keluarganya untuk masa yang mendatang. Seorang bapa yang sedar kepentingan pendidikan anak-anaknya, perlu mula melabur atau mencari pelan perancangan kewangan menyokong pendidikan anak-anak, terutamanya dengan kos pendidikan yang tinggi dan ketidakpastian bantuan kewangan dari sumber-sumber yang dulunya boleh diharapkan.
Antara tindakan yang perlu diambil kira adalah seperti berikut:
  • Pelaburan bermula dengan mempunyai duit yang lebih. Malangnya, tidak ramai di antara kita mempunyai lebihan wang sama ada bekerja sendiri atau makan gaji. Kalau berlebihanpun, bukanlah seberapa kerana keperluan masa kini amat mencabar sehinggakan kadang-kadang pendapatan gagal berlebih malah tidak mencukupi. Di sinilah titik tolak yang akan membezakan orang yang merancang dengan orang yang tidak merancang. Kita hendaklah bijak berbelanja dan memperuntukan sebahagian pendapatan untuk membolehkan kita melabur. Pelaburan yang disandarkan kepada pinjaman semestinya akan rendah nilai apabila diambil kira modal yang tertakluk kepada keuntungan pihak ketiga yang memberi pinjaman.
  • Melengkapkan diri dengan kemahiran pengurusan kewangan. Seseorang individu hendaklah berbelanja dengan bijak untuk mengelak dari membelanjakan kepada perkara-perkara yang tidak memberi nilai tambah. Pendapatan yang banyak bukan bermakna seseorang itu kaya. Yang penting adalah bagaimana kita mengurus kewangan kita. Perbelanjaan perlu diutamakan kepada perkara asas yang menyumbang kembali kepada sumber pendapatan. Perbelanjaan sepatutnya berdasarkan keperluan utama dan bukan berdasarkan kepada pengaruh lain seperti iklan, rakan dan sebagainya. Sekiranya perbelanjaan dikaitkan dengan perkara-perkara sampingan, beban membayar nilai perkhidmatan atau barangan tersebut akan ditanggung oleh kita sendiri.
  • Memahami pelaburan. Pelaburan adalah tindakan atau satu proses yang diambil pada wang atau aset kita dengan menjangkakan pulangan pada masa akan datang iaitu memperolehi hasil daripadanya. Seperkara yang perlu diberi perhatian adalah hasilnya tidak semestinya positif. Oleh itu, kita mestilah mengkaji dengan terperinci sebelum sesuatu pelaburan membawa hasil sebagaimana yang dijangkakan. Kita perlu bukan sekadar mengetahui istilah-istilah pelaburan seperti risiko, pulangan, nilai masa duit, inflasi dan sebagainya tetapi tahu mengaplikasikan. Unsur-unsur penting pelaburan yang perlu didalami adalah:
    • Pelaburan jangka pertengahan kepada jangka panjang seperti kita jangkakan pulangan untuk tempoh 10 tahun ke 20 tahun akan datang.
    • Pelaburan hendaklah dibuat ke atas pelbagai asset atau industri dengan taburan yang sepatutnya.
    • Risiko yang minima berbanding pulangan atau pulangan secara relatif.
    • Mengambil kira kesan inflasi sebahagian daripada kos atau jangkaan kos inflasi.
  • Mengambil bahagian dalam pelaburan dengan kepelbagaian bidang seperti kewangan, hartanah atau sumber manusia seperti kemahiran tertentu yang bersesuaian dengan matlamat jangka panjang kita. Membangunkan kemahiran diri dengan menambah pengetahuan bagi kemahiran tertentu seperti membaikpulih kenderaan, menulis artikel kepada majalah-majalah dan sebagainya juga merupakan pelaburan.
Bertindaklah sekarang dengan membuat caruman ke akaun pelaburan sedia ada atau melakukan pelaburan sendiri. Adalah disarankan supaya pelan persaraan bermula dengan menguruskan pendapatan sedia ada dan dilaburkan di tempat yang terjamin serta boleh diharapkan. Unit trust, mutual fund or Amanah Saham Bumiputra (ASB) adalah salah satu contoh pelaburan yang baik. Kenapa? Kerana institusi ini mempunyai orang yang berkelayakan yang memang bekerja memberi keuntungan kepada pelabur. Memang ada kos ke atas perkhidmatan mereka tetapi sekurang-kurangnya kita tidak membayar dalam kerugian sekiranya kita kurang arif membuat pelaburan sendiri. Seperkara lagi yang tidak kurang pentingnya adalah mengenai peruntukan pelaburan perlu diasingkan dari peruntukan kecemasan. Peruntukan pelaburan tidak digalakkan digunapakai dalam keadaan kecemasan. Pelaburan yang didepositkan hendaklah tidak dikeluarkan walau apa keadaan sekalipun. Memandangkan banyak perkara yang perlu kita lakukan, biarlah orang yang mahir melakukan pelaburan bagi pihak kita.
Penekanan penting di sini ialah kesedaran tentang pentingnya tindakan awal, kemahiran mengurus kewangan, disiplin diri yang tinggi serta perancangan yang rapi. Berilah peluang hidup kita merdeka dari krisis kewangan yang dialami hasil dari kegagalan sendiri.