Top 10 Secrets to Avoiding "Marital Money Chaos"

Money can wreck a relationship. In fact, how they spend, save, and account for money is one of the leading sources of disagreements between couples. In almost every study, money ranks as the first or second most argued-about topic for couples and partners.

If you currently suffer from “Marital Money Chaos” you can follow these secrets and achieve more financial success together than you ever could have dreamed. If the two of you can improve your relationship with money, you will also improve your marriage. Money can be romantic!

Secret #1: Know your spending style and your partners’

How many of you are married to your “Financial Soul Mate”?

The most common are spending styles are Spenders and Savers but there are also the Procrastinators/Avoiders/Deal with it Tomorrow types and the Money Meek/Humble/ personalities.

What are the benefits/good things about each style? What are the things you call your partner when you fight about money?

Find ways in which you can take advantage of your personality strengths and minimize the weaknesses of that style. In the best possible scenario, you will both acknowledge your differences and move to the middle.

Secret #2: Values Driven Spending

Values are different than goals

Values: Creativity, Freedom, Friendship, Financial Security

Goals: Be debt free, get a new car, and give more to charity

Take some time to choose your top 5 values and define each of them in your own words. Share the definitions and use them to understand your partner and what is important to them. If your partner’s money behavior confuses you, ask which value they are satisfying. They may be doing their best, but their definition is different than yours. If you both use the same value word but have different meanings, you’ll have conflict.

Secret #3: Have regular Money Meetings or Money Dates!

How many of you think that money is romantic? Actually, since couples fight more about money than anything else (it is estimated that 80% of divorces are the result of money disagreements), having an honest talk about household finances might be better for your relationship than anything else you can do! Financial well-being and peace of mind are certainly romantic!

It doesn’t matter how much money people have, money is a daily event. That increases the chance of it triggering arguments and tension. Use regular meetings as a way to avoid conflict.

Secret #4: Enjoy the present and save for the future

Everyone needs to have their own play money. Ideally 5-10% of your family’s income should be set aside for play. What’s the use of working every day if you don’t get to spend some money on play?

Secret #5: Have a needs/wish list for each person and for the family

We all have things we wish we had and those we need to purchase. Check your list on a regular basis so your subconscious can focus on other things. It’s also great fun to check off the things you take care of. Great place to go to find out how to spend bonuses or other windfalls.

Secret #6: Divide financial responsibilities between partners

Focus on each person’s skills, interests and availability rather than relying on out-dated gender stereotypes or how much money one partner makes. Share what’s going on with your partner during your monthly meetings and make big decisions together.

Secret #7: Each person has some money they do not have to account for

This is probably one of the MOST important things you can do for your relationship. No grown up likes to have to ask for an allowance or justify every little expenditure they make. Determine in advance how much money each person can “do with what they will” and no questions asked. Savers can save, spenders can spend, procrastinators can leave it in a jar and the money meek can feel free to give it all away.

Secret #8: Take action, one step at a time

I can guarantee that you will save RM1000 1 year from today if you put away just RM2.74 per day. Where can you find RM2.74 each and every day? Do the same with larger goals. If you want to go on a RM2000 vacation next year, save RM6 per day.

Secret #9: Learn something about money and finances every day

There are lots of good resources out there – websites, books, magazines, classes.

Secret #10: Plan your spending and spend your plan

Plan your spending ahead of time and give yourself permission to spend money in certain areas and get creative about the areas where you choose to spend less. When we feel like “going out” at our house, we have “no silverware dinner” of ribs, french-fries and artichokes. We spend the time enjoying ourselves and creating memories without spending a lot of money!

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Idrus Tak Pernah Patah Semangat

Idrus Mohd Satha menyelak akhbar seperti pembaca lain. Satu iklan pusat latihan komputer di Jalan Silang, Kuala Lumpur yang mahu dijual pada harga agak berpatutan menarik perhatiannya.

Apa tidaknya kepada anak muda ini menghabiskan masa lapang pada waktu malam untuk mengajar secara sambilan di kolej swasta. Teknologi maklumat (IT) adalah kepakarannya dan mendidik orang lain menjadi minat peribadi.

Idrus terus memikirkan mengenai iklan berkenaan serta kecenderungan menjadi tenaga pengajar mata pelajaran IT walaupun ketika itu (pada 1991), beliau mempunyai pendapatan lumayan sebagai penganalisis sistem di Esso Production Malaysia Inc.

Siswazah bidang sains komputer itu bersama seorang rakan lain membuat keputusan membeli pusat latihan itu pada harga RM20,000.

"Kesukaran mendapatkan pembiayaan perniagaan menyebabkan saya terpaksa mengambil pinjaman peribadi berjumlah RM10,000 walaupun terpaksa membayar kadar faedah tinggi," katanya.

Kelahiran Cosmopoint

Ketidaktentuan mengenai potensi pusat itu Idrus menyebabkannya meneruskan tugas di Esso dan mengendalikan pusat berkenaan secara kecil-kecilan. Beliau hanya mengajar pada sebelah malam dan hujung minggu manakala operasi siang hari dikendalikan tiga pekerjanya.

"Cosmopoint bermula dengan hanya 10 pelajar dan saya menganggap tugas di situ sebagai hobi dan tidak begitu serius mengendalikannya.

Bagaimanapun dengan tidak disangka, permintaan semakin meningkat dari sehari ke sehari. Justeru, kami mengambil keputusan melaburkan semula keuntungan yang diperoleh untuk mengembangkan perniagaan," katanya.

Selepas tiga tahun membangunkan Cosmopoint, Idrus yang kini bergelar Datuk dan Presiden Cosmopoint Sdn Bhd, memutuskan berhenti kerja dan memberi sepenuh tumpuan kepada pusat berkenaan.

Daripada hanya iklan jualan perniagaan, Idrus membina satu institusi pendidikan yang melahirkan kira-kira 5,500 graduan.

Tetapi pada 1994, rakan niaga Idrus memutuskan menarik diri daripada Cosmopoint. Idrus ketika itu sendirian membangunkan pusat latihan itu dan seperti mana-mana perniagaan, perjalanannya bukan semudah disangka. Cabaran mendapat pembiayaan hampir memusnahkan impian Idrus.

"Sukar mendapatkan bantuan kewangan walaupun daripada agensi yang diamanahkan kerajaan membantu Bumiputera. Yang peliknya sering kali orang bukan Melayu yang percaya dan sudi membantu.

Namun saya tidak patah semangat dan menguruskan kewangan secara konservatif dan meletakkan kepentingan perniagaan melebihi peribadi," katanya.



Teras Perniagaan

Ia menjadi teras perniagaannya. Beliau memilih hidup serba sederhana walaupun keuntungan Cosmopoint semakin meningkat.

Beliau melaburkan semula sebahagian besar keuntungan yang diperoleh untuk mengembangkan kolej itu dan membina jenama Cosmopoint.

Segala pengorbanan itu sudah membuahkan hasil. Anak jati Kampung Baru itu sudah melabur RM30 juta membangunkan Cosmopoint dan sepanjang 16 tahun itu, beliau tidak pernah menerima bantuan kerajaan.

"Kita bersaing secara adil di pasaran terbuka dan hanya pengurusan serta strategi yang betul membantu Cosmopoint berdiri hari ini," katanya.

Idrus yang mengutip pengalaman berniaga sejak di bangku sekolah pernah menjual bunga api ketika di sekolah dan melakukan pelbagai kerja sambilan seperti menawarkan khidmat menaip kertas kerja dan bekerja di restoran ketika menuntut University Evansville, Indiana, Amerika Syarikat, mengakui beliau seorang workaholic (ketagih kerja).

Malah Idrus pernah memandu sehingga enam jam setiap minggu ke Chicago dari Indiana untuk menjual ayam dan daging halal.

Kesungguhan seperti itu membolehkannya mengembangkan operasi Cosmopoint kepada 16 cawangan di seluruh negara berbanding permulaan pejabat seluas 700 kaki persegi ketika mula-mula dibeli.

"Saya gembira melihat pelajar yang pada awalnya datang ke Cosmopoint dengan tangan kosong, kelihatan lebih yakin selepas tamat pengajian. Perasaan bertambah puas jika terjumpa mereka yang berjaya dan memperkenalkan diri sebagai bekas pelajar Cosmopoint," katanya.

Ayah kepada empat anak itu terus berusaha menjadikan Cosmopoint institusi pengajian tinggi bertaraf dunia.

“Saya mahu semua graduan Cosmopoint mendapat pekerjaan selepas tamat pengajian kerana dalam bidang ini, 'output' (hasil pengeluaran) adalah penting memastikan jenama Cosmopoint terus berkembang,” katanya.

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Start Investing Early in Your Career

You’re young, you just landed a new job and you’re going to be getting a decent paycheck. You also have bills and student loans to pay and there are also a few items that you’ve always wanted so now you can finally afford them.

Investing for your retirement may be the last thing on your mind at the start of a new career. Especially being so young. Take some advice from those with a little more experience : Start investing early in your career. Start from day one and you will never miss that money you’re setting aside. Even if it’s only a few dollars a week. They add up to millions by the time retirement age rolls around.

It really does make a difference when you start contributing. It is important to invest in your retirement account early in your career for two reasons. First, if you’re fortunate to receive matching contributions, you dont want to miss out on those added contributions that are a significant part of your retirement benefit.

Second, the longer contributions stay in your account, the more you stand to gain. Your money makes money in the form of earnings, and those earnings in turn make money, and so on. This is what is known as the "miracle of compounding". As money grows in your account over time, the proportion resulting from earnings will become larger compared to the proportion resulting from contributions. And the best part is you don’t have to pay taxes on the earnings until you withdraw them.

The size of your account balance is going to depend on how much you (and your company if they match funds up to a certain percentage) contribute to your account and how your account grows as a result of earnings on your investments. To get an idea of what your retirement account could be in the future, look at the following projections.

Assume that you are an employee eligible for organizational contributions, that you are earning RM28,000 each year, and that you receive no future salary increases. You choose to save 5 percent of basic pay each pay period; therefore you receive total organizational contributions of 5 percent. The growth projections below are for an assumed annual rate of return of 7 percent on your investments.

After five years your account balance would be almost RM17,000; after ten years your balance would increase to RM40,000; and after contributing for twenty years, your account would have a balance of RM122,000. Clearly your balance would continue to increase each year. If you contributed for forty years, which is fathomable if you start a job at 23 and want to retire at age 63, your account balance would be RM615,000. That’s over half a million Ringgit folks! Just from contributing 5% of your income from the day you start work! Not a bad investment, is it?

Looking at the numbers, it’s hard to imagine why someone wouldn’t start investing immediately!

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Pendapatan Pasif Daripada Pelaburan

Dalam pengurusan kewangan peribadi, seseorang itu perlu memikirkan matlamat kewangan yang ingin dicapai selepas sesuatu tempoh.

Seorang graduan yang baru bekerja mungkin ingin mengumpulkan wang untuk belanja perkahwinan.

Selepas berkahwin dan mempunyai anak, mereka mungkin ingin membeli insurans perlindungan untuk jaminan masa depan. Mereka mungkin merancang memiliki rumah sendiri dan menabung untuk deposit kediaman.

Bagi pekerja yang berumur sekitar tiga puluhan atau empat puluhan, mereka mungkin merancang beroleh pendapatan mencukupi dari pelaburan yang dibuat semasa usia tua nanti.

Ada yang berhasrat mencapai status kebebasan kewangan. Kebebasan kewangan ialah status di mana pendapatan pasif seseorang mencukupi menanggung sara hidup keluarga.

Sebagai contoh, seorang yang melabur dalam saham amanah sebanyak RM240,000 memberikan pulangan 10 peratus setiap tahun.

Justeru beliau akan meraih RM24,000 setiap tahun atau RM2,000 setiap bulan. Sekiranya jumlah itu mencukupi untuk perbelanjaan bulanan keluarganya, beliau dikira mencapai status kebebasan kewangan.

Anda boleh mendapat pendapatan pasif RM2,000 sebulan dengan pelbagai cara. Contohnya, anda boleh menyimpan RM240,000 dalam skim amanah saham dengan pulangan 10 peratus setahun tetapi berapa banyakkah yang perlu anda simpan untuk memiliki RM240,000 apabila anda berumur 55 tahun.

Untuk memiliki RM240,000 jika seseorang mengumpul dari sekarang selama 25 tahun, seseorang harus menyimpan RM2,448.98 tahun atau RM204.08 sebulan.

Sekiranya hitung panjang pulangan lebih 10 peratus setahun, anda akan mendapat RM240,000 dalam tempoh lebih singkat.

Anda juga boleh membeli aset menerusi pinjaman sama ada rumah, pangsapuri, rumah kedai atau lain-lain yang memberi pulangan sewaan lebih kurang RM2,000 sebulan.

Katakan aset itu berharga RM300,000 dan berdasarkan kadar faedah lapan peratus setahun, anda perlu membayar ansuran bulanan pinjaman sekitar RM2,400 sebulan selama 25 tahun.

Bagaimanapun anda perlu bijak membuat penilaian risiko dan mempunyai wang deposit muka 10 peratus untuk aset yang hendak dibeli.

Perlu diingatkan bahawa jika kadar pulangan pendapatan daripada aset itu adalah rendah, strategi ini bukan saja tidak akan memberi keuntungan bahkan boleh merugikan anda.

Ada juga risiko kadar sewaan bulanan menjunam ketika kegawatan.

Oleh itu seseorang pelabur perlu berhati-hati menilai risiko kejatuhan yang boleh berlaku kepada pelaburannya.

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Basic Tips on Personal Finance

Do you ever wonder where your money goes every month? Does it sometimes seem as though you cannot afford to do things because your financial obligations are holding you back? If you find that you are asking yourself these sorts of questions, perhaps you should take a look at your financial situation and assess whether you are practicing good personal finance management or not.

Good personal finance management spends within their income, plan for the future and solve financial problems as they arise. Poor personal finance management pay more, do without and fall behind. If you find yourself in the second category, you can do something about it. You can learn to take charge of your finances by planning your personal finances.

Planning your personal finances doesn’t always come naturally, and even if you’re just beginning to take your financial matters seriously, then you likely need a few personal finance tips.

Evaluate your current financial situation. One of the most important goals for most people is financial independence. Collect accurate information about your personal financial situation. Calculate your net worth which includes the real estate, saving and retirement accounts, and all other assets. This will help you decide how much money you can set aside for meeting future needs and goals.

A basic personal finance tip is to make a budget. A personal finance budget is information made up of your income and expenses and the more accurate this information is, the more likely you are be able to meet your goals and realize your dreams. A personal finance budget should be made for at most one year at a time and include a list of your monthly expenses.

All expenses must be included. To be sure of that go through all your paid bills, check register and credit card receipts to find expenditures that recure every month and expenditures that happen less frequently.

Personal finance budgeting requires some small sacrifices. To be able to make good personal financial decisions and set priorities, you must know where your money is actually going. Start your budget and accomplish your goals.

Get an electronic bill pay. This is a very convenient way to pay your bills. You pay them electronically, by direct withdrawal from your bank account. The transaction is processed immediately. You can even link your bill pay service to your personal finance budget, so that your expenditures are automatically entered in the appropriate category. Personal financial management can be really easy.

Make an investment and finance plan. Now that the fundamental state of your personal financial security has been established, the time has come for the more prosperous part of your personal financial life.

You need to make a personal finance plan of what you really want in life that money can buy. Your personal financial plan can be as simple or as detailed as you want it to be. Find out how to finally start to implement this plan and get the money to finance it. This is the long term part of your financial. This journey is the most interesting and exciting part of personal financing you can have toward financial freedom.

You can prepare for a secure personal financial future by following these simple tips. When you take control with your money, you don’t have to worry about debt taking control of you.

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Enam Jenis Pelaburan dan Tahap Risiko

1. Simpanan Tetap Di Institusi Kewangan

Kadar pulangan tetap sekitar empat hingga enam peratus. Jika kadar inflasi tinggi maka pulangan sebenar akan berkurangan.

Sebagai contoh, jika pulangan adalah empat peratus dan kadar inflasi juga empat peratus setahun, maka pulangan sebenar adalah sifar.

Bagaimanapun, modal pokok adalah terjamin. Bagi yang takutkan risiko, pelaburan ini adalah pilihan sesuai kerana risikonya paling rendah, tetapi pulangan juga rendah.

2. Amanah Saham

Kadar pulangan biasanya lebih tinggi daripada simpanan tetap kerana ia bergantung kepada prestasi saham yang dilaburkan pengurus saham amanah. Jika pengurusan amanah saham itu tidak cekap atau pasaran saham jatuh merudum maka pulangannya boleh menjadi negatif.

Biasanya pulangan antara tujuh hingga 12 peratus setahun. Terdapat risiko modal pokok berkurangan apabila nilai saham amanah jatuh bawah nilai. Bagaimanapun pelaburan umumnya adalah cair iaitu boleh dikeluarkan dengan mudah pada bila-bila masa.

Prestasi pulangan sangat bergantung kepada kecekapan pengurus dana, maka pemilihan saham amanah yang hendak dilabur sangat kritikal.

3. Insurans Hayat

Matlamat utama ialah melindungi pemilik polisi apabila berlaku kemalangan atau kejadian mudarat seperti kematian, kecederaan, sakit dan sebagainya. Ada skim yang bertindak serentak sebagai instrumen pelaburan.

Seseorang pemegang polisi insurans seharusnya membandingkan tawaran yang diberikan pelbagai syarikat insurans supaya tawaran yang dipilih paling sesuai dengan keperluannya dan kadar premium yang paling menguntungkan.

Prestasi syarikat insurans dalam mengotakan janji apabila tuntutan dibuat juga perlu diselidiki.

4. Hartanah

Kadar sewaan, pendapatan atau pulangan bergantung kepada lokasi dan jenis hartanah. Kadar sewaan dan harga hartanah biasanya turut meningkat bersama inflasi.

Biasanya nilai hartanah akan meningkat. Sebagai contoh, 25 tahun lalu tanah di Shah Alam dijual pada harga RM3 sekaki persegi dan pada 2005 ia dijual pada harga RM50 sekaki persegi.

Risiko yang ditanggung seperti tiada penyewa, berlaku kebakaran, pelaburan tidak begitu cair jika dibandingkan pelaburan dalam amanah saham.

Jika kadar sewa tinggi sekitar lapan hingga 10 peratus daripada harga rumah setahun, bayaran bulanan pinjaman bank mungkin boleh ditampung menggunakan duit sewa bulanan khususnya jika tempoh pinjaman panjang dan kadar faedah pinjaman antara enam hingga tujuh peratus.

Biasanya peluang sedemikian wujud di tempat yang permintaan rumah sewa tinggi. Seorang pelabur hartanah berpengalaman berkata, faktor paling penting ialah lokasi, lokasi dan lokasi. Ringkasnya pendapatan diperoleh daripada sewa dan kenaikan nilai hartanah.

5. Melabur terus dalam saham tersenarai di pasaran saham

Pelaburan ini sepatutnya boleh menjana pulangan lebih tinggi dari pelaburan lain, tetapi ramai yang gagal berbuat demikian. Risikonya tinggi kepada mereka yang tidak berpengetahuan, berpengalaman dan berdisiplin.

Bagi yang berminat, sila baca The Intelligent Investor oleh Benjamin Graham dan buku tulisan Robert G Hagstrom mengenai kaedah pelaburan yang diamalkan Warren Buffet. Mengikut penulis buku ini, antara asas utama kriteria memilih saham syarikat ialah nilai tawaran saham berbanding nilai perniagaan syarikat, potensi pertumbuhan, kualiti pengurusan syarikat, kurangnya risiko yang boleh mengancam perniagaan, margin keselamatan pembelian saham itu.

Anda perlu berpengetahuan menganalisis prestasi dan potensi syarikat, sektor berkaitan dan nilai dalaman syarikat supaya mampu memilih saham terbaik. Anda juga perlu berdisiplin mengawal diri terhadap sifat takut dan tamak supaya tidak mengganggu keputusan membeli dan menjual. Semua belian dan jualan dibuat berasaskan analisis berdasarkan fakta, pengetahuan perniagaan dan ekonomi dan kefahaman tentang perwatakan pasaran saham.

Umumnya, prestasi pulangan dan risiko yang terbabit bergantung kepada faktor positif dan negatif dalaman syarikat dan faktor positif dan negatif luaran syarikat. Pembelian berdasarkan khabar angin atau terikut-ikut dengan orang lain pasti akan mengundang kerugian besar.

6. Melabur sebagai usahawan dalam perniagaan

Semua pulangan dari pelaburan tetap dalam bank, amanah saham atau saham adalah pendapatan lebihan dari perniagaan kerana wang yang dilaburkan itu digunakan secara langsung atau tidak langsung untuk tujuan perniagaan.

Oleh itu mereka yang melabur secara langsung dalam perniagaan seharusnya boleh menjana pendapatan jauh lebih tinggi berbanding pulangan dari pelaburan pasif.

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Creating Wealth in Stock Market

There are 12 rules of how to avoid losing and start making money from the stock market.

RULE 1 : WHY DO YOU INVEST?

Make more money, this is the answer to most people. If your reason is to make more money, then ask yourself these three questions:

1.Is your strategy making money?
2.Is your strategy safe?
3.How to increase the profit and minimize the risk?

RULE 2 : HOW TO CREATE WEALTH IN STOCK MARKET WITH JUST RM1,000

Let say we invest some lower price stocks with just RM1,000 in the stock market, invest twice a year for short-to-medium term. If each time the return is double, you will make one million RM cash within 5 years. If your starting capital is RM20,000, after 3 years you will make one million dollar cash.

If you are using the same RM1,000 capital, invest twice a year, but the return is only 50%, you will make one million RM cash after 9 years.

So we can always start small. However, it is very important that we know how to select high profit and low risk stocks.

RULE 3 : DON'T GET OBSESSED WITH STOCKS

Sitting and monitoring the market whole day long will not bring you profit. Instead, it increases pressure and misleads your judgment.

RULE 4 : NEVER GAMBLE

95% of the people always buy at the highest price. They don’t really know when to buy, just relying on news, rumors and tips. Only 5% of the people knows how to trade at the lowest price. That’s why 95% are losing money, only the 5% are making money.

Investment Builds Wealth, Gambling Definitely Lose!

RULE 5 : SAY GOODBYE TO NEWS

News used to be able to predict the market trend. But not anymore, it is difficult to judge which news could actually influence the market nowadays.

RULE 6 : DO YOUR OWN ANALYSIS, FORGET ABOUT TIPS

Before investing, ask yourself these four questions:

1.How many people have already heard about the tips before you?
If many have heard about it before you, this news is already obsolete. The price is already high.

2.How long have the tips been spreading before it reaches you? The next day?

3.Who told you? Listed company director? Or friends?

4.Assuming that the tip is true, would you possibly know about it?
Normally insider news is not disclosed.

RULE 7 : SELL YOUR STOCKS EVEN LOSING MONEY

It is easier to be said than done.

Sell at a loss is a difficult decision. Your heart will object, and your feeling will say "It is going to rebound, don't sell." Eventually price dropped further, causing a much tragic lost.

RULE 8 : DON'T JUST FOCUS ON MAKING MONEY

How to protect your capital is much more important. Don’t try to make 100% profit. It is already good enough to have a 60% profit margin.

RULE 9 : HISTORY WILL NOT ALWAYS REPEAT

Everyone expects to make some money from the stock market before Christmas, New Year, annual budget announcement or election, but the stock market is not always bullish during these events. We can say history is not always repeated.

The best way is “Let the Market Lead us”.

RULE 10 : QUOTES FROM WARREN BUFFET

There are only two rules to make money in stock market:

The first rule: Never lose your money.

The second rule: Never forget the first rule.

RULE 11 : TURN BAD STOCKS INTO GOOD STOCKS, DON’T JUST HOLD YOUR STOCKS

Don’t hold your stock too long, there is a value when stocks are sold.

How long have you been holding your stocks until now? Since Year 1993? 1997? Or Year 2000?

Why didn't you exercise your stocks? Long term investment strategy is not practical anymore. Even the blue chips also crash when the market collapses.

The best strategy is to sell the stocks that are not earning money, and reselect some good counters. Buy low, sell high for several times will earn you more than enough to compensate the lost.

RULE 12 : WAKE UP FROM MISTAKES

Stop investing if you are not sure of when to buy or sell.

Without the knowledge of investment, you are bound to lose again. This is an age of information. Investors are using knowledge, techniques and strategies to make money. Without investment knowledge, how do you protect your money?

Building wealth through investing starts with securing your capital.

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Insurans Perlu Dalam Perancangan Kewangan

Semua orang yang memiliki kenderaan tahu tentang insurans kenderaan kerana ianya wajib bagi semua kenderaan dan menjadi kesalahan jika kenderaan digunakan tanpa insurans. Bagaimana pun masih ramai yang tidak begitu mengetahui tentang produk insurans lain seperti insuran hayat (kematian), kemalangan, rawatan penyakit kritikal, hilang upaya kekal, hartanah dan lain-lain.

Suatu ketika dahulu orang Islam menjauhi produk insurans kerana ia difatwakan haram. Mereka menubuhkan syarikat khairat kebajikan sebagai organisasi untuk membantu ahli apabila berlaku kematian, kemalangan atau untuk membantu ahli menganjurkan majlis kenduri kahwin dan sebagainya.

Bagaimanapun, sekarang terdapat produk insurans takaful yang konsep dan operasinya selaras dengan syariat Islam dan diterima oleh Majlis Fatwa Agama Islam. Konsep asasnya ialah wang bayaran premium dipecahkan kepada dua iaitu wang pelaburan dan tabarru' (derma ikhlas bertujuan kebajikan).

Peruntukan tabarru' adalah sumbangan ahli kepada ahli yang ditimpa kemalangan melalui konsep tolong menolong sesama ahli. Sementara wang pelaburan adalah milik pembeli insurans dan akan dipulangkan bersama dengan keuntungan pelaburan apabila sampai tempoh matang.

Dengan adanya insurans takaful yang mematuhi kehendak syariah, pembelian insurans di kalangan orang Islam meningkat tetapi kadarnya masih rendah berbanding dengan kaum lain.

Isu penting yang perlu difikirkan ialah apakah kita perlu membeli insurans perlindungan. Terdapat berbagai produk insurans yang menawarkan pelbagai jenis perlindungan seperti perlindungan kebakaran, kemalangan, perubatan, kematian, kecurian dan sebagainya.

Melalui pembelian insurans tabarru', wang tabarru' anda akan dikumpulkan bersama wang tabarru' orang lain untuk membantu mereka yang malang dan jika anda menimpa kemalangan maka wang tabarru' itu akan diberikan kepada anda atau tanggungan anda. Katakan anda ada membeli takaful manfaat kematian sebanyak RM50,000.00 dan ditakdirkan anda meninggal dunia maka tanggungan anda (anak, isteri atau ibu yang sudah tua yang anda namakan) akan mendapat wang tabarru' untuk membantu menyara hidup mereka.

Ini adalah sesuai dengan maksud sabda Rasulullah SAW : “Tinggalkan anak dan isteri dengan kesenangan adalah lebih baik dari meninggalkan mereka dalam keadaan meminta-minta”, hadis riwayat Imam Bukhari.

Jumlah premium yang anda kena bayar adalah bergantung kepada bentuk pelan perlindungan, jumlah amaun yang diinsuranskan, umur peserta, pekerjaan, kesihatan peserta, sama ada peserta merokok atau tidak, tempoh perlindungan dan sebagainya. Faktor ini adalah asas pengiraan keberangkalian dan risiko berlakunya musibah dan pengiraan ini dibuat oleh syarikat insurans.

Ringkasnya, anda berusaha dan berdoa supaya anda tidak ditimpa musibah tetapi musibah boleh menimpa sesiapa termasuk diri anda. Maka memang wajar anda bersedia dengan perlindungan insurans yang sesuai dengan keperluan dan kemampuan anda dan pembelian insurans adalah sebahagian daripada komponen penting dalam perancangan kewangan peribadi seseorang.

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5 Things to Consider Before Starting Your Own Business

Getting free from dominating bosses and the possibility to make your own decisions is one of the lures of starting your own business.

As attractive as it looks, not everyone is suited for self-employment. Before you go ahead with any plan to start a business it is important to take a close look at yourself and ask yourself some important questions.

1. Do you have enough start-up capital and a back-up income?
It takes money to make money, even if it is only a home business. Make sure that you have enough funds to equip yourself and begin marketing before taking the plunge. Also, don't expect to make a lot of money in the early stages of your business.

You will need to set aside enough money to provide for you and your family during the initial start-up period for your business. Consult with other similar businesses and find out how long it took them to become viable.

2. Are you a self-moving person?
This is the key quality that separates an employee from and entrepreneur. If you need to wait around and be told what to do, then you would find it easier to get a job with a company rather than to launch your own business.

On the other hand, if you are able to think of an idea and carry it out without prodding from someone else, then you may be able to succeed in your own business.

3. Are you willing to work more than a standard 9-5 day?
When you work for someone else you are contracted to work a certain schedule. At the end of the day, you can often able to just forget about the job, go home and relax.

When you have your own business you carry a load of responsibility on your shoulders and you will often end up working longer hours than a normal salaried employee. If you like what you are doing and if your business is financially rewarding then you may not mind putting in a lot of extra hours and working when other people are resting.

Once again, there is no "right" or "wrong" here. It is just a question of looking deeply at yourself and finding out what you are best cut out to do.

4. Is your family ready to back you up?
You may have a great idea for your own business, but before you begin you have to see if your family is ready to support your ideas. If you start your own business there may be an element of risk and an increased demand on your time.

Owning your own business and having a lot of responsibility can also be very stressful. It is crucial that your closest loved one, the ones who share your life, also share your vision and will provide the emotional support and understanding that you need in order to be successful.

5. Are you passionate about the business that you want to set up?
In order to be successful in your own enterprise you will have to be self-moving and you may have to work harder than an employee in someone else's firm. If you do not really like what you are doing you will find it hard to get the inspiration and drive that is required for such a task.
Choose an activity that you know something about and choose an activity that you enjoy doing. The ideal business would be one where you have some prior knowledge and something which you enjoy doing.

One thing to remember, there is nothing wrong with being an employee and working for someone else. There are a lot of advantages in terms of job security, steady income, standard hours and other benefits. It is just a question of looking at your total situation and making the right choice. On the other hand, if you do possess the qualities of an entrepreneur and really have a good idea backed by adequate capital and expertise, then starting your own business may be the best thing you will ever do.

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Faktor Perlu Diambil Kira Apabila Membeli Rumah

Dalam membuat keputusan pembelian rumah, anda mempunyai tiga pilihan iaitu membeli rumah sekarang kerana anda sudah menjumpai rumah yang sesuai, menarik dan menguntungkan atau anda menangguhkan pembelian sehingga berjumpa dengan rumah sedemikian atau anda menyewa rumah sepanjang hayat anda.

Bagi membuat pilihan pertama dan kedua anda perlu tahu kriteria dalam menentukan rumah yang hendak dibeli itu sesuai, menarik dan menguntungkan.

Pertama, anda perlu mencari lokasi, keluasan, susun atur, bilangan bilik, kemasan dan ciri rumah yang sesuai dengan keperluan, kehendak dan kemampuan kewangan anda.

Jangan lupa mengambil kira keperluan sekarang dan juga keperluan tambahan apabila bilangan anak bertambah.

Kedua ialah mencari rumah yang harga tawarannya menarik.

Anda perlu membandingkan harga tawaran dengan harga pasaran untuk rumah seumpama itu di kawasan berkenaan.

Anda boleh mengira berapakah luas rumah itu dan mengira kos jualan bagi setiap kaki persegi. Kos jualan berdasarkan RM/kaki persegi boleh digunakan sebagai perbandingan dengan kos projek lain.

Kos juga boleh dipecahkan kepada kos binaan dan kos tanah berdasarkan keluasan binaan dan keluasan tanah untuk unit berkaitan.

Ketiga ialah menilai ciri kelebihan dan kelemahan yang ada pada rumah berkenaan.

Lokasi strategik berdekatan pusat bandar, kawasan perindustrian, sekolah, pasar, kejiranan rendah kadar jenayah, jalan raya tidak sesak dan seumpamanya sudah tentu faktor positif yang menarik.

Pada peringkat lebih mikro, rumah tepi, berhadapan dengan taman, menghadap matahari naik dan memiliki pemandangan depan rumah yang menarik adalah antara faktor tambahan menjadi tarikan.

Reka bentuk, susun atur dan kemasan rumah yang baik akan menyumbang kepada keselesaan dan memberi impak besar kepada suasana di dalam rumah.

Spesifikasi alatan, kemasan lantai dan sebagainya akan menentukan hayat ketahanan dan boleh menjadikan selenggaraan lebih mudah dan murah.

Dari sudut ekonomi dan pelaburan pula, keuntungan daripada pembelian sesebuah rumah diperoleh dari kenaikan nilai rumah dan kenaikan sewa.

Jika tempat itu strategik seperti berdekatan universiti, kolej, hospital, pejabat kerajaan, kawasan industri dan sebagainya, pertumbuhan ekonominya yang pesat menjadikan nilai rumah cepat meningkat.

Jika sewa bulanan tinggi, ia boleh digunakan untuk membayar sebahagian dari ansuran pinjaman, sementara kenaikan nilai rumah hanya akan di peroleh apabila rumah itu dijual.

Seorang rakan memaklumkan beliau menyewa apartmen seluas 750 kaki persegi di Subang berdekatan dengan pasar dengan kadar sewaan RM450 sebulan dan beliau ditawarkan untuk membeli apartmen itu dengan harga RM50,000.

Jika keadaan fizikal apartmen itu masih baik dan berkedudukan strategik dan harga tawaran pula murah iaitu RM55,000/750 = RM66.66 sekaki persegi, ia adalah satu tawaran sangat menarik.

Umumnya, pembelian rumah boleh menjadi satu bentuk pelaburan yang baik kepada pasangan muda kerana duit sewaan bulanan rumah akan bertukar sebagai bayaran ansuran pinjaman rumah dan akhirnya rumah itu menjadi milik mereka.

Insurans hartanah (MRTA) yang dibeli bersama pula boleh membantu melangsaikan hutang jika peminjam meninggal dunia dan pewaris sudah tersedia dengan sebuah rumah untuk kediaman mereka.

Jika anda mahu membeli daripada pemaju perumahan, anda juga perlu sedar bahawa pemaju yang lemah boleh menyebabkan projek tidak siap atau rumah yang disiapkan tidak berkualiti.

Anda dicadangkan meneliti latar belakang pemaju dengan melihat rekod projek mereka yang lalu.

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Business Idea & Opportunity Evalution

In analyzing your business ideas you must be able to pass them through a test to determine if they truly are valid opportunities. All of your ideas must have a demonstrated need, ready market, and ability to provide a solid return on investment.

Is the idea feasible in the marketplace? Is there demand? Can it be done? Are you able to pull together the persons and resources to pull it off before the window of opportunity closes? These questions must be considered and answered.

Opportunity-focused entrepreneurs start with the customer and the market in mind. They analyze the market to determine industry issues, market structure, market size, growth rate, market capacity, attainable market share, cost structure, the core economics, exit strategy issues, time to breakeven, opportunity costs, and barriers to entry. Below are two models that entrepreneurs use to evaluate their business ideas and plans.

Fourteen Questions to Ask Every Time

To evaluate opportunities, entrepreneurs ask the following questions:

1. What is the need you fill or problem you solve? (Value Proposition)
2. Who are you selling to? (Target Market)
3. How would you make money? (Revenue Model)
4. How will you differentiate your company from what is already out there? (Unique Selling Proposition)
5. What are the barriers to entry?
6. How many competitors do you have and of what quality are they? (Competitive Analysis)
7. How big is your market in RM? (Market Size)
8. How fast is the market growing or shrinking? (Market Growth)
9. What percent of the market do you believe you could gain? (Market Share)
10. What type of company would this be? (Lifestyle or High Potential, Sole Proprietorship or Corporation)
11. How much would it cost to get started? (Start-up Costs)
12. Do you plan to use debt capital or raise investment? If so, how much and what type? (Investment Needs)
13. Do you plan to sell your company or go public (list the company on the stock markets) one day? (Exit Strategy)
14. If you take on investment, how much money do you think your investors will get back in return? (Return on Investment)

Let’s take the above fourteen questions and term them into an easy model that you can use to evaluate your business ideas you come up with. This is called the RAMP model.

The RAMP Model

Let’s start with the first letter, R, which stands for Return. Return really is return on investment.

R> Discuss Exit Strategy (acquisition or IPO)
R> Is it profitable? Will your revenues be higher than your expenses?
R> Time to breakeven (how long before cash flow positive? How long until the company begins to have an aggregate net income)
R> Investment Needed. How much money will it take to start-up this venture. Will it be $20,000, $200,000, or $2,000,000?

Now let’s look at A. A stands for advantages.

A> Look at cost structure (suppliers, what each element will cost to source or manufacture)
A> Barriers to entry (large competitors, regulations, patents, large capital requirements. If there are many barriers to entry, it will be difficult to enter a market. The higher the barriers to entry, the more disadvantaged you will be.
A> Intellectual Property. Do you have a proprietary advantage such as a patents or exclusive licenses on what you will be selling.
A> Distribution Channel. How will you be selling your product? Will you sell it direct to the consumer via the Internet, sell it to wholesales, sell it to businesses, or sell it to retail stores. If can develop a unique distribution channel this can surely be an advantage.

Now let’s look at M. M stands for Market.

M> The Need. Is there a big need for this product or service. Try to avoid ideas that sound cool but there is no real need for. Make sure your product or service fills and need or solves a problem.
M> Target market (who are you selling to? businesses? consumers? what demographics?)
M> Analyze target market (who are you selling to? businesses? consumers? what demographics?)
M> Pricing (what you they charge, what will be the price, will there be a high enough markup).
M Analyze market size

Finally let’s look at P. P stands for potential.

P> Risk vs. Reward. How risky is the opportunity? If it is very risky, it there a chance for the business to do very well. Will there be a high reward for the founders and investors if the company succeeds?
P> The Team. Is the team right for the business. Do you have knowledge in this area.
P> Timing. Is the market ready for your product. You may have a great idea for flying cars, but if consumers are not ready for your product you may not be able to turn your idea into a successful business.
P> Goal Fit. Does the business concept fit the goals of the team to create a high potential or lifestyle business?

By using the RAMP model and the fourteen questions above you should be able to do a thorough job analyzing your business ideas and opportunities presented to you.

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