Buy Magnum Without Spending Your Pocket Money

Today, i want to share with you on how to buy magnum in a smart way. I believe that many people especially chinese will buy magnum during weekday (wednesday) and weekend (saturday & sunday). But mostly they will buy magnum using their hard earned money, if they did not win on that particular day, they may feel very uncomfortable.

Haha...Why must act and behave like that since i have some good way for you but it's only valid for weekend only.

ImDavidLee Suggested Idea:
Buy "Guang Ming" newspaper (RM 1.20) on every saturday and cut off the Magnum coupon which displayed as I posted below. By doing this, your newspaper only cost you RM 0.20 or if u buy the newspaper as usual one then u can buy your luck without spending your money. Depends on how u think la...Hehe..


With this coupon, you will be entitled for free RM 1 to buy whatever number u like. It is valid for 2 days means that u can buy on either saturday or sunday of that particular week.

After ‘kena 4 ekor’, please donate me some ya...Haha..

Part 1: Secrets of Creating Animated Logo Using Macromedia Flash

This is the first time that I provide tutorial on how to create the animated logo that was published on last week. Still remember?

This tutorial is created due to good feedback and request from some bloggers and forumers. Average rating for my animated logo is 7.2. That's under my higher expectation, but I still satisfy with what I have obtained currently.

By following exactly the procedure that I have provided then you may see some part of the animation as expected. If you found any problem, you may leave me some message for consultation.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

The Malaysian Dotcom Youth Search

It is the hunt to identify the hottest and most innovative website, made by youths. If you're aged below 30,u may submit your site with the condition if u own a blog or a website. Listing starts 15th December 2007.

This SPECIAL AWARD will be judged base on the number of hits and the traffic counter uploaded in your site. Have fun clicking away and all the best for the Search.

The Rewards :
- RM20,000 cash prizes
- Investment opportunity with investors
- Incubation by MIRC Incubator
- Extrepreneurship support by YouthMalaysia and Naffnang

Please vote me by clicking the banner appear at the top right corner !!!

My Animated Logo

Haha...Finally, i have produced my personal animated logo which will be used in my
latest blog imDavidLee.com. I used about almost 2 hours to create this simple animation. Within this duration, i spent some part of the time to think out some idea on how to design the logo and for sure there will not have any copyright issues. In the other words, it is fully owned.

Hopefully you may evaluate based on what i have contributed. The rating that you will
give to me must take into consideration in terms of :

1. Design creativity
2. Smoothness of animation
3. Complexity of work
4. Uniqueness (fresh feeling)
5. Level of annoyance
6. How well it match to the theme of my blog?

The rating is start from 0-10:

0 Very Weak (can quit from creating logo forever)
1 - 2 Weak (need work hard & smart)
3 - 4 Pass & Acceptable (Hokkienese means 'lao jiak')
5 - 6 Normal & Average (still can have more improvement over its based on current ability)
7 - 8 Good & Creative (Grade A's work)
9 – 10 Excellent & Perfect (Grade A++ work & Professional)

Can you please post the rating as comment to me? Thanks in advanced & your co-operation will be highly appreciated.

Remember to switch on the sound volume...

Food Saving Tips

You can save quite a fair bit from your daily food depending on your lifestyle. Below is the common method that I always do and may be can help you on how to save your monthly expenses.

1. If there have choices for me, I will prefer "Ta Bao" (take-away) food instead of eating out which may cause you to order drink? A 2-person meal in a normal restaurant with 3 dishes will cost you more than RM30. While take-away for two persons will not cost you more than RM10. Try to imagine if having your meal at luxurious restaurant. For sure, it’s very nice and can enjoy the good environment but when pay your bills; it’s not only pay for your food but also the environment that you have enjoyed.

2. Sometimes, you may ask your mother for some good recipes. Cook at home is also another good idea to save expenses. Besides that, it’s healthier than eating outside since the hawker will do the best of their business without caring other people healthy. Personally will have 1 or 2 times per month to have home cooked meal only but I also feel very happy and feel that home cooked meal is tastier.

3. Meeting your friends for dinner usually will end up at expensive restaurant. There is nothing to be ashamed of if you tell your friends that you are on budget. I can be more blunt, I told some of my friends that I simply hate expensive restaurant. I will join them after their expensive meal. A better idea is you must to be a leader sometimes and try to schedule a gathering after dinner at some low expenses place like Mamak store.

4. Stay away from beers, cigarette and pubs. Stay at home with your family. If you are surrounded by friends that drink beers, smoke and go pubs and you are financially strained due to such habits. You are probably with the wrong company. Join another group of friends. Previously, I have this kind of habits but now my friends have gone to Singapore for several years working there. Thus, I don’t have any friend that can invite me for clubbing already. Haha…It’s good news for me actually… But sometimes miss them also…

Hong Leong Credit Card

Yoyo... I applied the Hong Leong credit card and it took only 3 weeks to process...I received MasterCard (Mobile Master) and VisaCard(MTV Card) at the same time. Total shared credit limit is RM 4500. Yesterday, i spent some time go to Hong Leong Branch to activate my account instead of calling to Customer Service Centre for activation due to i have some more important questions that need to ask. Indirectly, i can also save my phone charge because need to call to KL number (03) instead of toll number (1800) if activate myself.


I have advised to use it for at least 3 transactions for each of the account within 60 days. If unable to do that, then will be charged RM80 of each.

Hong Leong Master Card offers me 2 years free annual fees and Visa offers me 1 year free once you have activated its. For me, i feel that it's VisaCard bring more value to me.


That VisaCard is commonly used for clubbers because i found that it would bring more privileges to them. For example, with this VisaCard, which is also MTV Card, the clubbers can get free entrance (no cover charges during Wednesday, Friday and Saturday except public holiday and festive seasons) to access glo, momo, Tiger Armed at Penang Road. Besides, they also can enjoy Happy Hour whole night long beer at Tiger Armed. They also can have 15% discount on each bottle that they open at that mentioned location.

In addition, they also can use at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaves for special discount except Penang & KL Airport Areas. I think you can have junior scoop of ice cream at Baskin Robin once you have purchased RM20 and above in a single receipt.

Personally think that it will bring more benefits to KL people since most of the restaurants got such benefits are from KL like Little Vietname, Moritomo Japanese Restaurant and so on that you may not find at Penang area.

I probably use my credit card for internet transaction only and that's very straightforward achieve to my objective which is 'Secrets of making money using credit card'...Haha.. ( will be shared with you on later post )

Good News For EPF Account Holders

What do you think about the lower service charge set by the EPF? Currently unit trust companies can charge up to 6.5% in service charge for investments. This is either Public Bank or Public Mutual rate, which are the highest unit trust rates among other’s unit trust. From Jan 1 2008 all investment that are done through EPF will only be charged a max of 3%. It’s great news for those who invest in unit trusts through EPF. Do you think that's low enough or is it still high?

Anyway, it's a great move for EPF to force to reduce the service charge; this will make the UT industry more healthy and active. Indirectly, this move will make all the UT companies to reduce the normal service charge as well.

I think people should not just think of it from one point of view.
Lowering the initial fee is good for EPF investors, but it is actually cutting the commissions of agents. Indirectly, it would cause agents not willing to handle EPF cases, thus not making the investors any good as well. Am I right?

There are 2 accounts in your EPF.
=>Account 1, 70% of your money goes towards your retirement and can only be withdrawn once you reach the age of 55.
=>Account 2, 30% of your money, can be used to obtain a housing loan, education, medical expenses, and pre-retirement withdrawal at age of 50 instead of 55.

MIRC Business Networking Night

Yoyo... It’s ‘by invitation’ and not every people can have this chance to attend MIRC business networking cocktail nite, which falls on last Friday nite 7.30pm at Tanjong Bungah Beach Hotel. The main purpose of this event is to gather all people who are from different background and status to know each other and exchange ideas, suggestions or personal views on their career. Let me share a bit and quick description of my feeling on that nite...


This is the great event that I have ever satisfied with as I can know lots of people who are also can be very helpful in my future career. I felt very happy and enjoy with its on that nite. Although I have not learn much thing but the people that I have recognized mostly from position of banker, successful businessman, IT profession, intelligent marketers, and lots of senior investment team. While I attend myself as junior financial blogger since I have just started this field few months ago. And I felt very proud because there’s no ppl can have such good ways to earn money from Internet besides me.


The environment there is some sort like annual dinner that everyone not only can enjoy the buffet style dinner but also can enjoy with ‘Arabian show’ that was performed by several ‘sweet and slim’ ladies. Wow..it’s really pretty looks that make me always ‘capture and imagine’ with my eyes till I had no time to move my attention on my Sony Ericsson camera phone to take a snapshot on them.


Overall, I felt very thankful to MIRC as provides me the golden chance to meet with all kind of people at that night. All words that have given to me will be treated as important views to make my smart decision in future related issues…

Interview is important?

I write this article due to I realize that interview is an important session that everyone should concentrate on. Interview is to give interviewer chance to know and understand one’s perspective, so that they can analyze from one person whether he/she is a reliable and fully be prepared to take the greater responsibility on the job that will be performed later.


All good company should do at least 1 performance review annually; this is to measure how well, how fast they have performed during working. Not only 1 way but interviewee may also voice out their personal ideas and suggestions on how to do some improvement over the issue that have been arisen previously or currently to interviewer.

I know some of the people take less initiative and do not care much on the interview session. Generally, “interview is a 1st impression of one person to the employer”. For me, it is the procedure that one person should follow before they start employed. Every people nowadays very sensitive on ‘monthly salary’ as this is the income that they have to gain to fulfill their self satisfaction. I found that most of the people like fresh graduated student will have this kind of attitudes. They will try jumping from one company to another company to find more suitable ‘monthly salary’ rather than suitable job.


Personally think that we should find more ‘stable job’ than what is called ‘higher income’ that may not guarantee your job stability in future. Of course, if you can find the job that can provide you both value then will be appreciated. However, you must know that ‘stability’ is the value that is determined by ur performance. With stability, you can try to extend your ability to do more challenging task.

Besides that, if u have stable job performance, you will have stable income indirectly. Subsequently, financial issues will be minimized. The chances of being financial freedom in your life will be higher …

Vending Machine Business

I am wondering whether this kind of business can provide good side income or not.



Well, personally think that there is a bit of risk since you have to prepare a large capital first. Then, you have to look for a location to place the machine and rent the place from the owner and it can only give a good return if put on the right locations. You have to consider the maintenance cost as well.

The only winner I see from this business is the company that provides the machine.
Some of them are doing losing business as not enough revenue to cover the maintenance cost.

Although u can get the machine from china with low cost, can get it less than 10k.
Yet how much u can make?
1 litre only 20cents/10cents and with so many machines around lately...I dun think the owner will come out with the capital, pay the maintenance, utilities and the rental and pls do not forget the risk of vandalism, money get stolen and machines breakdown frequently.

Lets say 1 machine 10k. 1 litre 10cents is the most cheapest in the market.... sharing profit left 7cents, deduct maintain cost 4cents…profit only 3cents...

è 10k/3cents = 333 kilolitre...U need 3 year to get back your capital... Because 1 year u need to sell out 111 kilolitre, 1 month 9 kilolitre, 1 day 308 litre…

Above is my personal opinion for your reference purpose only. If u feel that this vending business can do, then go ahead !!!
The freedom to do what u want exactly when u want to. This is a great chance for you to say “No more 9-to-5 job. No more 40, 50, or 60 hour work weeks.” Haha…

Wealth Building Seminar

Yesterday nite i have invited to attend a wealth building seminar at Evergreen Hotel and it was presented by Mr. K.C.See, the founder of MasteryAsia. It help you discover within urself the power to change ur financial situation, it teaches u on wealth building and being financially free. Let me share wif u all and hope u can learn frm that !!!




First of all, many ppl around this world may not understand what is the meaning of "wealth". Actually it means that "the no of days u can survive if u stop working tomolo"..However, i found that most of the ppl nowadays may not have their good wealth management. Mostly, they work for money instead of work for dreams. This is not wrong but when come into real life, every1 oso want to retire early and have a comfortable life. If they didn't plan for their financial retirement then they will always look for money even they have retired one day...This is not joke, but seriously for u to jote down..

Here is my personal formula and good calculation to u all...

Net Asset
---------------------------------
Monthly Expenses - Passive Income

From that formula, if u found that ur passive income is more than monthly expenses, then u r the appreciated rich man/woman and have a good financial management...

So, we as human being nowadays dont too focus on single source of income but try to multiplied it...I personally have on the way to achieve its..

However,if u want know ur financial direction clearly then u must know ur present financial state...Am i correct? This is to prevent u from making mistake or same thing over and over again. I can say like that just because if u r running fastest in the wrong direction, u'll finally will not reach the destination.

My valued assessment - The past does not equal the future, so it is the time to turn ur intention into action and turn ur single into multiple source of income.

Ok la..i will continue next part on the next day since very tired and if u mind to know more, pls offer me a cup coffee,ok ? Haha..kidding la..

To be continued...

Champion of the November !!!

Yeah !!! I got the great news from WMM(Webmaster Malaysia Forum) yesterday nite as i have awarded 'member of the month' which also means the only champion of November...

This award is given to whom is the most active in the forum for that particular month. At first, it won't give me much surprise althou this is my 1st time to get this award as i know that i have contribute a lots in this forum and spend lots of time to discuss and share the idea with the members all around the world.


Once u have become WMM most active member, u will be awarded "RM 199" hosting coupon from Exabytes local web hosting company. I have planned to make use of its and plan to have own hosting within this 3 month since that coupon can last for 3 months duration. With this RM 199, you can buy 1 year of hosting but if u can add on another RM 100, u will entitled to get 2 years web hosting. I have planned everything from the start, so now just treat this as motivation for me to do and get ready for the next step.

My words to u all is "Knowing is not enough, u must know to apply. Willing is not enough, u must do". Regarding the domain suggestion, website design, graphics design or any financial issues, pls don't be shy to ask me in that forum. I will try my best to give u a quick feedback there.

3 Secrets You'll Never Hear From Credit Card Company

We know it happens for many people for many reasons of credit card issues. Some ppl simply assume their lives will get better, so they buy whatever they want and 'pay for it' with plastic (clearly a bad idea).

But other ppl go into debt bcos of an emergency, or they finance their start-up business with their credit cards.

No matter what ur situation...whether u carry credit card debt or pay off ur balance every month (if u do, way to go!)...

So here are 3 secrets revealed - things u'll never hear from ur credit card company and my solutions to help u keep more of ur own money:

Secret 1
Short period of low interest rates
imDavidLee Tips : If u sign up for a card with an low rate, pls mark ur calendar for the day that the low rates expire. Then, make sure u flag the day one week b4 make ur payment, pay the entire balance off if u can.

Secret 2
Your credit card grace period
Most credit cards give u 25 days b4 charging u interest if u're not carrying any unpaid balance; some give u 30 days. But others have cut back to 20 or even 15 days, and a few have NO GRACE PERIOD at all, charging u interest all the time on anything that u buy.

imDavidLee Tips : Choose the longest grace period that u can find, typically 25 days. Never go with a credit card that doesn't allow any grace period. U r just getting ripped off.

Secret 3
Little payment is allowed
Over the past 5 years, some companies have quietly lowered the minimum payment from 4% to 2% of ur balance. That way u don't have to pay as much every month. Isn't that nice of them, trying to make things easier for u?

Yeah, that's GREAT deal..only for the credit card company.

Imagine urself !! Let say if u pay just 2% on RM1,900 balance, it will take 20++ years to pay off the balance...seriously! And what's more, u'll pay more than RM4,000 in interest. That's more than double the original balance!

imDavidLee Tips : Pay more than the minimum every month and save big $$$ in interest. Ideally, u want to pay off the entire balance every month. But if u r unable to do that, pay as much as u can possibly afford.

My new domain is born !!!

Finally, i have come out my new domain for my financial blog after several months of consideration due to unable to find a suitable domain for myself.

Hope u can always have a drop by !!!

Thanks in advanced !!! Your co-operation will be highly appreciated !!!

imDavidLee

Debit Master Card

As u known, MasterCard is running heavy TV advertisements to promote the debit MasterCard. I have applied a PB Visa Electron debit card 2 weeks b4 but til now still did not get the approval yet and mayb will try apply AmBank NexG MasterCard also within this few days.


What is Debit MasterCard?
Basically, debit MasterCard card is a card which linked to ur saving or current account and allows u to make transactions using ur funds at any merchant that accepts MasterCard. The amount will be automatically deducted from ur account. The amount is not limit, u can reload as much as u can. But minimum is RM30..haha

Where to apply?
Currently, u can apply Debit MasterCard card from 2 local banks: AffinBank Berhad and EON Bank Berhad.

AffinBank Debit MasterCard — Generally, any1 who has an AffinBank account and 18 year old can apply the debit MasterCard by filling up a debit card application form. You can earn 0.5% cash-back per transaction when u spend.

The annual fee of the card is RM20 per annum.
Balance inquiry at other bank's ATM is RM1 per inquiry.
Cash withdrawal at other bank's ATM is RM7 per withdrawal.

EON Bank Debit MasterCard — I think the fees and charges are bout the same as AffinBank Debit MasterCard. You may want to goto EON Bank branch for more information

My concept is try apply as many card as u can if u are active internet savvy !!!

Long or short domain name ??

As u known, domain names can b of any length up to 67 chars. U don't hav to settle for an obscure domain name like ppo.com when wat u mean is PangPuiOng.com.......

Some argue tat shorter domain names r easier to remember, easier to type n less mistakes - for eg, "getit.com" is easier to remember and less prone to typing error than "imthemostpowerfulpeople.com"...

Others argue that a longer domain name is usually easier to understand - for eg, "ilmmh.com" is difficult to remember and type correctly, whereas if we expand it to its long form, "ILoveMyMumHair.com", we are more likely to remember the domain name....

Which would I go for?
I'd go for the shorter name if I can get a meaningful one... However, I would probably avoid extremely long names which combine frm 67 chars.

New RM50 Note

I received an email from my friend showing me pictures of the new Ringgit Malaysia 50 note. I believe the size will be smaller than the current one with more security features.

DESIGN AND SPECIFICATIONS

Size
152mm X 76mm


The back design shows the Stadium Utama Bukit Jalil in the centre. The logo of Kuala Lumpur 98-XVI Commonwealth Games appears on the left of the note.

Economic Downturn Attack on February 2008?

Several reasons:

1. All prices going up: oil, chicken, property, wheat, etc. Needs Economic downturn to stabilize the price

2. China market and shares keep going up and up continuously..Most people in China can make money easily by involving in the market share...this is a bad news to the world..Therefore economic downturn is needed for China market retracement

3. Both above happened in 1997, right before economic downturn. Hint for the next economic downturn? 2008?

4. US foreign exchange (the biggest currency player) is too weak...keep going down..

5. Economic downturn happened every 10 years for market stabilization/retracement: 1987, 1997, and then 2008?

6. Market will go up during Chrismas and Chinese New Year, then it is the right time to have economic downturn on February 2008?

Just wait and see..

Maybank Structured Islamic Deposit

I just came across this advert in thestar page.
Anyone got comments about this? Seems meet my objective of 10% gain per year

Structured Islamic Deposit ( STRIDE-i )
Maybank

Maybank has introduced their new Structured Islamic Deposit (STRIDE-i). It is Maybank's first Syariah-compliant Capital Protected Structured Deposit.

The Maybank STRIDE-i offers:
- 9.80% guaranteed returns upon maturity
- 100% capital protection with condition of held till maturity
- Investment period of 4 years
- Maximum potential returns of up to 38.80% which subject to the performance

Investment must be in minimum of RM50,000 and multiples of
RM50,000.

PB China Pacific Equity Fund

Public Bank will launch its first China fund, PB China Pacific Equity Fund(PBCPEF) on today which is 23 October 2007. PBCPEF will invest mainly in China stocks and the balance in North Asian markets such as Japan, Korea and Taiwan. The fund will be managed by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Public Mutual.

PBCPEF offers investors the opportunity to tap on the solid growth prospects in China. In the past 5 years, equity markets in this region have enjoyed a sustained uptrend in global economies. China has emerged as a major growth engine for this region apart from the U.S with real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) sustained at a robust pace averaging 9.2% annually.

The China Pacific region which encompasses China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan presents significant growth opportunities. The Chinese economy is projected to grow steadily at 11.2% for 2007 and 10.6% for 2008, supported by robust domestic consumption and exports. Driven by strong domestic demand and robust tourist arrivals, Hong Kong’s GDP growth is set to expand at above 5% for 2007/2008. Meanwhile, GDP growth for South Korea and Taiwan is projected at above 4% for 2007/2008 amidst resilient investment spending and global demand for electronic products. In comparison, Japan, being a developed economy, is expected to register moderate GDP growth of about 2% in 2007/2008 on sustained consumption and investmen.

A minimum of 50% and up to a maximum of 98% of the fund’s net asset value (NAV) will be invested in China stocks listed on the China, Hong Kong, United States of America, Singapore and other approved markets. When valuations of China stocks are not compelling, the fund may invest in other North Asian markets which include Japan, Korea and Taiwan. The equity exposure of PBCPEF will generally range from 75% to 90% of its NAV.

PBCPEF is suitable for aggressive investors who can withstand extended periods of market highs and lows to achieve medium to long-term capital growth for their investments.

The issue price / NAV of PBCPEF is at RM0.25 per unit during the 21-day initial offer period of 23 October 2007 to 12 November 2007. During the offer period, a special promotional service charge of 5.45% of NAV per unit is extended to the purchase of units of PBCPEF by investors. Investors who opt for Direct Debit Instruction with PBCPEF during the offer period will also enjoy the special promotional service charge of 5.45% of NAV per unit for as long as the Direct Debit is active. Terms and conditions apply. The minimum initial investment for the fund is RM1,000 and the minimum additional investment is RM100.

eCosway Alliance Bank Payment Card (Master Gold)

eCosway Alliance Bank Payment Card is specially designed for eCosway Business Owners and Cosway members to earn income when they spend. It make easy for normal people to profit from e-commerce. You can now turn your expenses into income by using credit/debit card affiliated with eCosway company.

It is no annual fee but the joining fee for Alliance Bank is only RM30 and eCosway is only RM100 (forever membership) which is very easy to cover back. There will not have any minimum income requirement.

I have my own Alliance Bank payment card since January of 2007. I still remember that I applied it at middle of October 2006 and it took about 2 and half month to complete the processing of my application. So, this is the only disadvantage when applying Alliance Debit Card. But, it is very useful and can earn lots of point that is beyond your expectation.

Mostly I used my debit card to make the payment of the insurance premium, which was made in half yearly payment. When you make any payment with RM100, you will earn 1 point. The point that you have earned can be used to bid any items at the Auction in eCosway. For your information, the Mcd and KFC& Pizza Hut voucher is the hottest bid in the Auction. But, Mcd voucher more worth because you only need to bid as minimum as 5 point or 6 points, then you will be the winner!!! But for KFC&Pizza Hut voucher, you need bid as minimum as 11 points to be the winner since you can use at KFC Restaurant and at the same time Pizza Hut restaurant. Depend on your needs...So, lets say you have won the Mcd voucher with only 5 point that you bid. In the end, you found that for every RM100 that you spent, you would get free RM10 Mcd voucher. Am I right? The benefit of the voucher is you can get RM50 in 5 pieces of RM10 rather than RM50 in single piece. You may see the picture as below which was the Mcd voucher looks like. But only 3 ? You know why? Because I have take 2 piece to enjoy eating with my brother already. Haha...



Normally, the Auction duration will be 1 month (about 35 days). When I participated the Auction, it is 14th Auction and the period is from 15th of July to 20th August 2007. After the due date, it will take about 10 days to process and the result will be released on 31th of August. Your eCosway ID will be found if you are the winner. Then, you will need to wait another 1 month to get the Auction Prizes Letter to change the prize at the redemption centre...

KFC Free Online Vouchers

You can print these out either in colour or black&white !!!

You may get KFC's vouchers in KFC eCraving or here to download/print. The voucher is valid until 31 Oct 2007. So,take action now !!!

Money Saving Skills

Here are 5 tips you can use to help improve your personal financial situation and save more money:

1. Pay Yourself Weekly
On a weekly basis, pay yourself $25-$50 and immediately put it in a safe place. You can even open a special savings account to help minimize or eliminate impulsive spending. Think about it this way, if you paid yourself $25 a week, in two years you'll have accumulated $2600 (not including interest)!!!

2. Don't Shop
Start using the "Need or Want" strategy. Before you spend a single dollar on anything, ask yourself, "Do I really NEED this item, or do I just WANT it??" You may find that many of the items we purchase, we do so just because it "caught our eye" or it was "an impulse buy". All these excuses just add up to wasteful spending.

3. Track Your Spending
Take the time to track your spending habits for one week. Take note of every single dollar you spend, even those sweet and candy bars purchased here and there. This will give you exact view of where your money is being spent, thus allowing you to refine your spending habits to essentially save more money.

4. Use Your Debit Card Instead of Credit Cards
For the most part, debit cards are accepted anywhere a credit card is accepted, however as you know, with a debit card the amount is taken directly from your checking account whereas credit card usage is billed at a later date.

5. Avoid Getting Too Many Credit Cards
Why have 8 credit cards? That's just going to provide you with more opportunities to go further into debt. It's fine to keep 1-3 cards to build credit, establish yourself, and for emergencies, but credit cards are double-edged swords. They can help or hurt you depending on your self-control.

To be continued...

Malaysian's Financial Issues

I agree with what is actually going on in our country. Most of us spend more than what we can afford.

Everything in Malaysia is expensive. For example, the cheapest car 600cc Kancil is about RM25, 000 while a similar car in the US is only US$8,000. The Government always says that the cost of petrol! But a full tank for a 1,800cc car only costs US$35 while for a similar car in Malaysia it is RM80.

High-speed Internet Streamyx at the lowest speed cost RM50 while it is only US$30 for 1.5Mbps.

A laptop, which costs about US$800, is sold at RM2, 000 in Malaysia.

The average price of a house in the US is about US$250,000 for a 1,700 sq ft bungalow compared to RM200, 000 for a 1,200 sq ft terrace house in Malaysia.

With all this debt and burden, how can you expect Malaysians to retire at 55? In most households, the husband and wife have to work so that they can support their family.

Honestly, I think it's very true that Malaysia has so many Stupid taxes and so on. I tried to point out that many Malaysians always convert and that is why they say the UK is expensive. In fact, the cost of living is much cheaper than in Malaysia.

One good example is Singapore.

Singaporeans (average) earns around S$3000 to S$4000 and nearly everything is half the price of Malaysia, e.g. clothes, computer parts, electronics, etc. But the average Malaysian still earns RM$2000 plus and goods are double the price of Singapore.

How difficult it is to survive in Malaysia depends on your lifestyle. Obviously if you're a clubber you spend more money than those who are not. If you're a gamer who wants the best in computer hardware, it would also cost you a bomb. If you can't fit your lifestyle into what you can afford, it doesn't matter where you live, you'll have a hard time of surviving.

For me, it's still easy to survive in Malaysia since there's no war, no natural disasters, imagine you are Iraqi or Palestinian; you lived in fear even though you are rich. But it's no doubt it's hard to live a comfortable and basic luxurious life in Malaysia and you can't compare Malaysia with western country, the industrial revolution started way back even before Malaysia gain the independence.

While Singapore is located in a VERY strategic location between the shipping trading between the east and west, the money they get from the shipping industry is enough to overtake the income we earn from our natural resources, plus their country is small, there's no need to allocate government monies to several different states like we do, the people are hard working, they got lots of successful recipe. But we are still under development; Malaysia is not even 100 years old yet, so give it some time, work hard, so our kids won't complaint. Haha...

To be continued...

Star Property Fair

Fantastic deals at property fair

The 3-day Star Property & Home Fair 2007 will be held at the Penang International Sports Arena (PISA) in Penang from Sept 21-23.

I heard that it may be the biggest one-stop property, home and lifestyle exhibitions in the northern region, The Star Property & Home Fair 2007 is certainly an event not to be missed.

For your info, SunTech project 95% sold Penang's first purpose-built MSC office building, SunTech Penang Cyber-City in Bayan Baru, which is scheduled for completion by year-end, has achieved 95% in sales. It's a great achievement !!!

PruLink Investor Account

There are the things that many of us dream to achieve in the future. However, many have found difficulties of those lifetime plans due to financial disabilities.

At 2nd of July, which is the day that I made my big decision, I have cancel the Maybank Takaful since the plan is not suit for me and withdraw FD money(RM4k) + own saving(RM1k) to invest in Prudential Investor Account which is under promotion when I joined its.

You can invest and be protected with PRUlink investor account. It is a single premium investment-linked whole life insurance and for those who prefer one-off investments.

You also have the flexibility to withdraw some of your cash values if you have a sudden need for it, and you can top-up at any time. Your top ups can be from as low as RM1,000.

95% of your premiums will be used to purchase units in the PRUlink fund.

It includes coverage on Death and Total & Permanent Disability (up to age 60). It means that if something bad happens on you then you will get 125% profit. If you invest RM10000 then you will get RM12,500. So your profit will be RM2500. It is good to invest for everyone since it also can give you protection.

It's one of the best funds if you want to grow your wealth quickly, and are willing to accept a higher degree of risk.

PRUlink fund does not pay any dividend. It focuses on capital growth in unit price. All investment incomes and capital gains are automatically rolled up in unit price.

Maybankard

27th of July is the day that i get the 1st credit card which is from Maybank. It takes about 3 weeks to proccess. As a normal human, they need to prepare something when applying the credit card but fortunately i no need to prepare anything since my salary is bank in to Maybank. As long as ur monthly income exceed or equal to Rm1500 then will do. So, the bank officer just need to photostat my identity card for pre-approve only.

As i know, maybank credit card have 2 types for normal level user which are Maybank Visa Wave and Visa Flex. Do you know how to differentiate between each other?

Maybank Visa Wave which is the one that i personally own currently, it will waived you 2 years only means that there will no have annual fees for 1st 2 year. But i heard my seniors who are my work colleague said that you must call them after 2 year if they did not make any call to ask you whether wanna continue the credit card service or not. The another type is Visa Flex, it will waived you forever but u must maintain at least 2 transaction per month.



Age requirement:
As a principal cardholder, you must be aged between 21 to 65 (inclusive).
As a supplementary cardholder, you must be at least 18 years old.

Income requirement:

500 Million Additional Units for ASM

Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad (ASNB), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) is offering 500 million new units of Amanah Saham Malaysia (ASM) to be opened for subscription on Wednesday, 18 July 2007.

The offer will commence concurrently at all ASNB Offices and agents branches at 9.30am nationwide, including Sabah and Sarawak.

To ensure a fair distribution to the investing public, a maximum investment limit of 50,000 units has been set per accountholder during the offer period from July 18, 2007, until 24 July, 2007.

ASM is a fixed price unit trust fund and opened to all Malaysians aged 6 months old and above.
PNB President and Group Chief Executive Tan Sri Dato Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman said the additional units was aimed at new investors who had missed out on the earlier opportunity and existing investors who seek to top up their investments.

In line with the upcoming 50th Merdeka Celebration, PNB would like to present all Malaysians with an opportunity that will allow them to share with the nations prosperity, he said during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, 13 July 2007.

ASM was launched on 20 April 2000 with a fund size of 2 billion units which was fully subscribed in 21 days. This is the fourth time that ASM has offered new units for subscription and the response has so far been overwhelming.

Last year 1 billion units of ASM were fully subscribed in less than 2 hours and another 1 billion units were fully subscribed within one day when the new units were opened for subscription in March, 2007.

In the last seven years since its inception, the average annual income distribution declared by ASM is 7.02 sen per unit.

Public Mutual(Old System Vs New System)

There have been quite a few people got confused by the Public Mutual offer for the newly launched funds. Yes the calculation is slightly different now. So which calculation actually benefit the investors more ? The answer is...


*People who get used to previous system can refer to Case B.

Case A:Assume that investor would like to invest RM10k into PFEPRF during offer period excluding service charge which the NAV is RM0.25 and the service charge is 5.45%.

Service charge 5.45% = 0.0545

Total service charge = Effective Investment amount * Service charge
= RM10,000 * 0.0545
= RM545

Total payable amount = Investment amount in PFEPRF + Total service charge incurred
= RM10,000 + RM545
= RM10,545.00

Number of units = Effective Investment amount/NAV per unit
= RM10,000/RM0.25
= 40,000 units

Case B:
Investment RM10k inclusive of initial service charge(5.45%).

Effective investment amount = Total Paid Amount/(1+service charge)
= RM10,000/(1+0.0545)
= RM9483.17

Number of units = Effective investment amount/NAV per unit
= RM9483.17/RM0.25
= 37932.68 units

Effective investment amount = Total NAV
= NAV per unit * Number of units

Public Mutual Property and Resorts Fund

Public Bank’s wholly owned subsidiary, Public Mutual will be launching two new funds on 10 July 2007, which are
Public Far-East Property & Resorts Fund (PFEPRF) and Public Islamic Select Bond Fund(PISBF).

Public Mutual’s Chairman Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. Teh Hong Piow said PFEPRF is an equity fund that seeks to achieve capital growth over the medium- to long-term period by investing in companies that are principally engaged in property investment and development, hotel and resorts development and investment, and real estate investment trusts (REITs) in domestic and regional markets. The fund may also invest in companies, which have at least 70% of their assets comprising property or real estate assets. “Up to 80% of the fund’s net asset value (NAV) can be invested in selected regional markets which include Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand, New Zealand, Indonesia, South Korea and other approved markets. The equity exposure of PFEPRF will generally range from 75% to 90% of its NAV,” he continued.

He added that other than investing in REITS, PFEPRF could invest in stocks, which are involved in property investment and development, hotel & resorts development and investment. “This feature of the fund therefore offers investors the benefit of increased diversification and a broader range of investment assets,” he explained.

Launching at a NAV of RM0.25 per unit, PFEPRF is suitable for moderate investors who can expect extended periods of market highs and lows in pursuit of capital growth. During the 21-day initial offer period from 10 July 2007 to 30 July 2007, a promotional service charge of 5.45% of NAV per unit is levied upon the purchase of units of PFEPRF by investors. The minimum initial investment for the fund is RM1, 000 and the minimum additional investment is RM100. “PFEPRF will, on a best effort basis, distribute income annually to unit holders,” he said.

PISBF, on the other hand, is an Islamic bond fund that seeks to provide annual income through investments in Islamic debt securities, which have remaining maturities of 7 years and below, and Islamic money market instruments. “The fund may invest in foreign Islamic debt securities in Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, United Kingdom and other approved markets,” he said.

PISBF will be launched at a NAV of RM1.00 per unit during the 21-day offer period from 10 July 2007 to 30 July 2007. A service charge of up to 0.25% of NAV per unit is levied upon the purchase of units of PISBF by investors. Its minimum initial investment is RM1, 000 and minimum additional investment is RM100.

The 19,000-strong Public Mutual unit trust consultants distribute both funds. Interested investors can contact any Public Mutual unit trust consultant or call its Customer Service Hotline at 03-6279 5252 for more details of the funds.

Public Mutual is the largest private unit trust company in Malaysia and it currently manages 45 funds for more than 1,000,000 accountholders. As at 29 June 2007, the total NAV of the funds managed by the company was RM22 billion.