What If You Strike $10 million ToTo Tonight

What if you strike the $10 million ToTo tonight? I use to dream that if I strike ToTo, I will write a resignation letter to my boss and ask him go fly a kite. I will not serve my notice period and just pay off my notice period and get the hell out of there. That was when I was in the cost center of a company.

When I was in the profit center of a company. I dreamt that if I strike ToTo, I will photostat and blow up my winning ticket and paste it on the wall behind my desk. Boss walks in and ask for my sales figures, I will just use my thumb and beckon to the winning ticket stuck on the wall. I will do whatever figures I like since more work I do does not necessarily equate fairly to what I will be paid.

But unfortunately, I never did strike...

But fortunately, I have left corporate and in my opinion strike my lottery. I have realised that be it in the cost center or profit center of any company, there is one thing in common. The company.

The company always comes with bureaucracy and red tapes. There is always office politics. There is always colleagues that is just doing things for their own agendas. There are always bosses that never seem to understand. There are always fixed working hours to abide by. Many a times you do things you never undertsand why. Nobody cares about your opinions. You never get to leave on time and if you do you get dirty looks. And you are never paid enough.

But of course, being in a profit center of a company is still better than being in a cost center. Got a little more bargaining power. Can speak a little louder. Demand a little more. But still being in a profit center still cannot make up for all the bad reasons associated with a company.

So do you know if you are in a cost center or profit center. To determine, does your work contribute directly to the profitability of your company? Yes, profit center. No, cost center. Don't know/ Don't care... you are bored and disengaged at work.. highly cost center.

So what will you do if you strike the 10 million tonight?

I am sure you already have your dreams thought out already. But first you must buy the ticket first, second you must strike....

But if an opportunity arise so that you can live your dreams? Will you take it? How much will you spend getting it? How much time will you invest checking it out?

I am currently looking for partners that are business oriented, customer focused, creative and intelligent. Being handsome or pretty is an added advantage... Just kidding.. though I am serious about looking for partners. Must be prepared to travel.

Only looking for Singaporeans or PR. Age between 21 and 40. If you are a fresh graduate with big dreams, you will also be considered.

Opportunity is not given to the chosen few, but the few who chose.

If you fit the above description and more, email me your resume at tngjinyau@gmail.com.

The Problem With Investments

The problem with investments is that many expect money put in today make money tomorrow or very quickly. Thats not investing, its speculating. It does not help that many people are drawn into advertisements that tell you, you can make millions with just 15 mins everyday. They claim they found the success formula in investing and they are here to share their knowledge bacause they feel good things must share. Their sharing cost $3000 plus. Eeerrr since when did sharing become a commodity?

I knew of somebody that paid that kind of money and when I asked them for their lesson notes, I saw them using charts of companies during 2003 and 2004 period. Any idiot with a dart and a list of stocks during 2003-2004 can make money in equities. Stick the piece of paper on the wall, throw the dart at it. Whichever stock the dart hit you buy, to make it more challenging do it blind folded.

I started to realise that many "investors" is running on greed and these marketers of these programs are capitalising on it. You will notice that these advertisements will be the most rampant when the economy is at a slump and the only way for the economy is up.

And greed caused problems to these "investors" too. Many have bought into technology stocks or funds in year 2000. In 2003 when I was in the bank I met numerous customers that have a negative return on their investments and 99.9% of them has most, if not all, of their portfolio in technology. Why?

Greed has driven the mass buying of technology as tech stocks in 2000 was in favour. Tech funds was doing almost 10% a week! And people were optimistic of the new era of internet. If you think about it, in 2000 if you were a startup company with a laptop and called yourself something.com your shares will be flying off the shelf. But what assets is supporting these share value? You and your laptop....

So whats the difference between investing and speculation. We all know speculation, put money today and try to make a reaping in a very short time. But investing is putting your money in and knowing it will give you a return in a longer time frame because of good fundamentals in a company or fund. Those of you who have watched Forrest Gump will know what I mean. At the ending sequence he said he found some piece of paper his grandfather left behind and it had a picture of an Apple on it. Thats investing but still kinda high risk cos his grandfather may have just put his money in one company. What if it had failed?

There were many more lessons in investments like asset allocation, diversification and time horizon. These I picked up through many discussions with my clients. And some of these lessons are hilarious. I remembered doing road show and when an uncle walked past, i casually asked if he did investments. Yes he said. Wa uncle good! What you invest in? He replied, 4D, toto, big sweep, soccer. Wa uncle not only you invest you also know how to diversify ah? He never became my client but its people like these that makes my job so much more interesting and enriching.

Photo by www.stockmonkey.com