Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Managing Debt with Credit Card Bank Transfer
Some of us choose not to have credit cards, yet the majority of us have more than one credit card. Sadly, more often than not, the cards we hold are running up increased balances. Escalating cost of goods and services are partly to blame, the other part, blame ourselves for over-spending. But that's for another post.
There is a way to manage all that debt. As one of the measures, financial experts would recommend a move such as Credit Card Balance Transfer. This would make it easier to manage credit as most bank transfer credit cards offer 0% APR for an introductory period of time.
For anyone who has a need of a bank transfer credit card, CreditCardSearchEngine.com is one of Internet’s longest running sites for online credit card comparison. It allows one to search, compare, and apply for all types of credit card offers, everything from low interest and reward card to cards for people with bad to average credit. They offer a range of credit cards from leading banks and issuers including Citibank, Bank of America, J.P. Morgan, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and many more. One can apply securely online.
There is a way to manage all that debt. As one of the measures, financial experts would recommend a move such as Credit Card Balance Transfer. This would make it easier to manage credit as most bank transfer credit cards offer 0% APR for an introductory period of time.
For anyone who has a need of a bank transfer credit card, CreditCardSearchEngine.com is one of Internet’s longest running sites for online credit card comparison. It allows one to search, compare, and apply for all types of credit card offers, everything from low interest and reward card to cards for people with bad to average credit. They offer a range of credit cards from leading banks and issuers including Citibank, Bank of America, J.P. Morgan, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and many more. One can apply securely online.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
2072 Good Computers Destroyed
Recently, enforcement officers cracked down on syndicates operating llegal gambling activities in cybercafes in various parts of the Klang Valley.
2072 computers were seized. Members of the public were upset that the computers were destroyed in the open. Concerns were raised that it was done incorrectly as destroying computers in the open would cause emission of toxins including lead, mercury, cadmium and others. I wonder if this would be considered as a negative factor in an environmental site assessment.
This act of destroying the computers (with bulldozers to boot) also raised queries as to why these good computers were not deployed to more needy places such as orphanages.
2072 computers were seized. Members of the public were upset that the computers were destroyed in the open. Concerns were raised that it was done incorrectly as destroying computers in the open would cause emission of toxins including lead, mercury, cadmium and others. I wonder if this would be considered as a negative factor in an environmental site assessment.
This act of destroying the computers (with bulldozers to boot) also raised queries as to why these good computers were not deployed to more needy places such as orphanages.
Dodge Charger Accessory
Being one who is always passionate about cars, an ex-colleague who has emigrated to the States, Texas, to be exact, recently came back to Malaysia for a holiday. His holiday also took in Singapore with the main intention of looking for one particular Dodge Charger accessory. Friends informed him that auto accessories and parts in Singapore are cheaper than in Malaysia even after taking in the exchange rate difference.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Friday Frolics: How Cynical Are You?
This week's Friday Frolics is a quiz on Cynicism. How cynical are you?
Each time I think about this episode, I can't help laughing at how gullible I could be. One evening, at a traffic junction while waiting for the light to turn green, a scrawny man of about fifty approached me. I wound down my window to his plea for ten ringgit for taxi-fare to go home (outstation he said).
Ten ringgit, okay, I thought it's just ten ringgit, so I gave him. The light was still red and I saw him got on the bus that came along. I thought nothing of it until much later, suddenly, it hit me, "hey, that happened once before!" - the exact same spot, the same time of day, the same man, the same amount of money, the same getting on the bus. huh?!
The point of the story is, basically, I'm not a cynical person, so I believed his reason for needing that money, even though he might be taking me for a ride. Call me gullible, call me naive, whatever. That's me. But, you know something? I'd still give him the money if he comes around a third time. He probably needs it more than I do. Or perhaps it was I who owed him the money in a previous life. Nothing happens by chance.
So, back to where we started, how cynical are you?
More Friday Frolics
Each time I think about this episode, I can't help laughing at how gullible I could be. One evening, at a traffic junction while waiting for the light to turn green, a scrawny man of about fifty approached me. I wound down my window to his plea for ten ringgit for taxi-fare to go home (outstation he said).
Ten ringgit, okay, I thought it's just ten ringgit, so I gave him. The light was still red and I saw him got on the bus that came along. I thought nothing of it until much later, suddenly, it hit me, "hey, that happened once before!" - the exact same spot, the same time of day, the same man, the same amount of money, the same getting on the bus. huh?!
The point of the story is, basically, I'm not a cynical person, so I believed his reason for needing that money, even though he might be taking me for a ride. Call me gullible, call me naive, whatever. That's me. But, you know something? I'd still give him the money if he comes around a third time. He probably needs it more than I do. Or perhaps it was I who owed him the money in a previous life. Nothing happens by chance.
So, back to where we started, how cynical are you?
You Are 0% Cynical |
 Cynical? Not even close! If anything, you're a bit naive. Overall, you enjoy life and try not to be paranoid. Even if you've been burned before. |
Wealth Preservation
In last Saturday's post on Investing in Bullion, an interesting line of questioning came forth from Khengsiong. He asked, "Which is better, gold or silver? How about property?"
The wise Pandabonium shared an illuminating response:
"Gold and silver are good ways to preserve value. They are not "investments" in the sense that they do not grow like a business. Rather, they are ways to hold onto money already made and protect it from the foolish monetary policies of various countries.
Property in today's world is problematic and varies greatly from place to place. Certainly in the USA today it is not a good place to put one's savings."
Thank you, PandaB, I could not have done any better.
On the similar note on wealth preservation, I came across this article in The Star on strategies for preserving wealth.
Many people have the capacity to make great amounts of money but sadly, the same people may not have the knowhow as to preserving the wealth they amass. As fast as wealth can be accumulated, it can just as quickly be lost or greatly reduced. Wealth preservation is no mean feat but with the right strategies, one can make sure one's wealth is not being eroded away. The article above may offer some useful tips.
However, with regard to taxes, this point in the article is applicable for Malaysia only - "One of the simplest ways is to keep fixed deposit amounts below RM100,000 as this could save the investor withholding tax on the interest. "
This means that in Malaysia, interest earned from an amount above RM100,000 in a fixed deposit account is taxable. Not many people are aware of this.
The wise Pandabonium shared an illuminating response:
"Gold and silver are good ways to preserve value. They are not "investments" in the sense that they do not grow like a business. Rather, they are ways to hold onto money already made and protect it from the foolish monetary policies of various countries.
Property in today's world is problematic and varies greatly from place to place. Certainly in the USA today it is not a good place to put one's savings."
Thank you, PandaB, I could not have done any better.
On the similar note on wealth preservation, I came across this article in The Star on strategies for preserving wealth.
Many people have the capacity to make great amounts of money but sadly, the same people may not have the knowhow as to preserving the wealth they amass. As fast as wealth can be accumulated, it can just as quickly be lost or greatly reduced. Wealth preservation is no mean feat but with the right strategies, one can make sure one's wealth is not being eroded away. The article above may offer some useful tips.
However, with regard to taxes, this point in the article is applicable for Malaysia only - "One of the simplest ways is to keep fixed deposit amounts below RM100,000 as this could save the investor withholding tax on the interest. "
This means that in Malaysia, interest earned from an amount above RM100,000 in a fixed deposit account is taxable. Not many people are aware of this.
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