The title of this article suggested that it is about America. But Lucky Tan is talking about Singapore and how conditions in Singapore are so much worse than in America. I agree with his views, which are quite close to my views. http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2011/10/speeches-from-cnbccom-speakers-corner.html
Monday, October 10, 2011
Drop in US income
The full 9.8 percent drop in income from the start of the recession to this June — the most recent month in the study — appears to be the largest in several decades, according to other Census Bureau data. Gordon W. Green Jr., who wrote the report with John F. Coder, called the decline “a significant reduction in the American standard of living.”
http://www.cnbc.com//id/44840144
My comments: Income has continued to fall for most people. The gap between the rich and poor is widening. More people are finding the cost of living to be unaffordable, This is the failure of the current economic system and need to be addressed.
http://www.cnbc.com//id/44840144
My comments: Income has continued to fall for most people. The gap between the rich and poor is widening. More people are finding the cost of living to be unaffordable, This is the failure of the current economic system and need to be addressed.
Earnings of US companies
Will earnings of US companies be good or bad for the reports that are coming out in the fourth quarter? According to this report, the analysts are quite divided on this matter. I will make a guess that the earnings will be good,. Why? I remember a statement from Warren Buffet that the companies in his group are doing well, except for those involved in the housing sector.
I will take this as a test to see if this is a good indicator. It may be possible that Warren Buffett's companies are doing better than the rest of the economy, but this is not likely to be the case., I think that his companies can be a good gauge for the economy. Be watchful!
I will take this as a test to see if this is a good indicator. It may be possible that Warren Buffett's companies are doing better than the rest of the economy, but this is not likely to be the case., I think that his companies can be a good gauge for the economy. Be watchful!
Avoid investment scams
Older people have a lot of money obtained through their hard earned savings, profit from sale of a property or from CPF withdrawal. It is easy for these people to be cheated in the investment scams that are quite common in Singapore,.
There are so many scams and many of them are being advertised regularly. It is easy for the ordinary people to be misled into thinking that, if they are allowed to be advertised, these investments are approved. It is hard for them to imagine that they could be cheated.
I know of these scams because many of the victims approached me for help - land banking, wine, guaranteed buyback arrangements. They could even be cheated by life insurance and investment linked products, as the insurance agent hide some of the essential facts from them - i.e. the high distribution cost, annual charges and high penalty on withdrawal.
When the victims complained about losing a lot of money on these scams or bad investments, IT IS TOO LATE. There is little, if any action, that can be taken to recover the loss.
I talk about these scams and bad investments in the Financial Planning Workshop organised by FISCA. I encourage the older people to attend and learn how to avoid these bad investments.
There are so many scams and many of them are being advertised regularly. It is easy for the ordinary people to be misled into thinking that, if they are allowed to be advertised, these investments are approved. It is hard for them to imagine that they could be cheated.
I know of these scams because many of the victims approached me for help - land banking, wine, guaranteed buyback arrangements. They could even be cheated by life insurance and investment linked products, as the insurance agent hide some of the essential facts from them - i.e. the high distribution cost, annual charges and high penalty on withdrawal.
When the victims complained about losing a lot of money on these scams or bad investments, IT IS TOO LATE. There is little, if any action, that can be taken to recover the loss.
I talk about these scams and bad investments in the Financial Planning Workshop organised by FISCA. I encourage the older people to attend and learn how to avoid these bad investments.
Tips for young people
1. Save 15% of your earnings after you start work
2. Keep the earnings in a bank account until you have accumulated an emergency fund of 6 months earnings
3. It will take you about 3 years to accumulate this fund. Just keep your savings liquid. Do not think about investing the money.
4. You should avoid investing the money in a life insurance policy or investment-linked policy - as you may need the money in an emergency and there is heavy penalty on early withdrawal.
5. You do not have to worry about buying life insurance until you start a family. But, if you wish to have life insurance earlier, you should buy a term insurance and pay not more than $30 a month for $300,000 of insurance cover.
6. When you are ready to invest, you should invest in a low cost investment fund, such as the Straits Times Index ETF (exchange traded fund).
7. You should attend the 6 hour workshop organised by FISCA to get more details,
I also told the students to tell their parents and older siblings and relatives to attend the Financial Planning workshop organised by FISCA. They have money and are likely to invest in the wrong products and lose a large part of it. When they found that they were misled or cheated, it is TOO LATE for them to recover their money. They have to spend some time and a small sum of money to get educated to avoid losing BIG MONEY.
Invest for the long term - applying the idea
Recently, I decided use my spare cash, which was earning a low rate of interest, to invest in the stock market. My reasons were:
Another good investment is the Straits Times Index ETF offered by SPDR and DBS which gives diversificaton..
- The stock market had dropped by 20% from its peak
- I am investing for the long term, more than 10 years
- Warren Buffett had said that the companies under Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio were showing good results (except for those involved in the housing market).
A few people asked if it was safe to enter the stock market, and I gave the same view.
I was quite surprised that the stock market did recover strongly the past few days. It was unexpected. However, it does not really matter for a long term investor.
I asked my stockbroker for a list of blue chip shares and REITS showing the drop in their prices since their recent peaks and the dividend yields. I was surprised to find several blue chips that gave a yield of more than 4%. I picked a few of them for investment. The list of blue chips and REITS can be found here.
Another good investment is the Straits Times Index ETF offered by SPDR and DBS which gives diversificaton..
I wish to emphasize that while the stock market may be strong for the time being, the situation could turn around easily due to the uncertainty in the global economic environment. But, if you are investing for the long term, you can ignore the short term uncertainty. The situation will be sorted out in a few years' time.
Add flair to your windows: | Home Improvement
Every home has windows, and as a home owner or tenant, it?s natural that you?ll want to make the space you live in pleasant to be in. Decorating and accessorising your windows is a great way to do this; with so many options available, you can control every aspect of how incoming light will make the room feel.
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The most obvious window decoration which most households already have is curtains. These dangling pieces of fabric come in a seemingly infinite range of colours, patterns, materials and thicknesses. Depending on the room you can have thin curtains designed merely to stop people peeping in from outsides, or thick curtains designed not to let a single ray of light in. The wide range of colours, patterns and materials mean any existing decoration in your room can be matched, contrasted with, or complimented.
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Another option is shutters. More versatile than curtains, shutters can be angled to let varying degrees of light into a room depending on requirements. They are also different aesthetically, and can be used in creating striking themes for your home, such as rustic or continental looks. Shutters also come in a range of colours and materials; from traditional wood to more modern looking steel or plastic designs.
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Source: http://www.watti.net/2011/10/add-flair-to-your-windows/
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Do You Have Brand New Scooter Problems? What They Don't Tell You When You Buy a New Scooter
So we just spent 0 to 00 on a new scooter. We were all excited about our new purchase, enjoying the air, the great gas mileage, and this peppy little way to get around town. We took it home, drove it a bunch for a month or three and then we started noticing little things going wrong. It lost its zip, it's making funny noises, it doesn't have much power, it doesn't start easy, it just doesn't seem to be the same anymore. We all scratch our head and wonder, "What happened to my great little scooter and why is it falling apart already?"
It's because when we bought the scooter, no one told us the truths about these scooters, and what we need to do to still feel like we made a good purchase and enjoy this wonderful machine.
We Buy Any Car
Here is what no one tells us:
These scooters did not come with the best oil from the factory.
The Spark Plug they put in at the factory costs .49 cents and is low quality.
The air intake system system is too much for a one spark plug engine.
The brakes need to be adjusted within sixty days as we break-in our new scooter.
Here is what the scooter shops should have recommended to you:
Replace the engine oil within 300-500 miles (then every 2000 miles is fine).
Replace the Spark Plug before you drive it home in the first place with an NGK High Performance Spark Plug.
Take off the whole air-intake system and replace it with a UNI racing Air Filter.
Adjust the brakes at thirty and sixty days.
These are very easy steps for anyone to do, and once completed, they solve 90% of the basic concerns/problems new scooters might have. Replace these Chinese scooter parts and your scooters will be good as gold.
If you are intimidated in the least bit by completing these tasks, hire your local repair shop to do them. If you haven't purchased a scooter yet, require the Company that is selling you the scooter to provide these services as part of the purchase. All of these tasks should take less than one hour and the costs should be less than to 0. Then you'll have a scooter that will last 2000 miles before needing any other service, you won't have buyer's remorse, and you'll enjoy your purchase and the open road with a smile on your face, all the while getting almost 100 miles per gallon.
Happy Riding
Do You Have Brand New Scooter Problems? What They Don't Tell You When You Buy a New Scooter
Stars must align to win a place on Walk of Fame (AP)
LOS ANGELES ? Engelbert Humperdink has one. Clint Eastwood does not. John, George and Ringo ? yes. Paul McCartney? Not yet. And George Clooney would be in the club if only someone could convince him to show up for the ceremony.
When it comes to receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the sidewalk tourist attraction that encompasses 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of intersecting Vine Street, it's not so much who you know, but whether you're willing to play by the rules.
For starters, someone in the celebrity's camp must first fill out an application form that includes the star's signed promise that they will attend the ceremony.
No pledge? No ceremony. Which is why Eastwood, Julia Roberts and Clooney aren't among the 2,450 honorees lining Hollywood's sidewalks.
A five-member committee meets annually in June to consider some 250 to 300 applicants from five categories of the entertainment industry ? film, television, music, broadcast radio and theater, a category added in 1984.
As you might imagine, some of the candidates possess light resumes. Others wouldn't be able to show up for obvious reasons.
"We've had applications from Santa Claus and the duck that represents an insurance company on commercials," says Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez, who attends the voting meeting and decides where the stars are eventually placed on the street.
"Somebody insisted Shakespeare should have a star," Martinez adds.
Typically, the Walk's committee annually selects 20 to 24 new honorees, who must then pay a $30,000 sponsorship fee. This covers the cost of constructing the three-foot-wide stars as well as the cost of the ceremony. A portion of this money also goes to the Walk's trust fund for continued maintenance.
Of course, the honorees themselves rarely foot the bill. Recipients have five years to schedule their ceremony. Most celebrities time the event to coincide with a promotional opportunity.
"Stars like to make it a big deal," Hollywood Chamber of Commerce president Leron Gubler says. "That's the way they are. They get a little more bang for their buck out of it when they time it right."
Thus, September's star recipients Neil Patrick Harris and Jon Cryer scheduled their ceremonies to coincide with the fall premieres of their long-running television series, "How I Met Your Mother" and "Two and a Half Men," respectively. The shows' production companies each paid the fee, which was $25,000 at that time.
Rock star Melissa Etheridge, a recent honoree, saw her star unveiled in front of the Hard Rock Caf?, which, not coincidentally, paid her bill.
Etheridge used the ceremony both to thank her fans and launch Hard Rock's Pinktober breast cancer awareness campaign. Etheridge, 50, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and has been a spokesperson for the event for the past six years.
"It's forever," Etheridge says of her star, following a morning ceremony attended by an estimated 500 people, including many fans who traveled on their own dime from across the country to be at the event.
"We've been playing this fame game for 100 years here in this city of dreams," Etheridge adds, noting she came to the Walk of Fame when she visited Los Angeles as a teenager.
At 51, the Walk of Fame is roughly half of Hollywood's age, and many of its stars are in need of a little cosmetic surgery. Tree roots along Vine Street have caused the stars' black and pink terrazzo concrete to crumble. Heat and foot traffic are factors, too, contributing to the buckling of the stars' brass name lettering, borders and emblems.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce initiated a restoration project in 2008, grading each of the walk's stars. Nearly 800 were targeted to be repaired or replaced.
Raising the $4.2 million needed to complete the project hasn't been easy. Corporate sponsors have donated about half the total, to go along with money from private donors and a portion of the proceeds from the star ceremonies.
Though still short of the goal, Gubler says he hopes work can begin next year.
"We don't have the money to do the whole walk," Gubler says. "We'll start with the worst sections and go from there."
Redevelopment, including the Hollywood and Highland complex and its Kodak Theatre, the permanent home of the Academy Awards, have bolstered the fortunes of the walk's west end in the past decade.
The Walk of Fame, along with the famous movie star footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, remain popular attractions for tourists visiting Los Angeles.
"They're iconic places that still resonate with people, though what's in the imagination probably doesn't align with the reality," says USC professor Leo Braudy, whose book "The Hollywood Sign" covers another area landmark.
"It's a way for people to connect with their favorite celebrities," Braudy continues, "though if you really want to meet one, you'd have a lot more luck going to the nearest supermarket."
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Top 20 REITS - October 2011
Here are the top 20 REITS available in SGX. It shows the current price, the drop from the recent high, the dividend yield and the gearing ratio. Several of the REITS look attractive as they have fallen by more than 20% from the recent high, have an acceptable gearing ratio of less than 35% and gives an attractive dividend yield. Before investing, you should consult your own stock broker.
RSA Insurance Ireland
Amplify’d from homeinsuranceirelandhq.com
RSA Ireland is also a generous sponsor of the Irish cricket team and they provides some very useful checklists on it’s website to prevent damage to your home in winter, preventing burglary and intruders and keeping your car on the road.
RSA insurance provides a wide range of commercial insurance products for business in Ireland including smes and larger businesses including for motor fleets, group personal accident and travel, business interruption and property damage, marine insurance, professional and financial risks, cargo, holiday villages, apartment blocks, engineering and carriers liability in the transport of freight. (Read pet insurance Ireland and motorbike insurance Ireland also)
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1eddj
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