Family First Life and ExamFX have partnered and offering a FREE Insurance Licensing Class for the month of February, 2015!
Please visit www.FamilyFirstLifeJobs.com and click on the Agent Inquiry button to learn more!
Saturday, 31 January 2015
Thursday, 29 January 2015
World's Simplest Market Alert Tool - Call-Levels Now Available on Android
In November last year, some of you would have remembered I posted an interview with Daniel Chia who's the co-founder of this new app "Call-Levels". It was only available on the Apple's iOS back then. This week, i got an invitation to try out the beta version of the app on Android. My phone is Samsung so I had waited 2 months before being able to use this app.
The interface was very user friendly and easy to use. A lot of effort has been put into the design of the interface. It is simply a market alert tool which will notify you when prices hit your threshold. You can even add email cc list of people who want to follow your call levels.
Cut the long story short, let me show you some screenshots which I took from my phone when I was trying out the app:
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The interface was very user friendly and easy to use. A lot of effort has been put into the design of the interface. It is simply a market alert tool which will notify you when prices hit your threshold. You can even add email cc list of people who want to follow your call levels.
Cut the long story short, let me show you some screenshots which I took from my phone when I was trying out the app:
You can choose to set call levels from commodities, Forex, Indices and Equities (Coming Soon)
Just tap on the centre and drag up and down to the call levels you want to be alerted on.
It'll show you the percentage difference from your alert levels. Once you're done, just tap on SET CALL LEVEL and you're done.
I set an alert for WTI Oil @ 46,046 and it hit on Monday. Oil went up!
I set another alart for USD/SGD at 1.3501. This level hit on Tuesday. US dollar is still going strong. I'm now smiling away as I still have a few thousand dollars worth of USD which I exchanged when the rate was still at 1.24.
If you're using Android, you can download it for free on the Play store now. For iPhone users, the app is also available on Apple's app store. The limitation is you can only set 3 alerts. You can set more levels when you share the app with your friends on social media. Try it now for free today!
For Android Users, you can download the app here
For iOS users, you can download the app here
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Wednesday, 28 January 2015
Family First Life Launches Video Aimed At Attracting New Agents
Family First Life launched a new video aimed at attracting new agents to it's already successful team of nationwide agents. Currently there are many regional opportunities still available and we are looking to add leaders around the country to grow our IMO throughout every state.
Family First Life
Visit www.FamilyFirstLifeJobs.com to learn more.
All About Oil Prices - Who Suffers or Benefits?
The recent drop in oil prices has caused the market to become volatile again. Oil prices have dropped from a high of $100+ to a low of $40+. That's more than 50% drop so far. Those who drive will notice that petrol prices are cheaper now. Instead of seeing the digit $2/litre, we start to see it at $1+/litre.
Crude oil is the most important natural resource of the industrialized nations. It can generate heat, drive machinery and fuel vehicles and air planes. Its components are used to manufacture almost all chemical products, such as plastics, detergents, paints, and even medicines.
The drop in oil prices seems good for most of us. Petrol prices become cheaper, electricity will become cheaper also. To know which countries will benefit and which countries will suffer because of the drop in oil price, we have to look into which are exporters or importers of oil. Those countries who import most of their oil will benefit while those countries who export most of their oil will suffer.
The 1970s Oil Shock (Price Increase)
Right now we're seeing a drop in oil prices but what if the opposite happens? In the early 1970s, oil prices more than doubled from about $4 to $10 and caused chaos in some countries. One such country was Japan. Japan imports almost all of its oil for consumption and they were badly affected. The government even made a statement that their country would run out of oil in 4 days during that time. The whole country had to save electricity by turning off lights on the streets and buildings also shut down every alternate lifts they had.
The 1980s Oil Shock (Price Decrease)
Fast forward 10 years later, from 1980 to 1986, oil prices declined from a high of $39 to a low of $12. That is a 70% drop in oil price. The rise of Asian economies was evident during the late 1980s and the 1990s as lower oil prices increased industrial production. Saudi Arabia, which is one of the largest exporter of oil, suffered because of the falling oil prices. They did cut their oil production back then but this lead to 16 years of budget deficits that left the country deeply in debt.
What is happening to oil prices now and how it affects our investments?
It seems like history is repeating itself that oil prices have dropped more than 50% now. As investors, we will want to know what is happening so we can better position ourselves in allocating our investment capital.
Let's take a look at some net oil exporters countries which will likely be affected by the fall in oil prices:
Russia
Russia's economy is heavily dependant on oil exports. In fact, oil and gas accounts for 70% of its export income. Russia's currency, the Ruble, has fallen more than 50% against the US dollar. This prompted the central bank to increase rates to 17% in order to limit the negative effects of the depreciating currency.
Malaysia
Malaysia derives 30 percent of state income from energy exports. Malaysia currency (Ringgit) has also fallen substantially. Most of us who live in Singapore will know the exchange rate of the Ringgit and a lot of people have went on to exchange more Ringgit to spend in Malaysia.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has the world's largest crude oil production capacity and is the largest exporter of total petroleum liquid in the world. Recently, the previous king of Saudi Arabia passed away and caused a spike in oil prices as investors bet on a change in the country's policy to reduce production of oil which can lead to an increase in the price of oil again. This is how powerful its production capacity and exports are.
Now, let's take a look at some net importers of oil. These are the countries who will most likely benefit from the decline of oil prices:
Japan
Japan is the third largest net importer of oil behind China and the US. Previously, Japan suffered badly when oil prices rose substantially during the 1970s to 1980s. In 1985 when the oil price started to decline and crashing in 1987, Japan still could not recover due to its strong YEN that stalled its economy.
Today, Japan has embarked on an aggressive monetary policy, dubbed Abenomics. This has caused their currency to depreciate which lead to a boost in exports. With oil prices falling, this will benefit the country as they can import oil at a cheaper rate. Of course, the depreciating currency will offset some decrease in oil prices but I think overall it should still be good for the Japanese economy.
I've invested substantially in the Japan market since last year. You can read my previous post here: The Japan story - Croesus retail trust and Saizen Reit
China
China may be the largest or second largest net importer of oil before or after the US. It was said that the decline in oil prices now is partly due to the decreased demand of oil from China. It is hard to know what exactly is happening in China. Recently, its stock market also slumped more than 7%. That is a scary decline. I'll choose to stay out of any investment in China until I know what is happening.
European Union
The European Union has been suffering slow growth ever since the sovereign debt crisis in 2012. With the EU importing most of its oil, lower prices will certainly lead to an increase in economic output.
India
India imports 75% of its oil. With its account deficits, lower oil prices will help to ease it. India has also been going through many economic reforms to spur growth.
Industries that will benefit from lower oil prices
Industries that rely heavily on oil for transportation will benefit from the lower oil prices. Airlines and Shipping industries are two examples of it. Previously, airlines and shipping companies have suffered a prolonged period of slow or even negative growth for the past few years when oil prices were above $100. There may be a turn around soon for these companies.
Oil affects all of us and affects the profits of various companies. Having a little knowledge of oil will help us in our investment decisions in times like this. There are also opportunities that we can look out for in the oil and gas industry. Stocks of companies in the oil and gas industry have fallen significantly for the past few weeks. This is a good time to accumulate good companies at undervalued prices. But before you invest in these companies, make sure the company's balance sheet is healthy and they can ride out the tough times. Many companies will go bankrupt during bad times and the few strong ones will emerge out even more successful. Invest wisely and safely.
Enjoyed my articles?
You can Subscribe to SG Young Investment by Email
or follow me on my Facebook page and get notified about new posts.
Related Posts:
1. Saizen REIT - Income from Japanese residential properties?
2. Looking to invest in Japan's real estate
Crude oil is the most important natural resource of the industrialized nations. It can generate heat, drive machinery and fuel vehicles and air planes. Its components are used to manufacture almost all chemical products, such as plastics, detergents, paints, and even medicines.
The drop in oil prices seems good for most of us. Petrol prices become cheaper, electricity will become cheaper also. To know which countries will benefit and which countries will suffer because of the drop in oil price, we have to look into which are exporters or importers of oil. Those countries who import most of their oil will benefit while those countries who export most of their oil will suffer.
Right now we're seeing a drop in oil prices but what if the opposite happens? In the early 1970s, oil prices more than doubled from about $4 to $10 and caused chaos in some countries. One such country was Japan. Japan imports almost all of its oil for consumption and they were badly affected. The government even made a statement that their country would run out of oil in 4 days during that time. The whole country had to save electricity by turning off lights on the streets and buildings also shut down every alternate lifts they had.
The 1980s Oil Shock (Price Decrease)
Fast forward 10 years later, from 1980 to 1986, oil prices declined from a high of $39 to a low of $12. That is a 70% drop in oil price. The rise of Asian economies was evident during the late 1980s and the 1990s as lower oil prices increased industrial production. Saudi Arabia, which is one of the largest exporter of oil, suffered because of the falling oil prices. They did cut their oil production back then but this lead to 16 years of budget deficits that left the country deeply in debt.
Crude oil price chart
What is happening to oil prices now and how it affects our investments?
It seems like history is repeating itself that oil prices have dropped more than 50% now. As investors, we will want to know what is happening so we can better position ourselves in allocating our investment capital.
Let's take a look at some net oil exporters countries which will likely be affected by the fall in oil prices:
Russia
Russia's economy is heavily dependant on oil exports. In fact, oil and gas accounts for 70% of its export income. Russia's currency, the Ruble, has fallen more than 50% against the US dollar. This prompted the central bank to increase rates to 17% in order to limit the negative effects of the depreciating currency.
Malaysia
Malaysia derives 30 percent of state income from energy exports. Malaysia currency (Ringgit) has also fallen substantially. Most of us who live in Singapore will know the exchange rate of the Ringgit and a lot of people have went on to exchange more Ringgit to spend in Malaysia.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has the world's largest crude oil production capacity and is the largest exporter of total petroleum liquid in the world. Recently, the previous king of Saudi Arabia passed away and caused a spike in oil prices as investors bet on a change in the country's policy to reduce production of oil which can lead to an increase in the price of oil again. This is how powerful its production capacity and exports are.
Now, let's take a look at some net importers of oil. These are the countries who will most likely benefit from the decline of oil prices:
Japan
Japan is the third largest net importer of oil behind China and the US. Previously, Japan suffered badly when oil prices rose substantially during the 1970s to 1980s. In 1985 when the oil price started to decline and crashing in 1987, Japan still could not recover due to its strong YEN that stalled its economy.
Today, Japan has embarked on an aggressive monetary policy, dubbed Abenomics. This has caused their currency to depreciate which lead to a boost in exports. With oil prices falling, this will benefit the country as they can import oil at a cheaper rate. Of course, the depreciating currency will offset some decrease in oil prices but I think overall it should still be good for the Japanese economy.
I've invested substantially in the Japan market since last year. You can read my previous post here: The Japan story - Croesus retail trust and Saizen Reit
China
China may be the largest or second largest net importer of oil before or after the US. It was said that the decline in oil prices now is partly due to the decreased demand of oil from China. It is hard to know what exactly is happening in China. Recently, its stock market also slumped more than 7%. That is a scary decline. I'll choose to stay out of any investment in China until I know what is happening.
European Union
The European Union has been suffering slow growth ever since the sovereign debt crisis in 2012. With the EU importing most of its oil, lower prices will certainly lead to an increase in economic output.
India
India imports 75% of its oil. With its account deficits, lower oil prices will help to ease it. India has also been going through many economic reforms to spur growth.
Industries that will benefit from lower oil prices
Industries that rely heavily on oil for transportation will benefit from the lower oil prices. Airlines and Shipping industries are two examples of it. Previously, airlines and shipping companies have suffered a prolonged period of slow or even negative growth for the past few years when oil prices were above $100. There may be a turn around soon for these companies.
Oil affects all of us and affects the profits of various companies. Having a little knowledge of oil will help us in our investment decisions in times like this. There are also opportunities that we can look out for in the oil and gas industry. Stocks of companies in the oil and gas industry have fallen significantly for the past few weeks. This is a good time to accumulate good companies at undervalued prices. But before you invest in these companies, make sure the company's balance sheet is healthy and they can ride out the tough times. Many companies will go bankrupt during bad times and the few strong ones will emerge out even more successful. Invest wisely and safely.
Enjoyed my articles?
You can Subscribe to SG Young Investment by Email
or follow me on my Facebook page and get notified about new posts.
Related Posts:
1. Saizen REIT - Income from Japanese residential properties?
2. Looking to invest in Japan's real estate
Monday, 26 January 2015
Family First Life of Maryland
Family First Life of Maryland Agency Manager, Frank Eufemia, training Insurance Agents at our First Annual Convention.
This weekend's event was EPIC! Our company is the fastest growing IMO in the insurance industry!
Visit us today at www.FamilyFirstLifeJobs.com to see how you can be part of our amazing team!
Wednesday, 21 January 2015
Three Tips That Can Help You Organize Your Search for Auto Liability Coverage
by Richard F. O'Boyle, Jr., LUTCF, MBA
Most Dallas-area auto insurance agents offer auto liability coverage plans that can help you protect yourself against personal and property liability claims while driving. Selecting one of these plans could be worthwhile because they could help you meet insurance requirements that are enforced by the Texas Department of Insurance.
Here are three tips that can help you organize your search for auto liability coverage policy:
Study Your Personal and Property Liability Coverage Options
Texas state insurance laws require drivers to obtain a minimum amount of liability coverage that protects you from personal and property liability claims that can occur after you have been in an auto accident.
Most Texas auto insurance underwriters offer personal liability coverage options that usually exceed these minimum requirements. Studying these personal and property liability coverage options is recommended because it can help you customize your personal liability options to suit your driving habits.
Examine How Your Driving Habits Influences Rates
The price of most automobile liability policies is influenced in part by your driving habits. Some of the driving habits that especially influence the price of automobile liability policies include your use of seat belts and your parking habits. Understanding how these and other driving habits influence your automobile liability rates is worthwhile because it can help you choose the best liability coverage that suits your driving habits.
Examine How Your Home's Location Influences Rates
Contrary to popular belief, your home's location can influence how much you pay for many auto liability policies. This is the case because auto insurance underwriters use information about the safety of your home's location to determine part of the cost of your property liability coverage.
Most auto insurance underwriters use different statistical methods to determine how your home's location influences your property liability rates. As a result, it is a good idea to examine how your home's location influences your auto liability rates because it can help you choose economical auto liability policies which offer the best coverage options for your family.
As you might have noticed, choosing auto liability coverage policies efficiently requires comparing several important factors that influence the price for auto liability coverage. Comparing these factors requires an organized approach that can help you save time. As a result, feel free to use these tips to organize your search for auto liability coverage that offers the best value.
Readers' Challenge - Cutting Down Your Expenses in 2015 To Save 50% of Your Money
You may have heard advices to save 10% or 20% of your money every month. But, is that enough to grow your money to achieve financial freedom? The average people out there would just be saving 10% of their money or worse still have no savings at the end of the month. If your take home pay is $2000 and you save just 10%, its only $200 per month and $2400 a year. In 10 years time, its only $24,000. That's not a lot assuming you start working at the age of 24 and end up with only $24,000 at the age of 34. If you're good enough to have a take home pay of $3000, saving 10% would only be $36,000 in 10 years time.
Here's the 10% savings scenario:
Take home pay $2000 at age 24, save 10% and have $24,000 at age 34
Take home pay $3000 at age 24, save 10% and have $36,000 at age 34
That doesn't seem like your money is growing fast enough isn't it?
What if we bump up the savings to 50%?
Here's the 50% savings scenario:
Take home pay $2000 at age 24, save 50% and have $120,000 at age 34
Take home pay $3000 at age 24, save 50% and have $180,000 at age 34
A 6 figure savings is not difficult if we save 50% of our take home pay. That is assuming that we take home about 2k-3k per month which is on average what most of us would be getting. If your pay is higher, that's good news for you. If it is lower, you may want to consider upgrading your skills to increase your pay.
Before you say its difficult to save 50% of your salary, here are some ways which will make it easier:
1. Record your expenses daily
Why record your expenses? The primarily reason is you will see where your money goes to when you review it at the end of the month. This will allow you to cut down on the unnecessary stuff in your life. It'll also allow you to tweak some of your expenses and use creative ways to reduce wastage. Recording your expenses everyday seems like a difficult task to do but with mobile apps now, it is much easier. You just have to key in at the end of the day in your phone while you're on your way home.
I personally use an app called expense manager. It's easy to use and you can set your salary to be automatically input in every month.
2. Set up an automatic savings plan
Saving money need not be done manually. I've wrote a few times on setting up an automatic fund transfer to transfer out a portion of your salary once its credited into your bank account.
Here are the steps to do it (For POSB accounts):
If you've not set up any bank accounts payee to be linked to your existing account yet, start with step 1 below. If not, you can go straight to step 2.
Step 1
Add a new payee to be linked to your existing account.
Not Just Cutting Expenses but Increasing Income
Saving money is important. It is a good habit to have. However, there's a limit to cutting down our expenses. If you're alone and living a pauper life, probably nobody would care about you. But if you got a family with your spouse and kids, or you need to go out for dates, there is a need to spend a certain amount of money. There is some reality we have to face here. In the next round of readers' challenge, look out for ways to increase your income. Stay Tune!
Subscribe to my blog by Email or Follow me on Facebook to stay updated on the next post (it's free).
Enjoyed my articles?
You can Subscribe to SG Young Investment by Email
or follow me on my Facebook page and get notified about new posts.
Related Posts:
1. Why extreme savings is more powerful than investing
2. 35 and totally broke or $100K savings by age 30?
3. Save 75% of your income to retire in 7 years
Here's the 10% savings scenario:
Take home pay $2000 at age 24, save 10% and have $24,000 at age 34
Take home pay $3000 at age 24, save 10% and have $36,000 at age 34
That doesn't seem like your money is growing fast enough isn't it?
What if we bump up the savings to 50%?
Here's the 50% savings scenario:
Take home pay $2000 at age 24, save 50% and have $120,000 at age 34
Take home pay $3000 at age 24, save 50% and have $180,000 at age 34
A 6 figure savings is not difficult if we save 50% of our take home pay. That is assuming that we take home about 2k-3k per month which is on average what most of us would be getting. If your pay is higher, that's good news for you. If it is lower, you may want to consider upgrading your skills to increase your pay.
Before you say its difficult to save 50% of your salary, here are some ways which will make it easier:
1. Record your expenses daily
Why record your expenses? The primarily reason is you will see where your money goes to when you review it at the end of the month. This will allow you to cut down on the unnecessary stuff in your life. It'll also allow you to tweak some of your expenses and use creative ways to reduce wastage. Recording your expenses everyday seems like a difficult task to do but with mobile apps now, it is much easier. You just have to key in at the end of the day in your phone while you're on your way home.
I personally use an app called expense manager. It's easy to use and you can set your salary to be automatically input in every month.
2. Set up an automatic savings plan
Saving money need not be done manually. I've wrote a few times on setting up an automatic fund transfer to transfer out a portion of your salary once its credited into your bank account.
Here are the steps to do it (For POSB accounts):
If you've not set up any bank accounts payee to be linked to your existing account yet, start with step 1 below. If not, you can go straight to step 2.
Step 1
Add a new payee to be linked to your existing account.
When you log in, you'll see fund transfer at the left hand side of the page. Go to Funds Transfer -> Manage Payee List and Settings.
Then, select either Add new DBS/POSB payee if you're going to transfer to another DBS/POSB account or Add New Other Bank Payee if you're going to transfer to an account in another bank.
Step 2
After you're done with the add new payee, on the left side bar, go to Standing Instruction: Manage Instructions & Settings.
Follow the instructions and select your debiting account and beneficiary's account. Type in the date you want it to be deducted (ideally 1 day after your salary is paid to you). Under the standing instructions, select the frequency of payment to monthly.
There you go, 2 easy steps and your money will be automatically transferred out as savings for you every month.
For other banks, I suppose you have to add new payee and set up standing instructions also. Shouldn't be that much of a difference.
The good thing about setting up this automatic fund transfer is you can just spend all your money in this bank account without worrying about having no savings at the end of the month. Just remember not to touch the money in the other bank account which you had transferred to.
Not Just Cutting Expenses but Increasing Income
Saving money is important. It is a good habit to have. However, there's a limit to cutting down our expenses. If you're alone and living a pauper life, probably nobody would care about you. But if you got a family with your spouse and kids, or you need to go out for dates, there is a need to spend a certain amount of money. There is some reality we have to face here. In the next round of readers' challenge, look out for ways to increase your income. Stay Tune!
Subscribe to my blog by Email or Follow me on Facebook to stay updated on the next post (it's free).
Enjoyed my articles?
You can Subscribe to SG Young Investment by Email
or follow me on my Facebook page and get notified about new posts.
Related Posts:
1. Why extreme savings is more powerful than investing
2. 35 and totally broke or $100K savings by age 30?
3. Save 75% of your income to retire in 7 years
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