A visit to PNB

Earlier today, I went to PNB with wifey. She lost her ASB book for some strange reason. I think, it has been a year since I last went there. Maybe more....Hehehehe.



So we were at PNB about 9am and the place was practically empty except us. .... I would've thought that the place will be full of people. Nevertheless, we proceeded to the counter and she got replacement book after paying RM20.

Since I was there, I spoke briefly to one of the staff about ASW & ASD. Since I can't open up an ASB account for kecik as she is only 4 years old, I decided to open up ASW account for her. Infact, the staff told me that I have 2 options for kecik. Either open up Amanah Saham Didik or Amanah Saham Wawasan. She suggested that I go for ASW as it is 'easier' to get and the dividend given for both funds is more or less the same i.e. 6% (for the last 3 years, the average div was 6.55%).

So, as a start, I invested Rm200 in ASW for kecik. I've yet to decide on how much I would like to save every month in her ASW but as I always said, a little bit of everything can be good in the long run. Maybe, just maybe when she turns 12 in a couple of years time, I might change her funds to ASB.

As I was on my way back to the office, I was thinking that we are very lucky to have such facilities & opportunities to save and get reasonable returns in the long run. I would think that it's a waste if we don't use the opportunity to improve our wealth a bit or at least, to have something for the future especially when we are talking about retirement plans as well as the well being of our children.

Of course, we can't guarantee what will happen to us in the future but what we can do is to be well prepared and keep on improving.

Have a good day

e-filing LHDNM

I've just submitted my tax returns for 2010 via e-filing a couple of minutes ago. How easy it is now to submit your tax returns kan?

To be honest, I thought I've forgotten my password but after a quick search in my tax file I managed to get in to the site after one try. See, how important it is to have a sticky note in your personal file. Hehehehe

Anyways, for the past 2 years, I waited till the 30th day of April before I decided to submit the returns and at both times, I would 'struggle' to submit the returns via e-filing as most of us would submit at the last possible time. Hence, it will create a bottleneck effect where there's so much information coming in at a time.

So this time, I've decided to submit a wee bit earlier than 30th April and within minutes I managed to fill in the necessary boxes. I need to get wifey to file her returns tonight lah.

Glad I've done my part and hopefully I'm gonna hear some good news from the taxmen.

Have a good day

.......another dive trip.......

Yup........Went to Tioman again over the weekend for a diving trip (what else lah kan?)

Had a fun outing with good companies and friends.....The most important thing is....I enjoyed myself and all of us had a great laugh about the entire trip.

Did 5 dives to places all of us have never been before such as Gua Layang and Letak Hitam. The vis was great at both dive sites and we experienced thermocline twice in a day. That was fun considering I only had my rash-guard and my shorts instead of wearing wetsuits. The current was strong as well at times.

We also went to Labas and Sepoi. I enjoyed Labas. Spotted my first ever nudibranch on my own without the help of the others. Hehehehe. Can't remember the name of the nudibranch but I was glad that I found it. It was small to be honest. The length was about 2cm.

Sepoi is another interesting dive site as the current was a wee bit strong down there. Spotted a titan trigger fish during my descent. What a way to start the dive eh?. It was big to be honest!! Luckily it didn't attack us. Hehehe. Sighted a nurse shark as well as some blue-spotted sting-rays and moray eels.

I managed to do only 1 night dive and was glad that I did it. Spent about 64 minutes underwater. Managed to spot a lion fish, loads of puffer-fish, cuttlefish, a small octupus and lots of other strange creatures that cannot be seen during the day. Heheheh.

All in all, I enjoyed the trip and had fun. This was my 2nd dive trip in a month. Hehehehe. To be honest, I'm thinking of having another trip next month. Hahahaha..

Some of the pics were taken for my friends and some were taken by myself using my ever reliable BB. Enjoy the pics


On my way


On the ferry at 1am


The jetty in the morning




The view from the cafe


All set


It took us about an hour to reach Gua Layang


Myself......


Batfish


Blue spotted


The party has begun



Bubbles



Me....enjoying the sunset...


Have a good week ahead

Not the primrose path

Earlier this morning, while I was sending my other half to work, wifey told me about a blog titled Not the Primrose Path. She was mentioning about how the writer who was suffering from cancer lived his life. He passed away last December (Al-Fatiha). He was a medical doctor (as stated in his blog).

So, before I started working today, I went over to the net and search his blog. Found it and for the first time after 2 years, for reasons unknown to me, my tears can't stop flowing especially after looking at his picture performing his prayers on the bed with the mask on his face. That's a powerful picture I have to be honest. I'm humbled and it made me realized how lucky some of us are having reasonable & good health.

I will read the rest of his blog when I'm free later.

Thanks sayang for introducing me the wonderful blog.....

I pray that Allah bless his wonderful soul.

Filling System

As I was wondering on what to write about earlier today, suddenly I gazed at my filling cabinet and saw some of my personal files. And then, it struck me that how important it is to have a reasonable filling system for your future reference.

It's an odd topic to talk about but to a certain degree I think it's a very important one as it helps you greatly in minimizing the hassles of finding documents, especially the important ones when you need it.

Right, let's get straight to the point. Why does a systematic filling system helps you in the long run?

1) It saves you time
2) Minimizing the hassles of looking for documents
3) Helps you being a wee bit more efficient
4) You know where and what you are looking for when it matters

There are a lot more reasons on why you should have a proper filling system but those stated above are the obvious ones for me.

When I started working way back in 1999, I used to file everything in one 'ABBA' file. It includes the bank statements, P45, P60, Salary Slips, Credit Card EPF, tax, insurance, ASB, etc..

As time went on, I had to create a file specifically for the Credit Card bills, since I owned about 5 credit cards at one time.

When I first started buying a property, I told myself that I need to create a folder/file specifically for 'Property'. At that time, I have no interest in purchasing more properties as my income was pretty limited. When I took home the S&P agreements and stuff, it was clear that I need to file it properly.

Again, as time went on and as I progressed, I began to purchase more properties via auction as well as sub-sale. Hence, there was a need for me to have separate files for each properties that I bought. Now that I have a few properties, I told myself that I need a small cabinet to put all those files. Everything about a particular property such as the agreements, the maintenance fees, amount due, amount received, etc is clearly filed according to their dates. In fact, I have a summary of payments made for every month for each property so that it'll be easier for me to track my monthly expenses.

Up till today, I have a cabinet that is full with my personal files. Each of them are clearly marked such as properties, Unit Trust/ASB/AHB, Insurance, Credit Cards, ASTRO, Motor Vehicles, Loans & Bank Statements, Alya's School and of course, EPF. I'll make sure that everything is being arranged according to the latest dates so that it's easier for me to look for a particular document in the future.

I dread to think what would happen if I don't have a proper documentation system of my own. I know of some people that couldn't be bothered to file their own bank statements let alone their Salary slips. It certainly have helped me in so many ways. For example, although I seldom do it, with proper filling, I can reconcile my bank statements whenever I have the time.

In this particular period of time where everything must be in documented in black and white, a proper filling system helps a lot especially when there's a dispute. You might think that it won't happen but when it does happen, at least, you're prepared for it.

I do not know whether everyone's doing it or not, but what I do know is, it has helped me to be a little bit more systematic and in control. To be honest, it's not a rocket science kinda stuff. It's about putting things at the right places so that when the time comes, you can easily search it.

Have a nice day

Unit trust investment

I made an additional unit trust investment again this morning through my Account I in EPF.

So far, I've made my unit trust investments in 4 different funds and at this current moment, the performances for the funds looks encouraging. To be honest, all my investments are being invested in Islamic-based funds.

Obviously, unit trust is a long-term investments and usually we can see the returns in 5 years time. So, now the waiting game begins and hopefully, it'll bring some returns.

I still remember when I made my first investment in 2008. I started with RM5.5k and over the next year and a half my total investment was about RM15k. In Aug 2010 I decided to 'close' the funds and received a return of about RM4k. Not bad lah kan?

So, for the time being, I'll invest in unit trust using my Account I with the aim to 'boost' my EPF savings in the long run.

Some of my friends has asks me whether is it safe to invest in unit trust? I would say, it's another form of investment and you are diversifying your investments by investing in unit trust. After all, you're investing with your EPF money. Rather than keeping in EPF and get about 5%-6% dividend, might as well, invest a little bit in UT to get better returns and boost your EPF savings in the long run. Hehehehe

Anyways, just remember to 'Never put all your eggs into one basket'.

Have a good week ahead....

MMO.......

I spent two days last week at the wonderful KLGCC to watch the Malaysian Open.

I was lucky enough on the first day to be able to follow Charl Schwartzel, Noh (Defending Champ) and Louis Oosthuizen (2010 British Open Champion). Seeing these pros playing their magnificent golf is something that I will remember for a long-long time. Well, it's not everyday that the Master's Champion is in town kan? Anyway, I followed them for about 11 holes before I decided to head out and fetch Kecik from school. On the way out, I managed to hang out for a couple of minutes at the range to see Rory McIlroy hitting few balls. Man, I love the way he swings the club.....




Johan Edfors




Jeev Milkha Singh (Nice swing!!). Matteo Mannasero (this year's champion) was in the same flight as well.




Charl Schwartzel



Louis Oosthuizen


Rory McIlroy

On the 2nd day, I managed to follow Rory's flight that consist of rory, Martin Kaymer (World No 1) and Thongchai Jaidee. Seeing Thongchai really close at times showed me how fit he is and he is 40 years old. Nice man and always acknowledge whenever the spectator call his name!! Malaysian golfers should look up to players like Thongchai and some other Thai players for some inspirations and how determined and disciplined they are in playing the game...We should take a hard look at ourselves and it will be a long way to go before we can even produce an Asian Class golfer.

Anyway, one thing that I learn from watching these wonderful people was their approach before their shots. Their focus and tempo is always the same, every-time. They will take their time talking to their caddies, take a few practice swings and then......booom....the ball is on the fairway or on the green. Really magical.....



Big crowd following Rory, Martin and Thongchai






World No 1



Thongchai........


Magnificent Par 3 Hole. Only Rory managed to get into the green while Martin and Thongchai fell short and went into the bunker


Rory's girlfriend


Big Crowd again


The scoreboard before I left for Friday prayers.

To be honest, in my opinion, this year's edition of the Malaysian Open is and perhaps the best Malaysian Open ever. The crowd was good and obviously there were few 'unfortunate' incidents happened when some of these spectators happily clicking their cameras when there was a sign that no cameras are allowed when the players are about to hit their shots. Dungu seems to be the correct word for some of these people. Takde etika langsung. There was one incident at Hole no 17 when Rory himself had to 'plead' to the spectators to put down their cameras. Hahahaha.

Anyways, I enjoyed it although I didn't manage to go and see them on the final rounds over the weekend. A 17 year old kid from Italy won the Malaysian Open by the way.


Congrats Matteo!!


The best result for the Asian player came from a golfer from Bangladesh who occupied the 8th place. Comparing him to our local players, our local players has all the facilities needed to be a top player but unfortunately, something went wrong along the way. Like I mentioned earlier, our local players need to take a hard look at themselves. There's no point getting into a tournament on the basis that local players must have certain slots to be given to 'em. That's just wrong.


Anyways...Like I said, I enjoyed the tournament and hope it'll be better next year.

Oh by the way, I saw an article on Sunday regarding golf. Funny and at the same time....weird....

Hahahahahah

Becoming a millionaire

Cool topic eh?

Or is it catchy?

Well...I hope it is....

So the question is....how do I become a millionaire or how would I be able to achieve that solid RM1mil mark?

There are few ways....

1) Business....
2) Savings..
3) Lottery...
4) Robbery..
5) Corruption...
6) Swindle...
7) Keep on dreaming......
8) Property investments.....
9) MLM.........

Well....saying and writing it easy (in theory that is)....and I'm gonna touch on being a millionaire through savings and compounding.....I don't think writing about becoming a millionaire through other channels will be right for the current moment and of course, almost everyone knows that investing in properties will certainly help ...heheheh.....So here we go...

Let's assume we have a savings of RM1500 and we want to have RM1,000,000 in 14 years time. So how much do we have to save a month or a year to get that RM1mil. Let's be conservative and assume that the annual interest rate will be constant at 7.5%.

According to the Compound Interest Calculator, you will need to save RM3,333.33 per month or RM40,000 per annum for the next 14 years to achieve that mark.

Let's take another example, Abu is 34 years old. He plans to retire at 55 and planning to have RM1.5mil as his retirement savings. So how much does Abu has to save from now so that he will able to attain his financial objective?

Again, assuming an annual interest rate of 7.5%, he needs to save around RM2,460 per month for the next 21 years or RM29,500 annually.

Play around with the calculator at the link and you'll be amazed with the power of compounding.

Let's take a look at another example. Assuming you open up a new ASB fund for your soon to be born kid. Every month from the day she or he was born, you put RM200 until she or he is 21 years old. If you do that constantly, at the age of 21 and assuming an annual interest rate of 7.5%, your kid will have about RM92k worth of savings. A good way and amount for him or her to start their life. I wished I had such kind of start but there's no point looking at the past kan?

Again, all of this looks rosy in writing and in theory and I admit that sometimes, it can be difficult to do it in reality. Whatever being said though, it all depends entirely on what do we want to achieve in life. For some, they couldn't be bothered at all and for the other some, they have made the necessary preparations to face the future uncertainties.

I will be very happy if I could save RM20,000 per year. If I do that consistently over the period of....let's say 14 years, I may have about RM500k. Will I do it?....I'll try but my main aim is always to ensure to I'll have sufficient funds to use when the time comes.....

So for those who wants to be a millionaire, good luck and start saving (duhhh).....

psssstt...just assume you have Rm5k in hand, where would you put your money to? ASB or Unit Trust?

Masters

Some dude named Charl Schwartzel won the 2011 Masters.

Congrats Charl!! Following the footsteps of Trevor eh? South Africa has produced tremendous numbers of talented golfers. My hero included....hehehe



Rory McIlroy.......what in the world happen to you? Crumbled on the final day? Read it here.



Tiger 'Invisible-No-More' Woods did good and finished at 4th place......

My hero, Ernie Els, vanished into thin air before the masters even started....hehehehe......

Anyways, our very own "masters'' i.e Malaysian Open starts on Thursday at the luxurious KLGCC. I've got myself a pass with a help from a fellow golfer so I might spend my weekends watching the pros play this week. I'm excited and looking forward for the event. I silently hope and pray that we will have a local champion this time around. How it would spark a massive frenzy among Malaysians if a local can finally win its own Masters.........

Note:
The pics were taken from Dailymail.

Santai........

Went for a round of golf with some friends on Sunday at Danau, Bangi.

It has been a few months or maybe a year since I last played there.

I'm not a fan of the course, as for me, it's difficult (well, all golf courses in the world are difficult to begin with) and I never seem to get good scores there. In other words, for some reason unknown to me, I never been able to play well in Danau.

So we started the game at 1230pm and things we going ok for me for the first part of the game. I think...I did well for the First 9 holes. Then, on second nine, things started to go wrong. Got a triple bogey for the 10th hole, and it took me 9 strokes to complete a Par 5 Index 1 hole. Damnnn!!!! That completely ruin my game. My initial aim of scoring below 90 was completely dashed as I scored 91 for the day. Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Nevermind, there's always a next time. I can't complain much as I don't spend time at the range anymore. It gets worse when I'm only playing twice a month. So, the consistency is not there. Golf is about consistency and focus. If you don't have that, then don't even think about shooting low scores.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed my day out at the course. Certainly, made new friends along the way. For a few hours, I forget about the 'world' and it was just me, the bloody white ball and my clubs. Hehehehehe.

Ohhh, somewhere along the fairways, I even saw 'Villa Tropika'. Hehehe. If I'm not mistaken, I can clearly see the apartment from Hole no 3, Hole 7 and Hole 8. My unit is on the 10th floor and supposedly will be facing the golf course. The project seems to be in good progress and I can't wait for it to be completely built. Will I sell it or will I rent it out? I've not decided on that one as yet but things are certainly looking good......


I told my flight-mate that I bought a unit from the developer last year and he was asking whether there are any units left for sale. He was mentioning that he is interested in looking for an investment property in Bangi area and told me that I'm lucky to be able to buy it. Search and you shall I find....that was my response....

Have a good week....

They are coming!!!

Yes!!!!!

Liverpool is coming to town this July!!!

It's Malaysia vs Liverpool......



I've been a fan of Liverpool since 1986, if my memory serves me correctly, it was from FA Cup Final between the Reds and Everton that I started to support the team.

I can still vividly remember the tune of the Wembley final that was played before the live telecast. Hhehehehe..

Anyways, I'm looking forward for the game. Seeing King Kenny (hopefully) and the rest of the players plus the new ones too in person. That will be awesome!!....Errr.... Can't decide as yet who I'll support.

YNWA

Taken from Liverpool's official website:

''Liverpool FC is delighted to announce the Club will be travelling to Asia this summer for a pre-season tour sponsored by Standard Chartered that will include games in China, Malaysia and Korea''

Here's the rest of the announcement.

Education fund....II

When you are married, it is highly likely that you will have children, sooner or later. Make no mistake about it as having children is important and can be a source of pride and joy. My life changed significantly after the birth of my princess way back in 2007. Honestly speaking, I would say, I'm a better man now as compared to what I was before. Hehehehe....

Anyway, after the birth of my daughter, I was looking for a product, be it insurance, investment or education fund for my daughter. I realized that, as parents, I have the biggest responsibility in ensuring that she is well taken care off (in terms of her future education and of course her general well being). Hence, after meeting and talking to few insurance agents, I decided to go with Prudential. So for the time being, all of kecik's insurance, medical and investments fund are currently 'managed' by them.

She was admitted to the hospital 3 times for the last 2 years and I thank Allah for helping me realizing how important it is to have medical insurance for your child. Of course, I'm a bit lucky in the sense that wifey is a government servant and we could choose to send kecik to the govt hospital. Instead, we sent her to a private hospital and with all the medical coverage that she had, I only had to pay a few hundred for a bill that came up to about RM4k. These incident helped me to realize how important it is to have a medical coverage, not only for your child but for yourself as well. Hence, I would certainly advice to everyone, pls get a medical coverage for your children......You won't know when you need it, but when the time comes, you'll be glad that you took the initiative to do it.....

Anyway, life doesn't stop there...unfortunately. You'll need to work hard and smart for the next 20 or 30 years or maybe the rest of your life to ensure that your children gets sufficient and reasonable education. Next to purchasing a house or a home, I would think that setting up an education fund will have to be a priority. Of course, as parents, we want to have the best facilities to be given to our children. We want them go to the best school, mix around with good & reasonable people and for some, we wanna send them to study abroad. Like it or not, all of these will cost money. So...the question is, how are we going to do that if we can't afford? or to make it worse, we did not make an effort to even think about our children's education fund....

I would like to think that giving 'em the best education possible is the most important thing that you can ever 'give' to your child. Not money or even properties but education.

Hence, it is always good to have an education fund. Just like saving 30% of your monthly income to your Savings Account, you may have to put aside maybe 10% of your income for the education fund. The key is, if you have yet to start in setting up any funds for your children, it is always not to late. Start now.

ASB is always an option. Hehehe. If you ask me, I've set up a a different fund for Kecik in PM and I try to put RM200 every month and hope to do it continously for the next couple of years. I do have an option of investing a lump sum of RM10k now and just leave it be in the fund for the next 14 years. If the calculations are correct, and assuming a 12% int rate, she will have about RM50k in her fund. That's quite alright in my opinion. At least, at the back of my mind, I know that what ever happens, there will be some money for her when she turns 18. It takes away some of the headache (I hope).............Having said that, it'll be great if you children are rewarded with education scholarships from the govt. That will lessen your financial burden significantly.

Anyway, I don't wanna be too technical but believe me when I said, through the effects of compounding, a small sum of money that you save each month, can and will grow into a significant amount in the future. As always, start small and start now. RM50 pun jalan..........:p

Have a nice day..........

Tenancy Agreement

The tenancy agreements for 3 of my properties were about to expire on 31st March.

Thanks to Allah that 2 tenants decided to renew the agreements for another year and the other tenant decided to renew for only 6 months as they are waiting for the keys or CF for their new property in Ukay Perdana. It was sad to see them go as they pay their monthly rentals promptly and they took good care of the place in Desa View. So I guess, I will advertise the place sometime in June or July lah. Huhuhu........

Generally, I'm happy and satisfied that all of my properties now are tenanted. I wish I could add one or two more properties but thanks to BNM for their outrageous ruling, I just can't anymore. Anyway, that is another topic to discuss in the future, but for now, I'm a happy camper....Yey!!

I've just requested a help from a friend to stamp these documents and hope to get it back before the end of the week. Ohh...there's a story about stamping these documents actually. Earlier last week, I decided to call an old friend, he was my schoolmate in VI. He is currently a real-estate agent attached to some real estate agency in Hartamas. So, I thought it could be a good idea to call him up and ask for his assistance in getting my tenancy agreement stamped. Obviously he said it was ok but when he told that me it would cost RM100 (admin charges) per agreement, I decided not too. That's a lot of money eh? I'm just wondering, what admin charges is he talking about eh? That RM100 is excluding the stamping payments/charges to LHDN. I would think that it's ridiculous.....that's my opinion anyways....







On a different subject, someone closed to me went to a tinting shop over the weekend to get his car tinted (obviously). I think it costs him about Rm1k for the tint. Anyway, after all the process completed, I take a look at the bill. Was a wee bit shocked when I found that such a big shop can't get the right spelling on their bills/warranty...



Ah well.....it's Malaysia maaaaaaaaaaaaa........hehehe

X

I really....I mean.....I REALLY hope and pray it's not him..................

What a blow to his political career, his families and to everyone that has been supporting him.... if it is him...........

Have I seen the clip? Yes...but not the full version of the clip.....only parts of it but unfortunately it has been removed from YouTube....

Borak2....

A friend called me up the other night.

He was asking, whether is it alright for him to invest in Unit Trust via his EPF account.

My answer was....why not? For me personally, it's a good way to invest using your EPF money. I mean, whenever we talk about investing, we must always associate it with risk. There is no investment that is without risk. Even driving a car is riskier....hehehe. I would say...joining a MLM business is way riskier....

After all, the amount invested is not much. Presumably below RM10k(maybe more.....depending on your 'available' amount in Account I). I would say, the risk in investing in unit trust depends entirely up to the investor's way of dealing with risk. Either you're a risk taker or a risk averse. I would call myself as a risk-averse type of person. I'll make sure that upon getting some profit from the initial amount invested, I'll 'sell' and re-invest again. It's kinda hard to explain properly in writing as I'm not well versed in unit trust but I believe that it certainly has helped me in getting some returns. I've been doing it for about 3 years now and so far, it has been reasonably good.....

Anyways, like I said. I do invest in Unit trust and will still do in the future. In fact, I started in 2008. Quite late lah but better late than never. Alhamdulillah, it gave me some returns. Not much but still, a return is a return kan? At least, there's a return from there. Sapa mau kasi extra RM300 or RM2000 or RM1 for that matter without doing anything kan? You work your bloody ass off everyday or work till late at night pun blom tentu your boss will reward you for your efforts...:p

COming back to the topic of using your EPF to invest in UT, I would certainly say, go for it. It might help to further bolster your Savings in EPF in the long run. Obviously you won't be able to use the returns/profits/dividends that you might get as all of it will go back to your EPF account. With a higher amount of money available to you in your EPF account, you can then re-invest it again. Pretty simple idea actually but I'm a wee bit surprised that not many people really see this opportunity.

Anyways, the opportunity is always there for those on the look. Perhaps, this is one of the ways to prepare him or herself for retirement....hehehe

So my dear friends.....go ahead and do it....