The Cool Time and Money Blog

Inch by Inch, It's a Cinch!

2010-09-12T14:06:00.005+08:00

Hi! I haven't posted to this blog in a long time. I trust you are well.

I recently wrote a new goal-setting article entitled Inch by Inch, It's a Cinch!

If you're interested in reading it, I'll tell you how to do so for free in a moment. But for now what I want to do is discuss some key lessons that I've found to be useful in accomplishing significant endeavours in both my personal and professional life. I hope you find this listing of those 7 lessons, and my brief elaborations, useful:

1. The first lesson is what I like to call The Principle of Small Steps. It is self-explanatory, so I won't waste your time by explaining it here. If you're interested, though, you may read more about it in Inch by Inch, It's a Cinch!

2. The second is the importance of NOT confusing a primary goal with an ancillary effect. Know for sure what it is that is truly important to you.

3. Third, track progress toward your important goal on a monthly basis. Doing so too often will prove frustrating, while doing so not often enough will cause you to miss out on the rich benefits of regular progress checks.

4. Fourth, when it comes to savings goals, don't lump all savings together. There are four different time horizons you should consider in this regard. You'll find more details here: Inch by Inch, It's a Cinch!

5. Fifth, don't chase after money for money's sake. The price you'll pay in terms of soul-destruction is too high.

6. Sixth, read voraciously and commit to lifelong learning.

7. Seventh, find your personal 'voice' and share that with the world with a view to making our tiny, interconnected planet a better place.

I hope you find those 7 brief ideas helpful to you in the week ahead. As always, thanks for dropping by. If you have any constructive thoughts on ways to achieve abiding, significant success, then please do leave a comment below.

You are always welcome to read some of my free articles on financial planning, goal-setting and time management at http://www.freecoolarticles.com/, or to help yourself to my free learning resources at my site's Gift Centre. Also, if you live in Malaysia, preferably in or close to Seremban and the Klang Valley, AND if you would like to consider using my services to attain long-term goals, you are welcome to learn about my financial planning, retirement planning or life planning consulting services by reading my bio. Thank you and take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Aim to Buy Low and Sell High!

2009-12-14T18:57:00.014+08:00

Hi! How are you? Great, I hope.

We're getting very close to Christmas and the ensuing opportunity to start afresh with a brand New Year. It's likely you would like to use the remaining days of 2009 to lay the groundwork for greater long-term prosperity in the fast-approaching new decade - which technically should only start in 2011, but the transition from the two double-ohs to 2010 also seems like a great thing to latch on to as an excuse to celebrate and aim to continue to Get Better!

If you agree, then perhaps you might like to consider getting your finances in order so that you are able to put in place sound long-term strategies to take advantage of the one surefire principle of wealth building, buying low and selling high!

However, before any of us can do that, we need to courageously face whatever it is that keeps so many of us relatively poor during times of incredible opportunity. If this is something you're willing to do, then please read on...

Have you been on a roller coaster? I've been on terrifying ones in the US. After the screams – usually mine – have subsided, the sense of accomplishment is palpable. Well, investing intelligently in and through tough times is like successfully riding a wild roller coaster.

To benefit from the ups and downs of the market, we need to put in place intelligent saving and investing strategies that permit us to build long-term wealth using the one formula that's never changed, namely - as mentioned above - Buy Low and Sell High!

Unfortunately, our emotions often get the better of us! I ought to know; over the decades, I've lost money as markets crashed, and made money as those same markets recovered. Through all my travails, what I learnt was that when it came to riding the investing 'roller coaster', my emotions were not a reliable barometer. This was my problem:

When markets were high, I tended to get greedy and often felt the urge to jump in with even more money. When markets were low, I suffered pangs of fear and panic that caused me to want to bail out.

Over the years, though, I've ever so slowly learnt to re-engineer my thinking processes so that my emotional responses to market ups and downs are now often the exact opposite! That shift has vastly improved my investing batting average for myself and my financial planning clients.

What I've learnt is that the key to success in this arena is stripping away emotion from the process of wealth accumulation. I hope to write more on that subject soon, in this blog. In the meantime, though, if you have any thoughts of your own concerning 'buy low and sell high', please do leave a comment below.

You are always welcome to read some of my free articles on financial planning, goal-setting and time management at http://www.freecoolarticles.com/, or to help yourself to my free learning resources at my site's Gift Centre. Also, if you live in Malaysia, preferably in or close to Seremban and the Klang Valley, AND if you would like to consider using my services to attain long-term goals, you are welcome to learn about my financial planning, retirement planning or life planning consulting services by reading my bio. Thank you and take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

My Late Father's Birthday and a Lesson He Taught Me

2009-11-20T12:01:00.003+08:00

Hi! How are you? Today, November 20th, 2009, is my late father's birthday. He would have been 87 today, but sadly he passed away in the Malacca General Hospital last year - on April 4th, 2008.

Throughout his life on Earth, all 85 1/2 years of it, D.A. Devadason - widely known in Malacca as 'lawyer Devadason' - left his mark and his legacy. Last year, after he shed the shackles of this physical world, I wrote six blog postings here on specific lessons that I received from him. Today, on his birthday, I want to share something a little bit different.

My father had 10 children. In order of birth, we are: Rabin, Eva, Viji, Rajen, Jaya, Rani, Sarah, Pushpa, Parames and Niza. It's remarkable, but as I think of each of my nine siblings and of myself, I realise that we are all different. Of course, different individuals will always be 'different', but I mean we are each very, very different from each other. And yet our father loved us all deeply.

Countless times when I spoke to him, either in person when I would visit our family home in Bukit Baru, Malacca, or over the phone, he would firmly reassure me that he prayed for each of us, his children, every single day. And he really did!

I also remember when I was very small, he made sure I fully memorised the Shepherd's Psalm by David, Psalm 23. Its famous opening words are: "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads beside still waters, He restoreth my soul..."

None of us is perfect, and we all make mistakes in life. But the lesson of learning to 'rest' in God in the midst of all the trials, troubles, travails and turbulence that mark our earthly life is one that I will always be thankful to my beloved father for.

So, as you read this - especially if you do so on November 20th - I hope you will do something special for those you love, while you are still able to. Specifically, I would suggest you think deeply about a wonderful lesson your own parents have taught you; then proactively choose to share that nugget of wisdom, whatever it may be, with someone younger than you. Never forget that genuine, abiding legacies are built one small act of kindness at a time.

Thank you for joining me here. In closing, I'm going to trust my Heavenly Father to relay a message to my natural father as I say, "Happy 87th birthday, Papa!"

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author.

Overcoming Tough Times

2009-11-17T22:24:00.004+08:00

Hi! Thanks for dropping by. I haven't written in this blog since the end of last year, when I completed a 6-part series on the legacy left by my late father, Mr D. A. Devadason. He died more than a year and a half ago, and I still miss him. This coming Friday, November 20th, would have been his 87th birthday...

In case you don't know who I am, please allow me to briefly introduce myself. My name is Rajen Devadason. I'm a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner. Today, I'd like to briefly talk about how each of us might get through tough economic times.

As I write this, in the middle of November 2009, there are strong signs of economic recovery from the Great Recession. Only time will tell if the recovery sticks or if the world sinks back into the economic doldrums. For now, however, I am feeling more optimistic than pessimistic. What about you?

Regardless of your answer, I believe the best way for each of us to increase our odds of not merely surviving but thriving in the months ahead is to remember that 'cash is king'. So, even if your job or business is running very well today, do take the time to figure out how best to optimise your cash flow pattern.

That is done by figuring out legal and ethical ways to increase the flow of cash gushing INTO your life and smart ways to decrease the cash flowing OUT of your life. Financial planners use a tool called a cash flow statement to first monitor your cash flow pattern and then to help you make carefully calibrated changes.

Your goal should be to increase your cash flow surplus each month and then to channel that surplus toward funding, first, an emergency buffer fund, and then building up a sound portfolio of investments that generates a flood of passive income into your life!

I suggest you begin tracking your cash outflows by buying yourself a handy little notebook and jotting down every single expense you have over the next two months.

I wish you all the very best!

You are always welcome to read some of my free articles on financial planning, goal-setting and time management at http://www.freecoolarticles.com, or to help yourself to my free learning resources at my site's Gift Centre. Also, if you live in Malaysia, preferably in or close to Seremban and the Klang Valley, AND if you would like to consider using my services to attain long-term goals, you are welcome to learn about my financial planning or retirement planning consulting services by reading my bio. Thank you and take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

My Father's Death and Legacy - Part 6 of 6

2008-12-31T14:16:00.012+08:00

Hi. If you're a first time visitor to my blog, welcome! My father, Daniel Alagaretnam Devadason, died at 1 am on Friday April 4th 2008. To celebrate his life, I've decided to share six enrichment lessons I learnt from him. So, on this last day of 2008, which has been an especially tough year for many of us, for various reasons, it gives me great pleasure to write for you the sixth and final lesson of this series honouring my father's memory.

The first lesson was 'Pay for High Quality', which you can read more about at:
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-fathers-death-and-legacy-part-1-of-6.html

The second was 'Focus on Professionalism', which you can read more about at:
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-fathers-death-and-legacy-part-2-of-6.html

The third was 'Respect Books', which you can read more about at:
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-fathers-death-and-legacy-part-3-of-6.html

The fourth was 'Record Expenses', which you can read more about at:
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-fathers-death-and-legacy-part-4-of-6.html

The fifth was 'Give Generously', which you can read more about at:
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-fathers-death-and-legacy-part-5-of-6.html

From my perspective, my father was a balanced workaholic. The very fabric of his being was tied up in his identity as a lawyer. When he died, he was the most senior lawyer in Malacca and by some accounts the most senior throughout Malaysia. He appeared in court well into his 80s, and loved the law, with its nuances and scope for intellectual application. He was professionally successful and believed in hard work, yet he also realised that lifelong abiding success required another element - trust in God.

Therefore, the sixth and last lesson of this series is:

Work hard and then leave the rest to God

Even though we aren't Catholics, my father used to stop at the beautiful St. Peter’s church each Monday morning, on his way to the office from our family home in Bukit Baru, Malacca – it is the house I was born in 44 years ago.

Alighting from his car, my father would then walk toward the church and light a candle. It was his way of attempting to connect with God and to seek the Almighty's blessings upon his children, life and work.

While my own work nowadays involves helping individuals and groups manage money better, my heritage from my father has taught me that money is only a tool; it should never be an end in itself!

So, I hope you will follow my father's example by heeding D.A. Devadason's Principle Number 6: Work Hard and Then Leave the Rest to God.

Also, I do hope you will make the time to read all the lessons in this series and, if appropriate, point your friends to those that are the most use to you.

Even though this posting marks the last of this series, I hope you will stay in touch. You may do so by revisiting this blog from time to time to see what else I've written here. You may also sign up for my free ezine Get Better, or read some of my free articles on financial planning, goal-setting and time management at http://www.freecoolarticles.com/

Take care and don't be a stranger to the those who cross your path. Do take - or, better yet, make - time for the people around you.

In closing, if you live in Malaysia, preferably in or close to Seremban and the Klang Valley, AND if you would like to use my services to attain long-term goals, you are especially welcome to learn about my financial planning or retirement planning consulting services by reading my bio. Thank you and take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. I'm on extended year-end leave, so please use the comment facility, via the 'COMMENTS' link below, should you wish to leave a message for me or even a thought to share with others about what I've written today. Thank you, once again.

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

My Father's Death and Legacy - Part 5 of 6

2008-12-29T14:39:00.009+08:00

Hi. In case you're a first time visitor to my blog, welcome! My father, Daniel Alagaretnam Devadason, died at 1 am on Friday April 4th 2008; so, to celebrate his life, I've decided to share six enrichment lessons I learnt from him.

The first was 'Pay for High Quality', which you can read more about at:
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-fathers-death-and-legacy-part-1-of-6.html

The second lesson was 'Focus on Professionalism', which you can read more about at:
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-fathers-death-and-legacy-part-2-of-6.html

The third lesson was 'Respect Books', which you can read more about at:
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-fathers-death-and-legacy-part-3-of-6.html

The fourth lesson was 'Give Generously', which you can read more about at:
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-fathers-death-and-legacy-part-4-of-6.html

My father was often incredibly generous. I learnt from him the importance of being willing to share with others some of the bounty God has blessed me with...

In that vein, here's the fifth of six lessons derived from my observations of his life:

Give Generously.

As I write this, at the tail-end of 2008, it is a foregone conclusion that 2009 is going to be a year fraught with economic challenges. There is a great need to conserve cash and to work harder to try to bring in more money, if possible.

However, I have observed that those who are the wealthiest, in every sense of the word, aren't always those who have the largest bank account balance. There are many forms of wealth: financial, physical, social, spiritual and emotional.

Arguably the best way to live a life that's marked by gratitude, abundance and holistic wealth is to be generous. Some people find it easy to be magnanimous and others not so...

Regardless of which group you fall into, I urge you to heed the example of my late father. You see, he gave to charities without discrimination throughout his long life.

He showered gifts of money and even of useful appliances, like portable fans, to worthy causes. Even in death, one of the key clauses of his will was to give a monetary gift to a church.

Although my father did not die financially wealthy, he left a legacy marked by generosity. Many people will remember him to their own graves for the way he extended himself on their behalf. And that's why, in my own consulting practice, I often teach clients the importance of generosity for its own sake and also as a conduit for opening channels of blessing into their lives.

And as I mentioned just now, some find charitable giving easy, others don’t.

I do, largely because of my father’s compelling lifelong example. Because of that trait, I often have the joy of knowing that an act of exuberant generosity can make someone's day and simultaneously allow me to feel like a million dollars!

You should try it. In doing so, you would be heeding D.A. Devadason's Principle Number 5: Give Generously.

I hope to write on my father's sixth lesson soon, so please return here to The Cool Time and Money Blog ; you might also care to bookmark its URL, http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/

Finally, if you live in Malaysia, preferably in or close to Seremban and the Klang Valley, and if you would like to use my services to attain long-term goals, you are warmly welcome to learn about my life planning, financial planning or retirement planning consulting services by reading my bio. Thank you and take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. I'm on extended year-end leave, so please use the comment facility, via the 'COMMENTS' link below, should you wish to leave a message for me or even a thought to share with others about what I've written today. Thank you, once again.

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

My Father's Death and Legacy - Part 4 of 6

2008-12-27T14:44:00.009+08:00

Hi. For those who may not know, my father, Daniel Alagaretnam Devadason, died at 1 am on Friday April 4th 2008. I've decided to celebrate his life by sharing six enrichment lessons I learnt from him.

The first was 'Pay for High Quality', which you can read more about at:
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-fathers-death-and-legacy-part-1-of-6.html

The second lesson was 'Focus on Professionalism', which you can read more about at:
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-fathers-death-and-legacy-part-2-of-6.html

The third lesson was 'Respect Books', which you can read more about at:
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-fathers-death-and-legacy-part-3-of-6.html

My father lived a long, full life. One marked by joy, wartime travails, success, controversy, disappointment, fresh starts, and great love for all of his 10 children. I hope you enjoy reading this...

Here's the fourth of six lessons derived from my observations of his life:

Record Expenses.

In my home country of Malaysia, my work - as a financial planner, with a major eccentricity! - has brought me some level of notoriety. You see, one of the foundational principles of my practice is Delayed Gratification. In a recent series of radio interviews on BFM 89.9 (in the Klang Valley, Negeri Sembilan and some parts of Malacca), a station that may also be listened to online at http://www.bfm.my/, more specifically at http://www.bfm.my/assets/media/bfmfeed.html, the excellent presenter Norina Yahya often made reference to that phrase, saying it was what I was 'famous for'. The context of Norina's assertion is my high personal savings and investment rate of 50%; my ongoing work with financial planning clients to help them gradually ratchet up to a 40% to 50% net savings rate, if that's what they want; and my reputation as a cheapskate who drives an old car.

Although my father did not plan for me to turn out like this, the formative lesson was his admonition for me to Record Expenses.

Note: My father did not die financially wealthy. In fact, I remember during my secondary school years, he would often talk to me, as we drove back from my extracurricular school activities at Malacca High School (MHS), about how he was admittedly a good lawyer but a bad businessman. He was also an unapologetic Anglophile.

So, when I won a scholarship from a London-based A-Level college, I remember my father sending his driver to MHS to find me and bring me back to his law office, behind Christ Church in the heart of historic Malacca, to read the letter awarding me that life-changing scholarship!

Before I left Malaysia for the UK in 1982, he took me aside to show me several of his ‘555’ notebooks in which he’d recorded his daily expenses while studying in London in the late 1950s. It was his way of tracking the utilisation of limited resources.

I followed his advice during my initial months in the UK, but soon tired of the exercise. That lapse contributed to my making a shambles of my finances during my eventual 7-year stint of living, studying and later working in England.

It took me several years after returning to Malaysia to repay every one of my UK credit card bills, but clear each one I did! I also repaid every single friend I borrowed money from back then to tide me over when I came up short of cash - which was often! (Every friend that is except my excellent housemate Vivek Mahendru who lent me 50 pounds before he returned to India. I've been trying to contact him for years, thus far unsuccessfully. Sigh!)

Both my parents made it clear that obligations must be met and all debts repaid.

In the ensuing years, one of the books I've written is on debt eradication. It's entitled Liberty! From Debt-Slave to Money Master, which you may learn more about here.

Ironically, given my troublesome history with debt, I have in recent years been hired by the Malaysian Central Bank, Bank Negara Malaysia, to train its debt counsellors!

Furthermore, today one of the hallmarks of my initial meeting with new fee-paying life planning, financial planning or retirement planning clients is my giving a little notebook to each one with instructions to record all expenses for at least one month. Some clients have found it a powerful pattern-breaking exercise that begins the process of turning their financial lives around. They have my father to thank for that idea.

You might want to try the idea out for yourself by heeding D.A. Devadason's Principle Number 4: Record Expenses.

I hope to write on my father's fifth lesson soon, so return here to The Cool Time and Money Blog ; you might also want to bookmark its URL, http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/

Also, if you live in Malaysia, preferably in or close to Seremban and the Klang Valley, and if you would like to use my services in helping clients attain long-term goals, you may learn about my life planning, financial planning or retirement planning consulting services by reading my bio. Thank you for reading. Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. I'm on extended year-end leave, so please use the comment facility, via the 'COMMENTS' link below, should you wish to leave a message for me or even a thought to share with others about what I've written today. Thank you, once again.

My Father's Death and Legacy - Part 3 of 6

2008-12-26T15:29:00.007+08:00

Hi. For new readers who may not know me, please note that my father, Daniel Alagaretnam Devadason, died at 1 am on Friday April 4th 2008. I've decided to celebrate his life by sharing six enrichment lessons I learnt from him.

The first was 'Pay for High Quality', which you can read more about at:
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-fathers-death-and-legacy-part-1-of-6.html

The second lesson was 'Focus on Professionalism', which you can read more about at:
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-fathers-death-and-legacy-part-2-of-6.html

I had originally planned to complete all 6 lessons within a very short time of my father's passing. But after posting the first 2 lessons, I found that I needed to keep myself very, very, very busy with other - less contemplative - work to deal with the pain of his loss. So, here I am a little after Christmas Day 2008, after celebrating the very first Christmas without my father being around, trying to pick up the threads of my thoughts...

Here's the third of six lessons I want to leave with you:

Respect Books.

I love books. It is one of my few major extravagances. I've got to the point now that both my libraries at home and in my office are overflowing, with newer book purchases and recently reread favourites forming mini-skyscrapers on cabinets, desks, chairs and even parts of the floor! It is easy for me to figure out where that passion for reading came from:

My father surrounded himself with books, as does my mother to this day.

In fact, I remember when I was very young he gave me a complete set of a children’s encyclopaedia. I avidly dipped into it throughout my primary education years. In school, first in Seremban and later in Malacca from Form 1, I discovered his generous gifts of books had permitted me to leapfrog most of my classmates in terms of linguistic development and general knowledge.

Today, I find the lifetime love affair with books has granted me an edge in each of the 3 key areas of professional endeavour I have chosen to pursue. For those of you who don't already know me well, those 3 areas are consulting, professional speaking and writing, mainly on financial planning and retirement planning funding.

As I write this, 2008 is down to its waning days. God alone knows just how bad, how deep and how long the global recession we find ourselves in now will be. But strangely enough I have this abiding sense of calm that I've been preparing half a lifetime for this very season of crisis. Some people say that in every crisis there is an element of danger and another of opportunity. The awful economic news emanating from every corner of the globe is an effective means of alerting everyone to the danger that lies ahead of us, specifically the danger of serious wealth destruction. But there is also a great opportunity in the weeks and months ahead; it is an opportunity to place yourself on the side of the winners who will grow wealthier in the vast transfer of global riches that will take place throughout 2009.

My own preparation has hinged upon my father's lesson to respect books. If you are already a reader, wonderful. If you aren't, I suggest you plant seeds today to turn your children into readers. It may be a cliche, but it is true that readers are, generally, leaders. That's because leaders require vision above all else, the ability to perceive in the mind's eye a better tomorrow, a preferred future! That vital ability is developed over a lifetime of intelligent reading that develops the imagination and informs the intellect.

We live in a Knowledge Economy. Dare you call yourself a true 'player' in this 21st century K-economy if you aren't reading about the world we live in and the world we might be inheriting?

I hope you will choose to follow D.A. Devadason's Principle Number 3: Respect Books, and gradually see that respect grow into love and eventually passion!

I hope to write on my father's fourth lesson soon, so if you wish to read about it, please do check back here at The Cool Time and Money Blog by making a note of this URL, http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/

Finally, for the sake of completeness because this blog is often read by individuals in my home country of Malaysia who might wish to solicit my help in reaching long-term goals, you may learn about my life planning, financial planning or retirement planning consulting services by reading my bio. Thank you for dropping by. It's been a pleasure writing for you.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. I'm on extended year-end leave, so please use the comment facility, via the 'COMMENTS' link below, should you wish to leave a message for me or even a thought to share with others about what I've written today. Thank you, once again.

My Father's Death and Legacy - Part 2 of 6

2008-04-24T13:12:00.002+08:00

Hi. For new readers who may not know me, please note that my father, Daniel Alagaretnam Devadason, died at 1 am on Friday April 4th 2008. I've decided to celebrate his life by sharing six enrichment lessons I learnt from him. The first was 'Pay for High Quality', which you can read more about at:
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-fathers-death-and-legacy-part-1-of-6.html
The second lesson is what I want to share with you today...

As I write this, it has been 20 days since my father died. I still wake up each morning with a sense of loss. I find it hard to believe that I now live in a world that no longer contains him. While I derive great comfort in knowing that I will meet him again, on the 'other side of the veil', as it were, the grief is still palpable.

I find writing about him, though, helpful in focusing my thoughts on the legacy he left. And so the second of six lessons I want to leave with you is:

Focus on Professionalism.

My father believed in the importance of professionalism. There are many ways to define what it is to be a true professional. In my mind a true professional is marked by two key characteristics:

1. Adherence to a strong code of ethics; and
2. The ability to make money from activities associated with the profession.

My father met both criteria, in spades! He was born on November 20th 1922. He was a teenager when the Japanese invaded Malaya in December 1941. He survived that horrific time and became a teacher. He later embarked upon the then iconoclastic journey to the UK to study law. He worked hard and studied even harder. His time in Lincoln's Inn was especially cherished. His firstborn, my older brother Rabin Devadason, later followed in our father's footsteps and also entered Lincoln's Inn.

I really have lost count of the number of times my father recounted his experiences in the UK. He returned to Malaya and began his law career in 1960.

I was born in 1964, and all my life it has been crystal clear that my father's identity and sense of self was inextricably linked to his chosen profession. He was a lawyer, through and through. His respect for the life of a professional was extreme. For instance, we used to argue, with startling regularity, because he wanted me to become a doctor and I categorically refused to even contemplate such a career - feeling absolutely no calling for this admittedly important profession!

At this juncture of my life, as I look forward to turning 44 years of age next month, I realise that despite the disagreements my father and I had concerning the choice of specific profession, I too have gone down the path of forging a strong allegiance to a specific profession. In my case, it is financial planning.

The role of financial plannner was never one that my father fully understood. But I would like to believe that from his vantage point now, in the hereafter, he will have reason to be proud of me in the way I carry out the duties associated with my chosen profession, in the decades to come.

My financial planning and investment principal company, MAAKL MUTUAL, holds to 7 principles of ethics that encapsulate our perspective on the issue. They are Competence, Fairness, Confidentiality, Integrity, Professionalism, Objectivity and Diligence. My father would have approved of each of those principles.

Regardless of your chosen field of endeavour, be it brain surgery or plumbing, architecture or cooking, I hope that you will choose to follow D.A. Devadason's Principle Number 2: Focus on Professionalism, and thus grow into the very best professional you can be.

I'll write on the third lesson soon, so if you wish to read about it, please do check back here at The Cool Time and Money Blog by making a note of this URL, http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/every few days.

Finally, for the sake of completeness, should you wish to learn more about my life planning, financial planning or retirement planning consulting services, here's my bio. Thank you and all the best.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. I am keeping myself even busier than usual, as it is the most effective way I know to deal with my current grief. So, please use the comment facility, via the 'COMMENTS' link below, should you wish to leave a message for me or even a thought to share with others about what I've written today. Thank you again for dropping by.

My Father's Death and Legacy - Part 1 of 6

2008-04-14T12:45:00.004+08:00

Thank you for dropping by. My father died at 1 am on Friday April 4th 2008. For the first couple of days, I was numb from shock and running on adrenalin. After that, intense grief set in. I'm still very sad, but I draw comfort from knowing that I will see my father again... on the 'other' side, when it comes my turn to utilise the Cross of Jesus Christ - as my father did - to safely step through the doorway of death into eternity.

In the interim, I've realised the best thing I can do is to continue to focus on helping the living, to the best of my professional ability. Toward that end, I've thought long and hard about the lessons I learnt from my father, Daniel Alagaretnam Devadason, who right up to last year, 2007, was probably Malaysia's most senior practising lawyer.

I can't even begin to count all the awesome lessons I derived from my father, who was commonly referred to in our hometown of Malacca as 'lawyer Devadason'. Because the primary focus of this blog is personal development, particularly in the realm of financial planning, I'm going to focus this posting and five more that I plan to write for you in the near future on six specific enrichment lessons I learnt from my father. (For those of you who are in Malaysia and eager to read about all six lessons in one place, I wrote about them in my regular financial planning column for Malaysian Business magazine. I believe that particular column will come out in the April 16th 2008 issue of the magazine, so do check out your local newsstand for it. If you have trouble finding it, drop its editor, my friend Charles Raj, a line at mbeditor@beritapub.com.my for information on where you might be able to buy a copy of that issue.)

The first of those six lessons, the one we'll consider today, is:

Pay for high quality.

Even though I have worked long and hard over the years to provide my readers, audience members and clients a rich selection of free resources that will help them with their life planning endeavours, especially in the spheres of financial planning, time management and goal-setting, I know that the wisest people also understand the importance and often the necessity of paying top dollar for high quality goods and services.

I began to learn that particular lesson when I was very young. You see, my father always made it a point to buy brand new cars. I think he did so because he believed in owning usable assets in tiptop condition. And my father never did anything in half measures!

My older brother Rabin Devadason, himself a well-known lawyer in Kuala Lumpur, tells me that our father owned more than 70 brand new cars throughout his earthly lifespan of 85 years and 4 1/2 months.

I am not a clone of my father. None of his 10 children - Rabin, Eva, Viji, me, Jaya, Rani, Sarah, Pushpa, Parames and Niza - is! We're all vastly different individuals... different from each other and different from our father. But the underpinning principles beneath the intent of our father's words and actions have served all of us well.

In my opinion, that is the greatest possible legacy our father could have ever hoped to leave us. I believe he knows that now, from his vastly changed and improved vantage point in the hereafter!

A classic example of how I extracted the core principle behind my father's lesson about being willing, often eager, to pay for high quality, while not necessarily adopting the same form of expression, is in our car-buying philosophies.

As I mentioned, my father bought more than 70 brand new cars throughout his life. Yet, I still drive the very first one I ever bought myself! It is now 16 years old, with more than 538,000 km on the odometer.

Also, I didn't buy it new. I bought it third-hand, when it was just 2 1/2 years old with 53,199 km on the 'clock'. But back then, that purchase was the absolute best I could afford at the time. In the intervening time, I've worked hard to maintain it in 'tiptop condition'! My adherence to my father's teaching on paying for quality has found expression in very different ways.

Are you also willing to adhere to D.A. Devadason's Principle Number 1: Pay for high quality?

If so, great. If not, I suggest you at least begin considering the wisdom of doing so.

Life is short. The Bible says we each have just one life to live here on earth. It seems to me, therefore, that we owe it to ourselves to ensure we don't shortchange ourselves during this all-too-brief sojourn on Earth.

I'll write on the second lesson soon, so if you want to read about it, please do check back here at The Cool Time and Money Blog by making a note of this URL, http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/every few days.

Finally, for the sake of completeness, should you wish to learn more about my life planning, financial planning or retirement planning consulting services, here's my bio. Thank you. Stay well.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. I am keeping myself even busier than usual, as it is the most effective way I know to deal with my current grief. So, please use the comment facility, via the 'COMMENTS' link below, should you wish to leave a message for me or even a thought to share with others about what I've written today. Thank you again for dropping by.

Which of my articles were most helpful to you? Why?

2008-02-24T23:32:00.003+08:00

Hi! In case you don't know, my name is Rajen Devadason and most of the people who reach this page of my blog are longtime readers of my FREE articles. If you aren't one of them and don't know how to access my articles on financial planning, goal-setting and time management, yet actually want to, then you're welcome to do so here.

Read those that interest you the most and leave a clear comment, please, on how they have helped you. Future readers will then benefit from your investment in time and self-directed learning. Perhaps even more importantly you will benefit today.

Thanks for dropping by. Happy reading!

Finally, if you'd like to know a little bit about me and my consulting services, here's my bio. Ciao!

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. If you want to invest in a digital resource that will help you take charge of your own personal development by teaching you how to quickly craft YOUR OWN mission statement, you are invited to part with your hard-earned, selectively channelled money to buy my Special Report on that subject here.

Were You Overjoyed or Overwhelmed by the Jan 22nd 2008 Global Meltdown in Equities?

2008-01-23T15:18:00.000+08:00

Hi! On January 22nd, stock markets around the world collapsed on rising fears that an impending US recession was going to throw the entire global economy into a tailspin.

Then, the US Fed came to the rescue with Chairman Ben Bernanke okaying a 75 basis point (0.75%) interest rate cut. As I write this on January 23rd the recovery in stock prices all over our planet seems to be measured but discernible.

So, my question for you is simple: In the midst of the tremendous drop in stock prices and the resultant evaporation of billions of dollars of equity values in every country affected, how did YOU feel?

Were you...

1. Oblivious because the stock market has nothing at all to do with your life?

2. Petrified because you saw your wealth take a steep nosedive?

3. Overjoyed because you saw the drop as an opportunity to nibble selectively on stocks or funds that you've been accumulating over the long haul?

Please let me - and all others who read this blog - know how you felt and why you felt that way by leaving a comment with your answer.

Finally, if you truly wished your personal reaction had been less frantic and a whole lot cooler and calmer, then you might want to sign up for my FREE weekly ezine GET BETTER, which aims to help people manage their time, talents and, most often, finances better. (And if you happen to be an intelligent, English-speaking professional based in my home country of Malaysia, then do note that while I wear, at different times, the hats of writer, speaker and consultant, I focus most of my time toiling away as a licensed financial planner who specialises in retirement funding solutions for 30- to 50-year-old individuals living in Malaysia. If you'd like to know a little bit about me and my consulting services, you are welcome to check out my bio.)

Bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Why is Saving So Important?

2007-09-18T18:29:00.000+08:00

Hi! How often do you think about the basic skill of saving money in relation to your overall financial plan?

If your answer is 'not too often' then I would urge you to spend a few moments mulling over the importance you place on saving money. Why?

Well, the longer I work as a licensed financial planner who specialises in retirement funding solutions for 30- to 50-year-old individuals living in Malaysia, the more it seems to me that of all the necessary initiatives that contribute toward achieving financial freedom, saving is the single most important one. (If you'd like to know a little bit about me and my consulting services, you are welcome to check out my bio.)

In fact, I think so highly about the fundamental need for each of us to focus on savings that I actually have a dedicated page on the subject within the Quotation Archive of my FreeCoolArticles.com site.

If you have time, do visit the quotations page on savings and let me know what you think about the thoughts shared by:

John Demartini
Benjamin Franklin
Charlie Munger

and by

me.

As you consider what has been said in the past about savings, you might want to take things further by reading this article and then implementing the lessons you pick up from it.

That's it for today. Have fun!

Bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. If you want to invest in a digital resource that will help you craft your mission statement so that you will quickly come to understand yourself better, you may buy my Special Report on that subject here.

When Money is a Curse - The Tale of a Sad Rich Guy!

2007-09-15T14:03:00.000+08:00

Hi! I just came across the sad, true story of one Jack Whittaker while carrying out some online research on money dynamics.

I believe you'll find his story of winning an almost unbelievable amount of money and then having his life fall apart in numerous ways very, very revealing.

Before you read about him, let me just set the stage by saying that in my opinion playing the lottery is unwise. And I believe that to be true whether you lose or win!

Anyone capable of working out the probabilities involved in any gambling option will quickly come to the conclusion that the 'house' always wins... eventually. This, therefore, means most gamblers end up losing money. But Jack Whitaker's story provides a cautionary tale for those rare individuals who do occasionally win BIG.

Having lots of money and having the ability to live well with oodles of cash don't always go hand in hand. Your goal shouldn't just be to grow rich (or possibly richer) monetarily; it should encompass growing richer as a person so that your life is one marked by joyful significance.

That higher, better enrichment goal includes gradually learning how to deal calmly and sanely with incrementally larger sums of money.

After you read this CNN report on Whittaker, you may want to subsequently read my own articles on saving money, managing time, setting goals, investing intelligently or conquering credit card debt. Help yourself to my stuff and take care.

Bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Coping With Credit Card Debt - New eCourse Under Development

2007-06-19T11:40:00.000+08:00

Hi! So many people across the world are facing difficulties arising from excessive credit card debt.

The main reason is a lack of understanding concerning the mechanics of compounding and the basics of sound cash flow management. Therefore, right now I'm working on developing a new, FREE eCourse to help people gain a better handle on the pitfalls of escalating credit card debt.

If this is a subject that interests you, then you might like to read about, think about, and possibly even comment on the following subjects that will form part of this course, which I will keep working on for a while longer before rolling it out for my readers to learn from.

For now, here are 3 subjects for your immediate contemplation:

1. Do credit cards really help people with their finances?
2. Are there strategies to escape the clutches of the wrong types of debt?
3. What is the role of cash flow management in managing money well?

I'd like you to reread the descriptions of the 3 subjects. Select the ones that most interest you. Have you done so? Then, study these corresponding online articles:

1. Do credit cards really help people with their finances? Read, study and carry out research based on what you learn from Credit Cards - Friends or Foes?
2. Are there strategies to escape the clutches of the wrong types of debt? Think about that as you read Escaping Debt Slavery
3. What is the role of cash flow management in managing money well? Refine your thinking on this vital subject as you study What Is A Cash Flow Statement?

As you carry out all this reading and thinking, do feel free to return here to leave a comment on what you would find most useful in the upcoming eCourse.

Bye for now. Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. I urge you to read each of the 3 articles, or at least the ones that appeal to you. Then, use the information as launchpads for ideas and personal research topics that you can develop yourself and start to take action to inject better financial management into your life.

Simple Ways To Do Financial Planning - Reading, Thinking, Profiting!

2007-03-30T12:06:00.000+08:00

Hi! The importance of personal finance is undeniable. But the true challenge most people face is identifying 'simple ways to do financial planning'.

There is no shortage of sources that put forward complicated systems of financial planning that may work well for a sophisticated subset of humanity but which is of little or no use to regular people who are busy with their own lives and merely want access to information - preferably FREE - that they can easily digest and quickly begin to put into practice.

That's why I have worked hard to gradually build content at my FreeCoolArticles site. You are welcome to visit it anytime, but right now I want to help you quickly gain access to four articles that may prove immediately useful to you.

How to Start Saving Money

What is Money?

Escaping Debt Slavery

How to Choose a Financial Planner

Happy reading, thinking and (eventually acting prudently to ensure long-term...) profiting! Ciao and bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. I urge you to read each of the four articles, or at least the ones that have appealing titles, and use the information as launchpads for ideas and research topics that you can develop yourself and start to take action to bring greater economic success and clarity to your life. (If you have the time, please leave a comment on how the information has helped you help yourself.)

5 Steps to a Saner Life!

2007-02-21T18:22:00.000+08:00

Hi! One of the most effective ways to gain control of your money is to first regain control of your entire life! Keep reading if that makes sense to you...

The way I see it, too many of us live lives that are just slightly out of balance. As a result, we don't quite give ourselves permission to enjoy our successes or learn from our often spectacular failures. We don't need to be perfect, but we should try to bring balance to the many dimensions of life.

That's why, a few years ago, I wrote an ebook entitled 5 Steps to a Saner Life. It was my bid to help proactive, likeminded people worldwide gain access to a simple blueprint for balance. It doesn't purport to have all the answers, but I am very, very pleased with the way many readers have gained from it.

If your life feels a little out of kilter right now, you're welcome to check out my book for yourself - here.

Take care and bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Financial Lessons - 21 Great Perspectives on Money

2007-02-19T01:24:00.000+08:00

Hi! Those who know me very well know I'm a diehard Star Trek fan! When I was very little, my mother and I would watch the old 1960s original series with Captain James Tiberius Kirk, Mr Spock, Dr (Bones) McCoy and the rest of the intrepid crew of the coolest starship in this or any other galaxy - Enterprise! It didn't matter at all that we did so on a small black and white set or that by the time we got around to viewing that groundbreaking series, it had already been taken off the air by short-sighted studio suits who never cottoned on to the fact that Gene Roddenberry's creation was destined to be reborn through many spin-off series and - so far - 10 movies!

In addition to Star Trek, I also watched lots of other TV programmes. The names and faces of many of their stars have stayed with me over the decades. And that's why a new feature at the CNN website, which you can find right here, was something I found absolutely entertaining and illuminating.

I'd like you to spend a few minutes checking out the Pop Icon feature that presents brief financial advice and observations from 21 big names. As you do so, I'd like you to think seriously about the importance of trying your best to live on half the money you make and to save and invest the other half.

Please also leave a comment below on which of the 21 'lessons' you found most helpful and why.

Finally, if after that you truly want to learn more about sound financial planning, you're welcome to read any, some or all the free articles I've written and posted at my own site.

Take care and bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

I Think The Best Legacy Of All Is Education - Why?

2007-01-16T15:02:00.000+08:00

Hi! In today's post, I'm giving you an opportunity to think about why the best possible legacy we can leave the next generation is a solid education.

If you feel the same way, then do leave a comment clearly explaining why. You may do so below. I will be using the very best of the material gathered here to augment the Special Report on this subject that I'm writing for readers of my free GET BETTER ezine and students of my various free eCourses. That report will be entitled:
How to Leave the Very Best Gift to Your Kids.

Bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

4 New Special Reports for You in 2007 - By Rajen Devadason

2006-12-22T12:56:00.000+08:00

Hi! As 2006 winds down, I've begun thinking how best I might help my readers in 2007.

Based on specific feedback from consulting and corporate writing clients, and readers of my free GET BETTER ezine and students of my various free eCourses, I'm toying with the idea of writing four new Special Reports on different facets of financial planning over the next few months.

They are:

1. How to Leave the Very Best Gift to Your Kids
2. How to Make Sure You Don't Starve Immediately If You Lose Your Job
3. How to Overcome the Impending Global Retirement Funding Nightmare
4. How to Reduce Your Dependency on Your Monthly Salary

Whether I finally do write them or not will depend entirely upon you - the reader of this particular Cool Time and Money Blog posting.

I'm busy, and getting busier each day. That's a good thing, particularly because I love my work.

But I love my family more! So, I will be increasingly selective about the new work I take on, including the researching, writing and crafting of those four Special Reports.

I will only do so IF there is sufficient interest in them. That's where you come in.

If you aren't interested in any of the four planned reports, please leave now. If you don't know where to go, here might be a good idea.

If you are interested in one, some or all of the Reports, please leave a comment after you finish reading this entire posting. Please clearly state which single report you are most interested in purchasing and reading. The value of each report - based on likely utilisation by proactive readers - will be US$57. Because online buyers of information products should really make sure they get value for their money, I will probably eventually set the standard purchase price of each report at US$27. However, those who take the time to tell me which Special Report they want to buy and read first, second, third and fourth, and why, will have the opportunity to purchase each report for US$7 (that is not a typo - I wrote seven dollars).

The ball is now in your court. Please leave your thoughts by clicking on the COMMENTS link below.

If you happen to read this early enough and if you truly celebrate December 25th, then I wish you a fabulous Christmas! May Jesus, the true Reason for this Season, be on your mind and in your heart as you enjoy the break and spend time with the people who matter the most in your life.

Bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Malaysian Unit Trusts - A New Free eCourse

2006-11-25T15:17:00.000+08:00

Hi! Today, I am writing this primarily for Malaysians who consider themselves lifelong investors.

Most urban Malaysians have already started dabbling in unit trust investments. Sadly, quite a lot of them aren't terribly happy with the results.

To try and improve this situation, I've written a brand new 4-day eCourse entitled Avoiding Major UT Pitfalls.

Unlike almost everything else at my site FreeCoolArticles.com, which is written with an English-speaking international reader in mind, this particular eCourse is unabashedly Malaysia-centric.

So, if you are a Malaysian who considers himself or herself a lifelong investor, if you believe in exercising your brain, if you're proficient in English, and if you want to learn more about Malaysian unit trusts that might prove profitable to you in the decades ahead, I invite you to check out my newest eCourse and to sign up for it if you think it might help you help yourself.

(If you aren't Malaysian, you're welcome to check lots of other free learning resources here. Thanks for dropping by.)

Ciao.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Rajen on the Psychology of a Saver

2006-11-13T21:55:00.000+08:00

Hi! There are two main types of people - savers and spenders.

What's also true is that all of us exhibit characteristics of both groups!

That isn't really surprising since the world we live in is in many ways - as Madonna used to put it - 'a material world'. So, the real issue for each of us is which trait - saving or spending - is dominant and which one is recessive.

The great thing about growing to understand this truth is that unlike our genetic makeup, there most certainly is something that we can do about which trait continues to be dominant in our lives... in the years and decades to come.

I've been thinking about this issue and discovered that an eloquently articulated opinion by a long dead novelist holds the key to understanding it. If you'd like to find out who that writer was and what he had to say that has such powerful relevance to our own 21st century way of life, then you're welcome to read my article entitled The Psychological Strengths of a Saver.

I hope you enjoy it. If you do, please come back to this page and leave a comment that will help other readers. Thanks and take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Rajen On Money

2006-11-01T12:11:00.000+08:00

Hi! Does it ever seem that everyone, except you, has loads of cash?

Well, now there appears to be serious proof which supports that view!

An intriguing article on Bloomberg, which you can access here, explains why a serious glut in the world's money supply is likely to lead to either asset inflation - because more and more cash will be chasing about the same number of assets - or to rising interest rates - as central banks around the world try to combat inflation.

This is an important piece of information to digest for personal reference, but if your main concerns are really to:

1. Understand money better;
2. Manage cash flow better;
3. Save money; or
4. Eradicate personal debt...

... then you might find these articles of greater immediate value to you:

1. Understand money better - What Is Money?
2. Manage cash flow better - What Is A Cash Flow Statement?
3. Save money - How To Start Saving Money
4. Eradicate personal debt - Escaping Debt Slavery

Happy reading, thinking, researching and, ultimately, improving your financial life.

Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. If you'd like to receive one article written by me, each week, help yourself to this brand new, FREE facility.

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Time Management - 5 Time Management Perspectives

2006-09-25T17:53:00.000+08:00

Hi! The way we manage time has a direct result on the way we manage life.

So, how have you been managing your time?

Most people I ask that question to usually answer along the lines of, "Not so great."

To help my readers and clients - and now you, if you just happen to be passing by - I've written an article entitled 5 Perspectives on Time Management. It contains a simple-to-do exercise that allows people to rapidly and honestly face strengths or weaknesses in this important area of life planning.

Do read it if you have the time (pun intended)!

If, on the other hand, you are more interested in matters pertaining to wealth creation rather than time management, then please help yourself to my FREE month-long eCourse on investment risk. It is valued at US$88, but you can sign up for it for NOTHING right here; it comprises 16 lessons that will be emailed to you at 2-day intervals, and will rapidly teach you the basic concepts of investment risk and 15 different specific forms of investment risk.

You may sign up here for this unique freebie entitled Understanding Investment Risk & Profiting From It!

I hope you enjoy both the article and the eCourse.

Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. If you'd like to join others who have opted to have me work with them to help improve their performance in the areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management, please take the time to decide if this option is right for you...

After years of thinking about it, I've finally launched a 'lite' version of my elite life planning consulting package. This shorter, online-based version lasts a whole three months, and focuses on the three core life planning areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management.

The price of this 13-week email- and online-based consulting package is less than one-ninth of my regular consulting rates.

If you're interested, drop me a quick email to

mailto:sales@RajenDevadason.com
(or simply copy-and-paste sales@RajenDevadason.com
into a fresh email) with

'Rajen, please tell me about your new consulting package',

in your subject header.

Warning: This service is NOT for everyone.

Please only write to me about it if you are 100% serious about joining this programme.

Thanks. Stay well.

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Rajen on Credit Cards

2006-09-18T23:06:00.000+08:00

Hi! Credit cards are a lot like cars for 3 reasons:
1. Most of us can't live without either;
2. When used correctly, they benefit us greatly;
3. When used incorrectly, they're lethal!

What's your take on credit cards?

Do you think they're the best thing since sliced bread or are you convinced they were created by Satan's minions?

I have a love-hate relationship with credit cards. I know personally what it feels like to be trapped under a mountain of credit card debt. I also know how useful they can be... when used correctly.

If you're interested in reading more on the subject, I suspect you'll enjoy my article entitled Credit Cards - Friends or Foes? An alternative title might be Rajen on Credit Cards because what I've written there is very much my personal take on the subject.

If you are more interested in matters pertaining to wealth creation rather than debt management, then please help yourself to my FREE month-long eCourse on investment risk. It is valued at US$88, but you can sign up for it for NOTHING right here; it comprises 16 lessons that will be emailed to you at 2-day intervals, and will rapidly teach you the basic concepts of investment risk and 15 different specific forms of investment risk.

You may sign up here for this unique freebie entitled Understanding Investment Risk & Profiting From It!

I hope you enjoy both the article and the eCourse.

Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. If you'd like to join others who have opted to have me work with them to help improve their performance in the areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management, please take the time to decide if this option is right for you...

After years of thinking about it, I've finally launched a 'lite' version of my elite life planning consulting package. This shorter, online-based version lasts a whole three months, and focuses on the three core life planning areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management.

The price of this 13-week email- and online-based consulting package is less than one-ninth of my regular consulting rates.

If you're interested, drop me a quick email to

mailto:sales@RajenDevadason.com
(or simply copy-and-paste sales@RajenDevadason.com
into a fresh email) with

'Rajen, please tell me about your new consulting package',

in your subject header.

Warning: This service is NOT for everyone.

Please only write to me about it if you are 100% serious about joining this programme.

Thanks. Stay well.

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Rajen on How to Choose a Financial Planner

2006-09-16T22:45:00.000+08:00

Hi! Quite apart from driving a flashy car and living in a home with a pool, a better way to figure out if someone has truly arrived financially is to see if he or she works with a financial planner.

Why do I say that?

Simply because it is usually only those who take the future growth of their money very seriously who invest the time and resources needed to identify great professionals capable of propelling them further along the road of material abundance... in relative safety.

The official Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards definition of financial planning is the process of meeting your life goals through the proper management of your finances. By that great yardstick, every single person can benefit from this wonderful process that has increasingly come into its own over the last four decades.

But beware: Not everyone who calls himself a financial planner is worthy of that exalted title. So, how is a person supposed to figure who the most appropriate planner is for him or her?

That's a tough question semi-affluent, affluent and super-affluent people wrestle with across the world every hour of every day! To help them - and you - I've written an article entitled How to Choose a Financial Planner. Do read it for clear tips on how to figure out the best way to avoid the traps set for unsuspecting innocents by shysters and financial sharks.

Actually, come to think of it, I should have really named that article Rajen on How to Choose a Financial Planner because it really is my own take on the subject.

On the other hand, if you are more interested in exploring the vast financial vista on your own, you will enjoy this FREE month-long eCourse I've written for you! It is valued at US$88, but you can sign up for it for NOTHING right here; it comprises 16 lessons that will be emailed to you at 2-day intervals, and will rapidly teach you the basic concepts of investment risk and 15 different specific forms of investment risk.

You may sign up here for this unique freebie entitled Understanding Investment Risk & Profiting From It!

I hope you enjoy both the article and the eCourse.

Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. If you'd like to join others who have opted to have me work with them to help improve their performance in the areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management, please take the time to decide if this option is right for you...

After years of thinking about it, I've finally launched a 'lite' version of my elite life planning consulting package. This shorter, online-based version lasts a whole three months, and focuses on the three core life planning areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management.

The price of this 13-week email- and online-based consulting package is less than one-ninth of my regular consulting rates.

If you're interested, drop me a quick email to

mailto:sales@RajenDevadason.com
(or simply copy-and-paste sales@RajenDevadason.com
into a fresh email) with

'Rajen, please tell me about your new consulting package',

in your subject header.

Warning: This service is NOT for everyone.

Please only write to me about it if you are 100% serious about joining this programme.

Thanks. Stay well.

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Financial Planning - Escaping Debt Slavery!

2006-09-12T00:19:00.000+08:00

Hi! Do you have big dreams of making it financially? Then you need to boldly ask yourself if those aspirations are being held to ransom by your current state of indebtedness.

Well?

When it comes to managing money well, there are more people who know the theory than those who act wisely.

Consider, for instance, the ease with which most people load up on consumer debt. If you'd like to get your own debt situation under control, then an article I've written on the subject entitled Escaping Debt Slavery will be most helpful.

Alternatively, if that part of your financial life is already under great control, then you are probably ready to benefit from a FREE month-long eCourse I've written for you! It comprises 16 lessons that will be emailed to you at 2-day intervals, and will rapidly teach you the basic concepts of investment risk and 15 different specific forms of investment risk.

You may sign up here for this unique freebie entitled Understanding Investment Risk & Profiting From It!

I hope you enjoy both the article and the eCourse.

Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. If you'd like to join others who have opted to have me work with them to help improve their performance in the areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management, please take the time to decide if this option is right for you...

After years of thinking about it, I've finally launched a 'lite' version of my elite life planning consulting package. This shorter, online-based version lasts a whole three months, and focuses on the three core life planning areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management.

The price of this 13-week email- and online-based consulting package is less than one-ninth of my regular consulting rates.

If you're interested, drop me a quick email to

mailto:sales@RajenDevadason.com
(or simply copy-and-paste sales@RajenDevadason.com
into a fresh email) with

'Rajen, please tell me about your new consulting package',

in your subject header.

Warning: This service is NOT for everyone.

Please only write to me about it if you are 100% serious about joining this programme.

Thanks. Stay well.

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Investment Risk - Company Risk

2006-08-28T11:31:00.000+08:00

Hi! Have you ever thought of owning your very own company? Thankfully, in the market-driven capitalist nations of the world (where most readers of this blog live), you don't need to start your own corporation to be a part owner of a viable company...

That's obviously great news. But beware, there is one rather LARGE downside:

Capitalism operates on the principle of creative destruction, which is closely tied to a non-biological version of Darwin's 'survival of the fittest' premise.

This means that when you begin any selection process of companies to invest in for long-term economic growth, my advice would be to take your time!

Otherwise, you leave yourself wide open to a type of investment risk called company risk. If you would like to learn more about this subject, then you're welcome to read an article I've written on the subject entitled Investment Risk - Company Risk.

Also, if your interest in the subject of investment risk runs much deeper than just wanting to learn about one narrow facet of it, you're warmly welcome to sign up for a FREE month-long eCourse ! It comprises 16 lessons that will be emailed to you at 2-day intervals, and will rapidly teach you the basic concepts of investment risk and 15 different specific forms of investment risk.

You may sign up here for this unique freebie entitled Understanding Investment Risk & Profiting From It!

I hope you enjoy both the article and the eCourse.

Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. If you'd like to join others who have opted to have me work with them to help improve their performance in the areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management, please take the time to decide if this option is right for you...

After years of thinking about it, I've finally launched a 'lite' version of my elite life planning consulting package. This shorter, online-based version lasts a whole three months, and focuses on the three core life planning areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management.

The price of this 13-week email- and online-based consulting package is less than one-ninth of my regular consulting rates.

If you're interested, drop me a quick email to

mailto:sales@RajenDevadason.com
(or simply copy-and-paste sales@RajenDevadason.com
into a fresh email) with

'Rajen, please tell me about your new consulting package',

in your subject header.

Warning: This service is NOT for everyone.

Please only write to me about it if you are 100% serious about joining this programme.

Thanks. Stay well.

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Investment Risk - Borrowing Risk

2006-08-27T14:57:00.000+08:00

Hi! There is a salutary lesson each of us can draw from history. I'm specifically referring to the Great Depression, which began in October 1929 and lasted throughout the 1930s...

This is the heart of that lesson:
Those who borrowed money for their homes and their stock investments found themselves skating on micro-thin ice when bad times hit. Those who were not carrying too much debt ended up in better shape than those who did.

That's not to say it is unwise to borrow money for the right reasons. Good debt can be a tremendous builder of personal and corporate wealth. Unfortunately, but ever so predictably, bad debt can be - and usually is - an effective destroyer of dreams and long-term financial health.

If you'd like to learn more about the specific subject of borrowing risk, you're welcome to read an article I've written on the subject entitled Investment Risk - Borrowing Risk.

Also, if your interest in the subject of investment risk runs much deeper than just wanting to learn about one narrow facet of it, you're warmly welcome to sign up for a FREE month-long eCourse ! It comprises 16 lessons that will be emailed to you at 2-day intervals, and will rapidly teach you the basic concepts of investment risk and 15 different specific forms of investment risk.

You may sign up here for this unique freebie entitled Understanding Investment Risk & Profiting From It!

I hope you enjoy both the article and the eCourse.

Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. If you'd like to join others who have opted to have me work with them to help improve their performance in the areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management, please take the time to decide if this option is right for you...

After years of thinking about it, I've finally launched a 'lite' version of my elite life planning consulting package. This shorter, online-based version lasts a whole three months, and focuses on the three core life planning areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management.

The price of this 13-week email- and online-based consulting package is less than one-ninth of my regular consulting rates.

If you're interested, drop me a quick email to

mailto:sales@RajenDevadason.com
(or simply copy-and-paste sales@RajenDevadason.com
into a fresh email) with

'Rajen, please tell me about your new consulting package',

in your subject header.

Warning: This service is NOT for everyone.

Please only write to me about it if you are 100% serious about joining this programme.

Thanks. Stay well.

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Investment Risk

2006-08-26T18:30:00.000+08:00

Hi! I got to thinking recently about the desire most of us have to grow seriously rich...

Hasn't it ever struck you as decidedly odd that while the desire burns deep inside the vast majority of humanity, so few of us take the time and trouble to learn about the realities of money and investing?

I mean, if you were interested in medicine or aviation or baking, you'd invest the cerebral sweat to gain a sound understanding of your chosen area of interest. Yet, why is it when it comes to the very interesting, very relevant issue of growing wealth, most people simply decide to 'wing it'?

Let me give you a very concrete example: A classic area of unnecessary ignorance is the vital relationship between potential profits and the risks taken on to achieve them. Within the investment fraternity, it's officially called the Risk-Reward Relationship.

In the simplest of terms, the Risk-Reward Relationship tells us that the amount of profit or 'investment reward' a person can rationally hope to achieve from an investment is directly linked to the amount of 'investment risk' he or she is willing to put up with.

If you're even mildly interested in this subject, then I invite you to read an easy, brief article I've written on the subject entitled Investment Risk - Understanding and Profiting From It!

On the other hand, if you are very interested in this subject, then I suggest you sign up for a FREE month-long eCourse on the subject of Investment Risk. It comprises 16 lessons that will be emailed to you at 2-day intervals, and will rapidly teach you the basic concepts of investment risk and 15 different specific forms of investment risk. You may sign up here for this unique freebie entitled Understanding Investment Risk & Profiting From It!

I hope you enjoy both the article and the eCourse.

Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. If you'd like to join others who have opted to have me work with them to help improve their performance in the areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management, please take the time to decide if this option is right for you...

After years of thinking about it, I've finally launched a 'lite' version of my elite life planning consulting package. This shorter, online-based version lasts a whole three months, and focuses on the three core life planning areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management.

The price of this 13-week email- and online-based consulting package is less than one-ninth of my regular consulting rates.

If you're interested, drop me a quick email to

mailto:sales@RajenDevadason.com
(or simply copy-and-paste sales@RajenDevadason.com
into a fresh email) with

'Rajen, please tell me about your new consulting package',

in your subject header.

Warning: This service is NOT for everyone.

Please only write to me about it if you are 100% serious about joining this programme.

Thanks. Stay well.

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Financial Planning - If You Plan To Retire... Beware!

2006-08-05T23:12:00.000+08:00

Hi! I just read a truly depressing news item. I guess the reason it caught my attention is that I have several financial planning and investment clients who are themselves pilots. This news story involved pilots in a rather bleak manner. Let me explain...

It appears that the American airline Delta is in such bad financial shape that it has to cancel the pension plan of its pilots! Can you imagine working hard to qualify as a commercial airline pilot, then flying in all kinds of weather for decades believing your pension plan was secure only to have it wrested away from you just as your planned-for-retirement comes into view? Here's a brief excerpt of that story. I suggest you take the time to read the full piece:

CNN.com - Delta files to cancel pilots' pension plan - Aug 4, 2006:
"Delta files to cancel pilots' pension plan
Friday, August 4, 2006; Posted: 8:53 p.m. EDT (00:53 GMT)

Delta says a wave of pilot retirements would cause massive disruption to its operations.

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- Delta Air Lines Inc. filed a formal request with bankruptcy court late Friday to terminate its pilots' pension plan, as U.S. President George W. Bush prepared to sign a bill aimed in part at helping the struggling carrier save its other employees' pensions.
If the court in New York approves Delta's request to cancel its pilots' pensions effective September 2, the government's pension insurer would take over the plan and pay pilots a reduced benefit based on when they retire and other factors. A hearing on the request is set for September 1.
The 6,000 pilots, as part of a $280 million concessions agreement with the company first reached in April, have agreed not to oppose the pension termination request, though other groups may oppose it. "

If such a thing can happen to the super-skilled men who link our global village together with their vital flying skills, it can happen to any of us.

In the case of my clients, at least I have the comfort of knowing that I've done the best I can to get each one to take personal responsibility for his or her retirement funding. But what about you?

I urge you take a serious look at your personal ability to invest wisely. I hope these two free articles also prove useful to you:

How To Start Saving Money and
Why Bother With Dividend Investing?

Do use them to help jumpstart your thinking about what you can and should do about taking full personal responsibility for funding your future retirement.

As you do so, I hope and pray you never have to deal with a situation as blatantly unfair and tragic as the Delta pilots' pension fiasco.

Should you want more direct help from me in this department, do check out the PS section below. Thanks for dropping by.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. If you'd like to join others who have opted to have me work with them to help improve their performance in the areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management, please take the time to decide if this option is right for you...

After years of thinking about it, I've finally launched a 'lite' version of my elite life planning consulting package. This shorter, online-based version lasts a whole three months, and focuses on the three core life planning areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management.

The price of this 13-week email- and online-based consulting package is less than one-ninth of my regular consulting rates.

If you're interested, drop me a quick email to

mailto:sales@RajenDevadason.com
(or simply copy-and-paste sales@RajenDevadason.com
into a fresh email) with

'Rajen, please tell me about your new consulting package',

in your subject header.

Warning: This service is NOT for everyone.

Please only write to me about it if you are 100% serious about joining this programme.

Thanks. Stay well.

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Financial Planning - What Is Money?

2006-07-22T14:49:00.000+08:00

Hi! We're all interested in money because it really is very important. However, have you ever taken the time to mull over the question - What Is Money?

If not, I think it would be most useful to do so because knowing the answer to that important question may help you figure out honest, proactive ways to attract more of it into your life. And that's got to be a good thing!

To help you deal with this issue, I've written an article entitled What Is Money? In it, you will learn - among other things - the 3 functions of money, the historical progression of 3 types of money, and be able to decide which other aspects of financial abundance you would like to study further.

Enjoy and bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. If you'd like to join others who have opted to have me work with them to help improve their performance in the areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management, please take the time to decide if this option is right for you...

After years of thinking about it, I've finally launched a 'lite' version of my elite life planning consulting package. This shorter, online-based version lasts a whole three months, and focuses on the three core life planning areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management.

The price of this 13-week email- and online-based consulting package is less than a tenth of my regular consulting one.

If you're interested, drop me a quick email to

mailto:sales@RajenDevadason.com
(or simply copy-and-paste sales@RajenDevadason.com
into a fresh email) with

'Rajen, please tell me about your new consulting package',

in your subject header.

Warning: This service is NOT for everyone.

Please only write to me about it if you are 100% serious about joining this programme.

Thanks. Stay well.

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Financial Planning - Articles On Saving & Investing

2006-07-22T11:29:00.000+08:00

Hi! How committed are you to becoming a better saver and investor?

Since you've taken the time to drop by here, I would guess, very committed!

You might, therefore, enjoy reading an article I wrote entitled Who Is Mr Market? In case you don't already know this, Mr Market was a famous metaphor for the stock market created by the Father of Security Analysis, Benjamin Graham.

Graham died many years ago, but the powerful ongoing applicability of his teachings is most evident in the incredible success of his most famous student - the legendary Warren Buffett, who once again has been in the news recently because of his decision to leave the bulk of his fortune to charity via his friend Bill Gates' charitable foundation. You'll be able to read more about that here.

I also hope you enjoy the article on Mr Market.

If you want additional reading material, please help yourself to this piece, as well:

Articles on Saving and Investing to Help You Help Yourself and Your Kids

Happy reading!

Bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. If you'd like to join others who have opted to have me work with them to help improve their performance in the areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management, please take the time to decide if this option is right for you...

After years of thinking about it, I've finally launched a 'lite' version of my elite life planning consulting package. This shorter, online-based version lasts a whole three months, and focuses on the three core life planning areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management.

The price of this 13-week email- and online-based consulting package is less than a tenth of my regular consulting one.

If you're interested, drop me a quick email to

mailto:sales@RajenDevadason.com
(or simply copy-and-paste sales@RajenDevadason.com
into a fresh email) with

'Rajen, please tell me about your new consulting package',

in your subject header.

Warning: This service is NOT for everyone.

Please only write to me about it if you are 100% serious about joining this programme.

Thanks. Stay well.

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Financial Planning - Articles On Saving And Investing

2006-07-16T23:14:00.000+08:00

Hi! Are you looking for a single link resource that will help you find useful articles on saving and investing?

If so, you aren't alone. Many people now realise the incredible importance of nurturing a personal culture of saving and investing, and of inculcating the same in their children and grandchildren.

To help them - and YOU, if you fall in that category - I've written an article with the rather strange (but appropriate) title Articles on Saving and Investing to Help You Help Yourself and Your Kids

Happy reading!

Bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. If you'd like to join others who have opted to have me work with them to help improve their performance in the areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management, please take the time to decide if this option is right for you...

After years of thinking about it, I've finally launched a 'lite' version of my elite life planning consulting package. This shorter, online-based version lasts a whole three months, and focuses on the three core life planning areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management.

The price of this 13-week email- and online-based consulting package is less than a tenth of my regular consulting one.

If you're interested, drop me a quick email to

mailto:sales@RajenDevadason.com
(or simply copy-and-paste sales@RajenDevadason.com
into a fresh email) with

'Rajen, please tell me about your new consulting package',

in your subject header.

Warning: This service is NOT for everyone.

Please only write to me about it if you are 100% serious about joining this programme.

Thanks. Stay well.

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Financial Planning - Why Bother With Dividend Investing?

2006-07-15T23:38:00.000+08:00

Hi! Do you work for money or do you have your money work for you?

Robert Kiyosaki of Rich Dad, Poor Dad fame has said repeatedly through both the written and spoken word that the poor and middle class work for money but the rich have money work for them.

A great way to have your money work for you, and thus to start to emulate a great habit of the rich, is to invest in stocks that pay great dividends.

To help readers who think this might be a good idea, but who don't know too much about stock dividends, I wrote an article entitled Why Bother With Dividend Investing?

I hope you enjoy it and learn to prosper from the information contained in it.

Bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. If you'd like to join others who have opted to have me work with them to help improve their performance in the areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management, please take the time to decide if this option is right for you...

After years of thinking about it, I've finally launched a 'lite' version of my elite life planning consulting package. This shorter, online-based version lasts a whole three months, and focuses on the three core life planning areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management.

The price of this 13-week email- and online-based consulting package is less than a tenth of my regular consulting one.

If you're interested, drop me a quick email to

mailto:sales@RajenDevadason.com
(or simply copy-and-paste sales@RajenDevadason.com
into a fresh email) with

'Rajen, please tell me about your new consulting package',

in your subject header.

Warning: This service is NOT for everyone.

Please only write to me about it if you are 100% serious about joining this programme.

Thanks. Stay well.

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Financial Planning - What Is Investing?

2006-07-13T18:47:00.000+08:00

Hi! Do you see yourself - deep down - as a consumer or as an investor?

This is an important question to answer because in the decades ahead, the vast throng of hyper consumers will end up facing dire economic straits.

In contrast, those who have trained themselves to be wise investors will stand a far better chance of seeing their money grow faster than inflation. This means their purchasing power will not be eroded by insidious inflation.

In an article I've written entitled, What Is Investing?, I've pointed out that:

"In the simplest of terms, it means taking cash you have - from spending less than you earn or from borrowing - and parking it in some instrument that you expect will go up in value."

Of course, you already know that. But the real issue is are you doing anything about that knowledge of yours?

I hope you'll seriously mull over that question. If you'd like to read the entire article, you're welcome to do so here. I hope you enjoy it.

Bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. By the way, if you'd like to join others who have opted to have me work with them to help improve their performance in the areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management, please take the time to decide if this option is right for you...

After years of thinking about it, I've finally launched a 'lite' version of my elite life planning consulting package. This shorter, online-based version lasts a whole three months, and focuses on the three core life planning areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management.

The price of this 13-week email- and online-based consulting package is less than a tenth of my regular consulting one.

If you're interested, drop me a quick email to

mailto:sales@RajenDevadason.com
(or simply copy-and-paste sales@RajenDevadason.com
into a fresh email) with

'Rajen, please tell me about your new consulting package',

in your subject header.

Warning: This service is NOT for everyone.

Please only write to me about it if you are 100% serious about joining this programme.

Thanks. Stay well.

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Financial Planning - How To Start Saving

2006-07-12T17:51:00.000+08:00

Hi! Are you as an effective a saver as you would like to be?

Most people would have to say no. Although deep down they know it is better to save a portion of every pay cheque, somehow they never get around to it.

This is a dangerous mistake that can lead people to long-term economic underperformance.

To help my readers and my clients, I've listed 3 straightforward strategies that can be used by someone who is primarily a hyper-consumer to transform himself or herself into a super-saver. Those three strategies are:

1. Remind yourself that you matter at least as much as everybody else;
2. Understand the true power of compound interest; and
3. Unleash the power of goal-setting in this vital area of life.

The description of each strategy is simple to understand. I urge you to think about each one and decide if you are able to implement it in your life. If you should like a deeper understanding of this integrated approach to becoming a saver, you're welcome to read an article I've written on the subject, How To Start Saving.

Bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

PS. By the way, if you'd like to join others who have opted to have me work with them to help improve their performance in the areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management, please take the time to decide if this option is right for you...

After years of thinking about it, I've finally launched a 'lite' version of my elite life planning consulting package. This shorter, online-based version lasts a whole three months, and focuses on the three core life planning areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management.

The price of this 13-week email- and online-based consulting package is less than a tenth of my regular consulting one.

If you're interested, drop me a quick email to

mailto:sales@RajenDevadason.com
(or simply copy-and-paste sales@RajenDevadason.com
into a fresh email) with

'Rajen, please tell me about your new consulting package',

in your subject header.

Warning: This service is NOT for everyone.

Please only write to me about it if you are 100% serious about joining this programme.

Thanks. Stay well.

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Financial Planning - Is It Time For You To Actively Reallocate Your Assets?

2006-06-11T23:27:00.000+08:00

Hi! Have you taken into account recent developments that may affect your wealth building goals?

I prepared this note for my GET BETTER ezine subscribers and got to thinking that perhaps readers of my blog will also benefit from it. Those of you who have taken wise, active steps to build your own retirement nest egg, in particular, might appreciate this quick rundown of what's happening in the global investment arena.

You're probably aware that inflation woes in the US are on the rise. This suggests that new Fed chairman Ben Bernanke will continue to raise US interest rates in an effort to tame that awful price-eroding monster!

A great article to read on the subject is found here.

An even simpler explanation of why inflation is such an important factor is found here.

Whether or not you're in the US now is immaterial. Whither America goes, the rest of us are sure to follow.

At least as far as interest rate strategies are concerned, that is!

For instance, in my own country of Malaysia, I've had to sit down with many of my elite consulting clients and discuss the possibility of equities (read: stocks) tanking. Furthermore, with interest rates having risen and looking set to waft higher still, the outlook for bonds is also rather grim. (For those who don't know this... yet, bond prices and interest rates tend to move in opposite directions. So, if interest rates go up, bonds are expected to fall.)

Of course, some of my clients are in a position to ride the expected drops and can thus take advantage of the anticipated lower prices. For a clear explanation of why this is a good idea for some people at the right times of their lives, read this piece.

And if you're interested in reading about how capital market volatility can be strategically harvested for decent long-term investment returns, curl up and read this lengthy article.

For now, I'm urging those of my clients who are in no position to handle too much volatility to intelligently reallocate their funds away from bonds to money market instruments, which tend to be stultifyingly boring investment vehicles with one huge redeeming quality:

They provide great stability at a time when investors are rushing away from the anticipated storms in the equity (stock-related) and fixed income (bond-related) markets.

I suggest you take a careful look at your portfolio, the underlying economic currents in your country, whichever it might be, and the immensely pertinent actions and reactions of the most important economy on the planet - Uncle Sam.

Happy long-term wealth accumulation.

By the way, if you'd like to join others who have opted to have me work with them, please take the time to decide if this option is right for you...

You may begin doing so by asking this vital question:

Are you able to spend thousands of dollars but much prefer to only invest hundreds?

If so, I've launched a 'lite' version of my elite life planning consulting package. This shorter, online-based version lasts a whole three months, and focuses on the three core life planning areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management.

The price of this 13-week email- and online-based consulting package is less than a tenth of my regular consulting one.

If you're interested, drop me a quick email to

mailto:sales@RajenDevadason.com
(or simply copy-and-paste sales@RajenDevadason.com
into a fresh email) with

'Rajen, please tell me about your new consulting package',

in your subject header.

Warning: This service is NOT for everyone.

Please only write to me about it if you are 100% serious about joining this programme.

Thanks. Stay well.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Financial Planning - The Role of Giving

2006-06-02T20:14:00.000+08:00

Hi! Truly wealthy people - regardless of the size of their bank account - understand the importance of giving to charity.

We live in a wonderful inter-connected world. I don't think we'll ever fully realise just how linked we are to one another until we get to the other side of Eternity. In the meantime, it is wise for us to remain aware of what is happening across our tiny planet and to take the time to help heal the wounds of others... if and when we can.

Very recently another quake in Indonesia killed more than 6,000 people. You're probably aware of it; after all, most people are!

But only a tiny fraction of humanity has responded with tangible, material help. Are you among that minority? Have you already done something to help the survivors?

If you have prayed for them, I salute you because I know God hears.

If you have prayed for them and also given of your hard-earned money to help alleviate their suffering, I stand up and salute you!

I'm about to send out a brief message to thousands of my GET BETTER ezine subscribers, urging each one to pray and give. I welcome you to join them. If you already know of a solid, effective charity that is doing a great job in the hardest hit parts of Indonesia, please give to it. But if you want to help, yet don't know how to do so, I recommend Mercy Corps.

Check it out for yourself. And if you understand the core importance of intelligent, effective, directed giving within a holistic financial plan, please act.

Thanks and take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Simple Ways To Do Financial Planning - Tie-up With JobStreet.com

2006-05-28T00:51:00.000+08:00

Hi! I'm honoured to have been asked by JobStreet.com to help its site visitors with financial planning issues.

But first, if you want ready access to articles that show Simple Ways To Do Financial Planning, you're welcome to visit me here.

JobStreet.com is one of the biggest names around the Internet linked to job placements. It helps loads and loads of people escape career ruts each day. I know what that's like, having escaped one of those about a decade ago!

That's why I was delighted to help the people at JobStreet when they asked if I'd be willing to have my articles appear on a new money-related microsite.

If you're familiar with my writings, then you know that I'm as interested in money as the next guy. Yet, not everything in life is about money - even within a forum dedicated to exploring and discussing that very subject.

So, I agreed to help JobStreet's visitors out by (1) not charging for my articles to appear there and (2) by answering selected questions on their new, cool service called MoneyStreet.

Do drop by... if that sort of thing interests you or anyone else in your family. Also, if you have friends who are sick to death of their current jobs and want to make a move to truly better pastures, they might want to check out the Malaysian JobStreet site or the general one.

That's it for now. Happy reading!

Take care. 'Talk' to you soon.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Financial Planning, Earl and Tiger

2006-05-04T18:23:00.000+08:00

Hi! Earl Woods is gone, but his legacy roars on. What legacy do you plan to leave your children?

You probably already know that Tiger Woods has just lost his father to cancer. Sports Illustrated has a fabulous article on Earl Woods' life; I recommend you read it:

SI.com - Golf - Tiger Woods' dad, Earl, dies after battle with cancer - Wednesday May 3, 2006 5:36PM:

CYPRESS, Calif. (AP) -- Earl Woods, who was more determined to raise a good son than a great golfer and became the architect and driving force behind Tiger Woods' phenomenal career..."

When you read that well-crafted article, you'll get a sense of the kind of man Earl was and the depth of his passionate belief that he could nurture a child to become a genuine world-beater.

If you have children, chances are very high that you too have such a great desire.

Chances are low, however, that the route your kids will take will match that of Tiger Woods!

That's why it is wise to harness the power of financial planning early in the life of your family to try and stack the odds in favour of your kids receiving the right sort of breaks.

The key you want to give each of your children is education. And that comes with a price tag. But if you start early and apply sound principles of financial planning, chances are good that you will succeed. If you think you could benefit from it, you're welcome to visit my article archive of simple ways to do financial planning.

Alternatively, if you are eager for more direct help in the realm of life planning (which in my book encompasses financial planning, goal-setting and time management), AND you are 100% serious about paying the price and doing the work, drop me an email at rajen@RajenDevadason.com with 'Rajen, please tell me about your new consulting module' in your subject header.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Man tried to sell baby for home improvements... financial planning shows a better way!

2006-04-23T07:24:00.000+08:00

Hi! You've got to read this CNN story about a father who decided he wanted to sell his infant daughter to raise money for home renovations.

What's the world coming to?

Read this and decide...

CNN.com - Man tried to sell baby for home improvements, police say - Apr 22, 2006: "Man tried to sell baby for home improvements, police say
Saturday, April 22, 2006; Posted: 11:35 a.m. EDT (15:35 GMT)

APPLETON, Wisconsin (AP) -- A man raising his 18-month-old daughter alone tried to sell the little girl for $7,000 so he could make improvements to his house, police said Friday."

If you're back after reading that disturbing piece, you'll be pleased to know that most people are able to harness basic financial planning principles like spending less than they earn and saving for what they want, instead of adopting (reverse pun intended) that unnatural behaving father's actions!

For more ideas, you're welcome to visit my article archive of simple ways to do financial planning.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Easter Musical - I'm the brown blob on the right!

2006-04-17T11:07:00.000+08:00

Hi! It's Easter Monday now and the weekend just past was intense!

I was involved in a massive Easter Musical presentation in my home church in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. There's a fantastic photo of it in today's (April 17th 2006) Star newspaper, on page 29, along with a nice write-up.

If you'd like to check out that piece online, visit:
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/4/17/nation/13978060&sec=nation

The caption of the picture gives the title of the musical:
Believe - The Story of a King who died for you

If you look really, really, really carefully, at the photo in the Star article at:
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/4/17/nation/13978060&sec=nation
you'll see the choir on the right of the picture. At about the middle of the shot, on the extreme right, you'll see an indistinct brown blob. That would be me, in the back row of the choir, in the bass section. You can also see the back of our awesome choir director, Jocelyn.

In the body of the text of the newspaper article, the last five paragraphs pertain to our musical. My friend Jenny, our long-suffering director, is quoted saying, "We have organised this as one big family..." She's right - and it was a blast!

In closing, I hope you too had a great weekend.

And for those subscribers of my GET BETTER ezine who took the time and trouble to drive to Seremban for the musical, thank you. I hope you had as great a time watching the show as the 350 of us had in putting it together for you.

Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Finally, An Affordable Mass Market Consulting Package

2006-04-15T10:39:00.000+08:00

Hi! For several years, I've offered a life planning consulting module for elite personal clients. But it's always saddened me that because there's only so much of me to go around, I've had to turn down requests to help lot of other people who are seeking consultative hand-holding in the areas of personal finance, goal-setting and time management.

This situation has bothered me for quite a while. So, finally, after a lot of thought, I've decided to stretch myself a little further by putting together a brand new consulting package that will run in parallel with my existing one, but will leverage off the flexibility afforded by the Internet.

This new option is a comprehensive online version of my full face-to-face lifeplanning consulting module that existing clients pay US$2,700 or US$4,000 for (those in my home country of Malaysia pay the equivalent of an even RM10,000 or RM15,000).

A major difference is that the new version is a whole lot cheaper.

I call the new consulting option Rajen Devadason's Personal Effectiveness Training (PET) Package. It lasts 3 months (13 weeks), and encompasses my personalised training and mentoring in personal finance, goal-setting and time management.

For those who are interested, here are the salient details:

The title, again, is: Rajen Devadason's Personal Effectiveness Training Package
Investment: US$250.
Mode of training:

A comprehensive life planning manual, which is downloadable from my site;
52 lessons (4 lessons delivered via email each week); and
Personal answers to your questions via my blog or email.

Because of the personalised aspect of the training, I can still only handle a limited (albeit larger than was previously the case) number of new clients each month.

I am treating all queries on a strict first-come-first-served basis, with one proviso - preferential access is granted to subscribers of my free personal development ezine, GET BETTER. (If you'd rather sign up for that first, to get a feel for the value of what I have to offer, you may do so at:

http://FreeCoolArticles.com

Spend a few seconds scanning the material there. After a short while an offer to sign up for GET BETTER will appear. Do so, if you like, and remember to confirm your subscription.)

For those who are in a hurry and are 100% serious about knowing more about my new consulting package, you're welcome to write to me at:

rajen@RajenDevadason.com

Put

'Rajen, tell me about your new consulting option, please'

in your subject header, so that I'll be able to get back to you quickly.

That's it for now. Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Famous Quotes - banking and financial planning

2006-04-09T00:16:00.000+08:00

Hi! Despite all the ads to the contrary, ultimately banks don't work for us the customer, but rather for their shareholders. Hence I find a rather funny, yet eminently accurate, quotation by Robert Frost to also be depressingly accurate! I think you'll enjoy checking it out here.

For your own financial and emotional wellbeing, it makes sense to ensure your finances are in good order before you stroll into your highstreet bank asking for a loan to help realise a business idea that you think can transform you into the next Gates or Buffett.

For cool articles that contain ideas and principles that will help you strengthen your own finances, you're welcome to visit my archive of simple ways to do financial planning.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Famous Quotes - Queen Elizabeth I and time management

2006-03-31T10:58:00.000+08:00

Hi! When Queen Elizabeth the First was on her deathbed, ever so long ago, she made a statement that boiled down to a clear desire to trade material goods for more time on earth.

To check out her exact quote and my own (brief) thoughts on the subject, you're welcome to visit me here.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

So you think inflation's bad today? Then look back, way back...

2006-03-31T01:56:00.000+08:00

Hi! As a financial planner, I end up talking to clients about the impact of inflation several times a week.

While it is crucial that regular people like you and I learn to grow our money faster than inflation eats it up, I thought you'd enjoy this 'old' article I came across - I've been sitting on it for a fortnight now....

CNN.com - The big bang's 'smoking gun' - Mar 16, 2006: "The big bang's 'smoking gun'
Scientists say 'inflation' led to massive expansion
Friday, March 17, 2006; Posted: 10:44 a.m. EST (15:44 GMT)

(AP) -- By the faint cosmic glow of the oldest known light, physicists say they have found evidence that the universe grew to astounding proportions in less than the blink of an eye.
In that trillionth of a second after the big bang, the universe expanded from the size of a marble to a volume larger than all of observable space through a process known as inflation. At the same time, the seeds were planted for the formation of stars, galaxies, planets and every other object in the universe.
'It's giving us our first clues about how inflation took place,' said Michael Turner, assistant director for mathematics and physical sciences at the National Science Foundation. 'This is absolutely amazing.'"

I guess the next time my clients complain about how quickly things are ballooning (in price), I'll use this fun piece to help them gain some perspective. Ciao!

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Financial Planning - When Conservatism Makes Sense

2006-03-29T10:03:00.000+08:00

Hi! I just read an interesting piece on CNN about the number of US millionaires being on the march.

You'll find the full story here:

Report: Number of U.S. millionaires reaches record - Mar. 28, 2006

The bit I found most interesting was this paragraph:

"Over 50 percent of the millionaires surveyed said they had become more conservative in their investment approach over the past year. Their wealth is the result of long-term wealth accumulation."

This finding supports a view I've found myself evolving toward, particularly over the last year or so. You see, any well-structured financial plan must address three main components:

Wealth Protection
Wealth Accumulation
Wealth Distribution

Like most people, I find point 2, wealth accumulation, the most exciting element of this mix.

Therefore, a large part of the education process I go through with my own financial planning and life planning clients involves teaching them the basics of the Risk-Reward Relationship. This essentially boils down to the reality that, in most cases, the more investment risk (meaning investment value volatility over time) you can stomach, the more investment reward you should (hopefully) be able to reap after a long period of patient watching and monitoring.

Based on temperament, I am inclined to prefer a long-term buy-and-hold strategy. Unfortunately, in my home market of Malaysia where the equity market experiences more rises and dips than a roller coaster, that strategy is often a recipe for disaster.

Frankly, the rising volatility of investment markets around the world means that a large chunk of wealth accumulation's benefits must be derived from intelligent asset allocation. So, when I sit down with my clients, I don't merely suggest they invest in equities. The roles of money market and bond funds must also be carefully explained to them.

As people grow richer - and this is borne out by that interesting CNN report - the more loath they are to lose what they have painstakingly accumulated over decades of sacrifice. This understandable - and justifiable - shift toward conservatism causes a reduction in the overall risk level of their portfolios.

Obviously, if everyone starts acting this way, it could spell disaster for equities in the long run.

With America's baby boomers now within striking distance of their retirement years, the world is bracing for precisely that sort of equities implosion to begin within the next half decade or so. Yet it is important to realise that not all investors are American. The rising wealth of China and India should release a fresh influx of eager, well-heeled players in global equities.

Bottomline: The other side of the capital market investing table is populated by the masses who still are willing to take equity risk in a bid to one day grow rich enough to justifiably switch their asset allocation to cash and fixed income instruments. The average person, among the elite minority who succeed financially, takes about 25 to 30 years to get to that point.

I have to get ready for a client meeting now, so I'd better go. If you have the time, do let me know what you think about this situation.

If you'd like to read more about financial planning, visit me here.

Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Famous Quotes - accomplishment and financial planning

2006-03-29T01:00:00.000+08:00

Hi! Many people equate financial success with accomplishment. But even though there is often a close relationship between the two, they are never one and the same thing.

In fact, there's an interesting, if somewhat terse, observation by Harry F. Banks concerning the states of getting rich and getting things done! You can check it out here.

Also, Thomas J. Watson correctly saw the link between accomplishing things of importance and the capacity to communicate both ideas and enthusiasm. His observation is also here.

What I love about this extremely democratic medium of blogging across cyberspace is that it allows each of us to vote with our mouse, either by clicking to something that is useful or away from something that is crass.

You know low value content when you see it, so I won't squander precious time focusing on things that are negative. Instead, let me point out a couple of very positive examples:

When it comes to communicating great ideas about cashflow and personal finance, a couple of bloggers who have plenty of enthusiasm are my friend Steve Mertz and a mysterious lady known only as Mapgirl. I suggest you check them both out.

Take care and please do try to pop back here when you can. Also, it would be great if you could later on take a couple minutes to leave a fun, brief comment about what you learnt from:

1. Harry F. Banks
2. Thomas J. Watson
3. Steve Mertz
4. Mapgirl

Ciao for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here, and, if you're interested, here are some quotations he reckons are accurate, bold or cool.

Great Books - Richest Man in Babylon

2006-03-28T01:36:00.000+08:00

Hi! I just came across a book review I left on George S. Clason's masterpiece The Richest Man in Babylon. What astounds me is that my opinion of the book has not changed in the 8 years and 2 months that have passed since I wrote the review!

If you'd like to check out what I wrote about it back in January 1998, you're welcome to read it here:

http://snipurl.com/RajenOnBabylon

I urge you to buy your own copy of this fantastic book, read it and then commit to rereading it once every 6 or 12 months. The ideas there helped me think through and develop my own approach to financial planning and debt management.

If you'd like to know what I think about those two vital subjects, you're welcome to check out my quotations and those of people much smarter than I, here:

Financial planning
Debt management

Do let me know your own thoughts about the book or either of those important subjects. Bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

Famous Quotes - ability and financial planning

2006-03-27T15:29:00.000+08:00

Hi! One of the prerequisites of financial planning is actually having the finances to plan with... if you know what I mean.

As for how to go about bringing in the money that we need and want, in the first place, the answer isn't exactly earth-shattering. After all, the importance of constantly learning and improving ourselves, especially in our fast-evolving Knowledge Economy, is widely accepted. But what most people don't know is that a very long time ago, the wise Confucius shed light on a unique characteristic of what he describes as a superior man.

I suggest you check out for yourself what Confucius said and then ask yourself if you meet that particular criterion.

Also, even in our Knowledge Economy, it isn't pure theoretical knowledge that is rewarded economically but rather applied knowledge - in this instance, it was the American poet-philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson who put it perfectly. Click here to read what Emerson thought.

After you've read what both wise men had to say about the subject of ability, do leave a comment with your thoughts or even a question concerning the links between ability and personal financial success. Stay well and thanks so much for dropping by The Cool Time and Money Blog.

Bye for now!

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

Famous Quotes Archive

2006-03-27T01:56:00.000+08:00

Hi! I've learnt over the years that when it comes to trying to manage your finances well, it is a whole lot easier if you actually have some finances to manage! Do you know what I mean?

Numerous studies have shown a direct relationship between the size of a person's vocabulary and the exposure he or she has to many fields of study AND subsequent earning capacity.

So, in a bid to help visitors to this blog gain quick and easy access to great ideas and thoughts drawn from many people, countries and centuries, I've added a fresh section to my site.

For want of a better term, I've called it my Famous Quotes Archive.

Do check it out, especially if you would like to read some great quotes on subjects as diverse and different as:

And that's just to name 14 of the many subject categories I eventually hope to put up there. Happy visiting and reading and... most important of all, exploring!

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

Famous Quotations - Abraham Lincoln

2006-03-23T23:39:00.000+08:00

Hi! If you'd like to explore the modern-day relevance of a famous quotation by Abraham Lincoln, do check out this great resource based on famous quotations.

In Day 8 of my free 10-Day eCourse entitled Life in Quotations, I spend a lot of time talking about Lincoln's tremendous influence, and then focus on the compassionate conclusion to his 2nd Presidential Inaugural Address.

Plus... there are exercises that tie in that core lesson with the importance of life insurance to your family's wellbeing.

I believe this eCourse, valued at US$49, will totally blow you away! Do note that it is currently being offered for free. You're welcome to begin your personal 10-Day journey of learning and internal discovery here: Famous Quotations.

Ciao.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

Famous Quotations - Albert Einstein

2006-03-23T01:46:00.000+08:00

Hi! The reason so many of us are drawn to famous quotations is easy to understand: The people who originally said or wrote those clever, memorable things were (or are) pretty darn smart!

Take for instance, Albert Einstein, who is the person featured in Day 7 of my free 10-Day eCourse entitled Life in Quotations. Einstein's influence extended far beyond the realm of higher mathematics and theoretical science. Just a few others featured in the course are: Economist Milton Friedman, writer Rudyard Kipling and even the Big Man himself, Moses!

So, if you'd like to spend 10 days immersing yourself in powerful quotations and related lessons that have practical value in your daily life, you're welcome to begin your journey by clicking Famous Quotations.

Have fun!

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

Famous Quotations - Milton Friedman

2006-03-22T00:16:00.000+08:00

Hi! There is great wisdom contained within some famous quotations.

For instance, famed monetarist Milton Friedman has an interesting view on governments and inflation! I won't go into specifics here, but I do explore all those issues and a lot more in my free 10-Day eCourse entitled Life in Quotations.

As I mentioned previously in this blog, each day's lesson starts with an insightful quotation. It's followed by a brief commentary and then focused, yet simple, homework assignments that help students learn practical skills about financial planning and goal-setting.

If you'd like to sign up for it while it is still offered for free (I've come to realise it is worth at least US$49 and may start charging a fair market value for it... but not yet), you may do so by clicking Famous Quotations.

Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

Our Merged Knowledge and Idea Economy

2006-03-19T04:21:00.000+08:00

Hi! Way back in 1959, the late, great Peter Drucker coined the term 'knowledge worker'.

Now, 47 years later, we're perhaps only ankle-deep in the shallows of the expansive ocean that is the Knowledge Economy. But even though we're just beginning to understand the awesome promise of this new age of mankind, some clear trends are emerging.

For instance, we can tell that true knowledge workers - those gold-collar professionals who are as far beyond white-collar workers as those are from their blue-collar cousins - will increasingly dominate the world of wealth.

It is not an accident that Bill Gates has been the richest man on the planet for about a dozen years now. He controls the company that allows most of us to operate within the Knowledge Economy.

Another trend I see is that there is actually an expression of the human mind that is even more potent than mere knowledge. I'm talking about the power of one idea - the right idea.

Yes, I know there are plenty of lame-brain ideas around, but we still live in a unique point of time that rewards high-octane ideas that are successfully meshed with knowledge. Let me tell you of one fabulous example:

A 21-year-old Brit named Alex Tew, just raised $1 million from selling ads on one, single, solitary, unitary page of his site!

His pricing model: $1 a pixel, with a minimum $100 buy in!

I urge you to read this excerpt:

BBC NEWS Magazine The million-dollar student: "The million-dollar student
By Tom Geoghegan
BBC News Magazine

It took a 21-year-old a few minutes to come up with an idea which has made him more than one million dollars in four months. So what's his secret?

It started with a blank notepad, an overdraft and a shortage of socks. Now it's a million-dollar business.

Last August, as a three-year degree loomed, Alex Tew lay on his bed in his family home in Cricklade, Wiltshire. It was time for his nightly brainstorming session. This time, the problem was his finances. He already had an overdraft, which was sure to multiply at university, and he felt his poverty was reflected by..."

If you want to know how his socks come into the picture, read the entire story and also check out Alex's blog.

The point of this posting is to illustrate that those motivational airheads who believe money is available in superabundance are sometimes right!

And as tough as it sometimes is for most of us to make ends meet, to raise capital, and to earn profits, it isn't usually impossible. We just need to have faith in the awesome stores of creativity God's given us. It's useful to never forget that according to the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards: "Financial planning as the process of meeting your life goals through the proper management of your finances."

Imagine the goals we should be daring to dream because we are fortunate enough to have been placed at this amazing point in history that rewards a unique combination of Knowledge and Ideas.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to grab a blank notepad and spend some serious time thinking on paper... Here's to an idea-filled day.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

Famous Quotations

2006-03-17T15:37:00.000+08:00

Hi! Famous quotations, and even some not so famous ones, often have a potency that's lacking in normal language. Do you know what I mean?

Consider the four simple words uttered by Dr Martin Luther King: "I have a dream!"

Or this excerpt of Winston Churchill's June 4th 1940 speech to the British House of Commons: "We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender..." (I suggest you reread King's and Churchill's words again, but this time do so aloud!)

Because I believe in the amazing power of words, I've put together a 10-Day eCourse entitled Life in Quotations. Each day's lesson starts with an insightful quotation. It's followed by a brief commentary and then focused, yet simple, homework assignments that help students learn practical skills about financial planning and goal-setting that flow forth from the ideas expressed by that day's catalytic quotation.

I'm very proud of this eCourse, which is valued at US$49. However, for now I'm making it available for free. If you'd like to sign up for it, you're welcome to do so here - click to go to Famous Quotations.

Have fun!

Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

Consider this insightful quotation by Blaise Pascal

2006-03-16T23:53:00.000+08:00

Hi! Blaise Pascal is a name that's known to most people who care about the origins of science and higher mathematics. He was a child prodigy who continued to unearth the secrets of the universe well into adulthood. Tragically, this genius of the highest order died way too young.

He was 39.

If you'd like to know more about him, there's a great write-up on his life here. The reason I'm writing about him now is a cool quotation by him that I figured would be really useful for visitors to both this blog and my free articles site who are interested in how to go about setting goals that end up meaning something in the long run.

You're welcome to check out the quote here, but be warned it is rather cryptic. I suggest you read what Pascal had to say, consider my brief commentary, and then zero-in on goal-setting resources that will help you define a clear goal of lasting value.

I wish you well.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

Why's there an erupting volcano on my site?

2006-03-16T15:31:00.000+08:00

Hi! There are times when the pressures of life build up so much that inside we feel like a Vesuvius about to blow!

Do you know what I mean?

This situation is so common that I figured the best way to illustrate it is to literally show a twin-peaked volcano erupting at my free article site. If you want to see it, then visit me there and look for the cool (perhaps that should be hot) animation on the left of the main page.

Clicking on the constantly erupting volcanoes will take you to an article that I've featured on this blog before: High Blood Pressure Reduction Through Personal Process Management.

If you're in a hurry and prefer to read that article without having to pass through the 'mountains blowing their top' page, just click here. In my latest ezine issue, I've suggested that those who have high blood pressure problems caused by external work and life stress, as opposed to internal physical ailments, take the time to read that article and mull over the possibility of harnessing the power of goal-setting as part of a personalised version of Business Process Management.

The contextual ads to the right of the article may contain additional information that you can then use to better understand BPM.

Alternatively, if you just have friends whom you believe need to read about the possible connection between a life that's lacking in goals and rising hypertension, you can suggest they check out: http://snipurl.com/RajenOnHighBP

That's it for today. Just one more thing before I go... the volcano will not be left erupting at my site for more than a few days, so do check it out now, if you want to see it.

Stay cool and remember to harness the power of goal-setting. For useful information on how you may do so and regain a sense of calming control over your personal destiny, check this out.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

Answering Jane's Mission Statement Question

2006-03-15T03:52:00.000+08:00

Hi! I was delighted to read an intelligent question by Jane Wong on my last posting concerning the importance of writing a Mission Statement.

In response to my assertion that if a person wants to manage his or her money and time well, it is vital to have a sense of purpose and vision, Jane asked a very probing question.

Before I get to that, to help you make sense of the issue being discussed, here's what I wrote yesterday:

The best way to detect those very unique things is to take the time to construct a personal mission statement.

For those who already know this, but who haven't quite figured out how to go about putting together such a powerful, life-altering statement, I've written a Special Report entitled How to Craft Your Very Own Mission Statement.

Now comes the part Jane wrote: "I believe constructing a personal mission statement helps us not to get distracted. Therefore, we will be able to manage our money and time more effectively. However, don't you think to manage our money and our time well, we need more than a personal mission statement?"

Jane's absolutely right!

A great deal more than just a mission statement is required to manage those two very important dimensions of life.

But at the same time, I will also say that a good way to think about this situation is to imagine the not uncommon eventuality of having to drive from your home town to a specific building in an unfamiliar big city two hundred miles away.

In any such venture, obviously having a road map would be helpful in getting to your destination! Well, in our personal journeys through life, well-written personal mission statements can play the role of such vital road maps.

But even after you put together your mission statement, you're not going to magically materialise at your destination. Star Trek-type transporter technology simply isn't here yet!

So, you'll still need to do the hard work of driving several hours from your home to your destination. You don't need my help explaining the intricacies of driving, but just in case you want specific help in managing your money better, you're welcome to read these financial planning articles. And if you'd like some help in managing your time better, please read these time management ones.

Finally, for those who honestly reckon they could use clear, simple instructions on how to go about putting together an appropriate 'map', then you're welcome to check out the Special Report How to Craft Your Very Own Mission Statement.

Till next time... ciao!

Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

Finally Write That Mission Statement!

2006-03-14T01:27:00.000+08:00

Hi! If you want to manage your money and your time well, you need a sense of purpose and of vision. The best way to detect those very unique things is to take the time to construct a personal mission statement.

For those who already know this, but who haven't quite figured out how to go about putting together such a powerful, life-altering statement, I've written a Special Report entitled How to Craft Your Very Own Mission Statement. I hope you enjoy it.

Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

Why Studying Time and Money Is Like Merging Star Trek and Star Wars!

2006-03-12T21:43:00.000+08:00

Hi! It isn't common to get a resource blog like The Cool Time and Money Blog, which aims to be comprehensively cross-disciplinary by providing information on both financial planning and on time management, with a dab of goal-setting thrown in.

There are two reasons I've gone to the trouble to do this:

1. I'm equally interested in the roles of financial planning and time management in determining long-term human success; and
2. I believe hybrid vigour, which is the genetic term for the tendency (though by no means a certainty) for crossbreeds to be better and stronger than the original, can apply in the blending of two areas of study.

A fun way to illustrate the quirky results that can be derived from an imaginary exercise in literary crossbreeding can be seen here in this great picture of the most famous Federation starship captain of the 23rd century being carried away by muscle from a galaxy far, far away.

So, tell me, what two disparate interests of yours can be merged to create something refreshingly new?

Do let me know. Thanks.

Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

Free Poster With Awesome Resource Links

2006-03-12T02:09:00.000+08:00

Hi! As a gift to all visitors and subscribers of The Cool Time and Money Blog, I've revamped a one-page life planning poster I've been giving away to visitors of my main site www.RajenDevadason.com

The new edition of my poster, which is in PDF format, contains an A-Z listing of useful tips for a better life.

Within many entries are live links to resources that will help you gain a much better handle on the core skills of financial planning, goal-setting and time management. So, if you'd like it, please help yourself to my free poster. (You have my permission to check it out for yourself and, if you reckon it has merit, to give it away to anyone who would find it helpful.)

Take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

High Blood Pressure Reduction Through Personal Process Management

2006-03-10T15:06:00.000+08:00

Hi! If you've often felt stressed out of your mind because work and other life pressures are getting out of hand, you will understand the common feeling among many people of internal frustration rising out of control and then erupting as a whole host of ailments.

Why that happens is easy to understand - we're holistic beings. This means our worst mental frustrations often manifest themselves as physical ailments such as aggravated hypertension. This isn't empty psychobabble, but rather a finding that's been long substantiated by the medical fraternity. For instance, consider this interesting piece I came across today:

Stress Education Center - Article on stress related high blood pressure,panic,anxiety,stress,chronic pain,stress reduction: "High Blood Pressure - Hypertension
Article by L. John Mason, Ph.D.

Hypertension is not just a disease of aging. Young men and women can suffer from its damaging, sometimes killing, effects. Please do not take this condition lightly. Get it treated as soon as possible before it creates lasting damage and adversely effects your life as you do age.

High blood pressure can be a very dangerous, and often untreated, symptom of stress. In fact, perhaps 70% of all high blood pressure problems are related to emotional responses to difficult or dangerous situations. When this response becomes habituated by your body, the prolonged high blood pressure can lead to long term permanent physical damage such as hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), heart, strokes, liver, or kidney damage. These can be very serious and very scary, but many people do not know they have high blood pressure or do not treat this potential killer disease. "

You might want to read the entire article by Dr Mason.

What he describes is precisely what I've gone through myself. It's a classic case of 'been there, felt that'! Because I've been thinking about this sad phenomenon, I decided to put down my own thoughts on 'paper'. The result is a brief, exploratory article that examines the possibility of High Blood Pressure Reduction Through Personal Process Management. The approach I take is derived from my personal experiences and numerous client encounters that suggest the two keys to making things permanently better is accurately understanding and effectively applying core goal-setting skills.

If you read my article entitled High Blood Pressure Reduction Via Goal-Setting and Personal Process Management, please let me know what you think and what your own experiences have been in this area. I'm interested to find out and I'm sure you're own perspective is one that will benefit other readers of The Cool Time and Money Blog.

Thanks and take care.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

How Much Life Insurance Do You Really Need?

2006-03-09T21:48:00.000+08:00

Hi! In yesterday's posting I pointed you to an article I wrote that aimed to help you Understand the Role of Life Insurance in your overall financial plan. If you haven't read that yet, you might want to, before focusing on the concrete steps that will finally allow you to answer this burning question:

How Much Life Insurance Do You Really Need?

I hope you find this article useful, too.

If you do, it might make sense for you to point out this message or that article to any of your friends who are currently under intense scrutiny by life insurance agents eager to make a sale!

That way, your buddies will at least have the basic information needed to make a sensible decision as to whether or not they truly need any more life insurance. Some will; some won't.

For those who do, at least after carrying out the simple calculations I outline in the article, they'll finally have a decent idea of how much more is necessary. It is silly to go overboard and buy too much life insurance because doing so channels funds away from the wealth accumulation part of the entire financial planning equation - which comprises three major components: wealth protection, wealth accumulation and wealth distribution.

When I spend time with my own consulting clients, I try and inspire them to look beyond their current financial challenges out toward a future when they are successful enough to be fully self-insured. It's amazing to watch a glint of hope surface in eyes that have long been clouded over by persistent financial burdens and fears.

I then often have to gently bring some of my re-inspired clients back down to earth by reminding them of the question that still needs to be answered. Happy reading.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

Understand the Role of Life Insurance

2006-03-08T23:08:00.000+08:00

Hi! It always astounds me that even though the two words 'life insurance' are bandied about a lot, relatively few people truly understand the key reasons why most people should own some!

If you're the same or are just curious about this important financial instrument, you'll want to read this article I wrote to help you Understand the Role of Life Insurance.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

How To Stay Focused on Goal-Setting

2006-03-07T23:39:00.000+08:00

Hi! If you've read much of my writing on goals, you'll know that I fully concur with Brian Tracy who has described goal-setting as 'the master skill of success'.

One thing I've learnt over many years of focusing on the method and power of goal-setting is that it is relatively easy to start but harder to continue. If you face the same challenges most people do in simply beginning to implement this awesome life skill, you might like to read a few of my articles on the subject of setting and achieving goals.

I'm constantly on the look out for great lessons on the subject because of the direct link between long-term success and the ability to set goals. If you'd like to learn the very best of what I've learnt, implemented and taught so far on this awesome subject, you're welcome to read my book on goal-setting, which was designed to act as the first book on the subject a person would want to pick up.

But after the basics have been digested, there is still more to learn. And that's why even though I've written my primer on the subject, there is so very much more for me to absorb. The key to excellence here is a commitment to lifelong learning.

So, as part of my own research on the subject, I was delighted to find, only yesterday, the site GoalsSuccess.com, which houses the blog Goal Setting Tips and Advice. The blogger is Josh Hinds, and the material in his blog is awesome.

I don't mind telling you that even though I earn a sizable chunk of my income teaching people about goal-setting through one-on-one consulting and one-to-many speaking engagements, there is a great deal I can learn from Josh's blog. You should check it out too! You'll enjoy it.

If you're feeling particularly generous, please come back here soon to The Cool Time and Money Blog and tell us what you've learnt about goal-setting from Josh's site, my free articles or my book.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

Financial Planning Testimonial for the GET BETTER ezine

2006-03-07T01:56:00.000+08:00

Hi! I recently had the most pleasant surprise. A long-time subscriber of my weekly GET BETTER ezine, which focuses on helping readers from around the world improve their skills in financial planning, goal-setting and time management, wrote this delightful message to me. I checked with her, and she said I could share it with you. Happy reading:

Dear Rajen,

I have enjoyed reading your free articles and 'Get Better' e-zine since April 2005, I am putting that advice into practice and there has been a noticeable difference in my financial situation and attitude towards money and wealth in general.

I really appreciate you making this advice available for free, as I am not currently in a position to be able to pay for such help. I am also trying to 'teach' your advice to my 2 sons, age 21 and 18.

My suggestion for future free articles is this:- financial planning and goal-setting for teenagers.

With kind regards from,

Marina Rische (UK)

Needless to say, that message pretty much made my day! If you'd like to read some of the financial planning related posts I've made here, please use the menu I've put together for you that categorises my messages. Do write a comment or ask a question, if you like, and I'll certainly try to get back to you. Bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

How To Use My Menu

2006-03-07T00:07:00.000+08:00

It doesn't matter how great the information here may be, if you can't find it easily.

That's why I've spent quite a bit of time today categorising my posts here in The Cool Time and Money Blog.

If you're dropping by for the first time, please consider this a BIG, warm welcome! My name's Rajen Devadason, and I'm a licensed financial planner currently living in sunny, equatorial Malaysia. I also own the life planning resource site, www.FreeCoolArticles.com, which contains free articles on three main subjects:

Financial planning
Goal-setting and
Time Management

The information you'll find here is categorised into those same categories... plus a GENERAL tab for messages or posts that don't quite fit into any one category or that involve more than one of them.

All you need do is check out the sidebar on the right and look for the section clearly marked EASY REFERENCE - RAJEN'S POSTS BY CATEGORY - you might need to scroll down a little.

Have fun exploring, and happy reading!

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Free Tips for Time Management

2006-03-06T01:15:00.000+08:00

Hi! I thought you might be interested in learning about some Free Tips for Time Management.

The ability to manage our time well is tantamount to managing our entire lives well. Think about it:

Would you consider yourself super-rich if you had $40,000? Probably not. That's simply because 40,000 isn't really that big a number.

What if I gave you a day to complete a major project? You'd probably complain, saying a day isn't very long. And you'd be right.

Do you realise that your entire life on Earth is likely to be shorter than 40,000 days? Because only 'grown ups' are likely to be reading The Cool Time and Money Blog, that means we have a lot less than those 40,000 days left - perhaps only 25,000 or 10,000 or just 5,000. God alone knows, but we do have the ability to take proactive steps to learn how to manage whatever time we have left on Earth well... hopefully very well.

All the best.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Free Courses

2006-03-05T14:54:00.000+08:00

Hi!

Welcome to The Cool Time and Money Blog.

If you're dropping by for the first time, it's great to have you here! My name's Rajen Devadason, and I'm a licensed financial planner currently living in sunny, equatorial Malaysia. I also own the life planning resource site, www.FreeCoolArticles.com, which contains free articles on three main subjects:

Financial planning
Goal-setting and
Time Management

In case you're interested, I've also written or co-written nine books so far, with a couple more in the pipeline.

The purpose of this particular message is to touch base with you and to ask what kind of educational material you might like me to develop for you in the core areas of financial planning, goal-setting and time management.

I have already written a 5-day time management eCourse that you're welcome to help yourself to. In the midst of my busy-ness, I'm now unsure whether I should next develop a free financial planning or a free goal-setting eCourse for my readers. If you have a preference and would actually like to receive one or both such courses from me, I'd like you to perhaps do 4 things:

Leave a comment here letting me know what your preference is - a free financial planning or a free goal-setting eCourse. The format will follow that of my time management eCourse entitled How to Manage Your Time & Regain Your Life.
Let me know why you want such help. For instance, are you facing major challenges in figuring out the steps needed to start a savings programme, or figuring out what a net worth statement is, or focusing on what you want to do in life, or deciding on the type of legacy you want to leave behind?
Check back here at The Cool Time and Money Blog regularly - perhaps a couple of times a week or even more frequently - to read my answers to any questions you may pose in those 3 core areas, as well as to receive information on when my next free eCourse is developed and launched, and how to receive it.
While waiting for me to collate the results of my readers' feedback, you are welcome to take my time management eCourse.

The best way to do number 3 and check back here quickly and easily would be to either bookmark this URL, or to subscribe to my site feed by pressing one of the subscribe to site feed buttons on the right.

This blog is here to serve you, so if you do want its help I look forward to hearing from you.

Bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

A Secret of Time Management

2006-03-05T00:45:00.000+08:00

Hi!

Why do you think the best time managers agree that goals play a pivotal role in the process of managing our time?

I'd like to hear your personal ideas on the subject, so please continue reading for a suggestion on how you can formulate and crystalise them logically before sharing those you want to tell all readers of The Cool Time and Money Blog.

My own belief is that it doesn't matter how efficient we become in our day-to-day management of activity. We'll still never get 'it all done'. Why?

Because our lives are simply too complex and too busy to allow for full completion of everything that ever lands onto our IN tray or for that matter even into our IN box!

This tells us that the path of wisdom toward true time management enlightenment leads us away from searching for some arbitrary key to maximise personal efficiency. Instead, it leads us in search of tools that will help us live truly effective lives.

As you might know, efficiency is doing things right, while effectiveness is doing the right thing. Both are needed, but certainly being effective is of greater importance than merely being efficient.

How do we become effective,then?

Well, figuring out what we want out of life is a great start. And that is the very heart of personal and corporate goal-setting. If we take any such exercise - whether through formal journaling or simply scribbling our dreams on the nearest scrap of paper - to its logical conclusion, the result is a set of goals that we deem important.

If you'd like specific guidance in this area, you're welcome to begin your journey by reading free goal-setting articles I've written over the years.

From a time management perspective, having a well-formulated list of goals acts as the best form of activity filter cum decision maker. Since we can never get everything done, anyway, it makes sense to focus our limited time on the activities that help us move toward our key goals. It will profit you greatly to memorise this entire paragraph in a bid to internalise it.

What I've shared here is a simple idea, which I learnt from the legendary Brian Tracy. But please note it is simple to understand once it has been taught, yet it is by no means simplistic!

So, tell me honestly is that how you schedule your activities for any particular day? Probably not.

If you'd like to adopt this strategy, please try this simple trick:

Write down a list of your 5 most important short-term goals, 5 most crucial mid-term goals and 5 most desired long-term goals. Put that list of 15 goals inside your diary or paper organiser or slide it into the carrying case of your electronic organiser.

Each evening before you leave work, take a few minutes to think through everything that is calling out for your attention the following day. Cross-check them against your goals list. Then be hard-nosed enough to ONLY schedule those 'projects' that will move you closer to you goals.

That then begs the question, what about the rest of that long, long list of daily to-do items? Ignore or delegate them!

Try this time management tip for a week.

Then write to me here (in a comment) on how things have worked out for you during this important personal experiment.

I look forward to learning from you!

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Goal-Setting Unleashed

2006-03-04T02:16:00.000+08:00

Hi! Most of us know a little about goal-setting; some of us even know a lot about this crucial life skill.

Sadly, mere head knowledge isn't enough. If we want to make certain we move beyond simply knowing about goals or only setting lots of them, we'll need to figure out how to go about achieving our most important, heartfelt goals.

To do so, a very specific set of skills must be learnt and applied daily.

You're welcome to ask questions on the subject right here, using the Comment facility. Alternatively, if you're at that crossroads in your life where your craving for success is greater than your fear of it, please take note that Goal-Setting Unleashed is the central theme behind a book I've written on this amazing subject.

I believe you'll enjoy it.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Rajen Devadason is CEO of RD Book Projects and its sister company RD WealthCreation Sdn Bhd. He lives in sunny, peaceful Malaysia with his gorgeous wife Rachel. He's a Malaysian Securities Commission-licensed financial planner, a life planning consultant, a professional speaker and a serial author... which probably explains why he's so exhausted! Some of his books are available here.

A Tool To Increase Your Economic Value In Our Knowledge Economy

2006-03-03T01:13:00.000+08:00

Hi!

I'm making a guess here, but I'll bet that since you've taken the trouble to stop by The Cool Time and Money Blog, you're a knowledge worker of some sort whose long-term economic health (translation: lifetime wealth) is closely tied to your ability to acquire, digest and internalise new information, and to then use that new knowledge in a productive fashion.

If my stab in the dark is correct, then I think you'll find this excerpt from an old USA Today (August 1st 2005) article interesting:

USATODAY.com - RSS feeds college students' diet for research:
"RSS feeds college students' diet for research

By Anh Ly, Gannett News Service

Lilangi Ediriwickrema, 21, peruses summaries of the latest articles about stem cell research. She quickly dismisses the first three articles but pauses on the fourth before clicking to read the entire story.

Pluck can notify you when a Web page includes an RSS feed, making it easy to subscribe to the feed and track its contents.
Pluck.com

A time stamp on the corner reveals the article was posted just two minutes earlier.

'It saves me a lot of time and energy,' says Ediriwickrema, an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania. 'I can quickly find what I'm looking for without having to go from Web site to Web site, and I get the most up-to-date information.'

Ediriwickrema is part of the growing number of on-the-go, sleep-deprived students who recognize the value of an Internet technology called RSS and are milking its benefits for use in the classroom. "

It may take a little while before the usage of what's referred to in that excerpt as RSS becomes as widespread as email, but some Internet pundits believe that day will come. Scott Paton of the Internet Marketing Center, for instance, reckons the chief catalyst of this will be the world's richest man. Apparently, Bill Gates is planning to make bookmarking RSS feeds as easy as bookmarking web pages is today via some variant of a Favorites tab in the next iteration of Internet Explorer, which will be IE 7.

Let's see what happens in the coming months. Anyway, it might interest you to know that my personal understanding of RSS was that it stood for Really Simple Syndication. That's certainly what most people assume it officially stands for. But I've also come across one reference which said it can alternatively stand for Rich Site Summary and something else even more opaque.

Most of us truly couldn't care less, either way! Most days, I don't either!

The reason I bring this up today is simple:

The intentionally tight focus of The Cool Time and Money Blog on:

Financial planning;
Goal-setting; and
Time Management

means that it appeals to certain site visitors who look upon this blog, its associated site www.FreeCoolArticles.com, which provides the online reading populace with free articles on financial planning, goal-setting and time management, and my weekly GET BETTER ezine as a growing, hopefully increasingly rich, store of content.

The flip side is that my blog, my site and my ezine will not appeal to those who aren't interested in those three key life planning disciplines, which is perfectly OK - this is a (more or less) free planet!

If you're unsure if my material is worth returning for, you're welcome to dig a little deeper to figure out who I am.

And, if you like, at my main business site www.RajenDevadason.com you'll also be able to read what others think about my material. I'll leave it to you to decide what to do then.

Should you opt to make The Cool Time and Money Blog a part of your regular journey through cyberspace for education, edification and entertainment, it might make it a little easier for you if you take note of three ways to gain access to my information:

You can always just visit the main URL, which is
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/ and bookmark it; or
You can make a note of this slightly longer piece of code,
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com/atom.xml, which is what RSS readers need to be able to pick The Cool Time and Money Blog out of the billions of web pages that now exist in cyberspace.
Or most painless of all, you can simply click on one of the little buttons on the right sidebar of this page under the words 'Your Warmly Invited to Subscribe...' or even on those words themselves. But for those to work, you'll need to have some place to send the information to such as a My Yahoo or My MSN account, so that would need to be opened first. Doing so is relatively painless and you can get a feel for it simply by visiting Yahoo or MSN.

Sigh, I apologise for making this the most technical post I've written so far, but I thought it made sense to address the issue today. If all this has done is given you a headache, please forgive me. If you're still up to reading free articles, please do drop by here.

Take care and have a great day info-trawling!

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Take A Time Management Quiz

2006-03-02T15:28:00.000+08:00

Hi! It's great to have you drop by The Cool Time and Money Blog.

The ability to manage time is a skill that can make our lives so much better. And the inability to do so will doom us to economic mediocrity!

You're probably already familiar with the 80-20 Rule, which is also called the Pareto Principle.

If you aren't, in essence it states that 80% of the benefits you will ever derive from anything will stem from just 20% of the activities related to that 'thing'. The mirror situation is also true. For instance, in manufacturing concerns, 80% of rejects arise from just 20% of the entire process.

This principle was first formulated by the fiercely bearded Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who lived from 1848-1923. Even though his area of study was income distribution within society, clearly over the ensuing decades many more applications of his principle have been discovered.

Not surprisingly then, the Pareto Principle has also been found to apply to the field of time management. The problem most of us have, however, is correctly identifying which 20% of our normal habits or tendencies cause 80% of our time management woes. Well, I did some research and found this great FREE time management quiz by a highly qualified coach and organisational problem solver named Dr Barbara Reinhold, which does just that! Take it!

I think you'll find the quiz's results eye-opening. If, however, you also find the results disturbing, you'll find help for your time management woes in my ebook UNSHACKLED. Check it out, but only invest in it if you find the benefits of time management compelling to you.

All the best in becoming a better time manager. I wish you well.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Setting Big Goals

2006-03-01T17:51:00.000+08:00

Hi!

Because I'm a financial planner, many people get a little confused when they learn that I started a site that contains free articles on not only financial planning but also goal-setting and time management.

What confuses them, I think, is that this trek beyond the admittedly deep waters of financial planning seems unrelated. But I don't see it that way.

As I explain in an article entitled Set Those BIG Goals Today, the best definition I know of financial planning comes from the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. It goes:

"Financial planning is the process of meeting your life goals through the proper management of your finances."

All it takes is for someone to think about that simple yet vitally important definition and couple it with Benjamin Franklin's observation that, "Time is Money," to realise the tight interconnections between the three disciplines of financial planning, goal-setting and time management.

The CFP definition makes it clear that financial planning must centre on the realisation of important goals - LIFE goals, no less! Therefore, my inclusion of goal-setting articles at www.FreeCoolArticles.com makes sense... to me, at least. Please let me know what you think!

I've spent a lot of time and money learning as much as I can about the nature and power of goals. Beyond a doubt, the single best resource I've ever come across in this endeavour has to be Brian Tracy's book GOALS! As Brian puts it, "Success is goals, and all else is commentary."

(I think his teaching material is awesome; I'm sure many of you reading this will have already found this out for yourself. For those who haven't, don't take my word for it - do yourself a favour and check out his books and programmes for yourself.)

Within the context of my consulting practice, I have learnt that there needs to be a very careful methodology adhered to when setting major life goals.

The best way I know to illustrate this is to ask:

Have you ever striven hard to achieve something awesome, finally succeeded against overwhelming odds, and then found that the sweet taste of victory turned to chalk in your mouth?

I have! So have many of my clients.

This is what I've since learnt - If you want to avoid that sorry state, remember to add one more step to all your goal-setting activities - always have goals beyond your goals. (And, yes, I learnt that from Brian, too!) For instance, a major goal within the larger sphere of financial planning is retirement planning. But I'm sure you know of people who have worked hard for decades, retired to a life of financial ease, and then faced a shocking, debilitating loss of direction and significance. Many who don't figure out a way to overcome this immense problem die relatively early.

We all need to keep striving... it is the way I believe God chose to hardwire us.

Finally, the way I see it, all this intelligent financial management, goal-setting and significance-targeting takes place within the vista of time. So, please let me know how you've approached your personal time management challenges.

Bye for now!

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Why Cashflow Is King!

2006-02-28T22:09:00.000+08:00

Hi! As I write this, the water supply in my town of Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, is disrupted. Sigh!

My office hasn't had running water all day and my home is experiencing low pressure in the mains.

Apparently, there's some work being done on the pipes at a nearby reservoir, so I believe we should get back our normal water supply within a few hours. Until that happens, we'll need to rely primarily on water stored in the reserve tank.

This situation has got me thinking about the tremendous freedom people experience when they have strong sources of income pumping cashflow into their lives, and of the extreme terror they experience when they go through a phase of having little or no cashflow.

There are essentially two primary categories of cashflow - active and passive.

The terms are self-explanatory, but for the sake of completeness let me just elaborate a little:

Active cashflow comes from the sweat of our brow - from our salary for a job or profits from a business we run directly.
Passive income, which is by far my favourite - flows from our savings and investment portfolios, rental properties and businesses we don't need to get involved in regularly.

So, which type of income contributes mainly to your current economic wellbeing? Which type would you like to come to the fore in the next five or ten years?

It may be depressing, but it is vital that each of us bites the bullet and asks this painful question: "What's the situation in my life right now?"

In case you want it, here is a follow-on question you can then ask yourself...

"Am I in the happy position of being able to say that if one particular source of money dries up, I'll have a few others that will tide me over as I look for ways to unclog the problematic channel or even to lay a fresh pipeline from some other source?"

What's tragic is that the average person simply isn't prepared for the possible drying up of his or her primary source of cashflow. While I was thinking about this, I did a bit of surfing and came across an awesome blog entitled 'In Cash Flow We Trust'. It's written by Steve Mertz of Denver, Colorado, USA, who used to be an investment advisor. He now speaks on money across the US. I think you'll enjoy Steve's blog. Here's how to get there:

http://incashflowwetrust.blogspot.com/

Just in case you plan on returning here to The Cool Time and Money Blog, you might want to try the old faithful keyboard combination of Control + D to bookmark this page. If you do that, I suggest you also organise this bookmark under some appropriate heading like 'Rajen's blog' or 'Useful blog' or 'Blog to free articles'... whatever makes sense to you.

OK, if you are serious about wanting to make a start on expanding your cashflow resources, you're welcome to read this free article entitled Create Many Income Streams For Yourself. And if you're super-serious about putting together a goal-setting programme that will help you move toward that hoped for destination of achieving true financial freedom, then the lessons taught in my goal-setting ebook UNLEASHED might be helpful to you.

Have fun reading. I wish you all the best in your push toward true financial freedom.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Enjoy This Free Time Management Course

2006-02-28T18:29:00.000+08:00

Welcome back to The Cool Time and Money Blog.

Have you ever wished you could squeeze 36 or even 48 hours into a single day, just so that you could 'get it ALL done'? If your answer is yes, then we're in the same boat!

Unfortunately, just like you, I've found I can't add even a single nano second to any one of my packed, busy days!

What I have found, however, is that if I take the 'time' and force myself to focus on just a few core time management skills, that process eventually allows me to get more of the truly important things in my life done.

I'll be honest with you, I'm still not as effective as I would like to be. But I am better than I used to be... so that's something, I guess! You see, now at least, those things that fall by the wayside are the less important items on my ever overflowing To-Do List, and not the less urgent but more important projects that have the potential to improve things dramatically by helping me reach my major life goals.

So, if you're interested, a few of the best lessons I've learnt about time management are found in my free 5-day eCourse entitled:

"How To Manage Your Time & Regain Your Life"

You're welcome to learn about this free time management course here.

But, while you're right here, I'd be interested to find out what your major time management challenges have been and what effective strategies you've learnt to employ in your personal bid to get vital things done in a timely, sensible fashion.

If you have the time(!), please share those challenges and strategies with those who pop by here intermittently to read this blog. I'll certainly look out for your comments as I know that there's a great deal I can learn from you. Bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Recapturing Lost Dreams Through Goal-Setting

2006-02-27T10:31:00.000+08:00

Hi!

If I had to pick a single life skill that I believe is the most important of all, I'd have to choose 'effective goal-setting'. With this skill, even people without a firm educational base can catapult themselves to the highest reaches of personal success.

But... without the ability to set effective goals, I've seen phenomenally smart, superbly qualified individuals spend huge chunks of their lives trapped in frustrating mediocrity.

What's strange is that it isn't all that hard to learn this vital life skill. I guess the real issue is how badly we yearn to achieve dreams we cherished as kids!

If that strikes a chord with you, then you might enjoy reading this article on recapturing lost dreams.

Ciao!

Warmest regards,

Rajen

The 6 Steps of the Financial Planning Process

2006-02-26T23:26:00.000+08:00

Hi, again!

I thought you might find it useful to consider the steps that should be taken whenever you deal with a professional financial planner. Of course, precise approaches vary with individuals, but the official '6 Steps of the Financial Planning Process' advocated by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards is, in my opinion, a cornerstone of good practice.

So, if you decide that financial planning is something that you want to learn more about, even if only to make sure you stand a better chance of putting together a D-I-Y financial planning programme for yourself, then I'm pretty sure you'll find the official CFP website, www.cfp.net, a useful one to know about.

According to that Board of Standards, those 6 steps are:

Establish the client-planner relationship
Gather data
Analyse the data
Develop a plan or a few possible plans
Implement the chosen plan
Monitor the plan

Of course, if you decide to go down the do-it-yourself (D-I-Y) route, then all you'll need to do to fulfill step 1 is smile at the person in the mirror! It may take a long time to go through all 6 steps but making a start on them will increase the chances that over the long haul you and your family have a better life.

To help you make a tangibly useful start today, if you want to, here's something that you might find helpful:

If you'd like to learn a little bit about how to set up a reserve account, or what I refer to as an emergency buffer account, you're welcome to do so here.

Till next time...

Warmest regards,

Rajen

Welcome to The Cool Time and Money Blog

2006-02-26T22:51:00.000+08:00

Hi! It's so nice of you to drop by The Cool Time and Money Blog.

My name's Rajen Devadason. I'm a licensed financial planner based in sunny, equatorial Malaysia.

I also own the life planning resource site, www.FreeCoolArticles.com, which contains free articles on three main subjects:

Financial planning
Goal-setting and
Time Management

These articles tend to be read by people from around the world who need quick, easy tips on those subjects. You're welcome to drop by there anytime and read whatever articles strike your fancy. Chances are high, I reckon, that you'll find something of interest to you and, perhaps more importantly, information of value to your family's long-term wellbeing.

But, since you're right here right now, please stick around and check out my blog! Read some posts, click on links, bookmark it, and come back as often as you like... I'll be right here!

Oh..., I almost forgot! If you'd like to leave a comment or observation about anything you read here, or about financial planning, goal-setting and time management in general, please do so! This space exists just as much for you as it does for me.

As with all things in life, we'll reap what we sow! Stay well and bye for now.

Warmest regards,

Rajen