Peter The Planner

Hello Guys!

Sorry for being MIA for almost one month. Been busy adapting to my new found low-purine diet due to my Gout. It’s really not easy to find food outside with my condition and i have a whole list of ban food that i cannot touch.

Nevertheless i take it as a form of healthy living that i adopt at a younger age =) Went for a blood test and thank God that it is all cleared except that i have a high level of uric acid which results in my gout. Through this experience, i told myself that i must not take my health for granted. If you are healthy now, it doesn’t mean you won’t contact anything in future hence we always have to be healthy.

Last month i have also bought myself a car - Mitsubishi Colt Plus! Despite the fact that it is a liability, i have decided to go ahead with this upgrade. Well it was really a small upgrade for me in the sense that i gotten a off-peak car instead thus reducing the monthly committment. Again by owning a car, i realised even more things about the idea of having a car.

First of all  to those that think by having a car will be more convenient, i have to be totally agreeable with you! My girlfriend stayed in town and each night if i will to take public transport to send her back and i go home, it will takes about one hour. Plus it will also be taking one hour if i will to meet client at west area. Previously i have been doing so and it was really tiring, The fact that i can endure for so long was because i thought of the money saved and it made me felt justificable. But for now, i just want to make my life easier =)

But although it helps you to save time, one has to see how he/she makes use of the extra time. If one simply just decide to slack at home to do nothing while having the extra time by having a car then i think it’s not productive. If they make use of the time to go for another appt or go home to do work then i will think it’s helpful to own a car.

Owning a car does not help you to save money! I have to emphasize on this! As a matter of fact, i think one will spend more money because one will tend to go for late night supper, buy more grocery since have space to bring home, modify their cars or travel to many other places for dating. I supposed for those who owns a car will be nodding their head with me =) Plus with all the ERP and carpark charges, it wont be surprised that owning a car will actually make you poorer.

Well all in all, i will still think that if the monthly committment of a car is within 20%  of your income and you can still save 30% of the gross salary then it will be a good idea to have one! Happiness index of having a car rates 7 out of 10!

Updates on my work would be that i am very happy to inform you guys that i have managed to clear my target much earlier than expected this year despite the fact that early this year, the economy is not doing very well. Much have to attribute to my loyal and faithful clients who have trusted me and supported me all these while. With many new products in the market, i am better able to equip myself and value added them better! I will continue to work hard and not to let you guys down!

Coming into December is an exciting things for me because i will be heading for my annual ICT and that will be the time where all our good old friends can gather together to talk and bond together! It’s also a time where we evaluate our achievments and to see what are the miracles that can happen if you really believe in it. Never give up because we have not reach the end point.

To all the sales people out there, one word of encouragment for you:

*****Your success does not depend on anyone but yourself! You are the key! *****

All the best to my readers out there!

God bless you!

Pete

I have decided to do a short write up about this disease ‘Gout’ especially after i experienced it first hand myself. Seriously when i get to know that i gotten this, i was stunned because i thought that i have always been more healthy conscious compared to my other friends. Well apparently it doesn’t seem to be the case. In any case, i think it is a good thing also because it highlighted to me the fact that it is important to watch what i intake into our body.

Let me share with you guys what is this condition called Gout is all about:

Gout is a disease that results when crystals of uric acid form in tissues of the body. Gout is characterized by an overload of uric acid in the body and recurring attacks of joint inflammation (arthritis). Chronic gout can lead not only arthritis, but hard lumps of uric acid in and around the joints, decreased kidney function, and kidney stones. Gouty arthritis is usually an extremely painful attack with a rapid onset of joint inflammation. The inflammation is precipitated by the deposition of uric acid crystals in the lining of the joint (synovial lining) and the fluid within the joint. Intense joint inflammation occurs when white blood cells engulf the crystals of uric acid and release chemicals that promote inflammation. The resulting inflammation causes pain, heat, and redness of the joint.

The first symptom of gouty arthritis is typically the sudden onset of a hot, red, swollen joint. The most common joint involved is at the base of the big toe, but almost any joint can be involved. In some people, the acute pain is so intense that even a bed sheet on the toe causes severe pain. Acute gouty arthritis at the base of the big toe is referred to as podagra.

Even without treatment, the first attacks stop spontaneously after one to two weeks. While the pain and swelling completely go away, gouty arthritis commonly returns in the same joint or in another joint.

This is how my toe looks like now -_-  Red and swollen

Painful attacks of gout are brought on by drinking alcohol or eating foods high in purine. Fifty perent of the uric acid in your body comes from the food you eat, the other 50% comes from sources within the body.

General guidelines for gout are as follows:

• Restrict meat/fish/poultry intake to 180 grams per day;
• Avoid alcohol;
• Lose weight if overweight;
• Exercise regularly;
• Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day;
• Eat plenty of fruits & vegetables (except the ones listed below)
• Have more starchy foods like rice, bread, noodles, etc. to fill you up;
• Restrict foods high in purine:
  • Organ meats such as liver, kidney, heart, brain, etc.
  • Selected fish and shellfish ie. ikan bilis, sardines, mackerel (including selar, tenggiri & kembong), herring, salmon, fish roe, cockles and mussels
  • Meat & yeast extracts such as Bovril, Marmite, Vegemite, essence of chicken, brewer’s and baker’s yeast
  • Meat soups & stock cubes especially Bak Kut Teh
  • Game meat ie. venison, black chicken, pigeon, goose, etc.
  • Beans & lentils such as tofu, soya bean, bean fillings, etc.
  • Selected vegetables ie. spinach, rhubarb, asparagus, cauliflower, mushrooms & peas
  • Strawberry, strawberry jam, durian, tomato & tomato products. 

Okay! That should be all for the short educational infor about this disease. Hope every one who reads this will start to take note of the food that you eat every day. Remember once you discover you have any illness, it maybe too late for you to start any new diet. So prevention is still the best!

Enough has been said about all kinds of financial planning or products available in the market. However does one sit down and reflect that despite all that has been said, somehow, all of the knowledge just doesn’t seem to do any good or make any change in one’s life?

As with any other aspect of our lives, financial planning too requires an important ingredient – discipline. All requires Consistency!

If you are consistent in revising your homework everyday, it won’t come as a surprise if you score A’s in your exam. If you are consistent in reading your bible, you will find yourself getting closer and closer to God. If you are consistent in exercising, you will always be in shape. If you consistently save $50-100/month since age 18 from your pocket money or salary, I can assure you that your yearly holiday trip will not blow a hole in your pocket, but instead be easily splurged on.

Nevertheless, theoretically speaking it seems an easy enough habit, however the application into reality often fails us. We are often distracted by other unrelated matters (objects of desire) in our life and easily allow it to overtake the important matters. I hope that all of us can solve this issue by really asking ourselves this question – WHAT DO YOU REALLY WANT? Is it financial freedom? A nicer body? Being healthy? Growing closer to God?

Fix your mind to your end goal and abide strictly to it and the end result will definitely be much sweeter. Forget about short term discomfort, we only need to focus on long term gain. Do you really want to sit by a coffeeshop when you are old and complain about how the government does not help people in the middle-income level when you actually did have a choice during your younger days to make a difference for yourself? It could be creating a sum for your retirement to having a closely knit family or developing a multi-million dollar business, the choice is in your hand.

For whatever possessions that wealthy people have, it is all because of their hard work, and efforts placed into reaching where they’re at. (of course there are some who are blessed with a silver spoon in their mouth from their births, but are you?) It is never truly just dumb luck (are you sure you’re not rationalising to make yourself feel better?) For what you sow is what you reap. So folks, I hope that after reading this article, you’d be inspired to be more consistent in whatever you are doing.

Just remember: You can move a big mountain by first learning to move away the small rocks

Source: The Straits Time           Author: Jonathan Kwok          Date: 21/10/10

THE Singapore market did an admirable job of damage limitation yesterday as it clawed back much of the losses from an early session sell-down.

The local bourse faced an uphill battle right from the outset after a shock move by China on Tuesday evening to raise key interest rates by 0.25 percentage point. Many Western investors were spooked by the move, which sent Wall Street sliding 1.48 per cent in overnight trade.

Singapore’s Straits Times Index (STI) rapidly headed south too, falling about 1 per cent as soon as the opening bell rang.

But by late morning, it had recovered significantly as bargain hunting kicked in. Small-scale intra-day rebounds in the Shanghai and Hong Kong markets also convinced some investors that there was no need for undue worry.

In the end, the STI closed at 3,179.15, down 13.14 points, or 0.41 per cent, having recovered more than half the losses it suffered at the opening bell.

Banks led the losers, with DBS Group Holdings falling 24 cents to $14.48, United Overseas Bank dropping 32 cents to $18.58, and OCBC Bank losing 10 cents to $9.10. The trio accounted for most of the STI’s fall, shaving a combined 11.44 points off the index.

Commodity players also endured a negative session as market players fretted that the cooling measures could affect growth in China, a mega consumer of many commodities. Golden Agri-Resources dipped 1.5 cents to 67 cents, Noble Group fell three cents to $1.91, Olam decreased seven cents to $3.17 and Wilmar International lost one cent to $6.28.

Better-than-expected quarterly earnings allowed some firms to defy the general market downtrend. Lifestyle products firm Osim International rose four cents to $1.09, after reporting an 86 per cent jump in third-quarter net profit.

‘We have raised our earnings’ estimates…to take into account higher margins arising from a better product mix, economies of scale, and improved profitability in Osim’s GNC Australia business,’ said DMG & Partners Securities, which raised its target price to $1.57 from $1.32 and kept its ‘buy’ call.

Shipping firm Neptune Orient Lines rose seven cents to $2.13, after recording net profit of US$282 million (S$369 million) for its third quarter ended Sept 17, reversing a loss from a year earlier. ‘We believe steady profitability will not be an issue for the (container) sector in the near to medium term,’ said DBS Vickers, which kept its ‘buy’ call and raised its target price by 10 cents to $2.50.

CapitaRetail China Trust inched up one cent to $1.25. The firm had announced early yesterday that net property income for its third quarter rose 9.1 per cent, and that distribution per unit for the quarter was up 3 per cent.

Genting Singapore knocked Global Logistic Properties (GLP) off the top of the most actives list. Some 224 million of the casino operator’s stock changed hands as it rose 11 cents to $2.26.

GLP, the most active on Monday and Tuesday, came in second with 107.6 million shares. The counter backtracked three cents to $2.26, reversing some gains from its first two days of trading action.

In my recent appointments with my new clients, I realized that many of them are really in need of proper financial planning simply because most of them are lacking the basic foundations of saving. What I mean is that more often than not, they don’t know how to save money in a systematic way and never realize the importance of first setting aside money to save before deciding to spend that same amount of money.

How many of us as we are reading this and are reminded of the friends around you who behave in a similar manner? They earn quite a decent amount of income but they always complain to you that they do not have enough to save. Yet at the same time, you see them wearing new clothes, bags etc. I bet that you must be nodding your head and having that particular friend in mind right… Or perhaps even yourself?

If you do care about this particular friend, I urge you to ask this friend of yours to meet ME! Having spent a certain amount of time in this industry, I have had my fair share of viewing how industry workers work. And while there are many competent consultants out there in the market, I too know of many others out there who do not place much emphasis of understanding their clients and designing a tailor made plan which will help them to maximise their outcomes using minimum resources. Many consultants fall into the trap of advising based on what is best for them instead of recommending based on what is best for the client’s sake.

Personally though, I have always retained the mentality of “If you give others what they want, others will give you what you want.” Having that in mind helps me a lot as I grow with my clients, and they see that through the years as I keep them up to date with their plans, and how their finances have grown leaps and bounds, without them having to leave their comfort zone. As such, it is of utmost importance that you ask yourself this question whenever you meet a new consultant – “Is he/she in it more for me or more for themselves?” If you get the slightest notion that they’re not the least bit concerned about what you’re saying(about your life, your family – which all factors into your decision making process), my advice would be to leave. The consultant has the responsibility to grow with you!

Coming back to the topic of getting the basics right, I believe that every individual needs to first have that desire to WANT to plan because without this desire, there is no ‘NEED’ to plan. A person will not be motivated to do anything when there is no desire. Once he/she finds that desire, the execution and planning part will come hand in hand. It is not easy in the beginning but once it becomes a habit, it will be of second nature to you. So the important question is this – What kind of foundation should you have? Well that is exactly what I am going to share my two-cents worth of knowledge with you.

Tips on getting your basic foundation right:

1)      You need to get the formula right: It is supposed to be ‘Salary – Saving = Spending’. NOT the other way around.

2)      Set up at least 4 bank accounts! One for daily expenses, one for emergency fund, one for luxury/entertainment and the last one for long term savings which can come in the form of normal bank savings or endowment plans.

3)      Allocate 10% into the 3 accounts and set the remaining for expenses account.

4)      NEVER buy a savings plan first.

5)      Set aside $10 per day for meals. Double it up on weekend. This way you can limit your monthly expenses for food. There is no need to eat expensive food when you know the next moment, it will turn into ‘waste’ – literally.

6)      Say ‘NO’ to credit card DEBT! Use credit card wisely before it kills you back.

7)      Don’t buy a car unless it can be used to generate more income or to serve your family. The amount of money that can be saved by not buying a car is enough for an average Singapore to hold a simple wedding in 1 year’s time.

      Live simple!

Yes, my last tip to get your basics right is to LIVE SIMPLE! Our grandparents eat porridge everyday and yet manage to live up to 80+ years. In today’s society, we eat nice seafood, Japanese ramen etc and still we all die at an earlier age in spite of all the nutrients. So what does this indicate? There is no need to splurge on unnecessary things and just focus on leading your life in a more meaningful way. The person that told you that getting everything you want in life will make you happy was lying to you!

I thank you for taking the time to read this article and I hope that you will take away these tips and apply it into your life. Do let me know if it creates an impact to you. =)

For the past two days, it had been quite a hectic period for me as i am constantly meeting people and talking non-stop. During this process, i came to realise something. In Singapore where we are in such a fast moving pace,  people are often busy with stuffs that they did not slow down for one mintue to appreciate all the finest things in their life. They failed to know that the world is constantly changing and there is no way to catch up with the pace. So they might as well take a short break each day to catch up with their inner self.

Being a man, there are as many responsibilities as compared to a woman except that it is all different nature. We need to provide for the family, taking care of our loved one to ensure they are not neglected and we also need to excel in our career or else we feel so lousy about it. All these stress could possibly make a man go crazy if we don’t take a short break.

Therefore yesterday i actually took a 15 minute break after i reached home to be alone. Spending time with myself and God really helps in achieving balance in mindset. Or else i feel that it will be very easy to get burnt out. We can only love others if we love ourselves. If you notice those nasty people around us, they usually are the type that don’t love themselves. Hence it is very important to spend some time each day to get in touch with your inner self. Moreover by taking 1 minute to appreciate all the things you have currently will make you a better person in a way that you don’t take things for granted.

Last time i have always wanted alot of unimportant material stuffs and i thought i be happy after i have it. But end up i realised even after achieving everything, i was not happy. What actually makes me happier is when i think of the fact that i am still alive and i have my family members and best friend with me. There is no point to have everything in the world but you don’t have anyone with you by your side. Thereafter i realised this simple method, this is how i keep myself happy every other day!

Another things that you can take note is that we CANNOT please everyone. So don’t bother to please all people around you epecially in work place. There are those people that just want to make things difficult for you and trust me, God knows about it and they will have their day too.

Alright, that’s all i want to share for the day. Hope you have a great week ahead and take whatever you think its useful to apply in your life now!

Interestingly, whenever I show my clients or prospects my very first booklet titled ‘ $avvy Parents’, their first reaction would almost always be awe that I wrote my booklet at such a young age. But after that, they will laugh it off when they find out that I have no plans of getting married in the near future. They will always ask me “Since you are not even getting married then how can you understand what we are going through?”

[Read the rest of this entry...]

Recently i just spoke to a friend of mine and she talked about this issue that i personally find it quite inspiring and i like to do a short sharing over there.

Just some background about her: She is a christian and has been quite a faithful child of God. In her life, she has always been blessed with smooth journey and talented abilities. Basically she doesn’t have much problems in her life.

So there was one day that she suddenly had a relevation from God. She said that she shouldn’t be coasting through her life anymore. She needs to work hard and make full use of her natural abilities and do more in life so that she will be able to serve others better. Be it her parents, sisters or her friends, she has decided to make a big change NOW! She mentioned this statement that has particularly made an impact on me: ‘ Why should she settles down when she has the potential to provide for many others around her’

After hearing this, it really makes me THINK! How many of us are really limiting ourselves in life? Are we always telling ourselves all the negative things? Are we also being too pessimistic about what is going to happen? Are we being too self-centred? Many other questions came through my mind and i shall just named a few over here. I felt that it was so true when she made that statement. Who is to limit ourselves when we are the master of our life and God is the creator of it?

Basically NO ONE is able to decide where is your fate except you. I have always heard people complaining about life is getting tougher etc but can you kindly take a minute to look at this person and ask him what he has been doing to change that fact? Most of the time, the answer is ‘ I have been trying to work hard in my 9-5 job’ Each time when i heard this answer, i knew why is this person keep complaining? It was because he has basically done nothing to improve his situation.

How can a person improve his income or lifestyle when he is doing the same thing and working on things that he knows that he will have no control over it. By working 9-5pm, he will allow his boss to decide his paycheck, promotions and bonus. No wonder he will stuck to his job for life!

WE make the choice and WE decide where does our future going to be? It’s a conscious decision we make daily to make life better so that people around us can benefit from it. Hope this little sharing will be beneficial for you to help you in the long run!

Just my 2 cent worth =)

Hereby i like to wish Singapore a Happy National Day!

It’s been such a wonderful opportunity and blessing to be able to live and born here in such a peaceful country. May the country continue to prosperous and strive to be even better!

For my second part, i am going to share with you the methods that i used to shift my relationship with money as i believe that it’s crucial to have positive attitude towards money if we want to have a great income and be financially free.

First of all, we must tell ourselves that there is always money out there to be earned. Importantly, we need to also do something first – ask ourselves this question:  “How do I earn EXTRA money?” Once this question has been asked, it will be natural for us to find the answer. This type of question is what we call a “primary question”. Eg: If you realised that you are the ‘happy go lucky’ type of person, you can examine yourselves to see if your primary question is it ‘How to make myself happy’ . Or if you are the ambitious kind of guy, the possible primary question can be ‘ How do i achieve success in the future’.

Human actions are often directed by what we think and how we think is formed by what we ask ourselves. Therefore if you ask the right question then you will react and think accordingly. Do take a moment right now to reflect on the primary question that you ask yourself daily. From there, you may be able  discover the reason for your financial status now. This is because the way you lead your life and the choices that dictate your actions are based on the question that you ask yourself.

Next is to make money your best friend. Protect your money! Don’t let it slip away from you easily by outside temptations. Many of us will treat our good friend nicely and making sure that they can get the best deals out of town. In fact, we will not take them for granted and will spend quality time with them to create memorable experience. Imagine you can do the same thing with money. You take good care of your dollar and make sure every time you spend it, you can get the best of it. Eg: Is it possible to get the same satisfaction or fufil the needs by buying a cheaper products? If yes, why not go for the cheaper alternative! Also invest only on things that are possible to increase in value, not lossing money from the moment you buy it.  Eg: Buying a house. If you do this, i’m pretty sure you can grow your money pretty fast. Most importantly, you will not be ‘abusing’ it by spending on unnecessary items.

Lastly you need to know what is your intention with the money that you are going to have. What are your beliefs around money? You see, all these little intricacies help determine whether a person can hold on to money or not.  To put it simply, their habits, beliefs, and thought patterns around money will determine their financial wealth.  Makes perfect sense doesn’t it?

Two perfect examples of this are Mike Tyson, and Michael Jackson.  Both accumulated much wealth by being great at something.  But yet at the end of the day, they both went broke!

With the right intention in mind, your mindset towards handling money will be totally different. You will be more cautious towards spending it. Imagine your intention is to have earned enough to provide your son/sibling for education, do you think you use it to buy things or invest without doing prior research?

In summary, you need to ask the RIGHT primary question and to MAKE the dollar your best friend and lastly POSSESS the correct intention of accumulating your wealth from the begining.

With these in mind, you are already starting to have a more positive mindset towards money. Just my two cent worth of thought. Hope it is useful to you!