Friday, 12 April 2013
What are the central issues in this general election? Number 1 issue is addressing CORRUPTION.
What are the central issues in this general election?
For me, these will be corruption, accountability and transparency. Other issues of equal importance are economic development and cost of living.
Are these adequately addressed by the main political parties? How well are the political parties putting forward their arguments to win the debates on these issues? How well are they in winning the hearts of the people on these issues?
In particular, almost everyone I meet, irrespective of race, have a united view that they perceive corruption is rampant and uncontrolled. This is their perception and how are the political parties addressing the concerns of the voters on this single issue?
Yes, there are also politicians who are still wearing their racial glasses, spurting out racial issues and negatively talking about racial unrest post election. Strangely, such exhortations seem to be predominantly from a particular party and not from the other. Just wondering why.
Do exercise your votes wisely. You should feel free to exercise your vote to elect the representatives of your personal choice.
Thursday, 11 April 2013
David Bach on how to get rich
Financial writer and best selling author David Bach advises how to get rich in his book, "The Automatic Millionaire."
Important point: @ 19 min, 20 min.
Renting vs. Buying a home. Isn't buying always better than renting?
Renting vs. Buying (detailed analysis)
CNN Weekend Shows : Should you rent or buy a home?
UMW's NAGA 4 rig is contracted to Petronas Carigali for 3 years, with an additional two year option for renewal
UMW Holdings bags US$157.68 million contract
Business & Markets 2013
Written by Fatin Rasyiqah Mustaza of theedgemalaysia.com
Wednesday, 10 April 2013 18:51
KUALA LUMPUR (April 10): UMW HOLDINGS BHD [] has entered into a contract with Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd through its wholly-owned subsidiary UMW Standard Drilling Sdn Bhd for the provision of UMW’s jack-up drilling rig NAGA 4.
The contract is for Petronas Carigali’s domestic operations within the Malaysian waters, valued at US$157.68 million for performance of the scope of works as described in the contract.
According to an announcement to Bursa Malaysia, the contract is for a duration of three years, commencing from the date of the contract when NAGA 4 arrives at the mobilisation site, with an additional two year option for renewal.
“The contract is expected to contribute positively to the earnings and net assets of UMW for the financial year ending 31st December 2013 and beyond,” said the group in the announcement.
NAGA 4 is an independent leg cantilever 400 feet B Class mobile offshore self-elevating drilling unit, with a water depth and drilling depth of 400 feet and 30,000 feet, respectively.
Business & Markets 2013
Written by Fatin Rasyiqah Mustaza of theedgemalaysia.com
Wednesday, 10 April 2013 18:51
KUALA LUMPUR (April 10): UMW HOLDINGS BHD [] has entered into a contract with Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd through its wholly-owned subsidiary UMW Standard Drilling Sdn Bhd for the provision of UMW’s jack-up drilling rig NAGA 4.
The contract is for Petronas Carigali’s domestic operations within the Malaysian waters, valued at US$157.68 million for performance of the scope of works as described in the contract.
According to an announcement to Bursa Malaysia, the contract is for a duration of three years, commencing from the date of the contract when NAGA 4 arrives at the mobilisation site, with an additional two year option for renewal.
“The contract is expected to contribute positively to the earnings and net assets of UMW for the financial year ending 31st December 2013 and beyond,” said the group in the announcement.
NAGA 4 is an independent leg cantilever 400 feet B Class mobile offshore self-elevating drilling unit, with a water depth and drilling depth of 400 feet and 30,000 feet, respectively.
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Did You Make the Same Mistake?
By Marc Lichtenfeld, Investment Director
http://wealthyretirement.com/did-you-make-the-same-mistake/
One of the first lessons I learned about investing had nothing to do with the markets.
In my first job out of school, I was a junior assistant marketing whatever at a credit union. It was the early 90s and there was a recession. My boss was a 30-something-year-old VP with a drinking problem. But she could market the heck out of that credit union.
She grew our membership manifold, explaining to me that the time to spend and grab market share is during a recession when everyone in the industry is cutting back on marketing.
She was the ultimate contrarian.
I’ve applied that lesson to investing. As real estate melted down, my wife and I picked up investment properties. In 2009, when investors were bailing on their stocks and plowing everything into cash, I put my cash to work and bought stocks with both hands.
Most investors weren’t that lucky (or smart) and are just now getting back into the market.
In fact, in February of 2012, when they should have been buying stocks, investors pulled $1 billion out of stock mutual funds. And this February, as the markets close in on record highs, investors went on a buying spree, stashing some $550 million in stock mutual funds last month.
In other words, investors are returning to stocks after the market has already more than doubled.
While sentiment has improved significantly, it’s not at extreme levels yet. Think back to the dot-com boom, the real estate boom, or the Great Recession. Those were extremes.
Doesn’t Matter
I can’t tell you if we’re on the verge of a bear market, correction, or another 100% rally. For my purposes (and probably yours if you’re reading this column), it shouldn’t matter.
Investing for the long haul means ignoring all the noise, whether it’s market action, talking heads, or magazine covers.
When you take a sensible approach to investing with your eye on the long term, good things happen.
It’s not exciting mind you. But it works, year after year, decade after decade. And that’s my focus – to help you make money and prepare for, or live better in, retirement.
The key is to own what I call Perpetual Dividend Raisers – companies that raise their dividends every year. Stocks like Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL), The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) and Proctor & Gamble (NYSE: PG).
Warning – you’re not going to impress anyone at a cocktail party when you sing the praises of your favorite stock that makes dishwashing liquid and toothpaste. But here’s how those three stocks performed over the last 10 years, most of which encompassed what is being called “the lost decade” because of a zero return in the stock market.
During that time period, Coke raised its dividend an average of 10% per year. Colgate, the boring toothpaste company, boosted its payout by an average of 13%. Proctor & Gamble’s annual raise was 11%. And these companies have been doing it forever.
On average, the three of them have raised their dividends every single year for 52 years.
That goes back to 1961… when a gallon of gas was $0.27, Alan Shepard became the first American in space and John Fitzgerald Kennedy was inaugurated as President of the United States.
That was a long time ago.
Money Machines
What makes these “boring” stocks exciting is how much money investors could have made on them. I don’t care if the company makes paper towels or technology for mobile devices; it’s hard to argue with the 9% to 13% compound annual growth rates of the three companies.
And best of all, they did it while most stocks went nowhere.
Even more impressive is that these are conservative stocks. Investors are not sticking their necks out when they buy these kinds of names.
Even during the Great Recession, Dividend Aristocrats, which are stocks that have raised the dividend every year for 25 years or more, were positive over 10 years. And by a lot.
In the decade ending in 2008, the depths of the recession, Aristocrats were up 40%. In contrast, the S&P 500 was down 9%.
Most investors chase the hottest trends. They buy stocks when they’re going up. And sell their stocks when they’re going down.
It’s the exact opposite of what you’re supposed to do.
There are lots of ways to invest. But the only way I know of that has consistently made money is to invest in stocks that raise their dividends every year.
You don’t need to zig while others are zagging. The ultimate contrarian move is to stay calm and hang on to great stocks while others are trying to figure it out.
http://wealthyretirement.com/did-you-make-the-same-mistake/
The truth is the first casualty in an election. Please respect the intelligence of the voters in having access to information to make their appropriate choice.
Rais says ten minutes airtime is what Pakatan manifesto deserves
UPDATED @ 07:20:49 PM 10-04-2013
KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 — Datuk Seri Rais Yatim said today the 10-minute airtime given to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties to explain their polls manifesto was “suitable”.
The interim information, communications and culture minister also said the short time offered to PR was more than enough to showcase PR’s pledges.
“It was more than enough because we are only explaining the principles of a party’s struggle. So for BN and the opposition, they deserve to receive the respective airtime after we consider how important it is to explain their manifestos.
“For BN, its more than that, it is a commitment and a vow just as announced by the prime minister,” Rais (picture) told reporters after attending a closed door meeting between BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the coalition’s division leaders at PWTC here.
PR had snubbed the offer, calling it a “joke” and a mockery to the freedom of press.
Leaders from the opposition pact said it had wanted the right of reply, not only during the general elections, but at all times in all of the mainstream media and TV stations, almost all of which are BN-controlled.
Free access to media was among the key eight demands made by the opposition and poll reform group Bersih 2.0. It was also one of the recommendations made by a parliamentary select committee for free and fair elections.
Rais, who told state news agency Bernama it was “ok” to use state assets to campaign ahead of the official campaigning period, said the opportunity was provided in respect of the democratic system of the country and described the snub as “arrogant”.
Meanwhile, the Elections Commission (EC) claimed the offer was to be serial and not one-off and said the opposition had misunderstood government’s intention.
Revisiting the Stock Market Crash Of 2008
Uploaded on 19 Dec 2008
Uploaded on 3 Mar 2011
Uploaded on 29 Sep 2008
Uploaded on 14 Dec 2011
The Financial Crisis of 2008 was an economic bubble that reached its limits and exploded. A bubble is simply where prices continue to rise beyond the true value. People buy, simply because they believe everybody else is going to buy. A bubble is based on speculation, expectation and ignorance. When these three elements collide it creates a crisis, which is often defined by irrational financial exuberance.
The causes of the economic crisis of 2008 are related to the Bush administration's attempt to finance the war in Iraq with, basically, inflation. The Federal Reserve cooperated by financing the Iraqi war, by essentially lending money to the American state. But printing new money out of thin air, actually devalues the national currency, this is called inflation. This cheap money went straight into the economy, particularly the residential housing market. As a consequence the demand for houses rose; and housing prices took off like a rocket in 2001. Thanks to inflation the prices further accelerated in 2004. More and more people took on mortgages based on cheap currency. The lenders then sold the mortgages as bundles to secondary investors, such as American banks. The American banks then sold their bundles to banks in other countries. This is how American debt spread around the world and became a real international financial crisis. European banks were selling and buying American mortgage as bundles. And all the while all of this was based on cheap money, with no value whatsoever behind it.
People expected housing prices to continue to rise, but the opposite happened. The steady decline began in 2005 and by 2007 the panic kicked in and house prices were crashing down. The collapse of the housing bubble dragged the secondary investors along with it. US debt had spread all around the world and the damage was truly on a global scale.
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