How Convenient Is A VoIP System?

The growth in home VoIP systems has been significant, and it has reached the point where people are starting to compare land lines with VoIP services. The broad amount of service providers has helped to give consumers choices, and has encouraged a steady stream of technological innovations. But should people really search out the cheapest VoIP rates as an alternative to land lines, or are land lines still the way to go?

VoIP Systems Are Scalable

If you want to add a line or add features to your VoIP system, then the process is extremely simple. With a land line, adding a line can take a while and it can also be quite expensive. But when you decide that your teenager should have their own phone line so that they stop tying up the home phone for everyone else, the process of adding that line with a VoIP system is very simple.

VoIP Systems Are Portable

Some land line services allow customers to check voicemail remotely, but the process can often be long and frustrating. With a VoIP service, voicemail can be checked quickly online. You can even set up a reminder that sends you and email each time you get a voicemail so that you can check your messages quickly when you are not home. You can also check your billing or any other aspect of your VoIP system easily and quickly online.

International Calling Is Available

One of the biggest advantages of having a VoIP service over a standard land line is that most VoIP service providers give you extremely inexpensive access to international calling. Because the Internet makes it easier and cheaper to connect international calls, the VoIP service providers can keep your costs down and allow you to make international calls without the fear of an escalating bill.

Managing Your Features Is Easy

It can be difficult to manage features such as call waiting and call forwarding on a land line service. But because everything about a VoIP service is done on the Internet, managing these features becomes as simple as clicking a button.

The rapid growth of VoIP phone services has a lot to do with how much easier these services are to use than a land line. Not only can you save money with a VoIP service, but you can save time and aggravation as well.

Sometimes It's Good to Change Your Goals

I was going to write a post yesterday on Groundhog's Day Goals*, as one of mine is to post on a more regular basis to this blog.  But I got sidetracked - I found out that someone I know died of colon cancer Monday.  He wasn't really a friend, more an acquaintance.  Barely that, really - my company uses many of his company's products, and we'd emailed a number of times in the past year and I sat with him at breakfast at a conference last fall, but that was about it.  Even though I didn't know him well, from all my interactions with him, and what I heard through colleagues, he was a great guy and for some reason his death really hit me.

Maybe it was the suddenness of it for me.  I had no idea he was sick from any of our communications; seeing him at the conference I never would have guessed.

Maybe it was the suddenness for him.  I found out that he had been diagnosed with the cancer just last April, and it was recently that the diagnosis was deemed terminal.

Maybe it was because he was younger than me and left behind a wife and small children, his kids maybe a bit older than mine but not by much.

Maybe it was because last week my best friend's sister-in-law died, at 54 older than me but still far too young.  She, too, lost her battle with cancer.

Regardless of the reason, I spent the day thinking about what's really important in life and didn't get to the goal I had set for the day.  But I'm not going to end with some trite catch-phrase by telling you to give your kids an extra hug or to call that friend with whom you've been meaning to re-connect.

What I am going to do is relate these thoughts back to financial planning though.  While this post doesn't talk about money, it has everything to do with it.  Remember that money itself is not a goal, it is a tool which gives us the time and ability to do what we love with who we love.  Don't let yourself fall into the trap of reversing those priorities.

OH -- and give your kids an extra hug tonight.



* Yes, I'm serious and it will be coming soon.  And if my impressions of J are anywhere close to true, he'd get a kick out of a post about him including Groundhog's Day Goals!

Health is Wealth; Health is Empowerment to your life

Having fever, lying on the bed for more than 36 hours, feeling miserable and can't do much activities, it reinforced me that health is wealth and it is empowerment to my life. Even if I am a billionaire now and I have to lie on the bed for the rest of my life unable to do anything, what is the point?

This also reminded me that time is the utmost important asset I have. I wouldn't want to wait until my next life to live my current life. There is always tomorrow, you sure? Live your day as if it is your last, but plan your wealth as if you will live till 100 years old. Cherish your time, not the material.

I realised everyone has a different stroke in maintaining a good health. Unlike most people who feel healthy after exercising, I always fell sick when I am back to my exercise regiment. It is weird because exercising supposed to keep me fit. I have started my exercise program lightly, but I am not spared again this time round. I guess because of my multiple roles as a maid, husband, father, employee and personal fund manager, my body get overly tired having to work so hard. Also, when I exercised, my body get warm and dehydrate and I get sore throat easier. I know this is against human wisdom that exercise is not supposed to have cause these problems.

However, this does not mean I should not exercise. In the longer run, exercise overcomes long term and major health issues. I just need to moderately try and try again. In fact, I overcome my childhood asthma because I am so physically active during my student time.

Try to pay attention to your body, understand your body and how you can maintain physical well being. Trust me, your body will thank you lifetime and only you can help yourself on this. Not even the doctors (Though they can provide you with medical treatment while you can provide yourself with preventive measures.)

For example, drink a lot of water, sleep early and wake up early, avoid spicy, fried and certain type of food help me to prevent getting sick so easily. These are almost at no cost to me. However, avoiding fried food totally is challenging because I do love them once a while. *Guilty.

This doesn't mean you should spend unnecessary money to buy health products. Natural way should be the best. If you really need some supplement, do understand what mineral you are lacking and buy the appropriate one. For example, no point eating calcium pills when you are not shortage of it. Try to get discount price at pharmacy or online pharmacy.

Are you paying enough attention to your body? Or you are born with good gene that you feel invincible most of the time without a need to take care of your body?

Do share your health tips.

What markets are really worried about

Dull Start for Global Stock Market

It has been a dull start for the global stock market this year and the first week has been described as the worst start ever, for Wall Street. During the first week of 2016, Frankfurt and Tokyo had dropped by double digit percentages while in New York the drop was 9% and in London 8%. However, China was the eye of the storm where the key index in Shanghai had lost 19% of its value during the same period.

The prices of commodity had also stumbled where crude oil prices for the first time in almost 12 years, had slipped to below $30 per barrel. Share prices, at times had followed oil downwards which is likely for shares of the companies in oil business. However, for the others it tends to reduce costs leaving consumers with more to spend on their products.

There seems to be a slowdown in emerging growth of the economies and China is an exceptional example though certainly not the only one. The instability had begun in the Chinese market, spreading all around the world.The Chinese stock market in itself does not seem to be the ultimate international issue.

Currency under Pressure

Though it is a serious issue for Chinese investors who had purchased shares while the prices were high, they have lost a good amount of money. However there are few of them to have a possible impact on consumer spending in China.

 There are also few foreign investors in Chinese market withthe possibility of serious losses inflicted beyond the country as direct significance. Besides the stock market, the currency, Yuan has also been under pressure and has lost its ground this year though not on the stock market scale. In the first week, the onshore, official rate dropped down by almost 2%. Some had indicated that there could be a possibility of the decline in the Yuan revolving into a full blown loss of confidence.

The financial market pressures on China are in portion at least an indication of the extensive and much discussed economic slowdown. Since the Chinese economy seemed to lose some space there has been some uncertainty on how well the authorities would handle the process. China would certainly need to slow to an added sustainable pace, but would the path tend to be a rocky one with an abrupt slowdown?

Significant But Catastrophic Slowdown in Growth

The official figures so far indicate a significant though not catastrophic slowdown in growth. According to official figures published, after three decades of 10% average growth, China seemed to slow down to 6.9% last year.The new assessment of the economic outlook of IMF tends to predict a further easing of the pace to about 6.3% this year and in 2017 around 6.0%. It records that China has experienced a faster than presumed slowdown in exports and imports, partially reflecting weaker investments as well as manufacturing activity. The apprehensions regarding economic outlook are not only over China. The new forecast of IMF, downgrades the outlook for the emerging as well as the developing countries and the ones which tend to stand out are Brazil and Russia. This is partly regarding the low prices of oil together with the other commodities as well as the political issues, external for Russia and domestic for Brazil. Besides, this there is also a substantial downgrade in the forecast for South Africa.

15 Questions you need to ask yourself about your personal goals

Life is all about possibilities that’s why asking questions are relevant as we grow and nurture ourselves. 

When it comes to handling your finances you need to ask great questions so you can have liberty to dream 

again. The impact of questions will surely be changing and challenging your existing perspective now.

Goals should be outcome oriented; Stephen Covey said “let us begin with the end in mind”. When it comes

to your growing knowledge in finances you need to understand and focus on what is really relevant.

Here are the questions you need to ask yourself.

      Focusing on the End Goal:

1.      What is it that you really, really, really want? Dig deeper…

2.      What is the SPECIFIC goal or outcome you're looking for?

3.    What is the REGRET for you of NOT achieving your goal?

Aligning with your Core Values:

4.    Is this goal in line with your life vision, mission, overall life-plan?  (Don't know - what does your gut tell you?)

5.    Is this goal in line with your values? (if you are not sure about it, Ask yourself what’s REALLY important to you in life - will this or that goal help you achieve more of it?)

6.    Are these goals something YOU truly want, or are they something you think you SHOULD have or SHOULD be doing?  (Tip: If it is a SHOULD, it may be someone else's dream…)

7.    When you think about your goal does it give you a sense of deep contentment or 'rightness', happiness and/or excitement? (If so, these are good signs that it’s a healthy goal.)

8.    If you could have the goal RIGHT NOW – would you take it? (If not, why not? What are the problems out there?)

9.    How does this goal fit into your life/lifestyle?  (Time/effort/commitments/who else might be impacted?)

Identifying Obstacles:

10. Can YOU start & maintain this goal/outcome?  (ie. Do you have grit to complete control over achieving the project?)

11. How will making this change affect other aspects of your life?  (ie. What else might you need to deal with?)

12. What's good about your CURRENT SITUATION? (ie. What's the benefit of staying right where you are?) Then ask, how can I keep those good aspects while STILL making this change?

13. WHAT might you have to give up/stop doing to achieve this goal?  (Essentially, what’s the price of making this change – and are you willing to pay it?)

14. If there was something important around achieving this goal (to help you succeed, or that could get in the way) that you haven't mentioned yet, what would it be?

15. WHO will you have to BE to achieve this goal? (ie. Friends or families that will be with you ups and down)

David Isaiah Angway currently helps young, urban and educated millennial (Gen Y) set and achieve their

long-term financial goals by educating them about investments, asset allocation, risk management, 

retirement planning, and estate planning. His role as a financial planner is to find ways to increase the 

client's net worth and help the client accomplish all of his/her financial objectives. 

23 personal finance killers to change this 2016

A lot of people are constantly having issues with their finances last year, but thank God, it’s a brand new year again. A fresh new start for everyone, I strongly believe that your personal finance is going to change today but there are things that you need to let go in order for you to go to a higher ground.  As you look back from the past these are the following habits that you need to be mad or uninstall from your system. 

1. Believing that change won’t happen
2. Spending too much money without thinking the cost-benefit
3. Overusing credit card
4. Too lazy to create or track a budget
5. Borrowing so many times by obtaining a cash advance from your credit card to pay for living expenses and/or other debts
6. Having liabilities in excess of assets
7. Thinking that retail therapy can make you happy in a long-term perspective
8. Not saving enough for your future retirement
9. Reaching the maximum limit on a credit card most of the time
10. Running away from your credit card and phone line bills
11. Having a non-existent or low emergency fund
12. Always want a “FREE” ride
13. Unable to pay due bills more than twice a year (e.g., credit cards, utilities, rent)
14. Unable to repay installment debts and asking for a loan to pay all the existing debts
15. Receiving "overdue notices" from creditors
16. Being denied from additional credit because of a lack of a sufficient positive credit history
17. Losing money to scams
18. Losing money by gambling or buying lottery tickets
19. Allowing an insurance policy to lapse (e.g., vehicle, renter's/homeowner's, medical, life)
20. Feeling emotionally stressed about money matters
21. Having a seizure when there’s a big SALE
22. Investing without doing due diligence
23. Being a hoarder and not a giver 

Bonus,

Denying that you need help

Self awareness is the key to change. Knowing about these will give you an advantage but what you do with what you know will set you apart from the rest. Many champions are willing to rise and grind to create the habits that they want while looking at the reward. Yes, I know it’s hard, but if you want to be stretch and win, you need to have grit to take charge.

David Isaiah Angway currently helps young, urban and educated millennial (Gen Y) set and achieve their long-term financial goals by educating them about investments, asset allocation, risk management, retirement planning, and estate planning. His role as a financial planner is to find ways to increase the client's net worth and help the client accomplish all of his/her financial objectives. 

Image courtesy of gqindia.com

Investing In a Bear Market

You will seldom see me writing about investment on equity (stock market). First, I am not an expert. Second, my key to financial independence is not dependent on stock market. However, I do admit it is a good instrument to accelerate your financial goals, if you did it "correctly", or rather, "timely".

We definitely can't time the market. This is why people still buy stocks at STI 3500 level. I believe when STI reached 5000 level, there are still buyers. We need to understand a few simple logics. First, STI is a general sentiment on how Singapore stocks are doing. Second, It is forward looking sensing and don't represent any current stage of our country economy. Most probably, it is speculation based on yesterday news. We "speculate" based on our best knowledge. Since we can't time the market, how do we know we have bought companies that will go up, and not down? For income investors, how will we know whether the dividends are sustainable?

If you have done your thorough homework and invest knowing the valuation is cheap and the price is nothing but just a discount, then it is at most a better "speculation" knowing your chances of earning money in the long run will be more certain. A good company need to be discovered by the general public to unleash the price potential (if you are looking to sell them) as stock market price are generally driven by sentiments. There are always mismatch in the true worth of the company and the market price sentiments, and the difference is what we get in the long run. Hope you get the upside, and not the downside. If you bought the right company at a good price and it is not discovered by the public, then you most probably will enjoy the potential of good earnings, which will translate into returns like dividends or sudden jump in share prices (after decades of not being discovered and finally, it does). As for dividends, you have to understand the company has the right to reinvest the earnings to grow the business, for all I know. It may not land in your pocket.

Having said that, the bear market is simply a trigger of negative sentiments among the stock market. Knowing your asset allocations are utmost important to a successful investment. Knowing that you have set aside some emergency fund for your livelihood is important because jobs are at stake during bad economy. Then, you can invest the "excess" cash you have. Of course, if your risk appetite is huge, then go ahead and invest your life saving away. Especially if you are youthful and no financial commitment. At your own risk. I wouldn't encourage this.

If this time is no different with any other bears, remember, it is a cycle. We could be seeing the start of the fall or we have reached the bottom. For all you know, what have you catch so far? How long more the journey?

Always remember, don't over invest in a counter if you are uncertain. For example, averaging down a stock that has went down so much and you happened to own it, must have a limit. Ideally, it should not be more than 10% of your portfolio. Of course, if you are doing STI ETF investing, then the 10% can't apply as you are buying a fund that invest in 30 top market capitalisation stocks. Personally, I have a bit of Keppel Corporation and it is dropping every day. I know I am not going to average down unless it meet all the requirements like portfolio allocation, more certainty of oil industry and no better stocks to buy. What if it return to $8 or $10? Good for me. If it don't, I did myself a favour of not overcommit. This is the beauty of cherry picking to beat the STI ETF, if you can avoid the downsides and focus on the upsides.

My strategy? Eat slowly, and when it is time to be greedy, eat faster. When is the time? Always remember, there are two pricing. 1st price is the general market pricing that caused most stocks to follow in a uniform direction. 2nd price is the overly beaten price of a good company. Look for a company that is good and you know it is oversold. Watch your portfolio allocations.

Hope we emerge richer 5 years later after this post. What is the price you have to pay?