Trump Card

Previous Post

Beginning of this Blog

Next Post

It's tangible, it's solid, it's beautiful. It's artistic, from my standpoint, and I just love real estate.

              Donald Trump - Real Estate Tycoon


Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's, was asked to speak to the MBA class. He asked that class a question that sounded quite rhetorical at first.
"What business am I in?" Ray asked,.
"Most of the MBA students thought Ray was just fooling around and did not expect that he wanted an answer."
So Ray asked the question again. "What business do you think I'm in?"
The students laughed again, and kid replied, "Ray, who in the world does not know that you're in the hamburger business."
Ray chuckled. "That is what I thought you would say." He paused and then quickly said, 'ladies and gentlemen, I'm not in the hamburger business. My business is real estate."
Ray Kroc, ensured that the person that bought the franchise was also paying for, buying, the land under the franchise for Ray Kroc's organization.
This is one asset that we should have in our portfolio if we need to get out of this rat race. Our money has to make money for us, make it work for you.
Let me explain, lets say you are earning a salary of $4000 in the year 1990. You have a saving of $1000 per month. Lets assume that this is a constant and for the next 10 years you have this savings and no untoward emergencies came about to eat into this savings.
So at $1000 per month, you save $12000 so over 10 years you have saved $120000. Sounds good. So what you have saved is what you have earned over 10 long years. What has the money done for you other than just accumulating in a bank vault and probably earning some interest? Nothing.
Now lets look at another approach to this. You save $1000 per month in 1990 and by 1995 you have saved about $60000. Then you think of investing this amount, so that this money makes money for you. You look for a real estate bargain, after doing considerable study you find a land which in the next five years will yield you good return. You purchase a 1200 sq ft of plot for $50 per sq ft. You spend $60000 and purchase this money churner. Now you have started the money spinning wheel. Over the span of 5 years this area has made considerable development. The plot of land you bought for $50 is now worth $250 and the prices are still rising due to demand. So now instead of parking your money in the bank you have changed the numbers considerably.
For the plot of land, it worth now at $300000 and for the next five years from 1995-2000 you continued saving and accumulated another $60000. So in all you amassed $360000.
What you have done here is just made your hard earned money work for you. In the above example, there are many other aspects that I have not considered. You would have salary hikes, bonuses, other investments opportunities, taxation, and housing loan. Housing loan is another aspect if worked out intelligently, the returns would be even better. The price of the land would have even hiked to a $1000 or may be $150. One thing is certain though, if the land is legal without any hassles, it will definitely appreciate over a 5 year period.
This is why it’s called ‘Real Estate’ because this is one asset that is for real. It just cannot be taken away that easily or stolen.
Having said this, there is always the cautionary measure that one as an individual has to take before investing in any kind of asset or market. As long as this effort is put in real estate is one important asset that each one of us should have in our portfolio to come out of the rat race. It’s your Trump Card. Go play it.
So what are you waiting for make that lazy money you have earned working to work for you? Enough of sitting around!!!

Previous Post

Beginning of this Blog

Next Post

Office Space

Previous Post

Beginning of this Blog

Next Post

Let’s look at the 9-5 world that most of us live in. Have you ever thought about this statistics? Most of us have an 8 hour work pattern in a day. Now for the lucky few your workplace would be very close to your house, now those are the really lucky ones, the blessed soul. For the rest of us lets say it takes about an hour to travel to work. So that’s two hours of travelling. I know people who have to put in four to 5 hours of travel. And then there are those who wake up at 5 and leave for work by 5 30 or so and by the time they come back its 11. No time for the family and the next day the same ‘Back to the Grind’ routine starts. So for those who take one hour to commute to work its two hours dedicated for the travel. We need to put in at least 8 hours of sleep, let’s take 7 hours as an average. So 17 hours of our day are dedicated to just earning a living. With people who most probably will just remain as colleagues and nothing to do with the personal life. And these 10 hours is what governs most of our decisions. Sad but true isn’t.



If you have a manager who is humane enough to interact on a personal level then you are lucky. Again may be a lucky few, I guess, who are privileged with a good manager. This again is an amazing part of this rat race. You don’t choose your manager; they are just thrown upon you. You are working with a manager for a few years and you think that finally you have figured this guy out and know how to manage him to get your priorities sorted out. Suddenly you walk into the office one day and a lightning jolt hits you from somewhere and its decided that from today onwards Mr. X is no longer your manager and Mr. Y is your manager. So now you spend another 3 years or more or ‘may be never’ trying to figure this guy out. Did you choose this to be part of your life, I guess not. That’s just the way it is. And when this happens this situation takes control over the life that actually matters, your personal life, and those precious 7 hours. You take this frustration out on this ‘7 hours’ of personal life that you have. And you usually end up making a mess of that precious time that you have. Who is the cause of this? Somebody you wouldn’t give a damn about. Why is this so? We are bogged down by that one thing that gives us the income to make our life work. To give your family the basic needs, to cherish those good things that life has to offer. If this stops, your life just comes to a stand still. So we end up having a life where we are not allowed to choose the life we want.

Previous Post

Beginning of this Blog

Next Post

The Beginning

Previous Post

Beginning of this Blog

Next Post

‘Rat Race’, this phrase has come to be a permanent fixture in my dictionary since the day I read ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’, a fantastic self help book by Robert Kiyosaki. Since then the way I look at my finances has changed. It has changed my perspective on why we go to work, should we? I would recommend each one of you, who follow this blog and relate to it, to have this book in your collection.



Since that day about five years ago, I have been on this quest to get out of the rat race. This blog is dedicated to writing on everyday occurrence that signifies this rat race we all are in [Well, most of us].



Now what is the ‘Rat Race’, you may ask. Well simply put, here is what I call a ‘Rat Race’.



The alarm bell rings at 6 am [For some it rings may be at 5,4 or for the lucky few 7 or later]. Now that ringing in your ears, when you are lost somewhere in your dream world is like the gun going of at the beginning of a marathon. The only difference between the actual marathon and this one is that the marathon has a designated finish line.

In our marathon, the finish line is not designated, it’s not drawn anywhere, it’s not decided by you. Then who decides it? It is mostly decided by your family, your financial liabilities, your ambitions and the list just goes on and on.



Sadly, for most of us there is no finish line, because as we keep running in this race, we are dragged even further into a whirlpool of liabilities that just ensures that the finish line keeps getting farther and farther. It’s as though the finish line is running a marathon as well.



Now where was I, Yes, explaining the ‘Rat Race’? Most of you would have already got the gist of what I am referring to. The alarm rings, you wake up, get into the wash room, get on with doing the ‘got to do’ routines. Put on your tie and suit or whatever that your 9-5 job demands and start off.



I will keep the 9-5 routine of this race for a later stage. That is the part which really is interesting and it would be different for each one of us, I am sure.



Then we come back from the 9-5 part of the ‘RR’, and if you live in a city like New York, Bombay and the likes, then by the time you reach home you have exhausted all your energy. Then for those who have a family waiting at home, the race begins again. Take the family out, play with the kids [at least this part I can say is the better part of the race]. But my point here is we just have to follow these routines as though someone has set them as rules and nothing can change it.



Why do you think, we have to follow in this race. Why can’t we get out of this ‘RR’? Is everybody on this planet in this race or are there exceptions. What does it take to get out? In my quest, I had discussed this with many of my friends and colleagues and each one has his own way at looking at this problem. For some it is not a problem at all and that is how life should be. Talk about positive thinking,huh!. Then there are others who think the magical ‘Passive Income’ mantra is the key to the problem, being ‘Financially free’,investments,intellectual property,inheritance and the list goes on. These are some topics that you could hope to find on this blog.


Till then for those who are reading this and find it interesting, would love to hear your comments on how much you feel as being in a monotonous, ‘Not In My Control’ situation. Do you work because you just love your job or you do it because you have to?



I intend to write at least twice on this blog in a week, if the comments are motivating enough, can get more ideas to write even more per week.

Till then …

Learn Forex trading to get out the Rat Race.

Previous Post

Beginning of this Blog

Next Post

Culture, The Human Aspect.

After reading my blog, one of my closest friends told me “Why don’t you write something about Indian culture”. I then asked myself, am I qualified enough to write on Indian culture or for that matter on any culture. Cultures and tradition is a vast subject which would really need in-depth knowledge of how the cultures have evolved and how’s it’s been taken forward.



Then again I started thinking, what exactly is culture, is it country specific or should culture be more of a human aspect. After pondering over it for sometime, I have come about to write this article of what I feel should be considered culture and I guess no boundary or borders can classify them as proprietary, if understood in this aspect.



Culture to me is about human interaction, it’s about respect and etiquettes. When someone says its ‘Our Culture’, people look at the term more in the traditional sense and would probably look at how they eat, dress or perform certain rituals. These aspects form the boundaries on which countries are built and it changes from place to place. With modernization and technological advances, many of these core aspects that we consider as culture has changed and I wont be wrong in saying adulterated. The very reason that these aspects could be tampered is good enough to justify my point about what culture really should be.



The aspects on which I define the term ‘Culture’ is inbred into the human soul and no matter how much of modernization or technology prowess creeps in, these core values will remain.



For me any human being, be it from the so called advanced first world nation or from a third world nation is cultured, as long as he understands the basic human value system.

He believes in treating individuals on equal terms and respects them no matter what race, creed or job profile he holds.



For me any human being is cultured, when he respects his or her parents and family and feels responsible for their well being. If he shows respect, when in front of the elders, women and children, this person is far more cultured than a person with high education and top management job. What good is this education if you cannot even know the basics of human interaction?



I have come across managers who due to the position they hold are on a ego trip and forget the basic communication mantra. But then again I stop think and realize such people would have never been cultured to start with , otherwise, when you go higher up in position you gain experience in dealing with more people and hone your cultural skills.



In India, they say a guest is next to god and guests in their homes are treated with utmost respect. This is why foreigners feel welcome when they go to this country, as the Indians see them as guests in their home. Here, it’s the respect for the other human being that gets displayed as culture.



In Austria and other European countries, I am told that residents take the trouble of classifying their garbage voluntarily and make sure the garbage is thrown in designated bins. Here it’s the respect for nature that gets displayed as culture.



In Countries, where the salary and jobs are based on which nationality or which religion you belong to can never call themselves to be cultured. As I had mentioned, the basic human value system has been abused here and that shows in how these nationalities from these countries treat other nationalities.



From my perspective, culture has not too many faces and if the basic value system of respecting humans and nature is followed world over, only then can we call ourselves a cultured race.

'Go Green', A Corporate Responsibility.

I recently watched ‘2012’ the movie. The graphics were stunning and I must say quite scary. With the climate change and energy conservation being the buzz word these days, the events that unfold in this movie can be for real, if nature will have its way.




Finally, the politicians of the world have started to take this a bit seriously and hopefully more will be done to change the way we live our lives and probably shift the D- day for at least after our lifetime. As much as the politicians have the responsibility for this conservation an important stake also lies with the corporate world, the multi nationals that mint billions of dollars from their business, compromising our environment in the process.



Many aspects of our day to day life can be looked into more detail to make that little difference in bringing about that change.



By now we all know the jargon ‘Save Water, Save Electricity’ is one famous mantra to reduce the carbon footprint. Here is one message from me to the corporate world, that if implemented world wide can make a huge difference to our environment and save on precious resource that is wasted as corporate perks.



I know for a fact that many companies have this policy where in top management and even middle management are given their utility bill payments in actuals. This means that no matter howsoever the management executive utilizes the electricity or water resources the company just blindly foots the bill and the account department just makes an entry somewhere so that they probably get some tax exemption for the employee perks.



This allowance although an excellent remuneration benefit, from the company and the environment perspective is a colossal waste. Many employees do not give importance to the utility wastage, since it’s paid for by the company and many proudly boast about the perks and flaunt it by just keeping the a/c, heater and lights running even when they are not at home.



The responsible members of the ‘Corporate World’ who claim to be Environment friendly must make a note of this and put a cap on the utility allowance on a monthly basis [ Higher than the average]. This cap can be done after an analysis on the consumption, based on the size of the flat/villa and the family members. Once an average amount is calculated, the employees can be given this amount in their pay check or cut from the allowance, the rest of the money saved will be credited to the employees account.



With the two buzz words in the corporate world being 'Cost Cutting' and 'Save the Environment' this suggestion meets the expectations and is a win-win situation for all the three parties involved:

1. The Employer:

The company will save at least 40% on the utility bill payouts, since the average payout now would be reduced. This will make more funds available to the company for other business needs.



2. The Employee:

The employee gains to save money from the utility cap, if he becomes aware of the energy utilization, there by making him a responsible citizen and being more Environment friendly.



3. The Environment:

The biggest benefactor would be our environment, as less energy utilized means lesser pollution and other greenhouse effects. This can save around 75 % on energy consumption.



If this suggestion can be implemented all over the world, it can save lot of energy wasted due to irresponsible behavior.



If you are for a greener environment, then spread this message to whomsoever can act on behalf of their company and make this little difference, which can go a long way in changing this planet from experiencing a ‘2012’ kinda apocalypse.

When Was The Last time You Did Something For the First time

I just came back from a short vacation from Bombay on one of the airline carrier.

I have flown many a times on this sector but what I experienced on this one was a 'First Time' for me.

Have you heard the saying "When was the last time, you experienced something for the First Time"

It was a hilarious incident considering the grim situation I was in.

The flight took off from Bombay on time that can be considered a 'First Time' on this carrier. I must say the service has improved drastically and on-time arrivals and departure are becoming a habit with them as well.

The flight was normal until about 10 minutes before landing.

Being an staff ID ticket holder, I had to wait till the last minute to get a seat and I happened to get the center seat in the middle column on the last row. That was a 'First Time' as well.

The seat belt signs are flashed on. The flight descends for landing; the flight gets a bit shaky [rather very shaky] due to turbulence. I have experienced turbulences before but this one was the worst turbulence I have come across [First Time] The engine sound did not sound normal either.

All I could do during this jittery period is pray and think “Will I see my near and dear ones or is this the end of it all". I was pretty much sure that every one on this flight would be thinking the same, as I looked around for expressions.

Just a few rows in front of me, I can see this man in stripe shirt get up and walk toward the rear end of the plane to attend to natures call at this critical moment of the flight. He had a very grim face, guess it really must have been urgent or was the turbulence a cause for this urgency? The flight attendant quite patiently instructed the gentleman to return to his seat and he very unwillingly did. Poor soul, Cruel flight attendant.

I could hear the landing gears come down and we are just a few minutes off the ground. Suddenly I hear a voice "Ma'am, there is a man standing". It was the flight attendant informing her senior.

I was like... "What!!”

I peeped over the front seat and there he was standing up on the centre seat, least bothered about the turbulence, least bothered of his near and dear ones, least bothered about his prayers. He has more important agenda on hand, Birds eye view of Dubai. Surprisingly, none of the passengers around him bothered to disturb his enthusiasm. The flight is in such a stage that the flight attendant themselves cannot move from their seat. So what do they do? Like a military commander came an order right from the rear of the flight "SIT DOWN" The voice must have traveled all the way to the cockpit. I am sure the pilots must have confirmed to themselves if they were seated. Cruel flight attendant.

The gentleman ends his scenic endeavor.

The descend is still on . The flight is about a few 100 feet off the ground and again I hear the military commander voice. "GET BACK TO YOUR SEAT"

Now what, I ask myself.

I peep over the seat again.

Is it the same gentleman?

Nope.

This is another adventurous character. He is one above the previous nerd. This guy is actually taking a stroll along the aisle. The moment the commanding voice was heard this guys like a school kid just turned around and got back to his seat. Cruel flight attendant.

The flight makes a smooth touch down, full credit to the pilots. They managed it under such 'Commanding' situation.

What I saw or rather heard as soon as the flight landed was unbelievable.

It was faster than the fastest guns in the west. The moment the plane made a touch down, that very moment (not a moment later , not a moment sooner, amazing timing) I could hear 'Clicks' all around the flight. Was there some contest open on the flight for the 'Fastest Seat Belt Openers' that I was not aware of? Did they feel like bonded labour due to the seat belt restraining their free movement?

I will never know.

The flight has landed and finding its way to the bay. Our gentleman in stripes, he cannot take in any more. 'A man's gotta go, when a man's gotta go' he walks back toward the lavatory. The flight attendant tries to persuade him to sit but there is no stopping him, he marches on, he has to GO. He gets near to the flight attendant and sheepishly tells her in her ears. "Madam, urgent".

I knew it had to be urgent.

All these incidents together in a span of 10 minutes really amazed me and I really thank each one of these comic characters in letting me drain out the turbulence fear.

Miracle by Design

If I were to ask, do miracles happen?? The first thing that comes to our mind probably about miracle is about god coming down to earth, or man walking on water, sea opening up midway or such extra ordinary feats. That is what we look upon as miracles.

In that case most of us would say miracles do not happen now, may be it happened 500 years ago.

If you ask me, I say that miracles do happen; it’s just how you see it. Open your eyes and look around you, miracles are there everywhere. The earth that we live in, the body that we live in, and the inventions that we have build over the years, all of this is so intricate in design, that it was there always and only needed someone to discover. Its very hard for me to believe that in a universe really unknown we are the only existing life form. For me it is a miracle that nature has for some reason kept each civilization away from each other, except for those rare UFO sightings.



It’s the design of nature, just stop to think about it and you would realize it is a miracle that things are the way they are. Just think on a cosmic level, the earth just hanging freely in something we call a galaxy and such a huge mass just rotating around another gigantic mass called the sun. Ever imagined what it would have been like to not have the sun shining on the third rock from the sun?? now that is a miracle of a design. Without fail the sun as if it is time bound and in contract with nature, sets and rises with such immaculate timing that our scientist can predict the exact time and position where the sun would rise. Hmmm… Interesting. The sun which is a huge ball of fire would just take a few seconds to perish everything on this earth had it decided to move a few kilometers away or closer to earth. For some reason, which to me is a miracle, it does not do so and stays obediently in orbit. The beauty of this miracle by design is that we have scientific reasons for everything that is happening around us.



Ever imagined if the clouds were a thick solid mass floating up in the sky, could we have flown those airplanes then?? Miracle by design.

Have you ever thought of a scenario where if a live high voltage electric cable were to be dropped into the ocean, what would happen? Since all the sea water in our oceans are connected, the entire sea would be electrocuted and with that all the living creatures within the sea and on the shore lines would perish. Does that happen, no, because of something called as resistance in the sea water which would restrict such a mishap? Again a scientific explanation to the miracle by design.



If you see on National Geographic or Discovery, the animal kingdom, the plant kingdom and the water kingdom are all miracles happening everyday. A pitcher plant trapping an insect as food. A ‘Touch Me Not’ plant just showing the introvert side of its character when touched. Turtle and Sardines travelling miles to lay eggs in the place of its birth. The birth of a young one, be it human or animal, is a creation out of nowhere, if you think of it. Oh yes! We have scientific explanation for all of this.





The communication world that we live in today, is it not a miracle, had it not been for natures design would radio, TV satellite or the internet be possible. Think about it. Have you ever imagined how radio waves are heard almost at the same time in all the radio receivers, how it actually passes through walls and other closed surroundings. Hats off to all those people who have made this wireless world possible, but would that have been possible if it were not for the miracle by design of nature?



The amount of water that we consume and waste every day, the amount of food that we consume and waste everyday, the electricity, the garbage dump, the pollution, the energy sources , all this is provided by nature at such mammoth scale that it still has not depleted, even after we have been misusing it for ages, isn’t that a miracle. Now we feel there is not much space on our mother earth, so we are exploring life on Mars. On the mars mission, scientists were controlling the pathfinder sitting millions of miles away. A miracle for sure.



The human body, a miracle that we live everyday and we have no idea about it, do we? I am no doctor and I am sure the doctors are the only ones who really would know to some extent the intricacies of this creation. This is one miracle, if you want to, you could probably write a thesis on. We have so many diseases and disorders that we see in a human body that are caused by some element in the miracle creation going wrong. However, these malfunction are a minute fraction of the stuffs that can actually go wrong in our body. A small organ in between of ears actually controls the balance in your body. An infection to that organ is all it would take for you to lose control on your balance and just make you wobble, how many of us actually have to go through it. If you could go in depth to the functioning of your heart, lungs, liver, kidney or the pancreas there are so many minute things that can go wrong but it does not for most of us.Thanks to the miracle of nature. The human eye is a camera that the best of our digital cameras cannot imitate. Have you ever tried to imagine the amount of information our brain stores and brings out every time we talk, see, feel, and smell. It’s a miracle by design that most of us have this human body functioning without any control from our conscious mind, working day in and out for us. Just stop for a while , look at your hands, now move those fingers one by one. Are you moving them, what is moving them, your brains, right?, are you telling it to move it or you are just thinking about it and its happening. Every part of our body is doing that as we just think about it. Amazing isn’t it. Miracle by design.



So next time someone asks you, Do you believe in Miracles? You know what to say.

Women, the source of life.

The mother, the sister, the wife.



To be born a woman is a blessing, for it is she who bears the burden of bringing life upon this earth. For, it is only she who can bear.

For generations, she has been the backbone, the unsung heroine of success for many a successful men. There was a generation when this soul was considered to be worthy of being a decorative piece within the confines of a home. She was deemed to be fit only for household chores and never to be fit to face the outside world and achieve for herself.



Things have changed, how we live our life’s have changed, generations have moved on. Progress in every field is an ever changing fast paced affair and with this change the women has grown in stature. They slowly started coming outside the boundary walls called home and started contributing to society in certain walks of life. Women’s liberation had begun.



The will of a woman is stronger than the might of an elephant and this will has been transforming her every day and motivating her to venture into every field, then proclaimed to be fit for a man. It’s a Man’s world they said. Today, in this emerging global economy, women have grown leaps and bounds and have at times surpassed men in delivering. Even today it is only the women who can be a giver of life, but she has gone beyond this natural gift. They say if a man were to endure the labor pains they will surely die. She has claimed her worthy position in standing tall among the best. This progress is not restricted to the western world.



Today in India, most of the big companies have CEO’s chaired by a woman and those companies have flourished. Kiran Mazumdhar is one such example. If toughness was something only a man can personify, Kiran Bedi has proved that to be a wrong assumption.If managing a multi national powerhouse was considered to be a man’s forte then Indra Nooyi, the pepsico CEO, has proved otherwise.



Today, me as a woman can stand up with pride and can take up any role that a man can and I can say with confidence that I will be able to perform on par and even better than my male counter part.



The next generation would have a statement “It’s a woman’s world after all”

I Am A Celebrity!!!

How many of us would wish we could be in a celebrity’s shoe. We all have our role models from various walks of life. Some would wish they were a rock star, a pop singer, an actor, and actress. And there are those who wish to be a sportsperson like their favorite players in cricket, tennis, soccer etc…



With the recent news of a famous sports stars promiscuous nature being revealed, I started wondering ,would this have happened to him had he been just a common man???



Its just great to be known, wherever you go and to be paid for everything that you do. From opening a department store to endorsing drinks, shoes and what not. They have the best of cars, the best of houses and the best of everything money and fame can buy.

But then again is life all that great I wonder?



When a person just starts to climb the ladder to fame, the first thing that comes to his mind when he is in public is how many of them recognize him. He would still remember the first time someone recognized him on the street. What an elated feeling that was, to be known, to be famous, to be admired. The first time someone walked up to him and said “Can I have a photograph taken with you”. The first time someone walked up to him and said “Can I have your autograph”.

It feels great and you tend to like it and every time someone walks up to him he gives a personalized autograph and fills in with all the poses his fan would like to have with him.



Days go by, months go by and a few years go by. Now how does this person look at fame, ever wondered??



He is no more a person with his individuality. He belongs to the masses, to the paparrazi, to the media and to the television and newspapers in your homes. Everything he does and says are to be seen, heard, felt and gossiped.



Every place he goes, there are eyes staring at him, his every move. His affairs are more personal to the public than it is to him. His opinions and views have to be reviewed before it is made public so as not to harm his reputation and with that the multi-million dollar contracts with the endorsement companies.



Does he have the simple pleasures of dining at a local restaurant or at a movie theatre. Can he move around freely without the entourage of bodyguards to protect him from possible stabbers?



As all things in life, I guess nature has this wonderful way of balancing out everything. Nothing by nature’s law is imbalanced, if you observe. With all the comforts the celebrity status brings about, it comes with its nullification, the balance, which at some point in life one would wish they could have it back.



So for us as humans how much is enough is never known and we continue to wish for what we don’t have and when we get them, we don’t know if we wanted it in the first place.