dinarpmkum

There is a growing discussion about whether or not college graduates are generally prepared for the workforce.  This is a very interesting (and revealing) discussion. This is not so much about GPA as it is about more fundamental problems -- attitude tops the list.  Far too many college graduates think that they have 'paid their dues' by attending college and collecting a degree.  Many seem to think that joining the work force is akin to joining a fraternity or sorority.  They seem disappointed that employers' have high work expectations and are in no hurry to provide massive benefits and a club-med work environment to a rookie employee. What every employer wants is someone committed to work hard, to learn new skills, and to already possess basic writing and mathematics skills.  The vast majority of college graduates, measured against these expectations of business do not measure up.  That's the sad truth about higher education.  We don't insist that ou...

Yes, my fellow Ipoh-mali, Patrick Teoh, is back on the airwaves. Nothing controversial this time ... but he did touch on Rose Chan lol. Patrick spun songs for two hours which were popular when we were celebrating our Merdeka for the first time. Though I am not a big fan of the 50s, it was fun listening to songs my parents loved. I believe he will be spinning songs from 50s-80s ....  p/s one FB fan wrote that its called Pick of the Pops because Patrick is picking the songs ... geddit.

Recessionary times can prompt an early retirement. What about your retirement funds in your qualified plans if you need access to them before turning age 591/2? Will you be penalized for taking them? Most people have a 401(k) plan at work. Contributions to these plans are tax-deductible from working income and can include matching funds from employers. But money withdrawn from them comes out as taxable income, taxed as ordinary income. This is true for your own IRA. The federal government allowed such qualified plans - including IRAs - so people will save for their retirement. To foster waiting to your retirement years rather than dipping into those savings, qualified plan distribution rules impose a penalty for withdrawals made before you turn 591/2. The penalty is a straight 10% tax on whatever you withdraw. And that's in addition to the withdrawal being added to your income for whatever income tax that will trigger. That's a lot of tax to pay. If you wi...

Those who wish to grow their finances tend to adopt an investment philosophy of diversification. Given the investment climate we have had to deal with in the last few years this is certainly the best approach for a 21st century strategy. If your desire is to grow your portfolio, then these suggestions I offer to you should help you in that endeavor; 1) Define your investment approach - every successful investor has an approach to what they will invest in, how often and into what areas. Are you an equity investor (purchasing assets for value), a stock investor (purchasing shares of stock in a company to represent your preference), a business investor (you take ownership in a business) or real estate investor? 2) Define your investment criteria - It's possible to invest in a variety of ways. You must outline what fits into your investment criteria. For example, if you invest in real estate your criteria might be apartment buildings with 10% cap rate in a residenti...

I am sure of the fact that many people are unfulfilled in their lives, particularly with their jobs, relationships and financial status. Today I want to discuss a very important issue- and I believe that many people will agree with me. I will start with this question: With the way the economy has turned,what do you think is the solution to financial lack? Not many people have the guts or even the patience to learn about money. Human beings are creatures of habit and if one is happy with just going about their usual routine - though it may always bring them disappointment- then that is what that person will do until something so drastic happens that forces them to finally take action. Even if you do not become a big business owner, why not invest your money as opposed to saving it in the traditional way? Financial education is, undoubtedly the most crucial element of education every person needs in this world to enjoy life. I am terrified of people who have the ...

No matter where you work and what you work as, there are going to be some sought of payment disputes that you come across. However, the construction industry sees the worst disputes and the amounts can run into thousands and at times even millions of dollars. The main reason as to why this happens in the construction industry is because there are plenty of different companies working together to help achieve the final goal. And just like in any other field with demand comes supply. Therefore, here too there are plenty of schemes that are come into the picture in order to prevent such malpractices. Security of payment was therefore recently introduced to help people solve their financial problems quickly and to prevent massive losses to both parties and save them time from fighting it out in court. Things have changed Before all these cases used to take a really long time and you would have to work a lot and spend a lot as well to fight them in court. It's not j...

In every country all over the world, retirement schemes provide strong pillars for both security and stability needed by every individual in their old age. In Australia, the retirement programme is known as Superannuation and was made popular by the "superannuation guarantee" which was introduced by Keating Labor at the time of his reign of the Australian government. Superannuation is a fund towards which the employee as well as the employer contributes a certain amount of money at specific time intervals. Although it is compulsory for the employers to make contributions towards this fund (not less than 9% of their employee's income, with commission, bonus, etc included), it is a voluntary affair for the employees to do so. When this fund was initially introduced, it was set at the rate of 3% but with time it has registered a gradual increase. A whole lump sum is released to the employee when he attains a specific age. A Self managed Super Fund on the...

No matter what we work as and where we work there are times wherein we come across problems related to payment issues. It could be boss - employee payment problems or even worse payment problems between companies working together on a single project. For boss - employee payment issues there are already plenty of schemes in place. However, when it comes to payment between different companies this matter needs a legal system in order to be solved. Therefore, the government of most countries has come up with a scheme termed "Security of Payment". There are plenty of "securities of payment schemes" under different security of payment acts for issues related to the construction and building industry as this is the main sector where problems arise. Benefits of these schemes There are plenty of benefits that you would be able to avail from these schemes and one of the main one's is that of increasing the flow of cash. You would be able to receive quic...

If you're working in the building and construction industry you've probably already come across payment disputes in some form or another. This cannot be prevented as the niche is such and there are always last minute additions and changes needed which also result in a rise in the incurred price. Therefore payment disputes are always present and the courts used to be filled with such cases. Taking into account the amount of construction work going on and the number of disputes filed the government decided to come up with payment schemes termed as "Security of payment schemes". They were setup in order to allow quick and adequate compensation based on the work involved and the charges incurred to your party. In most of the cases these settlements have happened and the right party has received whatever was due to them and this is the reason most people in the industry believe in these schemes. The future is nothing like the past Unlike in the past ...

In this article following two major points are discussed to understand the whole scenario. (1) Trend and Initiative of the Budgetary Support and Institutional Borrowings - The system of managing and financing infrastructural facilities has been changing significantly since the mid-eighties. The Eighth Plan (1992-97) envisaged cost recovery to be built into the financing system. This has further been reinforced during the Ninth Plan period (1997-2002) with a substantial reduction in budgetary allocations for infrastructure development. A strong case has been made for making the public agencies accountable and financially viable. Most of the infrastructure projects are to be undertaken through institutional finance rather than budgetary support. The state level organisations responsible for providing infrastructural services, metropolitan and other urban development agencies are expected to make capital investments on their own, besides covering the operational costs for th...

Canada finds itself in a newly competitive arena, not on a hockey rink, but in the mortgage lending-sphere. For the last few months, mortgage rates have been a hot topic especially for Jim Flaherty, the Finance Minister of Canada; banks were bringing their rates low, lower than they've been in a significant number of years. Lenders went as far as to take them under the three percent line, which caused Flaherty to have some words about the potential "race to the bottom." But now, as the demand for government bonds from investors have increased, as have the rates of fixed mortgages. In any industry there are precedents that are followed, banking is of no difference. Canadian homebuyers are now in the midst of an upswing of fixed Mortgage rates. On July 15, Canada's biggest provider of mortgages, the Royal Bank led the charge and was the first to increase their rates. RBC saw an increase to %3.29, a 20 basis point jump. Following RBC's step forward La...

The fact that a mortgage balance can exceed a property's value remains confusing to many of us. You know that the lender did evaluate the property when you initially obtained a mortgage and find it hard to believe that a lender would finance your home for more than what it is worth. Unfavorable market events can influence the property's value and cause a negative impact. This scenario usually results from recent home sales in the same neighborhood, falling of home prices and unwise decisions regarding your mortgage. RECENT HOME SALES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAVE AN IMPACT ON YOUR PROPERTY'S VALUE: Fair Market Value is an estimated value subjective to factors, such as comparable prices, market conditions and availability of finance. Lenders typically request a valuation of the home and analyses' sales for the last six months of similar homes in the same area. This information is used to determine the property's value. Foreclosures and short sales tend...

Posted this back in 2011. Well, its been nearly 2 years since my Facebook rants ... and plenty of changes have passed then ...  I think the users have more than tripled or more ... and my FB friends have surged to just over 100, still manageable ... but the inherent silliness still prevails. I can appreciate the wonders of Facebooking, to keep in touch and to share, in a manner that is more intimate and profound than say just by emails. After sitting at a computer typing all day, the last thing I want to do when I get home is sit in front of another computer so that I can read the fascinating facts and fancies on "25 Random Things About Me" from 3 of my friends. I also don't feel the need to constantly update an entire network of friends about the daily minutiae of my life. My life is to be lived, not to be updated. And the mf box "What's on your mind" ... I mean if I tell you what is really on mind mind, I would have no friends left??!! I mean, how to say ...

The big difference between American humour and British humour, skilfully exemplified here, dry, sardonic, cutting, sarcastic, word play to the max ... from the ever brilliant John Cleese. ALERTS TO THREATS  IN 2013 EUROPE From JOHN CLEESE The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent events in Syria and have therefore raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada. The Scots have raised their threat level from "Pissed Off" to "Let's get the Bastards." They don't have any other levels. ...

No matter your background, rich or poor .... the moment you hear Nick shares his life and his message, you will have tears because he connects with us on so many levels.

If you read Chinese papers you may know her already. Crystal Lee, a lovely Malaysian girl, talented beyond her years, has been making waves in singing competitions and motion pictures. As good as her singing is, her talent in acting is at a much higher level. She won already in the local Golden Awards and recently garnered Best Actress for her significant yet highly watchable role in Unbeatable at the Shanghai International Film Festival.

Different generations have their own view on working. You like it or not, working is part of our live. No work = No life. However, this equation has since changed to " Working = No life ". Do you agree? Generally, those born in 70s were perceived to be loving their job. They work hard mainly because of 3 meals/day. For them, a secured life means having a stable job with stable income. They believe that with every efforts you put in, that will reward you back later. As such, over time (OT) is nothing for them. As a responsible 70s, losing their job is a serious matter they tend to avoid. That's why they usually found another job first, before resigning. How about 80s? Other than chasing for stable income, those 80s working adults will also look into the job scope , opportunity for promotion , or working environment . They will take initiative to find for better job. Hence, job hopping is very common for them. Notably, 80s are reluctant to sacrifice their quality of life b...

Well, you can argue and debate, but man ... the CLSA feng shui predictor has more rights than wrongs ... and eerily correct so far this year. Hope the chart continues to be correct, which means a swift rebound.

TOPIC:   What If I Knew At 20, What I Know Now Blurb:  Advice for young professionals thinking of playing shares. Pointers from the presenters' years of experience in losses, mis-steps, dos and don'ts .... with Salvatore Dali, Khoo Hsu Chuang, Julian Lim and David Chew. http://www.bfm.my/snm-show.html Song pick :  A brilliant, very uplifting song by The Fifth Dimension .... Up, Up & Away.

In an age where the common degree has become a pre-requisite and not so much an advantage, ensuring that you have enough to see your children through a reputable university has inadvertently become one of the most important responsibilities you’ll face as a parent. Unfortunately, knowing how much to save for your kids’ tertiary education is not an easy question to answer.  In fact, it is downright complex in view of the vast differences in costs from degree to degree, university to university, and country to country.  And even for those who do have a number in mind, there is still the question of when you should start saving , using which savings / investment vehicle. If you have been wondering about your financial capabilities to finance your kids’ tertiary education, or you have been seeking a workable method to save a sizable study fund for your children; allow iMoney to shed some light on this matter with their latest infographic: Courtesy of iMoney.my

As the day draws closer to celebrating another Merdeka and Malaysia Day, the overall population runs the risk of not knowing our roots. How we came to be as a nation, as a group of people with so much shared history and legacy. As less and less of our population remember the time when they were around during the torturous Emergency years of 1948-1953 ... our country runs the risk of losing the very fabric of our existence. As we marvel on grand property projects now, we talk of five figure a month jobs, we talk about traveling the world, buying the latest fashionable product, argue about share prices, look at your children living a normal life  ... all that would be very different had the 5-6 years of history turned out differently, and it could very well have. I know all cinemas will be playing the national anthem for a week leading to Merdeka Day ... just how much of chest thumping will that bring. If you are not already feeling like a Malaysian, that tactic will do very little f...

Are you an EPF member who withdraw money out for investment scheme? Then, this is a very important news to you. Effective January 2014, the minimum basic savings required in Account 1 was revised upward. This will affect all of YOU who withdrawn certain amount from EPF account 1 for eligible investment purpose. Higher limit means lesser money you can withdraw from EPF in the future. How much will be increased? Based on the chart below, the percentage increased can be as high as 64%. Generally, the increasing amount was at least 50% once you're age 27 onward. How to calculate how much can I withdrawn from EPF account 1? What's the different or impact? Depending on your age and how much savings in account 1, the impact varies by members. For better explanation, please see example below: Finance Malaysia hopes this post can enlighten you on EPF members investment scheme withdrawal. You may share this to your friends. Thanks.

The Nasdaq halted trading today and was down for a couple of hours.  Listening to the financial media (CNBC, Larry Kudlow, etc.), you would have thought a great crime had occurred.  99 percent of the investing public had no idea and could care less, me included. What serious investor could possibly be harmed by a two hour shutdown of the Nasdaq?  Are these pundits serious?  If there was ever an 'inside baseball' issue, this is it.  Only manic traders and hedge funds could possibly care one way or another about the Nasdaq shutdown. No portfolio of any serious investor could possibly be damaged by a temporary shutdown of a stock exchange.  This is a ridiculous tempest in a teapot.

Just what we need, the Obama tenacles reaching into higher education.  In typical style, Obama points to a problem -- the high cost of higher education -- and proposes a solution that has nothing to do with the problem and actually will likely make the problem far, far worse than it is now.  This has been the pattern with the economic rescue plan, with the 'affordable' health care act, with wind and solar initiatives, and on and on.  Every problem that Obama has inherited has become a much bigger problem under his leadership. What is wrong with higher education?  Mainly the government, as in most other things.  Federal funding for research grants and student loans has made higher ed less interested in scholarly pursuits and more interested in the pursuit of federal largesse.  Students are borrowing huge amounts of money to maintain a college lifestyle that for prior generations was simply unavailable.  Who could spend that kind of money on beer and fit...

Reuters has a story today about the jobless claims number that is completely absurd.  According to Reuters, "...then new claims... rose...but...gave a positive signal for hiring during the month."  This conclusion is based upon absolutely nothing.  What the data, in fact, shows is that jobless claims rose last week and rose more than the market expected -- not good news at all.  Worse, the numbers are barely (five percent on average) lower than the numbers in the early part of the year.  Given that revisions are typically well above five percent, a drop of five percent is statistically irrelevant. The real truth is that the economy is not producing enough jobs and the few that are produced are mostly part-time, low wage jobs.  Not surprising, given the Obama economic program, which guarantees economic stagnation as far as the eye can see. The media has made a habit of consistently distorting the truth about the American economy in their cheerleading effort ...

A new book by David Stockman, "The Great Deformation," challenges the current orthodoxy of financial market regulation. This book is a great read.  Don't expect a calm and collected analysis.  This book is definitely not calm and collected.  Stockman takes on all comers and his style is blatantly polemical.  He aims his brickbats at the right and the left as he excoriates the rise of indebtedness, public and private, since the 1960s. Don't think conservatives get a free ride in this book.  They don't.  Ronald Reagan and Milton Friedman are targets of Stockman.  Indeed, Stockman sees Reagan and Friedman as major culprits in the incredible growth of America's financial liabilities.  Some of this is, no doubt, sour grapes for his well-publicized split with the Reagan Administration in the 1980s when Stockman was Director of the Bureau of the Budget.  He resigned that post in a feud with the Reagan folks over their unwillingness to support spendi...

Stock Picks For A 3 Month View & A 2 Year View -    looks at the views of stock picking for the short term and longer term; portfolio management tips; and the perils of investing. http://www.bfm.my/snm-show.html http://www.bfm.my/sm-salvatore-dali-malaysiafinance-stock-picks-210813.html

Some say its a repeat of 1997. Let's look at the whys and hows. Firstly: a) its not 97, where the amount of foreign liquidity permeating into Asia was ginormous; hence when they exited, it was severe b) in 97 the easy money debt was taken by listed companies, much of which went round and round to support ever higher prices; to that end, today the corporates are like church choir with their indebtedness c) fears from Fed tapering was more pronounced last month, I believe the height of the foreign funds exit was last month, not now ... it looks more like a concerted effort by some hedge funds to target India and Indonesia; that being the case, if they wanted to exit, they have largely exited already, we are only seeing the remnants  Markets routed the worst were Indonesia, Thailand and India .... this was not across the board. Yes, the exit by foreign funds from equities and bonds were severe, but there was differentiation. Hence it was not treating all emerging markets or all Asia P...