by Helmi Hakim | Dec 21, 2016 | Miscellaneous
I just came back from Indonesia for holidays.
And had a good chat with a fellow Singaporean entrepreneur who recently set up his food business there. We had a good chat on shariah compliant franchise business model.
………………………………………………….
………………………………
…………………….
Many of you might have known me, as the financial consultant that helps Muslim families plan their finance in a shariah compliant way in Singapore.
So. This time round, when I heard about shariah compliant franchise business model, I got very excited.
I began to ask questions.
“What is the difference between normal, conventional franchise business model and shariah compliant franchise business model?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of shariah compliant franchise business model?
How do you avoid riba, maysir and gharar in shariah compliant franchise business model?”
……………………………………………………….
………………………………………….
……………………
I began to understand that under normal, conventional franchise business model, the franchisor charges a one time fee, and then a specific %, recurring fee on the monthly SALES of the franchisee.
Regardless, the franchisee makes a profit or loss, franchisee has to pay franchisor money because the recurring fee is on the SALES amount before deduction of operating expenses.
That goes against the spirit of Islamic Finance. Profit and Loss Sharing.
For a shariah compliant franchise business model, the franchisor charges a one time fee, and then a specific %, recurring fee on the monthly PROFIT of the franchisee instead.
Other than the one time fee, franchisor never earns anything if the franchisee don’t make a profit.
So it is to the best interest that the franchisor really helps the franchisee makes a profit from the business.
We discussed many more details but the above is just the essence…
………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………….
………………………………….
Over the years, I have many people who asked, how to set up a business, the shariah compliant way in Singapore?
Is my marketing technique halal or haram?
What are the best practices to conduct business transactions in accordance to Quran and Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H)?
What are my roles as a Singaporean Muslim entrepreneur?
Many more business related questions… Usually I would refer to my esteemed friends. 🙂
Alhamdulillah… Today, I have good news to share with you.
SIM Malay Cultural & Muslim Society in conjunction with Takaful.sg would like to present to you a FREE seminar series, *”Pillars of Entrepreneurship”* on this Saturday, 24th December 2016.
This event is FREE but only reserved for the 150 places. RSVP at mcms@mymail.sim.edu.sg.
Walk-ins are welcome too.
…
See you around. Insya’Allah… 🙂
by Helmi Hakim | Oct 10, 2016 | Investment, Miscellaneous
First and foremost, I will to wish all my Muslim clients, Happy Asyura Fasting!
Muslims are encouraged to fast today.
The fasting is to commemorate the day when Prophet Moses (P.B.U.H) and his followers were saved from Pharaoh by Allah S.W.T by creating a path in the Red Sea.
Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) said,
“The (act of) fast of ‘Asyura, how I dearly hope to Allah to forgive all my sins of the year before” (HR. Muslim no. 1975).
This is from the bounty of Allah towards us: for fasting one day He gives us expiation for the sins of a whole year. And Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty.
……………………………………………….
……………………………..
……………….
Now, back to the topic! 🙂
In my mission to be debt free, I read a lot of books, biographies of successful individual leading a debt free lifestyle.
One of the books that I love is 4 Laws of Debt FREE Prosperity, by Blame Harris and Charles Car.
…………………………………………………………
………………………………………
……………………..
There are basically 4 Laws of Debt FREE Prosperity! 🙂
Law #1: Tracking- the first law of debt free prosperity
For quite a while, a lot of people have asked me.
Since in Singapore, there is no shariah compliant financing facilities to buy a house, how do we clear our interest based housing loans as soon as possible?
What are the strategies?
Before I even lay down my strategies on how to save, accumulate and grow their money the shariah compliant way, I always ask them one question.
Do you track your housing loan repayment?
Most don’t.
Its a cycle. A routine. Every month, get their salary, they will just automatically pay their monthly mortgage.
They are not aware, how much of their monthly instalment are used to pay off principal, how much to pay for interest.
At the end of 5 years, 10 years, 15 years or 20 years, many are clueless to the balance outstanding amount.
If you don’t know, the outstanding amount, how to clear your housing loan?
That is why the first law of debt free prosperity, Tracking, is important.
You got to measure it BEFORE you can manage it.
When performance is measured, it improves.
So, if you want to clear your housing loan, you must track!
(Part of an excel spreadsheet, I have done for my client. If you like to have one, go to Takaful.sg and sign up for “Your Financial M.A.P.” session with me for FREE! )
………………………………
……………….
……….
Law #2: Targeting- the second law of debt free prosperity
The second law of debt free prosperity is Targeting!
Setting goals is IMPORTANT!!!
When do you want to clear your riba based housing loans? In 5 years?
10 years? 15 years? Or perhaps 20 years?
The goals must be written. Goals not written down are wishes.
They must be your own.
They must be measurable and specific.
They must be stated in the most visible terms available.
AND they must contain a deadline.
Personally, I target to clear my housing loan of $300,000 by 31st Dec 2020.
(hahahh… It’s a good thing that I blog here. I am confident of my strategies to achieve it and I will revisit this space again in the future.)
…………………………………….
…………………….
…………
Law #3: Trimming- the third law of debt free prosperity
Live on less than you earn so you can have a surplus to get you out of debt and invest in assets that appreciate.
A lot of people thought, if someone earns big, immediately he or she will become rich.
My experience as a financial consultant tells me otherwise.
I have met someone who earns more than $10,000/mth who cannot afford to get savings plan from me and at the same time, someone just earning $1,500/mth who has a few policies with me.
Your lifestyle determines how rich you are, not your income.
No one, regardless of income, can be financially successful unless they live on less than they earn.
Pay yourself first, and then live in what’s left over.
Law #4: Training- the fourth law of debt free prosperity
The book mentions that “The people who understand money spend it on assets that generate wealth. Those who don’t understand money, spend it on things that consume wealth, and thus the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.”
I have to agree with the statement in the book.
We all know that Singapore has one of the highest Gini Coefficient in the world.
Meaning the income disparity between the rich and the poor is wide!
To me the only solution is to continually upgrade ourselves in terms of our financial literacy.
Learn. Learn. And continue to learn. There are no shortcuts.
……………………………………
……………..
……
I hope you learn something from my sharing. If you will like to learn how to manage your finances better, and clear your riba based loans, visit Takaful.sg to schedule “Your Financial M.A.P.” session with me, Financial Consultant, Helmi Hakim for FREE!
You can also SMS/Whatsapp me directly at 96520134.
Insya’Allah! 🙂
by Helmi Hakim | Oct 8, 2016 | Insurance, Investment, Miscellaneous, Motivation
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.
………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………
………………………………………….
Let’s apply this to a financial objective.
“Clearing your housing loan debt.”
Each hat represents a specific thinking role/perspective.
……………………………………………………………..
…………………………….
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.
.
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.
……………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………..
………………………………………….
4. The Black Hat
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?
………………………………………………….
……………………………
………………………..
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.
………………………………..
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%.
………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………..
………………………………..
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! 🙂
by Helmi Hakim | Oct 1, 2016 | Miscellaneous
I would like to wish all my blog readers,
‘A Blessful & Peaceful Ma’al Hijrah 1438’.
Happy Islamic New Year…
In this blessed, Islamic New Year, I have good news to share with you. 🙂
I have just launched Takaful.sg
It is a personal gift from me, in my capacity as a financial consultant that specialises on Islamic Finance for our Muslim community in Singapore.
In my course of work as a financial consultant, I have met too many Singaporean Muslims who would like to hijrah, from riba intensive ways of financial planning to shariah compliant based of financial planning in Singapore.
But many are clueless. Some are overwhelmed.
Through my humble initiative, Takaful.sg, I hope to reach more lives and share the beautiful message on Islamic Financial Planning to as many people as possible.
………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………..
………….
In this blessed new year, let us set new azam/resolutions.
New commitments.
One of my commitments is for me to reach out to more Singaporeans and share with them on how to clear their riba based loans.
AND start planning their finance the shariah compliant way in Singapore.
That is why, on this special day, I create and launch Takaful.sg
Share this link, with your family, friends and love ones! 🙂
………………………………………………………..
…………………………………….
In this blessful day, may Allah forgive all our past wrongdoings and accept our repentence. May the year ahead be showered with Blessings, Peace and Wisdom.
May the coming year be more fulfilling spiritually for everyone.
Amin…. Amin…. Insya’Allah.
‘A Blessful & Peaceful Ma’al Hijrah 1438’ to all my brothers and sisters again… 🙂
by Helmi Hakim | Jul 29, 2016 | Insurance, Investment, Miscellaneous
Some of my peers in the industry have been asking…
“Helmi… You always talk about Islamic Financial Planning. What exactly is Islamic Financial Planning?
How is Islamic Financial Planning different than conventional planning?
Can we apply it exactly in Singapore?”
………………………………………………
…………………………………
………….
Yes. I specialise in helping Muslim families in Singapore, plan their finance in a shariah compliant way.
In accordance to the Quran (The Word of God)
And Sunnah (Traditions of Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H).
One of the most important element of planning your finance the shariah compliant way is that you need to ensure that the financial strategies you advocate is free from prohibitive elements like riba, maysir and gharar.
AND the financial instruments that you choose is ALSO free from prohibitive elements like riba, maysir and gharar.
a. Riba, meaning payment or receipt of interests, is strictly forbidden.
Allah S.W.T said in the glorious Quran, Surah Al Baqarah, Verse 275:
“Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden interest”
………………..
………
.
b. Maysir, meaning any form of gambling. And Gharar, meaning uncertainty. Both are not allowed.
As stated in Surah Al-Maeda, Verse 90:
“O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination,- of Satan’s handwork: eschew such (abomination), that ye may prosper.”
……………………………………
……………….
………
I like to give my clients, simple examples.
To explain difference between Riba (interest) and Profits.
This is important because many people out there get confused and thought that riba (interest) and profits are the same.
…………………..
………..
Example, today, I lend you $1000.
Tomorrow, I ask you, to pay me back $1001.
That additional $1 is riba…
Even though, it is only a small amount of $1. That additional $1 is riba.
Riba is not permissible in Islam!
……………………………………………………………….
………………………………………
Now, let me explain profit.
Example, today, I set up a drink stall.
I sell Bandung drink.
My cost per cup of Bandung drink is 40 cents. (You know the rose syrup, milk, water and ice)
I sell, the Bandung drink for $2.
My profit is $1.60.
Profit is permissible in Islam!
…………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………
…………………..
Some people asked me, “Is it necessary, to plan my finance the shariah compliant way? I think, as long, I make money, its okay right? No need to be too concerned if its halal or its not.”
………….
…….
I told them, I am a trained financial consultant.
I can present you ideas on how you can grow your money the shariah compliant way and also the non shariah compliant way. Convincingly.
And if you can grow your money the shariah compliant way,
why choose to do it the non shariah compliant way?
……………………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………..
In addition to that, I told my clients and also my mentees. In our profession as a financial consultant, we are doing good jobs for our community.
(A picture of my family and myself)
You know, at times, I meet a family, and I bring about the idea of saving money for child’s education, to the sole breadwinner.
The Abang will look at me and say, “Child’s education? You mean you want my child to go to university? I myself, only have O’Level. How can you expect my child to go to university?”
………………………………..
…………………………………….
I told him, “Yes! Its possible! Your child will grow up and can go to university in the future!
He can be a lawyer, teacher, engineer, any profession that can help the community…He will be someone successful and beneficial to the community!!”
………………………………………..
…………………………………………….
AND we went one step further, we help that Abang plan for his child’s education, the shariah compliant way.
Not only that Abang helps his son, he also do it the blessful way. The shariah compliant way.
Both me, as his financial consultant, and him, as my client, will get passive pahala (good deeds) for the next 15-20 years of the plan. Its because both of us choose Islamic Financial Planning in Singapore.
We choose to do it the shariah compliant way. Avoid riba. Avoid maysir. Avoid Gharar.
That is what Islamic Financial Planning is all about.
Isn’t that a good position to be in? 🙂
…………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………….
So for those of you, who have been considering Islamic Financial Planning, take a look at the Financial Planning Building Blocks below and whatsapp/SMS me, Financial Consultant, Helmi Hakim at 96520134 to schedule an appointment. Insya’Allah! 🙂
(Financial Planning Building Blocks To Plan Your Finance With Financial Consultant, Helmi Hakim)
