Finance or Money

The Malaysian Star paper launches e-paper

by Yin on April 1, 2012

My family have been an avid and loyal reader of The Star paper – we subscribe the paper to be delivered to our home every day from the newspaper man. So today, when I saw the headlines in black borders, I wondered what had happened-

The Star headline on 1 April 2012

As it turns out, The Star paper is launching the e-paper- a readable version where readers can download online. And the front cover is a mock-up of how the paper would look on a Samsung tablet (very creative).

It can be downloaded on any Smartphone, tablet or personal computer- and it is filled with various features like:

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Tagged as: adsense, business, monetise, newspaper, website

Money habits you should not be ashamed of

by Yin on March 17, 2012

In the February issue of the Female magazine (Malaysian edition), there is a snippnet of 12 Money habits you should not be ashamed of.  I’ve plucked some that I find resonates with me and added my own 2 cents:

1. Not eating your money’s worth at a buffet; it costs more to pay for slimming program- for me, it would take much more effort to have to exercise and reduce food intake as I don’t want to buy new sets of bigger clothes

2. Sneaking snacks into the cinema- well, I sneak mine to the plane when flying :)

3. Putting off buying a house or a car even though you can well afford it. They’re liabilities, girls! – yes, for those who do not wish to be tied down- they may not choose to buy a new car. And a house, it is a heavy commitment that would tie a person down to a working job for the next 30 years.

4. Maxing out your card to take your parents on a dream holiday; they’re not going to be around forever but the banks will (so you can pay them back later) - this is perhaps a little overated. Parents usually would not make such demands and would be sad to know what they have put us thru. A year on, that dream holiday would be just another speck of the past. It would not matter to anyone. The albums, be it in Facebook or physical albums would not be looked at much. If we want them to be happy, then spend more quality time, respect and appreciate them. After all, they would not be around forever. It’s the daily little stuff that matters.

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Tagged as: lessons, money, parents

Is your Smartphone robbing you of a real life?

by Yin on February 15, 2012

This is a question I keep pondering back and forth as I contemplate in getting either a Smartphone (like the Galaxy Note) or a tablet that my friends have been recommending me to use.  Most people I know already own a Smartphone.

I’ve thought of owning it mainly to help me to be able to post more blog posts while on the go- like snap a photo and then write a short sentence and publish the post. Then I would not need to come back and spend time in front of my netbook, or rewrite drafts that I’ve written on my physical notebook. 

At the same time, I am aware of how much the iPhone, iPad, Adriod and Blackberry smart applicances are taking over people’s lives. As it is, I often have to chide myself for spending too much of time surfing the net instead of blogging (of course, I’ve minimized my TV watching time- in fact I usually don’t watch TV except that I happened to be following the 1 hour show of Journey to the West in 8TV. After the show is over, I have no problem switching off the TV).

If the Smartphone had been so popular a few years ago, I would have bought it because those days I could not stand being idle. When in the train commuting to and fro from work, I always had a book with me- and have finished a number of books that way. I could hardly stand being idle- sitting down to wait and doing nothing.

But it had also made me very exhausted- a day job then that was quite pressured, and then in the between where I was either reading or doing something. It caused my mind to be scattered and distracted. Easily agitated, and I was constantly tired- because my brain was active all the time that it probably never quite ‘shut down’ probably.

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Tagged as: Blogging, choices, facebook, friends, life, money, work

Blogging on a netbook vs iPad or iPhone

by Yin on February 6, 2012

Today, a thought ran in my mind to purchase a iPad, mainly for the purpose of blogging and surfing net. First thought that the iPad is highly portable and I can carry it easily around compared to a netbook.

To part time bloggers like us who have a full time job plus other personal responsibilites, blogging on the go seemed to be a good idea. Right now, I have a laptop plus a netbook.  There are so many things that I would like to write about but when I have time to sit down, I find myself feeling too tired. Well, another temptation to use that hard earned cash….

For anyone who is thinking of investing money to buy anything, would strongly recommend that you spend sometime to google more about the comparison of the products. There is always the pros and the cons. In the end, armed with the information at hand, you can at least make some informed decision.

There are endless temptations and new gadgets out. Perhaps now, as part of aging and the fact that I’ve been a spendthrift hoarding up nonsense that I am trying to get rid off,  I am starting to be more prudent in my spending. 

Subtly or directly, we have been so influenced that we must have something just because everyone else has it. It is the result of effective advertising and branding that goes into our subconscious. With that, no matter how much we earn, it will never be enough. That is no wonder why many people are living beyond their means and going into debt at a young age. This is reality…

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Tagged as: Blogging, money

Many report drop in Adsense earnings

by Yin on January 16, 2012

More and more web/blog owners are reporting a drop in Adsense earnings- some as much as 70% or more sudden drop in recent months. As Google did a round of algorithm- and wiped out a huge amount of its Adwords advertisers- coupled with the overall economy downturn, bloggers worldwide are affected.

The change can literally happen overnight- and it is a huge blow for those who have financial commitments. If you have been a full time blogger or earning money through the internet for years, it is not easy to go out to the job market again- because first, there is not much job match to blogging and secondly, if you are used to lucrative passive income, it’s hard to go back to earning active income. The only option is to mull over forums and sites trying to figure out  what one had done wrong- and often, these factors are really beyond our control.

Over these past months, I’ve seen a lot of rise and dip in traffic and earnings on my site. From June to September, my earnings were up by about 70%- and then they dropped back since November last year and had not really recover.  There is just too much of factors beyond our control- because as a full time blogger, one relies heavily on Google organic traffic. Without organic traffic, it would come to naught.

But then, another factor is advertising. Most sites/blogs have Adsense ads. So far, visiting most blogs, I see only the same kinds of ads when previously there were more varieties. And the free Adword offer is back again. So if all the blogs have the same kind of ads, then there would be less clickthrough because visitors are seeing time same ads everywhere.

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Tagged as: adsense, Blogging, monetise

It should not be always about the money

by Yin on January 13, 2012

When we want to do something, it should not always be for the money,

Or what it is in for us.

Else, we would just be following like the waves of the world…

If people say this is good, we go for it…

When people say that is profitable, everyone flock to it.

When we earn, we are happy. When we lose, we are sad.

 

Read about the profile of successful people- they always try ideas and take risks on things that people don’t see value of.  And they meet with success. After they are successful, the copycats come along but often, they’ve made enough.

It’s just like working… if you work  just for the money- and choose to slack if you don’t get what you want, then there would be no end to what you want….because as humans, no matter how much we get, it’s never enough. Ask those who are rich- they still tell you it’s not enough.

If you work for a cause, for a value of something within you, then even though the pay may not be what you expect or the working condition is not favorable, you still can work if what you do matters to you. If you do what you love, time would pass more quickly. If you do what you hate, the minutes tickles by like an eon.

Tough environment can help built your character and resillience…. if you stay long enough. People who stay at the top with stability and able to command respect is because often they start from the bottom and had gone though the tough time and stuck to it till their build their values, leadership and resillience.

A person who gives up at the slightest sign of trouble would forever give up each time there is trouble. And who says life would always be easy?

Easy environment can make a person more lazy and complacent.

Therefore, it is our choice- to stay or to go.

So, it’s not always about the money….

…. for it’s no point if we are not happy

….. if it is meant to be, it is meant to be. If not, people can still cheat our money

…. we spend time chasing wealth and neglecting our health…..and down the line have to use all that wealth to try to regain health.

Tagged as: choices, money, work

Designer brands versus character

by Yin on January 2, 2012

Yesterday in the papers, I read about people flocking to the Johor Premium Outlet in search for branded designer items like Calvin Klien, Coach, etc. Then there’s another article about those who make designer brand shopping part of their holiday plans- sometimes having to travel outskirts of cities to the factories.

Sometimes I really wonder- a small little Coach pouch costs over RM200 and the design is quite generic. It must be one of the most copied brands around because I see so many Coach imitations in the markets and pasar malam.

No matter how poor they are, many people say that they at least want to own a Prada, Burberry or a Coach bag- but often, they do not rest after owning one. They would want more.

From the time I started working till now, I am seeing more and more people living beyond their means in search to adorn themselves, their home with designer branded items.

One wonders what is the underlying factor to all this craze going around- granted, branded items usually come in better quality but it would not justify the astrominical sum that you need to pay for it. I used to shop for shoes in Isetan wearing Snowfly, Clarks and Hush Puppies shoes because I was told that they were the good brands. But these shoes get worn off after a while- today, my favourite brand is Crocodile and Hawke- they are comfortable, enduring and sometimes you can get some discounts during sales. So, brands do not guarantee comfort.

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Tagged as: friends, inner peace, money

How much we are meant to have is fated… or not?

by Yin on December 13, 2011

There is a saying in Cantonese that is passed down from ancient times:

 ”How much a person can eat or wear is fated.”

Some believe it to be true, some otherwise. Well, it does depend in intepretation.

A lazy and weak-willed person would say, “if I am meant to have a million dollars, even though I do not work, it will fall on my lap. One day I would strike it big through gambling or lottery….”

An industrious person would say, “since I do not know the extend of what I meant to get, let me give it my best shot. Who knows, lady luck may smile down at me…one thing’s for sure, money is not going to come if I just sit around doing nothing and complaining.”

Personally, I do believe in the saying- that the amount of material possessions that we are meant to have is more or less pre-determined. But since we do not know the extend of our earning potential, we just give it our best shot. And accept whatever that comes with an open mind.

That makes life much less stressful, don’t you think so? :)

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Tagged as: choices, life, money

Heart disease that took yet another dad

by Yin on August 24, 2011

I just received a very sad news that my investment agent Mr T had passed away suddenly from heart attack. It was a real shock to me to know that he is gone so soon. It’s even more sadder to see the photo he took with his daughter- how proud he had looked during his daughter’s graduation (probably during diploma graduation) and now he is gone forever.

Often, this becomes very hard to accept. Heart attack is really a silent killer- it comes without any signs and suddenly, the person is gone. It is also the number one killer in Malaysia.

This agent of mine was a very kind man. He used to have a corporate job but left the job after becoming disillusioned with the kind of life, politics involved. He also felt he did not want to continue working for the rest of his life, surviving from paycheck to paycheck. And he wanted to spend more time with his family. So he made the decision to venture out to become an investment agent.

Mr T was recommended to me by a good friend of mine- who herself is very well versed and experienced in finance. And she was always happy with his service because he follows up well. So if she recommends anyone, it must be good. At that point, my friend was concerned that I was just working and not investing and thus, persuaded me to just invest and introduced Mr T to me.

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Tagged as: choices, entrepreneur, invest, memories, work

Some lessons I’ve learnt from my paycut job

by Yin on June 21, 2011

In my previous job, I thought that instead of all the corporate rat-race, perhaps it is a good change to take a paycut to opt for life with better quality. To work for those who are in the line of helping others. Therefore I was willing to take a pay-cut for a change and also because the job is supposed to be less stressful. In my job,  I was supposed to help people to help others.

But in the end, reality hits. When it comes to money, sometimes people are not ethical about it. Because, like it or not, who doesn’t want money- so if you have to ‘misled’ a trusting client to get that sale, you may just do it. And I find that some of the people who I had to take instruction from was disrespectful.

So, finally I learnt these lessons:

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Tagged as: ambition, Blogging, choices, lessons, unhappiness

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