A simple will

Hi Mr Tan, I wonder do I really need a lawyer to draft a simple will for me? I am not wealthy, but just want to make sure my wife, children and my parents are adequately taken care of when I depart. I have quite a number of insurance and investments. Or do you sell any book about writing simple DIY will that is legally enforceable in Singapore?


REPLY
You can find some sample wills in the internet or in some books written by other people. I do not know the titles. I hope that some readers of my blog will be able to give their suggestions.

Bus lanes pose accident hazard

I support bus lanes to improve public transport. However, the design of the bus lanes pose an accident hazard. Here are two problems faced by motorists:

• A motorist move from a side road to a main road that has a bus lane. They have to filter into the second or third lanes, but these lanes are already congested with slow crawling traffic. If they stay in the stretch before the bus lane, they will obstruct the bus lane.
• A motorist has to enter the bus lane to drop a passenger and to move out. If they do not enter the bus lane, they may have to travel a long distance to drop a passenger. The moving in and out of bus lane can cause accidents.

Do you share this view, that the bus lanes pose an accident hazard?

Finding a lawyer

Many people need legal advice on a business or personal issue, but they are afraid to see a lawyer as the fees may be high. They should try the approach suggested here.

Ask Mr. Tan or direct link

The District Court Criminal Trial-What Is The Procedure? | BusinessAndLegal.ie

If you plead guilty then that is the end of the matter and the Judge (and it will be a Judge alone in the District Court) will sentence you or adjourn the matter to have community service or probation reports prepared before sentencing.

If however on your first occasion before the Court you plead not guilty then the matter will be adjourned and your solicitor will ask the Judge for a hearing date and to make an order for him/her to be furnished with the evidence that will be used to secure your conviction.

(This is part of the criminal law in Ireland series of articles.)

This can simply be a précis of the evidence or a Gary Doyle order but whichever order is made your solicitor will be entitled to receive Garda statements, custody records (if any), and videotape evidence(if any). Your case will also be given a date for trial.

The District Court trial itself

via businessandlegal.ie

Talk on Financial Planning

I am giving a talk on financial planning on Saturday 26 February. Here is the description of the talk. Some people have sent an enquiry to me about their insurance policies. I advised them to read my book on financial planning and to attend this talk. The book will be given free to attendees.

This talk is specially suited for young people who have just started work - as they can earn  much more by investing in the right product. If they buy a bad life insurance policy, they can lose $150,000 or more over a lifetime.

This talk is held once in two months - so you should not miss it. You can register for the talk at www.fisca.sg/events

Family Life Challenge

7 people took part in the Family Life challenge today. 1 person is likely to reach the top 5 position and win the bundle of 3 book prize.

A new game is created each day at 10 am. You are allowed 30 minutes to enter your input for each year, so it is quite relaxing. Even if you do not enter the input, e.g. when you are asleep, the avatar will apply artificial intelligence and decide for you. The AI decisions are quite sensible.

Take part in the game tomorrow.

Excellent signage

I found a building that has excellent signs (which are quite unusual in Singapore). It is the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Yishun.

The basement car park is clearly marked to show tower A, B and C. The pillars are numbered in a sensible manner. The LCD screens in the lift lobby show information that is useful to the visitor and is not cluttered with distracting advertisements.

I was able to find my way to the ward and patient room easily - without any hassle. This is a most pleasant experience.

I give credit to the architect and the management of the hospital. I hope that their approach, i.e. simple attention to detail from the public perspective, can be followed by other organisations.

Tan Kin Lian

Traffic Congestion

We are paying high cost (ERP and COE) and getting slow moving traffic. It is the worst of both worlds. Read this article.

Locate your car

Many people find trouble in locating their car in a large car park. I faced this problem often – due to lack of attention and poor memory. In the past, I tried to invent a solution, but failed. Now, I have now found a practical, high tech solution that does not cost any money. Here it is! 

Travel by bus or MRT

Many people use the MRT because they are not familiar with the bus service. Sometimes, it may be better to use the bus as the journey time is shorter and it is less crowded and comfortable. Google Map allows you to search for the right bus service. Read the experience of a person who found it better to use the bus service.

Highway construction and corruption

Hi Mr. Tan
I saw your story about highway construction and the European and African country. Are you suggesting that the corruption also exist in Singapore?
http://tankinlian.blogspot.com/2011/01/corruption-and-highway-construction.html

REPLY
Highway construction involves large sums of money. It is important for the government to ensure that the money is well spent and does not leak out in one form of corruption or another. Many countries found it difficult to prevent corruption, as it can take many forms - not just direct payment of bribes but various types of favors and benefit in kind. It is important to be vigilant. More importantly, we should not spend money wastefully and needlessly.