by Penny on October 1, 2009
In July I first achieved $100 earnings a month in Adsense. I then targeted the next level to make $200 a month in Adsense. Very happy and glad to say that I’ve achieved this goal in the month of September!
I truly believe in the power of the mind, coupled with determination and will power to make something work. If you have a goal and you want it badly enough, you will find all means and ways to achieve it.
Now that I’ve seen such possibilities in my Adsense, I’m also applying the same determination and focus to meet my sales target on my blogshop at Penny’s Online Shop. When I first started it in mid of May, sales were slow but steady. Over the months it has improved tremendously and I’m now beginning to track it closely to chart my growth.
I find that when I focus on the thing that I want to do, it grows. So all I need to do is to focus more on it, work hard and smart. And it is a must to always want to achieve the goal. I believe if you are not hungry about achieving the goals you set, then they probably won’t materialise.
And note that these are 2 areas that I’m making money on the internet. If you have been a non-believer about making money online, well you have to start believing it at some point. Lots of people are doing it and next to them, I’m just a little fly…
But I refuse to be that little fly for long. So off I go now to set higher targets for both my Adsense earnings and online shop!
by Penny on September 30, 2009
Over the years since the government launched its plans to close the gap on the digital divide, many ministries have launched their sites to offer information online, services and the like. But many of them I didn’t find that useful. But there is one that I have to say is most God-sent amongst all the others. And no, it is not the one where we can submit our income tax assessment online. I find that one pretty crap simply because I couldn’t get a decent page load.
So which government site do you think I approve of and make the most use from? It’s actually the online EPF site. Some years back I paid a visit to the EPF counter to get some things sorted and the officer suggested that I apply to have access to my EPF account online via their website. It was quite easily done.
All I did was insert the MyKad into the EPF kiosk and create a password for my online access. After that I had about a week or two (can’t remember, been a long time!) to log in and activate my account. If I don’t do so within the time frame given, then I’ll need to go and set up another password at the kiosk. Fair enough, I guess.
So I activated my online account access immediately and have been able to access my EPF account details online since then. It’s really convenient because I can check my up to date account balance at any time. It breaks down into the details of Account 1 and Account 2, and all the sub-balances of what you can withdraw your EPF funds to do. For example, if I want to invest my EPF funds into unit trusts, I can easily check exactly how much is eligible for investment purposes without doing any calculation on my own. Similarly I also know at a click of the button how much I can withdraw for paying a home downpayment, etc.
This is definitely one access that I will keep up to date and not let it lapse. It’s a good way to keep track of your EPF account balance. You don’t need to go all the way to the offices just to check on your balance. You also don’t need to wait for that half yearly statement that gets posted to you in order to keep a tab on your account.
So if you have not already registered for your account access online, you may want to consider doing so. Don’t worry, you can’t do any transactions online so you won’t risk frauds where money is taken out of your account. Trust me, for money to leave the EPF, it’s really hard. Don’t count on doing it online.
Here’s the link to the site if you are interested, English and Malay versions available: KWSP Online.
by Penny on September 29, 2009
When the economy came down last year and many people lost their jobs, those with jobs stayed thankful and hopeful that they will not be laid off their jobs. And I believe many people during that time conserve cash like crazy so that they will have some savings should the worst hit them. So what have been your smart ways in conserving cash?
Some cut down their expenses and change their lifestyles a little. Instead of eating out 2 to 3 times a week, cutting it down to once a week can surprisingly save you a lot of money. Going out less also means some savings on transportation money which can include things like paying for toll charges, parking, not to mention fuel too.
Then some people also think a step ahead and quickly look out for the best rates to do balance transfers if they are owing in their credit card bills. This is a very smart thing to do even if you are not trying to conserve cash. It’s just smart to save on interests owing to the banks, anytime!
Some also try to refinance their homes because the banks have lowered their rates following the reduction in our central bank’s overnight policy rate. It’s a great advantage to do so even now so if you have not thought about doing it before, you might want to consider it now.
Many people have also stopped investing as a way to conserve cash and I don’t blame them. Who knows just what the market brings in those down times, so better hoard the cash then to watch the investment value go down the drains then. People preferred to put their cash into fixed deposits then, and I have to say that it’s one of the safest ways to get some form of returns versus nothing at all.
So what other smart ways have you been practising to conserve your cash? Are you still doing it now?
by Penny on September 17, 2009
It’s been months that people are speculating the shape of the financial recovery all around the world. Some believe that we are now on an uptrend and that the recovery is a V-shaped one while others are hoarding their cash and not willing to invest just yet because they feel that the market is going through a W-shape recovery.
So which of these V or W recoveries are you rooting for? As the market rallies as we speak and you’re not yet in the market, you’re probably hoping that the W-shape recovery comes true, huh? But if you’re convinced that it’s not a W-shape recovery and have missed the boat on being at the bottom of the market, would you step up now and dump your money in the market?
An interesting article came up today by i Capital on investor sentiments and the way they think the market will go. Read it here.
So where are you keeping your money these days if not in the market? FDs? Under your pillows?
by Penny on September 9, 2009
Most of us are familiar with the theory of making our money work doubly hard for us while we actively seek more income. So the cycle continues with us making money, then using that income to invest so that it makes us more money.
Does it stop there for you? What about the income that’s generated from your investments? Do you spend them or do you re-invest them some more so that they too will make you the next level of income and the cycle goes on and on?
I didn’t give much thought about investing and reinvesting the earnings until I started reading a book called The Richest Man In Babylon.
This book came highly recommended by Jim Rohn.
It does make sense that we should consciously make the additional income from investments work doubly hard too. Only then will you be able to generate endless streams of income, which hopefully is somewhat passively earned too.
So what else did I learn from this best-selling book? Well I have yet to finish reading it but considering that I just started, I took away with me 3 ideas on how to manage money effectively.
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