Recently, a number of newly weds came to me asking my professional perspective on coverage against death, total & permanent disability and critical illness.
They feel a sense of responsibility. They are concerned for their loved ones should anything happen to them.
To me, this is GOOD news.
Because it reflects ONE THING.
It shows that the level of awareness on the needs for wealth protection in our Muslim community in Singapore has INCREASED significantly over the years.
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As we all know, all of us work to earn an income.
Income to feed our family.
To pay for our food.
Our housing mortgage installments.
Nafkah for our wife.
Allowance for our parents.
Basically to pay for our expenses.
We use our INCOME to pay for our living EXPENSES.
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What if one day we are no longer around ?
What if one day, we are totally crippled?
Totally paralyzed.
Not able to move at all?
What if critical illnesses were to strike?
Our Living Expenses will CONTINUE.
But Our Income will most likely STOP!
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Thus, today, I am going to share with you aspects on wealth protection.
I want to share with you…
. 5 Ways On How You Can Protect Your Wealth, The Shariah Compliant Way in Singapore.
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1) Be Healthy By Watching Your Diet
The Arabs of old said: The stomach is the home of diseaseand restraint is the basis of the remedy.
To me.
Fasting is the Answer.
I personally love the month of Ramadan.
After our stomach that has been working hard for the 11 months, Ramadan presents an opportunity for our stomachs to rest.
Other than the month of Ramadhan where we not only fulfill our religious obligation and get to rest our stomach,
I do my best to fast on the recommended (sunat) days in Islam.
I have created an infographic below that I personally use to take note of the recommended (sunat) days to fast.
Other than exercising restraint in my tendency to overindulge, it gives me an opportunity to accumulate good deeds (pahala) for the akhira in the future.
Other than fasting, our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Please And Blessings Be Upon Him) has taught us the formula for moderation when we eat our food. We should fill our stomachs with 1/3 of food, 1/3 of drink
And leave 1/3 for breath.
Prophet Muhammad (Please And Blessings Be Upon Him) said:
“No human ever filled a vessel worse than the stomach. Sufficient for any son of Adam are some morsels to keep his back straight. But if it must be, then one third for his food, one third for his drink and one third for his breath.”
Our body is an amanah from Allah S.W.T. on this earth.
We have to take great care of it by exercising regularly.
All of us know exercising is important.
It keeps us in shape. Makes us look better.
Makes us look younger.
Boosts our energy.
Help us lose weight and of course, lower risk of some diseases.
Most importantly, it keeps us alive.
A lot of people are rich. But what is the meaning of wealthwhen you can’t enjoy that plate of nasi minyak with rendang and ayam masak merah?
Or that slice of durian D24?
Because you are sick.
What is wealth when you don’t have the energy, the stamina to play “police and thief” with your children?
Panting.
Gasping for air just by chasing them around your house?
Safeguard your health by making time to exercise while you enjoy your wealth.
3) Be Healthy By Quitting Smoking
When I draft up the cashflow statement for my prospects.
Especially those heavily in debt, I like to narrow down to how much they can SAVE if they quit smoking.
Smoking is a very expensive habit in Singapore.
1 package of Marlboro cigarettes in Singapore is SGD$14 (I Google-d for the info)
$14 X 30 days = $420/mth
$420/mth X 12 months = $5040
That $5040, you can use to enjoy going on holiday to Europe with your loved ones.
(Pictures of me conducting Quit Smoking Campaign organised by Health Promotion Board)
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Besides that, smoking is bad for your health.
Smoking can cause fatal diseases such as pneumonia, emphysema and lung cancer.
Yes. Think about your love ones.
Seek help. Protect your wealth by being healthy.
Take the first step to quit smoking today.
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4) Hijama Cupping (Bekam)
This is something I personally do twice a year to remove toxic blood from my body.
(You can get a qualified Hijama specialist to assist you with this)
Hijama Cupping Therapy is a Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him)
Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) said:
“Cupping is the most helpful procedure for human beings to cure themselves.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 5357)
The importance of hijama in the divine guidance can further be stressed by the following words which were related to the Prophet SAW on the night of Israa (ascension to the heaven) by angels:
“O Mohammed, encourage your ummah (people) to do hijama (cupping)”. – Saheeh, Sunan Tirmidhi.
Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (Allah’s peace be upon him) said: “I did not pass by an angel from the angels on the night journey except that they all said to me: Upon you is cupping (hijama), O Muhammad.” [Saheeh, Sunan ibn Majah]
“The best medicine with which you treat yourselves is cupping, or it is one of the best of your medicines.” Or “The treatment for you is cupping.” [Bukhari: 5371]
5) Have a shariah compliant critical illness plan in place
A Malay proverb says, “Kita merancang, tuhan menentukan.”
We can plan on protecting our wealth by being healthy. By being fit.
Plan whatever we want.
Yet as Muslims, we believe in the 6th Pillars of Iman, Qada and Qadar.
If things are to happen, they will happen.
By the will of Allah S.W.T.
That is why after making Doa to Allah S.W.T.
and taking appropriate actions to maintain our health, we need to have contingencies in place.
Our family is an amanah from Allah S.W.T.
We need to take care of them. We need to have Plan B, in case Plan A doesnt work.
We need Halal insurance in Singapore, as part of our contingency plans if things happen.
Halal insurance in Singapore provides you with 2 pillars.
Firstly is Income Protection.
We earn Income to pay for our mortgage loan, our car and support our family.
Should death, total & permanent disability or critical illness were to strike, your income will STOP.
Yet, most of your expenses will continue.
Family needs to eat.
Utility bills still need to be paid for.
Who is going to fund that if you no longer earn an INCOME?
Halal insurance in Singapore will help you and your family.
Proceeds from Halal Insurance will help to pay for your living expenses, should death, tpd and critical illness were to occur.
And.
Alhamdulillah. If nothing happens.
If you are perfectly healthy. Perfectly OKAY during your retirement age.
Good News for you.
The plan has cash value.
You can choose to liquidate the money from Halal Takaful funds and use it as part of your retirement.
In short, Halal Insurance provides you with 2 pillars.
Protection and Cash Value.
My mentor used to tell me, “The difference between a poor old man and elderly gentleman is INCOME.”
You don’t want to depend on your children to fund your retirement goals.
You want to be proactive. You want to take charge of your life. Halal Insurance in Singapore is the solution! 🙂
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Now… I hope you have benefited from my sharing.
If you are seeking a mentor, coach, consultant to share with you practical aspects on howyou can protect your wealth using Halal Insurance in Singapore
OR
save, accumulate and grow your money the shariah compliant way in Singapore, I am always ready to help you.
Alhamdulillah… I was invited to Google Dance Singapore 2018recently.
It was an awesome event.
I was very excited to learn from the panel of experts on how to promote Islamic Finance in Singapore using the internet.
At the same time, I was eager to explore the Google HQ office at Pasir Panjang.
I heard many good stuff about Google’s work culture and their creative office.
And feel very privileged to also be invited for a tour! 🙂
I snapped too many pictures. If you would like to see how Google Singapore office looks like, click here to view them on my facebook page!
In this post I want to share with you 3 Things I Learnt From Google Dance 2018…..
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1) Technology Saves Business Cost
During the session, I learnt about lots of cool gadgets, apps, software and hardware that can drive up profitsand help save business cost.
I learnt how Google Bot works.
(Cute little Google Bot, a memento I received from the Google Search Team)
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I learnt about Google Search Console (if you are a web developer, this tool is relevant for you)…..
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However, most importantly, the one that caught my attention and AMAZED me the most is
Tilt Brush by Google.
This technology blew me away.
Tilt Brush by Google allows you to express your creativity by drawing in 3D. very atas
View this video to understand how it works. 🙂
I usually use the Illustrator app on my Ipad to draw and also to take notes.
But now.. to be able to enter another world….
virtually.
And draw on 3D is simply SPECTACULAR! 🙂
Never in my mind, I thought of entering another visual world and having FUN. Painting rainbows with virtual brushes.Expressing my creativity. Building a safe refuge.Creating a world of my own. How wonderful is that?🙂
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Then I started to think about practicality. About pragmatics.
Okay. This gadget is cool.
But how exactly this technology can be USEFUL in our REAL world?
I do understand that this technology may be helpful for developers, developing virtual 3D games.
But how is exactly useful for common people like us?
Basically, how can this be a practical business application? ………………………………… ………………… …….
I spoke with one of the participants.
He mentioned that there is a cleaning company in Singapore that leverages on this technology.
All of us know that the employment turnover rate in the cleaning industry is HIGH at 30-40%.
Before the cleaners were deployed, they need to be trained. That is $$$.
They need to be trained by in-house qualified trainers. That is $$$.
The in-house qualified trainers also have to be trained. That is $$$.
When the cleaners leave the job, another new one comes in, also need to be trained. $$$again.
Trainers also leave and when new trainers come in, they need to be trained. $$$ and more $$$ needed again!
So what the cleaning company did is they created a SYSTEM leveraging on such technology.
New cleaners will wear such gadgets as above, and be trained to clean in the virtual world.
At the end of the session, they will have to take a test in the virtual world and PASS the minimum scores.
To my mind, this is brilliant way for the cleaning company to save business cost! 🙂
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2. Robots cannot replace humans completely
Someone asked the panel of experts about Google Robots.
He asked some technical questions that appear gibberish for me.
I’m not a technical person.
Html, C++, Javascript codes.
I know nothing of it. Serious.
He asked how to befriend the robots through coding of websites.
What the panel of experts shared was simple yet profound.
The panel of experts told us to focus more on users’ experience.
When you write a blog post (like mine), don’t write like you are communicating with a robot. Write as if you are communicating with your friend.
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If your friend or your target market read your blog post, and they feel OKAY. Google Bot will also feel OKAY.
If your friend or your target market read your blog post, and theyDON’T FEEL OKAY.
Google Bot will also feel NOT OKAY.
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The panel of experts also mentioned about chatbots.
Chatbots are basically like virtual human beings, programmed to ask and answer questions from prospects or clients.
How some developers designed their chatbots is that they just take ALL the questions from survey forms and program it as automated questions to ask potential clients at the chatbots.
Questions like..
-what is your name?
-what is your age?
-what is your gender?
-what is your house address?
-do you smoke?
-what is your highest qualification level?
You know what? It is super duper boring.
The panel of experts suggested us to add human elements. Personalise our message.
Make the robot as human as possible.
Again. Make the robot as human as possible.
To me, this is cool.
Because it only means 1 thing.
It only means that human beings are still needed on this earth.
If you are in the service industry, this is GOOD NEWS for you.
Human beings still want to deal with other human beings. Robots are just good for simple, repetitive and mundane tasks.
ROBOTS CANNOT REPLACE HUMAN BEINGS COMPLETELY! 🙂
They can help us make our jobs easy.
But never, ever replace us completely.
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3. Your network is Super important
During the event, I gauged that almost 60-70% of the audiences came from overseas.
Vietnam… Malaysia, Thailand… Indonesia… Japan..
I made friends with a number of them.
And still maintain contact.
I have a quote that I think hold relevant in today’s competitive business environment.
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. “Excellence of yesterday is a commodity today and will become obsolete tomorrow.”
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Which means: Something that is so unique, so enterprising,
so powerful yesterday, has become normal or baseline standards in today’s context.
And my favorite solution to prevent our business from being a commodity.
Or worst… Obsolete.
Is to reinvent ourselves by networking and continuously learning from people from other countries.
From other fields. From other industries.
Because.
They know something what we don’t. And we know something that they don’t.
If I find something that works super well in other countries.
I always think, if that same stuff can be apply in my business in Singapore.
Boyyyyy….. Google Dance provided me the platform to network with other brilliant IT/marketing practitioners.
I learnt from them lots of cool apps, gadgets that I can’t wait to implement for my business.
Super awesome stuff that can help my clients achieve the financial goals that they want to achieve.
Using tools that never come across my mind before.
…And yes, that is why your network is super duper important.
There is a saying, “Your network = Networth”.
I embrace that idea completely.
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I hope you learn something valuable from my sharing.
In my capacity as a financial consultant, I devote time, energy and a lot of resources to perfect my craft.
If you are seeking a mentor, coach, consultant to share with you practical, UP TO DATE, and modern ways on how you can save, accumulate and grow your money the shariah compliant way in Singapore, let me do the heavy lifting for you.
Congratulations! France emerged as the CHAMPION for 2018 Fifa World Cup finals.
They won 4-2 against Croatia! 🙂
(My wife and I in front of Eiffel Tower in Paris)
France won the World Cup for the 2nd time after 20 years. They first won the World Cup in year 1998.
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In every competitive game, I like to extract lessons that we can learn from the winners.
To be a champion is not easy. To be a WORLD CHAMPION is way, way tougher.
Success leaves clues. I want to uncover proven tactics employed by the world’s best athletes and sports performers.
And then apply them in our lives.
Let us learn from these top 2 teams, France and Croatia! 🙂
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1. Mind Power To Visualise Success
To be a world class Fifa soccer player, you not only have to be physically fit.
These players are also really strong in their minds.
They really dominate their opponents from a physiological standpoint.
It sounds cheesy, but world-class athletes visualise winning a match the night before the match actually happens.
They visualise kicking the ball.
Feeling the sensation of the ball at their feet.
The smell of the grass.
And the sight of people standing and cheering them when they score a goal.
Sports psychologists say that visualisation is most effective when we include sound, sight and smell into the visualisation.
It programs the brain and primes the the muscles for top performance the next day.
The more specific the visualisation, the better.
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When I coach my clients on how they can achieve their financial goals the shariah compliant way in Singapore.
I do my best to ensure my presentation encompasses visual aspects. Auditory aspects. And kinesthetic aspects.
(Some examples of my colorful presentation materials)
(and awesome videos. I have plenty of them on my facebook page.)
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This is because human beings have different ways of learning.
Some people are visual. They must see, then understand.
Some people are auditory… They must listen to understand.
Some people are kinaesthetic...They must see movements and feel movements to understand.
I educate and share with my clients using their 5 senses.
Because…
The bigger, the clearer, the sharper and the more vividly they can see themselves achieving their goals in their minds, the BETTER.
Other than showing policy illustrations which show a lot of numbers (engaging their left brain).
I indulge them with pictures. (engaging their right brain)
Stories they can relate to. Colours. Sounds.
You can also do visualisation techniques everyday to remind yourself.
And to reinforce your focus to achieve the goals you desire.
Use the “Be. Do. Have.” model.
This is my favourite model.
Both Stephen Covey and Anthony Robbins use this model.
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Example:
–BE: Step into the identity of the person you desire. “Who Do I Need To Be?” Have a clear picture on the results you desire.
Act “as if” your goal has already been achieved! Be the person you would be if you have already achieved your goal
Example:
I am lean and fit.
I am energetic. I am focused. I am committed.
I am determined.
I am self aware.
– DO: “What is my experience?” Do the things that a successful person would do.
Example:
I watch what I eat everyday.
Dinner by 6pm. Sleep by 9pm.
After Subuh, I jog for 10km. 3X/week. Consistently.
Jogging is a weekly routine for me.
I love sports. I enjoy my life!
– HAVE:What is the outcome? You have or get exactly what you want.
Example: I weigh 70kg.
I achieve gold for IPPT every year.
I look 10 years younger my actual age.
I have more energy. More stamina.
More power. More endurance to perform at peak performance in
my role as a financial consultant. Insya’Allah! 🙂
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2) Focus on factors you can control
Sports psychology.
When Croatia lost 3-1 to France, they were despaired.
Especially when the second goal by France was scored because of a penalty kick.
France gained momentum, puncturing Croatia players morale further by scoring a 3rd goal.
Yet Croatia never gave up. They kept attacking.
Maintaining top performance.
I was amazed with their tenacity to handling defeat… and coming back stronger.
What you focus on expands. When you face a problem, focus 80% of your energy on the solution.
Croatia focused on attacking. Focused on trying to score goals.
And at last, scored their second goal when France’s goalkeeper was distracted for a split second.
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Similarly in our lives, all of us face challenges when it comes to managing our personal finances.
CPF’s Retirement Sum will be $171,000 for those turning 55 this year. GST to increase from 7% to 9% from 2021 to 2025. Electricity tariffs increased by 6.3% this year. ABSD for 2nd property has just increased to 12%.
There might be an economic downturn in 12-16 months now. (based on my discussion with fellow professional fund managers)
We can’t control all these changes. Thus like I mentioned earlier, when you face a problem, focus 80% of your energy on the solution.
FOCUS on Controlling your expenses.
FOCUS on Parking your savings.
FOCUS onUpgrading your skills.
CONTROLLING your expenses
Keeping your expenses in check is important.
When I meet prospects with huge credit card loans, I realised that they fail in 1 thing.
They fail in managing their personal finance.
Easy to swipe their cards. Difficult to pay back.
And then, saddled and drowned with this riba-based loans for the rest of their life.
Control your expenses like an eagle eyeing its prey.
PARKING Your Savings
I advise my clients to park at least 20% of their monthly salary every month in a shariah compliant savings account.
If you don’t have knowledge on how to grow your money the shariah compliant way in Singapore, the first step is to just park your money at Al-Wadiah yad Dhamanah savings account.
Instead of giving interest, that account gives you Hibah. Hibah is Halal.
Hibah is allowed under Islamic Finance perspective.
UPGRADING Your Skills
I believe in the mantra: “Once you stop learning, you stop earning.”
If you want to make more money (and have more money to save), you have to start learning a new profitable skill.
You can start a side-hustle with this new skill in future.
You can start by using your $500 Skillsfuture credits to attend practical courses which can
i) help you advance in your career, or
ii) start a side business.
Don’t underestimate the power of learning – once you are a few steps ahead of other people, you can teach our skills to others and potentially earn money from that.
3. Persistence And Always Move Towards Your Goals No Matter What
When you are confronted with challenges in life. Or being put down by others. Don’t admit defeat.
Baffle your detractors. Keep shifting your target.
Don’t just stand there and soak up the punches.
When I saw how Croatia played the game, it reminds me of Japanese quality known as “Fukutsu no Seishin”
Persevering Spirit
Never give up. Never Quit. Never say die.
I really admire their ability to continue through adversity of every kind.
In fact, Croatia was so determined that they possessed ball 61% of time in the game.
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We will face money challenges in some months which will push our saving goals.
Personally, I target to be debt free by April 2019.
I track my goal every month.
Then came a letter, mentioning that I have to contribute $5760 to my Medisave account! Alamak Self-employed individuals like myself have to contribute to our own Medisave account manually every year.
And then came another letter, I have to pay $1112.54 for my motor insurance. And then came one more letter, that I have to pay $738 my road tax.
Every single letter that came to me requested me to pay for something.
Do these expenses affect my cashflow?
Of course! It dents my confidence.
It casts a tinge of doubt within me if I really can achieve my goal to be 100% debt-free by April 2019.
Then, I am reminded of Croatia team.
It reminds me of Japanese quality known as “Fukutsu no Seishin” Persevering Spirit
Never give up. Never Quit. Never say die.
I shall just continue to hustle and work hard.
And I seek you doa that may we clear our riba based loans in Singapore.
Amin. Amin. Insya’Allah…
4. Work with coaches to help you grow your money
Recently, I met a Pakcik and he told me that he invested $50,000 one lump sum in a shariah compliant equity fund 20 years ago.
Today, he checked his cash value, and he told me, “How come my cash value is $49,997? It barely broke even?”
I asked him, “Who is your financial planner?”
He told me that he doesn’t have a planner.
He does things himself. At that time, he thought it was better for him to do himself.
Easier.
I shared with him.
Growing money is something which needs expert guidance.
A trained and experienced financial planner can help you reach your financial goals painlessly.
If he had a financial planner.
The financial planner would have educated him when to buy. When to sell.How to buy.How to sell. When to top up.And when to cut losses.
For his situation, this Malay proverb applies: “Nasi sudah jadi bubur.”
Now, he has no choice but to learn an expensive lesson.
It is a 20 year old lesson that all of us can learn from.
When we are doing our best to work towards our goals.
It is best to have a coach. Mentor. Planner.
Even World Cup athletes work with coaches and even sports psychologists to help them perform at peak levels.
Their coaches help to guide them.
Show them their blind spots. Pinpoint any mistakes they made along the way.
And remind them why they made a goal in the first place.
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5. Start early and stay committed
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Let’s look at Brazil player, Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior.
Neymar signed his first contract when he was at a young tender age of 12 years old.
That means he has committed to the sport for 15 years – considering that he started training formally when he was 11.
Neymar knew what he wants and start developing his craft early in life.
Commitment also comes in the form of changes to his lifestyle.
He has to give up junk food and eats strictly-planned meals 6 times a day.
His diet routine alone requires massive commitment which most people are not willing to do.
If he was not committed to hours of rigorous training everyday, the strict meal plans, his habit of getting 8 hours of sleep every single night, he will not be the superstar he is today.
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When managing your personal finance, I also share with my clients that you have to start early.
Sometimes they asked me. “Helmi. When is it a good time for me to invest?”
I answered them, “10 years ago. When is the next best time? Now!!!”
You got to start early and commit yourself for long term.
Rome was not build on a single day. Neymar did not transform into a world class soccer superstar overnight.
You have to hustle to earn your income. Discipline to save some of it.
Commitment and knowledge to grow it over the long term period.
No magic bullets. No short cuts! 🙂
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I hope you can relate to what I share.
And learn something from it.
Who knows? You will be the next world class super star in your field of choice.
Amin. Amin. Insya’Allah. 🙂
Now… If you are seeking a mentor, coach, consultant to share with you practical aspects on how you can save, accumulate and grow your money the shariah compliant way in Singapore, I am always ready to help you.
Are you on track to ACHIEVE the goals that you set for yourself? 🙂
Many of us have deviated from our goals. Or at times, totally forgot about it.
Today, I want to share with you 5 steps on how you can maintain your laser beam focus to achieve your goals.
Personally for me, one of my goals is to be debt free by 1st March 2019.
Will I achieve it?
Make Doa for me that I will stay focus and istiqamah to achieve my goal!
And may Allah S.W.T. grant the same to you too!
Amin. Insya’Allah! 🙂
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Today, I want to share with you….
5 Steps To Maintain“Laser Beam Focus”To Achieve Your Financial Goals, The Shariah Compliant Way in Singapore.
These 5 steps are the exact steps that I have taken to maintain my focus to achieve my goals.
And I am confident, it will be useful for you too!
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1. Super Clear and Specific Goals
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First thing first, you need to be clear on what you want to achieve.
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Too many people when I asked them what they want to achieve.
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They gave me vague answers.
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I want to be rich. I want to be happy. I want more money.
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I want to be super fit.
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My personal take on this, unless you are super clear on what you want, it is difficult for you to achieve your goals.You need to be super clear and be as specific as possible on what you want to achieve.
. And then you WORK RELENTLESSLY towards ACHIEVING them.
Myself sharing with fellow financial practitioners on how to guide their clients to set financial goals
Example if you aim to buy a car. so geram that COE prices in Singapore now lowest in 8 years. Just bought mine 2 years ago!!!
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…………….. BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE!
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Are you aiming for a new car or a second hand car?
Are you aiming for a Japanese car like Honda Civic Hybrid,
Mazda MX 5-RF , Subaru Impreza 5D, Toyota Alavalon?
Or perhaps a continental car like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Volkswagen or Volvo?
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Aiming for a Porsche Boxter is VERY DIFFERENTcompared to aiming for a Chery QQ! 🙂
Segregate your goals into short term goals.
And also long term goals.
When will you like to drive that Porche Boxter?
By end of the year? In 2 years time? Or in 10 years?
Be very specific on them.
And MEASURE your progress.
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2. Belief System
. The 2nd step to maintain “Laser Beam Focus” To Achieve Your Financial Goals
The Shariah Compliant Way in Singapore
is to BELIEVE that achieving those goals that you set for yourself is POSSIBLE.
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Napolean Hill says, “Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, your body can achieve.”
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I agree with Napoelean Hill 100%.
As most of you have known, I am a financial consultant whospecialises in helping Muslim families plan their finance the shariah compliant way in Singapore.
And it is common in my line of work, that I face many skeptics.
Skeptics when it comes to growing their money the shariah compliant way in Singapore.
Deep in their heart, they want to do it. But at the same time, they don’t believe that it can be done in Singapore.
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They told me,
” Islamic Finance is EXPENSIVE. It is only reserved for the rich Arabs.”
“It is DIFFICULT to understand.”
“It is troublesome/leceh/mafan.”
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Before I get anyone to engage me as their financial consultant, I make them BELIEVE first that planning your finances the shariah compliant way in Singapore is POSSIBLE!
Planning your finance the shariah compliant way can be done in Singapore! 🙂
I debunk the myths or their self imposed/self limiting beliefs one by one.
(Powerpoint Slide From a Seminar I Conducted at Singapore Management University)
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I showed them case studies.
Numbers.
Evidences. On how it can be done in Singapore.
I transfer my personal conviction by sharing my shariah compliant investment philosophies, relevant to Singapore’s context.
I told my skeptics.
You have to believe that it is possible.
In fact, I make sure that all my clients are as convinced as me before I agree to partner with them to plan their finances, the shariah compliant way in Singapore.
I turn my skeptics into ambasaddors.
You have to believe and be 100% convinced that your goals are achievable!
Only then, you can make it happen! 🙂
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And of course, when you set goals you gotta to be REALISTIC.
Too many people set a goal that is not realistic.
Deep in their heart that they dont believe they can achieve it.
Every year, set goals and never achieve them.
At last, it becomes a self fulfilling phophecy.
When they set goals, they dont achieve it.
When they set goals, they dont achieve it.
This happens even when the goal involves a super low target. Because it has become a self fulfilling phophecy.
My advice is for you. Touch your heart.
Set a goal that you strongly believe that you can achieve and work relentlessly towards achieving them.
3. Your Surroundings
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Thirdly, you have to take note of your surroundings.
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Your environment.
On the authority of Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said “A good friend and a bad friend are like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith: The perfume-seller might give you some perfume as a gift, or you might buy some from him, or at least you might smell its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might singe your clothes, and at the very least you will breathe in the fumes of the furnace.” Bukhari and Muslim
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You need to maintain a positive circle of family and friends.
Friends who want to see you succeed.
Friends who genuinely feel happy for your success.
One of my business mentors used to say, “If you hang out with 9 losers, you will see the 10th later.”
Be conscious of who you surround yourself with. You need put effort in that.
(Fellow Muslim financial consultants in Singapore at a recent Hari Raya event)
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To become a shariah compliant champion investor has its own set challenges.
Surround yourself with positive minded friends.
Surround yourself with people who are interested in finance. In entrepreneurship.
In personal development.
Especially those who earnestly looking at doing things the shariah compliant way.
No man is an island.
Work together with people.
Encourage each other.
You can go far alone. Your can go further together! 🙂
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4. Eliminate Distraction
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Eliminate distraction.
When you set out your goals, whether you want to clear your riba based loans in Singapore.
Or whether you want to achieve any of your financial goals the shariah compliant way in Singapore.
Confirm + Chop, there will be people who are negative towards your ambition.
They say you are not good enough.
They say you cannot do it.
Doesn’t matter what evidence you provide. What justifications you give. Whatever things you say to convince them. They insist that your goals are impossible to achieve.
Even worse – they try to bring you down.
They membawang spread rumours about you. Some are plain jealous.
What I want you to do is to spend lesser time with them.
Don’t cut off silaturahim.
Just spend lesser time with these people.
You cannot satisfy everybody.
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You know in this world, there is one particular animal.
One insect which only sees shit.
In this world, there are many beautiful things. Flowers. Trees.
But this insect – similar to a group of people – only sees shit.
In their eyes, they only see problems.
My entrepreneur friends term these people as LALAT… or flies.
Don’t bother about them.
Think about your BIG WHY.
Think about your love ones who want to see you succeed.
Kalau orang DOWNkan you. You kena tunjukkan you UP!!!
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I am sorry that I am a bit emotional about this.
I have seen too many good businesses get sabotaged due to envy.
Too many people quit because of what other people say.
My friends, our lives in this world are temporary. We are preparing bekalan for the akhira which is forever.
Timeline of a human being
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Why worry about what other people say?
Why do we want to focus on unnecessary distractions?
Those Who Mind Don’t Matter, and Those Who Matter Don’t Mind!
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Let me share with you what distractions did to me.
I stay in Punggol. And I have an financial advisory appointment with my client at Punggol Waterway Point.
It is just a 5 minutes drive from my home.
Due to many distractions in my mind, I unintentionally drove into an expressway.
To exit and uturn, I had to do it in Tampines.
When I returned back, I got stuck in a traffic jam.
A 5 minutes journey become a 40 minutes journey because of distractions.
What I learnt from here is that if you face distractions, eliminate them.
Stay focused on your goals.
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5. Mentor/Coach
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In life, you don’t have to bet on your destiny.
Don’t have to gamble. Find a mentor.
Find someone who has achieved what you set for yourself
and after you find one.
Sami’na wa atho’na. (Surah Al-Baqarah [2]:285)
Listen. And follow.
What I share with my family and friends, once you find a mentor, just follow him/her.
Be humble.
As long as the strategies shared do not trangress shariah and are Halal, just follow.
Dont argue with your mentor. Dont bicker with him.
Because your mentor can see what you cannot see.
And because we want baraqah ilmu.
We want our mentor to give blessings to the knowledge transferred to his/her murid/disciples.
Mentor will ensure you remain on track. And if you deviate, you will return to back to the correct path.
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I remember a story shared by one of my business mentors.
We all know donkeys.
Donkeys are known as stupid animals. They are usually preys in the jungle.
One day, a donkey went to the jungle…
All the animals were suddenly scared of that donkey.
All the animals suddenly ran away from that donkey.
Why?
Because the donkey walked in with a lion next to him. The donkey made friends with the lion!
When you make friends with a “lion” or a powerful mentor,
You make friends with people with proven successes.
People with credibility.
Your detractors will be nervous.
And as time pass, you will be like your powerful mentors.
And in return, achieve the goals that you are after.
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Follow these 5 steps closely. I doa that you will achieve all the goalsthat you have set for yourself for year 2018.
Amin. Amin. Insya’Allah. 🙂
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Now… If you are seeking a mentor, coach, consultant to share with you practical aspects on how you can save, accumulate and grow your money the shariah compliant way in Singapore, I am always ready to help you.
And Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim is now freed from prison.
I have mixed feelings about the new political landscape in Malaysia. And I am not going to comment much.
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Today, I would like to share more on POSITIVE change that you can do to bring YOUR FINANCESto a whole new level! 🙂
As some of you might have known, I have a mini ‘library’ in my house.
And I just finished reading the book, “The Rules of Wealth by Richard Templar”.
As I flipped through it, I saw many gems of info which can bring CHANGE.
Can transform your finances for the better.
And Alhamdulillah, I’ve decided to put a shariah compliant swing to some of the tips in here. 🙂
Sometimes, when I meet my prospects, they tell me that they want to be rich.
They want to be wealthy. They want to be happy.
Yet, when I probe in further, I realise that quite a number of them have a negative money mindset.
Negative beliefs about money.
Some examples.
Money is the root of all evil.
Money is dirty.
I don’t deserve to be rich.
Money is only made by the greedy and dishonest.
It is somehow better to be poor.
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In my mind, if you have negative beliefs about money on a subconscious level, it is difficult for you to be rich.
You are self sabotaging yourself from not achieving financial success.
You cannot be the things you don’t like.
In fact, if you read about “Law Of Attraction”, you know if you think negatively about something, you will attract more negative things in your life.
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If you think Money is the root of all evil. You think money is dirty.
You think you don’t deserve to be rich.
You think money is made by the greedy and dishonest.
Or you think it is somehow better to be poor.
That is going to happen to YOU!!
So what I want you to do is to CHANGE your negative money mindset to positive money mindset.
CHANGE to
Money is OK.
Wanting money is OK.
I am prepared to put in the work.
I am going to be wealthy and generous Muslim/Muslimah.
Every step I take in my work is an ibadah.
9 out 10 doors of rezeki comes from business.
“The upper hand is better than the lower hand, the upper hand being the one that gives and the lower hand being the one that receives.”
Source: Sahih Muslim 1033, Grade: Sahih
The first step to achieving wealth is to change your money beliefs.
But if you have negative money mindset, it becomes difficult for me to help you.
Change your money beliefs now! 🙂
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2) Change by understanding wealth is a consequence and not a reward
In The Rules of Wealth, Richard Templar mentioned for us to Understand that Wealth is a Consequence, not a Reward.
It means as a consequence of you working hard at making money, you stand a better chance of becoming rich.
I agree with this statement.
‘Man Jadda, Wa Jadda’ whoever strives shall succeed.
After you make doa to Allah S.W.T.
Devise strategies to achieve your goal. YOU HAVE TO TAKE MASSIVE ACTION and innovate yourself to success.
There is no shortcut to financial success.
You don’t get the money by a committee who examine whether you deserve it or not, whether you have been good enough or not. As Richard Templar said that we are paid for our ‘clever thinking’ and ‘hard work’.
Clever thinking.
And hard work.
The harder and smarter you work, the more you will earn.
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There is a car cleaner in England who charges £5000 per car wash.
His name is Paul Dalton.
His niche is in cleaning supercars.
He is dubbed the BEST CAR CLEANER IN THE WORLD! 🙂
He did not get to charge £5000 per car wash by fluke.
He is rewarded for his meticulousness.
His savviness for selling his services.
Years of experience and his courage for approaching high net worth individuals to offer his services.
And not to forget, his clever marketing skills.
As a consequence to his hard work, thinking and marketing skills, he gets to charge £5000 per car wash.
So remember.
Doa + Hard Work + Clever Thinking = Positive Wealth Consequence
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3. Change Your Loans and Debts Into Cash
Richard Templar suggests that “The very first thing you need to do on your wealth quest is to get loans/debts paid off as soon as possible and do nothing else until that’s done.”
I agree with him. 🙂
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Some people asked me, “Helmi. Some debts can be Good Debts. Some debts can be Bad Debts.
Why do you want to be DEBT FREE?”
My answer is simple.
This is because currently, there is NO shariah compliant financing facility in Singapore.
To buy a house. To acquire working capital to run your day to day business operations.
There is none.
No Shariah compliant financing facility in Singapore.
There is why I CHOOSE to buy in cash.
And as a Muslim, I DO NOT WANT to associate myself with debts that includes riba (interest).
In the Quran, chapter 2, verse 275,
“Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden riba”.
That is why if I have a loan with interest, I target to clear it asap.
Bi’iznillah…
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Richard Templar also said: “Debt bogs us down and holds us back.”
I see Riba as chains to my leg that prevent me from realising my fullest potential.
Reason being, when I make money, I want the baraqah that comes along with it.
That is why, every single step in my financial planning process, I took great care to ensure that it is shariah compliant.
Because we want to get baraqah. Blessings from Allah S.W.T.
Let me share with you a little secret. If you always feel insecure. Always worry about something.
Come back to Allah S.W.T.
And especially when it comes to problems with your personal finance.
Understand this.
Baraqah will save you! 🙂
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4. “Don’t envy what others have.”
Richard Templar says that we shouldn’t envy others, but LEARN from them.
When he meets someone incredibly successful, he will do his best to find out how the person did it , and whether the method will suit him.
This is an empowering attitude to have.
Most of the time, if we know the level of hard work.
Rejections.
Failures.
Mistakes.
Criticisms. All the sacrifices that these super successful people go through. We might not envy them much!
In Islam, every one of us is BLESSED differently.
Thus, there is no point envying someone else who is richer.
Smarter.
More popular.
Or better looking.
When we envy others, we are counting other people’s blessings instead of our own.
Malay says, “Rezeki masing masing.” 🙂
Allah S.W.T. said in the holy Quran, Surah An-Nisa, Chapter 4, Verses 32.
“And wish not for the things in which Allah has made some of you to excel others.
For men there is reward for what they have earned, (and likewise) for women there is reward for what they have earned, and ask Allah of His bounty. Surely, Allah is Ever All-Knower of everything.”
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You must do the best that you can, using all your abilities and resources which Allah S.W.T. has given you.
It is an amanah for you on this earth.
After you do your best and if some people are still doing better than you in life.
then you must make doa to Allah S.W.T.
BUT never, ever feel envious of others who are doing better than you.
You must have full belief in Allah that whatever you do.
You will have reward of it from Allah S.W.T.
The reward may be in some other way if it is not the way that you expect it to be.
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5) Get some money mentors
Richard Templar advocate having money mentors.
I strongly agree with him.
Above is a drawing that I always present to my clients and friends.
There are 2 ways for you to achieve your goals.
First without a mentor.
Second WITH a mentor.
Your journey from Point A to Point B.
With a mentor, he/she can guide you and will make the difficult journey EASIER for you.
Which do you choose? With or without a mentor? 🙂
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I hope you learn something from my sharing.
My mantra in life is simple.
“When you stop learning, you stop earning.”
“You have money. You don’t have money. The feeling…is different.
Take charge of your personal finances today!”
Now… If you are seeking a mentor, coach, consultant to share with you practical aspects on how you can save, accumulate and grow your money the shariah compliant way in Singapore, I am always ready to help you.
A certified financial consultant, Helmi Hakim has won praise for his patience, perseverance and practicality when solving his clients’ financial concerns. For more information on how you can manage your finances better, contact Helmi Hakim at 96520134.
