Net Worth Update (July 2013)

Current Net Worth
Assets	Jun-13	Jul-13	Change	% change
Savings Account 1	$2,419.38	$2,759.27	$340.09	14.06
Savings Account 2	$2,902.53	$3,223.53	$321.00	11.06
Savings Account 3	$22,780.16	$25,093.43	$2,313.27	10.15
Investment Linked Fund	$8,601.44	$8,922.62	$321.18	3.73
Schroders Commodity Fund	$9,146.00	$9,334.73	$188.73	2.06
Stock Holdings	$9,725.00	$9,680.00	($45.00)	-0.46
Phillip Money Market Fund	$15,031.85	$15,037.25	$5.20	0.03
Physical cash	$1,000.00	$1,000.00	$0.00	0.00
Market Value Of BTO Flat (to be built in 2016/2017)	$750,000.00	$750,000.00	$0.00
Total Assets	$821,606.36	$825,050.83	$3,444.47	0.42
Liabilities
Home Loan	$617,500	$617,500	$0.00	0.00
Net Worth (including flat to be built in 2016/2017)	$204,106.36	$207,550.83	$3,444.47	1.69
Investible Net Worth	$71,606.36	$75,050.83	$3,444.47	4.81

Highlights

• Additional income from GST voucher, reservist allowance and Singpost dividends.
  
• Market staying stagnant resulting in little changes to the value of my investment holdings.
  
• Total expenses for the month of July is about $700, a significant increase from my schooling days where I diligently maintained a budget of $10/day.
  
• $47,000 or about 63% of my investible net worth is now in cash/cash equivalents. This war chest should be ready for any unexpected downturn in the market. As major expenses (wedding and house) will be incurred in 2016/2017, a comfortable portion of my investible net worth should be set aside as cash/cash equivalents.
  
• Biosensors will be distributing dividends for the first time in August. Need some major market movements to utilize my war chest and increase my passive income significantly. For now, cash is a position.

Urban Renewal -- The Big Government Way

Having spent the past four days wandering the neighborhoods of Washington DC, it is clear that this city is a prosperous, booming area.  Wonder what business enterprises are sparking this growth?  Big government.

Years ago, when I was a newbie intern for the US Treasury, walking a couple of blocks from One Washington Circle (where I lived back when it was an apartment complex) was a dangerous undertaking.  No More.  For miles around, there are now leafy suburbs with casually dressed joggers and dog walkers.  The homes are well maintained and coiffed and the comfortable residents seems at ease with their plush surroundings.

Who lives here?  The new "protected" class.

These are the people that work for the federal government or the numerous so-called private businesses that devote their endeavors to providing services to government or lobbying to gain a share of government largesse.  These are the folks that view people outside the beltway as moronic environment-destroyers and homophobes.  They are comfortable in the knowledge that they are doing God's work, protecting the environment and defending the minorities and the poor from the caprices of the evil private sector.  These are the regulators, the tax collectors and the righteous -- living high on the taxpayer.

Out in the hinterland, struggling Americans are laboring with massive unemployment and stagnant economies and providing the tax revenues to support this ruling class that lives in modern luxury in much of Washington DC.  No real products are produced here. Indeed, the primary function for most of these Washington upper income folks is to find ways to restrict the private sector and to increase the flow of resources into their own pockets.  This is the new "European prosperity" for the ruling classes.

You wonder how much longer this can continue.  A dwindling private sector carries this elite group on its backs.  Meanwhile the poor in DC are shunted off into ghettoes with some of the worst public schools in America.  But, those folks are out of the view of this elite.  This elite lives in safe neighborhoods with protected jobs.  Even folks who take the fifth amendment before Congress, when they are asked about what they are doing, continue to prosper at full pay with zero work responsibilities.  This is the liberal dream, right here in Washington DC.

Understanding the Habits of the Rich

Fancy getting rich? Here are the rich man’s habits.

Seminars, webinars, Social events/ gatherings, book launches... These right here are some of the main events circled on the rich people’s calendars!

Ever wonder why?

At one of the many book launches I have been to I had a chance to chat up the local best-selling author Azizi Ali, brilliant mind I must say. He told me that the number of books published in a country mutually relates to the wealth of the citizens.His explanation therefore was the more publications per annum, the more the development countrywide hence increase in the wealth of the individuals.

Not so long ago while I was at a luncheon with this brilliant friend of mine, he mentioned that “rich people seldom eat alone”. I was quite ecstatic because this is a habit that I unknowingly practiced for quite a while now. What he said is totally true come to think about it. Its quite funny that there is an entire book dedicated to this subject “Never Eat Alone”. If you read this book, you will learn a thing or two and where you have been going wrong all his while.

According to the above scenarios, did you notice the common customs of the rich people?

Ask yourself why the rich become richer, the poor become poorer and the “Average” stay stagnant?

THE RICH ENJOY READING. TREMENDOUSLY!

In this dynamic era, the rich still find time to read despite the diverse media. They have plenty to choose from that is to say magazines, books, newspapers, and  of course the internet which is the most dominant of them all.

In this world we live in, you have got to spend money to make money. I know it may sound cliche but take a look at the those thousand dollar seminars and courses, they are always full to the bream! They never go unattended, why? Simply because the rich love to learn. If you fancy an opportunity to meet all these filthy rich people all congregated in one room, I suggest you attend one seminar or course in the area near you. Trust me.

Now I understand not everyone has a couple of thousands of dollars at their disposal that is why I advise you to get familiar with the term webinars. This term is a derived from two words that is to say web and seminar. Thanks to technology we now have webinars which you too can enjoy from the comfort of your couch. They are always scheduled to happen at some stipulated time over the internet. Usually there is a number of slots available depending on the organiser of the webinar. Guest speakers and renowned financial consultants are the people that run these webinars. 

Are you rich yet?

NO! Me neither. So until we all regard ourselves rich, let us acquaint ourselves with the these terms below:

●     Seminars

●     Book launches

●     Webinars

●     Courses

●     Social events/ gatherings

This way, we will keep track of the rich and hey we could be involved in their circles.

Thank me later!

This is a guest post by KCLau. KCLau is the best selling author of Top Money Tips for Malaysians. His popular personal finance blog is one of the most visited websites in the financial blogosphere with thousands of email subscribers. He also hosts regular and free online financial training featuring different financial experts. You can follow his latest updates by visiting www.KCLau.com. 

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

I carry no brief for people that break laws, but, in the securities industry, indictments destroy businesses and innocent shareholders are usually left picking up the tab.  That was the result when Drexel Burnham was indicted in 1988.  Many of Drexel employees who trudged silently in the back office found their retirement hopes and dreams destroyed when Rudolph Guliani's over-zealous indictment caused Drexel to go bankrupt overnight -- long before anyone produced any evidence to a judge or jury to peruse.  Most of the folks who lost their life savings by the indictment of Drexel were innocent and had no knowledge of any wrongdoing.  That's what happens when you indict corporations, as opposed to individuals.

This same theme plays out in the litigation and settlement arena.  Pension funds who trumpet their lawsuits against corporations are really only suing themselves and enriching the legal profession.  The wrongdoers go unscathed, while innocent shareholders get hammered.  This is what happened in the tobacco settlements, in the BP settlement, and on and on.  Shareholders, who often have no idea that they are really shareholders, find their own retirement hopes and dreams crushed by breast-beating righteous souls who run these pension funds involved in all of this litigation.  The lawyers love this as they salt away fortunes.  It's simply a transfer from working class people to wealthy lawyers, while pension executives proclaim that they are fulfilling their fiduciary duty.

In the SAC case, why doesn't the government indict individuals?  How can a corporation get inside information without an individual being involved?  Could it be, they can't prove their case.  By simply indicting SAC, they destroy the business and, presumably, a lot of Stevie Cohen's net worth.  But, what if Cohen is innocent (and I am not saying that he is).   We may never know.  What we do know is that SAC is done for, whether innocent or guilty.  The indictment will destroy SAC's future and much of Stevie Cohen's net worth, regardless of guilt or innocence..  At least in this case there are no public shareholders being looted -- just Mr. Cohen as far as I can tell.  But, still.

What happened to the rule of law?

How to Become a Financial Planner?

After the two series of article on Financial Planning and Financial Planner. Some of you may asked: "Is it difficult to become a Financial Planner? What's the requirement needed?"

Hmmm... Good news is it is not difficult, but the bad news is it's not easy either and the requirements for sure will be raised in the future.

So, how?

In Malaysia, those who practice as Financial Planner must pass any one of below examinations:

1. Registered Financial Planners (RFP) issued by Malaysia Financial Planning Council (MFPC)
2. Certified Financial Planners (CFP) issued by Financial Planning Association of Malaysia (FPAM)

After you have passed the said examination, it doesn't mean that you're a Licensed Financial Planner straight away. Why? It's just serves you an entry passport only. Once you have accredited the qualification, you must apply the required licenses with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and Securities Commission (SC) before you can carry out financial planning activities.

By then, you can claimed the following title:

• Financial Adviser Representative (FAR) by BNM
• Licensed Financial Planner by SC

Please take note that passing the said examinations doesn't carry you the titles, getting the licenses does. If not, you're deem to have convicted an offence which can land you in jail or subject to hefty fine.

Other requirements include:

• Must be a Malaysian citizen
• At least 21 years old
• Have minimum 3 years related experience
• Must be a FULL time practitioner
• Then, you must fulfill the minimum hours for personal development programs every year

Next, we will talk about "The Challenges Faced by Financial Planning Industry in Malaysia"

This article was contributed by Alex Yeoh, a licensed financial planner with a reputable financial planning firm. Finance Malaysia blog will work together with Alex in bringing more interesting articles on personal financial planning. You may reach him via email alexyeoh@vka.com.my

New Fund: Kenanga Asia Pacific Total Return

After merging with ING Funds Berhad, Kenanga Investors Berhad launched its first new fund of the enlarged family. In this uncertain global economic environment, how much return can a fund generated was the main concern for many investors. Want to get higher return? Then, we cannot runaway from higher volatility! Are there any balance in between?

Yes. To cater for such investors, this new fund aims to provide a compounded rate of return of at least 10% per annum over market cycle (5 years) by investing in a diversified portfolio of Asia Pacific equities.

3 Reasons WHY it benefits you:

Well... Unlike others, this fund DO NOT has any benchmark constraint. This allows flexibility in identifying and implementing the most optimum investment strategy. Picture below shows the differences between Absolute and Relative return:

Still not yet convinced? How about the proven track record?

Click here to download prospectus

Source: Kenanga Investors Bhd

A Guide To Home Loan Refinancing

For those who have never been exposed to the concept of “refinancing”, home loan refinancing may seem like a baffling notion.  After all, what good could possibly come from getting a new home loan… just to pay off your old one? Wouldn't you just go back to square one after the whole process? These could be some of the questions you’re asking yourselves, and understandably so.

In reality, home loan refinancing is a widely-adopted practice with many potential benefits. Home buyers far and wide undertake it in order to lower the interest they’re paying on their home loans, reduce their monthly loan repayment amounts, and generally alter their loan terms to better suit their financial needs.  In fact, some even refinance to free up cash riding on the inherent values of their properties!

Want to refinance your home loan in Malaysia?
Click here to compare different rates by different banks.Courtesy of: iMoney.my