Is Inflation Bad?

I have always had the concept that inflation is bad.

Recently, I dug up my old school textbook on Economics and started to read it and realised that there are actually pros and cons to inflation and that aiming for zero inflation might actually be a bad thing. Here are some of the things that I learnt:

Reducing inflation is said to require a period of high unemployment and low output. In addition, the cost of reaching zero inflation is large. When inflation is zero, the lost output translates to lost income and this does not fall proportionately across the entire population. Instead, the workers who lose their jobs are the ones who actually pull down the aggregate income. These workers are often the ones who are lower skilled and have the least expertise. At the end, the cost of a zero inflation policy is borne by the ones who can least afford it.

So do you think inflation is good or bad? The answer is actually not that simple and a huge debate is still ongoing....

Salary Poll Results

I ran a poll on this site asking readers to reveal their monthly gross salary. I gathered a total of 30 votes.

Here are the results:

a. 56% earn less than $5000

b. 30% earn between $5000 and $10000

c. 13% earn more than $10000

The poll is now closed. If respondents are willing, they can click on the Ongoing Hot Discussions tab above and look for the Salary Discussion post to reveal their occupation, working experience and gross monthly salary. Thanks!

The Little Steps You Take and the Decisions You Make

It is past midnight and I can't seem to sleep. My brain is like in SUPER overdrive mode with lots of random thoughts. This posting might be of little interest to most of you but I just needed an outlet to express my innermost thoughts and feelings. I am not sure whether some of you can relate to what I am about to share next.

Over the years, I have been increasingly aware of the little steps that I have taken that have nudged me on in a certain direction in life that I would otherwise have not taken if not for some small decision on my part. Sometimes, this decision tend to be big and sometimes, small. But nevertheless, they have all contributed to where I am today.

Studying Locally or Overseas

For one, the decision to study locally or abroad has shaped my life in many ways. I can only think of the "what ifs" of the time when I had the opportunity to go overseas and study. In fact, I had sent out a few applications and had managed to secure a place in universities like University College of London and Brown University. Alas, things did not come to pass due to the small steps I took and the little decisions that I made. And this has probably affected the way things have turned out and the way my career has panned out. Whether they have turned out for the better or for worse, I will never be able to tell. Only God knows.

The decision not to pursue my studies overseas remains one of my deepest regrets in my life. It just seems that people's perception of you are formed by them knowing which school you have graduated from. And apparently, graduating from a good overseas university is very important in traditional Singapore. At least that is my perception...

Blogging My Life Away

Just take the example of me starting to blog just for the fun of it. This has already nudged me in a certain direction and little did I know that in the span of two years, I would have made so many online friends and gotten to converse with them on many sensitive topics. Many thanks to you guys and girls! You know who you are. Again, the small decision to start a blog rolled my life in one direction and led me down a path which I never knew I would take or could take.

At the same time, I wonder whether I should quit this blogging business thing. It brings me little real income and I don't really find myself adding value to the tons and tons of information already out there on the internet. Could there be better use of my time?

Missed Opportunities

Then there are those missed opportunities in life which I keep asking myself the "what ifs". Many years ago, if I had just taken a small step in a certain direction, I might have had the opportunity to enter a business venture with a friend. That was over 5 years ago. If I had just taken that step, I could be financially free now. Seriously. And now, I can only wonder about the "what ifs". It makes me feel like kicking myself.

TWO PATHS....

At the same time, I cannot help but wonder whether my present life is actually better off or that maybe God had some other better plan installed for me and I ignored his promptings.

But I guess life is not worthwhile thinking about the path that was not taken. It is the path laid out in front of me that matters most. And I need to seize it and make it count while I am still here on earth.

The little steps you take and the decision you make will lead you to some place in life. Don't underestimate the decisions that you make today.

Success Takes Effort

Recently, this thought has struck me deeply. Success does not come easy and it certainly takes a bit of effort. Most people spend their entire lives slogging it out before success comes their way. They spend easily 20 to 30 years of their life before reaping the fruits of their labour.

I was looking at the CV of a person I respected and was amazed at the amount of things and posts he has held. I looked at his age and wondered whether I could ever achieve such things by that age. Only time will tell and if God willing, I still have twenty years of my life to either surpass him or equal him.

Success takes effort and hard work. Often, it involves years of just working at a desk, carrying out your daily job. Just some food for thought.

AXA FutureProtector High Lapse Rate

It was reported in the Straits Times today that AXA, an insurance company, is trying to claw back $7 million from local financial advisory firm Finexis.

Last year, Finexis had a promotion where they were giving away free 1 year term insurance to its customers and potential customers. This free 1 year term insurance was AXA's FutureProtector policy. Most probably unknown to AXA, Finexis gave away all these insurance policies without asking customers to pay a single cent.

This was my personal experience:

Financial Planner from Finexis: "I got free insurance to give you. Just sign it here and after 1 year cancel it. Free, why not just take it. $200K coverage."

Me: "Okay lor"

I readily signed up for the free insurance from Finexis with the mindset to cancel the policy after 1 year. Afterall, that was what I was told to do. In fact, just this year, the agent sent me a giro cancellation form so that I could cancel off the policy as agreed upon. But I had no use for the form as I had already informed the bank beforehand to cancel off the giro agreement at the start of the year.

So now we know the repercussions of giving away free insurance. I am pretty certain that many of those who took up the free insurance just lapsed their policies as they saw no need for that protection at all in the first place. The only reason they took it up was because it was given totally free of charge without them having to purchase any other policy at all. We Singaporeans love free stuff =)

Salary Discussion

How much does a normal or average Singaporean earn? Based on median income, that is supposed to be $2,400 per month and raised to over $3000 by 2020 (Government's projection). I am not sure whether that is the actual case and have created a poll. Hopefully, more people will take part in the poll and "reveal" their salary.

I guess it will also useful for people who are thinking of switching jobs and are too afraid to ask others what their pay is like. Based on a recent survey published in Straits Times, people looking for jobs tend to view salary and career progression as fairly important factors when considering a job. In addition, they are looking for "work-life balance".

Here are some "statistics"of gross monthly salary that I know of based on conversations with friends and family:

1. Trained Teacher ($4000 plus, degree holder)

2. Stat Board (fresh grad, $3000)

3. Ministries (fresh grad, $3000 ++)

4. Secretary for SME (fresh grad, <$2,500)

5. Engineer (fresh grad, $3000)

6. Teaching Assistant, NUS (fresh grad $2,500)

7. Recruitment consultant (with commissions, $4000-$5000 after 1-2 years)

8. DXO in Mindef ($3200, fresh grad)

9. Tuition Teacher ($1000 to $10000+, depending on level taught and no. of students)

10. Bancassurance in bank ($4000 with experience)

11. Insurance agents ($2000-$15000, depending on commissions)

12. Property agents ($2000 - $20,000 , depending on sales)

13. Pastor ($3000)

14. Taxi Driver ($3,500)

15. Admin staff in MNC ($2,600 fresh grad)

16. Secret agents ($5000, fresh grad)

17. A*Star (fresh grad, $3500)

18. Sales Engineer ($4000)

19. Big 4 accounting firm (fresh grad, <$3000)

The figures above are "hear-say" figures and might not be entirely accurate. These are based on my conversations with people and what they accidentally reveal over the years when they complain about pay or are discussing about changing jobs.

Of course, there are a whole slew of other factors like performance bonus and yearly increment. But I guess the "wisdom" about all these matters are really out there in the market and only known by those who are working in that particular industry.

Perhaps people will feel free to share anonymously on their income and the qualifications they hold (including no. of years worked).

Surrendering Insurance Policies?

I read the news article a few weeks back about insurance agents/financial planner shifting around the various companies in Singapore with handsome buyout clauses and stuff. These insurance agents get paid lots of money just to jump ship from one insurance company to another company.

While that might be a concern to most people, it is important to note that if your insurance agent has switched companies, he or she is not supposed to induce you to lapse or surrender your existing insurance policies and buy a new policy from them. This unethical agents are just out to earn extra commission as they no longer earn the trailer commissions that they would have earned if they had stayed with the same company. When they join a new insurance company, they start from ground zero all again and have to start building up their client base all over again. The fastest and easiest way that they go about doing this is to ask their previous clients to take up new policies with them, often citing the benefits of doing so.

Some of them might even suggest that they can continue to "take care" of you. That is not the case as the insurance policy contract that one purchases and owns is an agreement between the insurance company and you. The insurance agent is just a distributor and does not own the clients in a legal sense. When your insurance agent leaves the industry or leaves the company, the insurance company will get another insurance agent to "service" you. If all else fails, just call the customer service hotline. That is the usual way I find out information and it is much faster than going through your insurance agent.

In the insurance industry, this malpractice of replacing old policies with new policies has led to agents being caught and fired. Many have also been disillusioned by the unethical conduct and have left the industry or lamblasted the industry. However, the practice is still very widespread. I have met with many insurance agents before and all of them have at certain points in time asked me to surrender one of my existing policy to buy a "better and newer" policy from them. This happens even when I have met IFAs.

This point has been elaborated by Mr Tan KL before at his blog. In most cases, surrendering your insurance policy does not make sense. This is especially so if you are asked to buy a similar insurance policy to replace the policy that you have surrendered or lapsed.

From a monetary point of view, it is very difficult to justify surrendering a policy for another policy. Always remember to get a 2nd or 3rd opinion when in doubt so that you can make a more informed decision. Better still, ask people like me who are not in the industry and you will probably get a more informed and independent opinion. Of course, you will have to buy me coffee =) .........Just kidding..