Alhamdulillah. I just finished my 2-week army reservist. 🙂
Being in vegetation for a while with combat rations as my food supply, I was deprived of good food.
Many types of food ran into my mind.
Nasi Campur Sinar Cahaya at Pasar Geylang Serai
Roti John Steak Mama Power @ Old Woodlands
Epok Epok Ganja @ 1 Bedok Road
Everything seems so delicious at that point of time! … and then comes, this Nasi Lemak Burger by Macdonalds… 🙂
Okay lah. This is something unique.
Malay food combined with Western Food.
Nasi Lemak combined with burger.
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Never tried before.
So the first thing I did after I outpro and relaxed at home, was to chill at Macdonalds with my wife, sharing a Nasi Lemak Burger.
As I unwrapped my burger… a nice hint of the smell of santan greeted me….
and then out came the coconut flavoured chicken thigh patty, fried egg, caramelised onions, two slices of cucumber and a smear of sambal.
Those who have tried this burger definitely would agree with me, what makes this burger special is the sambal.
The sambal is amazing!
The sweet, spicy cameralised onion sambal is so refreshing, tantalised my tastebuds, and reminded me of the RM1.50 roadside Makcik Nasi Lemak at Johor Bahru.
Sweet, yummy sambal wrapped together with Nasi Lemak in banana leaves and Utusan Malaysia newspaper.
Difficult to find in Singapore, this kind of Nasi Lemak.
Overall, I will give Macdonald Nasi Lemak burger 5/5.
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This Nasi Lemak Burger also serves as a learning lesson for Islamic Finance Practitioners in Singapore.
Nasi Lemak Burger combines the BEST of Malay food – Nasi Lemak – and the BEST of Western food – burgers.
Islamic Finance Practioners can combine the BEST practices in Islamic Financial Planning and Conventional Financial Planning.
Let me explain and give practical examples.
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For Islamic Financial Planning, we save our contingency/emergency funds in Al Wadiah Savings Account.
Alhamdulillah, we know it is shariah compliant because it gives Hibah instead of Interest.
How much to save as contingency funds?
Best practices in conventional finance is to adopt a basic liquidity ratio of 3-6 months.
It means you can have 3-6 months of your monthly expenses in your Al Wadiah Savings account.
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In Islamic Financial Planning, we know in order to buy a house, the shariah compliant way is to use Murabahah, Diminishing Musharakah or Ijarah Wa Iqtina financing facilities.
In the future, once shariah compliant home financing is available in Singapore, we don’t overleverage and immediately
buy properties worth millions of dollars.
Take millions of dollars of shariah compliant financing because it is shariah compliant.
No. We dont do that.
We follow the best practices in conventional finance which is to follow closely this ratio known as, Total Debt Service Ratio (TDSR).
TDSR= Total Debt Yearly Repayment/Annualised Take Home Pay
This ratio measures the proportion of take home income, used to make regular payment of debts.
If it is lower than 35%, means HEALTHY.
It means that there is sufficient take home pay available to service debt repayments.
A ratio of 45% or above for this ratio is generally considered unhealthy and may risk of not being able to service these regular debt repayments.
Follow the recommended TDSR guidelines, even though if the financing facilities are shariah compliant.
Dont overleverage.
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When you invest your money the shariah compliant way for your retirement, you can follow certain personal financial ratio guidelines.
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Savings Ratio = Savings/Gross Income
This ratio calculate the proportion of your income, you set up for savings. You need to save at least minimum 10% of your gross income.
Investment Assets To Net Worth Ratio = Invested Assets/Networth
This ratio compares the value of invested assets with networth.
An individual should have clear targets on accumulating capital for the longer term, excluding investment in the house that you are staying in.
The target is to have sufficient assets accumulated for retirement and other financial purposes.
If it is more than 50%, means HEALTHY.
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Above are just some best practices in conventional finance that I personally adopt to my Islamic Financial Planning services.
If you are looking on the practical aspects on how you can save, accumulate and grow your money the shariah compliant way in Singapore,
you can always whatsapp/sms me at 96520134 to schedule a FREE consultation.
Or perhaps click here to schedule an appointment.
You will want to schedule it asap because I can only accomodate 5 slots per week.
And next week, I will be heading for my long holiday to Oman and Dubai. Insya’Allah.
Time flies.
Today is already the last few days we Muslims celebrate Hari Raya Puasa. 🙂
Every Hari Raya Puasa is special to me.
Nevertheless, this year Hari Raya Puasa is EXTRAspecial to me.
This is because Alhamdulillah….
It is the first Hari Raya my wife and I celebrate with our 3 months old baby, Yaslyn Inara. 🙂
(Myself, my wife and my baby)
Her laughter. Her cries. Her comel (super cute) cutie pie face melts my heart.
And it is such a joy looking at her cheeky and innocent smile (especially when she feels good after we clean and change her diapers).
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Hari Raya Puasa brings a lot of memories to me.
And below are 3 things I like about Hari Raya Puasa most and how it relates to Islamic Financial Planning in Singapore. 🙂
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1) Takbir Raya
I always look forward to the melodic tune of takbir raya, as I am deeply moved by the meaning of it. Takbir raya never fails to touch my heart.
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Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar.
Allah is great. Allah is great. Allah is great.
La ilaha illallah Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar walilahi ilhamd
There is no God, but Allah Allah is Great, Allah is Great; to Him belongs all Praise
It reminds me that no matter how great or how grand we plan our finances or our business,
Allah S.W.T. is the master, the best of all planners.
Allah S.W.T. is the greatest.
We can put in 99% of our effort to plan and work wholeheartedly to achieve our goals.
But if Allah S.W.T does not grant us that 1%, we will never achieve the goals that we plan and work for.
We can work 13-14 hours a day to achieve our financial/business goals.
But without Allah’s blessing, our financial/business goals will remain a distant dream.
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So remember, in everything we plan for.
Be it our financial goals.
Our business goals.
Our relationship goals.
Make doa to Allah S.W.T. that Allah S.W.T. helps us to achieve them.
After that, put in MASSIVE effort and tawakkal.
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2) Hari Raya Visiting
Hari Raya is also that time of the year where you get to visit your family members.
Visiting relatives is a great practice to strengthen the ukhwah or bond between families.
After all, families are the founding blocks of any society.
If we’re not peaceful or loving at this level, how do expect the ummah to be peaceful and loving also? 🙂
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It’s also a great time to catch up on everyone’s lives and at the same time, seek forgiveness for any transgressions that had happened over the year.
Sometimes we may think we have no problem with our aunts or cousins etc, but perhaps there may have been a time where your words had unknowingly hurt them.
In the Quran, Allah encourages us to forgive one another if we expect His forgiveness.
So what better way to start than seeking forgiveness from your own family members?
This practice helps gel the relationship between family members.
(My relatives who are amongst the first few visitors to my house)
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In fact, many times during my Islamic Financial Planning, I emphasize the importance of silaturahmi.
Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever is pleased to have his provision expanded and his life span extended, then he should keep good relations with his family.”
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari 1961, Sahih Muslim 2557
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Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said: “No person severs ties of kinship would enter Paradise.”
[Reported by Muslim 2556]
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“Learn enough about your lineage to facilitate keeping your ties of kinship. For indeed keeping the ties of kinship encourages affection among the relatives, increases the wealth, and increases the lifespan.”
(HR Imam Tirmidzi)
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3) The Joy Of Giving Duit Raya
Yes. As a kid, I love to go Hari Raya because I get Duit Raya.
We jokingly refer that as “Duit Raya Collection”. 🙂
(My daughter’s duit raya for this Shawal)
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When we are adults now, we’re no longer collecting but giving.
There’s joy in giving out duit raya.
It’s such a pleasure to see the bright smiles of kids with their laughters. 🙂
But you don’t only give the kids.
If you’re able to afford it, don’t forget to gift your elders with duit raya too.
The appreciative looks of our elders will warm the heart; you’re not only making them happy but you’re also racking up points on your good deeds scale, Insya’Allah.
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In Islamic Financial Planning, I advocate not only paying our obligatory zakat, but also making more donations.
During Ramadan, we’re always making conscious effort to donate, because we know the blessed month carries hefty rewards.
During Hari Raya, the practice of duit raya is also a form of donation.
But outside these months, at times, some of us tend to lax a bit on donations.
So a good practice in Islamic Financial Planning is to make conscious donations.
Perhaps you may want to consider setting up auto GIRO deduction for one or a few charitable organizations. This will be part of your monthly budget, which your financial planner can help draw up.
For all my clients, you know that you have an option to donate a specific percentage of your monthly premium contribution to charity.
(My clients have an option to donate part of their monthly premiums to charity)
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In my Islamic Financial Planning, I share the importance and benefits of donating your money.
Abdullah ibn Umar reported: Prophet Muhammad (Peace And Blessings Be Upon Him) was upon the pulpit mentioning charity and abstaining from begging and he said, “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
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Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) said: “Allah loves the God-fearing rich man [who gives much in charity but still] remains obscure and uncelebrated.” (Muslim)
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At the end of the day, we not only want to accumulate our wealth. We seek baraqah in it.
We pray that we get blessings from Allah S.W.T. in whatever we do,
especially when its comes to work for our rezeki on this earth.
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That sums up the 3 things I like about Hari Raya Puasa and how it relates to Islamic Financial Planning in Singapore.
If you are looking on the practical aspects on how you can save, accumulate and grow your money the shariah compliant way in Singapore,
you can always whatsapp/sms me at 96520134 to schedule a FREE consultation.
Or perhaps click here to schedule an appointment.
You will want to schedule it asap because I can only accomodate 5 slots per week.
And next week, I will be heading for my long holiday to Oman and Dubai. Insya’Allah.
Every year, I rely on my mother to cook for us these tantalising, traditional home-cooked dishes.
But I do know these dishes are the magical results of combining several ingredients.
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Lodeh
Lodeh is a simple but filling dish.
It’s got tons of veggies in it – cabbage, carrot, long beans etc – and also tempe, tauhu and chillies.
This dish requires the use of coconut milk to give it that ‘lemak’ taste, and frankly, lodeh wouldn’t be lodeh without it.
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Rendang
(My mother’s home cooked Rendang)
Rendang is the quintessential Raya dish – it seems like it wouldn’t be Raya without this rich and aromatic spicy meat dish.
You can either use beef or chicken for rendang. This is quite a difficult dish to make, because the flavors need to balanced owing to the use of numerous spices and herbs.
Some of the ingredients used include lemongrass, garlic, turmeric, ginger and galangal. And not forgetting coconut milk!
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Ayam Masak Merah
Ayam masak merah is a delight on our tongues – spicy, sweet and sour all at the same time!
Once again, this a recipe that needs to have the flavors balanced nicely.
Two main star ingredients include chillies (dried and paste) and tomato ketchup – without either one, your dish will fall flat.
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Ketupat
Ketupat is perhaps the easiest dish to make – you just need rice, a bit of salt and water.
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Serunding
As for serunding, though there is the beef version, usually the kind that is served as condiment along with ketupat and other dishes is the spiced coconut one (serunding kelapa).
Serunding kelapa requires a mix of various spices and then cooked over low heat for a period of time until the coconut dries up and absorbs the flavors.
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Cooking is an art, really.
You take different ingredients but in the precise quantity and when done right, you’ll get a delicious dish guaranteed to satisfy the tummy.
And you mixed all the dishes together,
the ketupat,
the lodeh,
the rendang,
the ayam masak merah
and serunding. You feel like you are in heaven!!! 🙂
Similarly, think of making money the shariah compliant way in Singapore as putting together a great dish.
In order to successfully plan for your financial future, you cannot just rely on ONE ingredient or strategy.
Sure you can put all your money in shariah compliant Al Wadiah savings account.
But with a Hibah of only 0.6-0.7%/annum, its difficult for you to be rich.
Or achieve the financial goals that you set for yourself.
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The best way to achieve your financial goal is to combine a FEW powerful strategies into one.
You can invest your money in shariah compliant shares or Halal REITS
(My personal watchlist of shariah compliant shares that I share with my clients)
Buy in shariah compliant funds
Invest in commodities
Earn rental income from investment properties
Or perhaps run your own profit making business.
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When cooking rendang, you need to do step A, B, C, D and E, if not your rendang tak menjadi.
Similarly when you select a particular stock, you have to ensure it is shariah compliant by going through a few steps
called shariah compliant screening methodology.
Which shariah compliant screening methodology do you adopt?
S&P?
Dow Jones?
MSCI?
AAOIFI?
or perhaps Malaysia’s Shariah screening methodology for stocks listed on Bursa Malaysia established by the Shariah Advisory Council of the Securities Commission Malaysia?
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You want to calculate the intrinsic value of the stock. Which model are you using? Discounting Cashflow Model? Gordon Growth Model? Dividend Discount Model? Residual Income Model?
All these steps that you take before investing your hard earned money into stocks is just like cooking.
You need to know the ingredients, the quantity required and a bit of love to ensure that your dish tastes delicious!
There are clearly steps you need to take when investing in stocks, the shariah compliant way in Singapore.
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After you invest in shares, that is not enough.
You diversify your portfolio. You look at diferent types of shariah compliant vehicles to achieve your financial goals.
Ketupat alone doesnt taste nice. Ketupat with lodeh, with sambal, with serunding, with rendang….OMG!!! It tastes awesome!!! 🙂
You do similar due dilligence when investing in commodities, investment funds, properties or even running your own business.
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Example, when you will like to set up a business, you wont haphazardly just invest your money blindly to rent a shop and start your brick and motar business.
If you dont understand Malay, these are the 6 Steps.
1) Check whether the business or product/service you gonna sell, got Demand or not
2) Unique Selling Proposition (You got to differentiate yourself, dont be a commodity)
3) Market Can See You All The Time (Ensure your target market always see your brand)
4) Add Massive Value To Your Customers
5) Cross Sell, Upsell, Downsell
6) Referral
The point here, these 6 steps is like you cooking your rendang.
When cooking rendang, you need to do step A, B, C, D and E, if not your rendang tak menjadi.
And when you add your rendang together with other dishes, it tastes AWESOME!
Similarly, when you combine making money through profit making business + shariah compliant investment, it becomes a SUPER COMBO POWER!!!
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So my friends.
If you are looking for a shariah compliant financial expert to help you save, accumulate and grow your money the shariah compliant way,
you can always whatsapp/sms me at 96520134to schedule a FREE consultation.
Or perhaps click here to schedule an appointment.
You will want to schedule it asap because I can only accomodate 5 slots per week.
And next week, I need to go for my compulsory army reservist.
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Last but not least, I will like to wish all my Muslim friends, Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri Minal ‘Aidin Wal Faizin Kullu ‘Amin wa antum bi khair.
Alhamdulillah. Ramadan is a blessed guest that comes once a year.
In this beautiful month, we Muslims are encouraged to increase our worship
and to be more charitable.
It’s a month filled with barakah, where your deeds are multiplied.
And your sins will be forgiven if you are sincere.
When we abstain from food and drink, it’s a reminder to be mindful of those around us who are less fortunate.
We also have to watch our words and temper. Ramadan helps us to develop our better self.
So don’t be surprise some of our best practices in Ramadan are also useful principles in managing your personal finances.
I termed the concept with the acronym R.A.M.A.D.A.N. so that it is easier to remember. 🙂
Reflect
Ramadan is a time of reflection.
It is a time for introspection.
It is a time where we should take stock of ourselves.
And have an honest assessment of our shortcomings.
It is the time of the year in which we recharge our iman.
And prepare for the challenges facing us over the next 334 days.
Challenges that will test us in the next 8016 hours.
Getting ourselves prepared every single moment.Every single 480,960 minutes to come!
This can only be done if we muhasabah…. pause, reflect on our own faults,
introduce feedforward controls
and implement solutions during this important month.
(Beautiful side view of Sultan Mosque)
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Similar to managing our personal finance, we should reflect and ask ourselves these questions.
Do I have 3-6 months of emergency expenses in my bank account? (Basic Liquidity Ratio)
Have I been saving 20% of my monthly income? (Savings Ratio)
Is my debt service ratio above the recommended rate? Am I highly leverage?
And most importantly, from a perspective of a Muslim, we need to reflect on this.
Have I been paying zakat for my cooperative insurance policies
and shariah compliant investable assets when it hits the nisab value and reach the haul of 1 year?
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(The kadar nisab as of today, 11th June 2017)
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These are important questions that you have to ask yourself.
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The reason why I am bringing this up is because I just received a call from one of my blog readers.
She told me, she paid for zakat fitrah all along. BUT she has OVERLOOKED paying her zakat harta for her cooperative insurance policies and shariah compliant investable assets for the past 20 years!
Paying zakat is one of the pillars of Islam.
She is clueless and seeked my advice on what she could do.
Of course, now is the best time for us to reflect on ourselves too! 🙂
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Absolute Patience
Ramadan is about overcoming base instincts and have patience.
(My newborn baby daughter, Yaslyn Inara relaxing by the sea.)
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It’s not easy to withhold hunger and thirst, and to watch your behavior and grab at any opportunity you can to do good.
We are so used to eating and drinking whenever we want.
And also we rarely watch the things we say.
And we tend to be lazy or procrastinate.
So Ramadan forces us to hold back and in doing so, it requires patience on our part. Absolute patience. No two ways about that! 🙂
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Managing your finances is also about overcoming a basic instinct and have patience.
Humans are naturally inclined to instant gratification.
We want things NOW!
We hardly blink an eye eating out everyday or splurging on staycation / new bag / new gadget.
But the moment we need to set aside money for the future, most of us start coming up with all sorts of excuses.
The reason why we are adverse in saving up is because we don’t see its immediate benefit.
Although logically we know it’s to help us in the future, our base instinct is to enjoy things now.
So understand that in financial planning, you need to have absolute patience.
Be stronger than your basic instinct and commit yourself to save up or invest every month.
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Moderation
Ramadan is about moderation.
Everyday, after Azan Maghrib, I listened to the radio ads on Warna 94.2FM by Health Promotion Board.
It states that 1 out 6 Singaporean Malays from age 18-69 have diabetes.
This is a trend that is unhealthy and worrying.
As someone who loves to eat delicious food, enjoy sumptious buffets with beautiful, tantalising arrays of food,
I find Ramadan not only an opportunity for me to increase my Ibadah.
It is opportunity for me to watch my diet and eat moderately.
We eat heartily for suhoor, as we need energy to get on with the day.
And when we break for iftaar, the food we consume should be in moderation, enough for us to sustain our energy levels for the taraweeh prayers.
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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.”
[Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasaa’I, Ibn Majah – Hadith sahih]
(Myself Iftar with my family near Changi)
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Similarly, in managing our finances, we have to practice moderation.
Usually when I encounter very ambitious prospects who wants to start a shariah compliant investment plan with a big monthly contribution,
as a finanial planner, I will dig deep in their finance first.
How much are you earning?
What is your monthly expenses like? After deducting your monthly expenses, how much are you left with?
Do you have 3-6 months of emergency expenses set aside in your bank account?
You mentioned to me that you want to save $XXXX/month. Have you been saving $XXXX/mth for the last 6 months?
Yes? No? Why No?
If they are not ready, usually I would decline them as my client first and share with them strategies on how to accumulate money fast, over the short term period.
Of course, do it the shariah compliant way in Singapore.
Once they are financially stable, meet me again, and I share simple yet powerful financial strategies that I personally use to grow my wealth the shariah compliant way in Singapore.
My role, my relationship with them as a financial consultant is to help grow their investable assets and networth the shariah compliant way in Singapore.
And moderation is key.
Slow and steady always win the race. 🙂
(You can download a free report of me sharing how you can create your own personal networth statement and cashflow statement in less than 10 minutes even if you have no financial background. Click here. )
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Act On Opportunities
Ramadan is about taking advantage of opportunities.
As mentioned, it’s a month where your deeds are doubled in reward and you’ll be forgiven for your sins if you’re sincere in your taubah. Let’s not be fools like the ones mentioned in the following hadith:
Abu Huraira (r.a.) related that Rasulullah (s.a.w) said: Many people who fast get nothing from their fast except hunger and thirst, and many people who pray at night get nothing from it except wakefulness (Darimi).
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Similarly, effective financial planning is about taking advantage of opportunities. You’re not going to be young forever.
For example, if you’re taking up a shariah compliant insurance plan, you pay less in terms of mortality charges if you’re in your early thirties as compared to when you’re in your forties. So instead of paying more in the future, why not start early and pay lesser yet still accumulate much more?
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Talking about opportunities, a lot of you might be aware that in the year 2008 (subprime mortgage crisis)
which leads to global economic crisis (year 2009), I help a lot of my clients make money. They make a lot of money. Yet, I dont make much money.
(Myself and my fellow colleagues doing roadshows 10 years ago)
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At that time, I was 21 years old, just completed my 2 years army, and new to my job as a financial consultant.
In army, we only received about $500/mth, thus naturally I dont have much opportunity funds.
Nevertheless, I have financial knowledge (Diploma in Accountancy), and I managed to convince a lot of people to invest with me.
Yet, I dont have much to invest.
I remembered that Abang who came to me.
“Helmi…. Thank you so much lah for helping Abang make so much money via investment. Very good!
Btw, just want to check with you lah, how much percentage in terms of share of my profit, do you get??”
I answered, “Not a single cent”.
I was disappointed. I was sad for myself, yet happy for my clients.
I consoled myself by telling myself,
“Its okay Helmi. Now you are young. Start saving as much opportunity funds as possible. In investment, there are market cycles. In the future, when there is a market downturn, make sure you have a lot of money to capitalise on the OPPORTUNITY.”
Yes! Prepare and grab opportunities as it comes by! 🙂
Discipline and awesome time management
Ramadan teaches us to be disciplined. It’s not easy to go hungry and thirsty, and on top of that be on our best behavior.
This is only achieved through discipline, which comes from the taqwa (consciousness) of Allah.
In addition to that, Ramadan nurtures us to be discipline in how we manage our time.
We have to wake up earlier than usual to do our suhoor, then at night, our time is spent at taraweeh prayers.
So it’s very important for us to plan our day right, and this is where being discipline in managing our time well comes in. Otherwise, you’ll end up sleeping late and missing suhoor, or you’ll be too tired to do taraweeh because you were doing way too much during the day.
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(What I had for suhoor earlier, my protein shake and a drink)
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Managing your personal finances is also about discipline.
A lot of people thought if someone earns a lot, he automatically becomes rich.
That is a myth. My experiences as a financial consultant tells me otherwise.
I have met someone who earns >$10,000/mth who cannot afford to get savings plan from me (always lapsing his policy and I have to chase for payment).
And at the same time, someone just earning $1,500 who has a few policies with me.
In fact, if you look at that same person, who earns >$10,000/mth facebook, you will be thinking,
“Woah! He is so lucky! So rich! Driving flashy cars and always travelling on expensive holidays all over the world”.
The beautiful part of being a financial consultant is that we dont look at you on the surface.
Expensive cars, branded goods to showcase etc2.
Those are good to have but superficial.
We look directly at your personal financial statements.
Anybody can start a savings or investment plan, but it takes character and utmost discipline to maintain it.
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Abstinence from haram stuffs
Similarly, when running a business or making money through investments, we have to ensure that it is Halal.
It is shariah compliant. Free from Riba. Maysir. And Gharar.
On the day of judgement, five basic queries that will be made to every being as per the following Saying of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):
“The son of Adam will not pass away from Allah until he is asked about five things: how he lived his life, and how he utilized his youth, with what means did he earn his wealth, how did he spend his wealth, and what did he do with his knowledge.” (Tirmidhi)
Thus when a lot of people meet me, they realised I am a financial consultant that is different compared to majority of the other financial consultants in Singapore.
I have a different set of philosophies and principles .
When others advice their clients to take as much loans as possible as a form of leverage (as long as fulfil DSR), I advice my clients not to take interest bearing loans. Even if the interest rate is super low. It is because interest is riba. If you have it, clear it asap.
When others advice their clients on financial instruments that involved maysir and gharar, I advice my clients against that. No short selling of stocks. No speculative financial instruments.
And I advice my clients on how they can scrutinise their portfolio of investments via various shariah compliant screening methodologies like Dow Jones Islamic Markets, Securities Commission Malaysia etc2.
This is important because at the end of the day, we not only want to make money. We want the baraqah and Allah’s blessing together with it.
Amin. Insya’Allah.
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Night Of Destiny
A Malay proverb says, “Kita hanya merancang, tuhan menentukan”.
I always share with my clients. In life, we can only plan.
Allah S.W.T. is the Master of Destiny.
As we are approaching the last 10 nights of Ramadan, we Muslims believe there is this one night known as Night of Destiny (Laylat al-Qadr).
On this special night the blessings and mercy of Allah are abundant, sins are forgiven, supplications are accepted, and that the annual decree is revealed to the angels who also descend to earth.
Make Tahajud prayers. Make Hajat prayers.
And when making doa to Allah S.W.T., I share with my clients, family and friends.
Dont make doa like,
“Ya Allah. Make me rich. Give me long life…. and the list continues”
Add these words. “Ya Allah. If this is good for me, good for my parents, good for my religion, grant me (what you wish)”
Put your trust in Allah S.W.T.
Biiznillah your doa will be maqbul. And if not, Allah S.W.T will replace with something better.
Insya’Allah. 🙂
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From a spiritual level, the Night Of Destiny is extremely powerful.
From the Imam of Makkah, he said for the last 10 nights of Ramadan,
1) If you donate $1 every night, and it falls under the night of destiny, it means as if you have donated every day for 84 years.
2) 2 rakaat of prayers every night, and it falls under the night of destiny, it means we pray every day for 84 years.
3) Read Surah Al-Ikhlas 3 times per night, and it falls under the night of destiny, it means we have read the entire Al-Quran everyday for 84 years.
(Translated from Ustazah Siti Nor Bahyah Mahamood facebook’s sharing, 18th June)
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So that sums up my R.A.M.A.D.A.N formula.
And how you can learn the good principles of this beautiful month and apply it when managing your personal finance, the shariah compliant way in Singapore.
May Allah S.W.T accept our ibadah and good deeds that we performed in Ramadan. Insya’Allah! 🙂
p.s. By the way, if you wish to discover a simple & halal way to create a positive monthly cashflow and calculate your net worth for FREE, then pleaseclick here…
One of my personal goals for year 2017 is to hit my first MDRT (Million Dollar Round Table), the shariah compliant way.
By reaching out to Muslim families in Singapore who like to plan their finance, the halal way. The shariah compliant way.
That is my personal goal. To achieve your own personal goals, you need strategies.
Here are 3 important questions you have to ask yourself first to uncover proven, confirm to work strategies that can help you achieve your goals.
1) What new knowledge/skills do you need?
2) Who can help you achieve your goals?
3) How do you achieve your goals faster?
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1. WHAT new knowledge/skills do you need?
There is a saying, “INSANITY is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Which means you cannot just rely on whatever knowledge and skills you have now.
Life is a constant learning journey: the arrogant is he who thinks he knows or has everything he needs to succeed.
Once you start to seriously move towards your goals, you’ll realize you’ll need new knowledge or skill.
Sit down for a moment and really think through this question.
What new knowledge/skills do you need? 🙂
Personally for me to achieve my MDRT, these are the new knowledge and skills that I need.
I need to acquire knowledge on how to attract qualified leads. It can be online or offline strategies.
I need to upgrade my knowledge on Islamic Finance. Sure, I took an Islamic Finance module during my degree
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And Islamic Finance Certification with Australia Centre For Islamic Finance few years back.
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. . It is time to refresh and upgrade myself with a new Islamic Finance certification for year 2017! The industry is changing rapidly, and getting an additional certification will bolster my knowledge and effort to advice my clients better.
2. WHO can help you achieve your goals?
There’s a famous saying: No man is an island.
We cannot possibly do things on our own.
Our knowledge, skill and understanding of the world is limited. We will need help. With the example of saving up, who do you think can best help you achieve your goals?
Maybe you can approach a financial planner (or me! hehehe).
And together we work out the best plan to to achieve your goal. 🙂
Or perhaps your spouse can help keep you accountable. If you know you can’t be disciplined to save, then she can be the ‘unofficial’ banker.
This might mean going to her every month and asking her to help hold on to the money you plan to save.
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For me personally, to achieve my MDRT, I look for qualified people that can help me achieve my goals too. I surround myself with these people.
– This year itself, I have signed up for Ethica’s Certified Islamic Finance Executive™ (CIFE™) course.
Ethica’s Certified Islamic Finance Executive™ (CIFE™) is a globally recognized certificate accredited by scholars to fully comply with AAOIFI, the world’s leading Islamic finance standard.
Till date, I do not know of any practicing financial planner in Singapore who are trained AAOIFI compliant certifications. AAOIFI compliant is the de facto standard in over 90% of the world’s jurisdictions. Let me be the FIRST amongst the 20,000 financial planners in Singapore! Insya’Allah… 🙂
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– I have also signed up, for an online marketing 2 days practical workshop, where I will learn more on facebook marketing. Many of you today, my blog readers are already my clients.
You get to know me over the internet after reading my blog posts or viewing my youtube videos.
Insya’Allah, I will find qualified people to help me, in my mission to spread the goodness of Islamic Finance to our fellow Singaporeans.
Let us make every single step to find rezeki in the world, an ibadah. May our efforts benefit us in this world, and hereafter. Insya’Allah…
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– Next week, I am meeting my lawyers to discuss further on trademarks, that I will register for my signature programs, “Unlock Your Money” session and “Your Financial M.A.P.” session.
I first learnt about trademarks and copyrights, when I was a full time student in Ngee Ann Polytechnic many years back.
I took Business Law as one of the modules, while undertaking Diploma In Accountancy.
Little did I know, many years later, I would be liaising with lawyers to register my own personal trademarks. Exciting!!! 🙂
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– I have also reached out to my Arab teacher in Egypt, where I will continue back learning Arabic Language via Skype with him every Monday, after Subuh prayers.
In my opinion, the best time time to learn or memorise something, is before you sleep, and after you wake up.
Learning Arabic Language has been very tough for me.
It is no easy feat. :/
Pray for me that I will istiqamah in my journey to learn how to read, understand and speak Arabic Language with confidence. Insya’Allah! 🙂
3. HOW do you achieve your goals faster?
Alright, you’re almost ready to make your goals come true.
So the 3rd question you should ask yourself is how do you achieve your goals faster?
I like to add some buffer, whenever I set my goals.
So even though, I target to achieve MDRT for year 2017….. I shall target to achieve my MDRT by 31st October 2017, which happens to be my birthday! 🙂
But how? Easier said than done! 🙂
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I remembered, one of the quotes of wisdom, by a Singaporean entrepreneur, Sant Qiu, “Whatever you can do, you can do it bigger, better, faster…… with the right team. So assemble the right team as early as you can and achieve bigger, better results faster.”
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You might have heard about Robo Advisor.
I am in the process of creating my own personal shariah compliant Robo Advisor.
I will also be engaging para planners.
They will work hand in hand with me to assist me in developing comprehensive, powerful shariah compliant financial planning strategies for my clients in Singapore.
My team will comprise of robots and humans.
We will alter the history of the financial planning industry in Singapore, the way financial planners run our financial practice in Singapore.
By introducing my personal, revolutionary financial planning practice hybrid model- that combines the best of high-tech and high-touch.
It never happen before, and change is inevitable.
In fact, the process has already begun. You might have heard about Takaful.sg
That is one of my fintech intiatives, which is already “live” in Singapore.
Many, many, more exciting things to come! 🙂
So, there I cover 3 important questions you have to ask yourself first to uncover proven, confirm to work strategies that can help you achieve your goals.
1) What new knowledge/skills do you need?
2) Who can help you achieve your goals?
3) How do you achieve your goals faster?
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If you like to receive undivided attention from me as a financial planner, to help you plan your finance the shariah compliant way in Singapore, you can schedule an appointment with me here. Or just whatsapp/SMS me direct at 96520134.
Because of my busy schedule, I can only accommodate additional 5 slots every week, so do click the link, and schedule an appointment with me now.
Time flies…. January 2017 is almost over and now February is approaching fast!!!.
Have you set your new year resolutions? 🙂
It has been over 10 years since I’ve worked as a financial consultant. Helping thousands of Muslim families plan their finance,
the shariah compliant way in Singapore.
Fulfiling. Satisfying. And fun meeting people from all walks of life. 🙂
(Picture of me, when I was first interviewed in Berita Harian, many years back)
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Alhamdulillah… We’re blessed to be able to ‘start over’ again.
So celebrate our achievements and forget our disappointments of 2016.
And let’s focus on achieving our goals in 2017!
It’s never too late so here’s the S.M.A.R.T way to do them.
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1. S for Specific
In my financial advisory practice, I realize one thing.
Many people set vague goals.
I’ve asked my prospects why they meet me.
Some say ‘I want to save up money.’
“I want to make more money”
I told them that when they set any goals in their life, all their goals have to be specific.
Because our mind understands detailed instructions best.
Which is why in Islam, Allah doesn’t make vague commands like ‘pray daily’.
Through our Prophet Muhammad s.a.w, we know we, Muslims have to pray 5 times a day, and each prayer has its own sets of raka’at.
So when anyone comes to me and tell me, vague goals, unclear financial objectives, like “I want to save money”.
I asked them, “What do you want to save up for specifically?”
Retirement?
Child’s Education?
Improve Living Standards?
Cash Emergencies?
or wealth accumulation to become rich?
Choose 1. Be specific!
When you have a specific goal in mind, you will feel empowered.
Energised. Powerful.
Easier for me, as your financial consultant to help you craft up your laser focused,
powerful shariah compliant financial strategies
for you to achieve your financial goals.
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2. M for Measurable
Goals have to be measurable. Quantifiable.
Better, if you can count it with your fingers.
If you want to lose weight or save up money for your retirement, having an actual figure means you get to track and measure your progress.
Example, if you want to lose weight, you need to know, how much is your current weight now in kg.
How much is your target, your ideal weight in kg.
And how much you need to lose in kg.
And how many X months specifically, you have to lose that X kg.
My fitness coach says that losing weight and staying healthy,
80% of it is your diet and 20% is exercise.
Definitely, we need to control what we put in our mouths to lose weight.
7700 calories equate to 1kg.
To gain 1 kg, you need to have a calorie gain of 7700 calories.
To lose 1kg, you need to have a calorie deficit of 7700 calories.
And calculate specifically for your body weight, the ‘X’ litres of water you need to drink specifically to detox.
See, everything is measurable. Quantifiable. You need to put it in numbers.
Numbers that you can count, track and measure. 🙂
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Same goes to achieving any of your financial goals.
You have to ensure, its measurable.
Example, you want to save for your retirement.
What is your age now, and when do you want to retire?
When you retire, how much you want to spend every single month? $1000/mth, $2000/mth, $5000/mth or more?
Everything has to be measurable. Quantifiable.
Then, it would be easier for me, as your financial consultant to help you craft up your laser focused, powerful shariah compliant financial strategies
for you to achieve your financial goals.
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3. A for Achievable
Don’t set impossible goals.
Your goals have to be achievable.
Because otherwise your mind creates a resistance and you’ll give up easily.
So if you want to save up for your retirement through investment, don’t put high hopes to invest in an instruments that gives 100% returns per year, risk free. (if the deal is too good, to be true, its indeed too good to be true).
Many fall prey to Get Rich Schemes because of greed.
Remember, if the deal is too good to be true, its indeed too good to be true!!!
Do your research, check your finances and budget accordingly.
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4. R for Realistic/Relevant/Rewards
Most of us understand our goals need to be realistic.
I advocate another acronym to it, Rewards.
I advocate this concept called, Pain/Pleasure principle.
You have devise a system to reward yourself, whenever you achieve any small goals leading to your big goal.
For those who watch their diet like me, we have “deviation days”. After 14 days of careful eating, we have a day where we can indulge in our favourite food.
Reward ourselves. Pizza maybe? :p
Similar to halal financial planning. Reward yourself along the way, when you achieve your financial mileage at every single juncture. Pain Pleasure principle works well!
Myself as a financial consultant, I always give my clients, words of congratulatory affirmation, encouragement, when I realise that they are consistent in working hard to achieve their financial goals when I did a financial review session with them.
I will tell them, “Well done!”,
“You are doing well!” “Awesome. You are on track!”
4. T for Time-bound
Setting a time frame helps you stay focused and on track.
Different time frame requires different set of strategies.
Example: Retirement? How long more is your retirement?
10 years? 15 years? 20 years?
Singapore retirement age has now been extended to age 67.
Do you want to follow the mass, or you have your own retirement age? 🙂
Child’s Education?
What is the age of your child now? Boy or girl?
If boy, you need to account he would go for national service in the future.
Wealth accumulation, the shariah compliant way. What is your investment time horizon?
1 year? 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?
Shariah Compliant Financial strategies for investment time horizon of 1 year is very different than shariah compliant financial strategies for investment time horizon of 20 years.
So, when you set goals follow the S.M.A.R.T goals formula! 🙂
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………………….. 5. How To Achieve Goals
So now that you have your goals nicely done up, here are some quick tips to help you achieve them.
a. Mindset
The first step is to always have a proper mindset. Tell yourself this is the year you’re going to make a difference in your life.
b. Draw up action plan
Goals are nothing without action. So if you want to lose weight or save up, figure out exactly what needs to be done.
c. Print out goals and paste somewhere visible
The mind needs visual reminders, so print out your goals and action plan and paste them at your dressing table, cupboard door, fridge etc.
d. Do a vision board
Besides words, the mind also reacts positively to images. If you want to save money, imagine what that looks like once you’ve achieved the goal. Are you checking your bank account happily? Are you holding crisp cash in your hands? Get some relevant images and make posters. Or get a vision board app from iTunes or Google Play.
This is my own personal vision board that I placed in my office! 🙂
I wish you all the best for year 2017. May you achieve all your dreams, goals and aspirations. Amin… Insya’Allah… 🙂
p.s. By the way, if you wish to discover a simple & halal way to create a positive monthly cashflow and calculate your net worth for FREE, then please click here…
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.
