Don't show to people that you are rich!

My point here is, even if you have a lot of money, don't show to people that you have a lot of money. This is very dangerous. The reason I'm telling you this is, based on my own experience, bad people love to rob people with a lot of money. They don't care what race you are, what is your age and what contribution you have done to the society, they want your money. I know it's not fair, your money is yours. It is your effort, you work hard to get it.

This bastard people, they are lazy. They don't want to work hard to get money. They think rich people are cruel. But they are the one who cruel. They think rich people take money from society and that's the only reason why they are poor. Their mindset is, you don't deserve to be rich while they are poor. I hate to say this, but this is reality. This type of people really exist and they are many in this world. This people observe you everyday and they can be your close friends.

How to do that? Live your life moderately and don't show off. Be low profile. I know most of you have a lot of money, and when you work harder, you are getting much more money. But don't make it too obvious. Don't buy luxuries car, don't wear branded stuff, don't show your thick wallet when you want to drinks at Mamak stall, don't tell your friends to much about your asset, don't buy expensive gadget and much more "don't show off" things. The point is simple, if you are so stubborn and do all the don't things that I'm telling you. I bet you are inviting those bad people to rob you. You expensive stuff saying "Come take my money, I'm rich, I have a  lot of money"

Why I'm telling you this? Not because I don't want you to look successful, just because I love my readers. I don't want you to get robbed. My father last two nights got robbed and I really learn the lesson. He use Mercedes Benz C200 Kompressor. He is a doctor and he has his own clinics. His minimum monthly salaries is five digits. I know most of you are richer than him when you start working. The point is, I don't want this thing to happen to me and also to you. Live moderately and enjoy your money for other things than to "show off". Your life will me much more meaningful.

p/s- I really love my father, he is not a perfect man, so do I. But I will follow what good things in him and I change what bad things he does. You must do the same!

Use transportation wisely, limit your top up usage and avoid junk foods.

Tonight I want to share with you some tips how you can cut down some of your daily expenses without making your life less enjoyable. Some of this tips is so common but most people don't practice it. All you need is just a positive attitude about saving your money and a good discipline. Stick with this simple tips and I think your life will be fun and difference than before.

First things is about your transportation. Most people nowadays have cars. And they is nothing wrong with having a car. What I'm advising you to do is only use your car if you really need to use it. Make it a last option for your transportation. If you only want to go to the shop nearby, better walk or use motorbike. It is fun to walk and meet new people. Smile to them. Ask them how they are doing. For students, if you want to go to lectures, walk is the best option. Unless if your lecture class is so far away. You can enjoy watching and knowing many beautiful girls and handsome guys on the way to the lecture. It's also healthy for you. Walk can really burn down your calories. You will shock at the end of the month how much you can save for your petrol and also how much your weight loss.

The second thing is your top up. Most people don't set a limit for their top up. They just buy the new one if it's already finish. This is not good. You better set some exact amount to limit your top up usage. My advice is you just use your phone only for important things. And if you are messaging or calling people, make it a simple and straight to the point conversation. If you just want to message or call your girlfriend or boyfriend, I think it's really waste your money. You better meet them face to face. It is much more romantic and fun. You can stare at their face and you can talk as long as you want. It is much more enjoyable than you are sending them messages or calling them. And the best thing is it is free. So from now onward, stop messaging or calling you love one, just meet them and spend time with them doing enjoyable activities. I bet you will save a lot and your relationship will be much better than before.

My last advice for tonight is about your food. Don't eat junk foods. Its a real waste of money and you can be fat because of it. Make sure you take food smartly. Eat on time. Never skip meals. Follow the balance diet, make sure your food have carbohydrates, proteins, fiber, vitamins, minerals and small amount of salt and fat. This is what your body need. Not a junk food with high level of salt and fats. Even they are delicious, just imagine yourself become obesity just because of that junk foods. You don't want that, right? So, start from this moment, eat a balance diet and save your money by not buying any junk foods.

Don't waste too much money chasing technologies!

Today I want to talk about technologies. This is what this era is all about. People who can't cope with new technologies are consider left behind. Everyday life involve it. You can't run from it. Communication, networking, business, learning and others. Internet is one of the greatest technology. This is the era where no barriers and unlimited access to information. But most people waste too much money to own it rather than use it to the maximum level.

One of the example is gadgets. Cell phones especially. Nowadays new phone is like mini computer. It is equipped with a lot of things. High mega pixel camera, 3G network, touchscreen, wi-fi, GPRS, bluetooth and a lot more stuff which getting better and better in term of it's abilities and performance. This things what make the gadgets far more expensive than others. My advice, don't buy this gadgets just because you want to have the latest technology and feel proud to show off to your friends. Most people buy the latest gadgets and don't even make full use of its ability. On the other hand, if you really want to make use of it, so go on. Buy one. It's really can benefit you a lot. For me, my phone is just enough to call and text my friends. That's all I need for my phone.

Other things is your personal computer. People dare to spend thousands just to make sure their computer standard is up to date. They want the best graphic card, the best processor, highest watt for power supply, original and latest operating system, high RAM and more other stuff that I don't even know why they bought it. Obviously all this thing mostly useful only for gaming and to much playing games is a waste of time. You can play game to have fun but don't be too fanatic. The virtual world of gaming will control your life and you will lose the real world. Just buy a personal computer with moderate abilities which just enough for you to do your works done perfectly and play some games.

Other things is internet. Make full use of it. It is so cheap till most people tend to take it for granted. They only use it for email and surfing social networking website. You can save a lot by using internet. You can read online newspapers for free. So no need to buy newspapers. You can get info about almost anything you want to know for free. But make sure it is from a reliable and credited sources. Some free information can really change your life. You can learn how to improve your study and make it more effective, you can learn how to get rid of your fat and stay in shape all the time, you can learn how to become a good leader and you also can learn how to do business. All this things if free and this is the reasons some people can become so successful even they don't have money. Internet make it possible.

Live your life moderately.

When I said "Live your life moderately", I refer to you life in term of financially. Spend your money moderately and smartly. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that you can't live your life to the fullest. Go on. Enjoy the most in every moment in your life. You deserve it. I'm also enjoying my life to the fullest. When you want to live your life to the fullest, it doesn't mean you have to sacrifice all the money that you have. You just need to make full use of it and make sure it is the optimum ways to spend.

For example, many people are so obsess with branded clothes. They thought the more expensive the cloth is, the more quality it is. Sometimes, they are willing to pay more than RM200 for just a pair of jeans. I think they are wrong and a little bit stupid. You can get a pair of jeans for just less than RM50. Mine just RM39. All the jeans are just the same for me whether they are branded or not. One of my friend tell me that people will notice the brand of cloth that you wear. Actually, the real thing is no one will look at your brand tag and they don't even care what brand you wear as long as you are not naked in front of them.

Next example is about cars. People lost a lot of money for their cars. Some people are willing to be hungry just to make sure they can buy a luxury car like Mercedes Benz, BMW, Porsche, Ferrari or Lamborghini. This people they love their car more than they love other living creatures. Some of them don't even have their own house just because most of their money are use to pay the car installment. Other people thought these type of people are the successful people, but the truth is their life is full of misery. They even can't  give enough love to their children because they always work more to pay the car and got no time for their family.

This two examples is about people who have an extreme life financially. They don't want to have a moderate life. Their life will never feel peaceful and their money will never enough. Debt will be their best friend forever. Just be simple. Live moderately. You will be shock after you realize how much you can do with your money if you spend it smartly. Be a smart consumers. Don't be a retard with full of egos.

If you feel tension, don't go for SHOPPING!

This is what I believe and I want you to believe it too start from this moment. Sadly, this is what I saw most of my friends do when they are under pressure and I believe most people outside also will do the same. Especially girls. My opinion, if you girls go for shopping and buying new cloths and hoping for boys to look at you. You are just wasting your money. Dudes don't look at your cloths, we look at your body or your face. Sorry, I just trying to be honest here.

So, stop wasting your money now. How to release your tension without spending any penny? Make new friends. Go outside. Start talking to strangers. Try to be generous with your words. Exchange ideas. It will be fun and crazy. Then you will start to listen to other people problems. And the most important thing is, their problems are far bigger than yours. But they still look happy and laughing all the time. After that you will see your problems as nothing compare to them. You will start thanking to God. And, that's good for you.

What else can you do? Go for sports. Everyone love sports. It's fun and healthy. You got no reasons not to play sports. If you never enjoy sports before, don't worry. You can start at any time. Try go for jogging or running. It is the best sport ever because you are using all your limbs and muscles. Besides, it is for sure free of charge. Unless if you don't have any sport attire and a pair of sport shoes, you must get one. While you jogging, you can make new friends and enjoy the beautifulness of the nature. Now you realize that a lot of good things are free. Shopping do cost you money.

The best thing to do if you are in pressure is to share you problems. Shopping will not solve your problems. Instead, it will make new problem for you which is you are out of money. Go find any friend. Make sure your friend is the one who always supporting you and a good listener. Or else, you will be more tension when your friend start condemn you and laughing at your problems. It doesn't matter wheather it is the same sex with you or not. Make sure you tell your friends everything about the problems and I guaranteed you will be happier than before even if your friends can't suggest you any solution. Give it a try.

Only 10% of your salary is for your car monthly installment.

This statement make me shock. Who told me this? Azizi Ali and  Ridzuan Hafiz. Ridzuan Hafiz is one of the best MAA consultant I've ever known. And both of them really master their personal money management in their life. They are not the richest people on planet, but both of them really have a stable life financially. Then I try to be positive, and ask myself the reason behind this weirdness?

When you buy a car, you have to got some important points in your mind. Car is one of your liabilities and its price will always reduce by time. Its need petrol to move and that's mean more money come out from your pocket. You also need to service it to maintain the performance and again you need more money for you car. Its obviously not a great investment tool. Most important thing is you buy it because you need it as your transportation, not as an adult toys that you plan to show off to you friends.

I take mine as an example here. After I graduate, my basic monthly salaries from PETRONAS maybe around RM3500. At this moment that is the average salaries that other graduates got. So, 10% of it is only RM350. This mean I can't afford to buy Mercedes or BMW car straightly after I graduate. The best car to buy seems like Kancil, Satria, Viva or Kelisa. And that's fine for me. I can really save my money a lot by using one of this car especially Viva.

To compare with what most people do. After they graduate and start working. They will straightly buy expensive car like BMW or Mercedes. And, they will show off to all their friends and telling them how successful they are now. Then, after two to three month, this "successful proof" become a real burden to them. They work hard everyday just to pay their car installment. They can't sleep every night thinking of car's debt. Their life is full of pressure. And, they continue to recommend their friends to do the same (by buying expensive cars) and feel their "happy" and "successful" life.

So now, I totally agreed with this statement. How about you? Go for Viva!

When you buy, pay cash!

Yup, and that's mean no credit card. When I say cash, I mean the real money in your wallet, not the plastic rectangle money with numbers and your signature on it. I know many people will not agree with me, but I bet your action are wrong. YOU ARE WRONG!

What I'm going to tell you is nothing but the real truth. This is one of the best way to avoid bad debt. Bad debt is when you buy liabilities. Liabilities are all things that bring your money out. Cars, petrol, cloths, shoes, cigarettes and many more. All that stuff bring your money out, not in.

The reason I want you to use cash instead of credit card is to make sure you spend less than what you earn. Most people who use cash will stop buying when there is no more cash left in their wallet. On the other hand, people who use credit card, their buying power are unlimited. They can buy whatever they want by just paying the minimum credit card payment every month. Most people thought there are the smartest when they use credit card but the real thing is they are stupid. And no one care whether they pay using cash or credit card.

But, there is other option if you still want to use card instead of cash. Maybe cash is not so flexible because difference country have different currency . It's also dangerous to bring a lot of money in cash if you plan to buy an expensive stuff. So, use DEBIT CARD. This is the magic card where you put your money inside the card's account and you can only use up to the amount available in the account. Means you still spend less than what you earn. So, say "Hye" to debit card and say "Go away!" to credit card.

Pay yourself first!

That is true. Most people when they start working, they forgot this basic thing. They work hard everyday, from 9 to 5 only to give their money to others. This is so sad and useless. Don't do this. You will end up making others rich except you.

Maybe some people still can't get it. I give one example. Once you have enter the new world, which is the working world, most people dreams to buy a car. And when they want a car, they don't mean they want to buy Kancil or Viva. They mean the "real car". Maybe BMW, Mercedes or other branded car. They is nothing wrong with the car. It is high in quality. That is what every people want. Right?

But the problem people don't realize is the car they want to own, ended up owning them. Since the car is so high in quality, so do the price. The price is far higher than the average car. Every month they need to pay more than half of their salary just for the car installment. This is a REAL BURDEN!

At the end of the day, most of your money you spend to pay your debt. And, only the small amount left is for you. That if you are lucky enough. If not, nothing left for you.

How to get RM1 Million for your retirement?

Today, I'm going to share with you a personal financial secret that 99% of people in Malaysia don't know about it. It's about your retirement. Have you ever think of your retirement? Most people don't. So, you better start thinking now or you will have to work until you die.

This knowledge I got from book called "Jutawan dari Planet Jupiter". Guess who is the writer? Azizi Ali again. Thanks to him. The secret is if you are 20 years old and you start saving RM155 every month until your age is 55 years old, you will accumulate RM1 Million in your saving account. That money is more than enough for your entire life. Assuming annual interest of 12% which is very reasonable and it is possible!

But, if your age is 30 years old, you have to save RM532 monthly in order to get RM1 Million at age 55. The bad thing is if you are 40 years old, you need to save monthly by RM2001. That amount is a lot for me. Things get even worse if you are 50 years old, you need to get RM12 244 every month for your RM1 Million retirement. That is almost impossible to do.

So, where to save the money for your retirement? The are many answer to that question. But one example is in unit trust. It can be ASN, ASB, Amanah Wawasan 2010 or Public Mutual.Those unit trust can really make you happy when you are 55. Take your action now!

30% of your money is for your future.

This is what Azizi Ali taught me. If you don't want to believe me, believe what Azizi Ali said. If you don't know who Azizi Ali, google it. So, what does this mean?

I take myself as an example. I got RM500 every month from my allowance. So, 30% from RM500 is RM150. So I need to save RM150 every time I get my allowance. Why so much? Hey, the balance is more which is RM350. Use it wisely. Don't buy cigarettes. Don't shopping if you don't need to.

For those of you who never save before, start with 5% first. How to do this is easy. Go to the nearest bank and open a new saving account special for this saving purpose. Ask them for account book instead of ATM card. Then put the account book at the safest place that you can imagine. After 2 months, increase the percentage by 5%. Then just repeat the increasing rate until you achieve 30%.

The tips is always take your saving portion from your money as soon as you get it in your account. The best thing is, I got RM1800 at the end of every year in my saving account for my future use. So, you deserve it too.

Why I choose "personal money" for my blog?

I have many answers to that question. So, I list down 3 of the reasons why I choose this topics.

1. I love to read business books. I don't mind spending hundreds of ringgit buying books about business. I enjoy reading them even if I have to stay up the whole night. But most people don't. So, why not if I share what I've learn from my reading with others? At least they save their time and learn what I've learn. At the same time they can enjoy a good sleep.

2. I see many people around me including my friends facing problems with their money. Its always not enough even if they ask from their parent for more. So, the only thing that their parent should give them is not money but financial knowledge on how to manage money. While their parent keep on give money to them, I can provide them with some knowledge on personal money management. By time, they will be better and at one point, they don't need to ask money from their parent anymore. That is what all parents dreams. To have an independent children that they can proud of.

3. This is consider a sensitive topic for most people. When come to money, they always want to make it a secret. They event don't want people to know what is their account balance and some people relate money with negative things. "Money is for capitalist.", "Rich people make others poor.", "If you want to make money, you have to cheat." and "Money is not everything, so it is not important". This is what most people think about money. The truth is all of this is wrong. Most people say this because they lack of financial knowledge and they keep on hating & cursing rich people. Why don't we approach any rich people and ask them, how they make money? They will be happy to share with you their secrets.

So, these are some of the reasons I want to start blogging. I hope I can post at least one personal money tips every week. And, I hope you can get some benefits from it.