I know that many of you out there are having a roller coaster ride this year 2021.
Some cannot sleep at night. Heart feels uneasy.
Debts around your waist.
Insurmountable challenges weight down on your shoulders (and the burden feels just too heavy!) Many are very worried about the future. 🙁
……
….
The Covid19 pandemic around the world has impacted us again in Singapore!
It’s a strange kind of feeling where we now have heightened measures this time round
which feels quite similar to the painful circuit breaker we had last year.
Officially we Muslims in Singapore only celebrated 3 days of Hari Raya Puasa with 5 unique visitors per visit. And now, we are back home
with our children occupied with full home based learning.
Back to square 1.
The point where we first started. 🙁
I took some time to reflect on my life and read books for inspiration to lift myself up.
Maintain my sanity.
And make myself feel better.
I want to share these life saving secrets with you.
I want to tell you, despite all challenges, all setbacks that befall us, never lose hope that the brighter future awaits us.
Presenting….
5 Secret Ways To Make Yourself Feel Better When Handling Challenges In Your Life
Read on…
…………………
……….
…….
1. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
.
.
I always believe this.
Focus. Be in Control.
Take charge. Empower.
Be at the driver’s seat. Steer the wheel.
And the only way you can do that is by following this mantra. When life gives you lemons, you turn that sour lemons into a sweet lemonade drink. Add a lot of sugar to it. 🙂
….
.
…………..
……
…
Basically, turn your ‘challenges’ into “something you can be grateful for”.
Alhamdulillah…..Reframe your challenge No 1 Alhamdulillah…. Reframe your challenge No 2 Alhamdulillah….Reframe your challenge No 3 Alhamdulillah….Reframe your challenge No 4 Alhamdulillah…Reframe your challenge No 5
………………
……….
…….
…
Examples for me…. 🙂
Alhamdulillah. I can now work from home and can spend more time with my family.
Alhamdulillah. I can now pray awal waktu for my 5 daily prayers at home. I can be a full time imam for my family.
Subuh, Zuhur, Asar, Maghrib and Isyak 🙂
Alhamdulillah. Responsible measures are finally in place to ensure that Singapore is one of the safest places on this earth.
Alhamdulillah. Since offline strategies are non existent, I need to learn & embrace NEW social media strategies like Instagram and TikTok to reach my customers.
Alhamdulillah. Now is a good time to watch my diet since we can’t dine out at restaurants.
Alhamdulillah Ala Kulli Hal. All praise to Allah S.W.T. for everything…
When you do this, you are placing yourself in a more EMPOWERING position to confront any challenges in your life.
You see things from a different perspective.
You feel in control.
I have been doing it for a while to maintain sanity and
make myself feel better.
Especially when I am down.
And I need to rise up back! It works for me most of the time! Try it for yourself! 🙂
2. Allah does not burden a soul beyond it can bear
In life, definitely there will be challenges.
Yet.
Sometimes, I feel that the challenge is too BIG for me to overcome.
Tried to reframe. Yet felt powerless.
Feel hopeless.
Helpless. Weak.
Like nothing can be done. Nothing!
When that happened, I recall this ayat from Allah S.W.T.
ALLAH does not burden a soul beyond it can bear
ALLAH does not burden a soul beyond it can bear
ALLAH does not burden a soul beyond it can bear
I always believe that everything that happens to us happens for a reason. And the reason is to serve us.
For every musibah that befalls us, there will be hikmah.
We have to be patient with Allah’s test and move ahead.
………………………..
………………
……
3. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
.
.
.
I realised that whenever challenges come to me, it is a sign that Allah S.W.T
wants to lift my martabat.
wants to make me stronger.
wants to prepare me for something big.
We won’t know what we are capable of unless we persevere. We cannot discover new oceans unless we have the courage to lose sight of the shores.
Time and time again what I have learnt is that when we face setback.
When life throws stones at us. And we feel pain.
Endure it a bit. Tahan.
Because pain is temporary.
………..
…..
.
Take 1 step forward.
And 1 more.
And 1 more.
Whatever it is, just keep moving forward.
Soon you will realise that all this pain is over
and you can grasp your goals with your 2 hands.
Good things will come.
Never falter. Or worst, never quit.
Because pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.
4. Do your best to steer away from Riba
.
.
Within your hearts, plant a niat that you will do your best to steer away from RIBA.
From interest based loans. Allah S.W.T. told us in the Holy Quran 1400 years ago that Riba is Haram.
There is no barakah in it.
My friends,
Don’t be over-consumed with the vicious rat race.
Never compare yourself with others.
Wow! That person has nice car.
Wow! That person has nice house.
Wow! That person has XXXX…
List never ends.
Keeping up a lifestyle you can’t afford.
And when you can’t afford, you take loans with interest.
Again. There is no blessings in it.
Impossible for Allah to set the secret of happiness and contentment of the heart on something that is prohibited.
Too many people spend money they don’t have
for the things they don’t need,
to impress people they don’t like.
Free yourself from the chains of Riba. You will feel good.
You will nurse the unease in your heart and will be always be at peace with yourself.
You will feel better and live life on your own terms.
Not on other peoples’ expectations!
If you have the inkling to compare yourself with others, go on and compare.
Yet make it a source of inspiration.
And not a cause of depression.
And if you feel stressed, very easy. Close facebook. Close instagram. Close tiktok.
Just focus on yourself. Have faith in yourself.
Focus ONLY on your progress.
Because Your Progress = Your Happiness!
5. You will be completely feel at ease when you firmly believe that everything in this world happens by the will of Allah
.
.
We always hear of this Arabic proverb.
Man Jadda, Wa Jadda.
Whoever strives shall succeed.
This time round, change it to Man Fi Sajaddah, Wa Jaddah.
My friends,
Our hard work is not just the hustle and bustle with fellow human beings on this planet. Our hard work is equally, if not MORE important on the sajadah.
On the prayer mat when we sujud to Allah S.W.T.
Allah hear our cries for help. Release all the burdens on your shoulder.
Seek his divine intervention.
Surrender to Allah.
Understand this.
Whatever that happens in this world is beyond our control
Don’t be despaired on things that you cannot control.
Don’t think…..
that you can stop the rain from falling.
The sun from rising from the east.
The moon from glowing.
The stars from twinkling bright at night.
Don’t.
If you have done your best and things still happen, believe me that its meant to be.
Don’t say, if I do this. This wont happen.
If I do that, that wont happen.
I should have done this.
I should have done that.
Instead say… Everything happens by the will of Allah. Whatever He wills happens,
and whatever he does not will does not happen.
We do our best. Let Allah do the rest.
………………
…………
…..
(An advice that I remind myself when I was hospitalised 2 years ago. Very relevant today!)
…………………..
……………..
………….
Now… I hope you have benefited from my personal sharing, 5 Secret Ways To Make You Feel Better When Handling Challenges In Your Life…
If you are seeking a mentor, coach, consultant to share with you practical aspects on how you can plan your finance, the shariah compliant way in Singapore, I am always ready to help you.
I also share with you my free video, “5 Shariah Compliant Ways To Save More Money in Singapore.”
If you have yet to download it, please download the FREE video now.
.
5 shariah compliant ways to save more money in Singapore are like the seeds to grow your tree.
Without the seeds, THERE WILL BE NO TREES!
Only after downloading and watching the video above, you should proceed to read this post.
Reading this blog post and applying the strategies immediately is like taking those seeds and planting them now.
.
.
.
.
In this blog post, I will share with you the roots. The leaves. The trunk.
The branch. The twig. The flowers.
And of course, the FRUITS!!! 🙂
“Fruits of Riba Free Lifestyle” tree
.
I will share with you on how to make it easier for you to be DEBT FREE in Singapore.
Warning: This blog post is quite long. Jam packed with super simple yet powerful strategies. Bookmark this page so that you can always refer to it. 🙂
.
.
.
1) Increase your income.
.
1 of the fastest way for you to clear your debt fast in Singapore is to EARN MORE.
Earn higher.
I am talking about your disposable income.
Money that goes into your pocket.
Simple logic.
If more money flows into your pocket every month, easier for you to be debt free.
I have created a series of videos here on how to double your income, the shariah compliant way in Singapore. Listen in! 🙂
2) You must want it.
.
Yes. It is as simple as that.
You must want to be debt free in Singapore.
If you don’t want, no matter what kind of strategies I share with you. It wont work.
I do know of many who see debt as a tool to become rich.
Its called Leverage.
In fact, today if you were to meet 10 financial consultants,
9 will encourage you to take more debts as long as you can fulfil TDSR. (Total Debt Service Ratio)
Especially in today’s low interest rate environment.
Fact of the matter, today as a financial planner, I also can show you multiple strategies on how to make money by taking more loans.
But as an Islamic Financial Planner, I CHOOSE toshow you strategies to make money by avoiding, reducing and clearing your riba based loans.
Avoiding, reducing and clearing your Riba based loans to seek baraqah from Allah S.W.T. is the central core of my wealth accumulation strategy.
If we need to leverage, we leverage using Halal means. Without riba.
Because why?
Because we seek redha from Allah S.W.T.
We want to be happy in this dunya. And we want to be happy in the akhira.
Insya’Allah. Allah will make it easier for us when we do our level best following his commandments by avoiding riba.
.
.
.
Others go by the mantra, Hutang hari ini, hutang selamanya.
I adopt a different position. Hutang hari ini, LANGSAIKAN SEMUANYA!
So first thing first, whatever strategies you advocate.
You must want to be debt free in Singapore.
You can have 1001 financial strategies. Yet being debt free must be your core objective from day 1 you start to plan your financial goals.
.
.
.
3) You must track it.
.
Work closely with your financial advisor. And track your personal finance very closely.
Your networth statement. Your cashflow statement.
Your 7 financial ratios.
To me, this is the most basic thing one must do in Singapore.
Especially if you intend to be Debt Free in Singapore.
Remember the “Fruits of Riba Free Lifestyle” tree I shared with you earlier?
( “Fruits of Riba Free Lifestyle” tree)
.
.
Your networth statement. Your cashflow statement.
Your 7 Financial ratios are like the roots of a tree.
If the roots are not strong and the wind blows, Your tree will tumble.
You need to know your numbers at the back of your hand. And make sure everything is in order.
…………………………..
……………..
…………
(Halal Financial Plan that I created for my beloved clients)
(Halal Financial Plan Safety Card that all of us need to follow closely)
.
.
If you want a personalised 10 page Halal Financial Plan like the one I created for my clients above ,
click here to arrange “Your Financial M.A.P.” session for FREE via Zoom!
***I can guarantee you that this Halal Financial plan is different than any financial plan you can see out there.*** It is designed specifically for our Muslim community in Singapore.
I have removed all the jargons and simplify it for you.
Financial reports that usually run into 40-50 pages (who has time these days to scrutinise 1 by 1 those thick, confusing reports?),
I summarise them into 10 colourful pages.
In fact, I make it so easy for you that even your Primary 6 child can join in and have fun to interpret your numbers! 🙂
.
.
Not only that!
As a special bonus, I will also share with you my exclusive, personalised housing loan riba spreadsheet for FREE.
From there 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.
If you pay housing loan instalment of $1000/mth, how much goes to principal, how much goes to interest?
.
If you pay housing loan instalment of $1000/mth consistently for 5 years, what will be your outstanding balance then?
If you pay housing loan instalment of $1000/mth consistently for 10 years, what will be your outstanding balance then?
If you pay housing loan instalment of $1000/mth consistently for 15 years, what will be your outstanding balance then?
.
If you know your numbers, only then you can Super Duper Focus on working your way up to reduce your unnecessary expenses and accumulate funds to pay the loans off.
Numbers give you purpose. It gives you energy and momentum.
You cannot hit a target you cannot see.
If you want me to give you Halal Financial Plan
+ exclusive, personalised housing loan riba spreadsheet (only for the first 10 lucky candidates),
schedule “Your Financial M.A.P.” session (Zoom Edition) for FREE now!
………………………..
4) You must position yourself to attract rezeki FIRST
and only after that work hard to receive it.
Let us do a simple yet profound exercise now.
I want you to find ants in your house now.
If you are in office, find ants in your office.
Do it now!
Search high and low. Is it easy to find the ants? 🙂
No. Its challenging for most of us! 🙁
Especially if we keep our house or office clean, neat and tidy at all times.
Very difficult to find those ants.
…………….
………
…..
Now what I want you to do is to change your strategy.
Get some sugar.
And I want you to pour them all over your house.
Wait until tomorrow. And see what happens.
Definitely, you will see a lot of ants! 🙂
…
…
…
My brothers and sisters,
Similar to our rezeki. Our sustenance.
In order to have more rezeki,
we have to position ourselves to receive more rezeki from Allah S.W.T
FIRST!
BEFORE anything else!
We do so by taking care of our relationship with Allah S.W.T.
By obeying Allah’s commandments and staying away from what is prohibited.
My brothers and sisters,
You can implement 1001 strategies.
Toil day and night.
If Allah doesn’t allow it to happen, it won’t happen.
How do we do obey Allah’s commandments
in the context of managing your personal finance?
Always seek prayers from your parents
in whatever business endeavour that you do.
Remember toZakat your cash/investment/ Halal insurance once you reach the Haul and Kadar Nisab.
Infaq.
Sadaqah. Help those who are in need.
and most importantly by ensuring that every single step in our financial planning journey is shariah compliant. Free from Riba, Maysir and Gharar. In short, Halal.
………………………..
……….
……
Only after positioning ourselves to receive rezeki, we put in effort and work hard for it.
Yes work hard for it.
My brothers and sisters…. There is no magic pill that you can swallow.
And suddenly make your your riba based loans disappear.
The Malay proverb says,
Yang bulat tidak datang bergolek,
yang pipih tidak datang melayang.
Kalau tidak dipecahkan ruyungnya,
mana nak dapatkan sagunya?
The Arabic proverb says
Man Jadda, Wa Jadda.
Siapa berusaha, dia dapat.
Put in your 101% effort. Trust the process.
And leave the natijah to Allah S.W.T.
Ya Allah. I surrender. I have done my very best. And I leave it to your decree.
5) Make Your Money Work Harder
.
Last but not least, after you follow my strategies that I shared above, and Masya’Allah, Alhamdulillah…
Tabarakallah…. You become cash rich.
It’s time to make your money work harder for you.
In fact, the secret sauce to wealth creation is to grow the money you have.
Invest in Halal stocks. Invest in Halal bonds (sukuk). Invest in Halal commodities (gold, silver, oil etc2). Invest in Halal businesses.
Subhanallah! 🙂
Question here.
Will all the Halal stocks,
Halal bonds (sukuk),
Halal commodities (gold, silver, oil etc2),
Halal businesses in the world make money?
No. Of course not!
As a shariah compliant investor, you only want to FOCUS on Halal stocks, Halal bonds (sukuk), Halal commodities (gold, silver, oil etc2), Halal businesses
that can help you MAKE MONEY.
The one that can lose money, the ones that will FAIL,
you want to AVOID them!
That is why you need experienced Islamic Financial Consultant like us to understand your needs, assess your risk profile and guide you.
Show you the way.
Alah………. It’s like you want to want climb Mount Kinabalu.
(Myself at Mount Kinabalu, one of the highest mountains in Southeast Asia)
You need an experienced guide to show you the way.
Educate you on what to do and what not to do.
Share with you tips and secret strategies to not only ensure you reach the peak safely.
You also want to make sure your journey up and down the mountain becomes a memorable and enjoyable one.
Capture pictures that you can share with your children and grandchildren in times to come.
Isn’t that beautiful? 🙂
………………….
……….
…..
Now, scaling Mount Kinabalu is very similar to growing your hard earned money the Halal way with the intention to finally clearing your riba based loans.
You need a guide.
A competent Islamic Financial planner can help you 10 X your shariah compliant investment power
by sharing with you up to date, tactical and long term investment strategies.
(Example of whatsapp msg I broadcasted to my clients on 17th March 2020)
(And in 3 months, Halal investment portfolio value increases by 20% in terms of capital appreciation. Alhamdulillah….)
An Islamic Financial planner in Singapore is like a GPS for your financial success.
An Islamic Financial planner in Singapore shows you the first lane on the expressway to financial success
by revealing jealously guarded money making secrets you should know.
An Islamic Financial planner in Singapore shares with you common money mistakes people make and how to avoid them.
(You dont need to bang the wall a lot of times or worst go to a dead end. )
……….
….
My Bros and Sis. If you do things that you never done before, you will get the things that you never gotten before. Your life changes when you adopt rich Muslim money habits.
And it doesnt stop there.
Good money habits you learnt today, you can pass it to your children.
And they can pass it down to their children.
The cycle continues.
Can you imagine our future generation, living life without riba? Masya’Allah! 🙂
And today is the start of that wonderful journey.
Remember the 5 seeds of riba free lifestyle tree that I gave you earlier? Start planting them now!Bismillahirahmanirahim….
…………………..
……………..
………….
Now… I hope you have benefited from my personal sharing, How To Make It Easier To Be Debt Free in Singapore…
If you are seeking a mentor, coach, consultant to share with you practical aspects on how you can plan your finance, the shariah compliant way in Singapore, I am always ready to help you.
It is a not a magic formula.
Yet I am highly confident, if you read and apply the strategies that I am about to share. It will work like magic for you! Allah Ya Mujeeb! (Allah The Responsive One)
………………………………….
………………….
……..
1) Work as if….
.
.
First thing first you have to understand this.
In business, people pay for value.
How much you are paid commensurates with the value you deliver to the marketplace.
What I want you to do
Be it if you are self employed OR a full time employee….
If you earn $2000/mth, work as if you are paid $4000/mth.
If you earn $5000/mth, work as if you are paid $10,000/mth.
If you earn $10,000/mth, work as if you are paid $20,000/mth.
Yet sometimes, I have people who told me.
I work for more than I’m paid.
“My boss doesn’t appreciate me. Pay increment is not in his dictionary.”
Well…
If you are an employee, it is time for you to build up your emergency funds (6-12 months expenses), and find a new boss.
If you are a business person, it is time for you to review your business strategies.
Yet, 1 common denominator that I strongly advocate is HARD WORK. ‘Man Jadda, Wa Jadda’ whoever strives shall succeed.
The more value, you deliver, the more money you make.
Below is an idea I get while reading Russel Brunsen’s book, and I find it super relevant.
It is called the “Value Ladder”.
I call it, “The More Value You Give,The More Money You Make“ Financial Ladder. 🙂
(“The More Value You Give,The More Money You Make“ Financial Ladder)
When you are at work, always, always EXCEED expectations.
Deliver more value than you are required to.
Do your best wherever you are! And in whatever you do!
Soon, Allah S.W.T. will show you the path to people who will pay you for what you are worth. Insya’Allah
.
.
.
2) Mix with people who earn double or triple your income
.
In your industry, definitely there are people earning double or triple your income. Make friends with them.
Okay. If they are self employed like you.
Yet earn double or triple your income.
They know something that you don’t.
They think differently from you.
Yet, most probably they are busi….er than you.
Eat the humble pie.
Make it easier for them to help you. Give first.
Add value to their business first. Then seek help.
Most people called it “Law of Reciprocity”. I call it, “You help me. I help you.” concept.
It works. 🙂
……………………………
…………………
………….
Another super fast way for you to mix with people who earn double or triple your income is to join personal development/ investment or business seminars.
Usually for seminars, they have success stories.
They have testimonials.
Better still, if they have rag to riches story.
Last time, Person A was not doing so well.
Alhamdulillah after joining a certain seminar, Person A is now doing well. Learn wholeheartedly from the seminar, and make a conscious effort to befriend “Person A” and others.
What we want is the connection.
The circle.
Circle is important.
I know many parents who send their children to good schools because good schools have students with well connected parents.
And the students have a head start to becoming successful, well known, established individuals in the future. The parents want their child to have a good circle in the future.
If you want to double or triple your income, you can consciously alter your circle. I am not asking you to dump your friends!
I am asking you to make more friends with people who are MORE SUCCESSFUL than you.
It is like thermostat adjusting to a certain temperature.
Soon, you will realise that your income will match the circle of friends that you have just built from scratch.
Choose your circle carefully. Because your circle will shape who you become, and your family generations to come.
.
.
3) Write down your gratitude list every morning when you wake up from sleep
.
.
I read from “The Secret”.
They mentioned that to change your life fast:
Use gratitude to shift your energy.
When you put all your energy into gratitude, you will see miracles taking place in your life.
Joy attracts more joy.
Happiness attracts more happiness.
Peace attracts more peace.
Gratitude attracts more gratitude.
Kindness attracts more kindness.
Love attracts more love.
I learnt that as the “Law Of Attraction”. ………………….
…….
When I learn more about our beautiful religion Islam, I realize a bit of similarity. Allah S.W.T say in Surah Ibrahim, Chapter 14, Verse 7 If you are grateful, Allah will certainly give to you more.
I want you to write down your gratitude list every morning when you wake up from sleep.
Example how to write your GRATITUDE list:
Alhamdulillah, Ya ALLAH. I am grateful because I am alive today.
Alhamdulillah, Ya ALLAH. I am grateful because I believe Allah is God and ProphetMuhammad (Peace be Upon Him) is the messenger of God.
Alhamdulillah, Ya ALLAH. I am grateful because I have a loving family.
Alhamdulillah, Ya ALLAH. I am grateful because I have a fully paid car.
Alhamdulillah, Ya ALLAH, I am grateful because I like my job as a financial consultant. And I have very friendly and understanding clients.
and you have to remember this.
Allah mengikut sangkaan hambanya. (Muttafaqun ‘alaih).
………………………………..
…………………
……….
When you write your GRATITUDE list every morning,
you will attract the good in your life.
Because you thank Allah S.W.T. the goodness that you have in your life.
And you believe that Allah S.W.T. will continue to bring goodness in your life.
What you write, you think, you feel.
You say and do, they are DOA that Insya’Allah will be granted by Allah S.W.T.
Write good.
Think good.
Feel good.
Say good.
and do Good!
It will become a DOA.
Allah Ya Mujeeb! (Allah The Responsive One)
Grant the doa of all my blog readers reading my blog now.
Amin. Amin. Insya’Allah.
.
.
4) Outsource
.
.
If you earnestly do the first 3 actionable ideas I shared with you above, I assure your income will increase. Time will be my witness.
We are still focusing on the 1st step of Takaful.sg “Your Financial M.A.P.” model.
Make Money. So what can you do to Make More Money?
…………..
…..
.
The next idea is very relevant especially if you are self employed or running your business.
You have to understand this.
”’ You are not Superman.
You are not Batman. You are not Ultraman. Captain Planet.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Or POWER RANGERS! (my favourite)
””
You and me. We are just normal human beings.
Normal human beings with our strengths and limitations~~~ Learn to OUTSOURCE!
…………………………..
……………………..
………………..
I remember 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!”
………………………..
…………….
………..
Yes. Don’t work alone.
No man is an island.
Even if you follow the movies, you will realise something. Superheros nowadays don’t work alone! 🙂
Gone are the days, where Superheros have their own turfs.
Superman takes care of Metropolis.
Batman takes care of Gotham City.
Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Panther all have their own turfs.
Today, we see Ironman assemble his team and combine all these superheros together, to become AVENGERS!
As Avengers, they are now the elite team to guard the world and make it a safe place for all of us.
My question for you. Do you still want to work alone? 🙂
……………………..
……………….
…………
Last time, when I have a goal, my brain will think this way. “How can I achieve this?”
Now with a team. I think this way. “How can my team and I achieve this?”
.
.
5) Focus on 80:20
.
.
When you focus on everything, nothing changes.
When you focus on one thing, EVERYTHING WILL CHANGE!
In you are in business, you have to realize that 20% of your activities give 80% of your results.
I define this as my “give me a lot of results” task.
I call it, “give me a lot of results” task because I know if I complete these tasks, I will get a lot of things done for the day!
So everyday, when I have my to do list, I will make sure that I complete my “give me a lot of results” task FIRST.
Then, everything else.
By prioritising to complete a task that matters FIRST, I assure you that you will be more productive. And in return your income will increase. I am very confident in that.
.
.
6) Start your day early, don’t sleep after Subuh prayers and perform your Duha prayers
.
.
All the successful people whom I’ve met and had the opportunity to ask questions, I realise they have common traits.
Common patterns.
Things that you can follow and model upon.
1st things 1st, they start their days early.They don’t go back to sleep after their Subuh prayers.
Secondly, Solat Duha.
If you feel too narrow in rezeki, pray 8 rakaat.
If not, 4 rakaat.
Minimum 2 rakaat.
Do it daily.
And consistently.
May Allah S.W.T. bless us with bountiful rezeki! Allah Ya Mujeeb! (Allah The Responsive One)
.
.
.
7) Istighfar,
Avoid the Haram and Sadaqah
.
.
Istighfar means I seek forgiveness from Allah S.W.T.
The more you Istighfar, Insya’Allah… the more rezeki you will have.
Refer to Surah Nooh, verse 10-12
Second thing is Taqwa.
Avoiding the Haram.
Do what Allah like, and Allah will give us what you like.
Have faith in Allah S.W.T.
And finally Sadaqah.
Strategy No 3, I shared with you about Law Of Reciprocity.
Give first and you shall receive back.
Law with reciprocity with a fellow human being on this earth is very different with law of reciprocity with Allah S.W.T. Law of reciprocity with a human being…1- 1 = 0
Today, you help me. Tomorrow, I help you.
We are done. We are even.
Law of reciprocity with Allah S.W.T. through our sadaqah jariah is different. Law of reciprocity with Allah S.W.T. … 1 – 1 = 10
You give 1, Allah S.W.T. will return you in 10 manifolds.
Bi’iznillah.
Continue to give value. Trust the process.
Make the world a better place to live in.
And Allah S.W.T. will path the way to people who appreciate you for who you are
and the services you offer.
Allah Ya Mujeeb! (Allah The Responsive One)
Grant the doa of all my blog readers reading my blog now.
Amin. Amin. Insya’Allah.
…………………………………………..
……………………
……….
Now… I hope you have benefited from my sharing on 7 Ways To Double Your Income, The Shariah Compliant Way in Singapore……
If you like to go to the next step of “Your Financial M.A.P” model, how you can accumulate and grow your money, the shariah compliant way in Singapore, I am always ready to help you.
Achieving your Halal financial goals in Singapore is like driving a car. After driving for some time, Alhamdulillah… finally you reach your destination safely.
There are 7 simple yet IMPORTANT things that you need to have to ensure that you reach your destination safely.
I have created the infographic below to sum up this blog post. 🙂
1) You need to know where you are
. If you call me today. And you ask me…
“Helmi. How do I get to Masjid Al-Islah at Punggol?“
The first thing that I will ask you immediately is, “Where are you now?” 🙂
Similarly, in finance, you got to first know where you stand exactly in terms of your personal finance.
Your Final cashflow is Your Total Inflow minus your Your Total Outflow.
What is your PERSONAL NETWORTH (excluding the house you are staying) now? How about your cashflow? Do you have a positive cashflow or negative cashflow every month?
Start looking at these numbers closely. Because only when performance is measured, it can be improved.
. My overall goal as a financial consultant is to help you
– INCREASE your shariah compliant investible assets in your networth statement -SHORTCUT and accelerate your process to increase your personal networth in a Halal manner -Reduce and eliminate your riba based loans once and for all
And at the same time, help you achieve your short term and your long term financial goals.
These short term and long term financial goals are what I term as “your destination”.
Are you saving for your retirement? Saving for your child’s education? WHERE IS YOUR DESTINATION? 🙂
…………………… ………. ….
3) You need a vehicle
. In order for you to reach a certain destination, you need to have a mode of transport. Are you travelling by bus? By car? By motorcycle? By train? By plane? Or by ship? 🙂
(My first time boarding Royal Albatross without the need to have a passport) ………………………………. …………………. …………
WHAT IS YOUR MODE OF TRANSPORTATION? 🙂
For me, I drive my Hyudai Elantra everyday to work. And if I travel, I like to travel to my favourite destinations with AirAsia. Of course!! I will savour their delicious serving of Nasi Lemak Pak Nasserwhile on board. Nasi Lemak Pak Nasser is my favourite! 🙂
If I am overseas, I have my Grab app and Gojek by my side. It is super duper convenient! 🙂
……………………… …………….. ………….
Similarly when you are saving money for your financial objectives, you need to have a RELIABLE FINANCIAL VEHICLE.
For short term financial objectives like your 3-6 months emergency funds, you can leave your money in the Al Wadiah savings account. It is shariah compliant because Al Wadiah savings account gives Hibah. Hibah, Gift = Halal Riba = Haram
For your long term financial objectives, you want to make sure that your money works harder for you. Al Wadiah Hibah of 0.6-0.8%/annum is not enough. You want more. You need more…. You deserve more! That is where you will look into shariah compliant stocks/funds/Halal REITS etc2 as part of your portfolio.
. Some people told me, they want to be a millionaire in 15 years time, by investing $150/mth Let me do the maths for you. $150/mth X 12 months X 15 years = $27,000
I told them… Hello… If today you want to drive to Penang from Singapore. And you only fill up $10 worth of petrol. Will you reach Penang?
Confirm, you won’t reach. In fact, you CAN’T even reach Malacca with $10 worth of petrol.
But some of them argued… ‘Alah… Helmi… I can only afford $150/mth now…”
Then I told them, its okay to start with $150/mth. Along the way, you have to top up.
Its like driving your car. When you don’t have enough petrol,you need to top up the petrol.🙂 ………………………….. ………… …….
5) You need someone to show directions: Google Map. Waze.
. That someone is called a mentor, coach or advisor.
There are 20,000 financial consultants in Singapore.
Some people asked me. What is the difference between MEand the rest of the 19,999 financial consultants in Singapore?
The difference is simple.
I specialise in helping Muslim families plan their finance, the shariah compliant wayin Singapore. So that they can lead a blessful life in this dunya. And also the akhira..
Amin. Allahumma Amin…. 🙂
(Catch me in Mediacorp Suria shows, “Wahhnita” and “Alah Abang, Amboi Kakak” to be aired in February 2019) …………………….. ………… ………..
6) You need to check your blindspot. You might need additional mirrors. Definitely, you need insurance.
. You need to have Plan A. Plan B. And Plan C.
Especially if you intend to drive long distance, it is good to have additional mirrors. Additional precautionary measures in place. Definitely you need insurance. ……………………………….. ……………… ……….. I remembered many years back then, while was still a student. Back then when I was in Ngee Ann Poly Business Incubator program. My partner and I were required to present our business plan to a group of investors. I was in charge of the pro forma financial statements.
I had to forecast the trading, profit & loss statement for the next 3 years. 5 years. And 10 years. I had to project my forecast into 3. Pessimistic. Neutral. And optimistic sales figure. We clinched the deal.
To my mind, that was a super good training ground, because entrepreneurs are usually optimistic. We always think that everything will fall in place nicely. Yes. Sometimes it does, with the help of Allah S.W.T. Yet, sometimes it doesn’t. That it where you need contingency plan.
You need Plan A. Plan B. Plan C. And Plan D.
In Malay, we call it, “Sediakan payung sebelum hujan.”! 🙂 ……………………. ………………………… ………………..
In today’s investment environment, there are so many variables to account for. Weakening and strengthening of the USD$. Interest rate hikes (there were 3 rate hikes from the Fed in year 2018) Donald Trump Trade war (market follows closely to whatever he tweets) So many things to read on Bloomberg. On MorningStar. On Business Times.
Financial products keep evolving too.
Yesterday, I met one couple. They mentioned that they want a financial vehicle that covers EVERYTHING.. Covers hospitalisation. Covers personal accident. Covers their income replacement needs, death, total & permanent disability, critical illness. Covers retirement. Covers child’s education. Wealth accumulation. Basically, a SUPER COMBO plan consolidate into 1.
I shared with them, that there is no such plan. If there is, I also want! 🙂 We have to segregate Plan A. Plan B. Plan C. Plan D. Plan E…. And Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan D, Plan E are within my purview as a financial planner.
Others from other industries such as real estate can share Plan F. Plan G and Plan H. Basically diversify. Don’t put your eggs in 1 basket. Have contingency plans in place! ……………………. ……… …….
7) You as the driver need to be focused. Drink coffee. Stay alert.
. You as the driver need to be focused. Especially if you drive long distances. Drink coffee. Stay alert!!
By being focused, you should also know where you want to go and not be swayed by other people’s opinions.
Some drivers, they drive so far and almost…..reach their destination. Suddenly one of their passengers distract them. The passenger said, “Hello!!!! You are going the wrong way!”
Instead of moving forward towards their destination, the driver did a U-Turn.
Imagine…. You are so close to your destination and suddenly you U-Turn. You U-Turn because your friend gives you wrong advice. You are so hospitable, so caring, so accommodating to offer your friend a ride on your car.
Instead of thanking you, he “sabo” you by leading you to the wrong direction. Alamak!!!
….. Similarly, there are many people in life. At first, they were doing good.
To me the unqualified opinions are like passengers in the car who are clueless. Yet think they know the direction, and show you the wrong way. Or if you board a ship, the unqualified opinions are like storms in the sea. …………………………………….. ……………………………… ………………….
What I did is that I installed “anchors”. I install “anchors” in all my financial planning presentations. In a good way. If you are my client, confirm + chop , you will recognise these anchors. And you will thank me for that! 🙂
I will share with you one of my “anchors”.
“The Apple Concept”.
This “Apple Concept” is suitable to apply when there is a market downturn. Market Pandemonium. Everybody kan cheong spider, you relax. 🙂
Example you buy apple (the fruit you can eat) today at $1. It goes down to 90 cents. Up 91 cents.Down 90.122345.
What do you do? Dont bother. Ignore! We are not speculators. We are not traders. We are investors! However, when price of Apple goes down to 50 cents. Half price. GREAT SINGAPORE SALE! What do you do? Buy more.
Similarly, when market goes up or down a bit, dont bother. However, when the fund price selling at cheap price, buy more. So that can make more money when the price goes up in the future. (A lot of pple get scared and they sell and they lose money)
There are one of the many anchors that I shared during my financial planning presentation to manage my clients’ expectation and ensure that they remained focus, instead of listening to the “noises” in the market.
……………………… ………………… ………
The 2nd thing that I share my clients or reiterate to them to ensure that they remain focus is to remind them of their Niat and their “Big Why”.
You need to know why you do what you do.If you save for your child’s education. Your child is your BIG WHY. You save money because you love your child. Because you want to see your child grow up as a good human being. Because you want your child to have a good job. Or have a business. Or even perhaps continue your legacy in this dunya.
When your Big Why is strong, you would not lapse a plan. What is your Big Why when you get a certain plan or you embark on a certain endeavour? Your reason or your Big Why must be strong! 🙂
My Big Why is my family. My niat is to establish Islamic Finance in Singapore is because I see that as one of my pathway for me to go to heaven. Every time, I feel down. I feel like giving up (giving up is easy by the way).
I remind myself of this Hadith. “From Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar -may Allah be pleased with him- that Allah’s messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- said, “The trustworthy, honest Muslim merchant will be with the Prophets, the honest men, and martyrs on the Day of Resurrection. ’’
I want to go to Jannah. I want to join the syuhadas. That is why when I conduct my business, I do my level best to be as transparent as possible. I left no stone unturn!
In fact, now I treat every single action I take as accumulating saham akhirat. Come, partner with me. We can kumpul saham akhirat together! Amin. Amin. Insya’Allah! 🙂 ……………………………………. ………………….. …………
Now… I hope you have benefited from my sharing on 7 Things That Makes It Easier To Achieve Your Halal Financial Goals in Singapore…
If you are seeking a mentor, coach, consultant to share with you practical aspects on how you can protect your wealth using Halal Insurance in Singapore OR save, accumulate and grow your money the shariah compliant way in Singapore, I am always ready to help you.
One of my favourite topics is on retirement planning.
Recently, a lot of people came to me asking for tips, strategies on how they can save money for their retirement.
In this blog post, I will share with you, 5 Most Important Rules To Halal Savings For Your Retirement In Singapore…
…………………………….
……………………………
…………..
Rule #1. Start Early
This is my story.
During my early years as a financial consultant, I always advise my clients of the importance and advantages of saving money EARLY for their retirement.
Yet at times, I myself faced challenges when I wanted to save money. I came out with lots of “EXCUSES”!
……………………………………………….
………………………..
“Alah… Wait lah… Im still young. YOLO!!!!
Enjoy first. Later, when I am in my thirties, then I will start saving for my retirement.”
“Alah…. My pay is so little now. Wait when my income increases to a substantial amount, then I will start saving for my retirement.”
………………………………………………
………………………..
Yet deep down in my heart, I know that the best time for me to start saving money for my retirement is when I step into the workforce.
This is because, at that point of time,we DO NOT have high money commitments.
We don’t have a wife to give nafkah.
We don’t have children to provide for their daily living expenses.
We don’t have a house to pay for monthly mortgages.
…………………………………………
……………………….
The facts and figures are as clear as daylight.
If you want to retire comfortably in the future.
No shortcuts! Start saving money for your retirement as EARLY AS POSSIBLE!🙂
(The hill gets steeper if you choose to procrastinate and delay your savings for your retirement)
…………………
…………
Rule #2. Follow A Proven System and Personalize It
As you know, I struggled to save money during my early 20s.
Yes. I had my savings account. (I opened one at that point of time because I knew the importance of saving money for rainy days. In Malay, we call it, ‘Sediakan payung sebelum hujan’)
Yet. My SAVINGS account is more like a TRANSIT account.
The money rarely stayed at one place.
It moved around.
And it seldom remained in the account.
How many of you are like that?
Man… The feeling was bitter.
Every 13th of the month, at 12am, my salary would be credited.
By 11pm, the same day, 3/4 of my salary was gone to pay bills.
I told myself back then.
“I want to be a MONEY MAGNET!
Not a MONEY REPELLENT!”
So what did I do?
I read books.
I found mentors. (Paid lots of $$$ to learn from them)
I followed proven systems that many successful people had followed.
You know some of those concepts.
Concepts like,
‘Save First and then Spend’,
‘Forced Savings’
‘Identify and Differentiate Between Your Needs and Your Wants’,
‘Invest in Equities, Bonds, Commodities, REITS, Properties, ETFs’
‘Robert Kiyosaki ESBI’ model
”
Coupled with my 3 year knowledge Diploma In Accountancy from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, I began to develop the right mix.
The right recipe. The right formulas.
It’s a bit like cooking Sambal Udang.
(picture from resepinannie.blogspot.com)
.
.
You need to find the right balance.
The right amount of cili kering (dried chillies).
Tamarind.
Salt. Sugar. Prawns.
Everything in the right proportion.
And….
My small, little advice.
If you have found a recipe and a system that works well for you…
Don’t have ‘itchy fingers’.
Stick with it. Follow the system closely.
Repeat the process again. Again. And all over again.
Till you reach your retirement objective.
It is that simple.
Simple yet sometimes, difficult to follow.
………………………………………
………………………..
……………..
Yes. If you have been trying to save money, and failed numerous times.
Let me tell you 1 thing.
It is not your fault.
We are human beings. We have our own DNA.
We have our strengths. And we have our limitations.
So the key here is for you to personalise your plan.
This is HOW I PERSONALISED my retirement plan.
As a Muslim, I know that Allah S.W.T. determines my rezeki.
Everything that I do, can only happen with Allah’s will.
……………………
……………….
……
Say: “Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is our Mawla (protector).” And in Allah let the believers put their trust.)
Quran (Surah Tawba, Verse 51)
………………….
………..
….
Thus I made a decision, that whatever financial strategy that I am going to do.
I am going to do it the shariah compliant way. The Halal way in Singapore.
Because at the end of the day, its not all about strategies. Its about baraqah.
Its about seeking redha from Allah S.W.T.
I made up my mind.
I made a commitment.
I set myself to pursue knowledge to COMBINE the best financial planning practices in the conventional world and the Islamic Finance world.
I remember the story of “Rabbit and Tortoise”, that my teacher shared with me when I was in primary school.
You know the OVERCONFIDENT rabbit that lost the race to the tortoise.
The overconfident rabbit slept halfway, thinking he was fast.
He was quick. He was agile.
The slow tortoise will lose to him.
But lo and behold, the slow tortoise won the race because the slow tortoise was CONSISTENT.
…………………………………
……………..
What I learnt from this story is that you can be the best financial wizard in the world.
You can have the best retirement strategies in place.
Yet, if you are not CONSISTENT in applying them.
Having enough money for your retirement will remain a far-fetched dream.
………………………..
………………………….
I realise that a lot of people, treat money-saving habits like “hangat hangat tahi ayam.”
At first they get excited with the idea of retirement planning. But when they realize that it requires work, they feel let down.
Every other day, I have strangers asking my opinions on the latest get rich quick schemes.
Some asked for my opinion. Some asked for my endorsement.
(Something like this)
………………….
……….
….
I disappointed them by telling them in the face that there is no elevator to success.
You have to climb up the stairs.
I am a firm believer of ” Man jadda wajada, wa man zara’a hasada, wa man yajtahid yanjah ” Man jadda wajada, Siapa berusaha, dia dapat.
Man zara’a hasada means “sesiapa yang bercucuk tanam (Inshallah) akan menuai hasilnya.”
Man yajtahid yanjah means “sesiapa yang berusaha (Inshallah) akan beroleh kejayaan.”
and when it comes to savings for retirement. You have to CONSISTENTLY set aside a monthly amount for your retirement. Don’t touch that money. Don’t stop.
Because once you stop, you lose your momentum. And it will be difficult for you to start again.
……………………………………………..
………………………………
………..
Rule #4. Be Flexible. Adjust
Along the way, we may face challenges.
Things don’t go as planned.
I always share with my clients. You draw a straight line on a piece of paper.
It may look straight in your eyes.
But how confident are you that, the straight line that you draw is really straight?
…………………………………..
……………………….
In life, you need to be flexible.
I love this quote by Confucius.
Adjust the action steps.
Work with practitioners.
People who hustle and make things happen on the ground.
They devote their entire life perfecting their craft.
Be humble. Seek help from these people.
These people know the tricks of the trade.
And most importantly, they do it the legal way.
In short, we call them street smart.
If someone is doing better than you, its because they know something you don’t.
Be flexible. Model a proven winner. Copy someone who is making a mint right now.
If things don’t work for you, don’t shift your goals. Adjust.
…………………………………….
……………………
……………
Rule #5. Don’t Give Up
We are lucky to be Muslims.
Because as Muslims, we believe in Allah S.W.T.
Whenever we face problems and challenges. Don’t place everything on our shoulders.
Remember what Allah S.W.T says
Innamalyusriyurah…
Setiap kesusahan, pasti ada kesenangan.
(Behind every difficulty is a blessing.)
………………..
As Muslims, our 6th pillars of Iman is Qada and Qadar.
My mentor always reminds me of Qada and Qadar.
Qada is ketentuan from Allah S.W.T.
Sunatullah that Allah S.W.T. has set.
Example, for rainy days, one of the signs is that the sky turns dark. Cloudy.
And rain falls from the sky. Not from the surface of the earth.
If rain falls, we cannot stop that.
However, we can AVOID ourselves from GETTING WET. HOW?
.
By opening an umbrella. Open and walk under that umbrella!
That Umbrella is Qadar. Which is our effort.
We cannot stop the rain (Qada) yet we can avoid getting wet by using an umbrella (Qadar).
Don’ be disheartened when you stumble and fall down while working towards your financial objectives.
Dust yourself up, stand and continue working towards your goals.
……………………………………………..
……………………..
Now… I hope you have benefited from my sharing on 5 Most Important Rules To Halal Savings For Your Retirement in Singapore.
If you are seeking a mentor, coach, consultant to share with you practical aspects on how you can protect your wealth using Halal Insurance in Singapore
OR
save, accumulate and grow your money the shariah compliant way in Singapore, I am always ready to help you.
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.
