Give me more!

If you have been feeling that no amount of money seems to make your ends meet, you may find the following article interesting.

At times, it's our choices and perception that makes life look difficult for us.

http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/bypHVZtCzxMDSSHGv4GfVM/Less-for-more-in-life.html

Choose your password carefully

ATM pin is a critical security tool in your hands. Make it as unique and unpredictable as possible.

An article on choosing the right pin.


Business Line : News : ATM Pin: Avoid birth date, numerical sequences

Get rid of your burden

Mr. X is in his early forties. He works for an engineering company and has a gross salary of more than a lakh  per month. He bought an house some 3 years  back and is paying 70% of his net monthly salary as EMI. 

Whenever there is a bonus or some extra income, he  passionately gets some classical teak wood furniture for his house. Mr. X has been  dreaming of owning a car for almost two years now and unfortunately not been able to buy one because his salary hasn't grown as much in the same proportion that  he expected it to grow. (2002-2007 salary growth in India was phenomenal for most of the salaried class ).

The net salary is just enough to meet the day to day expenses and pay school fees for his only child.

He avoids travel to his native, any entertainment ,etc just because he cannot afford them. His personal loan for one lakh was recently rejected by a bank stating that he was already over leveraged .

Mr. X has no funds for any contingency expenses and his investments are  almost nil ( except for the house which he claims has increased in value). 

His EMI at the current interest rate would end 10 years from now. Whenever a colleague at the office buys a gadget or travels abroad for vacation, this person fumes.

This is a classical case of  forced poverty. If  EMI is such a big burden , one should be ready to sell the property and start "living life". Overburdening EMI can kill the essence of our life. So, please think thrice  before you commit to an EMI. When you  are caught, be ready to switch down your lifestyle and come out of  debt.

Don't be sentimental , get rid of  your burden and live peacefully.

Continue SIPs for long-term gains

Good read on SIP.


Continue SIPs for long-term gains: Exiting them in a downturn will hurt existing investments as well


For detail news click here

Free ! Free ! Free!

Yesterday, there was a news item about people jostling with each other for obtaining forms for cheap housing in Gujarat . ‘Ghar nu Ghar’ scheme (by current opposition  party in state ) of providing cheap housing to BPL families across the state has generated overwhelming response in the state.

Giving 'freebies' to middle / poor class has become a norm  for winning elections .Political parties are not the one to be blamed, public who have a never ending thirst for ' Free' items are the ones to be blamed.

In Tamil Nadu, it was free TV distribution to the public in the last regime. The latest ' gifts'  in TN  as a part of electoral promise include mixie, grinder and a table fan.

These are innovative ways to spend 'tax payer's ' money.

Fortunately or unfortunately , I got to witness one such free distribution in TN recently. There was a huge crowd at the distribution centre . The distribution was supposed to open at around 10 am. But I heard that the queue started around 4 am in the morning ( wow! look at the enthusiasm to get freebies).

Most of them in the queue , as I could judge could very well afford all that were distributed free and would probably have all these items in their home already( purchased by their hard earned money ,of course).

Every one was very clear that ' their right' to freebies should be honoured and there were strong verbal bouts when some one's name was not  figured out in the distribution list. Many had taken an off from their office keeping in mind the 'important' day. Families showed unity by taking turns to stand in the queue. Most of those in the queue were tuned to the latest music on their iPhone / Clon phones.

The autos were doing a good business that day by transporting the freebies home for a hefty charge.( Make hay while the sun shines).

This give me everything for ' Free! Free! Free!' hunger is definitely going to take our country  a long way in her development path!

PS:- When everyone was collecting the freebies , none was  worried about the lack of electricity (TN) for almost 10 hours a day without which the freebies would be of no use.  Long live democracy.

Also, Please don't ask me , " What were you doing there at the distribution center ??" :-)