George asks…
What is the main reason the goverment still defending the NEP (New Econnomy Policy) although it was?
completely fail. Before an international company an set up a company in Malaysia 30% of the company share must be own by the Malay. This policy has prevented International company to invest in our country. Malaysia is keep making the same mistake in their policy. Just look at the policy when they change the English medium school to Malay oriented school during the early 80s. Today the Malay them self suffer the loss from that stupid policy many unemployed graduate are not able to converse in English, contrary to 70s and 80s many of the Malay an converse in English very well. If you perceived the Top Malay CEO at the age 40 and above all of them speak English when there are been interview for an instance the Bank Negara Gabenor have you ever heard her speaking in Malay the answer is no.
The reason why Singapore has outlast and out will us in a very short period is that as soon as it gain independence from Malaysia they open they market to the international company
without the
The policy where the Chinese must have 30% of the company share that will discourage international company from investing in Malaysia.
In contrast Malaysia doesn’t encourage international company to open their company in Malaysia in order to protect local company that clearly only benefited the Rich Malay. Malaysia start opening they market to international company at the end of 80s after learning their mistake. I was wondering why the government still protecting this policy that clearly benefit only the rich Malay and not the Malay as a whole. Just look at the Malay at George town they live, eat, sleep and survive on the pavement or in their trishaw or beca.
i mean can not an my keyboard for the letter c has a problem
he policy where the Chinese must have 30% of the company share that will discourage international company from investing in Singapore not Malaysia typing mistake
Justin answers:
The main reason is…..
They want good foreign companies to come in, so they bumis dont have to work.
Get 30% for bumis, slowly n slowly, bumis will take 51%, thn bumis take over the company.
Richard asks…
For a ROTH IRA with Vanguard, Should I choose the S&P 500 index fund or Target Retirement 2045/2050 fund?
I am 25 years old and am rolling over about $4,000 from my 401-k into a new Roth IRA since I am starting a new job with a different company. Which option would you recommend if I were looking to retire between 2045-2050? Are S&P 500 index fund and the TR funds very similar? I am not very savvy when it comes to this, so I don’t plan on managing any of it on my own, and I know the TR funds are good for this because they are less risky as I would get closer to retirement.
I am also going to start a 401-k with my new company and start out with investing up to what the company will match, then the rest of my investments will go to the ROTH IRA.
Thank in advance!
Justin answers:
JLF is correct about the Target Fund being more diversified…but you are 25 years old and the market is down so you should be looking to be aggressive…so go with the S&P 500.
David asks…
Do you think it should be against the law (and something done about it) for a bankrupt company?
to refuse to sell when a reasonable offer has been made? This is what is happening close to where I live. Along with hundreds of others in the timber industry losing their jobs. Pilgrims Pride stated that they wanted to make the glut of chickens go away so chicken prices could be raised. To me that just is not right!!!
This was in out local paper:
Pilgrim’s Pride’s northeastern Louisiana employees and chicken growers were left in limbo today as the company remained quiet about the latest $60 million offer to buy the company’s Farmerville Processing plants.
State Sen. Mike Walsworth, who has been joining daily meetings of Gov. Jindal’s Pilgrim’s Pride Emergency Task Force, said that there were no new developments today.
Pilgrim’s Pride didn’t return calls or an e-mail requesting an update on the status of the company’s decision.
Meanwhile, the Louisiana Workforce Commission has scheduled a series of meetings on Monday through Thursday for the 1,300 workers who will lose their jobs if the complex is closed as scheduled in April.
The Workforce Commission will also open a transition center on March 24 at the Pilgrim’s complex for the workers, where services such as job placement assistance, job counseling, job search workshops, unemployment insurance and other supportive services will be offered.
All Workforce Commission services are free.
Jindal and his staff have been working to broker a deal for Foster Farms of California to buy the northeastern Louisiana Pilgrim’s operation, with Foster Farms putting up $20 million and the state investing $40 million.
The governor said that Foster Farms would also invest about $50 million in new equipment and agree to keep the work force intact for at least five years.
Pilgrim’s Pride, which declared bankruptcy in December to reorganize, rejected the first $40 million offer from Foster and the state earlier this week, but took the $60 million offer under consideration.
“Discussions continued (Thursday) between Pilgrim’s Pride and Gov. Jindal and his staff regarding the future of the company’s Farmerville complex,” Pilgrim’s spokesman Ray Atkinson said in a written statement on Thursday. “A revised offer was formally presented to the company (Thursday), and several potential alternatives were also discussed. At this time no agreement has been reached and no offer has been accepted.”
State officials said Pilgrim’s executives originally said the company valued the plant at between $65 million and $70 million.
Jackson said the company is closing the complex because of a glut of chicken on the market.
Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell said this week he is looking into potential violations of Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices Act by Pilgrim’s Pride based on the possibility that the company could be trying to manipulate the chicken market by closing the plants.
Caldwell spokesman Tammi Arender Herring said the attorney general is also investigating whether Pilgrim’s Pride is violating bankruptcy laws by holding up the sale of the complex.
Justin answers:
To refuse to sell when a reasonable offer has been made?
Define a ‘reasonable offer’. Based on YOU figures, a reasonable offer was not made.
John asks…
I am trying to level with a co-worker so people in the company can stop thinking we don’t get along…?
I am an assistant to a manager in my company, but a couple of years ago I worked for another manager in the company for about 7 months and then quit because I felt like I wasn’t able to perform up to my full potential with him due to the fact that he had gone through SO many other assistants before me who stayed for a week or two, sometimes a month or two, and then quit. I got the feeling that not being able to keep anyone made him lose faith in investing time in training me because he acted like he automatically assumed I was just going to leave like the rest did. Another problem was that I always felt like if he were in a bad mood he took his personal problems/confusion out on me in the form of a snappy personality. Well, I stuck it out for 7 months and tried to do the best I could, but after awhile I really couldn’t take it anymore and I found another job. The problem with my new job was that I liked the old company, so when I noticed that another position opened up at the old company, I applied and got the job. I think my old boss was a little hurt by the fact that my new boss hired me (despite the fact that my old boss gave me a bad recommendation to my new boss: “she did a good job but I wouldn’t hire her again”) and also I *think* he was worried that it might make him look bad seeing as how I “couldn’t” work for him but I can work for another manager. Anyway, I’ve now been with the second manager for a year and a half and love it and the company and all the people who work here. But I feel like the fact that my old manager “doesn’t like me” is following me around because I periodically get asked “do you guys not get along, or what?” by other employees. It is disheartening to hear things like that. I talked to my current boss about it and he assured me that I have nothing to worry about because the owner/CEO of the company has talked to my current boss about this before and the owner himself said that he doesn’t think it really means that much that I didn’t last working with my old boss because he thinks my old boss is overly paranoid about things which makes him a hard guy to work with. I just don’t want anyone at this company thinking I have a problem with anyone else, and I’m sick of hearing things floating around about it, so I e-mailed my old manager last night and told him I wanted to level with him and I was just honest about the reasons why I think we didn’t work out. He hasn’t replied, so I’m kind of worried that maybe I did the wrong thing? But also, I feel like I’m being the bigger person by confronting the issue head-on and trying to squash it rather than letting it hang in the air for people to speculate about. Any thoughts on what I did and whether or not it was right?? The e-mail I sent was really complimentary and I owned up to things I could have done better and I didn’t make the e-mail come across like I was attacking him or accusing him of being a bad manager. Anyway, sorry this is so long but it’s bothering me and I would like some outside perspective on whether or not I should feel confident that I did the right thing in addressing it.
Ok, I apologize. If I could figure out if it’s possible to go back in and hit enter a few times to make it into paragraphs, I would. Believe it or not, I am actually very talented at English composition. My mind is just in a million places right now.
Justin answers:
I have worked in a professional government office environment for 17+ years and I have two pieces of wisdom to impart related to your situation.
First, every work style and management style does not necessarily mesh to create a good working environment. Some managers do better with a certain kind of employee. Some employees flourish under a different kind of manager. The trick is learning what kind of manager helps you to realize your best potential, and to seek job opportunities under them. In this instance you have done nothing wrong by coming back to work with a manager whose style complements your own.
Second, workplace gossip is always going to happen. It’s human nature and there is no way to directly stop it. If you have gossip going on about yourself, then I personally find that ignoring it and not worrying about it is the best way to make it fade away with time.
I know many people have probably gossiped about my personal life and professional relationships over the years. I am not bothered because I don’t give the gossip credence. If someone directly asks me about my perspective on the gossip, then I let them know my stance on an issue by being open and honest about my knowledge of the situation. I don’t speculate or contribute to the gossip stream by issuing denials or trying to cover things up.
I recommend you learn to do the same yourself. If someone asks about your relationship with your former boss, then let them know that your personal work styles did not mesh well and leave it at that. Don’t turn it into an attack on your former boss, and you can just hope that your former boss doesn’t carry a grudge about you not wanting to work under him. Even if he does carry a grudge, then just concentrait on making your work product speak for itself in terms of your value as an employee.
I hope this helps.
William asks…
Investing Advice for 30 y/o @ 80k/year?
I know now that I need to get serious about investing so I can retire comfortably. I am about 30 and salaried at 80k year (good for where I live – new 1500sq ft house runs about 200-225k).
I thought about a 401k plan but the company I am at does not have very good matching (0.25 to the dollar) up to 6% and fully vested after 6 years. I’m not sure this would be the best option because I am usually at a company for no longer than 2-3 years (project based career). So I was thinking I should look into other options.
I have about 1-1.5k per month to invest and should be over the 100k/yr salary by the time I’m 40, so I execpt to be able to contribute twice that much by then. Given my situation, can anyone point me in the right directions as to what I should be reading up on? Like Roth IRAs, mutual funds, etc… I am really in the dark when it comes to all of this.
Thanks in advance.
Justin answers:
If I were in your position, I’d still look into the 401k first. Is there even partial vesting in the company’s match early on? If so, it’s still free money (even if it’s less than most companies provide). Even if you get half of the match when you leave, that’s still an immediate 12.5% risk-free return. I wouldn’t want to pass that up. If I wouldn’t be getting any matching money, then I’d not make the 401k first priority.
I’d fully fund a Roth IRA ($4,000 for 2007, $5,000 in 2008). That money will grow tax-free until it’s withdrawn during retirement. Not having to pay taxes on that growth is a HUGE advantage over 30+ years until it’s time to withdraw it.
After funding the IRA, I’d go back to the 401k even if there’s no matching money at all. It still has the advantage of being tax-deferred (so the investments can compound for 30+ years without having to pay taxes until the money is withdrawn) and the money put into it now won’t be included in income for income tax purposes, which means more can be saved without impacting the amount of money available for paying bills.
If I could manage to max out the 401k ($15,500 per year) on top of the Roth, I’d put the rest in mutual funds.
For the Roth IRA money, 401k money, and mutual funds, I’d put most of it in stock funds. Historically, stocks have the highest returns over long periods of time. I’d probably put about 15-20% in an international fund and split the rest between a large company stock fund and a small company stock fund.
With a salary of $80-100k in a reasonably priced area and 30 years to work with, it should be possible to accumulate a very nice retirement nest egg. Good luck!
Steven asks…
Anyone else spot a double standard within these quotes?
“In the special case of science and engineering, there are issues of intrinsic aptitude, and particularly of the variability of aptitude; and that those considerations are reinforced by what are in fact lesser factors involving socialization and continuing discrimination”
– Larry Summers (former president of Harvard University, forced to resign because of this remark)
“If you’ve been blaming reckless men for the collapse of America’s leading investment houses and the plunging markets, you may be on to something. High levels of testosterone are correlated with riskier financial behavior, new research suggests.”
– Excerpt from Scientific American (Coincidentally, the ‘new research’ referred to here was led by Anna Dreber, at Harvard University.)
“We have five core feminine values. First, risk awareness: we will not invest in things we don’t understand. Second, profit with principles – we like a wider definition so it is not just economic profit, but a positive social and environmental impact. Third, emotional capital. When we invest, we do an emotional due diligence – or check on the company – we look at the people, at whether the corporate culture is an asset or a liability. Fourth, straight talking. We believe the language of finance should be accessible, and not part of the alienating nature of banking culture. Fifth, independence. We would like to see women increasingly financially independent, because with that comes the greatest freedom to be who you want to be, but also unbiased advice.”
– Halla Tómasdóttir (Chair of Audur Capital, considered one of several women who can ‘clean up the mess that men made’ and save Iceland’s troubled economy)
Justin answers:
According to a quick google, predictably Anna Dreber is a bit of a feminist – no surprise to see her blaming men… As is typical of her breed.
Yes, clearly there is a hypocritical double standard here. One that feminism will not appreciate you noting, and less so for mentioning.
Robert asks…
What international cell phone would you recommend?
My new job requires me me to travel a lot and I am therefore in need of an international cell phone that works without trouble no matter where I go.
I have heard that Nokia makes great international cell phone and i know that Nokia are a reliable company. But I have no experience whatsoever when it comes to international cell phone and I was therefore hoping that somebody could help me find an international cell phone that works like wonders.
I am ready to invest max 500$ for the international cell phone and it would be nice if it had a cool design and a touch screen. Looking forward for my new international cell phone. thanks
Justin answers:
Hi John, you are right about Nokia making great international cell phone.
For your requirments I will recommend between two international cell phone.
The first one is the Nokia N8, this phone is by many recognized to be one of the best phones ever made. Its up to you how you understand that statement. It has a great screen with amazing quality. So many functions. What I really like about it is the GPS which is just flawless.
The second is the Nokia x6 which looks much like the N8, but it is a cheaper version of the x6. It also has great functions and basically has everything you need in a phone and more.
Both phones are great international phones, but I will recommend for you to read more about them in the links below and see which one you feel is the best for you. Good luck!!
Thomas asks…
Looking for investors for my new website.?
I know is very unusual way to ask for funding online but I have to try it anyway.
xxx is the company you will to invest in (so far I have not decide on domain name yet)
investors will be pay each month from the ad revenues. Total funding for the first stage: min: $10K Max: $20k The goal is reach 10k users within first year and have quarter million in page views and cost effective advertising strategy.
My name is John Lauritzen and below is the introduction of the business idea.
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gzhang1 if you want to get touch with me. or use gzhang1@fau.edu
Executive Summary
Introduction: xxx is developing a” html5” based online video website which allows users to post videos from popular video sites. Users will experience the clarity and speed from html5 video player, when watch videos. Users can also customize the “ad box” that is on the video which is support by html5 video player. Users can create their personal messages in the ad box, insert an ad code, upload images, or just write words. Then share their unique messages to their networks.
Key Words About xxx Site: cool, trendy, social, fun, fast, unique, targeting young generation and website owners and online blog owners, easy to share, relevant.
Simplified Introduction: Users grab their favorite videos from those popular online websites to post on xxx site because the video is much faster and clear, when watch on xxx site. Users can also create their own unique message in the ad box to share with their networks. Xxx site will not host or download or upload any video contents (every videos and pictures will have proper citation of the sources). When users sign up for xxx site, they must agree to hold xxx site harmless and its employees and partners and xxx site will have not be liable for the shared contents created by users.
(A leading html5 video player developing firm is behind this project from the start and to launch advertising champion)
Website Functions
Users:
1, user registration must be clean and simple to allow users to sign up quickly. Site will need user name and email to verify and anti-robot code.
2, user can also sign in with their social networking site ID. Although users can watch the and post videos but this will not grant users to customize the video player.
3, after successful registration users will able to create their messages in the ad box. The process is step by step. It is very easy to use. – Just post and submit and user will pre view the message before they share that with anyone. (The ad box will work with most ad codes such as google, yahoo, msn, and other leading advertising providers online)
4, user can and viewer (not registered user) will have power to report inappropriate messages in the ad box. This way the site will filter out the bad messages.
5, user can access their account to edit, delete, create avatar logo and write simple blog on their own page and receive and send internal email to other members of the site.
6, users are allowed to use up to 10 videos to have their messages on. Users can choose the unlimited option by pay $6.66 per month.
The Site:
1, the site will be develop by viper wolf and include all functions: users, videos, site.
2, the home page will demonstrate how to use xxx site and what the big deal about it is. We will use flash video or cartoons or video speak person to demonstrate which is more effective.
3, the site will list the benefits for become regular users and premium users which have to pay $6.66 per month. Or they can pay a yearly fee of $66.66. Will this be a conflict for users to decide to use the site? The regular user can use up to 10 videos for free. This is already a big benefit for user who just wanted to try and see. Then decide will more videos be more helpful for whatever that user is using for.
4, the site will track all user activities and report in the administration control. (only site administrator will have access to that) Also the site will have self-defense system to prevent hackers and other reported users.
5, the site is open for worldwide, however; we can change what country should the site be focus on. The first will be USA.
Justin answers:
YouTube has already launched their HTML5 video player, and it is free.
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