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.
Today is the 12th day of the Islamic month of Rabi’ al-awwal, which is our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)’s birthday.
We, Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is the last and final messenger of God.
Since young, when I read the seerah of our beloved Prophet, I am amazed at how much that we can learnt from him.
And today, I will like to touch specifically on 7 Good Business Habits of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
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1) Trustworthy (Al Amin)
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was involved in trade since his early adulthood.
And he quickly gained the title Al-Amin (the Trustworthy).
Then he came under the employment of a well known businesswoman named Khadija bint Khuwaylid.
He was recommended to her by his uncle, Abu Talib.
“If you had requested this for the sake of a loathed stranger, I would have agreed. How can I refuse when it is for an honorable acquaintance?” she had said to Abu Talib, for she was also familiar with Rasulullah’s reputation.
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In Islam, we learnt that 9/10 of sources of rezeki (income) can be derived from business activities.
And in running our own business, we also seek the baraqah and redha from Allah S.W.T.
To get baraqah and redha from Allah S.W.T. in business, we need to have good character. We need to be Trustworthy.
It’s very easy to be greedy in trade, which is why a lot of cheating, cutting corners, riba and exorbitant pricing happen.
So if you want to seek baraqah and redha from Allah S.W.T., follow the steps of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
Being transparent, truthful and trustworthy is the first step to gain the trust of your clients and running a successful business.
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2) Always give salam to your customers/prospects
Abdullah ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with both) narrated that a man asked the Messenger of Allah (Peace be Upon Him) regarding which aspect of Islam was better.
Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) replied:
“That you feed (others), say the greeting of salaam to those whom you know and those whom you don’t know”.
Start with, “Assalamualaikum” greetings with your clients and even with your prospects who you don’t know them personally.
“Assalamualaikum” means “Peace Be Upon You”.
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3) Smile
Smile is sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
Abdullaah ibn Haarith said, “I’ve never came across a person who smiled as much as Prophet Muhammad. Prophet Muhammad regarded smiling to a brother as an act of charity.”
Smiling is like a magnet that attracts rezeki for business people.
The more we smile, the more people will like us.
And we will also attract positive vibes and cheerful customers in our business. Insya’Allah. 🙂
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4) Avoid appointments during solat prayer time
“Verily, As-Salaah (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours”
[al-Nisa’ 4:103].
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Personally, I do my best to avoid my financial planning consultations during solat prayer time.
Subuh @ 5.28am
Zuhur @ 12.53pm
Asar @ 4.16pm
Maghrib @ 6.54pm
Isyak @ 8.07pm
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5) Doa
Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said “Dua is the essence of Ibadah (worship).” (HR At-Tirmidzi)
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As Muslims, we believe that there is no middle man between God and his slaves. Any help we need, be it in business or life, we are to call unto him directly.
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God tells us:
“And your Lord says, Call upon Me; I will respond to you.” Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell [rendered] contemptible.” Quran 40:60
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And these are the 3 most mustajab time to make doa.
The Last Third Of The Night
Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said:
‘In the last third of every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost heaven and says;
“Who is calling Me, so that I may answer him?
Who is asking Me so that may I grant him?
Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive him?.”‘ [Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith Qudsi]
While Prostrating
Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (SAW), said: ‘The nearest a slave can be to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so invoke (supplicate) Allah (SWT) much in it. [Muslim, abu Dawud, an-Nasa’i and others, Sahih al-Jami #1175]
Between Adhan and Iqamah
Anas (RA) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: ‘A supplication made between the Adhan and Iqama is not rejected.’
[Ahmad, abu Dawud #521, at-Tirmidhi #212, Sahih al-Jami #3408, an-Nasai and Ibn Hibban graded it sahih (sound)]
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6) The best humans bring the most benefit to other human beings
Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said, “The best of people are those that bring most benefit to the rest of mankind.” [Daraqutni, Hasan]
That is why I always advocate that in whatever business or profession we do, continue to upgrade ourselves.
Perfect the effectiveness and efficiency of our systems. The quality of our service.
So as to provide the best value, the optimal benefit for our clients, our community and the rest of mankind. Insya’Allah. 🙂
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7) Understanding Muamalat and Avoid all forms of riba
As business people, when we study Muamalat, we need to pay close attention especially when it comes to practising business transactions.
Muamalat – Actions among men: This refers to how people interact with each other in their day-to-day affairs and dealings with people. This includes such things as trade, partnerships, laws, … as well as Islamic Finance.
Unlike Ibadat, a general principle that applies to Muamalat is that everything is allowed, except for what has been prohibited.Therefore as business people, we need to know the prohibitions. (Explanation adapted from Almir Colan)
Example:
– Prohibition of riba, maysir and gharar
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As you can see above, there are many things we can learn from our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) when it comes to running our business.
In business, cashflow is king. Having money on hand is important.
Thus, if you will also like to discover 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.
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…
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…
In my profession as a financial consultant, I always experiment with different techniques.
Different concepts.
And different strategies to help my clients solve their financial objectives/problems.
One of them is using Edward De Bono 6 Thinking Hats.
As humans, sometimes, when we face a problem, we tend to find ways to solve our problem, looking at it from only ONE perspective. ONE angle.
AND because of that, sometimes the decisions that we made may not be the best.
Simply because we don’t have a clear process.
That is why Edward Debono 6 Thinking Hats can help us understand and solve problems more efficiently.
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Let’s apply this to a financial objective.
“Clearing your housing loan debt.”
Each hat represents a specific thinking role/perspective.
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1. The White Hat (Facts and Figures)
First, put on this thinking hat.
The White Hat deals strictly with facts and figures. No emotions or idea generation should happen here. So for our problem, the facts will look something like this:
My housing loan is $300,000, payable for 30 years.
My monthly instalment is $1201.02/mth.
Out of $1201.02, $650 goes to pay for interest, and $551.02 goes to pay outstanding balance.
Ceteris Paribus, after paying for 10 years, my outstanding balance will be $224,579.
If I can save up, accumulate and grow my money the shariah compliant way… having $224,579, on hand, at the end of 10 years, I will have cleared my housing loan debt.
Fact and figures. Pretty straightforward.
2. The Green Hat (Creativity)
Now that you’ve got all the facts, it’s time to come up with solutions.
Save $224,579 by the end of 10 years?
Easier said than done! 🙂
The Green Hat symbolizes creativity.
It’s about generating ideas and exploring possibilities.
So list all the ways you can think of to save money or get money.
E.g: – Open a separate shariah compliant savings account, BUT don’t have ATM card. Every month, get my pay, I do a FAST transfer to my separate savings account. It’s called FORCED SAVINGS.
-Clean my house, and set aside all my junk stuffs. Take picture and sell them at Carousell!
– Have a coin box. Everyday, just use notes to spend. All the coins, save it up in your coin box….
The list, continues…. Go on and on… Let your ideas flow. Like streams of water in the river…
3. The Yellow Hat
Awesome! Now you’ve got your ideas, it’s time to play pros and cons.
The Yellow Hat symbolizes optimism (because it’s such a bright, happy color).
It focuses on the positive aspects and benefits of your ideas.
In this thinking role, you have to pretend that everything will work out fine.
E.g.
Idea #1: Open a separate shariah compliant savings account, BUT don’t have ATM card. Every month, get my pay, I do a FAST transfer to my separate savings account. It’s called FORCED SAVINGS.
Positive Aspects: Awesome!!! It is a super quick way to save up and accumulate money.
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Idea #2: Clean my house, and set aside all my junk stuffs. Take picture and sell them at Carousell!
Positive Aspects: Awesome!!! Its like killing 2 birds with one stone, or the Malay saying, “Sambil menyelam minum air.”
I have a clean house, clearing all the clutters away AND I make some money.
Idea #3: Have a coin box. Everyday, just use notes to spend. All the coins, save it up in your coin box….
Positive Aspects: Awesome!!! My wallet wont be bulging out with coins. And I save more money.
You’ve got the positive benefits of your list of ideas. Now do the opposite.
The Black Hat deals with negativity. You’re going to play the devil and come up with all sorts of excuses why your ideas won’t work.
Idea #1: Open a separate shariah compliant savings account, BUT don’t have ATM card. Every month, get my pay, I do a FAST transfer to my separate savings account. It’s called FORCED SAVINGS.
Negative Aspects: Alright. Though I can force myself to save my money quickly, how much are the returns/hibah that I am getting? Can it beats inflation? I doubt so.
Idea #2: Clean my house, and set aside all my junk stuffs. Take picture and sell them at Carousell!
Negative Aspects: Alright. Will anybody really buy my junk stuffs? Why would they buy when it is all JUNK?
Right?
Idea #3: Have a coin box. Everyday, just use notes to spend. All the coins, save it up in your coin box….
Negative Aspects: Can I really save much money, just by saving my coins everyday? Substantial enough to pay off my housing loan in 10 years?
5. The Red Hat
Ok, so far you’ve used your mind to do all the work. Now use your heart.
The Red Hat represents emotions/feelings.
Go through your ideas, looking at both their pros and cons.
Ask yourself, am I comfortable with this idea?
Do I feel strongly for it?
Is the sacrifice worth it?
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6. The Blue Hat
This is the final hat. Your objective here is to make sure that you’ve done all the previous steps correctly.
Then summarize your results and you should have a clear overview of what your final decision(s) is.
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E.g.: Alright. Perhaps all the methods above can work.
Opening up a separate shariah compliant savings account with out ATM card.
Selling unused stuffs in Carousell.
Having a coin box can help.
Alhamdulillah…. It can help me accumulate my money fast.
It can help me accumulate a sizeable capital amount.
But to accumulate $ $224,579 in 10 years, is no easy feat!!!
So what I can do, to make it looks more realistic is perhaps to extend my time-line to 15 years. Instead of 10 years.
AND find ways on how to grow my money, the shariah compliant way in Singapore.
Beating inflation, and accelerate the returns so that I have enough to clear off my housing loans in the future.
7. Conclusion
This thinking tool is really useful, especially for problems that require serious consideration.
You can apply this to any area of your life, such as career choice, insurance choice etc.
I personally went through this, when I designed “Your Financial M.A.P. Model”
– A Standard Step By Step Guide to Grow Your Money And Wipe Off All Your Loans With Riba, using Shariah Compliant Financial Strategies.
If you are interested to learn more, go to Takaful.sg, for a FREE “Your Financial M.A.P.” session!
In “Your Financial M.A.P.” session, you will also learn on how you can calculate your net worth in less than 10 mins, which allows you to fully understand your financial situation and create a master plan to get started on your journey to achieve the financial freedom you desire.
You will discover bulletproof strategies on how you can increase your savings by 20%, even if you have not saved a single dollar before (It’s like having money growing from your pocket out of nowhere)
I will share with you 8 financial ratios that acts as a financial compass, giving you the direction to the oasis of financial promise land.
I will also share with you a Quick way to save up money for emergencies. This will give you a peace of mind, rather than panicking and trying to scramble up money from nowhere. You know, you have a safety net to protect you 100%.
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The first 100 who register will receive a Special Bonus. You will get an exclusive, personalised housing loan riba spreadsheet for FREE. (previously only available for paying customers and not available elsewhere).
You will be able to know how much of your monthly loan instalment goes to riba, and how much exactly goes to pay off your outstanding balance.
You can also find out how much riba you can save every year by paying your principal amount quickly.
Go ahead! Register for FREE “Your Financial M.A.P.” session at Takaful.sg!
See you soon! Insya’Allah! 🙂
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.
