AKPK

AKPK bantu 41,366 orang bermasalah kewangan
21/04/2008 2:59pm


KUANTAN 21 April – Agensi Kaunseling dan Pengurusan Kredit (AKPK) telah membantu sebanyak 41,366 pengguna yang menghadapi masalah kewangan di seluruh negara sejak 2006 hingga 31 Mac lalu.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif AKPK, Mohamed Akwal Sultan berkata, daripada jumlah itu, sebanyak 29,685 orang mendapat perkhidmatan kaunseling dan selebihnya menerima bantuan melalui program pengurusan kredit.

Dalam tempoh itu, kata beliau, penduduk Kuala Lumpur paling ramai mendapatkan khidmat AKPK iaitu seramai 25,527 orang diikuti Johor Bahru seramai 5,494 orang.

``Kebanyakan yang hadir mendapatkan kaunseling itu ialah golongan yang kehilangan pekerjaan, kegagalan perniagaan, masalah kesihatan, penganggur dan kematian anggota keluarga,'' katanya ketika berucap pada majlis perasmian AKPK cawangan Kuantan di Teluk Chempedak dekat sini hari ini.

Mohamed Akwal menjelaskan, faktor yang menyumbang kepada masalah hutang dan ketidakmampuan membayar balik pinjaman berpunca daripada kelemahan pengurusan kewangan.

``Kebanyakan mereka tidak mempunyai pengetahuan membuat perancangan kewangan dan tidak berdisiplin dalam kehidupan mereka,'' jelasnya.

- Utusan

Dana pinjaman JPA kontang 2 tahun lagi

PUTRAJAYA 13 April – Tabung pinjaman Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) bakal ‘kering kontang’ dalam tempoh dua tahun lagi jika jabatan itu tidak mengambil tindakan tegas terhadap peminjam tegar bermula daripada sekarang.

Ketua Pengarah JPA, Tan Sri Ismail Adam berkata, tabung pinjaman tersebut kini hanya mampu bertahan sehingga 2010 dan tindakan proaktif untuk mengisinya semula perlu digerakkan daripada sekarang.

‘‘Tabung pinjaman ini perlukan modal pusingan untuk membiayai pengajian pelajar baru. Kalau sudah kosong ia akan menyusahkan banyak pihak yang benar-benar memerlukannya,” katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia di sini, semalam.

Ismail berkata, cadangan bekerjasama dengan Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) bagi memburu peminjam tegar bertujuan memastikan tabung biasiswa jabatan itu tidak kering.

Pengarah Bahagian Pembangunan Modal Insan JPA, Datin Mardinah Mohamad berkata kelmarin, jabatan itu sedang menimbang untuk bekerjasama dengan BNM bagi mendapatkan maklumat kewangan individu yang gagal menjelaskan pinjaman pengajian mereka.

Mardinah dipetik sebagai berkata, melalui penyertaan JPA dalam Pangkalan Data Sistem Maklumat Rujukan Kredit Pusat (CCRIS) adalah mudah bagi jabatan itu memastikan peminjam membayar balik hutang.

Jika jalinan kerjasama itu terlaksana, pelbagai implikasi terpaksa dihadapi peminjam tegar termasuk kesukaran membuat pinjaman bank pada masa akan datang.

Sejak 1987 seramai 11,253 peminjam masih gagal menjelaskan pinjaman berjumlah RM135,759,932.

Ismail menambah, kebiasaannya peminjam akan mula menjelaskan hutang apabila tindakan undang-undang bakal diambil ke atas mereka.

‘‘Ramai yang kini berjawatan besar tetapi enggan buat bayaran. Jangan tamak. Itu tanggungjawab moral yang kita perlu lunaskan,” katanya.

Ditanya kesan daripada tindakan JPA itu akan menggalakkan peminjam beralih kepada ceti haram kerana gagal mendapatkan pinjaman bank, beliau berkata, masalah itu tidak akan berlaku jika peminjam membayar balik pinjaman mereka kepada JPA.

‘‘Kita bukan suruh bayar sekali gus. Kalau betul-betul susah kita boleh berunding. Bayarlah sikit-sikit. Jangan tak bayar langsung.

‘‘Kalau sudah berhutang kenalah bayar, kecualilah pemberi hutang itu beri percuma,’’ katanya.

Ismail berkata, prinsip utama dalam berhutang ialah setiap penghutang wajib membayar balik hutang kepada pemiutang.

Utusan Malaysia, April 13 2008

Wealth Creation strategies

When it come to making money and creating wealth a wealth creation strategy is key, to help you guaranteed your wealth building success. A wealth strategy can keep you focus on your wealth building mission. If you were ever to get discourage by pitfalls of the business and investment world. You can go back to your strategies and get back on track.

One of the most important Wealth creation strategies is having control over your self, it does not matter how much money you are making or how much money you are going to make, if you can not control your impulse to spend you will not be able to generate wealth or become wealthy.

That leads me to wealth creation strategy number one - Be discipline, do not expect instant gratification, so you’ll be there for the long haul and don't fluster because of a small slip ups.

Wealth creation strategy number two - Take control of your finances. If you do not have a budget in place create one, a budget will let you know where your problem areas are located. Be sure to write your budget down and don't stray from them.

Wealth creation strategy number three - Create short term goals, longs term goals, ultimate goals and write them down. A short term goal should be set on daily and weekly bases, so that you develop momentum towards your long term goals. Your long term goal should be set on a one to two year bases. Your ultimate goals should be set on five to ten year bases. Your discretion should be apply here, set goals that are achievable and reasonable do not expect to get wealthy over night. Wealth creation is a marathon not an sprint.

Wealth creation strategy number four - Learn how to read financial statements, and find out where you are financially. A financial statement is your life financial report card; a lot of people do not bother to look at their financial statement. Because their afraid of finding out how much trouble their are financially. They are like an over weight person, afraid to step on a scale because their are terrified of find out how much their over weight by.

Wealth creation strategies number five - Read wealth creation strategy books; business books, investing books, and self improvement books. Books are great way of getting a inexpensive education, and information about any subject you are interested in. Some great books about wealth creation strategies are;

Rich Dad Poor Dad - by Robert T. Kiyosaki
Creating Wealth – by Robert Allen
Awaken The Giant Within - by Anthony Robbin
The E Myth – by Michael E. Gerber
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

You can get more information about these books and authors and much more in our Wealth Creation Resource Tools page.

Wealth creation strategy number six - create a master mind group, a master mind group it's just a group of like minded individuals working together for the same purpose. Some of the people that could be in your master mind group are your tax accountant, attorney financial adviser, banker, and a book keeper.

Wealth creation strategy number seven - Once you have the six wealth creation strategies mention above set in place. Than and only than you can start investing. Learning How to investing is key in your wealth creation strategies. Because to become wealthy you have to learn how to have money work for you, instead of you working hard for money and that is what investing is all about.

http://www.creativewealthcreationstrategies.com/wealthstrategies.php

High Interest Investing - Online Savings Accounts Explained

Buying a Car

Buying a Car: What Can You Afford

There's no sense getting all worked up about a car you can't afford. So save yourself some disappointment and figure out a payment amount you can handle before you start looking.

Break out your budget
Start with your budget. (You do have a budget don't you? If not click here for budgeting information.) How much room is there in your budget? Could you, for example, fit an extra $200 a month in your budget without strapping yourself too much or eliminating your savings? If so, can you fit an extra $300 a month in your budget? No? How about $250? Continue that process until you have a general idea of how much you extra room you have in your budget. That's how much you can afford to pay for a car every month.

Details, details, details
Before you get too excited about how much you can afford and start looking at the fanciest sports cars or most luxurious sedans, remember that your expenses will include not only your car payment, but also your insurance, gas, maintenance and other miscellaneous costs associated with operating a vehicle. As a general rule, the more expensive the car, the more it costs to insure and maintain it.

Operating expenses can be as much as one third to one half of the monthly cost of a new car. So take the amount that fits in your budget and multiply it by .66. That is the most you should consider spending on monthly payments for the vehicle to be able to afford operating expenses as well.

Last but definitely not least
This is going to hurt so let's just get it out of the way - you're going to need a big chunk of change for a down payment. How much? The bigger the better.

A dealership isn't going to give you a car with only a signature as a promise you'll pay for it later. But cash is a great symbol of your commitment to make all the payments. That's the basic idea of a down payment.

To get a loan for a car, and often for a lease, you'll probably need to make a down payment of around 10% of the total price of the vehicle. The larger your down payment, the smaller your monthly payment will be and the less you will pay in total for the car in the long run. But make sure you don't cripple yourself or deplete your savings account with too large a down payment. Find a comfortable balance.

We'll discuss exactly how a down payment affects your financing and monthly payments later on. But for now it's important that you know you will need a large sum of cash when you buy a car. If you can, delay purchasing a car so that you have some time to save up a decent down payment.

Now that you know how large a monthly payment you can afford, you can start looking to find out how much car that will get you.

Vacation Planning

ISU Financial Counseling

Iowa State University
Financial Counseling Clinic : FINANCIAL TIP OF THE WEEK

Broke from the Break?!
Spring break is just around the corner. No doubt, you’ve worked hard this semester and for this, you deserve a break. And so does your budget, right? Absolutely NOT!
Spring break is notorious for being a budget-breaker. Many students deem it a time to veer from the normal day-to-day rigors of academic life. And a change in activities usually means a change in expenses. It’s inevitable. Sticking to your budget and sulking in regret, however, doesn’t have to be.

It is reported that spring-breakers who overspend, and oh, so regret it, could have avoided doing so in many ways. Here are a few:

Don’t be a procrastination bird.
Earlier planning means catching the least-expensive worm. But, if for some reason you must wait to make your travel plans, search for deals that are tailored just for last-minute-scramblers. Visit bargain travel websites to learn how you can travel without paying the highest price tag usually attached to last-minute planning. (Remember, though, that many of the bargains are contingent on your willingness to be flexible.)

Don’t plant the seed of temptation.
Ideally, when spring break vacation has ended, so, too, should the spring break spending. Toting credit cards along with you may prove too much a temptation and ultimately a big-budget-breaker. Leave them at home and commit to spending cash whenever possible. This method allows little room for accruing additional, unaccounted for expenses. Just remember: Cash not credit. After all, avoiding unnecessary interest and fees this spring break means being able to better afford the next one!

Don’t pay when free, or reduced, is available.
You may be able to cut costs during your vacation without much compromise to your fun. Sharing a room means sharing expenses and the day’s highlights with a buddy or two. There are other ways to gain additional budget-bonus-points:
Start your day the budget-friendly way. Eat the free continental breakfast!
Use your vacation city’s entertainment/travel coupon booklet to get half-off and 2 for 1 deals!

Don’t pay at the door!
Party during the club’s ‘no cover charge’ night.
Someone—this means you—has to pay more for today’s high gasoline costs. Avoid taxi-cabs if your hotel offers free shuttle service.
Tipping helps your server, but does nothing for your budget. Avoid dining out as much as possible. Purchase groceries instead.

Having fun during spring break but avoid a financial hangover. Resolve to make a budget and stick with it. In fact, challenge yourself. Do better than your budget. Discover ways you might spend even less than you’ve budgeted and find yourself still smiling long after spring break has ended!

You? Broke from the Break?! Absolutely Not!

To get more information about providing your story, or to schedule an appointment with a counselor at the Financial Counseling Clinic please go to www.hdfs.hs.iastate.edu/financial and click on the appointment tab.

If you have tip topics you would like addressed or a story you would like to share please contact the Financial Counseling Clinic.

Doug Borkowski – GSB Funded Financial Counselor (dbork@iastate.edu)
Dr. Maurice MacDonald - HDFS Department Chair (mmacdona@iastate.edu)
Jeanna Hennick - Graduate Assistant (jhennick@iastate.edu)
Mohamad Sabri - Graduate Assistant
Jennifer Perrin - Graduate Assistant
Phone - (515) 294-8644

Do you have friends who would like to receive the weekly financial tips? Subscribe at www.hdfs.hs.iastate.edu/financial. You may unsubscribe at any time by replying to this e-mail with “unsubscribe” in the subject line.

A primary objective of the Financial Counseling Clinic at Iowa State University is to provide sound, non-biased financial information. Financial products are not sold or promoted. Our professional service is free to ISU students. The Clinic is GSB (Government of the Student Body) funded and an inexpensive educational option for non-students. Visit the Clinic’s website (http://www.hdfs.hs.iastate.edu/financial) to learn more about the clinic and/or to schedule an appointment.