Destined to Reign

17 Things Mentally Strong People Do

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 01:16:00 +0000

1- They move on. They don't waste time feeling sorry for themselves.
2- They keep control. They don't give away their power.
3- They embrace change. They welcome challenges.
4- They stay happy. They don't complain. They don't waste energy on thing they can't control.
5- They are kind, fair, and unafraid to speak up. They don't worry about pleasing other people.
6- They are willing to take calculated risks. They weigh the risks and benefits before taking action.
7- They invest their energy in the present. They don't dwell on the past.
8- They accept full responsibility for their past behavior. They don't make the same mistake over and over.
9- They celebrate other people's success. They don't resent that success.
10- They are willing to fail. They don't give up after failing. They see every failure as a chance to improve.
11- They enjoy their time alone. They don't fear being alone.
12- They are prepared to work and succeed on their own merits. They don't feel the world owes them anything.
13- They have staying power. They don't expect immediate results.
14- They evaluate their core beliefs and modify as needed.
15- They expend their mental energy wisely. They don't spend time on unproductive thoughts.
16- They think productively. They replace negative thoughts with productive thoughts.
17- They tolerate discomfort. They accept their feelings without being controlled by them.

A jobless man applied for the position of 'office boy' at Microsoft.

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 01:15:00 +0000

A jobless man applied for the position of 'office boy' at Microsoft.
The HR manager interviewed him, then gave him a test: clean the floor. The man passed the test with flying colors.
"You are hired," HR manager informed the applicant, "give me your e-mail address, and I'll send you the application for employment, as well as the date you should report for work.
The man replied " I don't have a computer, or an email!"
"I'm sorry," said the HR manager. "If you don't have an email, that means you do not exist. And we cannot hire persons who do not exist."
The man was very disappointed.
He didn't know what to do. He only had $10 with him. Once that is spent, he won't have any money to buy any food.
He went to the supermarket and bought a crate of tomatoes with his $10.
He went from door to door and sold the tomatoes in less than two hours. He doubled his money.
He repeated the operation three times, and returned home with $60. He realized that he can survive
this way. He started to go everyday earlier, and return late.
He doubled or tripled his money every day. Soon, he bought a cart, then a truck. In a very short time, he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles.
Five years later, the man became one of the biggest food retailers in the U. S. He started to plan his family's future, and decided to have a life insurance.
He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan.
At the end of the conversation, the broker asked him for his email address.
The man replied: ' I don't have an email.'
The broker was dumbfounded. "You don't have an email, and yet have succeeded in building an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?," he exclaimed.
The man thought for a while, and replied, "an office boy at Microsoft!"

If you just lost your Job or Just failed an Interview Don't worry be Optimistic..... Good days are on the way and something better is reserved for you.

Extract from 'The Verger' by W. Somerset Maugham

Forefoot Running: Avoid This Common Mistake!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 13:17:00 +0000

Have you been tempted to try and change your running technique to adopt a forefoot or midfoot striking contact pattern? Making such a fundamental change at foot-level has certainly be en vogue amongst runners and triathletes in recent years, with lots of media rhetoric and pseudo-science fuelling the fire.
Research is sketchy at best in terms of which type of foot strike is most efficient, and less likely to result in injury – with the most sensible current outcome being that some runners will be more or less suited to forefoot running depending on many factors.
In the many distance runners and triathletes I meet who have tried to self-coach a change in contact pattern to adopt a forefoot strike, there is one overwhelming mistake I see them making, often resulting in injury to the calf and achilles tendon complex: The tendency to run too far forwards ‘on their toes’, not allowing their heel to touch the ground AT ALL.
While this kind of forefoot strike pattern feels wonderfully light and efficient in the short-term, it often this leads to injury as we increase the training load.

However, that may be appropriate for sprinters, but most of us are endurance athletes and distance runners… not sprinters!
Distance runners and triathletes should be sure to consider the specific demands of our sport. For us, where efficiency is more important than pure power, an effective running form is one that achieves the best trade-off between efficiency (metabolic) and sustainability (injury resilience).
In particular, for those racing 5-10km and longer, an effective forefoot or midfoot strike can’t sustainably require you to remain ‘on your toes’ throughout stance phase, in the way that we’d expect to see from a sprinter. Remaining on your forefoot throughout stance phase, not allowing the heel to ‘kiss the ground’ as the foot loads maximally, increases demand on the calf and achilles complex, as it has to work excessively to resist the natural dorsiflexion expected at the ankle during mid-stance phase of running gait.
Over time, the majority of runners and triathletes who find themselves doing this will, in my experience end up with some sort of lower leg injury.
Instead this is what you should be aiming for: Immediately after initial contact with the forefoot (ball of the foot), allow the foot and ankle to relax allowing the heel to come into contact with the ground as the foot loads maximally and passes under your body as you move forwards.
This important touch-down of the heel on the ground, secondary to the forefoot strike allows the calf and achilles complex to load eccentrically and store energy, doing what it mechanically does best!
This ‘feel the heel touch-down’ has been the most important factor in successful transition to a forefoot / midfoot strike in the many triathletes and runners I’ve helped to develop a more sustainable and efficient running, on our Online Running Technique Course (limited 50% discount).
The take-home message is fairly simple this time: if you’re trying to change your running form to more of a forefoot or midfoot strike, make sure you feel for the heel ‘kissing the ground’ with each foot contact!
- See more at: http://www.runningshoesguru.com/2014/03/forefoot-running-avoid-this-common-mistake/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=forefoot-running-avoid-this-common-mistake#sthash.0iRVRtT7.dpuf

Balloon Payment

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 14:09:00 +0000

THE IDEA

The monthly installment of a conventional home loan is computed based on reducing balance basis, whereby each of the payment will consist of interest and principal component. The interest portion will make up majority of piece in a repayment during the beginning of loan tenure and it will diminish when the time move on and a bigger portion of payment will turn to knock off the principal. This is the concept which we often known as amortization.

While, the idea of 3P by a local bank, features the concept of balloon payment (or known as bullet payment). The concept itself is not new to the market, and being attempted by a couple of other banks with effort to advocate borrowers. Historically, balloon payment mortgages were first introduced in 1934 in U.S. along with the loan programs by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) in boosting the ownership of properties. In those day, balloon payment loans were usually meant to be short termed, ranging from 3 to 5 years and people will convert or refinance it into a term loan structure subsequently. The popularity of balloon payment mortgages gained during 1980s and peaked at 1990s when interest rate crept up to higher levels. The balloon payment option made the monthly repayment lower and more affordable in short term.

FUNDAMENTAL MECHANISM

The monthly installment of a balloon payment mortgage is being segmented into 2 portions :-

(i) a portion of the total loan has its monthly installment calculated based on a reducing principal, while;
(ii) the other portion has its monthly installment calculated based on definite and stagnant principal

By the end of the tenure, portion (i) will be reduced to zero balance while portion (ii) will remain the same balance as the beginning of tenure and has to be settled in a lump sum payment.

EXAMPLE ILLUSTRATION

Consider Mr A plans to take up a home loan of RM500K, tenure 30 yrs, interest is priced at BLR -2.3% (BLR = 6.3%, effective interest rate at 4%).

1. Conventional Home Loan

Monthly Installment = RM2,387.08

The home loan has its interest calculated based on the previous day outstanding balance. When the outstanding being reduced, the interest due will be reduced in proportion as well.

1st Month; Out of the RM2,387 monthly installment, RM1,666.67 is the interest due based on the outstanding amount of RM500K while the remaining RM720.41 will be used to knock-off the principal.

Note; RM500K X 4% X 30/360 Days = RM1,666.67

2. Balloon Payment Mortgage

Consider Mr A decided he is going to settle 50% of his total loan in a lump sum by the end of the tenure, thus loan amount will be :-

Portion (i) = RM250K
Portion (ii) = RM250K
Total = RM500K

The monthly repayment calculated based on balloon payment is RM2,026.87, which is RM360.21 lower than standard scheduled monthly installment. How does it work? Portion (i) will have its monthly installment calculated based on amortization method :-

Thus, portion (i) will have a monthly installment of RM1,193.54 only.

1st Month; Monthly installment consists of RM833.33 interest due and RM360.21 to knock-off the principal.

Note; RM250K X 4% X 30/360 Days = RM833.33

While portion (ii) will have a definite non-reducing principal loan of RM250K. Each of the months, only interest will be served. Interest due for each month :-

RM250K X 4% X 30/360 Days = RM833.33

Thus your total monthly payment is RM1,193.54 + RM833.33 = RM2,026.87

It is clear that every payment will only serve interest incurred in portions (i) & (ii) and principal of portion (i) only. The principal in portion(ii) will NOT be served.

Outcome :-

1. Month repayment of a balloon payment mortgage will be lower than conventional ones. Based on rule of thumb, repayment will be lower by :-

15% - if portion (ii) is 50% of total loan amount
12% - if portion (ii) is 40% of total loan amount
09% - if portion (ii) is 30% of total loan amount
06% - if portion (ii) is 20% of total loan amount
03% - if portion (ii) is 10% of total loan amount

2. Interest cost will be higher with balloon payment mortgage, (if no refinancing and no additional payment). Based on rule of thumb, total interest cost will be higher by :-

30% - if portion (ii) is 50% of total loan amount
24% - if portion (ii) is 40% of total loan amount
18% - if portion (ii) is 30% of total loan amount
12% - if portion (ii) is 20% of total loan amount
06% - if portion (ii) is 10% of total loan amount

Usage :-

Balloon payment is used to be a short term arrangement as it lowers the monthly installment at the cost of increasing interest cost throughout the tenure. Normally, investors and those homebuyers who look for better cashflow position in short term will look for this option.

source:propertywtf

Combofix

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:53:00 +0000

this is the place where you can kill all your computer virus and automatically cleans it.

Transmission Control Module

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:09:00 +0000

Transmission Control Module

A computerized part of an automobile that controls the gear shifting feature is called the "transmission control module". This part is found in cars with an automatic transmission. The component is located in the rear section of the vehicle's engine behind the firewall. This module receives data from a part called the engine control unit. The data then sent to it to determine the timing and method of gear changes.

This control module has a role of regulating fuel efficiency and power by sending signals to the lock-up clutch that it receives from sensors. It also stores information in its memory about the car's transmission system. This information adjusts the shifting mechanisms for the various driving conditions.

If this module is defective in any way acceleration of the vehicle when the gas pedal is pressed can be delayed. It can also have an effect on the automobile’s performance when it is shifted into drive. This effect causes the vehicle to sound as if it is still in neutral. This computerized part contributes to the cars mobility.

Engine Control Module

Any operation in the car that helps it to run smoothly depends on an “engine control module” operating in peak condition. This component in the car is computerized also. It controls the ignition timing and the amount of fuel injection. It is a component that is replaceable if it starts to malfunction. The air and fuel mixture that the vehicle uses and the fuel injection timing helps with maintaining and improving engine performance and the fuel economy. The condition of the engine is effected if this component starts to malfunction.

Pre-owned components of this module for various makes and models of vehicles can be found in stores that specialize in these parts. Replacing these parts with like parts made especially for use in the specific model of the owned vehicle is important. Buying a used component to replace this part makes it more affordable. The engine control model switch can also be replaced if it malfunctions. Care must be taken that the replacement part fit’s the component that is currently in the car. These replacement parts feature easy installation and come with proper insulation to ensure safety.

Ignition Control Module

A car’s ignition system comes with an ignition coil that converts the amount of voltage needed to spark the spark plugs. This electrical current is managed by the “ignition control module”. This component is mounted on the engine. However, it is a heat sensitive component that is protected from the heat generated by the auto’s engine. This is done by covering it with insulation that is applied around the internal circuitry. Some auto manufacturers also put a heat shield between the engine and this module.

This module’s function is to switch transistors on and off. This feature is controlled by input produced by the magnetic pulse generator in the distributor. An AC voltage signal that relates to the speed of the engine and crankshaft’s position is transmitted by this generator. The purpose of the control module is to change this analog signal to digital. The digital signal becomes an on/off signal for the ignition.

These signals control the start of an engine. This is done by the engine control module signaling the ignition control module through the trip of a switch in the ignition. When this switch is tripped, signals activate the primary circuit transistor from signals that are received from the engine control. The ignition’s timing is based on engine information sensors. Some of these sensors are engine load and engine speed.

This module is very important to the car's ability to start. When the ignition key or button is activated, this component controls the power that is sent from the battery to the starter motor and the starter solenoid. If this power is not sent to these two parts, the car will not start. There's a trouble shooting technique that will confirm the condition of this component.

This test involves turning on the headlights in a garage or at night. Turn the lights on and turn the ignition to the "on" position. The headlights should dim if this component is working properly. The diming of the lights proves that the ignition part is functioning properly. Each of these parts are replacable at various auto parts stores.

Get an online business going in just eight steps

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 14:58:00 +0000

ONLINE businesses are becoming more and more popular as a source of side income, and some entrepreneurs are also able to live completely off their online earnings alone. For some, however, it can be a daunting task to get a web business up and running.

But it doesn't have to be, with these eight simple steps.

1. Buy a domain name that is related to your online business. If you are selling gardening tools online, a good domain name would be www.cheap-gardening-equipment.com, rather than www.gardntoolz.com. You can purchase a cheap domain name at www.namecheap.com or www.godaddy.com.

2. Get yourself a web hosting account to store your website on. Google web hosting providers' and you will have a large selection to choose from. I would suggest a cPanel-based hosting account (just ask your web host to show you which packages are cPanel-based).

Lee: ‘Business is a marathon, not a sprint. don’t give up, keep persevering and you’ll eventually get to your goal’

3. Install a website on your hosting. My suggestion would be to install Wordpress onto your website, as it is the most commonly used open source website available online and it's free too! Again, ask your web host to give you a tutorial on how to do this; they'll probably even have videos or a step-by-step guide for you to follow.

4. Install a free theme for your website. Go to http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/ and take your pick. Installing a theme can be done in one click.

5. Find something to sell online. You can either source for or create your own products, but selling other peoples' products as an “affiliate” would be a faster way to start. Commissions are typically 50% to 70% for electronic products and 4% to15% for physical products. You can try www.clickbank.com or https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/ to find products to sell online.

6. Go to paypal.com and register an account so that you can start receiving money if you are selling your own products or services online.

7. Drive traffic to your website by telling friends on Facebook and Twitter, by writing articles on your website to generate search engine traffic, participating in discussions in related forums or blogs and even give Google and Facebook advertising a try. Track your web traffic by using www.google.com/analytics to see where your marketing dollars are going.

8. Repeat step 7 and don't give up!

GOUT

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Gout

The agony of gout can start very quickly. Your first instinct might be to reach for aspirin-bad move. Aspirin slows down the excretion of uric acid, which only makes things worse. A much better bet is ibuprofen. Like aspirin, this is an anti-inflammatory pain-killer, but it does not aggravate the condition. Then you can turn to these home remedies to further reduce pain. Be strict with yourself about drinking plenty of water, as this will dissolve uric acid crystals.

What's wrong?

When too much uric acid (produced in the liver and excreted in the urine) builds up in your system, needle-sharp crystals of the compound can form in the fluid that cushions your joints. You may feel as though you have shards of glass jammed into your joints. This painful inflammatory condition, known as gout, usually occurs in men over the age of 40 (it takes years for uric acid crystals to build up).

Although it most often affects the big toe, gout can strike the wrist, knee, elbow or another joint. Besides pain, gout can cause severe swelling.

Lift off and ice down

During an acute attack, try to stay off your feet as much as possible and keep the affected joint elevated. This probably won't be a problem; when gout is at its worst, most people can't even bear the weight of a sheet on the painful joint.

If you can stand it, apply an icepack for 20 minutes or so. The cold will dull the pain and bring down the swelling. Wrap the ice in a cloth to protect your skin. Use the icepack three times a day for two or three days.

Try the cherry remedy

Cherries are an old folk remedy for gout. They contain compounds that help to neutralize uric acid in the blood. Cherries are also a source of anti-inflammatory compounds. So if you feel an attack of gout coming on, try eating a handful or two of cherries straight away. If they aren't in season, buy canned cherries. Studies suggest that you need about 20 cherries to get the same pain-relieving effects as aspirin. Fresh-frozen or dried cherries also work well. Or try strawberries, blackcurrants, cranberries and raspberries, which have a similar effect, although you'll need to eat a lot more of them.

FOODS TO AVOID

High-protein foods, as well as foods that contain chemical compounds kwown as purines, can raise levels of uric acid in the body. If you have gout, the list of foods to avoid includes meat-based gravy, offal, such as liver, kidneys and sweetbreads; shellfish, such as mussels, anchovies, sardines and herring; game-meats; fried foods; refined carbohydrates, such as white flour, oats; yeasty foods, such as beer and baked goods; and certain vegetables, including asparagus, peas, beans, spinach and cauliflower.

Supplement to the rescue

Daily dose of fish oil or flax-seed oil can ease inflammation in joints. These oils are rich sources of a potent anti-inflammatory agent known as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). The recommended dose of flaxseed oil is 1-3g a day (1 g of oil is about a table-spoon). But flaxseed oil rather than capsules- more than a dozen capsules are needed to equal 1 tablespoon of oil. The recommended dose for fish oil is 6000 mg a day in capsule or oil form. (Caution it must be fish oil, not fish liver or cod liver oil. This amount of fish oil would contact the right level of anti-inflammatory agents but too much of vitamins A and D.)

Another way to ease inflammation is with pills containing bromelain, an enzyme found in pineapple. The dosage for acute gout attacks is 500 mg three times a day between meals. Fresh celery, or celery tablets containing celery seed extract, may also help to eliminate uric acid. Take according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Long advocated by herbalists to treat joint inflammation, nettle leaf also helps to lower uric acid levels. Experts usually recommend 300-600 mg of a freeze-dried extract a day. Don't use nettle for any longer than three months at a time. (Caution: Avoid nettle in tincture form. Tinctures contain alcohol, which aggravates gout.) Another way to use nettle is topically. Soak a clean cloth in a tea brewed from the leaves of nettle and apply it to the tender joint.

Live on water, not beer

Drink lots of water- at least eight 250-ml glasses a day. Fluids will help to flush excess uric acid from your system. As a bonus, the water may help to discourage kidney stones, which disproportionately affect people with gout.

Avoid Alcohol

As it seems to increase uric acid production and inhibit its excretion. Beer is out- it contains more purines than other alcoholic drinks.

Have a cuppa or three.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that drinking ordinary black tea can help ward off an attack of gout, possibly due to the flavones it contains, which inhibit xanthine oxidase, an enzyme that is involved in the synthesis of uric acid. Studies indicate that several other herbs also have a valuable inhibitory effect on xanthine oxidase, namely milk thistle, centaury and turmeric. Take tablets, capsules or tea according to manufacturer's instruction. Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescribe a little-known herb called perilla ( Perilla frutescens) for all arthritic conditions, including gout. Preliminary research confirms that it does, indeed, regulate uric acid levels, and it is yet another plant with the specific ability to inhibit xanthine oxidase. Consult a TCM practitioner to see whether perilla could help you.

Check your Medicines

If you take diuretics- for high blood pressure, for instance- ask your doctor about alternatives. Diuretics eliminate excess fluids from the body; as a side effect they reduce the amount of uric acid that passes in the urine. Less passes, more remains in your body- and the worse your gout.

Gout can also be triggered by niacin or nicotinic acid, which is sometimes prescribed for high cholesterol. If your doctor has prescribed niacin for you, ask about alternatives.

Fast not, hurt not

Losing weight can help to keep gout at bay, but going on a crash diet or fasting is a big mistake. Drastic dieting causes cells to release more uric acid. If you're overweight, lose weight slowly and sensibly- a kilo a week at most.

Gout/ Urine Acid -Foods to take in Moderation

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:53:00 +0000

Food to take in Moderation

Poultry
red meat
cockles

Vegetables

Mushrooms
spinach
asparagus
lentils
beans

Food that can be taken

Rice
bread
milk
cereal
beverages- Coffee, Tea, Cocoa
noodles
cheeses
fruits

Gout- Foods to Avoid

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 07:02:00 +0000

Foods to Avoid

: Alcohol

Internal organs

brain
liver
intestines/ stomach
gizzards
lungs
heart
kidney

Mince meat:

Sea food: eg

prawns
mussels
cuttle fish
scallops/ Clams / Crabs
roe
sardines

Vegetables:

carrots / cabbage
tomato
cauliflower
red beans
yeast

Digi Super Long Life

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 11:20:00 +0000

Reload
We've got every reload method you could possibly need

Super Long Life™

Super Long Life™ is a feature where you can extend your talktime validity to 1 year for just RM30

Step 1	Key in 1284*3# and Press [CALL]
Step 2	Key in 1 and Press [CALL]
Step 3	You will receive a confirmation SMS with your new credit balance.

Ford Fiesta

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:58:00 +0000

It has arguably been the car with all the pre-launch publicity this year, having had a good seven months plus of doing so in various forms up to this point, but now the wait is over and things are finally rolling for the Ford Fiesta. The car was officially launched this evening in Malaysia at the Opera in Sunway Pyramid, and the neat surprise is that the pricing has improved on that bandied about before pre-launch.

Before today, the indicative pricing for the Fiesta, which is of course available in three variants – an entry-level 1.4 litre hatch, a 1.6 litre sedan and a range-topping 1.6 litre Sport hatch – was RM73,888, RM79,888 and RM84,888 respectively, all on-the-road with insurance.

The wonderful news for those looking at the B-segment offering is that the 1.4 LX manual’s price has dipped under RM70k, in this case RM69,888, while the 1.6 LX sedan goes for RM78,888. As for the 1.6 Sport, it’s two thousand cheaper than expected, rolling in at RM82,888, again all on-the-road with insurance.

Our earlier test drive report, filed by my colleague Danny Tan, already explains the Thai-made car wonderfully in great detail, but to recap, you’re certainly getting a lot for your money with the Fiesta. At the top-end, here’s a hatch with plenty of snazz about it.

There’s that new Duratec Ti-VCT (Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing) 1.6 litre pot for starters (which is also to be found on the sedan), offering 118 hp (or 120 PS, if you prefer) at 6,000rpm and 152 Nm of torque at 4,050rpm, and the Fiesta is the only car in its price range offering a six-speed Powershift twin-clutch tranny on both variants. Meanwhile, the 1.4 litre Duratec pot on the entry-level LX hatch turns out 94.5 hp (96 PS) at 5,650rpm and has 128 Nm at 4,050rpm, mated to a five-speed IB5 manual box.

Other items on the equipment list includes ABS with Hill Launch Assist, ESP and TCS, EBD, emergency brake assist, a six-speaker audio system offering Bluetooth/USB/iPod connectivity and Voice Control, dual airbags, Easy Fuel capless refuelling system, Isofix mounting points, power folding side mirrors and 195/50 series rubbers riding on five-spoke 16-inch alloys.

The kit listed is for the 1.6 Sport, but on the whole the two other variants have a decent spread of features. In terms of boot space, the sedan offers 471 litres of cargo space, while the hatch has a 281 litre capacity – getting more naturally if you fold down the 60:40 split rear seats.

A wide colour palette is available for the exterior, with Cool White, Mica Black and Metropolitan Grey common to all three models. The manual gets a fourth shade, True Red, while the rest of the sedan’s six colours are made up of Phantom Blue, Sparking Gold and Highlight Silver.

As for the 1.6 Sport, eight’s the total weight in this case – besides five of the colours listed above (save Sparkling Gold and Phantom Blue, which are unique to the sedan) the Sport gets two exclusive shades – the designated hero colour called Chili Orange and Aurora Blue. The eighth body colour, which I believe will only come in at some point in the future and will have a slight premium attached to it, is a very distinct looking Phantom Purple (maybe you can name your Fiesta Barney?)

The Fiesta range comes with a three-year/100,000km warranty, and to sweeten the deal further, buyers get the Ford Extended Service Plan thrown in for good measure – the three-year or 60,000km free maintenance plan covers parts and labour, and included in the list are engine oil and filter changes, multi-point inspections, engine belts and hoses, spark plugs and wiper blades.

Sime Darby Auto ConneXion says that more than 500 bookings have already been taken in the Klang Valley alone (the nationwide numbers are still being compiled), with the first customer deliveries going underway now that the car has been launched. Nonetheless, the waiting period for the Fiesta currently isn’t that long – with a steady stream of stock coming in from Rayong, if you book a Fiesta now you’ll likely get it in January, which really isn’t too long a wait.

Charitable and jovial property millionaire, Nancy Ng

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 04:03:00 +0000

Everyone wants to be a millionaire, but not many are prepared to make the sacrifices it takes to be one. Real estate consultant and property investor Nancy Ng has certainly worked hard for her success. Together with her husband, they have accumulated approximately 18 properties that include apartments, SoHos, land, factories, houses, shop offices, retail and condominiums. Their loans amount to more than RM10mil and their monthly passive income is a much-desired five-figure sum.

Ng, 41, started her property investment journey six years ago in year 2004 with just RM60,000. It was at one of the lowest points of her life as she had to sell the house they were staying in for RM333,000 (they purchased it for RM165,000). They still had RM100,000 in loan. After paying off all debts, she and her husband were left with approximately RM60,000.

“I really have to thank my late father-in-law. We wouldn’t have made it through without his help. He offered a place for our family to stay in when we had to sell our house,” says Ng, as she fondly remembers her father-in-law.

“Don’t give up. I refused to give up even at my lowest point. Property saved me. It was my saviour,” Ng adds. By investing carefully, Ng has attained financial freedom and has made it her goal to share her knowledge about property investment and give back to the community by pledging to give away properties worth RM1mil.

“I plan to give away RM1 million worth of properties. I have given away two properties worth RM 500,000. I hope to achieve this by year 2013. A man gave away a piece of land to a church after listening to my story. I am so excited ! I hope more people will also start giving! My dream is to have more people join me in giving away properties to charity or any deserving organisations of their choice,” says the charitable investor.

StarProperty.my chats with Ng, whose high-pitched boisterous laugh never fails to liven up a room.

Driven: Real estate consultant and investor, Ng, is also the project sales director for Qube, an integrated commercial development in Shah Alam

Were you always a real estate consultant?
I have been a real estate consultant since 2003 or 2004. Before that, I was in logistics for 12 years. Actually I took a break in 1999 to fulfil my dream of being a full-time mother (laughs). But it didn’t last long. I rested for about two years and I think everybody knows about the recession in 1997 and the spill-over effect in 1998 and 1999. I resigned at the end of 1998. I thought I had a lot of money because I was saving for so many years. But I didn’t know my husband lost it all (laughs). He kept this dark secret from me.

You did not see the bank accounts?
I was pregnant with my second child and he didn’t want to frighten or upset me. If he told me, then I would have given second thoughts about being a full-time mother. So how? Resigned already (laughs). I think the savings lasted for a while as I worked on a part-time basis for two companies as a consultant. I wasn’t just doing nothing, but it was more of ‘relax’ mode.

We did not have to be really rich, as long as we can provide our children with local education. Property investment was never a goal. I was contented. But I went into property investment with a clear mindset. In 2002 or 2003, I attended a few seminars because I was desperate. Our savings was running low. I did a trading business with a friend, of which I owned 20%. After a year, I asked myself if this was what I wanted. There has to be something better than this. So my husband and I explored all types of courses such as Forex trading, options and Internet courses, which was very ‘in’ at that time. Some of the courses we attended were free previews by Renesial Leong and Milan Doshi (local property gurus). Then I realised and felt that it made sense.

And when Robert Kiyosaki went to Singapore, we went to listen to what he had to say. Upon returning to Malaysia, I realised that, that’s it. I shouldn’t just be a real estate agent, I should also be a property investor.

At what point did you decide to become a real estate agent?
I became a real estate agent after selling my property. I actually engaged a lot of agents to sell my property but none of them could me get the price that I wanted. So I was angry (laughs). I had renovated the house nicely. I told the agents that I wanted to sell my house for RM330,000. All five agents said that they could only get me RM280,000. I refused to accept that and tried selling it myself. And I sold my first property for RM330,000.

How did you sell your home for RM330,000?
Ahhh. It was a brand new house and I only stayed in it for four years. I took care of the house. The basic houses in that area were valued between RM260,000 and RM280,000. You mean that there’s no value to the renovations? I didn’t think so. So that’s why, I told them (agents) that I would do it. After I sold my house, my mom asked me to sell her two apartments, and then my cousin also asked me to sell two apartments. Then all my friends asked me to sell and rent their houses and apartments. So before I knew it, I was helping to transact over 30 properties and I wasn’t getting paid (laughs).

All of them took me out for lunch, dinner, supper or tea. Then my husband reminded that we are not that rich anymore and our savings were depleting. I did not have a regular income, have decided to give up the (trading) business, and here I was doing ‘busybody’ work for people. So he suggested that I sign up as an agent. It made total sense, because as a friend, I don’t think that it’s nice to ask them for one or two percent (commission). It doesn’t work. So I agreed to be an agent. From year 2004 till today, we have not stopped investing. So a lot of people were amazed that we attained our financial freedom in four years.

How did you do it?
(Laughs) I think that we were very “sharp”. The first few properties we invested in were small properties. When we started in real estate investment, we were down to our last RM60,000 in both our accounts. I looked at him. He looked at me (laughs). Do or die, we had to make wise choices; cannot simply “shoot” (laughs). We started with small condominiums with zero down payment. We bought the condo for RM80,000. We knew that we wanted to buy properties, so we had to work hard. Like what one of the property gurus said, “Earn as much as you can”. I think that’s very important. We worked until at least 1 or 2am every day.

Doing what?
At 9am, we make at least eight appointments. We travel a few hundred kilometres in a day. We see a lot of customers for listing. We see prospects buyers and find out what they want. So, being hardworking is very important. Throughout the first two years, we saw seven to eight customers every day. We never stopped on Saturdays or Sundays either.

People might say that you are real estate agent, so it’s easier for you to view properties.
But during our free time, we would go and see properties for ourselves. I think if you saw me five years ago, I looked very haggard (laughs). I was not this fat also (laughs). The journey was challenging. In the evenings, we would put up signboards. I remember taking a ladder with our friends (other hardworking real estate agents) and we hung banners during weekends. At that time, we were not rich, so we did everything ourselves.

It was tough but I saved money from every deal. Once we have saved 20% (enough for down payment), then we would buy a property. So until today, I am still that broke (laughs). That is a habit that my husband and I had cultivated. The last three years, we were very aggressive. Of course, the first two years, we were not able buy so many properties; only two properties. The second year, we managed to buy four properties. Then the following year, we were able purchase six and we continued doing so. This year, I have purchased six. So I am keeping my pace.

When you started, was it all lower cost units?
Properties that are RM300,000 and below.

Is your husband a real estate agent as well?
Yes. When we started, we handled a lot of sub-sales. But in the last four years, we concentrated on servicing developers. I don’t want to be a regular agent next door. I have found my niche. So in the last five years, 70% of my job scope is working with developers. Qube (integrated commercial development in Shah Alam) is one of them. Qube outsourced the entire sales and marketing to me. Usually, upon achieving certain (sales) target, we would hand it back to the management. But Qube is different. Prudence Wong (developer of Qube) requested for me to handle it all the way. Prudence is a friend, so it’s different. Certain projects, once I achieve 50% to 60% (sales), I would return the project to the management. The sales figure depends on the contract.

So you are involved in just the sales and marketing?
No, we usually sit with the developer to plan on what’s best to build. I give my feedback on the features to be incorporated, the latest concepts, decide on the look, width, height, dimensions and all that. So we come in at a very early stage and we provide our input so that we build a more relevant product. A lot of developers want things done the right way, so we encourage them to carry out market surveys first.

It is known that you prefer not to share your story. What has changed, now that you have begun to share?
I got to know Michael Tan (property investment coach) last year. He said, “Nancy, you have so much wealth in knowledge.” I think he liked the idea that I literally created a few millionaires.

So I told Michael, “If you are doing it the right way, then I don’t mind giving input in terms of providing certain statistics, data and such.” I have seen thousands of properties and have visited many areas, so this is something I can share with him. But he told me, “Nancy, why don’t you do me a favour. Instead, I put you out there and you share.” I told him that it doesn’t work for me because I didn't want people to know me as I enjoy my freedom. My husband and I have been travelling extensively and we enjoy our holidays and good food with good friends.

I told Michael, I don’t need to because I am not going to be a guru. But then when he looked at me and said, “Can you consider it as a form of charity?” I said, “Oh dear!” Then he phrased it differently, “By not sharing, it is actually very selfish of you.” I was surprised. He is very “cunning” you know (laughs). He said that once a while, when they have an event and if I think it is relevant, then I could share to help motivate or inspire people to the next level. So I agreed. So far, I have spoken at two of Michael’s events.

Knowledgeable: The amicable Ng (second from left) sits with fellow speakers (L-R: Ho Chin Soon, Juanita Chin and Peter Yee) at the recent Property Millionaire Challenge seminar.

How do you help people become millionaires?
One example. I met this real estate agent four years ago. Very hardworking. When I saw him, I saw me. He takes seven to eight cases per day and he has been doing so for seven years. I asked how many properties has he invested in and he said none! So I told him that I must take him out and buy something. I took him to buy one zero-money-down condominium. It didn’t cost him a single cent. We bought the property at RM125,000 and I got him a tenant at RM1,500. The monthly instalment about RM700 to RM800. So that’s the first time that he tasted the ‘sweetness’ of passive income. The second property, he wanted it to be a joint-venture with me. He saw a shop that costs RM728,000. I told him that he can afford it himself. He said he couldn’t because he didn’t pay his taxes for three years. That’s why he can’t purchase ‘big’ properties.

That’s why I always advise people to pay their taxes—it is very important. I told him to declare whatever that he has not declared. My accountant went through his papers and did three years of back taxes for him. We went to Jabatan Hasil and he paid the fine. The he was able to present his EA and J Form to my banker friend. His loan was processed at RM550,000. Can you see how busybody I was (laughs)? After three years, the shop was completed and I provided a tenant for him. Actually the tenant was mine, but the tenant wanted two intermediate units, so I gave it to this young man. It was a corporate tenant and before you know it, he sold the shop at RM1.55mil the following month. By selling at RM1.55 mil, he cashed out almost RM1mil. It’s amazing, isn’t it? This is the joy of seeing another person make it in life. So I want to create as many millionaires to share the enjoyment of life.

Do you specialise in a particular area when you started investing?
I invest in properties in KL, Subang, Klang and Shah Alam. These are the four areas that I zoom into.

Do you have any mentors?
In life, you have to be very self-motivated. Maybe because I am a very positive person. I am always hungry for information. Not many real estate agents would take on developers’ projects. I tell them (developers) to outsource the job to me. I have trained my people in the last six years. They know the job. If a development is not that big, there’s no need to employ people. Otherwise when the project is done, what are they going to do with their staff? So, I would encourage small- or medium-sized developers to outsource. Let me take over their problems. Actually, I am happier taking on smaller jobs. We complete it in two to three months, or maximum, six months. After that, I can take another six months for holidays (laughs).

During Qube’s launch, Ho Chin Soon (map maker) spoke about property bubble. What are your thoughts and advice?
If you mark Ho Chin Soon’s advice properly, he said that there is a little bubble being created.

Yes, he mentioned that we are in year one.
Yes, year one only. We still have two good years to go. So there is no bubble yet in the market. A lot of people are saying that the prices are too high. But you must know which market you are talking about. I would say that the market would not burst, but if the area that you invest in has very high supply, then look again.

For example, I know of a developer that launched a 750-unit condominium in Phase 1. It was priced at RM180,000 for 350sq ft. A lot of people bought. If you have spare cash, and you purchase one or two, it’s okay. But if you are a first-time investor, I would advise against purchasing because it will take some time for the market to digest, especially when it comes to rental. Is yours going to be the first one to be rented out? Even if your unit is among the first one hundred to be rented out, it takes time (for the market) to digest. I have seen another apartment in Subang where the first phase had 250 units. It took a year and half to fill up half the units. Another project in Subang with 600 units. Today, in its third year, the occupancy rate is just slightly more than 50%.

So for newcomers, if you are thinking of purchasing condominiums or service apartments, try to look at those with less than 300 units. Otherwise, I encourage them to look into sub-sales, where it might be ready with tenants. I don’t want newcomers to be stuck with cash flow problems. I don’t want newcomers to take big risks. I want them to take calculated risks. You never know, like when SARS came, it came all of sudden. So in the event that you have such unforeseen circumstances, the completed ones are the ones you can sell. In fact, if I feel that some of my customers are not ready, I advise them against investing. If your risk appetite is not so big and you are the type who gets worried and can’t sleep and eat thinking about your investment, then don’t invest. What you should do is to buy your own house. Even if buying your own house also worries you, then better to buy completed ones. Not everybody is for property investment.

I’ve spoken to a few property gurus. They always advise to do your research. But there can be such a thing as wrong research. What do you think?
I would share with you one of the simple things that I did when I started. Firstly, if it is completed, even though my agent has shown me the property, I would still go and look at that property for at least two more times. I would go to the nearby areas and understand the new housing area that is within five to 15km radius. I would check the income level of the residents there and check the developer’s launch price.

About three years ago, I bought a property. The developer’s price was RM840,000. The agent wanted to sell it at RM1.4mil. Now, this guy would make quite a lot of money from me (laughs). After I surveyed the area, I felt that the potential is there. A shopping mall and high-end housing is being developed in that area. To me, these are all positive things. The resident’s income level is high and the nearby rental is also high. So it justified the purchase at RM1.4mil. Some friends said that I am mad, because I won’t be able to make money from it. I said that it is okay, because the potential is there and nearby areas have almost 90% occupancy rate. So I am comfortable with the whole area. My husband and I paid for it. Now, after two years in our hands, somebody offered me RM2.3mil. Am I earning more or that guy who sold it to me earning more?

Ermmm... you.
(Laughs) So you see, sometimes it is a longer term. After two years, everything has been completed. Highway done nicely. All housing completed. I rented the place out for RM10,000 a month. So it doesn’t mean that once people have already earned, you do not go in. I think that there is still the chance for the property to appreciate to the next level. Now that we have seen a few thousand properties over the last few years, we are able to tell if a property has potential or not. Now, we usually take a day or two to do our survey. Before, we took two to three weeks. I believe that property gurus should be on the ground. Get out there and check it out. Some property gurus might not be able to teach their students relevant information because they are very privileged, whereby agents present properties to them.

For Qube, how many percent has been sold?
We are left with Bumiputra units. I am very positive about this project. It definitely will sell all. It’s a matter of time. Do you know that a lot of office projects take a long time to sell? There is a project in PJ that is smaller than Qube. They are completing this year and they are still selling. Selling office is always a challenge. If we compare ourselves with some of them, we are very lucky, blessed and fortunate. We are down to 30% but we have just started.

Has piling works started?
Master David Koh (Feng Shui master) has chosen a date in September to do the piling. Prudence is a strong believer of Feng Shui. So everything must have the best Feng Shui date. Everything was chosen on dates. It has to be auspicious all the way.

Any promotions for Qube?
At the moment, we have an interesting promotion. If you bring any Bumiputra friends to Qube office and if they buy a unit, we will reward you with the latest Samsung Galaxy S handphone that is worth RM2,000 plus, free. So if your Malay friends are renting offices, drag them here to buy instead of rent. Then you can get your free handphones (laughs).

Are the remaining units the bigger ones?
No. We made sure that there are still many RM300,000 units available for Bumiputras. We made sure that these are the reasonable sizes.

What’s next for you—personally and/or professionally?
I am actually renovating my house and hopefully I can move in by Christmas. So I am travelling again to buy things for my house. This is the time I take a long break, normally October to December. This is the time where I read up on a lot of books and I am actually looking, no promises though, to compile a book with stories on how my clients made it, because I’ve known too many people who have made it (laughs).

So I’m going to talk to them to see if they can contribute their stories to me. Of course, not only success stories. Failures as well. Those who got burnt, lost a lot of money and what they have learnt from the experience. So if I can compile 101 stories of success and failures and the book is made available, then many people can have a better understanding on what property investment is all about. What motivates me is that the profits (from book sales) can go into charity.

What sort of charities do you do or I heard you have given away properties?
People do charity in different forms. I do it the property way. Two years ago, we set up a little foundation. We bought a Great Eastern fund at RM160,000. The funds give profit every year. With this profit, we can contribute to charity and the poor. Last year, I told my husband that we could do better than that. The fund that we purchased, in the event anything happens to my husband and I, it will go to charity 100%. The second thing we did was that we gave away two properties this year.

We gave away one small office and one apartment. The two properties’ combined current value is about RM500,000. So how do we pledge it away? The condominium I am settling the loan this year. Whatever monthly rental I get from the condominium, I give it to charity. The small office’s rent is also given to charity even though I am still servicing the loan, which I intend to settle in two years. So we hope that once we pay off the loan in the next two years, we will be able to pledge one more. I hope that by contributing (knowledge), these people would be able to learn.

Property investment can be very rewarding but it also involves a lot of hard work.
It’s not easy. It’s a lot of hard work. I am happy that all my staffs also own a lot of properties. If the successful people and the people with them also have certain success, then these people are able to share and teach. I don’t see myself as a property guru because I think that it is my responsibility to share and one day, if ever I want to contribute to any courses or charity, these people who have benefitted from my sharing, I hope that they will join hands with me to contribute to this fund or that fund. It need not be Christian-based of course. I think that’s more meaningful.

When I meet successful clients, I always ask them what their secrets are. For me, I give my e-mail address. I answer e-mails everyday during my spare time. Some people are not pleased that I am not charging. To me, by giving back, these people might credit me for changing them and help them invest. Then, I make sure that these people contribute 10% to charity (laughs).

I plan to “retire” next year; to manage a project a year, but it must be a good project. I am looking at two parcels of land for development with my developer friends. For developers who are looking for group purchases, they can contact me. I get excited buying in a group and becoming a negotiator for the group. I would have vested interest and I might benefit my friends, so why not? After that, I make sure that they contribute 10% to charity (laughs).

Property investment advice from Ng

• Married couples should go as a team. Your portfolio will grow faster.

• Be responsible for your own property, otherwise don’t be an investor. Make sure that everything is in good condition. Your tenants would also be happier. Treat your property with respect.

• Sell in a good condition. “Don’t you hate to see rubbish inside? That’s the wrong attitude. If needed, paint the place so that it looks nicer. If you don’t like trouble, then don’t buy. It’s not the game for you. There are a lot of responsibilities. If you want to be an investor, play your part,” Ng shares.

• Don’t give up. “I refused to give up even at my lowest point. Property saved me. It was my saviour. I had only one house and I sold it for RM333,000. I really have to thank my late father-in-law. We wouldn’t have made it through without his help,” Ng reflects.

• Newcomers should look into sub-sales, where it might be ready with tenants. So in the event of unforeseen circumstances, the completed ones are the ones you can sell.

• What’s your risk appetite? For newcomers, if you are thinking of purchasing newly ready condominiums or service apartments, try to look at those with less than 300 units.

• Earn as much as you can, which will enable you to purchase more properties at a faster pace to attain your financial freedom.

• Being hardworking is very important. Do your research, and learn from people who are in the field and on-the-ground.

• Sometimes, you have to think long-term. Just because a seller has profited from you doesn’t mean that you will not be able to profit, in the event that you decide to sell. There is still the chance for the property to appreciate to the next level, if it is in a good area.

• Share your knowledge and wealth. If you have benefited from your property investment, give back to charity and/or deserving organisations.

• If you are not ready to invest, don’t. If you are the type who gets worried and can’t sleep and eat thinking about your investment, then don’t invest. Not everybody is for property investment.

• Pay your taxes. If you don’t pay your taxes, it will affect your ability to borrow from the bank.

7 Spending Tips From Frugal Billionaires

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:11:00 +0000

Carlos Slim Helu (Carlos Slim), a telecom tycoon and billionaire with well-known frugal tendencies, has a net worth of $60.6 billion, according to Forbes. Assuming no changes in his net worth, he could spend $1,150 a minute for the next 100 years before he ran out of money. To put this in perspective, he could spend in 13 minutes what a minimum-wage earner brings home after an entire year of the daily grind.

Granted, the world's billionaires (all 1,011 of them) are in the debatably enviable position of having, quite literally, more money than they can possibly spend, yet some are still living well below their means, and save money in surprising places. Even non-billionaires (currently 6,864,605,142 of us) can partake in these seven spending tips from frugal billionaires:

1. Keep Your Home Simple
Billionaires can afford to live in the most exclusive mansions imaginable -- and many do, including Bill Gates' sprawling 66,000 square foot, $147.5 million dollar mansion in Medina, Wash. -- yet frugal billionaires like Warren Buffett choose to keep it simple. Buffett still lives in the five-bedroom house in Omaha that he purchased in 1957 for $31,500. Likewise, Carlos Slim has lived in the same house for more than 40 years.

2. Use Self-Powered or Public Transportation
Thrifty billionaires including John Caudwell, David Cheriton and Chuck Feeney prefer to walk, bike or use public transportation when getting around town. Certainly these wealthy individuals could afford to take a helicopter to their lunch meetings, or ride in chauffeur-driven Bentleys, but they choose to get a little exercise and take advantage of public transportation instead. Good for the bank account and great for the environment.

3. Buy Your Clothes off the Rack
While some people, regardless of their net value, place a huge emphasis on wearing designer clothes and shoes, some frugal billionaires decide it's simply not worth the effort, or expense. You can find David Cheriton, the Stanford professor who matched Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page to the venture capitalists at Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers (resulting in a large reward of Google stock), wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of the furniture company Ikea, avoids wearing suits, and John Caudwell, mobile phone mogul, buys his clothes off the rack instead of spending his wealth on designer clothes.

4. Keep your Scissors Sharp
The average haircut costs about $45, but people can and do spend up to $800 per cut and style. Multiply that by 8.6 (to account for a cut every six weeks) and it adds up to $7,200 per year, not including tips. These billionaires can certainly afford the most stylish haircuts, buy many cannot be bothered by the time it takes or the high price tag for the posh salons. Billionaires like John Caudwell and David Cheriton opt for cutting their own hair at home.

5. Drive a Regular Car
While billionaires like Larry Ellison (co-founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation) enjoy spending millions on cars, boats and planes, others remain low key with their vehicles of choice. Jim Walton (of the Wal-Mart clan) drives a 15-year-old pickup truck. Azim Premji, an Indian business tycoon, reportedly drives a Toyota Corolla. And Ingvar Kamprad of Ikea drives a 10-year-old Volvo. The idea is to buy a dependable car, and drive it into the ground. No need for a different car each day of the week for these frugal billionaires.

6. Skip Luxury Items
It may surprise some of us, but the world's wealthiest person, Carlos Slim (the one who could spend more than a thousand dollars a minute and not run out of money for one hundred years) does not own a yacht or a plane. (Reducing the amount you spend is the easiest way to make your money grow.)

Many other billionaires have chosen to skip these luxury items. Warren Buffett also avoids these lavish material items, stating, "Most toys are just a pain in the neck."

What We Can Learn
Some of the world's billionaires have frugal tendencies. Perhaps this thrifty nature even helped them make some of their money. Regardless, they have chosen to avoid some unnecessary spending (at least on their scale) and the 6,864,605,142 non-billionaires out there can follow suit, eliminating excessive, keep-up-with-the-Jones style spending. No matter what a person's income bracket is, most can usually find a way to cut back on frivolous spending, just like a few frugal billionaires.

JBL SCS145.5 -- Exciting Home Theater Performance

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:47:00 +0000

The Sound That Professionals Have Chosen for More than 60 Years
Have you been to a movie or gone to a concert recently? There’s a good chance that you were enjoying the show on JBL loudspeakers. For more than 60 years, JBL has been the loudspeaker brand of choice for recording and theatrical professionals around the world. JBL engineering, power, clarity and technical accuracy are legendary, and today’s high-resolution digital media demands nothing less than loudspeakers that can handle their sonic range. So why not enjoy your movies or music on loudspeakers from the company that likely helped to mix and master them? With JBL speakers, you can enjoy the thrill of the show or the excitement of a live concert--all right in your own home.

The JBL SCS145.5 speaker system delivers blockbuster
performance in a small package
View larger

Blockbuster Performance in a Small Package

JBL engineers have designed the Surround Cinema Speaker systems to deliver JBL’s famous high-performance audio at a price anyone can afford. Despite its small size, the incredibly affordable SCS145.5 delivers a sound experience equal to systems much larger and much more expensive. What's more, it's presented in an elegant design that will look at home in any listening environment. In their sleek, attractive enclosure, the SCS145.5’s small, black satellite speakers disappear into a room, making them perfect for small spaces where big sound is important. And when it comes to installation flexibility, the SCS145.5 is a great value. Unlike other speaker systems at its price, the SCS145.5 includes wall-mount brackets. Optional aluminum floor stands that hide all of the wires are also available (sold separately).

Advanced Speaker Design for Precise Sound

Great sound starts with incredible clarity and a rich, natural midrange. Despite the SCS145.5’s small size and price, its satellites easily reach this high standard. Created in the same state-of-the-art facilities where JBL’s engineers design the company’s widely renowned (and far more expensive) premium high-end speakers, the SCS145.5 satellites will amaze you with their performance.

Titanium is both extremely rigid
and light weight for crystal clear sound

Titanium Tweeters Deliver Crystal Clear Sound
Half-inch titanium-laminate tweeters re-create all of the high frequencies you hear in your favorite movie or song. Titanium’s strength and light weight make it perfect for quickly and accurately reproducing high frequencies from music and movies without strain or distortion. Each tweeter sits in a patented EOS waveguide. The waveguide ensures that the SCS145.5 disperses high frequencies widely and uniformly. Simply put, the SCS145.5 satellites spread smooth, high-frequency sound over a large listening area.

The woofer does not bend or
flex, providing distortion-free sound

Lightweight Midrange Woofers Deliver Rich Vocals
The SCS145.5’s rigid, 3" midrange drivers are both strong and lightweight. The cone is so strong that it does not allow the unwanted bending or flexing that causes harmful distortion. Being lightweight, it can easily stop and start as the audio signal from your music or movie does. The result is rich, precise sound from any medium or source. Unlike many other speaker systems at its price, the SCS145.5 benefits from the extra attention that JBL’s engineers have been paid to the critical center channel, which delivers dialogue and other vocals. They have built it with a dual-woofer design so that voices sound especially rich and clear

8" Powered Subwoofer Delivers Deep Bass
Good bass is critical to a great-sounding home theater and is especially important when you are talking about a subwoofer-satellite speaker package. A well-designed subwoofer should complement the satellites, making them sound much larger than they are while adding deep, low bass reinforcement. The SCS145.5’s eight-inch subwoofer has both strength and light weight, so it reproduces bass effortlessly and with maximum impact. Its 100-watt on-board amplifier delivers all the power that a subwoofer needs to get things really moving, while the level control allows you to customize the subwoofer’s performance to your taste. And since it uses a small enclosure, this subwoofer can fit easily into nearly any room.

The included wall brackets make
perfect speaker placement easy

Quick and Easy Installation

Whether you’re doing it yourself or a professional is doing it for you, the SCS145.5 is easy to set up and wire. High-quality connections on the back of each speaker allow you to use high-performance speaker wire, while the powered subwoofer uses a line-level LFE (low-frequency effects) connection that attaches easily to today’s 5.1- and 7.1-channel surround-sound receivers. The LFE input even has an “audio sense” circuit to turn itself off automatically when you’re not using it. The included wall brackets allow full horizontal rotation, so you can precisely lock in the best speaker placement.

What's in the Box
Four SCS145.5 satellite speakers, one SCS145.5 center channel speaker, one SCS145.5 subwoofer, brackets for all five speakers, and speaker wire

Product Description

JBL Surround Cinema Speaker systems are designed to deliver the high-performance sound that JBL has been known for at a price anyone can afford. Despite its small size, the incredibly affordable SCS145.5 delivers a sound experience equal to systems much larger and much more expensive

The Ultimate Passport to Shop: HopShopGo opens the doors to a new shopping heaven!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 02:41:00 +0000

SINGAPORE, Aug. 19 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- PayPal and comGateway today announced the Asia Pacific launch of HopShopGo that enables consumers to conveniently shop, buy and ship from over 300,000 U.S. online retailers at the touch of a keyboard and a click of a mouse. HopShopGo is now open for business across the region - in particular for shopping-happy consumers in Australia, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia - at http://www.hopshopgo.com . All consumers need to get started is a PayPal account to enjoy the benefits of this exclusive e-destination from today onwards.

HopShopGo is a one-stop online shopping site that takes care of consumers' payment and shipping needs, typically the two biggest barriers for online and overseas shopping. PayPal has teamed up with comGateway to provide a faster, safer online payment experience, while enabling consumers to find and snap up bargains and bestsellers from U.S. retailers, even those who do not ship to Asia Pacific or accept purchases outside of the U.S. What really makes HopShopGo truly special is a Buyer Protection policy* plus 10% lower shipping fees when shoppers pay via PayPal.

According to the Asia Digital Marketing Association (ADMA) 2010 Report, 39% of online shoppers across the region say they buy from overseas websites with the top reasons for online shopping include: convenience of being able to shop anytime; compare prices to get better deals; and finding and comparing products.

With HopShopGo, consumers across Asia Pacific can now easily get their hands on well-known U.S. brands for fashion, electronics, health & wellness, homeware and more, such as:

-- Fashion: Neiman Marcus, Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue

-- Electronics: RitzCamera, NewEgg, BestBuy

-- Health & Wellness: MacCosmetics, Drugstore, Bath and Body Works

-- Homeware: OverStock, Costco, Williams-Sonoma

"Shopaholics no longer have to wait for the latest trends and items to hit their shores as HopShopGo provides easy access to the most famous brands and products in the U.S. With our Buyer Protection policy, consumers will have greater confidence shopping on HopShopGo knowing that they can get a full refund for the eligible items they purchased from the U.S. but did not receive," said Nimish Dwivedi, Regional Marketing Head, PayPal Asia Pacific.

"Cross-border shopping is on the rise, as consumers are increasingly exposed to international fashion, cultural and technology products. So PayPal and comGateway have made shopping from the U.S. easier by allowing consumers to sign up at HopShopGo with their PayPal account. On top of the savings from shopping online over physical stores, users can benefit from many other exclusive discounts on HopShopGo," said Wee Yirong, Business Development Director, comGateway.

Online shopping experience with better consumer protection and more savings

When shopping on HopShopGo with their PayPal account, consumers will enjoy these benefits:

-- Faster shopping with express checkout: They do not have to

enter their financial details every time they buy an item.

-- Greater confidence with Buyer Protection Policy: They will

get a full refund if they do not receive the eligible items

that they ordered.

-- Lower shipping fees for greater savings: They will enjoy a

further 10% shipping discount.

-- More security through online financial privacy: Their financial

information is not shared with merchants.

"Online shopping allows me to find and buy items that can only be found overseas, like the latest items from ThinkGeek.com. I also get to enjoy better deals, especially when international sales are on and now when the Singapore dollar is strong," said Jerry Loi, 26, IT executive from Singapore. "With HopShopGo, I now can shop, pay and ship more easily and with bigger savings, while I can relax with greater peace of mind as my financial details and purchases are protected by PayPal."

So how does it work?

For those who are new to overseas online shopping, HopShopGo is convenient to use. You can simply:

1. Hop online (http://www.hopshopgo.com )

2. Shop and select their must-have items from a wide range of

U.S. retailers

3. Go straight to checkout using PayPal's safer, more secure

online payment system

Shopping with confidence and ease on HopShopGo is assured as customers are able to take advantage of a variety of services adding to this unique shopping experience:

-- Use the BuyForMe service in case your preferred payment

method is not accepted by a retailer. HopShopGo will simply

buy the product on the shopper's behalf providing unlimited

access to sites.

-- A ShipforMe service is also offered on HopShopGo, overcoming

international shipping restrictions to Asia Pacific and arranging

delivery of your items to your door for stores that don't offer

international delivery.

Launch Promotions

Celebrating this launch, consumers shopping on HopShopGo will get to enjoy:

-- First 2kg international shipping waiver*: For the first 3,000

registered users of HopShopGo who make a purchase with PayPal

before September 30, 2010.

-- Prime Membership for the first three months*: Consumers will be

entitled to a discount of up to 15% on shipping charges, 30%

reduction on service fee, longer free storage period and more!

* Terms and conditions apply.

About PayPal

PayPal is the faster, safer way to pay and get paid online. The service allows members to send payments without sharing financial information, with the flexibility to pay using their account balances, bank accounts (where available), credit cards and other methods. With more than 87 million active accounts in 190 markets and 24 currencies around the world, PayPal enables global e-commerce. The company's open payment platform, PayPal X, allows developers to build innovative payment applications on multiple platforms and devices. More information about the company can be found at https://www.paypal.com.sg .

PayPal is headquartered in San Jose, California and its international headquarters is located in Singapore.

About comGateway

comGateway was established in 2000 with its Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore. comGateway offers online shopping services that enable customers globally to shop from US websites, including those stores that do not ship internationally or accept credit cards issued outside the U.S. The company offers several products that partner with reputable banks and payment companies such as Visa and American Express. It also partners DHL, as its official logistics partner. comGateway's US operation is in Portland Oregon and it also operates commercially in more than 200 countries.

For more information on HopShopGo, PayPal and comGateway, please contact:

Dickson Seow

PayPal Asia Pacific

Email: dseow@paypal.com

Tel: +65-6510-6463

Jolin Tan / Jeremy Seow

Text 100 Public Relations (for PayPal)

Email: paypalteam@text100.com

Tel: +65-6603-9000

Wee Yirong

comGateway

Email: yirong.wee@comgateway.com

Tel: +65-6289-8993

SOURCE PayPal; comGateway

The biggest gift a dad could give – a child’s financial security

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:17:00 +0000

June has been one of the most amazing months of my life. My wife gave birth to our second child in the middle of June. I took time off from my busy schedule to spend the whole month with my wife and to witness the birth of my newborn daughter, as well as to spend time with my family.

It’s times like these that I count myself fortunate to be able to enjoy time off with my family. To me, this is what really counts. Although I still have to work, my time is very flexible and it is only because we made a wise decision three years ago to invest into real estate. Both real estate and business has given me the opportunity to spend more time with my loved ones.

We are fortunate to live in an age where modern medicine makes childbirth a relatively safe and routine event. However, it can be quite a burden to see how much the medical bills can amount to these days. A decent birth in a private hospital is easily a four-figure or five-figure event. Looking into the future, with an additional member in my family, expenses will definitely go up. According to several studies in the United States, the cost of education for a dual income family per child until the age of 18 will be approximately USD250,000 in total (reference: http://moneycentral.msn.com/articles/family/kids/tlkidscost.asp) This would be chalk up to almost RM1,000,000 per child!

A friend once warned me that the aftershock will arrive 20 years later, when it’s time to enrol the kids for higher education. Parents would normally want to provide the best education for their children. Depending on where you intend to send them, you should allocate anything from RM200,000 to RM500,000 per person for their education.

Important questions
As a parent, here are a couple of questions that you should ask yourself.

a) What is a good guarantee that you’ll be able to provide fundamental/ basic higher education to your child without breaking the bank?

b) How can you hedge against inflation, and ensure that you’ve sufficient savings, should the cost of education double in the next 20 years? (It’s very likely!)

c) How can you provide for your children’s higher education expenses for just a fraction of the cost… say only 10%?!

The answer is simple. Yup! You’ve guessed it. Get yourself an investment property or more.

Securing your children’s educational future
To ensure your children’s financial security, you should invest into a property when your child is born. That is one of the safest and cheapest ways of securing your child’s education fund.

Allow me to illustrate this in an example.Peg your estimated education fund to a property. For example, you need RM200,000 for your child’s education in 20 years’ time. You immediately invest in the following:

• Purchase property: RM250,000 (Property value to be 25% more than total education value, just to be safe)

• Down payment: RM25,000

• Assume fixed interest of 6% for entire tenure of 25 years

• Assume minimal appreciation of 1% per annum

Green line = Property capital appreciation
Red line = Loan reduction with time

Looking at the illustration above, at year 20, you could easily sell the property and make a net profit of RM230,063. Alternatively, you could keep the property and still get money by refinancing the loan. If you refinance the property at 90%, you could still cash out RM199,558.20

Regardless of the strategy used, the property could easily provide a good education fund for your child. All you need to do it to manage the property and consistently get tenants for your investment unit. Tenants will rent your unit, which in turn will pay for your loan’s installments, hence indirectly sponsoring your child’s education.

Repeat the steps
If you do it right, you can repeat the same formula for your children’s education fund and also create your retirement nest egg and so forth. I’ve made it a habit to invest in a property for each of my child, when they were born. Perhaps I’ll even extend it to invest one property for each of their birthdays!

Why not?
In my next article, I’ll highlight the typical mistakes that new investors make when buying properties. Until then, happy investing!

Secrets of buying from property developers

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:15:00 +0000

Juanita Chin is one gutsy lady. Her property investment journey with her husband began in year 2003 and today, they own 13 properties in Penang worth approximately RM5.6 million. 12 of those properties were purchased from developers.

How do these numbers make her gutsy you ask? They don’t, but the following figures do; when she started, she was a bank teller earning RM400 and she had two young children. She had the courage to take action and the story of her journey towards financial freedom is as inspiring as it is heartwarming.

In a recent two-day property investment course titled Breaking the code: Discover the secrets of buying from property developers in Malaysia, Chin partnered with fellow property millionaire and close friend Michael Tan. This is not their first collaboration and certainly, will not be their last.

The first day – information download by Chin
Even before looking at new residential developments by developers, there are many things that each investor must do and ask oneself.

• Research: Spend 80% of your time on research before placing any deposit. Make sure that the price per square foot and location is right. Chin shared, “There was an expo overseas and most of the buyers bought a property that was in the jungle, with beautiful scenery and all that. But these investors were not aware that the development would be 100km from the nearest town! By asking the right question(s), these investors would not have been stuck with their purchase.”

Energetic: Michael Tan “warming up” the crowd

If one does not conduct the necessary research, one could be stuck with a property that has depreciated from RM100,000 to RM50,000 and be stuck with the property after seven years (and counting!). That is another example that Chin shared. The unfortunate investor told her, “I should’ve invested in seminars. What is a few thousand (to spend on seminars), to save a RM50,000 mistake!”

• Set your goals: You need to know whether you are going purchasing to keep (for rental returns) or flip (buy-to-sell upon capital appreciation). It is also important to figure out who the target tenants or buyers are once the project is completed as that affects your goals. Ask yourself, “Would a restaurant or grocery store want to do business here?”, because future tenants or buyers will ask such questions.

• Set your budget: Decide on your property portfolio, whether it would be less than RM500,000 or RM100,000 and so on. For a newbie, it is advisable to begin with a smaller budget.

• Set your target location: Don’t run all over the place. Instead, be an expert in a particular area and keep farming (investing) in that area.

• Pick type of developer: Would it be residential, commercial or industrial?

Once you have figured all that out, then you should analyse the developer. To evaluate, you need to find out these key information - track record, financial strength, reputation, past projects (completed / abandoned), end-financiers, workmanship, license approval and the individuals behind the project.

Chin also cautioned that it is important to find out if a developer has been blacklisted by the Ministry of Housing and Local Development. As reported by The Star on March 23, 2010, a total of 1,345 housing developers were blacklisted from carrying out projects the previous year. As at March 5 this year, a total of 1,120 developers were blacklisted and the highest number of blacklisted developers were from Selangor, followed by Kuala Lumpur and Johor.

To help residential property investors select the right project, Chin shared a list of positive and negative indicators.

Positive indicators	Negative indicators
Workmanship	Near sewerage treatment plant
Near amenities	Next to electricity sub-station
Location	High tension wires
Good property management	Graveyards
Security	T-junctions
Surrounding neighbourhood	Facing empty land
Developer’s track record	Garbage dumpsite
Property layout	Smelly surrounding
Specifications	Noisy
Facilities	High density
Car park
Landscape
Good catchment area
Growth potential

The second day – field trip
On the first half of the day, all participants were ferried to two upcoming residential projects. They had to evaluate these projects based on the first day’s learning and decide which project (of the two) that they would purchase.

The second half of the day was a sharing session with two property investors – Prudence Wong and Nancy Ng, who are of course, property millionaires themselves. In fact, they are so successful that they are currently collaborating on a commercial project in Shah Alam. Both have attended many workshops and courses (property and non-property related) before finding their Midas touch in property investment. They actually met through an Internet course eight years ago.

Passionate about property: Juanita explaning the “property analysis” exercise to
attentive participants

Read the interview with driven property investor-turned-developer Prudence Wong next week and find out about her property investment journey and retail-cum-business suite project, The Qube.

Nancy Ng is the sales project director for The Qube. She began investing since year 2003 and has attained more than 15 properties within six years. This comical and cheerful Ng shared the following with regards to financing.

• Pay your taxes

• Refinance some of your paid properties or properties that have increased in value

• Be a member of banks’ priority or privilege clubs

• Pay all your loans on time

• Establish good working relationships with your bankers, lawyers and property agents

• Look out for discounts and promotions such as 5/95 (5% down payment / 95% financing from bank), 10/90 or 20/80 from developers

If you are new to property investment, she advised to take baby steps and invest in yourself by attending property seminars (or attend to get the latest updates if you are not a novice investor).

The mindset of a property millionaire

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 04:08:00 +0000

The mindset of a property millionaire

19 properties in Malaysia. 1 property in Singapore. Properties worth more than RM22 million. Five-figure positive cash flow. Those figures belong to Milan Doshi, a property and stock investment guru who have made his millions over a course of more than 20 years. In his recent Property Intensive workshop, Doshi posted an interesting question, “Which would you rather be? A debt-free beggar or a financially free billionaire?”

Milan Doshi sharing the importance of changing
one's mindset

For most people, the answer would be the latter but they might be doing the opposite, which is to earn as much as possible to pay off debts. Doshi highlighted that the old school of thinking is to not borrow money or borrow as little as possible and return it soonest possible. His thinking is, “The more you borrow, the richer you get.”

He also advises investors to analyse the advisor before analysing the advice. For example, one might make the mistake of taking financial advice from people who sell investment products rather from successful investors. He also said that it is likened to getting advice from university professors who might not have personally put the theories they teach to the test in the real life situations.

He also said not to be deceived by looks as some people who are poorly dressed are rich and vice versa, which explains why Doshi was simply dressed in a t-shirt and pants.

These are some highlights from a handout that Doshi shared in his property intensive preview.

• Have a firm idea on your financial goals. Otherwise, you won’t know which direction to head to. Some examples of financial goals include knowing the number of properties to invest in, your desired passive income, investment strategies you want to apply, and so on.

• Individuals who are less than 35 years old should focus on maximising their earning potential as they are at the prime of earning age.

• Invest in low-risk commercial properties that give high returns of over 8% per annum, with low entry costs.

• For beginners, it’s advisable to start investing in apartments of condominiums as it’s easy to achieve zero or positive cash flow every month, as compared to landed house.

• When you get married, you buy a dream home right away. Instead, it makes more sense to buy an investment property and rent a home for the first 10 to 15 years of your married life.

• Instead of buying costly high-end residential properties, you could invest in commercial properties that give the best of both rental returns and capital appreciation.

• It’s always worthwhile to pay a premium and buy the best properties in great locations.

• Savvy investors creatively buy one property a rear or even one every few months with little or no-money-down.

• Most people’s financial goal is to retire debt-free at age 65. Smart investors aim to retire at age 45 or earlier, by accumulating good debts of at least RM3 million via property investments.

• You focus on hitting a certain net worth instead of generating passive income. For example, when you retire debt-free, you must have RM1.8 million in fixed deposit at 2% per annum in order to get RM3,000 per month. Instead, one might be able to get the same amount of passive income by investing RM500,000 in properties.

Upcoming property investment talk/workshop by Doshi
1. One-day Real Estate Investment Congress
Doshi will be conducting the one-day Real Estate Investment Congress on June 27, 2010 in Penang and July 4, 2010 in Kuala Lumpur. Two of Doshi’s past students – Nancy Ng and Prudence Wong – will be sharing their success stories. Both are property millionaires with more than RM10 million in loans and earning a five-figure passive income from rentals each. Participants may e-mail questions to the speakers before the event and the speakers will select the questions to be answered.

• Click here or call 019-572 8898 / 017-966 6178 to sign up for Doshi’s one-day Real Estate Investment Congress.

2. Three-day property investment programme
For the three-day property investment programme, Doshi said in a previous interview, “I actually spend one whole day on personal money management because a lot of people are managing their money wrongly. They are not going to optimise or get the best out of properties.

“The first day is on money management and the second day is on property investment. The third day is spent on property negotiation and I also talk about stock market for about two hours. For the stock market, I teach three basic "no-brainer" strategies. Because of increased volatility today, the stock market will give you, at a minimum, two to three opportunities per year, where you can make 10 to 15% in six months or less. So why not learn it? And all you need is plain common sense. We also spend the last two hours on case studies based on three volunteers from the workshop.”

Retire in five years by having RM3 million in good property loans

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Sat, 29 May 2010 01:56:00 +0000

Property millionaire: "Are you mentally, emotionally and financially ready when a good property investment deal come along?" asks Milan Doshi

Remember this name. Doshi.... Milan Doshi. He’s the savvy investor who made his millions through property and stock market. With many investment strategies and effective money management at his disposal, he is indeed a go-to figure in the world of making and managing money.

Doshi, 47, graduated with a Degree in Economics in the late 80s and worked as a physical commodities trader for five years in Singapore. His purchased his first property, a HDB flat in Singapore, in year 1993. Fast forward to this year, he purchased four properties worth a total of RM6.4 million in the first three months.

StarProperty.my met up with the down-to-earth millionaire property guru at his office in Kuala Lumpur and learnt about the importance of being emotionally, mentally and financially prepared when a good investment deal comes along. Doshi also talked about getting the best out of properties and explains why investing in stock market and properties can complement one another. Read on to find out if you have what it takes to be a property magnet.

When did you start investing?
I bought my first property in 1993. It was a HDB flat in Singapore. I was about 30 years old. At that time, things were different. Singaporean males graduate about 24 to 25 years old after completing two and a half year of national service. After working for about five years, I got married and bought my own house. That was purely for my own use, not for investment.

And that was how I started. In January 1994, I moved to KL. And some time in the middle of that year I bought two properties. One was an apartment and one was a double storey house. At that time, the market was good. These were the first two that were for serious investment. The first one I bought (apartment), the yield was 12%, so it was a no-brainer - just buy. Instead of buying our own home, we decided to continue staying in a rented apartment as we had no children and at that point, we could not decide where to sink our roots in KL.

Do you still have that unit?
Yes, I do. It is still rented out. The double storey link house that we bought in Bangsar for RM560,000 was meant for us to stay in the future, as majority of my community and relatives live there. At that time, we saw the prices of landed houses in Bangsar going up by RM50,000 to RM100,000 every year. Since Bangsar was our first choice to settled down in the future, why not buy to lock in.

Did you eventually stay at that double storey house in Bangsar?
Until today, that house is rented out. It is quite a basic house. So quite a bit of renovation needs to be done. One of the things that I don’t have the time nor interest is renovation. So, what happened in January last year was that I came across a nice double storey house in Bangsar which was fully renovated. So I decided to buy it.

Which was the apartment that you referred to earlier?
Palm Court in Brickfields. Until today, I still have it. I bought it in 1993 for RM160,000 and rental was RM1,600. So it’s quite good. Now, the rental is RM1,500. I think the market value is about RM240,000. When you look at it, the price have gone up, but not that much.

What sort of business do you have?
We made our money from the stock broking business. The problem in this, as in many other businesses, is that there are a lot of ups and downs in terms of monthly income. Hence, property is quite a good way to support (the business). At least every month we have rental income. So that brings some stability to our monthly income.

Your apartment had a 12% yield then. At the moment, isn’t it difficult to achieve, say an 8% yield?
While the yield back in 1994 may seem fabulous at 12% per annum, bear in mind that our interest costs on our term loan was pegged at BLR +1%. If I am not mistaken, the BLR at that time was around seven to eight percent per annum.

Today, it's easy to get eight percent or higher yields in low to medium cost apartments. Further, bank's interest rate today is around four percent per annum (BLR -1.8%). Hence the spreads (i.e. yields - interest costs) is still as attractive as way back in 1994.

The 8% is calculated based on selling price?
For example in Shah Alam, (you) can easily get apartment rental for RM550. Say if you buy (the apartment) for RM70,000 you can get 9.4% [(RM550 x 12 / RM70,000) x 100%]. But for those sorts of properties, you are buying purely for rental, because they don’t go up in value.

What does your property investment folio consists of?
In the last five years, I shifted more to commercial. Right now, my portfolio is probably 70% commercial and 30% residential.

Do you focus on a specific area?
For residential, I focus on areas that I am familiar with, which is Bangsar, Brickfields, KL city centre and Ampang. These are places I go to quite often. So I know the areas very well. For commercial, I focus mainly on (Berjaya) Times Square. I have seven retail (shops) in Berjaya Times Square. For commercial, because sometimes there is a limited number of units, we have to spread our wings. I have bought shops in Masjid India and Old Klang Road. Wherever the good deals are, we look at it. For commercial, I don’t restrict myself. If it makes sense, I buy.

Internet was probably at its infancy stage when you started investing. How did you go about acquiring knowledge?
Back then in 1993 or 1994, there was no Internet, no property investment books, no seminars and no mentors. So how do you buy? Just follow the crowd. You read the newspaper. Everyone buy, you also start looking. So of course, you ask friends for advise and talk to real estate agents. So you try to get as much information as you can. Whether those are reliable sources, you don’t know. So I had to go on my gut feeling on many occasions.

Did your gut feeling lead you to any mistakes?
So far, I think I am quite blessed. I have not made any major mistakes. Any mistakes I made, as long as it is rented out, it is okay. So far, I am not caught with a vacant property except for one, which is newly completed. So if a property is vacant for one year, it is quite common. I think one of the earliest and most painful mistakes I made was with one of my HDB flats in Singapore. I bought the first one, a four-room HDB flat in 1993. I sold that one and bought a bigger five-room HDB flat apartment in 1994. And I think that I actually bought during the peak. My wife was telling me not to get carried away. But at that time, I a bit gung-ho. As a result, I went from positive to negative cashflow for the next 10 years. Luckily, today the rental and prices have both moved up.

As long as you buy in good locations and can rent it out, any mistakes that you make, as far as buying at a high price, will eventually be corrected.

You held on to all your purchases?
I prefer to buy and keep forever. I am not a flipper (buy-to-sell) like many people.When you sell, you have to look for another investment. That takes a bit of time and effort. Also, there are substantial costs involved at both the buyng and selling stages. In order to save on that, I’d rather be very choosy, whereby when I buy, I buy with the intention to keep for at least the next 10, 15 or 20 years. So I buy with the intention to hold for a long period of time.

How much is your portfolio worth?
No idea. Never really sat down to calculate. To me, the monthly cashflow and your net worth is more important than the combined value of your properties.

What about your rental income?
The positive figure is about RM15,000 to RM20,000 per month.

How long did it take to achieve that passive income? Was it achieved within the first five years?
Frankly, the RM15,000 to RM20,000 only happened in the last five years. Before that, it was less than RM5,000 a month. The real big jump only happened in the last five years. That’s the time I seriously went into commercial properties. Residential properties can give you financial independence, but if you want to be financially free, you have to someday venture into commercial properties.

So commercial properties are the way to go?
Apparently, the big money is in commercial. For example, I bought the double storey link house in Bangsar in 1994 for RM560,000. Today, that house is probably worth RM1.1 million. (It took) 16 years to double. That is still okay. Luckily, that property is paid for. Otherwise, I will be running a negative cashflow (for that investment) because the rental is not enough to pay the loan. So even though (the value) doubled, in actual fact, you don’t know if you made.

Whereas in commercial properties, my rentals and property value has close to double in three plus years. Of course, the location and your timing have to be right.

Let’s talk about your workshops. How many do you conduct per year?
This year, the plan is to do four full programmes which are 3-day long each. But in order to run four full programmes, I need to do a lot of previews of our workshops. That’s why you have been seeing quite a lot of me in the market [laughs].

How would someone benefit from your seminar? What do you usually teach?
My seminar is comprehensive and holistic as I cover money management, property and stock investment and how to leverage properties for stocks and vice versa. I actually spend one whole day on personal money management because a lot of people are managing their money wrongly. A lot of it is due to wrong mindset or wrong investment made in the past. If these people try going into properties without correcting any of their past mistakes, they are not going to do well. They are not going to optimise or get the best out of properties. For me, that is quite important, and that’s why I spend one whole day just on pure money management. I don’t even talk about properties. Are you managing your money correctly? A lot of people don't even realise that they have big holes in their pockets.

What are these “holes”?
For example, credit cards, wrong type of loans, too many car loans.

So, basically debts...
Yes, mainly debts. Sometimes, even the mindset is all wrong. It’s only the second day that I actually go into properties. Because, you see, a lot of people just want to learn about properties. But if you have not learnt the money management part and you might have lots of wrong investments out there, what’s the point. You are not going to go far in life.

So, one full day on money management. What about the second and third day?
First day on money management and second day on property investment. The third day is spent on property negotiation and I also talk about stock market for about two hours. For the stock market, there are many different strategies. I teach three basic "no-brainer" strategies. No need for fundamental and technical analysis. All that is needed is common sense. Because of increased volatility today, the stock market will give you, at a minimum, two to three opportunities per year, where you can make 10 to 15% in six months or less. So why not learn it? And all you need is plain common sense.

We also spend the last two hours on real life case studies or "live financial consultations", the most interesting and fun part of the three days.

So these are real life case studies...
Yes, these are real life case studies. Real life problems that people have. I will invite about five participants of various backgrounds to share their financial goals for the next two years. They will need to show the class their current financial situation, which means sharing their income, expenses, assets and liabilities. We then brainstorm to help them get from where they are today to where they want to be two years later.

Invest in yourself: Continuous learning and networking with like-minded individuals is an important part of an investor's journey towards riches

I have done a lot of financial consultations and one thing that I have realised is that 70 to 90% of people's financial challenges are the same. It's just that we don't normally share this private and confidential information with other people. If you don't share and discuss your personal challenges and goals with other people, how can you expect to discover the right answers on your own.

For example, I have come across many highly paid employees who do not optimise their borrowing ability.

What do you mean by optimising borrowing ability?
Optimising loans means that you borrow to the maximum. One of the things that I teach is that you can actually retire in the next five years. All you need to do is have RM3 million in good property loans.

For example, if you have high income but no passive income. Your properties are under construction and you stay in your own house. You might be worth RM2.5 million, but your passive income is very low. So this is something you would have to look at. Because in the worst case scenario, the moment you stop working, your RM30,000 income stops. You’re going to get into trouble very quickly. So you must look at your expenses. If your expenses is about RM11,000, so the first step is to have passive income of at least RM11,000. So it is step by step. That is how I teach.

Where are your seminars usually held?
We usually use a hotel near a shopping centre because there is a game where they (the participants) have to go out and look at commercial properties and also look for business investments.

You talk about getting good debts. How would one know if it is a good debt?
Firstly, it must be a good property. It’s very simple. Good location. Easy to rent, say maximum less than two months, and the place you’re buying has more than 90% occupancy. And you’re buying at a place where you can get at least 8% returns. That’s it. That’s a good loan.

What if the rental yield is 6.5%?
You can still consider, provided there’s appreciation potential. There’s no right or wrong. For example, if you buy a double storey house in Bangsar. The rental is about RM2,500. So, say the house is RM1 million, your yield is 3% [(RM2,500 x 12 / RM1 million) x 100%]. But that doesn’t mean that it is a bad investment. Because if you buy at the right time, like this year alone, I think houses in Bangsar will go up by at least RM100,000. So if you time your entry and exit correctly, you can make some (profit). So it does not necessarily mean that a return of 3% is a bad investment.

So let’s say, I want to get my first property for investment. What would you advise?
For one, don’t be in a hurry. That’s the problem I notice with a lot of people. Good deals will always be there, whether the market is up or down. Question is are you ready when the good deal comes. When I say are you ready, are you mentally, emotionally and financially prepared. Why do I say that? See a lot of times, you don’t realise, but say when the property comes, if you don’t have the right sort of knowledge, and you are not mentally and financially prepared.

Sometimes when good deal comes, you can’t take it. Or you think it is a good deal but in actual fact it is not a good deal. One of the things I always advocate is always to invest in yourself frist. Get the knowledge, get some mentors, network with other like-minded people. Because we are all on the different boats, but our destination is still the same. Going from here to there. Just that we are using different vehicles, different boats.

It’s good when you have a network. Sometimes when a property comes, there’s always this doubt whether you should buy or not. When you have that sort of network, you can call up and get a few opinion. That will give you the confidence or they will give you some ideas that maybe you may not have looked at. That’s why I say, you build up your knowledge base, your network base, and that gives you the confidence to take the risk when the good deals come.

How old are your children? Do you take them to view properties with you?
Yes, I do. I have three children. 14, 13 and one is three years old. Normally, I try to bring the elder two along. So whenever there’s opportunity, I bring them along. Once a while, I will bring them to my seminars, at least force them to listen.

Do they object?
Depends on their mood. They’re still a bit young, but I think that there’s no harm in starting young. Whenever developers have nice show houses, I like to bring them. So at least they can see something. Sometimes listening is just ideas, but when they see a house, they can appreciate it.

So types of attributes would make a good investor?
Number one, must be a continuous learner. Must always be learning. Must always be networking. And I think you must have a win-win mindset. A lot of times, people think that if someone else took a good deal, there’s nothing left for me. Sometimes we have this “scarcity” mindset. Must have an abundance sort of mindset. Many times when a good deal come, I notice people who have poor mindset, they always think it is win-lose. My compatriot take it (the deal) means that I lose. It doesn’t matter. There are actually plenty of deals. So many times I tell my students, if you don’t want I take it. So that actually gives them the confidence to take it!

You should have thought beforehand. You should have prepared. You should have your borrowing ability, everything checked out. Otherwise, you will forever be waiting.

That’s why - emotionally, mentally and financially. Financial refers to your borrowing ability and how much funds to allocate. Emotional is so that you do not get carried away. Don’t use your heart, use your head. Mentally preparation refers to knowledge and mindset.

How many books have you written so far?
Two books in English, which have been translated into Malay.

Any more? Coming soon?
I am still trying to finish my third one [laughs], which I have been working on for two years.

What is the new book all about?
It is an interesting topic. It is ‘How to discover your unique niche in life’. Nothing to do with property investments. More about finding what you are meant to do in this world.

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Sun, 09 May 2010 04:43:00 +0000

Ever heard the phrase, “What I wouldn’t do to get a million Ringgit”? How many times have you heard someone say that, or perhaps, even mutter it yourself? How about making a million Ringgit within a short period of five years or less? Have you ever thought about ways to make a million Ringgit or more in real estate, with the least risk and highest gain?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, then read on.

What I am going to share is not the dummy’s guide to real estate investment and nor is it a textbook formula. It is just something that many of my fellow associates and I have practiced with repeated success.

While some might opt for the high-risk route, I am sort of the opposite. I favour investing in anything that gives me the least amount of risk, but with good returns. Becoming a multi-millionaire via property investment is really achievable and here are the steps to achieve it.

Step one: Go for capital returns
If you are like me, holding a 9-to-5 job with limited seed funds to start investing with, then you definitely need to look into investment strategies that incorporate some sort of capital returns. You can look at simple “buy-to-sell” strategies or the more complicated “no-money-down” strategies. Use these strategies repeatedly until you accumulate enough funds to purchase bigger units that you can hold/keep for better rental returns.

Step two: Accumulate properties for rental returns
Alternate between step one and step two until you have a portfolio of properties that give you good rental returns (now and in the long term). Ideally, look at properties that give you 8% returns. These are the ones to keep. Sell the remaining/other properties that you have for capital returns, which in turn lets you buy more properties. It is important to maintain a healthy portfolio. My rule-of-thumb is that you should only have one or two properties to flip (sell) at any one time and the rest of your efforts should be focused on properties that will give you good rental returns.

When do you stop investing?
Well, ask yourself how much you need to be able to retire? For example, if you need RM10,000 per month for the rest of your life, use the rental yield formula below to find out how much you need to invest to achieve your financial freedom.

Assuming that you are getting 8% yield from your properties (90% of my properties give me returns of 8% and above), then put it into the formula below.

Assuming that your monthly desired income of RM10,000 will be derived from rentals, then put that figure into the formula below to determine the total number of properties you need to invest in.

In the example above, you need to invest in properties worth RM1,500,000 to get RM10,000 every month.

Is this achievable? Of course! The best thing about property investment is that you get the highest form of leverage with the longest loan tenure!

To achieve this figure you need to have funds of RM150,000, and service the remaining amount in bank loans for 20 to 30 years. You don’t need to do it all at once. Split your investment portfolio into several properties amounting to RM1,500,000. Once that is accomplished, you are home free!

Some of you may not like the fact that you can only truly retire after the loan is completed. True, but hey, we aren’t finished yet. This is where Step Three comes in.

Step three: Start reducing your mortgage/loan
Continue investing in properties, even after getting your millions’ worth of properties. But this time, use the capital gains to pay off your loans. A word of caution - do this only after you have reached your total property portfolio. Never try to save while investing. Otherwise, you will only confuse yourself and your banker! Invest until you have enough, and then continue to invest, with the purpose of paying off the mortgages.

Once you are done, you can finally retire. Then, it’s tee-off time!

Michael Tan conducts property investment seminars and workshops throughout the year. For details, call 03-2283 1740 or visit www.freemen.com.my

Be a property millionaire without investing large sums

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:21:00 +0000

Property millionaires, Michael Tan, 34, and Juanita Chin, 39, have proven that “you don’t need large sums of capital to invest.” Both of them have achieved financial independence through property investments in just a few short years.

It is rather easy for one’s self-admiration to balloon out of proportion with a burgeoning bank balance, but Michael and Juanita remain firmly grounded and truly believe in paying it forward by sharing their strategies and success stories in their upcoming seminar.

Property millionaires, Michael Tan and Juanita Chin.

Tell us about your background and how you became involved in property investment.
Michael Tan (MT): My parents encouraged me to be a professional. You know, the likes of a doctor, engineer. I studied engineering and worked for a couple of years and then ventured into a few businesses. It took the loss of a job, two big failures and one near bankruptcy to realise that making money does not equal to keeping money.

I then decided to pursue property investment. Now, I have 12 properties valued at approximately RM2.9million.

Juanita Chin (JC): I was a bank teller earning RM400 per month. I have no degree and I only finished Form 5. But I had big dreams to be successful despite my lack of education. I first started investing in year 2003 because I wanted more time with my children. Working for long hours wasn’t getting our family anywhere. My husband, Ignatius, and I wanted a better life and not be stuck in the rat race.

After attending two life-changing seminars, we took action within a month. To date, we have 13 properties valued at RM5.6million. We now have the freedom of time, and my husband is able to pursue his passion in options trading.

How did you get to know each other?
MT: I attended a seminar that Juanita was co-sharing and spoke with her on the last day of the seminar. I consider her as my sifu (mentor) and I am very inspired by her story. Against all odds, she and Ignatius managed to be financially free.

So, is this the first collaboration between both of you?
MT: No. The first collaboration was in December 2009, for a charity event. I called Juanita to participate and she readily agreed. The second would be an upcoming seminar on 20th and 21st of March.

Tell us about your first investment.
JC: We attended a RM57 property preview and learned that we can invest with little money. So we decided to try the strategy and negotiated with a property developer. We signed the SPA (Sales & Purchase Agreement) for RM5,000 for a property in Gurney Drive. The property’s lease was priced at RM450,000 and it has appreciated to approximately RM570,000 to RM580,000.

It is rented for RM3,000, while the monthly installment is RM1,800. Minus the service charge (maintenance fee) of RM200, we get a passive rental income of RM1,000.

MT: Also, mind you, she has four kids.

JC: Yes, it is important to mention that I have four kids. When we started investing, we already had two kids. The worse thing that could happen is losing money, but at least we tried. We then bought two more units on the lower floors at the same block with the same method.

MT: Also, I would like to mention that the units are not prime units or the nicest ones.

Juanita, where are your other properties located?
JC: All in Penang.

Michael, which was your first investment?
MT: As a business person, I wanted to do different things. I took a more conservative approach. I paid RM6,000 for a low cost unit and made RM18,000 back. I shared my money-making skills with my staff as well. One of them (at his mortgage broking company) paid RM1,180 as downpayment and she made RM14,000 after three months.

JC: It is possible to start with not much and achieve great success despite limitations. Educate (yourself) and take actions. It is not always a breeze. There are obstacles but it is worth it.

So, it is safe to say that the biggest myth in property investment is that you need large sums of capital.
JC: Yes, that is the biggest myth.

Juanita, what are these obstacles?
JC: Some of them include raising cash. We have to convince the banks. If you are determined to reach your objectives, you won’t let it stop you. I live in Penang and travel to Kuala Lumpur very often. Not many people would take the trouble to travel.

MT: Tell them about your furniture shopping trip!

JC: Oh! Ignatius and I would drive all the way from Penang to KL to buy furniture. Pack it all up in our car, tie things to the roof and then drive all the way back, on the same day.

MT: I have known her for only two to three months, but I see her in KL very often. I am blessed to have met and known her.

Wow! Where do you find the energy and drive?
JC: It’s just like a mother loving a child. I don’t mind not resting. As a mother, the saddest thing is not having time for them, (or) providing more for them.

What are the essential traits or qualities to be a successful investor?
JC: The person must love property. (He/she) Must be literate about real estate or finance.

MT: Financing can be a headache. One must be able to balance financing well enough, to pay loans well. Bear in mind, our properties might be worth millions, but we also have millions in debt.

Juanita has written a book titled “Inspired To Change”. Michael, any plans to follow suit?
MT: Yes. I am planning to release my book in October this year. Soon… soon, I will start writing.

What are the key things to look out for when investing?
JC: Be practical. You need to decide on a particular location and who you are targeting. For example, if you are targeting expatriates, then buy (property) in the area where they usually are.

MT: You could identify a fixed area and buy in the same area over and over. For me, I focus on good deals in Kiara only and areas where I can attain a rental yield of 8%.

Some of the strategies include focusing on low and medium cost projects. For those who are younger and do not have much cash, start with that. There is still a demand for such units. Some people prefer commercial, so go with what works for you.

Any advice for aspiring property millionaires?
MT: Be real. Be yourself. Be grounded.

JC: Believe that it can be done. One of the other things that we hope to impart from the seminar is, “Who are you going to be when you reach your financial goals?” Success is not just about money. We take a holistic approach. We want to get there (be successful) in the right way.

Being rich is about who you have beside you at the end of the day. Surround yourself with good people.
MT: It is fulfilling as a person, to see the changes in people, to see how their lives have improved. I hope to share my knowledge and affect 10 million people. We also do charities from time to time and are currently supporting a home for the underprivileged, House of Joy, in Puchong.

Considering a move into Gold Investment

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:55:00 +0000

“I am considering a move into gold investment. However, I am very curious about where the source of gold is obtained by the US mints as they are selling it in such great volumes. I understand it must come from American sources, but what are these sources?”

Share your thoughts.....

Some Acronym that you come across each day...but wonder what it stands for....

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 13:57:00 +0000

ESPN= Entertainment and Sports Programming Network

GIRO= General Interbank Recurring Order

LMAO= Laughing My Ass Out

MILF= Mother I Like to Fuck

OMG= Oh My God

A Season to celebrate with Gifts

noreply@blogger.com (Peter Tam) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:42:00 +0000

Chirstmas is just round the corner, and i always this problem that i am caught up with work the very last minute, my job will require me to stay in the office late to finish my work, and i need to buy gifts for my family and friends.

Best of all, i always like to send cards to friends and i don't have the time to do all this shopping. So i was having a conversation with my peers and they recommend me to online shopping this round for your chirstmas gifts and cards.

They recommended me this this portal, which they have bass pro gift cards, and is accessible to your local grocer store that you can give the best gift all year round to your friends, colleague and family. It's also the time to the advantage of this holiday deal that they have.

You can also personilze your cards and attached photos to it. Now it's the time to reward your family and friends with your personal touch on the cards. I am indeed satisfy with the service provided. You should try it out too!

Have a blessed Christmas and Happy New Year 2010 !