Pre-September 16 Stock Market Tumble

It is interesting to see the panic in the market for the last week or so. As everyone knows that this is the week preceding September 16 threat by an opposition party leader that he would usurp political power through the shifting of allegiance by some existing members of parliament. The market response is anticipated given the political instability experienced by the country at the moment.

Whilst for some it is a moment of uneasy frustration, for others who have some cash , this is the time to buy. Remember this is a cyclical phenomenon. A lot of other factors contribute to market situation for example the current low CPO prices have affected the plantation sector badly and so has the windfall tax on the industry imposed by the government in the last budget. How much the current political instability is affecting the market still remains to be seen.

For those who dare take risks, it is time to get those bluechips .....enjoy the tumble !

Are Wealth Creation and Financial Planning in your Vocabulary?

The other day I met a helpful officer at the ASNB office in my hometown. He briefed me on the elements of financial planning which are investment, tax planning, insurance, retirement planning, estate planning and cash flow. Wished I had more time to listen to him. Anyway thank you so much Mr W for your time.

Over and above, I find that most people do not do this planning as they happily earn their money and spend it quite haphazardly. The reality of life comes to them as a shock when they are about to retire or are faced with grave life events such as accidents or sickness.

Most people depend on their savings, which when placed in a bank, would not have worked well for them financially. Just how much can you save with , say, a monthly income of 3000 at the current 3% P.A interest? That is why we need to delve into other financial products to make our money grow and help us in our hour of need. Needless to say, financial planning is meaningless without money in hand.

Financial products such as unit trusts, mutual funds, stocks, REITs, money market and bonds are there for us to select according to our risk profile. Indeed, wealth creation and financial planning should be in every able person's vocabulary and..... always aim to retire in style.

In the Nick of Time

A 55- year old lady came in with a rather flushed face, complaining of pins and needles on her left leg since the night before when she also suffered from an episode of breathlessness. She spoke of a tightening ring around her chest. Her presentation is not at all classic medical text book.

When queried further she admitted that she had been diagnosed as having high blood pressure a year ago but the drug prescribed did not reduce her headache instead she used some kind of "jelly" as suggested by her friend and found that it helped her a great deal and that her headache had gone. She took this "miracle food" for the last six months. She had never since seen a doctor.

Her blood pressure was measured and found to be 210/120, which was dangerously high and her ECG (electrical pattern of her heart) showed a markedly strained heart! She was promptly given a dose of blood pressure-lowering drug and within 1 1/2 hours her blood pressure was reduced to 140/90. She felt a lot lighter and her left leg's pins and needles were gone.

Had she not come to the clinic in time, she would have been a "stroke statistics". We all have heard of people who suddenly developed slurring of speech and paralysis of half of their body....yes, this is hypertension or high blood pressure, the silent attacker/killer. So monitor your health and stick to scientifically proven medicine.