Here is the final report of my 6 day detox programme. Several of my blog readers and friends have decided to try the programme. I will ask for their assessment and post them here.
Friday, July 17, 2009
TODAY: On the issue of responsibility
MAS was asked about its accountability in the minibonds saga at the press conference:
About the Lehman saga, there were some comments that MAS sort of allowed such instruments to be marketed to consumers. Do you think MAS should take some responsibility?
Mr Heng Swee Keat, managing director of MAS, replied: “I have highlighted a number of things that MAS has been doing in terms of regulation and the supervision of financial institutions (FIs).
“And if you go through the investigation report which has been issued, you will notice that there is a fairly detailed report that goes into the operation of the FIs, and quite a lot of those are operational lapses.
“I emphasised in my remarks that those are the actions that we expect board and senior management of FIs to take, to ensure that guidelines and standards are complied with.”
Would it be fair to say that MAS has no responsibility for the crisis?
Mr Shane Tregillis, MAS deputy managing director of market conduct, said: “We outlined the steps that we took before. In terms of setting the rules, in terms of inspecting, you can clearly outline what we have done since the problems emerged.”
About the Lehman saga, there were some comments that MAS sort of allowed such instruments to be marketed to consumers. Do you think MAS should take some responsibility?
Mr Heng Swee Keat, managing director of MAS, replied: “I have highlighted a number of things that MAS has been doing in terms of regulation and the supervision of financial institutions (FIs).
“And if you go through the investigation report which has been issued, you will notice that there is a fairly detailed report that goes into the operation of the FIs, and quite a lot of those are operational lapses.
“I emphasised in my remarks that those are the actions that we expect board and senior management of FIs to take, to ensure that guidelines and standards are complied with.”
Would it be fair to say that MAS has no responsibility for the crisis?
Mr Shane Tregillis, MAS deputy managing director of market conduct, said: “We outlined the steps that we took before. In terms of setting the rules, in terms of inspecting, you can clearly outline what we have done since the problems emerged.”
Thursday, July 16, 2009
MySudoku Contest 17 July
Try the MySudoku contest in My Paper (Wo Bao) today. It appears on Fridays. Rules of the contest can be found here: http://www.tankinlian.com/mysudoku/
The prize is TKL Sudoku Vol 1. This book of challenging puzzles can be bought at: http://www.easyapps.sg/iShop/public/common/Home.aspx
Petition to Prime Minister (2)
Read this online petition to the Prime Minister of Singapore. It ask the Prime Minister to get the Monetary Authority of Singapore and/or other relevent body to get the financial institutions to offer compensation similar to what is being offered in Hong Kong.
If you agree with the Petition, please sign it and encourage other investors (who have not been compensated) to join in.
The working committee agreed to lodge the Petition is there are at least 300 signatures. If there is insufficient signatures, we will not lodge the Petition.
If you agree with the Petition, please sign it and encourage other investors (who have not been compensated) to join in.
The working committee agreed to lodge the Petition is there are at least 300 signatures. If there is insufficient signatures, we will not lodge the Petition.
This Petition is dated 29 August 2009. We will get additional signatures from investors who attend the gathering on 22 August, especially those who are not able to use the internet.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Shape Quiz book is now ready
The long awaited shape quiz books is now ready. It is quite attractive. Available for only $7.90 here.
Here are two Youtube videos on how 6 year old Cheyenne solve the shape quiz. The quiz is suitable for children, adults and seniors. It is challenging and fun. You can also organise a competition for a group of friends, to see who can get the shape first.
6 day detox programme (2)
I have now completed 5 days out of the 6 day detox programme. The results have been satisfactory. Read my experience here.
You can likely chop your car insurance bill in half
If you're looking to trim your expenses as much as possible, you might be eying your insurance bills. There are many ways to tinker with your car insurance coverage to chop your premium down to a bare minimum. You could call your insurance company and:
* Drop your liability limits to the minimum level allowed by state law
* Drop your collision and comprehensive coverages
* Keep collision and comprehensive but increase your deductible to $1,000 or more
* Drop your uninsured motorists (UM) coverage
How low can you go? You can likely chop your car insurance bill in half by dropping your liability limits from "recommended" limits of 100/300/50 down to 25/50/10, dropping collision and comprehensive, and dropping UM (see chart below for average savings). Many states have minimum liability limits of 25/50/10, but others are higher or lower. See the minimum levels of car insurance you are required to buy.
How low can you go?
Average national insurance premiums
Vehicle Coverage of 100/300/50 with comprehensive & collision, UM included Coverage of 25/50/10, no comprehensive or collision, no UM Savings
Honda CR-V $834 $426 49%
Honda Odyssey $786 $338 57%
Chevy Tahoe $878 $420 52%
Ford F-series pickup $905 $438 52%
Toyota Camry $885 $412 53%
Chrysler Town & Country $768 $355 54%
Audi A8 $1,268 $426 66%
Source: bestinsurance4u.com research.
Average national premiums calculated for a 40-year-old single male driver. Policy limits of 100/300/50 assume a $500 deductible. Model year 2004 was used for all quotes because collision and comprehensive are often dropped on older cars. We used states with liability minimums of 25/50/10; some states require higher minimums.
But remember this: Dropping your car insurance to a bare minimum opens you up to substantial risk.
"You want to consider that very carefully. You’re trying to protect the assets you have," says Robert Passmore, spokesperson for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCIAA), an industry trade group. If you have a house, savings and investments, they could be put at risk if you cause a large accident where damage exceeds your insurance limits. And if you've dropped your UM coverage, a driver with no or inadequate insurance could wreck your finances too.
Passmore notes that the most expensive coverage dollars are the first dollars. In other words, $100,000 in coverage does not cost twice the price of $50,000 in coverage. "It’s like getting a volume discount," says Passmore.
Another quick way to save money is to comparison shop and change companies based solely on price. Before you leap to another insurer, check its track record. You won't receive more value for your insurance dollar if your new company has poor customer service. Many states release "complaint ratios" showing the relative number of consumer complaints against each company. bestinsurancequotes4u.com has contact information for state insurance departments.
* Drop your liability limits to the minimum level allowed by state law
* Drop your collision and comprehensive coverages
* Keep collision and comprehensive but increase your deductible to $1,000 or more
* Drop your uninsured motorists (UM) coverage
How low can you go? You can likely chop your car insurance bill in half by dropping your liability limits from "recommended" limits of 100/300/50 down to 25/50/10, dropping collision and comprehensive, and dropping UM (see chart below for average savings). Many states have minimum liability limits of 25/50/10, but others are higher or lower. See the minimum levels of car insurance you are required to buy.
How low can you go?
Average national insurance premiums
Vehicle Coverage of 100/300/50 with comprehensive & collision, UM included Coverage of 25/50/10, no comprehensive or collision, no UM Savings
Honda CR-V $834 $426 49%
Honda Odyssey $786 $338 57%
Chevy Tahoe $878 $420 52%
Ford F-series pickup $905 $438 52%
Toyota Camry $885 $412 53%
Chrysler Town & Country $768 $355 54%
Audi A8 $1,268 $426 66%
Source: bestinsurance4u.com research.
Average national premiums calculated for a 40-year-old single male driver. Policy limits of 100/300/50 assume a $500 deductible. Model year 2004 was used for all quotes because collision and comprehensive are often dropped on older cars. We used states with liability minimums of 25/50/10; some states require higher minimums.
But remember this: Dropping your car insurance to a bare minimum opens you up to substantial risk.
"You want to consider that very carefully. You’re trying to protect the assets you have," says Robert Passmore, spokesperson for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCIAA), an industry trade group. If you have a house, savings and investments, they could be put at risk if you cause a large accident where damage exceeds your insurance limits. And if you've dropped your UM coverage, a driver with no or inadequate insurance could wreck your finances too.
Passmore notes that the most expensive coverage dollars are the first dollars. In other words, $100,000 in coverage does not cost twice the price of $50,000 in coverage. "It’s like getting a volume discount," says Passmore.
Another quick way to save money is to comparison shop and change companies based solely on price. Before you leap to another insurer, check its track record. You won't receive more value for your insurance dollar if your new company has poor customer service. Many states release "complaint ratios" showing the relative number of consumer complaints against each company. bestinsurancequotes4u.com has contact information for state insurance departments.
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